Credit: Thanks as always go to hybrid-rain as always for being an inspirational canyon and helping me come up with ideas and promoting this like mad, sporadic-tiger for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, and frickfractals, the-perfect-girl-is-gone, izzyvonheeringen, winterqueenelsaa, patronustrip , r9khaileyissuffering, and fyeahkristelsanna for promoting and recommending my fanfics. They can all be found on Tumblr. And of course, thank you for everyone who either left a review, followed, or favourited this fanfic. I'm just so glad to hear you're enjoying my fanfic and helping me support it.
For Blisterdude: It's less that Anna and Elsa are in an incestuous relationship and more that Anna and Elsa are in an incestuous relationship. It's similar how people know that infidelity and extramarital relationships take place but they make a bigger fuss about it when it's someone who is in power engaging in it. The Ordo wants to use anything they have to discredit the Queen and this is one of them,
Dinner with the Duke of Weselton was typically a boring affair. When they were not entertaining other guests or invited into the homes of others, it was simply the two of them sitting at opposite ends of the table piled high with food. The majority of it was spent listening to the Duke rave on and on and on about whatever was vexing him that day, usually the trade agreements with Arendelle. Recently, every so often, he dropped a not very subtle comment about the money he was spending. Hans learned a long time ago it was often best to let the man ramble on and try to enjoy the rich food provided. Tonight, after almost an hour complaining how unfair it was that his little duchy had to shoulder most of the financial costs for the umpteenth time, the Duke made a change of topic.
"Speaking of Arendelle," he said, tearing off a piece of bread and dipping it in his stew. "There are some interesting news coming from that little kingdom."
"Is that right?" Hans said blandly as he sliced a portion of his roast pork and chewed on it.
"Well firstly it seems the Snow Queen is screwing the princess. Her own sister, can you believe that? Then there was this nasty piece of business where she was tricked into allowing a bunch of mercenaries into her own kingdom. Nearly lost her life from what I've heard. She had a couple of them executed but now I'm hearing that civil unrest may erupt anytime soon."
"Interesting…" he said after he had swallowed his food. He began cutting himself another piece.
"Did you have a hand in this, hmmm?" he asked, peering at him through his spectacles.
Well, no use denying it, he thought. "It's amazing what a few letters in the right hands can do, isn't it?" Hans remarked.
"Yes, and about sixty thousand ducats. Plus a substantial donation to the Ordo Malleus. I suppose we're not going to be seeing Soliuan again anytime soon."
"No, my lord, I'm afraid not. It's in the hands of the Snow Queen."
"Well, I'll be sure to reclaim it when all this is over," he said, dolling more stew into his bowl. "Although I suppose I should be grateful I only had to pay fifty thousand for her."
"And while we're on the subject of Arendelle, it seems like I'll be leaving your lovely home quite soon."
"You will?!" the Duke exclaimed. "How…very tragic… I take it that you are getting close to finishing your plans."
"Yes," Hans said, ignoring the utter insincerity in the Duke's voice.
"Wouldn't your presence potentially jeopardise your plans?" the Duke asked, placing his bowl aside and shovelling some vegetables onto his plate. "After all, you didn't want either of us to be directly involved."
"Yes, I did debate whether or not it would be better if I continued my plans from here but in the end, I thought that they're too delicate to leave to chance. Anything can happen especially when magic is involved. I've had my plans foiled by the Snow Queen once. I will not allow them to be foiled a second time."
"Hmm and in the meantime, what should I do?"
"Continue supplying me with money, of course. You have had all the letters of credit delivered, correct?"
He protested, "Yes, nearly a hundred thousand ducats in total. This is where I remind you that I'm not a money tree, Hans. I've depleted two of my accounts with the Hanseatic Bank and almost finished a third. Where do you propose I get more money?"
"Try borrowing it," Hans said, placing his knife and fork down. "You'll be able to pay the Swiss or the Italian banks back or whoever you choose when my plans succeed. I'll even pay the interest myself." Whatever it took for the little man to go along with the plans. At first the Duke narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him but eventually he seemed placated.
"Very well, then," he said, spearing a Brussels sprout with his fork. "I do have another condition as well."
"Which is?" asked Hans, taking up his silverware to finish the potatoes on his plate.
"I want Fritz and Klaus to accompany you on your journey. They will be my representatives in your voyage and will be the ones who will authorise any further use of my money. How long do you expect this stage of your plans to last?"
