A/N: I started this idea after I wrote Blood Runs Cold. My OC in that story, Asgeir, was one that I was fascinated by so much, that I wanted to come up with a version of him that was more forgiving and a more compassionate than the first version of him I wrote. This was what resulted in it. The fic plays parallel to the events of Season 4 of Once, along with flashbacks that fill in the 2 year gap between Frozen and the show, showing how Asgeir came in on Anna and Elsa's lives. It's not required to read Blood Runs Cold, but recommended to understand more about who Asgeir is as an OC. This also crosses over with Assassin's Creed, but not as much as Frozen and Once. Hope you enjoy.

The Creed: The only rule I have learned to be true, and the only one I truly follow. Stay my blade from the flesh of the innocent. Hide in plain sight. Never compromise the Brotherhood. But I had much drastically different morals when I began my journey. When I was inducted, blood and steel seemed to be my only purpose in life, with compassion and sympathy far from my mind. But I learned over time that the Order had many other things that drove it forward besides hate and violence. Friendship, honor, bravery, love. But these lessons weren't taught to me by my brothers at arms. They were taught by my only living family: A queen, and a princess from the North. My name is Asgeir Daniel Swortssen. This is my story.

Chapter 1: A Tale of Three Siblings

After climbing out of the manhole, I closed it, and sprinted off. The manhole cover was on the roof of the castle. With every step I took, I could hear the clunk of the carved bricks beneath my feet. When I reached the edge of the roof, I stopped suddenly, looking out to the courtyard below.

Three guards were just leaving the garden below, leaving the blonde in the blue dress alone. She was sitting on one of the stone benches in the garden, looking down at one of the patches of flowers in the garden. I knew very well how much she enjoyed those quiet moments of isolation. Hell, I liked them too. Although she spent hers on the ground, and I spent mine precariously perched on high ledges overlooking the whole place around me.

An eagle swooped close to me as I closed my eyes. I outstretched my hands, and jumped, the eagle screeching.

I fell in a pile of cut flowers that would be taken to the ceremony. After taking a second to collect my bearings, I jumped out of the pile, and started over to her. I was soon less than a few feet away. I reached into my cloak in anticipation.

"We really need to stop meeting like this!"

I sat beside her. "How do you mean, Your Majesty?"

She looked at me, and then up towards the roof where I was just standing at. "I mean, are you trying to compensate for something?"

I shrugged. "Always have to stay on guard, Your Majesty. You can never be too careful."

She shook her head. "And that's another thing, Asgeir. We really must quit this whole charade. How many times must I ask my own brother to call me Elsa?" She smiled as she said this.

I laughed. "At least once more, Your Majesty."

Elsa threw her arms around me in a hug as we both stood up. I felt a slight chill of reassurance. Then she beckoned me to start walking with her.

"I trust your trip went by successful? Four months away in the realms." She said as we walked through the garden.

I pulled the letter out of my hood that I had reached for, and handed it to her. It was a report of the efforts by my brothers.

"The Order and I have done what we can in the other kingdoms. You need not lose sleep over the affairs of us Assassins."

"It's not the goings on of the Templars that worries me. It's Anna's wedding."

"Then thank heaven I arrived today! When will the wedding be?"

"Five days from now. Anna will be glad to see you, Asgeir."

"We both know that that's an understatement." I smiled.

We both walked through the door to the hall.

Elsa nodded. "I'm hoping you will be there for the ceremony?"

I stopped suddenly. "I would be welcome there?"

Elsa looked back at me. "You are our brother, Asgeir. Half brother, yes, but you are the one person that Anna would want to be there aside from me and Olaf."

"Yeah, will the snowman be there? Because that would just look strange if I was walking down the aisle with him."

Elsa shook her head as we headed up the stairs to the bedrooms.

"If it's not too much trouble, I was actually thinking Anna might want to have you with her to walk her down. You should be the one to walk her down the aisle, as you are our brother."

I smiled. "I'll see what I can do, but that sounds fantastic."

Elsa knocked at Anna's door. "Anna?"

"Just a second!" Came the reply. "What is it? Can't it wait?"

I grinned. "Is that how you welcome your brother home?" I called.

The door swished open in a blink and I felt the wind get slammed out of me as Anna flung herself into a hug with me.

"Asgeir!" She cried. "You're home!"

I laughed. "Of course!" I said. "I couldn't miss my own half-sister's wedding."

Anna faced me. "Come now, Asgeir! You've always been our true brother in our eyes!"

I smiled. "And this brother is home now."

Anna pressed me for every detail of where I had been. I held an important position in Arendelle's High Council, but I did much more work outside the kingdom. In fact, you'd barely find me working at a desk. I almost always sent spies and brothers-at-arms from various contact points as I completed contracts and missions.

"There are true wonders out there in the other lands, Anna." I said over dinner. "I've seen many sights one could only dream of even getting a quick glimpse of, and I've collected treasures that could make even a god jealous."

"Tell me more! What kinds of lands are out there? Have you met any new people? What have you had to do out there?"

Elsa held up her hand. "Hang on, Anna. One question at a time."

Anna stopped, breathing heavily.

I smiled. "Take a minute, and I will explain. The lands I've seen are beyond count, and I can't even begin to describe what even one of them are like. I've met plenty of new people. Generally I've made friends with my contacts in the other Orders around the lands. And as for my missions, well, you know very well what it is that I do, and it's not a very light subject for discussion."

Anna nodded. "I can understand that this life isn't like what you have out there. I'm sorry."

