Chapter 6: Test Your Might

"What is the meaning of this?" The King of the Southern Isles demanded of the French diplomat standing before him, bearing his youngest son in irons.

"Your majesty," the man said as he bowed. "As I am sure you are quite curious as to my purpose here, I shall attempt to be expedient in my response. I have just returned from Arendelle, where I was bearing witness to the coronation of Queen Elsa on behalf of my Lord. During the proceedings, it would seem that your son hatched a plot to seduce a princess of Arendelle so that he could marry into the royal family, murder the sitting regent and assume the throne himself." The king looked from the Frenchman to his son. "The plot failed and Prince Hans was subsequently arrested. I volunteered to return him to his country, and bear with me a letter from her majesty Queen Elsa, which elaborates more fully on the nature of his crimes." The diplomat handed the letter to one of the King's servants, who delivered it to his lord. The king read the letter with growing fury. The diplomat waited uncomfortably as he awaited some sort of response. "Ahem. If there will be nothing more, your majesty-"

"No. There will be nothing more, Frenchman. The Southern Isles thanks you for this service. You may take your leave." With a sort bow, the diplomat and his guards allowed themselves to be led from the room. The king turned then to his youngest son.

"Well. What say you, boy?" Han's head hung limply upon slouched shoulders. The king tramped over to him and grabbed the man by the face. "Damn your eyes boy, I asked you a question. What did I ever do to you that you would shame me like this? Shame your kingdom like this? I gave you the simplest task imaginable. You literally just needed to show up, lounge about and try not to throw a coup! By God you miserable swine, being a lay-about is the one thing I know you're actually good at!" The king let go of his son, letting his head drop. "So you have nothing to say, then. Very well." The king gestured to one of his attendants. "Show Hans to his proper accommodations. And send for Fritz and Herold. Tell them where to find their little brother."

It was early morning when Kristoff climbed out of bed to ready himself for his first day back at work. A guy could get used to this life. Gotta be careful not to, though. Kristoff swapped out the silken pajamas provided for him for the coarse wool tunic he was accustomed to. Wouldn't want to start going soft. After being a guest of the Royal family for a week, Kristoff actually looked forward to heading back into the mountains. He missed feeling the wind nip at his face and the frost in veins. But he thought nothing of stopping by the castle's kitchens as he headed for the exit. After all, he doubted he had ever eaten as well in his whole life as he had this past week. To his surprise, someone was waiting for him at one of the kitchen tables.

"Anna? What are doing up this early?"

"I wanted to see you off," she said with a smile. Kristoff took a glance at the clock hanging over one of the ovens. Five in the morning. He also became aware of the overwhelming smell of coffee hanging heavy in the room.

"Oh. Thanks but…uh, have you actually been to bed tonight?"

"Well not exactly," Anna said, smiling wearily. "I knew that if I actually went to bed I'd never wake up in time to see you. There's still some coffee left, though. Why don't you have a cup while I fix you some breakfast?"

While Anna busied herself rummaging through the pantries and iceboxes, Kristoff took the mug set out for him on the table. The coffee pot felt a little light when he picked it up. Sure enough, he barely enough left for a single cup. He looked back at Anna as she scurried about the kitchen and regarded her with a bemused smile. Taking a seat at the table, he took a good look at his surroundings. A few years ago, Kristoff had built himself a log cabin on the outskirts of the Valley of the Living Rock, mostly just for the sake of having a place to call his own. It was a simple place, with just enough room for a cot, a hearth, a rickety old table and a single creaky chair. And a stable out back for Sven, of course. For a man who never owned more than he could carry on his back, it was all he had ever needed. Now he was sitting in a kitchen that was several times the size of his entire homestead, and a great deal more elegantly decorated. Even the servant's table he was sitting at was the work of a master carpenter and probably worth more than everything he owned, save the sled he had been gifted. Kristoff took a swig of his coffee. Is it a bad thing that after all these years, coffee just doesn't taste right if it's not burnt and kinda greasy?

"There you go," Anna set a fresh pot of coffee and a steaming plate of halved English muffins topped with smoked salmon and poached eggs in front of Kristoff. "A hot plate of Eggs Arendellian."

Kristoff looked down at the delicate arrangement before him. And I once saw this girl pick a fight with a twenty foot snow monster…He cut off a portion to take a bite, and no sooner than he had gotten it down he was already spearing a whole half muffin and stuffing it in my mouth. Anna held her hand to her mouth to hide a giggle.