"It depends but I can't foresee this dragging out any longer than a couple months." At least, Hans hoped it didn't. He arranged for the mercenaries and the crew for the ships to be paid for six weeks of work. If he was still stuck at this phase when winter fell, he might as well as give up. He doubted the men would continue to work against the Snow Queen at the height of her power, no matter how much he offered them. "If what you say about the kingdom is true, then the stage has already been set. When my forces arrive at Arendelle, we will make it absolutely clear that we want only the royal sisters. We'll make a few demonstrations to help them arrive at the right decision."
"And after?"
"When the Snow Queen and her useless sister are either in my custody or dead, Bishop Mathesien will crown me as King. Then you will receive your returns from their coffers, the bishop will go to Rome to secure my crown, and I will consolidate my power at Arendelle before presenting myself before my father."
"And what of her allies? Corona? DunBroch? Berk?"
"The Polish situation will occupy Corona for quite some time. DunBroch is too worried about English aggression to concern themselves with affairs so far away. And Berk is…well…Berk."
The Duke wiped the remnants of his stew from his lips with his napkin and said, "Well, I admit, Hans. This could work."
"I'm touched by your faith, my lord," Hans replied. He was still debating whether or not he should hold his end of the bargain or reward the Duke with a dagger in the back. Before he had to deal with him, he never understood why villains in the stories always insisted on killing the people they worked with after they no longer needed them. All that did was spread mistrust in the villain and decrease the likelihood he would find willing partners and able workers. But Arendelle was to be his kingdom when the plot was accomplished and he was not going to let his kingdom be exploited by the Duke. Even if what he heard about Arendelle's economy was true, there was no way he would be able to pay the Duke what he promised him and still have a somewhat prosperous kingdom to rule. He would have to consider that on the voyage to Arendelle.
"When will you be leaving?" the Duke asked, pushing his plate away from him.
"Tomorrow at noon. A schooner will take me, and I suppose your bodyguards, to rendezvous with Tilbel. You needn't worry." He quickly added as he could see the Duke building another fit. "I didn't buy the ship. Just simply paid the captain to take me where I need to go."
"Well, thank goodness," the Duke said, relaxing his grip on his knife. Hans had a feeling he hadn't noticed that he was holding it like he was about to stab someone. "Well, Fritz and Klaus aren't going to be happy about the short notice."
Hans just shrugged.
"You said you're meeting your ships at sea?"
"Just Tilbel. She should have left three days ago, the rest five days ago. The weather permitting, we should meet at a point some two hundred miles from Arendelle by the day after. Once we meet, it'll be another two or three days before we arrive. By then the rest of the fleet would have begun their work." He got up from his chair and said, "Now, if you will excuse me, my lord, I have some final preparations to make before my voyage tomorrow."
"Absolutely, Hans," the Duke said, getting up as well. He picked up his glass of wine and held it up "Shall we drink a toast to your good fortune?"
"Certainly." Hans picked up his glass and raised it up.
"To the future king of Arendelle," declared the Duke, before draining what remained in his glass. Hans followed suit.
If either of them cared to glance outside, they would have noticed a falcon perched on the rooftops nearby, closely watching the Duke's residence.
Anna opened her eyes in a sudden panic, her breaths coming in rapid shallow huffs, her heart pounding against her chest, and her nightgown stuck to her skin with her own sweat. When she calmed herself down through the exercises Lord Halvert taught her, she rolled to her side to face Elsa…when she found nothing next to her.
"Elsa?" she whispered. She couldn't make out the time on the clock but it couldn't have been earlier than three in the morning. She was certain her sister went to sleep with her. She remembered wishing her good night before falling asleep with her back towards her. But it was also possible that Elsa had gone and done some work in her study. Sitting up, Anna looked around and saw her sister was actually still in the room, curled up on the window seat. Her arms were crossed over her stomach as she stared out to the night sky. Anna didn't know what she was thinking about but it must have occupied her mind since she made no reaction to her call. She looked at her sister more closely and saw that although she held her arms tight, they were still shaking. She must have had nightmares of her own.
"Elsa?" Anna tried again, a little louder. This time she heard her and she turned her head away from the window and towards her.
"You, too, Anna?" she said.
Anna nodded from the bed. "Do you want to…talk about it?" she asked.
