A/N: Hello everyone! It's almost hard to believe that I'm back with another chapter after all this time but here I am. So many things have happened since I last posted here, things that tested me and made writing feel like an uphill battle, but I never once gave up on this story. I honestly couldn't be happier to be back in business and I can't wait to hear your thoughts.
As usual, I want to thank my sister and my wonderful beta for their unwavering support and for their precious advice.
Lastly, this chapter is dedicated to the two amazing women without whom this story would've never seen the light of day. My friend Ducky, who encouraged me to keep writing when this story was in it early stages. I couldn't be happier to have named my main character after you. My mother, for showing me what a strong woman really is, and for teaching me to never give up on my dreams. Wherever both of you are, I hope I'm making you proud.
Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen or any of its characters, dialogues and settings. I only own my OCs and you'll have to fight me to get to them.
When the church bells chimed the end of the crowning ceremony, the tense silence that had settled over Arendelle broke into a liberating explosion of cheers and applause. Even at a distance, the joy and relief that seized the crowd were palpable. Jul felt them as clearly as if she'd been standing among them. She understood what kind of weight had been lifted off their shoulders. After three long, stressful years, the threat of a vacant throne was behind them and the kingdom was once again in the hands of its rightful ruler.
There was reason to rejoice and celebrate, as well as hope for a new beginning. However, the crowning of the Queen was nothing but a tiny step in the right direction. Hopes and dreams alone would not be enough to restore Arendelle to its former glory. That much Jul was sure of.
Soon enough, a steady stream of people began pouring out of the open gates amid cheers and chants, hundreds of voices raised together in hailing the new Queen.
From the piers, Jul watched their progress with envy and trepidation. She was anxious to hear what sort of news they were bringing back from the castle and even more so to inquire after what they had seen. Was the Queen in good health? Was Princess Anna finally reconnecting with her sister? What were the guests' reactions to the new monarch?
At least for the moment, though, her questions would have to wait. Another vessel had just docked at their pier and Nicklas was calling her for help.
Jul rushed to his aid, glancing with gloom at the workload ahead. Stacks of crates and boxes already littered the ship's main deck and more were on their way as the ship's crew finished unloading the cargo hold.
Even though lifting crates of expensive wine bottles was quite exhausting, the questions that niggled in the back of Jul's mind proved to be even more insurmountable. In fact, they were still nagging at her long after the last of the boxes had been shipped off to the castle and they finally stopped for a break. Nicklas tried his best to keep her mind off things by making a few attempts at conversation. It was awkward at first, given Jul's rusty social skills, but somehow they made it work.
By the time they had completed their tasks it was well past noon. The town feast was already underway and snatches of music and laughter drifted to them upon the wind from the main square.
They'd just settled in the shade of the ship's massive bulk to escape the oppressive heat when they received orders from Colonel Larsen. The officer was relieving his men of duty for a few hours, instructing them to eat and rest after a hard morning at work.
Jul paused, hardly believing what she was hearing. Was the Colonel out of his mind? Who was going to guard the harbor while all his soldiers were off getting drunk at the party?
"That's what the watch towers are for, Julia" Nicklas reminded her. "Besides, nothing will happen while we're gone. Trust me, we'll be back before you know it."
And just like that, Jul found herself seated at the noisiest, most crowded table at the feast, sharing roasted meat and ale with a handful of her comrades and the whole crew of Corona's ship. The meal was a boisterous, messy affair, the likes of which the barracks dining hall had never seen. In no time the sailors had put everyone at ease with their rough, easygoing manners. Arendelle's younger guards hung at their every word, listening with rapt attention as the seasoned seamen launched into wondrous tales of their distant kingdom.
Squeezed between Nicklas and a burly, tanned man with a curling black mustache who smelled like pickled herrings, Jul ate in silence. The moment was so incredibly unique and yet she was unable to enjoy it like everybody else. If it had been any other day, she would've welcomed the unusual company and longed to hear more about one of Arendelle's most trusted allies. But, as it was, she kept tuning in and out of the conversation, growing restless as the meal progressed.
For the sake of politeness if nothing else, she decided it was best to cut her break short. As soon as she was done with the food, Jul excused herself and left the table amid cries of protest.
The midday heat was stifling in spite of the light breeze blowing off the fjord. Jul hurried along the empty wharves and returned to the pier. Once there, she settled back in the shade of the vessel, hoping the unease she felt would disappear once she returned to her duties.
Minutes into her shift it became clear that the relaxing quiet of the docks would not calm her racing thoughts. Jul wrapped her arms around her knees with a frustrated sigh and squinted up at the distant palace. With practiced ease her eyes found the well known outline of the castle's upper floors. The tall windows glowed with sunlight, so bright and familiar that Jul's heart ached, knowing she may never get to see them shine quite like this ever again.
The sudden sting of tears behind her eyelids told Jul she'd discovered the source of her unrest. Between her morning duties and Nicklas' pleasant company, she'd been too caught up to focus on her backup plan to save Arendelle. Despite that, the issue had been lurking in the back of her mind, demanding attention.