"Do you like it, then?"

"Mmm…It's great,"Kristoff said between bites. "But where'd you learn to cook like this? I didn't know princesses made their own meals."

"Well, after Elsa and I…stopped talking, I didn't really have anyone else to spend time with. I mean, Mother and Father would make time for us whenever they could, but they had a whole Kingdom to look after. So I tried to make friends with Kai and Gerda. It was kind of nice for a while. I think they always wanted to have children themselves, so when I was little they almost treated me like I was their own. They would play with me when they had breaks from their duties, and would let me help out with some of the simpler stuff around the castle. That's how I learned how to cook, helping Gerda out in the kitchen." Anna chuckled. "Still nowhere near as good as her though. Kai wasn't always such a big guy, you know." By the time Anna done talking, Kristoff had finished his breakfast and was polishing off his second cup of coffee. "Oh, and before I forget, I also made a lunch for you while I was waiting for you to get up."

"Anna that's sweet," he said, getting up from the table. "But you really shouldn't have-"

"Relax, it's just a couple of sandwiches and some Jarlsberg," Anna replied, hanging the haversack with his lunch around Kristoff's neck. "Oh, and I got this tin flask off of one of the night watchmen. He told me it should keep your coffee warm for you." Anna emptied the rest of the pot into the flask and stuffed it into Kristoff's bag. "And just one more thing…" She grabbed a napkin off of the table, licked it, and used it to dab up the coffee and bits of egg around Kristoff's mouth. "There." Anna then grabbed Kristoff about the ears, pulled him down to eye-level and planted a kiss on him. Confused at first, he quickly stopped resisting. Letting go of Kristoff, Anna looked up at him with that little half-smile of hers. "And that should keep you warm for a while."

The sound of blows resonated off of the dungeon walls. A single flickering lantern silhouetted the three men therein. Prince Hans was in the center of the room, hands clapped in irons and chains and pulled high above his head, so that he can only reach the floor by standing on his toes. His brother Fritz, the closest to him in age, held him steady, so that he wouldn't swing off of the ground when his brother Herold delivered a savage left hook to the ribs. Hans let out a stifled grunt, but nothing more. Herold tried again with a mean blow to the gut. Hans coughed and sputtered a bit, but nothing more. Frustrated, Herold grabbed Hans by the hair a smashed his nose with a mighty head-butt. Unprepared for the change-up, Hans howled in pain and slumped where he stood. Now suspended only by his wrists, the chains dug into his raw flesh. Blood trickled down into his eyes.

"Better," Herold said to his dazed brother. "You know Hans, this was a lot more fun when you still knew how to react properly. I mean, when we were kids, we'd damn near have to chase you around the whole castle just to get hold of you. But your squealing made it worthwhile." Herold followed his taunt with a fearsome heel-kick to Hans' gut. The prince gasped and wretched at the blow. Herold took a couple steps back as Hans heaved, expelling what little food he's been given over the last several days. "That's more like it, boy." Hans passed out as the door to his cell was thrown wide. The King stomped to where Hans hung, shoving his other sons out of the way.

"Wake up, you cur!" the King snarled, grasping his son by the hair. When Hans could not be roused, he grabbed a bucket of water lying nearby and dumped it over the prince's head. Now Hans sputtered and gasped back to life. Grabbing his son by the throat, the King held an envelope bearing the seal of Wesselton in his face. "So it wasn't enough for you to bring shame upon your entire country, you had to put it in peril as well? This just arrived by courier, and sheds light on a few very interesting details of your trip. It was bad enough that you attempted a coup, but against a sorceress? Have you gone completely mad?!" Hans struggled for breath. His father released him, and he hung limply from his chains, coughing. "Now you listen to me, and you listen well. I want to hear this entire story, from start to finish. If I am going to have to clean up your mess, then I will know exactly and in minute detail what the Hell happened and what I am dealing with." Hans just gritted his teeth and shot his father a defiant look. "So that's the way it is, eh? Suit yourself. Fritz, Herold: since your brother is now choosing to act against the interests of his country, you have my permission to do whatever you must to ensure that he finds himself in a more amenable state of mind. Am I understood?"

"Yes, your majesty," both brothers answered with a bow.

