Ch.9: The North Mountain
Their pace towards the base of the high mountains was slower with two walking and in the chase with the wolves they had veered off course of the cabin where they were supposed to spend the night, hence why the chasm had been a surprise. So it was a combination of these events that caused them to reach the cabin after the sky was already dark, and they were all constantly keeping an eye out for more wolves.
Within was something comforting for each member in a different way. Emil was stiff and sore from clutching to the reindeer so much, so he immediately collapsed onto one of the mattresses on the floor and began massaging his aching leg and arm muscles. Mathias had been desperately looking forward to the guitar always kept in the supply closet, since Feliciano had destroyed his in the wolf chase. Alfred was starving and immediately snatched some dry food supplies out of the supply cabinet as well. Ludwig had become rather cold since he had given his coat over to Feliciano because the boy had lost his cloak to the wolves and had become cold himself while walking, so Ludwig immediately went about locating matches and starting a small fire in the grate. And Feliciano had grown exhausted from walking the whole way but had refused to ride one of the reindeer, he had also tried to refuse the coat but Ludwig had forcefully wrapped that around him, so he collapsed beside Emil and instantly fell asleep.
As the others sat around the fire and Ludwig went about using a pot from the supply cabinet to heat up some stew, they talked about what tomorrow would hold.
"If our guess is correct then we should find our brothers and Arthur on one of these three mountains correct?" Alfred asked.
"It makes the most sense." Ludwig nodded. Emil just frowned and kept rubbing more stiffness out of his shoulders, "And what if they aren't?"
"We keep looking." Ludwig sighed.
"Well I'd be out of the mix then" Mathias rubbed his hands and took a bite of the only carrot Ludwig had not thrown into the stew. Thank goodness for having put some in his bag because the supply cabinet was seriously lacking in canned vegetables, "I agreed to help you guys with getting to and up these mountains but I won't go any further."
"I wouldn't expect you to." Ludwig sighed, "I know you have a job to get back to."
"Yeah," Emil said with a slight sneer, "Selling ice."
"Hey that ice helps get lots of kingdoms through the summer." Mathias smirked and waved his carrot for emphasis.
"He's right it really does." Alfred grinned, "My kingdom has relied on the ice men several times when the summer has been especially bad."
"Well unless we get our brother's to fix the chaos they caused in our kingdoms, finding ice the rest of the summer isn't going to be a problem. Just walk out the front door and chisel some from the street."Ludwig sighed.
The others all looked down at their hands or the floor at the unease of those words.
"Arthur will make it right." Alfred said with conviction, "I trust him."
"Is this the guy you just met and asked to marry you?" Mathias asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yep" Alfred nodded proudly, "But...he didn't exactly react to it well."
"Then he's got more sense than you." Mathias grinned, "Though turning your kingdom into a winter wonderland may have been a bit overboard."
Alfred remained silent with a slight frown before he filled a water skin from the bucket by the fire and looked around the room.
"Hey is the food almost done?"
"Yes" Ludwig said with another stir, "Are you really that hungry?"
"No, well yes actually now that you mention it I'm starving, but I was actually asking because...shouldn't we wake him up so he can eat as well?"
The others turned to Feliciano who was still fast asleep curled up on the mattress with a blanket Ludwig had gotten from the supply cabinet, tucked around him to keep him warm.
"If we can" Mathias chuckled slightly, "He looks pretty much out and like a heavy sleeper."
"Let him sleep" Ludwig shook his head, "I think the cold is affecting him more than any of the rest of us and stealing his energy. Plus he did walk the entire way here after the wolf chase. I'll be up for awhile to keep the fire going so I can reheat what's left of the stew when he does wake up."
"Ah some late night chatting with a meal?" Mathias grinned.
Ludwig sighed and glared at Mathias without commenting. The others were still convinced that he was flirting with the young prince from Talaii but that wasn't it at all, at least he didn't think it was. He was just trying to reestablish a friendship that they had apparently had as kids, since Feliciano seemed to want to.