Jul was not surprised by how her mission had resurfaced, nor by the rush of cold fury and despair it had reignited within her. Inside the castle walls, the opportunity of a lifetime was wasting away in somebody else's hands, the hands of a soldier who had no idea how much more than the Queen's safety was at stake. Jul still seethed with anger over her exclusion from the Captain's team. It wasn't a matter of resentment, though. It was something that went beyond her wounded pride and beyond Drost's vile schemes.
Last night she'd made a solemn promise to the Queen that things would be alright. It didn't matter that the woman hadn't an inkling of such a valiant proclamation.
How those words had tormented her since Captain Svendsen's announcement off that cursed scroll. With only a few hours left before the end of the celebrations, she didn't have the slightest clue how to follow through on her promise. The chances of her getting closer to Her Majesty at this moment were less than zero, and lower still, the possibility of infiltrating the castle undetected.
Shaking her head darkly, Jul tossed her hat aside with more force than necessary and wiped sweat off her brow. For a moment she allowed the sea breeze to cool her heated skin and settle her spiked nerves. She wouldn't be of help to anyone, much less to the queen, if she let her anger and impatience get the better of her. She had to keep her wits about her. Lieutenant Drost thought he'd written her out of the story but she would find a way to play her part, come hell or high water.
Determined to find a solution, Jul embarked on a personal quest for answers that was long overdue. First, she had to start by figuring out the reasons behind the isolation – both the Queen and the kingdom's, and her memories might be the best place to look. There were bound to be hidden clues buried somewhere in her six years of service. Maybe Princess Anna had mentioned something to her during her brief visits to the stables. Or perhaps she had overheard something at the barracks or from the castle staff that she had ignored or overlooked.
Unfortunately sorting through her memories was not as simple and rapid as Jul would've liked. With no real progress to speak of, minutes of pondering quickly turned into hours.
She was still at it when at last Nicklas returned from the party, pacing the length of the wharf like a caged animal, all the while muttering to herself. Miraculously, Nicklas managed to convince her into taking a few calming breaths before coaxing her into joining him on the steps that led down to the harbor.
The respite didn't last long however. Jul could almost hear the minutes ticking by in the distant clock tower as the pressure mounted. The shadows were gradually lengthening across the village and she hadn't found one thing that would help her solve the mystery.
This is a major waste of time, Jul thought in exasperation; hours of dwelling on memories only to come up empty-handed. The urgency of the situation and a clear lack of alternatives called for a more practical approach, one that was guaranteed to get her in a world of trouble.
Nicklas' face said it all as Jul explained to him her new change of strategy. Despite his protests, she still managed to involve her unwilling partner into a one-sided brainstorming session. While Jul would come up with ideas on how to enter the castle undetected, Nicklas would bluntly point out their flaws, while trying at the same time to appeal to her common sense.
As the session wore on, Jul's plans grew progressively more reckless and wild, to the point where the only thing Jul had managed to convince Nicklas of, was that her common sense was a lacking attribute.
"I'm sorry, Julia, but this game has gone too far. I understand how much is on the line tonight but storming the castle and getting killed in the process is not going to help anyone. If anything you're going to make things worse."
"But what other choice do I have? If I don't go in there tonight and do something, the gates will close and we'll all be isolated again" Jul countered vehemently.
Nicklas heaved a deep sigh, running a hand through his short-cropped hair. "You don't know that for sure. Besides, if the gates remain open after tonight's party, you'll have committed treason for nothing."
Sadly, Jul had never been more certain about something in her entire life. After spending so many nights outside the Queen's door, there was no doubt in her mind that the ending in sight would not be a happy one. She knew better than to be swayed by what she'd heard about the woman from the townspeople after the crowning ceremony; a beautiful woman with pale, blond hair and dazzling blue eyes who had impressed the illustrious guests with her elegance and regal composure.
Of course Jul was happy and beyond relieved to hear that the Queen was in good health. On the other hand, it also meant that something else was at the heart of Her Majesty's withdrawal, something equally serious. A fact that the townspeople seemed more than happy to ignore altogether. Their lack of concern worried Jul more than she could say. Did these people really think that one public outing would magically fix everything?
A quick glance at the ongoing celebrations only confirmed that indeed they did. Music drifted from the town square, where the tables had been carried away to make room for a band of improvised musicians who played one lively tune after the other. People were dancing, singing loudly and clapping along to the beat in a state of euphoria that was only partly induced by the stack of empty wine barrels that lay empty and abandoned on the side of the road. A part of Jul wanted to march into the crowd and yell at everyone who would listen to snap back to their senses. Another part wanted to spare these people the pain of knowing their newfound freedom might be taken away before the night was over. Arendelle's citizens had undoubtedly paid the highest price for the kingdom's isolation. They deserved one night to celebrate, their hearts light and warm with the promise of better days.
The truth was they only had a few hours before the dream of a new Arendelle faded in the distance. Night was stealing upon the fjord with a majestic full moon that seemed to mock Jul's last, desperate attempts to come up with a sensible plan. Every minute was a slow, torturous descent into despair that offered no escape. Her ideas blurred into one another, tangling into a hot, useless mess without purpose or meaning. There wasn't much time left to figure out a solution before the royal party came to an end. In fact the citizens were already abandoning the celebrations in the town square and heading for the lamp lit stone bridge. Their voices rose with excitement. Soon the newly crowned Queen would make a public appearance to greet her subjects for the first time.
