CHAPTER 7- The Quick and the Dead
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Day Two, Morning
"That young man is waiting outside", stated Gerda, glancing up at Elsa as she poured hot tea into two mugs, pausing at a third. "He said he had an appointment..."
"That's right", said Elsa, stifling a yawn. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, it was... there was just too much going on yesterday."
"Oh, nonsense, your majesty", said Gerda, in that strange mixture of formal and informal speaking she had developed over her years as housekeeper, nurse, guardian and confidante to the two young royals. She smiled as she poured a third cup. "He's a strange one. They're all strange, these Myrtle folk. They have the wild in them..."
Ah, this again. Gerda, a fundamentally good-hearted woman, wasn't generally hostile to foreigners- a trait which would cause no end of trouble in the royal residence of a trading kingdom. But Elsa detected in her the same ambivalence towards Myrtle in particular which many people shared.
They probably brought it on themselves, what with the liquor, and the cursing, and the bloody military history, and the way they kept to themselves. Not to mention all the black cloth and crows everywhere. Actually, they seemed to take pride in seeming untrustworthy. Still, Rikhard had been hoping to gradually integrate Myrtle with the rest of the modern world.
So much for that.
"Thanks, Gerda", Elsa responded evenly, deciding not to press the issue of race relations before it was even any kind of civilised breakfast-time. She pulled herself to her feet stiffly- she had slept poorly, and was already feeling the effects of the hard riding. She knew she was going to be a physical wreck by the time they got home. "Please could you send him in as you leave?"
"Of course", said Gerda, and made her way to the door.
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"You can go in now", said the old servant as she busied past Jani with a tray and a teapot. Where had they got a teapot? Did they have tea? Both were luxury items in Myrtle, so either the Arendelle embassy had lucked out at the market during their hurried preparations for this forced march, or they had sent for tea supplies from their battered ship as soon as it had reached the city docks. Either way, the queen must take her morning cup extremely seriously.
The door had swung almost shut, but was still open a crack, so he knocked politely on its icy surface and stepped inside.
In contrast to the dazzling creative intricacy of the hall's exterior, the inside was minimalist and plain, with a only few items of simple furniture. Jani only barely registered this, however, because Elsa was there at the door.
Everything seemed to slow down, ever... so... slightly. He entirely forgot what he was planning to say.
She stood there, smiling slightly, with her hands clasped together in front of her, lit by the pale morning light piercing the walls- which, with her fair skin, should have made her look washed-out, but instead seemed to render her almost luminous. Her scent was subtle and sweet and buttery, if that was the right word. It mostly reminded him of white chocolate. Her eyelids were heavy, as if she had had trouble sleeping, but there was a warmth in her eyes that seemed genuine.
Her smile widened. Her scent shifted. She was pleased to see him.
Then the moment was ruined, utterly, when a disembodied snowman head was thrust in front of his face, with a loud "Boo!" which originated from somewhere around a foot behind its actual mouth.
He took a step back, but the effect of Princess Anna holding Olaf's head in front of her face was more surreal than scary, especially given the look of comical bafflement on the little snowman's features.
"Anna..." growled Elsa, covering her face with one hand.
It seemed he was still 'Jani, Who Screams at Snowmen'. It was going to take a lot to erase that first impression; basically, he would either have to do something really good, or really, really bad.
Concluding that the time for formality had long passed, Jani looked into the snowy face before him and scratched his head nonchalantly. "So, Olaf- you've grown."
"Rrr, you were supposed to scream again..." The voice behind the disembodied head sounded disappointed.
"Anna..." Elsa growled.
Honestly. you jump at one ice monster, and they think you're a soft touch... He was pondering whether- and how- to get his own back on the princess for trying to prank him, when she lowered Olaf's head, revealing a vision of perfect chaos.
The hair. By the gods. The hair.
Jani whistled. "I might scream now. What happened to your hair?"
Anna raised a hand to her head instinctively, then scowled.
To say that the Arendelle princess had bed-hair would be an understatement in the same league as "Smallpox can be bad for you", or "People from Evensong talk funny". It was a masterpiece of tonsorial disorder, looking like two ginger storm clouds locked in mortal combat for the affections of, Jani could only assume, a third ginger storm cloud.
"This is what happens to my hair when I sleep..." she muttered, dropping Olaf's head back onto his body as it pattered past on its little feet.
Jani shared a mischievous look with Elsa. He knew the rules when it came to mocking a younger sibling- Elsa would flay him alive for sure if he actually hurt Anna's feelings, but, as far as a little well-earned teasing goes...