"Then get to it, and waste no time. I'll have a man round up the rest of your brothers so that they may relieve you if need be." With that the king was gone.

"Welp, get behind him and brace him for me," Herold said, cracking his knuckles. "I think I still got a couple good ones in me."

"No, I think I have a better idea," Fritz posited. "When I did my Navy service, I was down in Spain for a little while. At the fort I stayed at there was a jailer who taught me a thing or two. Here, grab a hold of him while I undo his chains." Fritz released his brother, and he fell to his knees. Hans knew that to resist would be useless. Even if, by some miracle, he could somehow overpower Fritz and Herold and slip out of the castle, he'd have nowhere in the world to go. All he could do was endure. He had his hands bound behind his back, and the chain leading from thrown over a support beam. Fritz and Herold then pulled the chain, hoisting Hans off the ground and leaving him hanging by his arms. He grit his teeth against the pain as his own body weight caused his arms to stretch and his shoulders to contort. The two brothers secured the chain, and stepped back to see what they'd done.

"Now what?" Herold asked.

"Now we just sit back and let gravity do the work for us. If we leave him there long enough his own weight will eventually dislocate his shoulders. But don't worry Hans; that should take a couple of hours. We'll probably check on you before then." Fritz and Herold took the lantern with them on their way out, leaving Hans to hang in near perfect darkness.

"So your highness, I am sure that at some point you intend to tell me why we are headed back to the North Mountain, but I wonder if you could be induced to tell me your purpose sooner rather than later." Elsa led Sub-Zero as they made the journey into the hills on horseback. Turning her head over her shoulder, she hollered back her answer.

"Because Sub-Zero, I have already seen the destructive capabilities of your power. I am now very interested to see if you can apply your abilities to a constructive end. And as you are thus far untested, I thought it would be prudent to try you out somewhere more sparsely populated than the city." The two of them turned a bend and came to base of the stairs leading to Elsa's ruined palace. "And if I may have my castle repaired at the same time, well that would just be a bonus." Tethering their mounts to the frozen bannister, they ascended the steps into Elsa's former domain. Elsa approached the spot where her ice golem stood, still sealed in ice. "Sorry I took longer than expected."

She waved her hands over him, and his icy prison dematerialized. The beast took a second to get his bearings. Then he laid eyes on Sub-Zero. The beast then roared to life, spikes of ice erupting from its back and shoulders. Elsa barely had time to put herself between the two before the golem charged into battle.

"Stop!" The golem halted and gave Elsa a quizzical look. "It's alright, he's with me. Your battle is finished." The golem relaxed and stepped back, retracting its icy spikes. "Alright Sub-Zero, this is your party. Show me what you can do."

Sub-Zero surveyed the full extent of the damage: shattered pillars, a damaged staircase, and the destruction of most of the second floor. He stepped into the center of the room and assumed a neutral stance. Breathing deeply, he focused his mind. His hands began to glow blue as he conjured a great deal of his frost magic. Then with a grunt, he slammed both fists into the floor. The magic left his hands and sprung out all around him. It spread across the floor and leapt up the walls, mending breeches and filling in cracks. There was a great creaking sound as fresh ice formed and settled into place. The sound intensified as the blue waves of energy darted up to the second floor, forming a new dome to replace the one that had been destroyed in the battle. Sub-Zero stood upright, stood clear of the center of the room, and cast another bit of magic where he had stood. A fountain sprung up in that spot, mimicking the one Elsa had built to the best of Sub-Zero's recollection.

"Not bad," Elsa remarked. She made a thorough inspection of Sub-Zero's handiwork. Impressive though the show of force was, the result was somewhat lacking. Sub-Zero's work was not as ornamental as Elsa's original designs. The intricate geometric patterns and grand arches with acute, dynamic angles that Elsa had favored were now replaced with bold, sparsely decorated columns and gentle, rounded arches and designs. It was still quite beautiful, even elegant in its simplicity. But Elsa decided that it wasn't quite to her taste. "I would make a few alterations, however." With a twirl of her hands, Elsa reworked the ice around them, shaping the castle to more closely resemble its original form. "But I'm still quite curious to see what else you can do."