Jul watched their progress from the pier with envy, drained and exhausted from the intense mental struggle. She felt pretty much at the end of her rope. Hours of useless plotting had gone by and the only thing she had to show for - other than a splitting headache - was the dreadful certainty that she'd wasted the entire afternoon trying to tackle the problem from the wrong angle.
The disastrous brainstorming session with Nicklas should have clued her in. Her biggest mistake had been relying too much on her own strategic and thieving skills. Stealth and wits had served her well so far but they could not be the answer to her problem; not this time. Captain Svendsen's security measures were designed to be foolproof, as well they should be, so sneaking in was out of the question. That left Jul with the most dangerous, terrifying alternative of all: putting her post and life on the line in order to keep her dream of a new Arendelle alive.
So much can go wrong, Jul thought, taking a shaky breath. Endless terrifying scenarios flashed through her mind but she squashed them before fear could take the upper hand. At this point there was no other way to accomplish the impossible if not with an act of insane courage as well as incredible stupidity. Jul possessed both, and with the stakes getting higher, she couldn't afford to hold back any longer, no matter what it cost her.
A surprising sense of focused calm washed over Jul as soon as she embraced her decision. In a moment the restlessness that had plagued her all day was gone, and with it, the crushing weight of doubts and responsibilities she had shouldered. Even her aches and pains were slowly ebbing away and leaving her tired muscles. It was like someone had breathed new life into her, giving her a new and greater sense of purpose.
A sudden roar of enthusiastic applause erupted from the castle's inner courtyard. Instantly Jul was on her feet, heart pounding and muscles taut, ready for action. The royal party was over and the Queen had walked outside to greet her subjects before retiring for the night. This meant that Jul only had minutes, if not less, before the guests would return to their vessels and sail home. Her window of opportunity was closing. It was now or never.
"Julia?"
The sound of Nicklas' worried voice caught the redhead unawares. Her fellow guard was sitting by the water's edge, watching her closely in the flickering light of the torches that burned along the docks. Up until that moment her work partner had kept to himself, barely speaking a word in the aftermath of their unsuccessful brainstorming session. Jul had begun to take his retreat into silence as a wish to distance himself from her reckless, treasonous plans but the deep concern on his face proved that her distrust had been misplaced. Once again she'd been too quick to judge him.
Jul shifted uneasily under the intensity of his gaze, torn between duty and comradeship. Although she had no time to lose, Nicklas deserved an explanation before she plunged into the night on a suicide mission.
But Jul never got to tell him how grateful she was for all he'd done.
Screams pierced the night, once, then twice in quick succession. They erupted from the castle grounds – an explosion of countless, terrified voices – before being swallowed up by ringing silence.
Terror tore at Jul's heart, pure and needle sharp. Heedless of her partner's cries, she bolted down the docks as fast as her legs would carry her. Within seconds she was sprinting across the bridge towards the gates only to find the huge oak-and-iron doors closed tight.
Cursing, Jul skidded to a halt. "Open the damned gates!" she called out, pounding on them with closed fists.
The blows echoed loudly in the eerie stillness that had settled over the fjord. A handful of long, interminable seconds passed before the wicket gate on Jul's right swung open with a loud metallic bang and a guard stepped outside. Jul took in the shaking of the man's hands and his widened pupils at a glance. A fresh wave of fear rose in the pit of her stomach but she forced it back down. Before the guard could react, she made a dash for the small opening, roughly shoving him aside to swiftly vanish through the door.
Nothing could've prepared Jul for the scene that met her on the other side of the gates. The main courtyard was packed with hundreds of people, townspeople and foreign travelers, yet the space might as well have been empty. Except for the cries of an infant, Jul could hear nothing but her own hurried steps on the cobblestones. Everyone stood still as stone, silent, some kind of unspeakable horror reflected in their eyes.
The hair on Jul's arms stood up on end at the sight but she willed her legs to keep going. She pushed roughly through the unmoving crowd in a blind panic, shoving aside anyone who stood in her way.
When at last the castle's entrance came into view, all the color drained from Jul's sunburned face. Wide-eyed, she slowed to a halt. From where she stood, a shimmering layer of frost and ice spread out on the ground in a straight line; it crept up the front steps, snaked around the marble columns, and up the castle's double doors, thickening into deadly icicles that jutted from the ground like outstretched wings.
There was something unnatural about the scene and it drove spikes of fear through Jul's heaving chest. Her blue eyes flitted tensely from the whitened portico to the open doors, before resting on the lit entrance that lay beyond them, unguarded. Cold sweat trickled down the small of her back. The Queen was nowhere in sight.
So far all signs pointed to an attack, yet Jul could not find clear evidence of it anywhere. There was no blood on the floor, no casualties or injured to speak of. Plus the guards stationed on the battlement were just as stunned and speechless as the crowd below and Jul had yet to hear a single officer firing orders at his men.
Clearly this couldn't be the aftermath of an assassination or kidnapping attempt. Something else entirely was going on, Jul was certain of it. And the more she stared at the wintry picture, the more she feared the ice might be at the center of it all.