"How does it happen?" he continued, innocence written on his face. "Do gremlins do it? Is it gremlins?..."
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In spite of Anna's attempts at sabotage, Elsa realised the meeting was going rather well. Jani proved to be far easier to talk to than his captain, and the conversation flowed with an ease and immediate familiarity that Anna, Princess Meet-and-greet, always seemed to find with people, but she rarely did.
Jani did something to the air around him, somehow, that made it simultaneously easier and harder to speak- which was true even though it made no sense. In any case, they had continued talking long past morning tea, and now she, he, and Anna were riding at the head of the party as they continued south. It made sense for her and Jani to travel close together- he knew when to stop or change course, and, as queen, she could actually make the decision to.
Besides, he was terribly... distracting. Elsa was in need of some distraction, after yesterday.
The conversation, unfortunately, had reached the events of last summer, which Jani had heard about, but apparently not in detail.
"You were engaged to a prince of the Southern Isles?!"
Jani looked at Anna with real horror in his eyes.
"No wonder your sister blew up. Didn't your parents ever warn you about that pack of vipers?"
Elsa nodded, and swallowed the dried meat she was chewing- it was easier to breakfast as they rode. When her court had been preparing her to take the crown, she had learned a little about all the royal courts of the north. But she hadn't really registered Hans' name at the coronation party before Anna had announced their engagement, so shocked had she been at the news. If she had, she would have been even more distraught.
"I know the basics", Elsa replied. "The old king is healthy as a horse but has been mad for years. His thirteen sons run the kingdom, but spend most of their time bickering and plotting against each other."
"How do you know about the Southern Isles, anyway?", Anna asked Jani, something suspicious in her tone. She was bristling a little at the topic, understandably. Perhaps they should change the subject to something lighter?
"They're... kind of infamous up here. It's a bit of a sore subject, but they cut off all trade contact five years ago."
Anna frowned, taking a bite out of her own jerky and munching curiously. "What happened?"
"A Southern Isles embassy was staying in Myrtle. My, I mean, Myrtle's king, Rikhard... he cut the third son's index fingers off."
So much for lightening the mood. Elsa's eyes went wide. "Was it an accident?"
Jani snorted. "Hardly. Their so-called prince assaulted one of the maids. It's a traditional punishment up here."
He scowled, running a hand absent-mindedly through his mess of black locks. "Of course, it's not traditional for the king to pick up a dinner knife and carry out the sentence himself. He is- was- very protective of his staff. Possibly, also, the negotiations hadn't been going well."
This brought that particular stage of the conversation to a... natural close. They rode on for a little while in silence.
Elsa looked around her. It was another fine day; she could see as far as the snow-capped mountain ranges to the south and west, many miles distant still, and a bright streak to the east, golden in the morning sun, which was probably the sea. The landscape they rode through was much the same as it had been yesterday- craggy rocks and thin soil, haphazardly colonised by bluish heather, pale mountain grasses, and the occasional bright burst of magenta colour where an alpine flower had managed to take root. There were so many beautiful and unfamiliar wild plants up here- she would have to make time to study them. Her rosemaling was getting repetitive, and she needed fresh inspiration.
Behind her, she noticed that the Myrtlean guards were travelling in a close, defensive formation- as if they were expecting trouble, but apparently not any trouble they cared terribly much about protecting herself and Anna from. Jani had mentioned wolves- but surely they wouldn't attack such a large party?
"This jerky tastes... unusual." opined Anna, peering closely at her breakfast.
Jani smiled cryptically.
"What?"
The scout's smile widened. "That isn't jerky. That's smoked seal."
Anna pulled a strange face, and flung the scrap of meat away with a jerk of squeamish reflex. Jani snapped his hand out and, effortlessly, caught it in mid-air. A small, casual action which was, as all of Jani's movements seemed to be, perfect- fluid and efficient, in a way that became somehow mesmerising to watch.
"Ah! I'm eating seal? You eat seals?"
Jani raised an eyebrow. "Yes..."
Elsa inwardly cringed. Not at the seal, which was actually very sweet and gamey. But apparently Anna was determined to be one of those tourists.
"It's their culture- what's the big deal, Anna? I think it tastes a bit like venison..."
Anna waved her arms around, exasperated that no one else seemed to share her discomfort.
"It's a seal! They do tricks! They have flippers, and big round eyes and smiley little doggy faces!"
Jani held up Anna's discarded snack and waggled it between thumb and forefinger. "So, you're not going to finish this, then?"