"In that case, let's eat!" Alfred grinned in anticipation and held out a bowl for his portion of stew.
~*Fz*~
"This place is absolutely magnificent!" Antonio exclaimed throwing his arms out and slightly up as he made a whirl in the center of the ice palace's grand entry room, "And you all seem to have adjusted to your newly freed powers nicely. It sounds quite lively in here."
"It would be much better if Arthur's stupid dog would shut up." Lovino shook his head and absentmindedly rubbed the snow cat, who he had given the same name Feliciano had used, Cream, in his arms.
"Hey I had every right to create a pet as well." Arthur snapped entering the room from one of the many crystal set doors in the surrounding walls, "Matthew made his little bear, Gilbert made a bird, and you have your cat. I wanted to test my ability to make a living snow pet as well."
"But all of ours are pretty quiet." Gilbert entered from the doors leading to his room with his little snow bird perched on his head and almost blending in with his white hair, "Yours hasn't stopped yapping."
"They have a point you know." Lukas came down the grand double staircase and perched on the edge of the frozen fountain, "And you weren't the only one without a pet. I still haven't created one. Nor do I plan to."
Arthur sighed and groaned as Hanatamago came racing into the room and started yapping happily around their feet.
The snow cat in Lovino's arms stiffened and the young king clutched to it tighter and glared down at the little snow dog.
"Arthur we can't deal with this anymore. Make it disappear or put it outside."
Arthur sighed again and glared back at the younger boy for a long while before he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Matthew standing with his baby ice bear at his side. Matthew smiled sadly but nodded his head in agreement with the others.
Arthur finally gave a defeated sigh and picked up the little snow dog looking into its face. Hana continued to yap and wagged its tail happily and licked his nose with its little snow tongue. Why hadn't he created the little snow bunny with wings like he had originally planned. Arthur shook his head and smiled sadly.
"I can't destroy her, and I can't put her outside without company."
"It's a her now?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow and grinned.
"She won't be alone." Lukas stood up and came over to the group.
"No! No more dogs!" Lovino growled. Antonio laughed and slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Oh come on Lovi they'll be outside. Do you really not like dogs that much?"
"Stop calling me Lovi. Get your arm off me. And it's not that I hate dogs but I'm more used to cats and find them easier to deal with. The barking gives me a headache."
"You really do complain about everything don't you?" Gilbert chuckled.
Lovino blushed and turned away from the others to hide his embarrassment and bite his lip to keep from making another unthinking retort. Having to hide and try to conceal his powers for so many years had made him acutely aware of just how strong they were and he found that he couldn't stop himself from letting them control his speech rather than letting his head.
"It actually wasn't more dogs that I was going to create." Lukas spoke up again.
The others turned to him in confusion and curiosity but he just shook his head and smiled slightly.
"You'll see what I mean if you go outside in a bit."
~*Fz*~
For the four frozen kingdoms of Eltilian, another new day had brought more worry than relief. Dashetnuld had been suffering for the longest but the morning sun brought the revelation of their worst fear yet...every entrance into and out of the castle had been covered over by yet another layer of ice. The past few layers had been able to be broken through in order to rush out and get supplies and check on the citizens in the town beyond the gates. But this fresh had broken the blades of everything used to try and break it so far. Even the iron mace and ball and chain had shattered upon impact. The worst had come to pass. The people within the castle were trapped and supplies were running low, and the people outside could not enter to experience the stronger warmth from the vast grate fires.
Acting King Roderich looked at the enormous wall of unbreakable ice barring the main front doors and shook his head. He had hoped that his cousin Ludwig would return with that idiot brother of his and make him reverse the ice before this happened, he was certain that the young prince would not give up searching until he found and forced King Gilbert to return. The prince was far too devoted to the kingdom to give up at all. There were only two possible explanations for the length of time that had passed since the prince had first left then. One, Gilbert had gone away farther and faster than any of them had anticipated and was intentionally avoiding being discovered by his brother. Or two, his cousin was dead either by the cold, disaster, or some animal out in the forest. If it was the first then he held hope that any day his cousins would return and everything would be set right. If the second...then those in the castle were condemned to death by extreme cold and starvation. He hoped at least the townspeople would realize what had happened and decide that fleeing the kingdom for Talaii was the best option.