A quick raid of the kitchen and several spent matches later, the two sisters found themselves sipping hot cocoa in front of the fire and exchanging furtive glances at each other. This was the closest, both figuratively and literally, either of them have been with each other since the executions. They've only seen each other at dinner and conversations during that had been stiff and formal. Almost like when they were children. So after several minutes of awkward silence, Anna decided to speak.
"So umm…I dreamt that…" she said just as Elsa said, "I dreamed that I…"
They both fell silent. Ever the loyal little sister, Anna waited but Elsa gestured for her to go first.
"Well," she said. "I dreamt I couldn't find you. After you ran away from the coronation ball that night. I searched everywhere. From the North Mountain and down. I dreamt that I took a ship and sailed to the ends of the world and I still couldn't find you. That I had lost you. Forever." Her hands were shaking over the hot cocoa and some of it spilled over the side. "It was just…having that hope I might find you crushed over and over and over again. That maybe if I searched over here, I could find you only to be disappointed. Like I failed."
She took another sip of her drink and played with her hair as she waited for her sister to tell her story.
After a sigh, Elsa said, "In my nightmare, I was lost in a maze. And everywhere around me, I saw frozen statues of you. They were all different but you were always in agony in them. I could see it in your face and I wanted to help you but I didn't know how. Every time I tried to touch or melt a statue, another would appear. And another and another. No matter what I did, I just made it worse." Anna noticed that the mug had completely froze over but her sister didn't seem to. Elsa tucked her arms over her stomach again and squeezed herself.
They both turned to each other and said together, "I don't want to lose you."
"Not after we've gotten so close," Anna said.
Elsa said, "Not after we've been through so much."
They placed their mugs down on the floor and hugged each other.
"I'm sorry, Elsa," Anna whispered into her ear. "I've been so rude and so ungrateful to you. I know you were trying to protect me and I know you did what you did because you love me."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry, Anna," Elsa said softly. "I should have told you what I was planning to do and see if it was all right with you before I went with it. You must have been scared and I didn't think about that." Anna felt her give her back a few pats before they pulled away from each other.
"Well, I'm sorrier," she said with a tentative smile. Her smile grew in relief as her sister rolled her eyes and gave her a shoulder a soft shove.
"You are such a brat," Elsa scolded though Anna saw that she tried to hide her own grin with her mug. She only smiled wider as her sister tried to tip the lump of frozen cocoa into her mouth. With a scoff of irritation, Elsa waved her hand over it and although her drink had been restored to liquid, it still remained quite cold.
As her sister poured her cocoa back into the pot to reheat it, Anna said, "You know…I would do the same for you."
"Do what?" asked Elsa, absentmindedly stirring the pot.
She swallowed and mustered her confidence before she continued, "I would…kill someone for you."
Elsa looked up from the fire and said, "Anna..."
"I'm not saying I would enjoy it," she quickly said. "And I'm not looking forward to the moment when I have to do it…but if that moment does come and it's your life on the line…I will." Her fingers tightened over her mug. "I mean it."
"Oh, Anna…" Elsa said, pulling her into another hug. "I know you do, snowbug. I know."
As she squeezed her sister back, she said, "I love you, sis. More than anything in this world."
"Me, too," Elsa whispered. And then she suddenly began to giggle. Stranger still, she giggled openly, without trying to cover her mouth. Normally she was too graceful and elegant for that but now? She might as well be rolling across the floor with laughter. Anna pulled back to stare at her.
"What?" she asked, feeling a bit self-conscious. "What's so funny?"
"Just…look at us," she said when she managed to stop for a breath. "Confessing our love by saying how we'll kill for each other. What a romantic pair we make."
Anna then began to laugh and said, "Well, who says that can't be romantic?"
Elsa twisted her lips into a smirk, much like one she would make as a child whenever Anna suggested they played well past their bedtime when everyone thought they were sleeping or egged her into using her powers for pranks or tempted her into doing some childish mischief. It was a smirk that said Elsa knew better but she didn't care as long it made her little sister happy. And then Anna became very aware just how close Elsa's lips were. How soft they look and how their colour glowed in the firelight. All she had to was just push her face a few inches closer and she would finally taste their sweetness. …At the cost of actively breaking Elsa's trust in her and the very possible risk of losing her love. After all, she wouldn't want to be with someone who pushed a kiss against her will.
