"Dieter!"

"Edda!" He turned to see his beloved kid sister running up to his Fjord Horse, wrapped in winter wear, smiling to see her brother. "Come to see me off, eh?"

"Kinda. Do you know what's going on?"

"Princess Anna is lost. We are going to go rescue her."

"What about Queen Elsa?"

Dieter cringed. Honestly no one knew what to make of their present situation. The still didn't know the Snow Queen's motivations, only her history. They all hoped this was a misunderstanding, that the Queen didn't know she had cursed them with winter. The two men sent to the mountain didn't know Arendelle was still frozen, so they didn't think to inform her.

"We… are going to rescue her too. End this winter."

"Well Good luck Dieter. Mama and Papa say good luck and stay safe." She hugged his waist, a difficult task as he was on horseback, and proceeded to run back to their family home. He waved, grinning. He then brought his steed about, to the gathering of men formed to go to the North Mountain. It was mostly Royal Guardsmen, but two Weselton men had joined their party as their Duke clearly benefitted from a swift resolution to this affair. And of course, the three Gebirgsjager, oddly without Horses.

"How are you going to keep up on foot, Kammerad?" Dieter asked, with a few other newer guardsmen chuckling at the apparent disadvantage possessed by their rivals.

"On skis, Kammerad. And it'll be you having difficulty keeping up with us." The three smiled, knowing that they'd school these boys in ski warfare.

"I doubt that very much."

"You'll see kammerad. You'll see."

Prince Hans rode to the front of the group on his personal steed, drawing both the party's and the town's attention. "Let's head out, men. And bring back Princess Anna and Queen Elsa!"

A small cheer was heard, as the party began its long march. The Ski troopers, still on cobblestone marched with hobnailed boots, as the horses began to trot. Both hobnails and horse shoe clicked on the stone surface. The townspeople waved off the soldiers, with appreciation but little cheer. It was alright- the cheering would be when they returned.

Dieter held his hand up, in a futile attempt to block out the howling wind that had set upon the party. The horses did their best but trudging through the thick snow was difficult, even for Fjord Horses.

"Where are the damned Ski troops?!" Dieter asked rhetorically, even though Nordfjell answered.

"Up ahead!" The Sami smiled, pleased to see Sami skis beat Lowlander horse, even if he rode now.

Up on the hill, in a small enclosure, the three Jager stood, waving. They had taken a special pleasure in showing up the spit and polish Royal Guard, even if it exhausted them. For the Guardsmen, the horse did all the work, whereas they were the force that propelled their skis. They had played a game of hurry up and wait as they bound just to the limits of the Guards, then took a break.

"Just wait till you see it, Sergeant." Siegfried stated as the trio had stopped to take a pipe break.

"I've seen Igloos before, they aren't that impressive."

"No, it's no damned Igloo. It's a whole damned castle, made of ice. As big as the Palace!"

"You're full of shit!"

"No, I swear! Heinrich you were there, you tell him! It's a whole castle!"

Heinrich gave a shrug of disinterest, before simply stating. "It's true."

"See, if Heinrich says it's true, it's got to be."

"We'll see when we get there."

Heinrich patted Sergeant Ulrich on the shoulder, pointing to the approaching Guardsmen.

"Breaks done, boys. Let's ski."

Edda threw another cord of firewood on the fire, keeping the fire in the tavern alive. Many families had resorted to pooling resources in public buildings, to reduce firewood use. She worried about her brother a little, but like most of Arendelle, other things where on her mind.

The "other things" where being discussed now.

"I'm telling you, Queen Elsa is innocent! It's the old Snow Queen doing this!"

"I was there, I'm telling you she shot Ice from her hand! She's doing this!"

"It makes no sense. Why would a Queen freeze her own kingdom?"

"That's what Snow Queens do. They freeze the land, and everyone in it!"

"That's Treason! Queen Elsa is her father's daughter. She would never intentionally hurt Arendelle."

The discussion had not stopped for two days. Everyone had their theories. Some blamed god for paganism. Pagans blamed the Ice Giants. Some blamed the Snow Queen, either directly or indirectly. Some thought that Elsa was innocent, and this was some foreign ploy. Most however agreed that Elsa did cause the winter. They just didn't know why. People kept assuring themselves that for one reason or another it wasn't malicious. But as temperatures dropped, and food and firewood dwindled, faith in the Queen corresponded.