The young man pushed his glasses up his nose in a habit that he had before he placed a white gloved hand on the wall of ice and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry Elizaveta," he whispered, "It looks like you'll never know that I intended to propose to you."
His last image of the beautiful young elf waving to him as he rode away from their forest, caused a few tears to fall from his dark violet eyes.
~*Fz*~
As for the other three kingdoms, the new morning brought several horses returns. The queen of Cidron was horrified as the three guards rode back into the frozen courtyard accompanied by her younger son's rider-less horse.
"There were wolves your majesty." The one holding the horses reins sighed sadly and shook his head, "We were separated from the prince when our horses bolted but not before we saw his own horse throw him. We went back all around the area and found the horse as you can see, but there was no sign of Prince Emil. I'm sorry."
The queen was trembling from shock and put her head in her hands.
"No...NO!" she whirled away and clutched her hair desperately, "I can't have lost all my boys! First my husband, then Lukas, now Emil?!" she continued to clutch at her hair and pace while the guards watched their devastated queen with great sympathy. But the woman finally straitened and whirled back to them.
"You must return and continue searching. Do not give up! Until you find some indication that my younger son is really dead you may not return home. If you do I will have you imprisoned for treason."
The guards looked at each other in shock and concern before the lead spoke up again.
"We understand your majesty. But should we find the king instead during our search, do you wish us to continue searching still?"
The queen sighed and considered that option. She was willing to let them bring Emil home without Lukas but was she willing for the other way around? If she could only have one son home was she willing to let it be simply Lukas?
"No." she said at last with a lump in her throat at the decision, "If you find King Lukas instead, return with him immediately."
The guards nodded and handed Emil's horse over to her before they went to get fresh supplies and horses and head out again.
In Meraica, Scott was doing his best to win the people's respect and trust as he and several guards passed out cloaks. His parents and little brother had moved into the castle with him and were enjoying the heat from the grand hearths within but to keep up all appearances of good he must be out in the cold to give instruction and help.
"Meraica is indebted to you your highness." An elderly woman smiled as she accepted a cloak.
"I'm just doing what a good king would." Scott smiled, "There's warm fires and hot soup inside the castle, which is open to all in need during this time."
He was preparing to hand several more cloaks out when a panicked whinny caused him to look to the open castle gates through which the king's rider-less horse came bolting through.
"Whoa!" he dropped the cloaks and went racing to catch and try and calm the beast, "Easy boy. Easy."
"The king's horse." The guards gasped.
"But where's the king?!" a woman wailed.
Scott had finally managed to calm the animal and he looked past it into the courtyard and beyond to the open gates and the road beyond leading towards the forest and mountains. It was all too perfect! It was the stroke of luck he had been waiting for!
"Please follow me to the conference room. We must discuss what is to be done now." He called to several of his and Meraica's guards as he started back into the castle.
Once inside he took his seat at the head of the table and motioned for all to sit down.
"Should the queen not be present at this meeting?" one of the guards asked.
"I do not think the former queen would like what I am about to discuss." Scott smiled and looked around the table calculatingly.
"Gentlemen I waited until this moment to pose this consideration to you. The king may very well be dead."
Several of Alfred's guards shook their heads in horror.
"And if not then we must consider some dangers with his present quest."
"If the king is in danger then we must go after him." One of the guards stood up instantly but Scott waved his hand, "My dear sir I must ask you something. Is your loyalty to the king? Or to this country?"
"Both go hand in hand for the king is loyal to this country." The guard stated firmly.