Anna began to notice that Elsa was looking at her and not just with the loving adoration she displayed earlier. Had she been staring at her lips that long? She quickly mumbled an apology and turned her gaze towards the fire. If Elsa noticed anything odd, she didn't mention it as she shifted herself closer to Anna. Their hands slowly crawled towards each other until Anna's hand was on top of Elsa's.
"I wonder what Mama and Papa would say if they saw us now…" Anna said, lazily leaning against her sister's shoulder, their fingers entwined. "Whether they would approve of our relationship?"
"I wondered about that, too," confessed Elsa. "I don't think Mama would mind. She'll want us to be happy. And maybe Papa, too. He'll probably say it's us making up for lost time. And then some."
Anna wasn't as certain as her sister. She didn't have any doubts that Mama would be pleased that they were happy with each other. In fact, she thought that she would have felt a lot better knowing that they were together and hadn't married someone they didn't love. But, on the other hand, no matter how much she loved him, she doubted Papa would be as welcoming as Elsa thought. "I don't know," she admitted. "He did keep us apart for thirteen years. Just because he was scared you would freeze me again."
"We all were, Anna. We didn't know what would happen. And it hurt him, too. Both him and Mama. When they had to keep us apart. But they had to protect you."
Anna felt Elsa squeeze her hand tighter and turned her head towards at her. "They meant well," Elsa said. "It might not have been the best thing they could have done but we're both here, alive, well, together, and very much in love with each other. And that's what matters. We're both here now."
"I spose," she admitted. "I still wish they told me earlier. It would have saved us a lot of trouble."
"You and me both."
They shared a smile before Anna said, "So…making up for lost time?
"Thirteen years of it, yeah," Elsa said.
"Well, I can think of a few things that we can do…" Anna said before she quickly stopped herself, realising what she said and how she said it. For crying out loud, they haven't even kissed and here she was, making sexual suggestions. If Elsa was uncomfortable with kissing, sex would be…yeesh, she thought. Especially since she only recently got over being touched by her. She hoped she hadn't ruined the moment with her reckless mouth or somehow offended her sister.
But to her relief, Elsa just smiled and said, "We'll think about it, okay? Just give me some time."
Anna was about to nod when suddenly Elsa leaned and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. Her lips were cool and soft like a gentle winter breeze against her face. She could feel her blood warming her cheeks as her hand instinctively drifted over where her lips touched.
She tried to talk and although her words got tangled in her throat, she managed to stammer, "Wha-what was that for?"
"Making up for lost time," she said, smirking. "Plus I saw you staring at my lips and thought you wanted a kiss somewhere besides on your hands."
Anna tried to smile back as her cheeks continued to redden from both the kiss and the embarrassment. And then she blurted out again, "Can I kiss you back?"
Still smirking, Elsa turned her head so that her cheek was facing her sister. Anna leaned forward nervously, wondering if Elsa would suddenly flinch or pull away. But although she could hear Elsa beginning to breathe faster as she approached, she kept her head in place just as Anna pressed her lips against the cool white skin. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out and taste her sister's skin as her lips lingered for a few seconds longer before she moved her head away. She was pleased to see a pink tingle glow in Elsa's cheek where she kissed her.
"Thank you, Elsa," she said. "That felt really…nice."
Elsa blushed more as she said, "It felt nice for me, too." Anna could tell. There was a joy in her face that she hadn't seen for quite some time now. Her eyes shone in the firelight so brightly they seemed like stars in the night. Anna was about to ask if they could try kissing lips now but she decided against it. She didn't want Elsa to feel rushed or anxious about this relationship and honestly, after her last relationship, she liked a slower pace for a change.
Suddenly Anna opened her mouth to let out a glorious long yawn and when she was done, her eyelids began to feel like weights. She didn't even want to know what time it was now.
"Sleepy?" teased Elsa.
"Mmmmm," Anna said instead of a response. Then she mumbled, "Too lazy to get up. Carry me, snowflake."
"Too bad," her sister retorted. "I'm too lazy to get up, let alone carry you to our bed."
And despite the fact that they were both leaning against the bed, they decided that they were going to sleep on the floor. Though Anna honestly couldn't complain, she found herself drifting off to the best sleep she had for days.