Edda was helping her mother and Aunt (The owner of the Tavern) cook and serve food, as men went out in shifts to cut more firewood and hunt. Edda was wishing she was with her Father and oldest brother. Instead she set the stew and mead on the table and continued helping.

The men at the table also had their own troubled thoughts.

"I cannot believe my cursed luck!" It was Lars, the photographer's assistant. "I worked for years, saved up capital, did everything right!" He drank from his mug. "This was supposed to be my big break. The Queen was a scientific patron, with her approval of the coronation photograph, I could have made a killing as the first photographer in Arendelle."

One of the other men shrugged, giving a fellow struggling businessman hope. "There's still Princess Anna."

"Nah, she's no patron of the arts or science. Nice Girl, but she has no interest in new technology."

At another table, military observers made their own assessments. They were all sent from foreign countries to make observations of the Queen and Arendelle's higher officers and report back. They had expected an enjoyable and unproductive week with a simple report of "Arendelle is no threat." That point was long past. No major nation bothered to send a man, with the exception of Russia and Sweden. The rest were from the Southern Isles, Corona and a few other nations.

"So much for Sweden being the protector of Scandinavia…" The Swede solemnly stated.

The Norwegian in the room snorted. "If by protector, you mean regional bully."

The Swede shrugged. "True."

"What was it you said earlier, Captain?" The Southern Isles man asked the Dane mockingly. "That if Denmark ever wanted Arendelle again, it would only take a week?"
"Piss off."

"God bless them, but the King and Queen should have had another child. Maybe then we'd have a Prince to marry to Elsa!" The Officer from Corona remarked.

"I think Corona has caused enough trouble regarding its royal succession!" The Dane replied.

"This again? The war over my Countries' succession was your country's doing and yours alone!" The Coronan hissed.

"At the time it made sense! Right before we prepare to send our Prince to reign, as agreed on by treaty, the Princess Rapunzel magically shows up out of nowhere?"

"Enough! We are officers! We should act like it!" The Dun Broch man slammed his fists on the table. "Now, what do you think Alexei?"

The Russian shrugged and shook his head. "More harm than good. Problem with Russian winter is that it's followed by Russian Spring. Fields turn to mud and roads become muddy rivers that can drown horses. It'd ruin the land." He took a drink, and the debate continued.

Captain Edvard slipped into the corridor, unbuttoning his top tunic button, sweating profusely. He had a fever, and he knew it. However, he was one of few men holding Arendelle together, he couldn't lie in bed. The Senior army commander was trapped north with the rest of the Landwehr, and the Senior Naval Officer present was Admiral Westergard, who while sober now, was still a shadow of a man. And the only other man left was Elric Jamesen, the senior councilman. To say the two did not see eye to eye was an understatement.

To be fair, Jamesen was a good, honest man. Which is why he was still on the council, even after all these years. However, the man also firmly was opposed to the traditional monarchy of Arendelle. Conservative in almost all other regards, he felt it was time for elected men to rule the country, not a King or Queen. But at the end of the day, he was loyal to Arendelle.

Jamesen had backed Elsa, believing her to be a good successor to his friend and rival, King Agdar. However, the whole hidden magic thing had soured his opinion of the young Queen. If unchecked, he could use this to make a move to topple the Monarchy, and thus topple the young Queen. Even if it was done with the best of intentions, it was the Guardsman's duty to prevent that.

He took a deep breath, buttoned his tunic, and went back in. The Council members where still arguing.

"The Queen has frozen Arendelle, and you want to talk about fishing permits?!" A junior councilman shouted.

"Yes! We are the damned government. We are to rule our country with Arendelle's interests in mind!" It was Elric.

"Arendelle's best interests are to end the winter, you fool!"

The older man slammed his fist on the table. With greying black hair, facial scars, and fierce eyes, he was a fearfull sight in a good mood. And he was not in a good mood. "Do you see the Snow Queen?! Maybe she's invisible and in the room, and I can't see her." Jamesen remarked sarcastically.

"I fully intend to discuss the winter and its effects as well as certain official's dereliction of duty in keeping such a dangerous secret from the council." A bitter glance was exchanged between the minister and the Captain. "In the meanwhile, screaming about the winter when we can do nothing to change it is a waste of time! And thus, back to my proposal. We passed laws limiting fishermen to quotas to keep prices as well as the fish population high in the fjord. We need to pass an emergency act to correct this."