I held a hand up. "Hey. I was an Assassin before I was your brother, and before I was given the seat at the council. The life I live? It's one that I chose, and wouldn't leave yet. Now, how goes the wedding plans?"

"Five days time!" Anna beamed. "You came at the perfect time, Asgeir."

Kai suddenly came into the great hall, and smiled when he saw me.

"Master Asgeir. Good to have you back after so long."

"Thank you, Kai. It's good to be back after months in the other lands."

Kai bowed. "Will you be staying long? I trust you're here for Princess Anna's wedding?"

"Yes, indeed. I'll be here for the week, then I have to get back to business. Rest is one luxury I don't ask for in my position."

Anna looked as though she might cry when I said "week". I often think that Anna looked up to me almost as often as Elsa. Although living life as an Assassin isn't being the best role model.

After Kai left, Anna spoke up. "Just a week? But you've been gone four months already!"

"You'd understand my life if you were out there with me, Anna. It's one that constantly has me traveling to the furthest lands and realms. I had to take down targets for three whole weeks just to clear up this week alone. It's a rough business."

"All the same, I wish you didn't have to go so soon."

I sighed. I could never say no to Anna. It was easier to kill every Grand Master in the Templar Order.

"I'll speak to Matthew. At best, if he says no to me, he won't say no to the princess of Arendelle."

Nights are restless times for Assassins. You'd rarely see me sleep in an actual bed for most of my life. I mostly found myself out on the rooftop, overlooking the towns I stayed in.

The Templars were out there. I knew that they always had, and always would. No matter how many we killed, another just as bad, or even worse would take his place. My spies told me that Hans was a prospect for the Order. They would be inducting him in soon. When that would happen, that would be my way of giving the go ahead to drop him. Hans tried to hurt my family, and then allied himself with the Templars. If he declared war on Arendelle, that would be the trifecta of offense to me, and he would barely have three seconds left to live.

"Trouble sleeping?"

I nearly fell off the roof in surprise as Elsa climbed up through the manhole in the attic's ceiling. For someone trained in the art of killing people in a discreet manner, I was easily caught off guard from that.

I sighed as Elsa sat down next to me. She wore a nightgown and her hair in a bun instead of her ice dress and braid. "When you live the life I do, sleep evades me as if it's afraid of me."

Elsa looked down to the town sadly. "I suffered from insomnia half of my childhood after the incident with Anna. I know the feeling."

"How did you know I was up here?" I asked.

"You do realize that you're standing two whole floors above my own room, right? You've always stood here doing that. The aurora is out, and the lights cast shadows. I could see the eagle's shadow."

I nodded. "Those who see the shadow rarely get two more seconds. It's rough out there. What can I do for you?"

"I need information. Hans."

I sighed. Elsa was always concerned with the Southern Isles. After Hans was imprisoned and sent back, his brothers cleared him of all charges. Now they were looming in the distance, and they were not alone. The Templars contacted them not long after The Great Freeze. They applauded Hans for his scheming, but his failing to get Arendelle's throne killed his chances of joining the Order. Four of his brothers had been inducted in the past two years, and Hans was becoming the next hopeful prospect. I needed to act quickly, but until then, I was just the Spymaster for Arendelle.

"Not good news, Elsa. The Southern Isles are throwing a festival, and my spies tell me that several high ranked members of the Templar Order will be there."

A few snowflakes appeared over Elsa's head. She looked up at them, then shooed them away. "Is there any good news?"

"Yes." I replied. "Hans hasn't found his in yet with them. They respect his schemes, but don't trust him yet."

"Can I ask for an assassination on him?" She asked.

I stared. Elsa was a gentle soul. She wouldn't purposely hurt a fly, let alone a person. But I would slaughter as many Templars as I felt, and she knew it.

I shook my head. "It's not that simple. The Templars always seem to be two steps ahead. If I were to kill an inductee before he was even given his position, it would throw both Orders into chaos. It's all about timing in the Order."

"I will pay you." Said Elsa. "Please."

I shook my head. "I'm no longer saying no to my Queen, I'm saying no to my younger sister. I will not kill Hans yet. But you won't need to pay me when the time comes. When I decide it, I will gladly see that his life slips away."

The next morning Kai left me a note. It said that Anna wanted me in the stables as soon as possible to help taking care of Sven. Kristoff was off visiting Grand Pabbie and the trolls for the day, so Anna needed to do it herself. It made me proud to see that Anna didn't mind getting her hands dirty instead of sending servants to do it for her. I encountered several bratty noblewomen who couldn't so much as think about doing servants work without drastically scrubbing their hands.

After getting dressed, and pulling my hood up, I headed down to the stables. As I walked in, the only animal in there grunted at me in a welcome manner. Anna was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello Sven." I said, smiling. "Seen Anna?"

Sven didn't respond for a second, then grunted lowly. No, he meant.

I suddenly felt it. The Sight going off. An ability used by some in the Order, I could easily tell when someone would be coming out to gut me. An itch on my back, right below and to the left of my neck.

"Haaaaah!"

I drew my blade in a flash, and held it up towards my attacker. Anna fell off, and landed gracefully. She was up in the hay loft and had tried to drop down on me from above.

She grinned. "Did I get you, Asgeir?"

I smiled. "At best you caught a well trained Black Knight, but not someone on my level of skill. That's good at least, as Black Knights are some of the toughest opponents I've fought. Well done, Anna. Been practicing, I see."

Anna spun her sword. It was made of wood, but durable enough to use with a steel blade like my own.

"I was the one who pushed you to teach me. I should show my commitment to it."