As it happened, the two sisters were not the only ones plagued with nightmares. A couple hours later, Olaf stumbled into their bedroom, feeling very scared. While the snowman didn't really need to sleep like his mommies did, he still liked to stand still somewhere and close his eyes for a few hours or so. Enough for his little mind to rest from all the excitement in his day. And so he could dream. He always loved his dreams of love, beauty, joy, and fun. But lately his dreams hadn't been so nice. They became dark and miserable and horrifying. This particular night, he had dreamed that both of his mothers had been taken away and he couldn't find them. He had woken up with a sudden scream and immediately darted towards their bedroom.
He hoped to find them peacefully sleeping on the bed like they would be but to his terror, the bed was empty.
"Anna? Elsa?" he called. He felt his twig arms shake as he walked into the room. They had to be here because...because…he felt them here. He didn't know how to explain but he knew where exactly Anna or Elsa were. He also knew when they would be in danger, which saved Anna's life. But he didn't know how he knew all this. He just did. And if his mothers actually were taken, he would have known it and tried to stop the bad people from taking them. He would never let anything happen to them. Not if he could stop it.
Hoping to still find them here, he first looked under the bed but found only a couple of books that were too small to hide either mommy. But then he looked around the bed, he quietly cooed to himself at the sight. There was Elsa and Anna, soundly sleeping and leaning against each other in front of the fireplace. Anna's head was resting on top of Elsa's shoulder. Olaf didn't know why they were sleeping on the floor but that didn't matter to him. They looked so beautiful and adorable like that. The sight of them safe and sleeping against each other threw away all the worries he got from his nightmare.
But they must have been cold, Anna at least. He climbed on top of their bed and grabbed the fluffiest and warmest blanket he could find. He then dragged it off the bed and draped it over the sisters, gently tucking it over their shoulders. When he was done, he wrapped an arm over each sister and gently squeezed. Then he waddled out of the room but before he left, he whispered, "Sleep tight, Mommies."
Kristoff finished packing the last rucksack of food onto his sled and turned around to face his adoptive family. Far away in the back stood Grand Pabbie and in front, on top of a few of her closest relatives was Bulda, gazing at him with wide concerned eyes. He placed his arms around her and squeezed.
"Thanks for letting me stay, Móðir" he said.
"It's no problem!" she said. "You know how much I love it when you're home. Gives me an excuse to try cooking human food!" She chuckled to herself and Kristoff smiled at her. Her expression then sobered as she said, "I wish you could stay longer."
"Me, too, Bulda. But I have to make sure I still have a job. I don't think the Queen takes kindly to people taking extended holidays without telling her."
"Don't see why you still try to mingle with the humans," grunted Uncle Burt. Although Kristoff was sure he was actually Bulda's cousin's brother's nephew or something like that, he just called him "Uncle" for convenience's sake. "Great big waste of time and effort, if you ask me."
"Burt!" rebuked Bulda as her and most of the family turned to glare him. "You know Kristoff can't live like us." She turned back to Kristoff and said in what she probably thought was a whisper, "Pay him no mind, dear. He's still upset you're not marrying his daughter. And about his kidney stone."
"I don't blame you at all!" piped one of the littler trolls, a nephew of his. "She has this nasty wart right here!" He tapped his nose gleefully. His cheek earned him a swift scuff over the head from his mother that was too late to stop a ring of high-pitched, barely stifled giggles.
Kristoff chuckled with them and said, "Thanks, you guys. For everything, really." Then his eyes widened in shock as nearly a dozen of them jumped on top of him for a hug. He was able to hold his balance for a second before he began tipping backwards with an "Oh, no". He could hear Sven laughing in his own peculiar manner at the sight of all the trolls piling on top of him. He gave up pretending to protest and allowed them all to give him one last hug. Or in the case of the children, three or four or five last hugs. Finally he got into a squatting position and wrapped Bulda and Cliff in his arms.
"Take care of yourself, okay?" Bulda said, patting his shoulder. "Your adventures last month nearly gave us an early petrification."
"I will, Móðir," Kristoff vowed.
"Nah, you won't; your reindeer will," Cliff corrected. He raised his voice louder and said, "Hey, Sven! Take care of your human, will ya? We both know you're better at doing that than he is, right?" Kristoff pressed his face against his palm and groaned. He got up, walked towards his reindeer who still had his mouth open in mirth and his sled, and climbed on. He waved at the trolls and called, "Bye, guys!" He got a long chorus of "Bye, Kristoff, bye Sven" in various levels of pitch as Sven walked away from the Valley, dragging the sled away at a steady pace.