Hard as it was to trust her eyes not to fool her, she knew she was looking at something that defied the laws of the world she lived in. Magic, mysteries, disappearances, conspiracies; her day so far had had the makings of a very elaborate nightmare. Jul half-expected to be woken up by the sound of someone pounding on her door. She would've given anything for a chance to start over and do things differently. But the magic was real and Jul needed to accept it quickly. Such an unpredictable variable put the Queen in even more danger than before. Whatever - or whomever - had elicited such blood-chilling screams, could very well be behind the Queen's disappearance.
Jul couldn't suppress a shudder at the thought of what she might be going up against. The citizens had been so badly frightened that only now they were starting to recover from the shock of what they'd seen. With pale faces and eyes downcast, they huddled in small groups, talking to one another in hushed whispers, their shoulders slumped with resignation as if the hope of a lifetime had just been snatched from their very hands.
From the low murmur of conversations around her, Jul caught arguments, prayers and snatches of what had transpired. Most of it made little to no sense to her but it was clear that the Queen was involved somehow. Her name was on everyone's lips. The way it was spoken, though, jarred with the many good things Jul had heard all morning from the villagers themselves. The reverence and admiration that had lit up their eyes at the mere mention of Her Majesty's name were gone, while fear and distrust had taken their place. What could the woman have done to warrant such contempt? And how did the ice fit into it?
Jul could not believe how quickly Arendelle had reverted to the lost, broken Kingdom she had always known. Her worst fears were coming true and the night wasn't even over yet. If she didn't figure out soon how the woman's disappearance and the ice were connected, the townspeople's sudden animosity towards the Queen would be the last of her problems.
Grimacing, Jul stepped away from the whispering crowd and made a beeline for the open doors without a second thought. Assuming Her Majesty had not been captured, there was a small chance the Queen had fled inside the castle to escape from both the ice and her subjects. If Jul was right and the woman had indeed locked herself into her bedroom, then it was time for Jul to finally take a chance. She was done being afraid of that damned white door.
With one hand resting warily on the pommel of her sword, Jul advanced with purpose. She kept her head bowed and tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible should anyone be watching from the battlement.
She was almost to the staircase when a shining outline appeared at the edge of her vision.
With a gasp of surprise, Jul jerked to a stop. Looming over her was a wall of frozen water, rising into the night like a monstrous wave about to crash down on the unsuspecting. In her haste to reach the front doors, Jul had failed to notice the silent, frost-covered fountain. Seeing what the magic had turned it into, she wondered how. It was impossible to miss the gigantic ice sculpture as it towered over the courtyard with a curved web of jagged icicles that intertwined in midair.
Under its menacing shadow, Jul sensed a great danger as well as a coldness that went beyond any physical sensation. Power coursed through the ice, wild and raw. Even from where she stood, Jul could feel it slithering on her skin, sending chills down her spine, and compelling her to get closer.
Jul glanced back at the open entryway with something that went close to longing. After years of sneaking in through a window like a burglar, the open doors were nothing short of a mirage. They seemed to beckon her forward, inviting her to come inside. But the pull of the frozen fountain was stronger, almost magnetic.
Against her better judgment, Jul found herself turning away from the portico and walking up to the fountain basin instead. With a growing sense of urgency, Jul stepped closer to the ice sculpture, all the while wondering if the magic was doing something to her. She must be going crazy otherwise. There was no way a fountain had suddenly become more important than the Queen herself. Only when she reached out with a gloved hand and touched the basin's frosted rim did she understand what had prompted her choice. Something about the frozen water felt familiar. It stirred a memory in the back of her mind that she was unable to grasp, try as she might.
The unfocused images lurked behind her eyelids with increasing insistence but the memory refused to show itself. Jul gripped the rim of the fountain tightly, her fingers already numbing through the fabric. While she no longer doubted her instinct, Jul still had no idea what the connection was between the Queen and the fountain or how to find it. Certainly it couldn't be the ice itself, she figured. Given its proximity to the Northern Mountain, winters had always been long and hard in Arendelle. Jul had seen snow and ice in abundance, especially over the past three years, but never later than early spring.
Or had she?
A small sliver of doubt crept into Jul's thoughts with the stealth of a thief. Silently, it sneaked past her defenses, past the blocks her unconscious had built over time and made them crumble from the inside. Within moments the images spilled forth in a harsh, relentless stream that raged and churned like a rushing river.
The memory emerged then in vivid detail. Jul saw herself only hours before, standing in front of the Queen's white door, one hand resting on its frosted surface.
Jul staggered back from the fountain, gasping as if the stream of images had actually pulled her under. Breathing heavily, she stared in numb disbelief at the shining sculpture, too stunned for words. Fear pinned her feet firmly to the ground while her brain scrambled for a simple, logical explanation, anything that would put things back to how they were. But deep inside, Jul knew there was no going back.
Regardless, she steeled herself and drew near the fountain again. She took off her gloves and hesitantly laid trembling hands on the frozen rim. As soon as her callused palms touched the ice, recognition flared in her hands, a cold tingling in her fingertips that raced all the way up to her elbows. The feeling was unmistakable. Jul only had to close her eyes to see herself standing in front of the Queen's white door, one hand pressed against a patch of frost that just wouldn't thaw.