As much as he disliked the man, it was good to know he did the right thing in crisis. "This way, Ice fishermen can help feed Arendelle, and when this damn winter ends, fishing can help supplement food lost from crops freezing."

A murmur of agreement from the council, as even Edvard found himself nodding in agreement of the man's foresight. Another councilman, a royal yes man then proceeded to be stupid.

"We can't pass laws! The Queen has to review-"

"Are you a fucking stupid? The Queen is not here! We do not need a 21 year old girl to tell us if we can act to save our country and our people, you idiot!"

And he was back to anger at the man. He was right, the council needed to act, but he did not like the man's casual disrespect for the true Queen. His blood pressure surged, finally pushing him over the edge.

Elric barely noticed his rival collapse, but he did notice.

"Get the Doctor!" The older man tossed his cane aside as he bound towards the fallen soldier, pressing his hand against his forehead. It was burning hot.

"Fever!" Having seen men go down with heat stroke back during his time in the Landwehr, he responded with what he knew, unbuttoning the uniform and shouting for rags and water.

Don't die on me, Kammerad. Arendelle can't afford to lose men like you.

The band approached the Ice Castle just as the sun disappeared below the horizon, although thanks to the nearly full moon, visibility was still good. Dieter stared at the masterpiece of ice in wonder. He could swear that that the ice itself glowed. Prince Hans turned his steed about, addressing the party.

"We are here to find Princess Anna. Be on guard, but no harm is to come to the Queen. Do you understand?" The men affirmed and acknowledged the orders, but most, including Dieter rolled their eyes and muttered curses under their breath.

We don't need to be told that, you pompous ass. We're sworn to guard her, stupid fool.

They couldn't get closer before a pile of snow turned about and revealed itself to be a giant snow monster. Standing 2-3 times the height of a man, the snow man was a sight to fear. A number of shouts and cries were sounded in response.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!"

"Are you fucking me?!"

"I'm getting too old for this shit!"

Dieter stood in shock for a moment as the beast swung at the prince, before snapping to it. He leveled his lance like a javelin, and lunged it along with several other guards doing likewise. His heart sank as the beast blocked the projectiles with its massive forearms, before roaring at the men as ice shout out from its body and its empty eyes glowed blue.

How do we kill this thing?! Dieter thought as he drew his sword. He could have gone for his rifled musket on his horse but after merely absorbing his spear, he doubted a musket ball could stop the monster. The massive beast took the next step, smacking the two Weselton men into the snow bank.

His focus on the monster, Dieter, Nordfjell and Heinrich did not see the Weselton thugs see the Queen. They jockeyed into a position, waiting for the monster to swing. Their hope was to dodge it and attack during an opening. The Snow Golem was faster than expected and sent the trio flying before attacking the prince.

Dieter felt time slow down as he was airborne, before slamming into the cliff face, all the oxygen forcing itself from his lungs, causing him to gasp for air. An ear piecing scream caused him to wince, as he saw the Gebirgsjager clutch his abdomen, the ice of the monsters arm lacerating him. The pain was intense enough that the young man's mind was simply overloaded and passed out. Nordfjell also yelled as he clutched a broken leg. As Dieter recovered, he glanced up and saw the two Weselton men run into the castle.

What the hell are those two doing!?

And then a thought struck him. A terrible thought. They were going to end the winter, by the most brutal way possible.

They were going to kill Queen Elsa. Their charge.

"They're going after the Queen!"

As much as it pained him, he left his wounded comrades and charged the beast, with Hans beating him to the punch. The young prince rolled to avoid a fatal foot stamp, getting up and slicing the monstrous snow man's leg off causing the beast to lose balance. As Hans ran up the stairs, the beast attempted to take Hans with him, smashing the railing and nearly send the prince over the side.

Two closer Guardsmen reached the Prince, and began helping him up. He reached the group, pausing to look back. Some local women had joined the party as camp followers earlier that day, and had already started treating their wounds. There was nothing he could do for them. He could however help the Queen.

