Chapter 12: A Celebration for Heroes

A chill crept at the back of my neck that had nothing to do with my abilities. Captain Aksel's harrowing story on the fate of the Weselton court left me speechless for a long time. What did Aunt Elsa feel when she saw those bodies? What pain she must have received at the words of that defiant king? It was clear she never meant to hurt anyone and would have saved his life if she could.

When I finally cleared my head, I realized something that puzzled me about the king's last words.

You and that cursed captain of yours—the spawn of the Southern Isles. They're all the same. One day he will betray you like his brother betrayed me.

A sudden suspicion hit me: He had the bearing and confidence of a royal, the discipline of a soldier and a brilliant mind that could have only been formed through education and experience of one with a privileged background. Was it possible? But then it all makes sense...

"Captain, who is Admiral Westergard? I mean who was he before when he was in the Southern Isles?"

Captain Aksel didn't respond though I knew he heard me.

"He was a prince, wasn't he?" I dared to guess. "He was the 'captain' the King of Weselton was referring to—the brother to King Sigurd of the Southern Isles."

My companion gave a defeated sigh. "I think it's pointless to hide it Your Highness. You'll find out soon enough. Yes, Admiral Westergard was once the thirteenth prince of the Southern Isles. But he was disowned by his own brother and wandered for years as a pirate until he found a home here."

"What did he do that made his brother disown him?"

The Captain again gave me that same uncomfortable look but he was saved from answering by Oaken who popped his head on the door.

"Hoohoo! Marshmallows are here."

"We'll be right out, Oaken," I replied. I looked at my companion. "Admiral Westergard's past is a thing I need to ask my mother, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"Okay, I understand. Come on, let's go."

We got dressed and I paid up for my purchases.

Outside, a dozen giant ice men sat around watching two of their members playing a game of noughts and crosses on the thinly frosted ground. The ice men were cheering the two players like it was the most exciting boxing match. They all stopped and looked up when we emerged from the trading post.

"Fredrik?" one of them mumbled. I recognized him as the oldest of the Marshmallows created by my aunt. "Mummy Elsa home?"

"Yes, Aunt Elsa's home. And you're all coming with me down to the castle to help her celebrate.

He scratched his head. "Too hot. Not enough snow."

"Don't worry. I'm going to make you personal flurries just for tonight so you can come down."

His lips formed a smile. "Just like Olaf?" he asked.

"Yes, just like Olaf." I waved my hands and conjured up a cloud for each one of them. I made sure they were extra fluffy so they could withstand the heat longer. All the Marshmallows looked pleased to have their own little snow cloud. They began running around excitedly saying "Gonna see summer! Gonna see summer!" over and over again. I guess Olaf told them about the seasons. They were even more delighted when I presented each one of them with an Arendelle victory hat and taught them how to wave a colored flag.

"It's almost sunset Your Highness," Captain Aksel reminded. He untied our horses and led them forward. "If we leave now we might still make it to the end of the feast in a few hours."

"Oh no, we're getting there by the start of the feast." I assured.

Captain Aksel looked puzzled.

"Hey Marshmallows, we could use a ride to the castle," I called out.

"Yes, Fredrik," one of them said as he picked me up and put me on his back. Another two picked up our neighing horses and did the same. A fourth one made a move towards Captain Aksel.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, NO!" he cried though the giant iceman didn't heed him and placed him as gently on his back as he did to me.

"Relax, Captain. This is going to be fun. My family and I have done this a lot of times. Even the horses." I pointed out that the horses had stopped protesting after the initial lift and settled on their respective ice giants' backs comfortably. The ice giants had the ability to morph their backs to suit their passenger and Aunt Elsa taught them long ago how to make a corral for carrying a single horse. "It's perfectly safe."

"O-Okay... Y-Your Highness," he said though I could tell he was still nervous.