I smiled as Anna kneeled down, and picked up a bucket of carrots. She slipped it into Sven's pen, then jumped back as he drilled his head into the carrots.

"So I assume that you want to practice after we finish with Sven?" I said.

Anna shook her head. "Already did it. Cleaned the pen, brushed him, and as you can see, he's happy with his carrots."

With that, I sheathed my blade as we headed out. Anna had a special place that we used to train with.

About three months after I came to Arendelle, Anna asked that I teach her how to fight. She wanted to learn because she had heard stories about the Assassins and Templars. I tried my best to explain it to Anna without spooking her, but I knew that she wasn't afraid to begin with. Anna knew the Templars wanted her and Elsa's heads to hit the floor, but she still stood beside me. It was that threat from the Templars that drove me to finally step out of their shadows and stand beside them as their brother. Anna, I could tell, was not afraid of the Templars. Courage was one of her best areas. Elsa was more worried, mainly because she didn't want Anna to have a repeat of what happened with Hans. I assured her that it would not happen, and so Anna requested that I teach her how to fight.

We headed out to the courtyard and over to the ring. Many of the castle guards came here to blow off steam and practice. No one was there at the moment, so we both went in.

"So what to go over today, Asgeir?" Asked Anna.

I looked at her. "You tell me. You want me to teach you. What do you need practice in?"

Anna looked deep in thought. "I can't really tell. Can you think of something to do?"

I shrugged. "I say again, it's your lessons."

Anna held her sword tight, then got ready. She didn't move, clearly in thought. Then she smiled.

"Let's go, brother!"

When I lunged for Anna with a long sweeping strike, she didn't miss a beat. She blocked each of my hits in perfect form, then parried with her own good hits. Finally, we clashed.

"Nice work." I groaned as our sword pushed against each other.

"Thanks. Two hours at dawn, two at dusk every day." Strained Anna.

I jumped back. "Not bad. There can be better ways to pick up skill, but in my book, experience is key."

We practiced all day until sundown. Afterwards Elsa held a council meeting with myself and the other members. Nothing too big aside from regular business as usual reports.

Three days went by. I helped Anna with practicing, visited Olaf one day, and had those few precious days where I could finally breathe and not fight. The day before the wedding, I went out with Elsa and Anna to see someone else I hadn't seen in months.

"...Anna they'd be so proud of you."

"The three of us, Elsa." Anna said, glancing at me.

I just stood off to the side, looking at the grave on the left. Agdar left me for dead, and tried to slaughter the entire Order as part of his position in the Templars. I could never forgive him for what he did, no matter what Anna or Elsa could say to me.

I finally knelt down at Mother's headstone. She was different. She didn't want to be a part of this war, but her husband and first born became people on opposite sides of it nonetheless. "I want to make you proud, Mother. Please understand that I know I found a cause that is noble and true, no matter how much blood I spill."

As I stood up, Elsa smiled. "Now, c'mon." She said to Anna. "I have a surprise for you."

Anna smirked. "Really? Because surprises tend to be a hit or miss in this family."

I laughed a bit. "Amen." I said, thinking back to my own arrival in Arendelle almost two years ago.

Elsa smiled. "You'll like this one, I promise." Her smile grew as she took

Anna by the shoulders. "It's for your wedding."

The three of us headed up the tall tower with Anna right behind Elsa and I. Anna kept guessing over and over again what it could be. Elsa already showed me what it was, and I knew it would be a good surprise for Anna.

"It's an..." Anna said as Elsa opened the door. "...attic." She sounded a little underwhelmed.

"It is indeed." Beamed Elsa.

I headed in behind them, taking in the sight. Despite all the dust, it was neater than any attic I ever saw. At least I could walk freely in there, weapons on me and all, and not bump into anything. I walked over to a trunk, and flipped it open to old maps.

"So we're here because?" Said Anna.

Elsa walked over to a wardrobe. "Take a look." She said opening it.

Anna gaped at the sight of our Mother's old wedding dress.

"You found it!" She said.

Elsa gestured to it. "Go on."

Anna nervously approached it like a child and their first horse, or me when I first picked up a sword. She cautiously reached to touch it, but pulled back.

"I don't want to rip it." She said.

Elsa smiled. "Well, then you'll have to put it on carefully."

Anna gaped at Elsa, shocked. "You want me to wear it?!"

I sniggered at Elsa's expression.

"Of course you'd want me to wear it, why else would it be here?" Said Anna.

I smirked. "I should damn well hope you wear it, Anna. You'd look beautiful in it."

Elsa took the dress down, and placed it towards Anna, testing it.

"It's missing something." She said.

She raised her hand between her and Anna, a silver snowflake pendant now in her hand. Anna was stunned as Elsa put it around her neck.

"There. Something New to go with Something Borrowed."

Anna grinned. "It's gorgeous-I mean, enchanting-I mean, I love you!"

My sisters embraced while I dug around. Since I was here, maybe Agdar had a few secrets I could bring back to the Order. Although I couldn't help but grin when they both beckoned me for a group hug.

"I'd like to see that with the dress!" I said to Anna. She walked around to the curtained part of the attic to change.

"It's so beautiful! And soft!" She said. "You know I'm gonna spill something on it. Maybe only clear beverages at the wedding?"

I just rolled my eyes as I went back to digging through the trunk. Agdar must have thrown his journal up here. The Templars always had this compulsive need to write down their secrets. Made things too easy for me when I broke into various hideouts of theirs.

"So about the wedding." Said Elsa. "Tell me I don't have to walk down the aisle with Sven?"