Numbly, Jul let go of the fountain as well as the memory. Her last glimmer of hope flickered out like a snuffed candle and left her fumbling in the darkness. She was lost, trapped in a jumble of past, discarded memories unraveling before her. Together they painted a truth that was equal parts terrifying and devastating. The isolation, the secrets, the mysteries and - above all else - the cold: it was all connected, it always had been. And the signs, the same ones Jul had ignored for the better part of the last six years, they all pointed in the same direction.
Jul's eyes swept over the frozen entrance only to linger on the fountain with a new, grim understanding. Looking at the damage, it was all the more painful now that she knew what had caused it. Who had caused it. Jul could hardly bring herself to put the outrageous thought into words, let alone say it out loud. But even though the soldier in her screamed treason at the top of her lungs, nothing could change the shattering truth finally laid bare in front of her.
The Queen had magical powers.
Jul closed her eyes and took in a rattling breath, struggling for control. The shock of the discovery was raw, devastating. It clawed at her heart with the fury of a cornered beast. The sharpness of its blows overshadowed her emotions until she could feel nothing but a deep, resounding ache in her chest.
It was a pain unlike anything Jul had ever experienced before. And the more she struggled to reconcile understanding and acceptance, the harder the emotions inside of her flared up. For a moment they threatened to consume her from the inside out. Only when she allowed the words to truly sink in, did the tumultuous tide ebb away.
In its wake only a numbing emptiness remained, along with the ruins of a world Jul had thought she knew like the back of her hand. In one moment - the matter of one sentence - everything had come crashing down like a house of cards in the summer breeze; her past, present and future rewritten from scratch, her certainties upended, her dreams buried under a solid wall of unseasonal ice.
There was little that the truth had left unscathed. Jul could feel the change already at work within her, fixing her memories, transforming her thoughts. Nothing looked and felt right anymore. Even the sight of the castle, the place she had called home for so long, had lost its warm familiarity. Its thick stone walls - once trusted friends under the cover of night - rose menacingly into the dark sky with unprecedented hostility. They were almost unrecognizable, unwelcoming, a barrier against foes and friends alike.
Staring up at the massive building, Jul no longer saw the palace she'd always known and loved but an impenetrable fortress where the Royals had kept their deepest, most damning secret hidden from the outside world. Her mind still reeled from the blow that the shocking discovery had delivered. To think that she'd been up there walking these hallways merely hours before, praying for a chance to set things right. Instead the truth had taken away everything, blindsiding her in the worst way possible.
In an instant the hopeful future she had envisioned for the kingdom had morphed into a living nightmare. The worst part was knowing that there would be no waking up from it, not this time. She wouldn't get to open her eyes to find she had dozed off in front of the white door, with Coronation Day still on the horizon and so full of possibilities.
Even if it pained her to do so, she had to face the truth and put the blame where it was due. So far her attachment and affection for the Royal Family had blinded her but she couldn't deny the damage that their lies and deception had caused any longer. If the kingdom had fallen into chaos it was because the late King and Queen had betrayed their citizens' trust, leaving them to bear the consequences of their ill-advised decisions.
In spite of the immense love and gratitude Jul had for the former rulers, she could not bring herself to condone their choices, even if they'd come from a place of love. Arendelle would be the one to ultimately pay the price for their mistakes. It already was.
Jul only had look at the people gathered in the courtyard to see the cracks starting to show. Their faith in the Crown was rapidly fraying at the edges, crumbling under the weight of failed hopes and expectations. After more than a decade of working hard for so little gain, the citizens felt cheated, and rightly so. Coronation Day had given them a taste of a brighter future only to snatch it away with brutality at the very last moment. And to add insult to injury, the illusion had been broken by the very same hands that should've brought the kingdom out of recession.
There may not be a revolt with torches and pitchforks underway but Jul knew how much anger and resentment lurked under the citizens' composure. She'd heard what kind of vile accusations and insults had left their lips with impunity. Some had outright called the Queen a monster, an abomination, while others had gone as far as making signs in the air as if warding off evil.
Their venomous reaction troubled Jul profoundly; it sent her probing the fury and pain lodged deep into her chest, wondering where she stood. After everything the Queen's secret had exposed, she should've been out of her mind with rage, too. Her heart however was more interested in grieving what was lost than to seek vengeance for it.
Jul's entire world had revolved around the Queen and her sister's safety. She'd devoted time and energy into watching over them, praying for a day when the isolation would be lifted and they would regain their freedom. She'd almost gone as far as putting her life and career on the line to fight for a future without closed doors, only to find out it had all been a hopeless dream. The woman Jul had given up her old life for, was the one putting the kingdom's future in jeopardy.
It was such a cruel twist of fate that it took all of Jul's willpower not to crumble in a heap and give in to despair. Could it really be that the woman she had always prided herself on serving was nothing but a magic-wielding monster?
In Jul's heart the answer was plain and simple. Although she had not witnessed the Queen use her powers firsthand, she refused to believe that they had turned the woman into a soulless weapon of destruction. That couldn't be the same person her parents had gone to great lengths to protect, the sister that Princess Anna had never given up on, the tough, brave woman Jul had always pictured hiding on the other side of the door.
The townspeople were no doubt mistaken and only speaking out of fear. The fact that they hadn't run screaming from the castle grounds said as much. Jul saw proof of the Queen's innocence everywhere. Except for the damage that the entrance had sustained, nobody appeared hurt or wounded by the ice. Furthermore, the direction and layout of the icicles indicated the blast had been aimed at someone coming out of the castle, someone who'd followed her outside presumably. It could be that the Queen had lost control of her powers at the party and fled, or perhaps the other way around.
At this point Jul could do no more than guess what had transpired. The one thing she knew for sure, though, was that the trail of ice ended at the frozen fountain only to reappear on the unguarded doors of the eastern gateway, beyond which a passageway led straight down to the fjord. On their wooden surface, two unmistakable, silvery handprints revealed the Queen's passage, and confirmed Jul's worst fear had come true: the Queen had fled the castle.
She's gone, Jul thought, choking back a cry of despair. Just when the truth had brought her one step closer to the Queen, she'd lost her again. Only this time there wasn't a door to keep them apart but a thirty-foot wall and miles of land in every direction.
As much as Jul yearned to launch herself in pursuit, she was loath to admit she would never find Her Majesty on her own at night. By now the woman was probably far enough from the castle to make running after her a pointless risk, if not with the help of an organized search party.
If only Jul had been a little quicker to react, a little faster at figuring out what was happening. Instead she'd failed in her duties beyond forgiveness and allowed the Queen to slip through her fingers.
So much for the elite soldier worthy of promotion. Her entire history in the military was a shameful proof of her shortcomings. Looking back, Jul could only see mistakes and the naive, clueless novice who had spent countless nights outside the Queen's quarters without ever realizing that up in that lonely, frigid corridor the truth had been staring her square in the face.
With an anguished cry, Jul slammed her fists against the fountain rim, cracking the ice underneath and scaring off an elderly couple standing close by. Her hands shook on the frozen stone, not from the cold or the pain but from the anger rushing inside her.
Deep inside she knew that she was partly responsible for how things had turned out. After years spent looking down on her comrades for not understanding, for lacking talent and purpose, she'd been the one who had ultimately fallen short.
Jul didn't know if she could ever forgive herself for it. Every night that she had wasted, waiting on some kind of miracle to move into action, had only served to prolong the Queen's suffering. She could hardly imagine what sort of endless torture the past thirteen years must have been for Her Majesty. All alone in her bedroom, isolated from the world, the young woman had lived like a prisoner in her own home and body. When or why her powers had manifested hardly mattered in the face of the collateral damage they had caused. The magical abilities had robbed the Queen of a chance at a normal life. They'd forced her into hiding, forced her to live in fear of herself and of other people's judgment.
A shudder slithered down Jul's spine as she pictured the young Princess from her memories being confined to her bedroom and told to contain her powers. How scared and alone she must have felt. Jul couldn't fathom how Her Majesty had held herself together in such conditions for as long as she had without falling apart. Perhaps it had been the fear of hurting her loved ones with her powers to keep her going. Regardless, the woman had put her kingdom before her own happiness and shown strength worthy of a true leader.
Too bad her sacrifice had been for nothing. Whatever illusion of normalcy the Queen had managed to create for the guests, it had shattered under pressure, not to mention in the presence of hundreds of royals and dignitaries. Jul feared their reactions more than the citizens'. If any of them thought the Queen was a threat to eliminate, Arendelle was in very serious trouble.
Lost in her own predicaments, Jul almost started when something wet and cold landed on the tip of her nose. She wiped the spot off with a hand that was frozen halfway through and squinted up at the sky. Her lips parted in a gasp of surprise that was cut off by the touch of big, white snowflakes on her eyes and tongue. Jul promptly closed her mouth, blinking the melting ice away from her lashes. She looked up again and sure enough there was snow drifting down on the courtyard from a thick bank of clouds that was gathering overhead.
Scanning the horizon, Jul wondered whether she had underestimated the extent of The Queen's abilities. In the distance she could see a menacing storm approaching. Blowing in from the north, it advanced with alarming speed, blotting out every inch of starry sky in its path.
The temperature was dropping rapidly as well; frigid winds sighed in the cramped spaces of the castle grounds, picking up speed and force. In spite of her heavy uniform Jul found herself shivering and not just from the cold. A deep-seated sense of unease and uncertainty hung over her. The future ahead was bleak, whichever way she chose to look at it. In its current situation Arendelle was nothing but a leaderless country on the brink of an internal crisis. And if that was not enough, winter was rapidly stealing over the kingdom while the only person who could reverse the spell and save everyone from an impending catastrophe was lost in the wind.
So much was at stake and yet nobody was lifting a finger to fix the situation. The Captain's absence was by far the most troubling. Jul had expected him to be outside already, shouting commands left and right in order to put a search team together. However there was no sign of him, nor of the soldiers who had been in charge of protecting the Queen. Who was she supposed to turn to for guidance in a moment such as this?
"Look, it's snowing, it's snowing! The Queen has cursed this land! She must be stopped! You have to go after her."
Jul whirled toward the unknown accuser with nostrils flaring, a response ready on her tongue. At the sight of the man however, her comeback wavered and she ultimately held her tongue. The choice was wise in hindsight. The obnoxious voice belonged to a rather short, middle-aged man in an elegant dark blue tailcoat with gold trimmings. He stood on the opposite side of the fountain, in between two buff gentlemen twice his size, dressed in the same colors of his dress uniform. A toupee of slicked-back, silvery grey hair was attached precariously to his scalp; it bounced against the nape of his neck whenever he moved - which was to say constantly, since his every word was punctuated by a sudden over-dramatic gesture.
