Days had passed as Artyom accompanied King Agnarr back to his kingdom. Unlike the flooded tunnels of the Moscow Metro System, the young man did his best to tolerate sailing. Yet, being one of the king's guards did have its perks. He was given a new set of clothes for himself and a way to hide his obvious uniform and armor of the Order. As the sailors busied themselves with their duty, he stood beside the king with his hands behind his back.
Agnarr took the opportunity to smell the air and release it all out. "Young man, you said that you would tell me a story of your life at home. I have yet to hear it." Despite the man not speaking about the matter for several days, Artyom feared he would wonder about it. "Are you that reluctant to speak about it to me?"
The Polis Ranger lowered his head before looking at the king once more. "Yes."
"If that is the case, begin with something simple. How about the beginning? Every story has to have a beginning."
He paused for a moment, allowing himself to organize his thoughts. "Once upon a time, I was just a boy from a backwater station who farmed for mushrooms. It was a good life and we were better off compared to some of the other stations in the Metro, but we also faced a threat that no one else understood. They were neither man nor beast, but something else entirely?"
The king's eyes were sparked by his interest in the story. "What kind of creatures were they? Were they monsters?"
"Yes. Thanks to my step-father, I was kept away from the fighting. However, I did accompany him to the hospital, but what happened to the survivors was not something I have ever seen before."
"Surely there must have been some signs of these creatures' attacking a man."
"That's the thing, these creatures didn't physically harm them."
"Then what did they do them?" Agnarr asked.
"My step-father and I were told that these creatures didn't break their bodies, but their minds. The survivors mention that they almost looked like a very tall man whose skin was inside-out." Artyom explained in great detail. "It was nothing I've heard by any of the stalkers in my home."
"There must have been a way to fight them. No monster is truly invincible."
"No, but the Dark Ones were very hard to kill. However, my story truly began when a the best of the Polis Rangers visited us to combat the threat. His name was Hunter. He was something like a second father to me. Without him, I wouldn't have known how to hit anything with my weapons."
The king smiled. "You speak highly of him. Do you believe I will have the honor of meeting him."
"He's dead." The Ranger said bluntly. "The Dark Ones saw to that."
His facial expression immediately changed as he grew concerned about Hunter. "Artyom, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"
"It's okay." He cut him off. "I have accepted that he is dead and nothing could bring him back." The young man dug into his white shirt as he pulled out his tags off his head. "When he realized the threat of the creatures, he handed this to me and sent me to Polis Station. There, I would find the help I needed to defeat them while Hunter fought for my home. Then the Council would help me fight them."
"This council seems important. Is there a reason why Hunter would send you there in the first place."
"The Council are the people that make sure the rest of the factions play nice. They keep the peace while ensuring that stations like my home do not die."
"Did you tell them about these Dark Ones? It would appear that they would send an appropriate response to fighting them."
The young man lowered his head. "No, they rejected my request."
King Agnarr was surprised by this news. "How could they? They are the guardians of your home and they just somehow dealt with the fact that your home is too much of a hassle to rescue."
"They're not wrong. The Polis Rangers are constantly fighting monsters and making sure the routes stay open from bandits. My station was the farthest away from them and in the northernmost territory."
"Surely you had someone help you. It you didn't deserve to come all the way there to tell them about your home being in danger."
"You're not the only one. Colonel Miller, the Spartan Commander of the Order, decided to bend the rules a little and sent me on a scavenging run on the Moscow surface."
"Good. I could never have let such injustice go away."
"Neither did he." Artyom replied. "Miller and I were searching for information about this ancient fortress built by our ancestors long ago. It is said that they would hold the weapons to destroying the Dark Ones that threatened our home."
"It seemed like glad tidings has come to your rescue." Agnarr commented. "So that is how you became a Ranger. You helped these soldiers bring down these weapons on the Dark Ones, destroying them for good."
"Yes, but I think that was my greatest regret when I brought those ancient weapons down."
"How could you say that? Those monsters attacked your home and they killed Hunter. That should be good enough reason to destroy them."
The young man wore Hunter's tags before hiding them underneath his shirt. "With all due respect, your majesty, you only learned the first half of the story. The other half… the truth… is even scarier."
Before another word could be spoken, a sailor in his crow's nest shouted to the top of his lungs. "Land, ho! King Agnarr, Queen Iduna, we are home!"