"You're the queen, Elsa. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't resort to that." I said, not looking up from the trunk.

"Sven's not the best man!" Said Anna. "But he is invited."

"And now is where you tell me your joking."

"He's going to be properly attired."

"Do they even have that for reindeer?" I said. "I'll have seen it all if I see a reindeer in a tux."

"I'm more concerned with the groom." Said Elsa.

"Elsa, he knows what to wear. It's not like he grew up in a barn."

I glanced at Anna. "Really?" I said, sarcastically.

Anna nodded. "Fine. Yes, he lived in one for a while, but he grew up with trolls. Wait until you see him. He even cut his hair."

I stood up from the trunk. Nothing in it. I'd check back later. "You know the sentence 'being raised by trolls' isn't meant to mean 'raised with class'." I said over to Anna.

"Not bridge trolls, Asgeir. Rock trolls."

"All the same, I'm not sure about Kristoff until I see it for myself."

Anna suddenly came out, a true sight. She looked just like-

"Mother Gerda!" I said. "You look wonderful!"

Anna beamed. "Aren't you a gentleman, Asgeir?" But then she looked behind me, and her smile faded. "Elsa? What's wrong?"

I turned, seeing a familiar sign: Elsa's distress reflected by the snowflakes above her head. She was reading what looked like a journal that she had taken from the desk behind her. I noticed the book I was looking for was right on that desk too: a small diary with the Red Cross emblazoning it.

"What is that?" Said Anna, approaching Elsa. "A diary?"

Elsa swallowed the lump in her throat. "Mother's" She simply said.

"Elsa?" I said. "What's in there?"

"...parents..." Said Elsa. She looked up from the diary, frozen tears in her eyes. "Their death...it's all my fault!"

She turned and ran out as Anna called for her. I quickly grabbed the Templar journal.

"Bloody hell..." I murmured. "Elsa!" I called with Anna as we headed down the stairs, following the trail of ice.

We found Elsa sitting on a log, in the woods outside the town. She hadn't made it easy for us to find her. After she left the castle, the ice trail stopped, and I was left to use my Sight to help Anna find her.

"Elsa!" Called Anna as we saw her, and approached her. The snowflakes hadn't receded from above her head. In fact, they had multiplied, implying that whatever horrid stuff Mother had written, it was too much for her.

"Please. I want to be alone." Said Elsa.

"You're our sister. You're never gonna be alone." Said Anna. Then she shook her head. "Other than when I'm not around, but even then I'll still be with you in spirit. But that doesn't matter because we're here now and you're not alone and- you know what I mean? It's a nice thing!"

Elsa was still crying. I pulled a handkerchief from my hood's pocket, and handed it to Elsa. She held it to her eyes, frost gathering on it. I sat down on the log beside her while Anna sat on the ground, possibly ruining Mother's dress.

"Elsa, what was in that book?" I asked.

"You can tell us anything." Said Anna.

Finally, Elsa nodded. "Turns out our parents didn't go off on some diplomatic mission like everyone thought. That was just a cover."

I didn't dare tell either sister that I was aware of this. While the Assassins knew the circumstances of the mission, we didn't know why they were leaving. And we didn't bother finding out because Agdar had his men in the Templars lock down the secrets of the mission up tight. Not even they knew where he was going with Mother.

Anna looked at Elsa with uncertainty. "For what?" She asked.

Elsa handed the diary to Anna. "Read it."

Anna read with dread as I placed my hand on Elsa's shoulder. "It's alright, Elsa." I said.

She nodded at me, and smiled a bit. "Thanks, Asgeir."

"'I wish I didn't have to hide the truth from our children. But the truth would be too painful." Read Anna. "'What we've seen from Elsa is terrifying, and it has to be stopped."

I scoffed, and stood up in anger. Destroy the thing that made Elsa special? It would be no different than what Agdar did to me. But what didn't add up was the mission itself: why would Agdar, with his position in the Templar Order, have Elsa's powers removed? The Templars wanted Elsa's magic under their control so that she could used as their weapon. Unless if they couldn't be controlled like they expected them to?

"They were scared of me." Said Elsa. "That's why they left. Because they thought I was a monster"

I shook my head. "To hell with that. We know who the real monsters in this family were, and you're not one them. I'm the only one."

Anna nodded with me. "I won't believe that! I refuse to believe that!"

"It's all right there." Said Elsa.

"Is it? Because it doesn't say where they were going, or what they were doing! It could be a misunderstanding!"

A mission like this? There was more to it than it appeared, but I was sensing something sinister with it.

"Anna, because of me they left. Because of me, we need Asgeir to walk you down the aisle tomorrow and not them."

"I'm standing right here, you know!"

Anna was at a loss for words. She just glanced at me and Elsa.

"I'm so sorry..." Said Elsa.

"You don't have be. It's not your fault!"

I nodded. "I said it before, I'll say it again: you're not a monster! Anna doesn't think so, this whole kingdom doesn't think so, and for sure Mother and Agdar didn't think so. Me? I know so."

Anna took Elsa by her hands, and stood up with her. "I will prove it!" She said. "This diary is only part of the story."

"How do you know that?" Said Elsa.

"Because...instinct?"

Elsa looked back at Anna with doubt at that statement.

"Okay, right, that's not enough, but there are more answers about what happened to them. I know it!"

Then she gasped out loud. "And I know who can help us find them!"

"Who?" Said Elsa.

"My future in-laws!"

It was a short journey through the forest to the Valley of the Living Rock, but we got there. I was amazed at how Anna had kept the dress in good condition the whole trip.