Despite what he told Anna nearly a month ago, he hadn't spent all of his time with his family. In fact, he only arrived at the Valley of the Living Rock last week. The rest he spent working. One thing he learned was nothing cleared his head like good honest work. And even though his position as the Official Ice Master and Deliverer meant he wasn't expected to harvest ice, he still enjoyed going out and working on the ice. Feeling the axe and the saw and the hooks in his hands gave them something to do. And it was difficult to think about Anna and being spurned when his mind was filled with things like tonnes of ice demanded by which villages and the estimated fair price of ice and the quickest routes to his destinations.
He wasn't a love expert by any means and when he thought about it, there was much about love his family didn't know either. At least when it came to people. Trolls typically fell in love with one partner and one partner only and for the longest time, he thought humans were the same. Even though he later knew different, it was hard to remember that when Anna told him that she didn't feel she loved him. He had honestly thought she had been the one or maybe he only thought that because she was the first woman she knew on a close level. Kristoff would only be lying to himself if he said he took the confession well. At first he was very upset that after everything they had been through, Anna didn't have the feelings that he thought she did.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realised how wrong his attitude was. First of all, he should have known that even if they both went on an incredibly dangerous adventure, Anna did not have to love him back. Secondly, if he truly loved Anna like he thought he did, wouldn't he place her happiness above his own indignation? After all, he did bring her back to that prick of a prince when he thought she needed an act of true love to save her. He should be able to let her go to purse her heart's desire. And thirdly, and most importantly, Anna did not say she didn't want to be his friend. And Kristoff would much rather keep their friendship than risk it to try to gain her love.
Of course it was one thing to realise that. It was another to come back home and having to explain to the rest of his family who apparently had been planning their wedding why there wasn't going to be a wedding. Most of the family were surprised that Anna had turned him down and quite a few of them questioned her intelligence, whom Kristoff was quick to correct. Some like Uncle Burt suggested that he forget about trying to love human girls. The children were devastated to hurt that the nice lady and her cute snowman wouldn't be returning. But the opinions he sought the most were from his adopted parents. And while they were of course sad to hear that he and Anna couldn't work out, they also suggested that he allow Anna pursue her heart and be there as her friend for her. Bulda especially reminded him that Anna wasn't, by any means, the only girl in Arendelle and he would find one who cared for him as much as he did for her.
"It's not like my choices are just Anna or Burt's daughter, right, Sven?" he asked out loud. And while normally his reindeer would bray in laughter or give him a look for making fun of the troll maiden, this time he just stopped. Then he began sniffing the air around them.
"What is it, boy?" he asked, looking around the forest suspiciously. It was too light for wolves to come prowling about but Sven didn't get this nervous for no reason. After a minute of sniffing the air, the reindeer turned his head north. Furrowing his eyebrows, Kristoff released Sven from the sled and jumped on top of him, allowing him to lead to whatever was troubling him. When they got clear of the trees, Kristoff found himself at a perch on the mountains low enough to see the fjord below with some detail. He could see the line of villages that stretched along the slopes from the city. And then he looked further up and saw them.
Four ships were sailing from the horizon with white sails and flying unfamiliar flags. Kristoff squinted and noticed that two of them had reinforced bows and hulls, perfect for breaking through ice. The other larger two were of a class that he didn't know but he saw the ballistae on their decks and knew they weren't here for diplomatic or trade reasons. One of those ships apparently dropped anchor because it began to roll up its sails and smaller rowboats were being cast off from the side. The rest of the fleet continued its way towards the city.
"Sven, we have to go," he said. "Now!"
His words were, as usual, utterly pointless. His reindeer knew how important it was to get down the mountain as quickly as possible. With a loud bray, he began racing down the mountain at the fastest pace he could safely keep. Kristoff knew better than to rush him. Far better to be a little slower than risk Sven tripping over himself and breaking his legs. Even still, his heart was beating furiously against his chest as he hoped that either he reached them before the ships arrived or someone else raised the alarm.
I realise this might be a little confusing but basically what Hans did was send the majority of his forces ahead of him. The chapter ends about two days after it began.
Well, here comes the great siege. Have fun, folks!
Once again, I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer.