Ex: Well, I'm not dead. Honestly, I had an entire mini essay written to you guys on what was going through my head. I talked about update times, promises, and how much those of you who've stuck by me during all of this means to me. But I realized it was almost 500 words and opted to just say, thank you for sticking by me, and I won't make promises on update times anymore simply to avoid the guilt it leaves me with.

Elsa: Well, it's a step in the right direction. But still, a year.

Ex: I know, I know. I'm trying my best here. Anyway, shall we?

Elsa: On with the show!


Mathias is stunned as he stares into the familiar amber eyes, staring back in equal shock to his own storm gray. "Keira, is that real-"

"Mathias! I can't believe it's you! I didn't know when… well, if at all that I'd see you again I…" She trails off when she notices Elsa standing behind Mathias, giving her a look she can't quite place. "Ah, my apologies. Where are my manners. My name is Keira Foremere." She looks Elsa up and down before continuing, "If rumors are correct I assume you're queen Elsa of Arendelle?"

"Y-Yes you're correct."

"Excellent, a pleasure to meet you."

"Keira," Mathias interrupted, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the winter hunt, what else?"

"Yes but, I mean why are you this far north? Shouldn't you already be at the capital?"

"If I may interrupt." Elsa cut in. "How exactly do you two know each other?"

"Mathias and I have been…or were i suppose, friends throughout our childhood. But, it's been years since we've seen each other." Keira replied before turning back to Mathias. "As for your question, I've been travelling as of late. Thought I wasn't going to make it back in time actually." She looks around and says, "Perhaps we ought to move, we are in a doorway after all. Come on, let's find somewhere a bit quieter to talk. From what I've heard, you two have had some interesting adventures as of late."

"You could say that." Mathias replies. Keira smiles and turns back out the door. Mathias turns to Elsa and whispers, "I'll explain later." Before they both follow her out the door. The crowd outside inn has thinned out, allowing them to move out toward the edge of town. As they reach the edge of the crowd, a familiar voice calls out behind them.

"Elsa, Mathias!" Anna says as she makes her way through the crowd with Kristoff. "This place is so cool! You've got to see the…" She trails off when she notices Keira next to Mathias. "Um, who are you?"

"My name is Keira, I'm a... friend of Mathias. You must be princess Anna." Keira replied. Anna looked back and forth between her and Mathias before replying. "Indeed I am. Well it was nice meeting you, but we had better get going."

"Anna, don't be rude." Elsa chastised. Keira just smiles and says, "Oh it's not a problem. If you've places to be I can excuse myself."

"No, nowhere of great importance. You and Mathias have catching up to do anyway. We'll find you two later. Anna, you wanted to show me something?" Anna's eyes narrow before she turns to Elsa and says, "Oh it's nothing that great. We should all stick together and get to know Mathias' old friend. After all, any friend of my soon to be brother is a friend of mine." Mathias knew that tone from Anna. Suspicious of anybody who seemed just a little too friendly, she would be sociable and interact with them, but only to find out whatever she could about them.

But if there was one thing Mathias remembered about Keira, it was the look she gave in response. It appeared a friendly smile to those who didn't know her, but Mathias understood it. Kiera knew this game, and she was more than willing to play. "Of course, the more the merrier. Come, show us… whatever it is you've found and I'll regale you with stories of Mathias and I's misspent youth."

Elsa glanced back and forth at the two's exchange before looking at Kristoff and Mathias. Neither one said a word, but there faces gave the same message. This was going to be an interesting night.


King Simon continued to walk with his advisors and other important members of his planning team in the town square. The Decennial winter hunt was just a few days away, and they were a bit behind schedule. It wasn't unexpected, but Simon wanted make sure all went well this festival. He had always made it a goal for this particular event to be a rousing success, but this time was just a little more special to him.

He had received word a few days prior that Mathias and Elsa had accepted the invitation. He'd truly only sent an invitation as a formality. Arendelle was an ally nation, and his son would soon have some hand in ruling it. It wasn't as though he didn't want them there, rather that he truly didn't expect them to come. But they were coming, and he would do everything he could to put the best foot forward. If only for one reason to help rebuild what was still at times a difficult relationship with his youngest son.

The king adjusted the cloak he wore around himself and the advisor to his left notably shivered. It was cold particularly for winter in Tonitrus. A cold rain was usually all that came from this time of year in his country, but this year the mountains had already seen snow.

"Chilly father?" A voice behind him spoke. Simon turned to see his eldest son and heir Oliver approaching the group. The king smiled and replied, "Most of us here aren't used to such harsh winter conditions."

"Perhaps Mathias' blushing bride can do something about these temperatures?" Oliver said with a laugh. "You're right though, we haven't had a winter like this since I was a child." Simon nodded, it was a winter he remembered all too well. Oliver was eleven, it had been his first snow. It was one of the few events of that year he wished to remember. He was pulled from his thoughts when Oliver continued, "Perhaps you should retire for the night father, you seem tired."

"There is still much to be done here."

"It will keep till the morning." The king nodded, it had been a very long week, and the preparations would be better done with a mind not bogged down with tiredness.

Simone and Oliver began heading out of the square back to the castle, the advisors following behind. As they neared the edge of the square, the sound of a long pained shriek turn all of their attention back across the square. From one of the smaller streets leading into the square a man stumbled and fell to the street, letting out another shriek before he began babbling unintelligibly. The guards around the square began to approach the man's position, the one nearest kneeling in front of the man. "Sir, what's wrong, what's happened to you?"

"It's… It's… It's coming!"

"What's coming?"

"No Escape! The dark… the cold!" By this point Simon had arrived at the man's side along with Oliver and a few more guards. The man continued to ramble while the guards struggle to get any useful answers from him. "They're horrible…they… they tear at your soul."

"What are you on about man?!" The bewildered guard replied. As Oliver continued to watch he noticed the man holding his left side, struggling with each word. The blood was dry but it was there, and a wound that bled like that wouldn't heal on its own.

Before the guard could pester the man any further, Oliver interjected, "Enough, this man needs a doctor. We can find out what's happened to him later." The guard nodded before he and another guard helped the man to his feet. He seemed to calm down for a moment before he looked to king Simon and his eyes grew wide again. "You! You've seen them! You've seen the eyes!"

Simons breathe caught in his throat as he remembered those words. It had been that same winter he'd remembered just minutes before that night. A group of soldiers returning from a task he'd given them. Most were fine, but one had gotten separated from the others. He'd disappeared for a few minutes before the others heard him scream and found him. He was attacked by something, what they didn't know. He was wounded, but what frightened the soldiers most wasn't the bleeding gash in his side, but the haunting words he screamed. About the eyes, the horrible, haunting green eyes.

"Father?" Olivers words pulled Simon from his thoughts. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"I might," Simon replied, watching as the guards finally disappeared from sight. "But I hope I'm wrong."


"So how long have you two known each other?" Anna asked Keira. After spending a few minutes of wandering around the village, stopping for only a brief moment to watch what Anna and Kristoff had stumbled upon before, namely a juggler whose various items were on fire, they had returned to the same inn as before to talk. Well, Anna and Keira had talked, while Mathias, Elsa, and Kristoff watched the back and forth.

It became clear after only a few exchanges that the conversation was going nowhere. All of Anna's questions were built around trying to figure out exactly how well Keira and Mathias knew each other. Keira however kept her answers vague enough to keep Anna asking, but revealed just enough to get under Anna's skin.

"I was around five years old the first time we met, making Mathias six. So about eighteen years." Keira replied. "Though we haven't seen each other before today in years."

"Really, why is that?" Anna said with a smile tugging at her lips, finally feeling like she had Keira in a corner.

"Things...happen. Life pulls people in different directions." Keira replied, turning to face Mathias, "Also somebody stopped leaving the castle."

"That wasn't entirely my choice." Mathias said, slight irritation in his voice as he returning her stare. Elsa looked back and forth between the two. Their few exchanges throughout the night had been short and filled with tension.

"I assumed as much, forgive me if I sounded accusatory." Keira replied, the table was silent for a while before Keira stood from the table. "Well, the evening grows late, and I've taken enough of your time. It was...good to see you again Mathias." She turned to the rest of the group. " Elsa, it was a pleasure to meet you. Anna, Kristoff, the same to you." Keira turned and left the inn before any of them could reply. Anna was the first one to break the silence. "Charming girl."

"She isn't always like that." Mathias said, "well, when I actually knew her she wasn't."

"What happened between you two?" Elsa asked

"At the last winter hunt, I had a run in with a few other kids my age. They were incessantly torturing a fox they cornered." Elsa nodded, remembering the story he'd told her. "You told them to stop, and then used your powers to make them stop."

"But what does that have to do with Keira?" Anna asked, "You didn't hit her with lightning did you?"

"No," Mathias replied, "Thankfully she wasn't there but...that was the last time I saw her. As you know, I almost never left the castle after that."

"And she never got an explanation." Anna replied, before gasping and saying, "I feel terrible about how I was to her." Elsa knew what Anna meant. She had cut Anna out of her life without explanation, and knew the pain it caused her. She turned and said to Mathias, "I think you need to talk to her."

"I think you're right." Mathias replied with a sigh. He stood from the table and said, "I'll see if I can find her. If not, I'll meet you back at the carriage." Elsa nodded. Mathias made his way to the door and looked around the street hoping he could still see Keira. With no sign of her he head toward the outer part of the town where most of the travelers had settled for the night.

Kiera had been right, it had grown late, and therefore dark, rather quickly. Without the lamp and torchlights of the square, he couldn't see very well on the edge of the city. Mathias created a small ball of lightning in his hand, enough to light the area around him. Glancing around to make sure he hadn't frightened any of the townsfolk, he approached the small circle of carriages on near the forest that bordered the town.

All but a few of them had no one standing outside, the few that did being a few guards. 'Probably not a good idea to go knocking on each door.' Mathias thought to himself. As he was about to give up and go back, a sound caught his attention. He looked to a nearby tree, seeing a raven perched on the branch, calling and looking into the forest. He followed the birds eyes to see what appeared to be Keira disappearing further into the forest. Mathias moved to head in that direction before turning to the raven and saying, "Good eye my feathered friend." the raven cawed at him and Mathias turned around, not noticing the flash of green in the ravens black iris.


Ex: So, yeah, not as long or as interesting as I'd like it to be. With all that I had written, and then cut, and then written again, and then cut again, this felt like a good place to stop this chapter.

Elsa: You're not going to promise update times again are you?

Ex: Never again. I will say that regardless of when it comes out, the next chapter should have more action in it than the last two.

Elsa: That sounds like a promise.

Ex: It's not. I've learned that when it comes to writing this story and thinking I know when I'll update, I know less than nothing. Anyhow, review, follow, possibly favorite? And to those who have already done that and actually read this, once again, thanks for sticking around.

Elsa: See you guys next time!