"Shouldn't you have changed out of it?" I asked Anna as we headed over, Elsa trailing behind us.

"Not a chance. It can wait."

I nodded as we approached the clearing.

Anna started checking each boulder as Elsa began protesting after spending the whole trip in silence.

"We shouldn't be here." She said.

"Oh, they're practically family." Replied Anna, checking another boulder.

"I meant you should be planning your wedding."

"It's tomorrow!" I said. "What other planning is there left to do?"

"Come on, Anna." Said Elsa. "You should rest. It's a special day. You should enjoy it."

"I can't if my sister's upset." She started calling for the Elder Troll. "Grand Pabbie? I know you're here. Why aren't you showing yourself! Grand Pabbie?"

There was still no response until I stuck my fingers in my mouth, and sent out an air piercing whistle like that of an eagle's screech. One of the boulders rolled right up, and revealed the short hairy creature.

"Goodness, Asgeir! You'd have woken the whole Valley with that whistle."

"Sorry." I replied. "You weren't responding to Anna."

He smiled. "Oh, it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

Anna sighed. "When have we ever been traditional?"

Grand Pabbie noticed how all three of us were there, meaning something was off. "What's wrong? Something happen? You have second thoughts? He won't smell like that forever."

Anna shook her head. "No, no. This isn't about Kristoff, it's about our parents."

She kneeled down and handed the diary to the troll. "What were they really doing on that voyage?"

Grand Pabbie shook his head as he took a look through it. "I'm sorry. I don't know."

I shook my head. That didn't sound right. A troll at a loss for wisdom on something like this. But it was enough for Elsa. She knelt down and reached for the diary.

"Thank you." She said as she took it. She glanced at us, and nodded off to the woods. "Come on. Let's go."

We turned to leave, but were suddenly stopped.

"Wait!" Said Grand Pabbie.

The three of us turned to him. Now he decided to say something.

"I may not know what they were doing, but I know where they were going."

"Days before their journey, your parents stopped by to say they were not going to the Northern Isles. And they had a few questions about a land called 'Misthaven'."

Misthaven! Of course! If there were any answers that they were looking for, they would be there. I had spent so many years there in service for the Assassins. It was a second home to me, behind Arendelle.

"What did they want there?" Said Elsa.

"They didn't say." Replied Grand Pabbie. "They, like many of us," he stared at Elsa as he said this, reminding us of the obvious. "Had their secrets."

The troll suddenly yawned. "Now, I need my beauty sleep." He rolled up, and went off.

"We have an answer!" Cried Anna with joy.

Elsa shook her head. "No, we have more questions."

I shrugged. "But we have one answer. We at least have a start."

Anna grinned at me. "See? Asgeir knows what we need to do: we have to go to Misthaven!"

"No, I can't leave." Said Elsa. "I'm still queen. I can't just abandon the kingdom."

Anna glanced quickly at me. She knew what I was thinking: I could leave no problem with my position as Spymaster and Assassin, unlike Elsa.

"You're just making excuses, Elsa!" Said Anna.

"Remember your last dalliance, Hans?" Said Elsa. "He and his twelve angry brothers are still waiting-"

I coughed.

Elsa then nodded. "Sorry. Eleven brothers are still waiting to pounce at the first moment of weakness. They're not overly fond of our own brother ever since they last came here."

"Okay. Good excuses, but still." Said Anna. "Let me go alone. Give me two weeks. Misthaven is a short journey. Two weeks, and I'll be right back."

Elsa's response easily put a pin in that idea: "That's just what our parents said."

I knew that Anna wouldn't let this go as easily as Elsa could. That wasn't her motto. When I couldn't find her around the castle in the usual places after the hour we returned, I knew exactly where I could find her as the last place to look. I rushed to her room.

I knocked a couple times on the door. "Anna? You in there?" I called.

No reply, but I heard the squeak of a boot behind the door.

I rolled my eyes. "This is what she gets for having me as a brother."

I jumped high, grabbing the edge of the open transom over the door. Then I pulled myself up, and slipped through.

Anna shrieked as I went in. She was packing a bag, but I had surprised her enough to make her jump and reach for her belt as if she had a sword.

"Don't do that, Asgeir!" She snapped. "I could have needed that privacy. For all you know, I was changing!"

I put a finger to my mouth to hush her. Someone could have heard her shriek, and think I was in there as an Assassin. "What's the bag for?" I said.

Anna didn't bother to lie. She just gave me a look. "You know very well what."

I groaned. "Misthaven? Anna, you're getting married tomorrow! There will be plenty of time to do this after the wedding!"

"I can't just get married like this, Asgeir. I'm going alone to Misthaven to find what our parents died for."

"Now that I can't bloody well let you do." I said. "Misthaven holds some of the most fearsome creatures in all the realms from bridge trolls to dragons, unlike anything here. Even Marshmallow is tame to some of these creatures. Can you really expect to even make it five minutes out there?"

"You can't stop me, Asgeir. I know you want the same for Elsa; for her to have her questions answered. I'm going and that's final."

I folded my arms. "Anna, as your brother, I forbid you to go-"

"You may be my brother, but I make my own choices!" Snapped Anna.

I sighed. "Let me finish." I said.

Anna stopped shoving clothes into the bag and put her hands on her hips. "What, then?"

"Misthaven is a dangerous place. Right now they are at the mercy of a ruthless queen and outlaws are running loose. You need a guide. Someone who knows the terrain, and the territory. I forbid you to go there without me."