"Very well." Sub-Zero conjured more magic between his hands, and cast it into the floor next to the fountain. A willow tree hewn of ice arose there, each individual leaf of its low, sweeping branches was a small chime that twinkled ever so slightly. He conjured more magic, and this time cast a gust of icy wind around the room. All across the floor where it passed, there arose an assortment of flowers, shrubberies, fountains and small trees, complete with sculptures of birds nesting in their frosty branches. Sub-Zero looked to Elsa now to see what her reaction would be.

"It's quite beautiful." Elsa looked upon it with a smile. "But come upstairs, I'd like to demonstrate something of my own." The Queen led Sub-Zero to the arena of their previous battle. Elsa held out her clenched fist, and a swirling vortex of frost formed before her. It began to take shape, and assumed the form of a full-sized baby grand piano. Elsa took a seat at the accompanying bench she had conjured. "Forgive me if I'm a little rusty, but it's been a while since I've had the time to play." Elsa closes her eyes and started to play. It was a soft, gentle tune. Sub-Zero was entranced. His lifestyle had never afforded him much time to enjoy things of beauty. He gazed at the queen, her eyes closed, rocking ever so slightly in her seat. She seemed to drift into the music and become one with it. Her lips curled into a soft, warm smile as her fingers twirled across the keys. After a few minutes, she started to fumble, before giving up with a chuckle. "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme," she repeated. "It's a Bach chorale. Or what I remember of one, anyways. Bach was always a favorite of mine. But like I said, it's been a while."

"Forgive me, I never had much time to devote to the arts. But it was really quite impressive. On both counts. However, I think I might still have one more trick up my sleeve." Sub-Zero led Elsa downstairs. Cautioning her to stand clear, he broke away the wall underneath the twin staircases that led to the next floor, so that beneath them there was now a wall of exposed mountain rock. Sub-Zero then began to call forth his magic. A layer of frost began to form beneath his feet and spread out across the floor. Waves of energy began to coalesce into the single shining blue orb between his hands. His breathing, though slow and deliberate, became heavy with the great effort he was exerting. Gusts of cold wind began to swirl all about. Sub-Zero took the powerful force he had gathered and hurled it into the living rock, freezing it solid. He walked up to the frozen surface and placed the tips of two of his fingers against it. Taking a deep breath, he snapped forward into the wall, releasing a shout and fearsome short-punch that shattered the ice. The crack of the ice was deafening it yielded and fell away, creating a tunnel leading into the heart of the mountain. Elsa was stunned. She had never even considered that her powers could be used in such a way, never mind tried it. She looked down at her hand and wondered.

"Are you coming, your majesty?" Sub-Zero called from the darkened passage.

"Hmm? Ah yes, of course."

Sub-Zero led Elsa down the passage. As he walked, a layer of frost spread out from where he stepped, coating the floor and the walls of the tunnel with ice. The sun shone in through the passage and was reflected off of every surface, lighting their way. The tunnel terminated in a wide-open chamber in the core of the mountain.

"As I understand it, this was your palace during your time as the 'Snow Queen'. However, even when I first visited this place, I could not help but notice that something was missing." Sub-Zero cast an icy blast upon the furthest wall. An enormous snowflake began to form, with a seat built into the center, and a set of steps leading up to it. The ice spread out across the walls, floors and ceiling, creating a series of snowy pillars. When he was done, they were standing in an icy hall before a frozen throne. "I figure that a proper queen should have a proper court."

"It's…" Elsa looked over the gleaming splendor all about her. Every surface glowed blue with the reflected sunlight pouring in through the tunnel. The floor was tiled with ice. A path led down the center, flanked on both sides by sculptures of halberd-wielding soldiers. "It's magnificent. But I'm afraid that as Queen of Arendelle, I really wouldn't have much use…" Elsa trailed off as her snow golem marched down the hall and into the new throne room. She noticed for the first time the golden crown gleaming atop his head. "Hold on, I think I might know a way to put this all to use after all." Elsa cast her magic at the throne Sub-Zero had made, causing it to expand well beyond the size of an ordinary person. The golem saw this, and looked to Elsa with a questioning expression. "You've done more for me, suffered more for me than you should ever have needed to," she spoke to the golem. "So it only seems right that you earn something in return. I cannot stay here. I am needed in my kingdom. So I am happy to entrust this castle and the land it rests on to you." The golem's face came alight with a smile, and knelt down to embrace Elsa as gently as it could manage. The queen half-smiled, half-grimaced at her creation's display of affection.