"And supposing he is not?" Scott looked at the man calculatingly.
The guard was instantly alert and suspicious.
"You are a stranger so what gives you the right...?"
"Because I know my brother. And I believe you are familiar with the king's half brother Matthew?"
The guard nodded still wary but now more tense with unease towards the people mentioned.
"The king intends to bring both men back to this kingdom. A kingdom that my brother put in this predicament in the first place. Now I ask you...does that sound like loyalty to his kingdom? Bringing back those that could put it in danger again in the future?"
The guards all around the table looked uneasy and quite worried. Several shook their heads and the one that had been standing slumped back into his seat with a sigh.
"No your highness it does not. But we need your brother to reverse his powers."
Scott shook his head this time.
"I'm sure his death would do the same."
The Meraica guards all gasped in shock but his personal guards nodded in agreement.
"What are you proposing your highness?" the guard that had stood up before asked feeling he already knew the answer.
"I intend to have my brother killed. I suggest the same for Matthew as well. I was waiting for this opportunity to send my guards after them, and now that it is here they have their orders. But I must make sure that you all understand first. I do not wish to kill your king. But if he resists and insists on trying to protect them then I may have no choice. I am hoping to find them alone and then find the king and bring him back safely. But should he be found with either or both of them then my guards have orders to detain them all and then we shall try and persuade the king to see reason. Is this acceptable to all of you?"
The guards all looked shocked and uncertain. What he was talking about should be considered treason but at the same time, wouldn't the king's bringing back people harmful to the kingdom be considered treason as well?
Slowly each of the Meraica guards nodded but the one that had stood rose once more and faced the king.
"Very well, but myself and another of King Alfred's guards will accompany your guards to ensure that they do not actually commit genocide against our king."
"I gladly grant you that. As I said, it is not my intention to kill your king. Only my brother and your former king's bastard child."
The guard nodded and motioned to his most trusted companion to accompany him. Once they were out of the room Scott turned to his men and nodded at them. They knew their instructions. Having the king's guards with them had been anticipated and their orders were clear. Use them to help capture the king and those important to him, and then kill them. What he had told the guards was true, he had no intention of killing Alfred...but that didn't mean that he wasn't prepared to let him waste away in his own dungeons in order to secure his throne. As for Matthew, they could kill him or bring him back if they wanted. But his brother...he wanted the pleasure of killing Arthur himself.
And for Talaii, the return of Prince Feliciano's horse without him caused the people to become panicked and Gretl was forced to take certain matters into her own hands. Namely, trying to find her fiancé and his brother.
"Vash I need you and some guards to go after Prince Feliciano and King Lovino. No harm is to come to the king, and especially not to the prince, but bring them back however you must."
"I have two good men to go with you sir." Queen Clarissa stated as well as she rubbed her shoulders and shivered. She nodded at her personal guards and whispered so only they could hear, "If you encounter the king you are to claim fear and self defense to end this winter. Do you understand what I mean?"
The men nodded and headed off to join Vash.
~*Fz*~
Mathias couldn't stop chuckling as they trudged through the snow up the front north mountain. The others had woken that morning to find Ludwig asleep sitting up with Feliciano resting his head on his shoulder also asleep, and both wrapped in a warm blanket.
"So the chat last night went well then?" Mathias asked yet again and looked back over his shoulder to grin at the pair. Ludwig just shook his head in exasperation but Feliciano smiled and blushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry, it looks like they're getting the wrong idea again." Feliciano sighed with a slight laugh as he looked at Ludwig, "We're friends so it's natural we would be close but they don't seem to understand that."
"You've got a very different way of acting around friends than we're used to then." Alfred chuckled, walking beside them as well rather than riding the reindeer Ludwig was leading.
Emil snorted and turned away from the rest of them to look at the amazing land they were passing through. He lifted up a hand and it caught on the dangling crystal vines hanging from the trees. They tinkled together beautifully and made the others look over and stop their pace to just gaze in awe.