Anna stood back. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "You're absolutely right: I can't stop you from going, but I also know you need an escort. I see no one else better suited for the task than myself. I've been to Misthaven plenty before on missions and at meetings with the other wings of the Order stationed over there. I have experience there, and can watch your back there."

Anna placed our mother's journal into the bag. "You'll help me with this?"

"Well, I know that there is no possible way I can stop you. After all, I know you. But more importantly, you're the reason I came home so early, and so you're the reason I need to leave."

"And there's no way I can stop you from going with me?"

I smiled, then in my best imitation of her, said "I'm going and that's final!"

Anna rolled her eyes, then pulled her bag over her shoulder.

"Doesn't the Council need you here? Or the Brotherhood? You hold the position of Spymaster of Arendelle."

I shook my head. "I may belong to the Arendelle Assassin Order, but I also hold a position that gives me privileges. I can come and go as I please. But we will need to make one quick stop before we leave."

Anna nodded. "Make it two: I should at least let my own fiancée know about this."

I smiled. Leave it to Anna to forget something that important.

We found Kristoff in the stables with Sven. He thanked us for cleaning his stall the other day, and then got down to brass tax.

"This must be important if the Spymaster is with you, Anna." He nodded to me.

Anna pulled out the journal, and gave it to him. "This was my mother's, Kristoff. It turns out that my parents weren't on some sort of diplomatic mission. They were on the journey because of Elsa."

Kristoff looked up from the journal. "They were afraid of her?"

I shook my head. "Anna doesn't believe so, and neither do I. There must be more to it than this.

Then Kristoff's face lit up with understanding. "We're not getting married tomorrow, are we Anna?"

Anna looked at him with sadness. "I'm sorry, Kristoff. I can't just forget this and move on. I need to go off and do this."

Kristoff sighed. "Let me guess again. You need me to go with you?"

Anna shook her head. "I need you to stay here, and look after Elsa. I can't leave her alone."

Kristoff glanced at me. "Is there any stopping her, Asgeir?"

I shrugged. "If there was, would you think either one of us would be here?"

"So what do you need of me?" He said.

Anna nodded. "Elsa can't know about this until we're gone. She wouldn't let me go there, and neither would Asgeir." Then Anna shook her head. "Well, he then said he will go with me as an escort. Can you just stall Elsa if she comes here looking for me?"

Kristoff sighed, then nodded. "Be back soon, Anna. I don't want to wait much longer."

Anna smiled. She darted out of the stables in a flash.

I rolled my eyes. "Anna! You forgot something!" I called.

I heard an "Oh! Right!" Then Anna rushed back in, threw herself into Kristoff's arms, and gave him a big kiss right on the lips. I coughed, trying hard not to laugh.

Anna smiled, then rushed out. I started following her, but Kristoff grabbed my arm.

"You watch out for her, Asgeir. Can I count on a Master Assassin to protect her?"

I smiled. "Not only that. You can also count on your future half-brother in-law."

"Normally, I'd ask questions about what kind of fighter you are, Your Highness." Said Keif. "But as we are all pressed for time, we will stick with the basics."

Keif was the weapons smith for the Assassin Brotherhood in Arendelle. His work was unmatched in all the land, even though he only supplied his work to those in the Order. He believed that weapons as well made as his needed to be earned just as they were bought. Two prices to pay for them: one of gold, and one of sweat.

Before we left, Anna and I needed weapons fitted for the journey. I knew that it would be a dangerous path with the Templars still after her, and whatever it was that Agdar and Mother had died for. So we headed to the Order's hideout underneath the village.

Keif pulled out from under the counter a long thin blade.

"Just finished this today. I like to keep busy, and most of this stuff will just end up getting put away. You might as well take it."

Anna picked up the sheathed sword carefully, and then slid it slowly out the scabbard, the sound of scraping metal making a harmonic ring.

Anna stared in awe at the blade. She swung it slowly a few times in examination. "Amazing!" She breathed. "How much?"

Keif shook his head. "Consider it a gift for the sister of one of our best warriors."

Anna sheathed the blade, and strapped it to her belt.

"What about those knives that you hide in your bracers?" She asked. "What are they called? Hidden blades?"

Keif held up a finger. "Ah yes. Well, we strictly stick to teaching members in the Order for that. But I will give a basic one to Asgeir for you to use just in case. Speaking of, the package has arrived, Asgeir."

I looked up in surprise. I had been waiting months for the new design, and now is when I got it in? I'd barely have time to practice with it.

Keif placed the two new blades out on the table. They looked exactly like the current blade model in it's design, but the plans I found for this was anything but basic. They were based on rough sketches of a Templar engineer. He dedicated many years to perfecting our signature weapon, the Hidden Blade, and wrote a whole manuscript on better versions of them. One, for example, was a bracer with two blades in them. Instead of the blade shooting out straight, both swung wide in opposite directions on the bracer, and then met at the tip. Two blades for one. I found the engineer a year ago, and almost half of his book. But he tore out the rest of the pages and left them in the hands of many different Templars across the realms. The pages I had found and brought to Keif I had recovered in The Land Without Color three months ago. I barely escaped with my life from the crypt they were hidden in. Some of these Templars had creative ways of hiding things they didn't want us to find. I don't even know how the engineer had sent the pages to the other realms.

"Those pages you found were unlike anything I saw, but I was inspired enough that this will most definitely work. It's taken so long to finish because there was certain part that was needed for this, and without it, the whole integrity of the blade would collapse. Have a look."

While Anna swung at a nearby dummy with her new sword, I strapped both new blades on. With a flick of the wrists, the blades extended out. The steel blade was longer in design to ensure a close range attack would be wider in reach, and much more lethal. But there was another feature that made this one new.