He ran forward to the door, finding it locked. The damned Weselton men must have locked it to slow them down. He began to throw himself at the door, trying to barge it open. A stern hand pushed him aside, that of the two remaining Gebirgsjager. They didn't like leaving their wounded man's side, but they also were rational. The sooner they got the Queen and hopefully Anna, they could return and get their wounded to a doctor.

The shoved Ice picks and pinch bars into the crack, and yanked in opposite directions, causing the door bar the would-be assassins improvised to crack and the door to open. The main party had regrouped and joined them, as Prince Hans led the way.

Tomas woken up, to see he was joined by a feverish Captain of the Guard. On the other side of the infirmary to prevent the spread of disease, the man shivered uncontrollably. Curious, he waved down a nurse.

"What happened to him?"

"He got the Pnuemonia. He's going to be out of action for a while."

"Who's going to run the Guard now?"

The Nurse shrugged. "I don't know. But I do know we'll have to move you. Won't be long before we get other cases of fever and disease. Don't want wounded men getting sick."

Dieter moved with the group as they skid to a halt on command of Prince Hans. Queen Elsa stood in the center of a room, with jagged ice scattering the room, with one assassin pinned against the wall and another being slowly pushed to the edge of a cliff. Dieter smiled.

Serves them right. Let them die.

Prince Hans had other plans.

"Queen Elsa! Don't be the monster they fear you are!"

Screw that. Kill those bastards!

Queen Elsa eased up, stopping her magical assault on her attackers, which would cost her. One of the thugs, seizing his moment, aimed his crossbow at the Queen. He was loyal to his employer. Hans, "saved" the Queen by leaping forward, pushing the crossbow up, aiming for the fragile chandelier. He wanted to capture, not kill the Queen.

The whole structure came crashing down, causing the young Queen to slip and fall on the ice, knocking her unconscious. At this point, the passive Guard sprang into action, orders or no orders. Some ran to help their Queen, while others took more aggressive action. Both Weselton men were freed, only to meet the brutality of a loyal Castle Guard.

The one who shot the chandelier was first. They smashed the ice away, causing him to tumble and fall on his side, where a Guardsman prompted step forward, slamming the butt of his rifle into his stomach. As he fell, the man was swiftly dragged to the entrance by the Guards. The other, was pulled from the ledge and thrown towards the center of the room, falling to the ground. He was greeted there by a series of kicks and stomps from hobnailed boots. Only Hans ordering them to stop prevented a straight up summary execution from taking place. They thought it was merely for the sake of a show trial. Much later they would find out the truth.

The rode into town at the break of dawn, and despite optimistic predictions of 24 hours earlier, there was no cheering. They had followed Hans' orders that Elsa was dangerous and bound her, stirring the first feelings of resentment towards the young Prince. They wished no harm towards her, but also soberly agreed with him. She had been placed in a sled like the wounded Heinrich, bundled tight, secure yet comfortable. No cheering crowd where there to greet their Queen or their soldiers, it was too cold and bitter.

The Guardsmen wanted no cheering, either. They felt ashamed that they had to bind their own Queen, but she was too dangerous. They hoped without hope that Queen Elsa would wake up, end the winter, and end this shame. But they began to suspect that she was unwilling or unable to, and no-one dared speak on what everyone was thinking.

They split into two parties. Some went to the infirmary to secure the wounded, while others made to secure the prisoners.

Dieter helped Nordfjell in, setting him down on a chair while the Ski-troopers and nurses lifted Heinrich onto a table, as the surgeon washed his hands and utensils for surgery. The two clutched their caps, before the nurses told them to leave.

"We want to stay with our comrades."

"You are dirty and tired. Get some rest, we'll do all we can."

The two nodded, and left the room heading to the waiting room. The nurses, turned to Dieter and Nordfjell, gesturing for them to leave.

"You two must also go."

Dieter stood up, beginning to shout. "But he's hurt!"

"He has a broken leg. Set it yourself, and we'll get to him when we're done operating. This patient needs us more."

With that they were gently pushed out, and the door was locked. Dieter cursed the nurses and doctors, before sitting down. As mad as he was, it didn't take long for the exhausted soldier to nod off to sleep.

Sergeant Raewald opened the cabinet in the office, full of things that while important couldn't be on display. It didn't take long for him to find what he was ordered to retrieve. A pair of shackles, designed to enclose the hands. He remembered many things from decades ago, but this was a unique item.