The king looked at the shores of his home before turning back to Artyom. "You could continue the story after we have settled down in the palace." He answered. "My daughters should be waiting for our arrival."
When the ship arrived at the docks, dozens of well-dressed servants arrived on time to help the sailors bring out the king's personal items out of the cargo hold. However, the Russian noticed his trunk carried away. The king had the opportunity to cover the expenses to have his combat and essential gear hidden away along with his Polis uniform to help him blend in. He didn't object, but Artyom didn't believe he deserved to be given something so free. The young man waited as the King and Queen of Arendelle were the first to step off the ship before he followed after them with as their new guard.
By the time they reached actual land, dozens of civilians came forward to smile and greet their king. It was such a surprise to see people with a fresh set of clothes on their person. As they walked past the citizens of the king, the young Russian did his best to express a smile back in their direction. There were few times he had to ever smile in the Metro whether it be recalling good memories, Metro-invented holidays, or over a cup of vodka. For once, he enjoyed this moment of happiness.
Princess Elsa busied herself with the books her father recommended for her to read while he was away. Of course, she would find herself reading stories about lands and places she would never see, but it was for the best. The princess found herself fascinated with stories from foreign lands, particularly with those that were often drowned in frozen snow. If Elsa had her way, she would visit those places and won't have to worry about hurting anyone with her powers. Going through each page, the princess found herself having a strange feeling when she thought about her father. It was supposed to be a week for them to get to their destination and come back; however, the possibility of their ship caught in a storm or forced to contend with pirates. Her gloved hands clenched at such thoughts of despair as she hoped they would return safely from their voyage.
Three knocks echoed into her room on the bedroom door before she responded. "Who is it?"
She recognized the man's voice on the other side when he spoke. "It's Kai, your highness. Your parents have returned from your journey and have already come through the gates."
"Thank you, I'll be there shortly." Elsa replied as she placed her bookmark within the pages and closed it shut.
Then the young lady walked over to her window to see the outside world - at least beyond the palace - to see the gates open with the sight of her parents stepping into the courtyard. The possibility of a terrible incident that would befall them had escaped her mind while her heart was filled with joy. Yet, the princess noted the strange man who accompanied her father and mother with curious eyes at his surroundings. The way he acted felt out of place compared to her family's guards and servants.
In one single moment, Elsa saw his gaze staring into her soul. He paused in following the king and queen of Arendelle before she found herself fearful of his look. Afraid of showing herself, the princess turned away and returned to the safety of her room while she reluctantly went for the door. She could walk out and meet her parents on their way in, but that would come into contact with her sister. Perhaps it was better to wait and hope that stranger forgets about her.
When Artyom entered the main hall, he was amazed by the beauty of its interior design. He had seen pictures of them in ancient magazines with their oily pages surviving the harsh treatment of the Metro. Some were in worse wear than others, but a picture couldn't capture the same feeling as being there instead. His amazement came to a close when King Agnarr grabbed his attention. "Welcome to our home, young man. While you remain as my family's bodyguard, we do have a room available for you. Where would you want your belongings?"
He nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Preferably somewhere where nobody will go snooping around."
"Are you sure about that? We could take it up to your new room. I'm sure it be safe there."
The Russian shook his head. "No, it be safer elsewhere. Trust my word on that." Then he looked around when he heard a loud thumping noise nearby. On his left, there was an empty hallway leading into another part of the palace. Knowing nobody was there, he turned his gaze attention towards the other side, but then he saw set of doors burst open with a young girl with red hair and green dress sprint into the king and queen.
Artyom was surprised by the development as she immediately greeted them. "Mother, father, you're home! How was your trip?"
Queen Iduna openly hugged her daughter while her husband gave the same gesture afterwards. "Thankfully, your father and I survived the voyage. Though, I'm not so keen on traveling for awhile."
"Wait, what happened?" The redhead asked.
Her father was quick to answer. "Our ship was caught in a storm and we were lost at sea."
The girl's expression changed into a worrying look before her lips parted. "Then how did you escape?"
King Agnarr replied with an assuring smile before he stole a glance from the man who saved him. "Someone managed to get help from a ship nearby." He answered. "Without his help, we would have died." Then he gestured his hand towards the young Russian behind him. "Anna, would you like to meet him?"