Anna shook her head.
Jani shrugged. "Waste not, want not." He took a bite, keeping a hand on his reins.
"Look", he continued after a mouthful, "in winter up here you only get a couple of hours of proper light a day. We don't have good harvests. So we can't ignore good food sources when they just turn up on the beach. Maybe to you it's a cute sea creature. To us it's a big dollop of meat and oil wrapped up in fine boot leather."
Anna's eyes widened as she looked down at her own feet, trying to stretch them as far away from her body as possible without falling out of her saddle.
"So, these boots I picked up in Myrtle..."
Jani smirked. Just a little. "Oh, yes. But obviously, for quality footwear like that we use only the hide of the softest, fluffiest little seals."
Anna closed her eyes and shook her head. "Not listening. Not. Listening."
"Puppies of the sea, we call 'em. Just feel that warm baby fur between your toes..."
Anna opened one eye. "You scream at snowmen."
Jani rolled his eyes. "Hah! You scream at food."
Anna stuck her tongue out.
Jani stuck out his own tongue.
Then they both started giggling. Elsa had to assume this had been some kind of bonding exercise- an isolated childhood had left her a little slow socially. Still, she was glad they were getting along, even if it was in a weird kind of way.
Seal really did taste amazing, once you got past the 'cute' thing. But what was that other taste?
She turned to Jani. "Is this made with juniper berries?"
Jani looked down at his own piece. "Yeah, we put 'em in just about everything."
Elsa smiled. "Mmm... my first authentic Myrtle seal. It's... actually really good."
Jani grinned. "Aye, but the drumsticks are awful. It's like eating a big glove."
He looked down at Olaf, who was skipping along merrily beside Elsa's horse, with a little rucksack on his back. "Hey Olaf- do you eat?"
Olaf thought for a second. He glanced at Elsa, and she shook her head firmly. "Not really... Sometimes I put cake in my face, but it just hangs around inside my body and goes hard. Elsa says I'm not allowed to do it anymore."
"I had to pull so many cookies out of his head the last time", Elsa explained. "It was kind of a waste."
Jani furrowed his brow. "So, if you don't eat, and you obviously don't need clothes... what is the backpack for?"
Olaf thought again. "I was thinking of putting things in it."
Elsa laughed. "Yes, Olaf, but what things?"
Olaf shrugged. "Things. Fun things."
Then Jani sat bolt upright in his saddle.
He sniffed the air with a nose as sharp and straight as a knife.
He looked at Elsa. There was something bright and keen in his dark eyes, compared to a moment ago.
"Be on guard." He pointed towards a rocky ridge some way ahead of them- this part of the country seemed to be nothing but rocky ridges. Elsa tried to follow the line of his finger, but didn't see the wolf until it started to be joined by others.
Elsa held up her hand to signal a stop. One of the soldiers shouted a complaint; Jani replied with something obscene as he swung himself down from his saddle and drew his cutlass.
The wolves had started running, now. There were... a lot of them. Elsa felt fear's familiar pang in her heart, waking her power again. Sharp teeth gnashed and snarled, rapidly closing on them.
Dozens and dozens.
Why?
"Swarming like rats, the scurvy sods..." she heard Jani mutter. He pointed to the two Arendelle guardsmen, who had dismounted and picked up their spears. "Take position, now! Guard the royals!" Captain Rinne was barking his own orders at the Myrtle troops.
The first wolves were upon them. They were starved and mangy; madness and hunger burned in their eyes. Elsa raised her hands to defend herself with an ice blast, but instead Jani skipped forward with his sword, whistling to attract their attention.
Then... it was as if he became weightless. He swept his blade through three of the creatures in as many seconds, leaping and dancing out of the way of snapping fangs. He was fast. So fast.
Then a wolf leaped at her, white teeth in glistening black gums snapping at her face, and she panicked, flailing with her powers and managing to knock it down almost by sheer luck. She wasn't a fighter. She certainly wasn't a killer, however many people might be dead because of her...
Don't be the monster they fear you are... The unwelcome voice sprang up unbidden from her memory, reminding her of what had happened last time she was forced into battle, before another wolf dove in past the spear of a guardsman and survival instinct forced her back fully into the present. A volley of icy missiles battered the poor dumb animal senseless- Elsa didn't have the heart to strike a killing blow.
At least her powers were staying under control. She supposed she was too busy staying alive to think about how scared she was.