Forged in secret three years ago by the very woman it was designed to contain, the shackles felt evil to the old man. It wasn't his call, but he followed orders. The Deputy of the Guard, Major Forstagg had taken command, and unlike his predecessor, wasn't a thoughtful or wise man. He was one to blindly follow orders, regardless of where they came.

The prim and proper clean shaven man stepped in, checking in on the progress. Tall, well dressed, and haughty man was quite different from the down-to-earth Captain Edvard. That was another confusing thing. "Captain" Edvard was in actuality a Lieutenant Colonel, but was referred to as "Captain", his title. Men still referred to their new commander as Major, and he didn't know that it wasn't a complement.

"Well?"

"They're here sir." Raewald held out the cold, dark shackles. "Do we really need them sir? She is the Queen-"

"Our orders are clear, Sergeant. Prince Hans was left in charge by Princess Anna. Until she comes back, Hans is in charge."

Sergeant Raewald bit his tongue. He doubted Princess Anna would stand for her sister being thrown in a dungeon, either. Common sense, man!

But he was only a Sergeant. He had always kept a stiff upper lip and followed orders, for over 40 years. He handed his officer the shackles, and stood there helpless as the instrument of his Queen's imprisonment were carried off.

Only two days and we turn on our sworn Queen. Götter verfluchen uns.

Unlike the Weselton men, who had been thrown into the cells without mercy or pity, when the Queen was brought down to the dungeon, it was like they were putting a passed out child to sleep. A Guardsman carried the unconscious Queen, while Kai and Gerda carried a lantern and blanket respectively. A waiting Guardsman unlocked the cell, opening the door and standing, head bowed in shame for participating. But orders were orders. And it was only for Arendelle's safety, right? They'd find a solution, bring back summer, and this would all be in the past. But even with that image, the present was near unbearable.

The Guardsman gently lay his Queen down, putting one of his own personal pillows beneath her head, as Gerda placed the blanket over the young Queen, before they all stood back. With a heavy heart, he locked the shackles to the pre-installed chains, binding her to the center of the room. The young man spoke, unsure.

"Are we doing the right thing?"

Kai, placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, equally torn. "I hope so, son."

Gerda, quietly muttered what they all felt. "If not, then God help us."

The five soldiers sat, waiting patiently for the verdict. It had been a few hours, and they had taking turns getting food, none had strayed too long to find out Heinrich's fate. The original four had stood by, joined by a crutch bound Tomas, who having nothing better to do, decided to keep his Jager comrades company. Nordfjell's leg had been splinted, and he had been given his own pair of crutches. Only once had a nurse left, not saying a word despite being badgered by the soldiers.

Finally, the door opened. All five bolted up, some having just woken up from a chair bound nap. They waited patiently for the doctors words.

"Your friend was lucky, no major organ damage. I don't know if…" He paused, thinking of a delicate way to phrase the next words carefully. "…he will make it. We'll know in the next few hours. But it looks promising."

The soldiers cheered, glad that they wouldn't lose another comrade. The doctor smiled, even though he knew that information would soon be revealed that would shatter these men's trust and morale. But now was not time for that. "If you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

He turned and reentered the surgery room. In the far corner, an elderly couple was led into the room from the back door, confused as to why they had been summoned. A nurse led them to a set of chairs. It was best they were not standing. The older man, bitter from loss, began to shout.

"Doctor, why are we here!? I already lost one daughter, and I am damned sure I will do everything to keep my other daughter safe!"

"You see, that's why you are here, Mr. and Mrs. Holstadt." The doctor gestured to "Heinrich's" bed, where a bandaged woman with short blond hair lay in bed, her Gebirgsjager uniform sitting cleaned and folded on a nearby table. "We found your daughter."

Bit of Notes

First of all: What a twist!

I had intended from Heinrich's creation that he'd end up Eva Holstadt. As such, I left a series of clues, because, it's not a twist if there's no hints along the way. If you look back, I had subtle hints throughout the last two chapters.

Also, I like to give credit to grrlgeek72 for the idea of Elsa creating commissioning her own shackles. I highly recommend her work, especially if you enjoy this sort of story.

In the next few chapters, shit will get real. I still don't know how long before Chapter 7 will be out, but I will try to keep writing in what spare time I have.

Glossary-

Götter verfluchen uns- Gods curse us.