Jul watched him with open hostility, slipping on her gloves with more force than was necessary. Rather than the four medals pinned to his chest, it was the arrogance and air of self-importance that marked the man out as a guest of higher status. His efforts to gather attention and play the part of the victim would've been laughable if only he'd done so without insulting the Queen in the process. Jul knew that the consequences for harming a guest would be dire but she couldn't stand by and watch him incite the crowd into a witch hunt.
Before she could spring into action, a young woman stepped in her path and closed in on the foreigner. Jul inhaled sharply and came to a dead stop, straightening to attention.
Princess Anna stood before her, looking stunning in a green, floor-length dressing gown and a black bodice that bared every inch of her creamy, freckled shoulders. Her face was troubled and dark with concern as she rounded on the short man who was accusing her sister of black witchcraft.
"Wait, no!" the Princess said firmly.
"You!" cried the foreign guest accusingly, starting at the sight of Princess Anna. He swiftly retreated behind his two companions, using them as a human shield. "Is the sorcery in you, too? Are you a monster, too?"
"No, no…I'm completely ordinary" the Princess responded hesitantly, clearly taken aback by the open accusation.
Jul seethed in silence, wishing she had the authority to intervene and avenge the offense given. It was then that she noticed a young, auburn-haired man dressed like a lord come up behind the Princess and place a protective hand on her shoulder.
"That's right, she is" the nobleman chimed in sternly as if daring the older man to say otherwise. Though as soon as he realized the words were everything but flattering, his confidence wavered and he rushed to add in a gentler voice, "In- in the best way."
Nice save,Jul thought sourly, frowning at the stranger with suspicion. She couldn't help but wonder who the man was and what gave him the right to take such liberties with Princess Anna. His fancy clothes suggested that he, too, was a foreign guest but offered no clue as to where he was from. Despite the lack of an emblem or symbol on his pristine tailcoat, Jul could still tell the nameless foreigner had the bearing of a minor lord. After being around soldiers of noble upbringing for quite a while she could spot them from miles. The way they held themselves before people, especially those of lower class, was impossible to miss.
Although Jul had every reason to be distrustful of him, so far he'd proved himself a gentleman by defending the Princess' honor and reputation. For once it was best to wait and see how things played out.
"My-my sister's not a monster" the Princess retorted with indignation.
"She nearly killed me!" cried the foreign officer in outrage.
"You slipped on ice" the younger nobleman argued.
"Her ice!" he countered stubbornly, sounding more like a child having a tantrum than a powerful, respectful diplomat.
Jul shifted impatiently. She was quickly starting to regret her decision to wait by the sidelines. Being a guest might grant this man protection but it didn't give him the right to insult the royal family with impunity.
"It was an accident," said the Princess, putting an end to the dispute before things could take a turn for the worst. "She was scared. She didn't mean it; she didn't mean any of this. Tonight was my fault. I pushed her, so I'm the one that needs to go after her."
The words sent a stab of alarm through Jul who immediately lurched into motion.
"Your Highness! Please, wait!" she called after the Princess, darting in between the two guests to stop the young woman from doing something rash. When the Princess turned to look at her in surprise, Jul spoke up before she lost her nerve. "There's a storm coming, Your Highness. It's too dangerous for you to go out there on your own."
"That's right, you can't" the white-clad nobleman concurred.
Something other than worry crept into his voice. Jul couldn't quite place what it was but knew it was directed at her. She felt the man's unwavering gaze on her like a weight on her shoulders. Still she didn't falter under the scrutiny and kept her eyes fixed on the Princess instead. As a soldier of the Royal Guard it was her duty to protect the members of the royal family from harm. She couldn't exactly say the same about him, though, a man who'd set foot in Arendelle for barely half a day, expecting to have a say in what the Princess could and could not do.
"Elsa is not dangerous" said Princess Anna with a reassuring smile. "I'll bring her back and I'll make this right."
Jul stifled a groan. Of course the Queen wasn't dangerous. In over thirteen years her powers had never hurt a soul. What truly scared Jul was the idea of Princess Anna venturing outside the castle by herself at night. If something were to happen to her, the kingdom was doomed for certain. Even if she was indeed to blame for triggering her sister's powers like she'd said, it fell to the Royal Guard to go in search of the Queen.
Judging from the frown on his face, the nobleman felt the same way about the whole ordeal and told her, "I'm coming with you."
The Princess took his hand in hers, a gesture that was suspiciously intimate for two people who'd supposedly just met. "I need you here, to take care of Arendelle."
In that moment Kai, the family's most trusted servant, appeared with the Princess' horse in tow and a green, woolen cloak which he wrapped around her slim shoulders.
The nobleman took Princess Anna's hand between his own and his face grew solemn. "On my honor."
Appalled as she was by the Princess' decision to leave the kingdom in the hands of a stranger, Jul had to push her suspicions aside for the moment. If she didn't at least try to do something before the woman embarked on this suicide mission, she would never forgive herself for it.