Anna turned her head towards the man out of place before waving her hand with a smile. "Hi, I'm Anna. Thank you for saving my parents."
With a slight bow of his head, the Polis Ranger introduced himself. "My name is Artyom, I'm honored to meet you."
He could see her cheeks red as a communist flag. "Oh, I should be the one to be honored. You saved my parents."
"As a reward for rescuing me and his humbleness, I have taken this young man into my service as one of the family guards." The king took control of the conversation. "Though, there is a particular interest that might be worth mentioning."
"Really? What could that be?"
At the mere thought of it, Artyom was worried about the king speaking to his daughter about his past and his strange arrival on his ship. His hands clenched at the mere possibility while he waited for Agnarr's next words.
"Artyom makes tea - which is a surprise in itself. He has brought it back from his homeland, but I must say that it tastes very good for something that looks eerily green." He answered.
Anna's jaw dropped. "Wait? You make tea? I'm surprised a man with a funny accent like yourself would be interested in something so… feminine."
"Anna!" Iduna had spoken. "Remember your manners. This man is going to be a family guard, show some respect to his activities."
The Russian couldn't resist the urge to smile in her presence. With the possible subject averted, he could relax without the chance of raising that chance. "No worries, your majesty. It's not the first time that someone was surprised that I'm from a home that makes mushroom tea for a living." He assured the queen.
"Still, it's bad manners nonetheless."
Then the princess talked back. "I'm sorry about being an odd girl, it's just that this is one of the few times somebody was allowed to enter into palace." She lowered her head as her smile was slowly repressed by her momentary pause.
Artyom took note of it and thought what kind of reason did closed gates mean for a girl like her. He was honestly curious, but now was not the time to ask any questions about issues that were none of his concern at the moment.
Out from the very doorway where Anna came from, a large uniformed man strode towards the royal family before he bowed in their very presence. "Your majesties, I am very happy to hear about your safe voyage back from one of the sea kingdoms. How did your journey fare?"
The father spoke. "Kai, it's great to see you. The voyage didn't go out as planned, but Prince Eric managed to rescue us from the waters."
"That is good news indeed. I'm sure your return was long. Shall I inform the chefs to cook up a meal for dinner?"
"Yes, I've been looking forward to it."
"Very well."
When he was gone, Anna pestered her mother as they departed from the king of Arendelle. "She is just like her mother." Agnarr commented. "One of these days, she might charm a young man in the future if she keeps people happy. What do you think?"
Artyom placed his hands behind his back out of old habits in the ranks of the Spartan Order as he stood beside the king. "I can agree that she has a fun personality around her." He answered. "I've met people like her in the Metro. Even when the world has ended, there are people willing to put a smile on another's face."
"Really?" He asked, surprised by the Russian's comparison. "You knew anyone in particular."
"Yes, his name was Uhlman. His jokes were so terrible that even the Spartan Commander dared to threaten him with chores if he made more. Despite that, he was fun man to be around."
"Interesting, though I hope you keep quiet about your origins."
"That makes two of us, but I do have a question. Why are you telling us this?"
"Because you saved my life, I trust you enough to be my guard. However, there will be moments when you must keep your distance." Agnarr answered. "Do you understand?"
"Yes. I understand." Then a thought about the stranger who lived in the room high above the world below came into place. "However, I have a question."
"Ask away. I am willing to listen."
Then Artyom spoke the moment of truth. "I saw a girl in one of the rooms on the higher levels. Do you know anything about her?"
The warm sentiment that was brought earlier was cold as stone. "Yes. Her name is Elsa and she is one of my daughters." He answered. "However, I prefer that you do not approach her."
"Is this one of those moments, I keep my distance?"
The king turned around and nodded his head.
Author's Note: After some delays by school, I decided to get back to working on this crossover and I do intend to update it a bit. However, it's odd that I typed this chapter faster when I was listening to the Soviet National Anthem. Is that a coincidence, I think not.
LanzCorporalAssWipe: Age is not really much of a concern since I've seen good Frozen crossovers take a liberal take on Elsa's and Anna's age. However, Artyom is at least twenty-one years-old - twenty years after the bombs fell and one more year between Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light.
UNSC-Saratoga: Nothing is confirmed.
Someguy the anon: I highly doubt technological revolution will happen. At the moment, technology is complete shit in the Metro universe. Of course, there are several gems here and there, but nothing noteworthy.