"It's incredible." Ludwig breathed.
"I never knew winter could be so beautiful." Feliciano took several steps forward until he was under the trees and letting the crystal vines cascade over him and immerse him in their tinkling melody.
"Yeah, but it's just too white." Alfred grinned, "It could use a bit more color and..."
An unexpected sound suddenly broke into the air and caused all of the travelers to stop and blink in confusion and alarm.
"Is that...?" Mathias spoke first.
"Are there more wolves in the day?!" Emil clutched to the reindeer tightly.
The sound echoed off the crystal ice around them but Feliciano was able to determine that the sound was coming from behind him. He was about to turn around to face what they all feared first when a tiny shape came zipping between his legs and caused him to lose his balance and fall backwards into a snow drift.
The little snow dog came yapping into the group of travelers and began jumping up at each of them in turn. Suddenly a larger shape came racing after the little dog calling out, "Hana! Hana come back! Where do you think you're going so quickly?"
The small figure seemed to ignore the startled eyes staring at it as it lunged forward and caught the little snow dog up in its arms.
"Does anybody else see a little boy made of snow cuddling a little dog that is also made of snow?" Mathias asked in barely a whisper.
Everyone else nodded completely dumbfounded.
"Oh good, at least I'm not the only one being affected by the extreme cold."
"Tino!" a new voice broke into the silence and another little snow boy came running into the group as well, "Tino you shouldn't go running off like that! What if something had happened to you?!"
The first little boy got up and held the little dog out.
"But I couldn't let Hana go off on her own!"
"You worried me though." The second boy said quietly, "I was scared of losing you."
"I'm sorry Berwald." Tino said softly and put the little snow dog down in order to hug the taller snow boy, "I'll try not to do it again."
"A'right then." Berwald nodded, "So um..." he turned to the group of shocked humans and pulled Tino behind him protectively, "What are you looking at?"
"You." Feliciano breathed finally getting himself untangled from snow pile, "We've never seen anything like you two before. Your snowmen, or rather snow children but...you're shaped like normal humans rather than the multiple level ball style snowmen we're used to."
"And you're the first people besides Arthur that we've seen." Tino smiled shyly stepping out from behind Berwald.
"Arthur?" Alfred exclaimed excitedly and stepped closer towards them, "You've seen Arthur? Did he make you?"
"No but he made Hana." Tino held the yapping dog out again, "Lukas made us."
"My brother did?" Emil was surprised. He thought that his brother would be the last one to create anything human like.
"Tino, you didn't have to tell them all that." Berwald looked at the group suspiciously, "We don't them or what they're intentions with the masters are."
"Masters?" Ludwig blinked.
Mathias snorted and started to laugh.
"Don't tell me you're the body guards?"
Tino shook his head.
"No we were just created to keep Hana company outside."
"Tino please stop telling them things." Berwald shook his head.
"It's ok." Feliciano knelt down onto the snow children's level, "We're family and friends of your masters. We don't mean them any harm but we do need to see them. Could you lead us to them please?"
"Sure." Tino smiled but Berwald shook his head.
"I don't think they want to see any of you. They want to be alone."
"Nobody wants to be alone." Feliciano smiled.
"Except perhaps this guy." Alfred grinned and pointed to Mathias.
"I'm not alone." Mathias stated firmly, "I have friends."
"Really? Who would be friends with an ice man?" Emil asked sarcastically.
Mathias glared at him but his grin didn't drop.
"So please..." Feliciano put his hands together in a begging motion, "Will you two please take us to our brothers?"
Tino smiled and looked at Berwald who sighed and shrugged.
"A'right, but if they get mad and throw you out don't say I didn't warn you."
"Come on then!" Tino smiled and turned back in the direction that he and Berwald had come, with Hana under one arm, "The palace is this way!"
(AN: So not quite the same as Olaf and the whole In Summer sequence just didn't fit so I left it out. But I hope that this was an acceptable alternative.)