"Turn the symbol on the wrist clockwise." Said Keif, gesturing on his own wrist.

I recognized the Order's symbol right on my blade, meant as the mechanism's button. As I turned it, it clicked in place once.

"The new design was again, unlike anything I ever saw. You'll be the first one to be testing the Rope Blade. Made for ranged attacks from a hundred feet away."

I pressed the button. The blade did extend like I expected, but what did make me jump was that it didn't stop after the blade popped out. It shot out of the mechanism like a bullet, and embedded right into the dummy beside Anna. She shrieked loudly as it hit the dummy, went right through, and embedded itself in the wall right behind it. The blade also had left behind something as it flew out of the mechanism: a long sliverish rope. A quick look told me it was made of a special carbon blended rope, which made sense. That kind of rope in our Order is hard to come by, and both blades needed a lot of it.

"Perhaps reading more of the instructions could suffice?" Said Keif, snidely.

Anna nervously pulled the blade out of the wall. I flicked my wrist again, and the rope and the blade zipped right back into the mechanism after slipping back through the dummy's head. A couple beans slipped out through the hole in it's head.

"I trust you might want to know the extra feature it comes with?" Said Keif.

I laughed in surprise. "This is already shaping up to be the best weapon I used, and there's still more?"

Keif nodded. "Turn the dial once more."

I did so, and took aim. I looked over at one of the walls down the hall. Matthew and a few others were discussing plans over a large map on the table. Time to have some fun.

"What makes that setting unique isn't the blade's shooting function!" Said Keif.

I flicked my wrist, the Rope Blade slashing across the hall, and embedding itself in the wall. I flicked my wrist again, expecting the blade to come back to me. I got a surprise.

Instead of the blade coming back to me, I came to the blade. I felt a massive yank on me that flung me across the room. Anna screamed out my name as I soared across the hall and slammed into the wall like a fly.

Matthew and the others laughed, and once I got the wind back in me, I too started laughing hard. Anna and Kief rushed over as they helped me up. Anna fussed over me, checking me out for any bruises or wounds. Keif explained once I got the dust knocked off me.

"This was an accidental function in one of the most recent prototypes. The setting you selected is designed to take you to the target by increasing the pull on the mechanism when you try to retract the rope back. Think of it like a grappling hook on your wrist. That's why I needed steel rope. It's to support your weight."

"Can I use it to pull a target to me?" I asked.

"You'd have to get plenty practice of controlling the pull. I have no idea how good this blade will work as I haven't made anything like this. My best guess is that once you've had enough work with the new blade, you can be yanking the fools a new one, and be zipping across the room on your own accord. But all I ask for you is that you use the new blades as much as you can on this trip with the princess. You never know when the skills you have yet to learn will come in handy."

"Thank you Keif." I said.

Anna turned to Matthew. "Mentor Matthew?" She asked.

Matthew bowed his head. "No need, Your Highness. Please just call me Matthew. You are our humble guest, and we are at your service. What can I do for you?"

"Passage to Misthaven by this evening." She replied.

Luckily, Matthew had plenty of friends outside the Order. The captain of the ship was a friend, and was glad to help serve the Order and Anna. Keif fitted me with a number of various weapons I would need on the expedition: my two finest cutlasses, sharpened and polished, my bow and quiver, two flintlocks, and by special request, my old air rifle. I hadn't used it in a long time due to my most frequent use of my bow. It was the only thing that Shay brought to the Assassins that I could thank him for.

I pulled my hood up. "We best be off, Anna." I said.

Anna nodded and we headed for the exit.

"Go forth and do what needs to be done, Asgeir. Find your answers" Called Matthew. "Nothing is True. Everything is Permitted."

Anna and I turned. We both put our fists over our hearts, and bowed in response.

As the sun set on the day, the ship was just sliding out of the fjord. The Sight in my eyes saw Elsa running towards the dock at the village, with no luck being able to stop us.

I walked over to Anna, her clutching her snowflake pendant tight. The one that had become her most precious possession aside from her engagement ring in less than a day.

"This'll make things right, Anna." I said. "We will find proof what Mother and Agdar were doing. There's more to it than fear. I can tell they weren't running from Elsa."

Anna looked over at me, then back out on the water. "What's this place like? Misthaven? Is it dangerous?"

I crossed my hands. "Each land has it's own element of danger to it. But Misthaven has it's own special kind."

"How haven't I heard of it before?" Said Anna.

"Everyone knows it by the name that the inhabitants call it: the Enchanted Forest."

Before I left, Matthew had given me the one thing I would need above everything else. Only given to those in the inner circle of the Order, each member was given a small pouch of six magic beans. Not only did we grow them ourselves, but we also stockpiled them. As far as the giants were concerned, their beans were all theirs. They didn't realize that we used them to jump between realms. They are what made our Order possible in the Land Without Magic. But the six that each member carried were meant only for the tightest of emergencies, to escape to another realm, and then come right back. I would use two in this expedition long before it's end.

That evening, Anna and I went below decks and met the captain Henrik, and his crew.

"Step lively, dogs!" He cried out. "We're in the company of Princess Anna and Royal Spymaster Asgeir of Arendelle!"

He sat down with us at a table as dinner was finishing up. The crew was clearing out as we were entering.

"What can I do you for, Your Highness? Sir?" Henrik asked us.

Anna shook her head. "We're fine. Just leave us be, if you'd be so kind."

Henrik bowed. "Of course, Your Highness. The crew's music group is putting on a show in the crew's quarters in an hour, if you wish." He got up and left.