It was a struggle just to process what was happening in the chaos around her. Everywhere she looked was a whirlwind of blades and teeth. She saw that her honour guard had pulled Anna back behind them and were doing a reasonable job of keeping the predators off of her, thank goodness. Captain Rinne and the Myrtlemen were brawling at this stage, all notions of defensive formation forgotten in favour of swiping away furry bodies as swiftly as possible. Jani continued to weave through the pack, spinning and dodging with impossible speed, delivering death faster than the wolves could react. He was... actually giggling as he went.
Maybe Gerda had a point. Wait. Is that racist?
A familiar scream snapped her head around. Olaf was struggling with a mad-eyed young wolf with a brown coat, which had its jaws locked around one of his arms, clearly too crazed to realise the little snowman was far from edible. As they wrestled and tumbled about in Olaf's efforts to get free, they seemed to be nearing the edge of a sharp drop.
"Olaf!" she shouted, unable to get a clear shot at the wolf amid the whirl of the battle around her. Jani seemed to hear her- he sped towards the beleaguered snowman, taking hold of him with his left arm and slashing at his attacker with his right.
Then a lot of things seemed to happen at once. Two other wolves went for the pair. Jani deftly killed one, but the other bit down on his ankle, making him yelp. At that moment, the outcropping on which Jani and Olaf were perched suddenly gave way beneath them, sending both of them, and the final wolf, tumbling down out of sight into one of the landscape's countless little ravines.
The wolves were already pretty well spent, so Elsa ran over to the edge of the drop and looked down to see where they were. It seemed to be some kind of dry river bed, the legacy of a long-forgotten stream which had once cut this small gorge through the rocks of Myrtle in the distant past. In place of water, green mountain grasses were growing. Olaf seemed undamaged as ever- he was picking himself up out of a mound of grey rocks with which he must have collided as he tumbled down the bank. There were other, similar mounds filling the valley. Clearly it was some kind of ancient... religious site?
Jani was also pulling himself to his feet. The wolf that had bitten him was lying on the ground, twitching and foaming at the mouth- it must have broken its head in the fall.
"Are you alright?" she shouted down.
Jani gave her a thumbs up. "Pretty much just bruises. It didn't bite too deep- I think we fell before it got a proper grip."
She smiled in relief. She would have felt terrible if he had been badly hurt, after she had more or less shouted for help.
"What about you, Olaf?" She asked as a matter of courtesy- he was pretty well-nigh indestructible.
Olaf sat down on the broken mound and checked his arms, nose and buttons, counting carefully.
"I think I'm oka- Woah!"
The little snowman sprang away as the mound he was sitting on burst open. Something big rose up out of the scattering stones, as if sitting up in bed. Then it clambered free; dust and pebbles fell away, revealing a strange and gristly apparition. A man, so it seemed, in worn and patched armour. His face was cold and dead, black eyes bulging from shrivelled, pale sockets. Creaking and groaning as it flexed its grey and flaking limbs, the creature dragged itself to its feet.
A second barrow broke open, and one walking cadaver was joined by a second, much like the first except for the corroded horned helmet it was wearing. Both were very large, and looked like they had been powerfully built; all that remained of two ancient warriors.
Captain Rinne had joined Elsa at the edge of the gorge. "What are they?" she asked.
Rinne shook his head. He looked as mystified as she was. "I don't know. This is new."
"Or incredibly bloody old!" Jani shouted up. "These barrow mounds are everywhere- been here even before there was a Myrtle. But what do they want?"
Good question, Elsa thought. The two figures just stood there silently, brushing dust off of themselves, and looking around at the dry valley.
Then they both turned, in unison, and looked directly at Olaf. The horned creature raised a bony hand and pointed at the snowman. He bared his teeth in a grotesque parody of a smile, and rasped a single word in a voice that crackled and grated like ice floes grinding together.
"POWER."
He then clumsily lunged forward, grabbing for Olaf with his lifeless limbs. Olaf tried to leap out of the way, but the monster managed to grasp one of his feet and wrench it from the rest of his lower half.
"My foot!" Olaf yelped.
The corpses glanced at each other, sharing that same rictus grin. The horned helmeted one raised Olaf's foot to his face, and inhaled- a long, choking, hissing breath.
The little snowball crackled with pale blue sparks. Then it disintegrated, breaking into powdery snow in the creature's withered palm.
Olaf screamed.
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Notes
Okay, this was a long old chapter. Still, I promised things would happen, and they did.
Looking back, I took way too long to get the ball rolling in this story. I may go back and re-edit the earlier chapters eventually- trim out some of the fat if I can. Well, it's all a learning process.