"So…"Sub-Zero interjected. "At the risk of interrupting this tender moment, perhaps you would like to render a decision as to whether or not your kingdom shall employ me?"

Hans didn't know how long he'd been left to hang in the darkness. He had passed out a few times, and as the line between consciousness and unconsciousness became blurred it proved impossible to keep track of time. The creak of the cell door brought him back to attention. He looked into the light shining upon him to see his father holding a lantern, flanked by Herold and Fritz. The king glanced over his older sons' handiwork.

"Are you prepared to issue a statement, Hans?" he asked. Gritting his teeth against the ripping pain in his arms, Hans could muster no more than a snort. The king then look to Herold and gave him a nod. Herold went up to his little brother, wrapped his arms around the man's knees and leapt up into the air. As he fell back down, he curled his own legs beneath him so that he would not land on the ground. Hans felt a sickening pop as his and Herold's weight finally dislocated both of his shoulders. His gasps and screams echoed off of the stone walls as Herold let himself down, leaving Hans hanging limply from the ceiling. Blood dripped into his eyes. The sudden jerk had made the chains holding him up flay the skin from his wrists. The king waited patiently for his son's shallow, pained breaths to die down.

"Are you prepared now?"

"…f-fine…" Hans hissed.

"Good. Herold, get him down from there so we may talk, would you?"

"In order to enter into my service, you will need to wear an oath of fealty." Elsa explained, having summoned Sub-Zero to meet her in the library of Castle Arendelle. "In exchange for pledging your loyalty, you'll receive the full honors and benefits of a member of my court, as well as clemency for the offenses you committed before being granted vassalage."

"Which I would accept most graciously."

"There's just a couple things that need to be settled first."

"And those would be?"

"Well for starters, before becoming a member of this court, I should like to know your name. Forgive me if I am wrong, but I assume Sub-Zero is not your given name. And I would also like to see your face if I may."

"Fair enough." Sub-Zero removed his mask and hood. He had a stern face and a ruffled shock of black hair. Elsa figured he must have been in his mid-to-late twenties, but he had a hard, rough look to him that made him seem much older. She could also see that the scar over his right eye, partially visible even with his mask on, ran all the way from his forehead to his jaw and covered much of that side of his face. Even so, he wasn't bad looking. Elsa would even have called him handsome, in his own well-worn way. "Greetings your majesty," he said with a slight bow and a soft smile that Elsa would not have expected him to have. "My name is Kuai Liang. It is nice to formally make your acquaintance."

"Likewise, Kuai Liang." Elsa said, returning his smile. "Very well then. Will you take the oath?"

"I will."

"Please kneel. Ahem. Do you, Kuai Liang, swear before God to render your fealty and service to the Kingdom of Arendelle, its ruler and its law?"

"I do."

"And do you swear before God that you will in the future be faithful to your lord, to never cause her harm and to observe your homage to her completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit?"

"I do."

"Then rise. I, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, accept your oath and service from this hour henceforth, lest I should release you or death claim you."

"…is that it?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. That's it. Sorry. These things are usually a much larger and more formal affair. But considering the conditions of our meeting, and the fact that you're not exactly a noble, or even native to this kingdom..."

"You thought it would best to be more inconspicuous."

"Yes. I…a lot of people are already suspicious of me, so…"

"I understand, your majesty. It is the wise decision. Well, as your newest vassal, I am available to begin your training at your earliest convenience."

"So just so I am clear, you plotted to murder a sitting regent, found out that she was a sorceress of unbelievable power, and decided to go through with your plan regardless? That is what you are telling me, yes?" Hans had just finished relating his story, and the king was still struggling to understand what had come over his son.

"That would be correct…" Hans said through gritted teeth. He lay on a cot that had been drug into the cell, nearly paralyzed with pain. The doctor had been told to wait outside while the king finished interviewing Hans. The king could think of nothing else to say. Shaking his head, he stepped out into the hallway.

"You may go to work," he said, allowing the doctor into the cell to treat Hans' injuries. He motioned to one of his waiting attendants. "I want a diplomatic envoy assembled and the fastest ship available made ready to sail as soon as possible. The situation is worse than I would have imagined, and I cannot afford to lose any more time." Through the open cell door, he heard a crack and a scream as the doctor put one of Han's shoulders back into place. The king merely sighed and headed to his study.