Anna looked over at me when we were close enough to alone. Three other crew members were over at another table on the far side of the quarters, playing dice. "Do your spies know anything about what goes on there in the Enchanted Forest?"

I shook my head. "I've only been working for them for less than a year. I myself have been there many times, but never made friends outside the Order. You have a lead here in Misthaven, right? This David person?"

Anna nodded. "Kristoff knows him, and said that we can trust him."

I looked around. "Anna, I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: you are in more danger than you care to realize. You ticked off a lot more people than Hans by exposing his plans to take the throne."

Anna sighed. "Yeah. You say the Templars are trying to kill me. But I've done what I can to defend myself. I also think you came here to protect me, right?"

I looked over at the crew members. None of them took any notice of us. "It's more than that, Anna. You're right about one thing: I appeared out of the blue to save your life, and now you have a brother. But in the past two years I've barely been home, always off trying to keep the Templars from reaching Arendelle. I owe it to you to at least have an adventure with you."

Anna smiled, then glanced back at the men. One of them gave us the slightest of stares before returning to the game.

"They're spies, right?" Said Anna.

I smiled. Anna didn't have the Sight like I did, but she had a keen insight into other people thanks to my training with her. I concentrated, and saw the three men glow red. I nodded.

"How do you want to play it?" She asked.

I nodded to her. "Whatever you do, I'll follow."

Anna gave it about three seconds before she pulled out a small coin purse from her cloak. I pulled my hood up, and followed her to the table.

Anna swung the purse casually around, the coins jingling like the bell on Kristoff's sled. She placed it on the table, and the three spies looked at her. They glared murderously at her.

"Can we work something out, boys?" She asked.

This was not something I would normally follow, but I knew Anna wasn't the one to give herself up just like this. She knew something.

"No." Came one reply. "We have been paid much more for your head."

Anna's smile faded. "Thought not."

She grabbed the purse, and smashed it into the closest man's face. I grabbed the one closest to myself, and extended my blade to his throat. He tried for his sword, but I pushed my blade closer.

"Ah, ah, ah!" I replied.

Anna just knocked out the other one, and then looked at the third one in my grip.

"What should we do with this one, Highness?" I said.

Anna nodded. "Find out what he knows."

I shoved the man down into a chair at the table as Anna sat across from him. I pulled out my flintlock and pushed it against his temple as I sat down beside him.

"Tell us what you know, or I replace your brain with lead."

"You don't have it in you!" He cried.

Anna held a hand up. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you. I'm giving you a chance, but my companion here doesn't have my restraint. You simply need to tell us what you know about your benefactors."

"Go to hell, Princess!"

I replied to that remark by lowering my flintlock, and shooting him in the calf. He cried out, and Anna winced.

"Can't we just try to show a little restraint, Asgeir? Of the three of us back home, you're almost as bad as your sister when it comes to making friends with that attitude."

One thing I forgot to mention was the secrets between me and the sisters. It is well known throughout the kingdom of Arendelle that I am the Royal Spymaster, but no one knows that I am Elsa and Anna's brother. The only exceptions to this are Kristoff, the trolls, Kai, and Gerda. Anyone else outside, Anna and I had to use code words to speak in a language that some would think they understand, but not at all. Anna was essentially saying that I was almost as bad as making friends as Elsa.

"Hans!" Cried the spy in pain. "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles! He promised us a fortune to kill you! With your death, he is to be inducted into the Order!"

Anna looked down. Who knew someone that innocent could infuriate so many others. But it was more than that: her brother was the sworn enemy to the Order that Hans wanted to join in with. Especially after I killed one of his brothers.

Anna then nodded to me. "Give him to the captain and pay him the usual rate to keep him quiet about this. We need to get to Misthaven, quick."

I pulled out my other flintlock, which still had a bullet it the chamber, and held it to the spy's head.

"Move." I ordered.

The spy shuffled forward as we headed up the stairs.

"You Assassins and negotiations. Instead of paying me off, you try to blow my head off instead."

I jabbed the barrel of my pistol into the back of his head. I could feel it pressing up against his thick skull.

"There's a difference: I'd be more forgiving if you only threatened me. Threaten those that I care for, and then I will lose all contempt for people like you."

The spy turned his head to look at me as we headed up to the decks.

"You live up to your name, Assassin. We've heard a lot about how Queen Elsa's spymaster is an Assassin hellbent on protecting Arendelle and her two beauties, the Queen and Princess. But it's not very honorable to be given the title of the White Reaper alongside the others."

I heard the name before. Most called me this because of the white hood. I'd assume they would call me the Blank Reaper for whatever color the hood was.

"No matter what names I have been given, know this: set eyes on my queen and princess, enter Arendelle again, or so much as think of either one of them, and I will truly live up to whatever expectations you have for how I would kill you. Send the message back to that royal prick, Hans."

Henrik stood at the helm with a concerned look as I pushed the spy to him. I handed him a bag of gold none too smaller than the one Anna had tried to give the spies. Then I headed back below decks as Anna and I came to watch the show.

"Way hey and up she rises/way hey and up she rises/ way hey and up she rises/ early in the morning."

"Come all you young sailor men listen to me/ I'll sing you a song of the fish in the sea and it's/ windy weather boys/ stormy weather boys/ when the wind blows/ we're all together boys/ blow ye winds westerly/ blow ye winds blow/ jolly sou'western boy/steady she goes"

"Heave up go and heave away/ way hey roll and go/ the anchor's on board and the cable's all stored/ to be rollicked and randy dandy o"