"Your Highness, if you must go then let me come with you, please" she begged. At this point she was beyond caring if she was overstepping. "Those mountains are full of dangers at this time of night. What if you get lost or hurt while you search for Her Majesty?"
Princess Anna regarded her with a warm smile of recognition. "Thank you, Julia, but it's best if I go alone. Elsa has grown quite wary of strangers, I'm afraid."
The little spark of hope that flared up when the Princess spoke her name, fizzled out abruptly. Jul opened her mouth to argue, then closed it soundlessly. As much as she wanted to believe that she wasn't a stranger to the Queen, that the odd connection she felt to the woman was real, she couldn't deny the truth, no matter how much it pained her to do so. She had no choice but to let the Princess go.
"As you wish, Your Highness" Jul said with a small bow, resigned but still determined to be of help in any way she could. Quickly, she pulled off her thick, worn gloves and held them out to the Princess. "Take these, Your Highness. I'm afraid you'll need them soon. And please be careful."
Smiling kindly, Princess Anna took the offered gloves and tucked them on at once. The look of poorly veiled disgust on the nobleman's face went unnoticed as she mounted her horse and addressed the crowd. "I leave Prince Hans in charge."
The announcement was met with silence, allowing Jul to hear what the foreign prince said next.
"Are you sure you can trust her? I don't want you getting hurt."
"She's my sister. She would never hurt me."
The unwavering certainty in Princess Anna's voice left no room for doubt. Prince Hans looked anything but reassured. Nevertheless he let go of the reins and stepped aside as the Princess nudged her white horse into a gallop.
Jul watched her ride through the gates, unable to shake the crushing sense of dread that gripped her as the horse and its rider disappeared from sight. In a handful of minutes both sisters had disappeared into the night without protection, leaving the castle empty and vulnerable. Suddenly Arendelle found itself in quite a tight spot, isolated and unequipped as it was to face the sudden emergency. Assuming the town survived the change of season, anyone with an army at their disposal could sweep in and seize the vacant throne, taking advantage of the kingdom's weakened state. If Princess Anna failed to find her sister and convince her it was safe to come back, Arendelle would fall and never rise again.
Shivering from a mixture of cold and fatigue, Jul let go of her troubled thoughts and returned to the present. It was freezing inside the grounds and getting colder still if possible. Clearly the weather was deteriorating at a faster pace than she had estimated. The snowstorm had picked up intensity and a thick curtain of white flakes fell without pause on the palace grounds. Jul's heavy coat was already damp in places and the icy gusts of wind that blew in through the open gates pierced Jul's uniform as if it was made of paper.
With a shaking hand, Jul moved to pull the visor of her hat lower on her face in order to shield her eyes. When her reddening fingers met with nothing but damp hair she sighed knowingly, figuring she must have lost the dark green hat on her desperate run to the castle. Violating the dress code would get her in trouble but at the moment she was too chilled to go searching for it. Instead she wrapped her arms around herself for added warmth and joined the stream of townspeople returning meekly to their homes.
As soon as Jul approached the gates, threats and insults rained down on her from the battlement. People turned to stare and point but Jul ignored everyone and kept going, letting her comrades' words fall on deaf ears. Without a doubt, a detailed - not to mention inflated - tale of her insubordination would reach her superiors before the night was over.
As if the Captain doesn't have bigger problems on his hands right now, Jul thought bitterly. Besides, she wasn't scared to confront him. She knew he would understand her actions and the reasons behind them. If her comrades went straight to Lieutenant Drost with their complaints however, not even a miracle would save her from paying the price of her reckless behavior.
Outside the castle walls, the wind blew so hard that Jul had to hunch her shoulders in order to keep her balance. She was halfway across the bridge when she caught a glimpse of Nicklas standing in the middle of the road, searching the incoming crowd with a worried frown on his face. As soon as his eyes landed on her, he rushed toward her. In his hands he held her missing hat, stained with dirt and damp but otherwise unblemished. He placed it gently on her head and studied her face for a long moment, betraying only the slightest hint of relief.
They'd known one another for less than a day and yet Jul found herself lowering her guard and allowing her feelings to spill forth.
"She's gone" Jul whispered at last, her voice cracking. "They're both gone and there was nothing I could do to stop them."
Although the words were spoken out of context, Nicklas glanced down at her with genuine sadness and understanding. Jul guessed he already knew what had transpired back at the castle. After all, the fjord itself looked to be in even worse shape. The whole harbor had frozen over like a glacier and every ship moored at the docks or riding at anchor was trapped with no way out.
The bitter irony of the situation wasn't lost on Jul. After thirteen years of solitary confinement, the Queen had fled the castle and trapped everyone else in the process. Jul doubted the magical winter had been intentional after everything Her Majesty had sacrificed for her kingdom. Still, the town was in grave danger. If the weather didn't let up, Arendelle would soon be buried in snow, short on supplies, and isolated from its neighboring kingdoms.
Discouraged and exhausted, Jul let Nicklas wrap one long arm around her shoulders. Together they walked back to the docks and returned to their post under the falling snow. Hopefully Colonel Larsen was already on his way with news and instructions from the head of command. Until then Jul's hands were tied. With a pending insubordination charge on her head, she couldn't afford to step out of line again. She had to bide her time and keep her head down. The chance to right her wrongs would present itself soon and this time she would not waste it.