"Give him a bridle. It's his first time," I told the ice giant holding Captain Aksel. The gentle giant responded by forming an ice bridle around his neck for his passenger to hold. Captain Aksel grabbed on to it gratefully.

"Hold tight," I warned though I didn't need to. The captain was clutching the bridle like life depended on it. "Let's go!"

At my command, the gentle giants ran down the mountain. They leaped and slid at turns and covered paths in mere seconds what our horses needed to travel for several minutes. Captain Aksel screamed for a whole five minutes until he either got used to it or grew tired of screaming.

"You okay Captain?" I shouted over the wind.

"More or less," was his sheepish reply. I let him be. He would be alright.

The sun had just seton the horizon when Arendelle came into view. Hundreds of lights were lit from the towers of the castle to the villages and docks. Even at this distance I felt the festive air. As we approached I sighted the green and purple banners flying in the wind and heard the joyful songs of the peasants. Some of them were rather startled to see the ice giants. But once they saw our colorful hats and flags they greeted us with warm cheers and raised their cups.

News of the Marshmallows' role in the capture of the pirates in the north mountain must have spread through the village for people were hailing them as heroes. The ice giants seemed to like the attention. They made a happy dance to the tune of the peasants' song which I learned as a young boy when I was asked to sing parts of in during a children's pageant. My teacher told me then the song was an age old rhyme of my people based on an ancient myth. I too joined them as they sang the chorus:

Behold the warrior from the summer lands

Cursed with a wrath that burned

He kills to quench the fire within

But fails at every turn

He shall know no peace 'til his anger cools

By the warmth of a frozen land

He'll toil to earn a maiden's trust

And rule as her right hand

The song was something that fascinated me when I was a child. It sounded much like a knight's journey and I used to make up little plays with my sisters about it. I remember pretending to be a summer knight while Andrea and Elise took turns being the maiden who ordered me to do knightly tasks to "earn her trust." It always ended happily with my coronation as king.

However the song now struck me as something that didn't relate to me at all. I kept thinking of Admiral Westergard—a warrior from the south where summers were longer and saw him as more fitting image of the knight.

My thoughts were interrupted when I sighted Olaf by the castle gates. "Marshmallows! And they have their own personal flurries!" he cried.

Soon he too was dancing with them as was the entire village and I forgot all about the song. By the time we reached the castle courtyard, everybody joined in. It ended when a spectacular ice display appeared in the sky that announced the presence of the Queen.

She appeared in a shimmering ice gown that seemed to change color from green to purple when viewed from different angles. She stood on top of a makeshift dais that the castle staff set up. She was joined by Mama, Papa and my sisters. I remembered that I ought to be there myself and I ran to do my duty. However, there was quite a crowd of people that I jostled my way through and got bumped by one eager buxom woman who was trying to see up the dais. I lost my balance and was about to hit the ground when somebody grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.

"Careful, Prince Fredrik," a warm soothing male voice called. I looked up and met with a familiar pair of green eyes. He looked so much older than the last time we were this close but he appeared a lot healthier now. He was tall, lean, well-muscled and exceptionally handsome though he must be close to forty now. He stood impressively that his regal bearing showed. He looked just like the hero in the stories I've heard.

"Admiral Westergard," I acknowledged. "I never got to thank—"

"There you are, Prince Fredrik," Kai cut in. He grabbed my arms and lifted me to face the direction of the dais.

"But..." I protested but Kai just marched me forward.

"No buts, Your Highness. You can bother the Admiral later for stories." He pushed through the crowd with me in front like I was some sort of battering ram. "Excuse us, prince coming through please." He didn't stop until he deposited me on the dais next to my aunt who was just giving her welcome speech as the crowd hushed.

She began with a solemn prayer and honor ceremony for the soldiers that died. She distributed medals for their families as was tradition. It was all very solemn and her words touched everyone that not a single person was left dry-eyed. I could see my aunt blink back tears as well and saw her shoulders shivered slightly. When she asked for a final moment of silence for the fallen I heard her whisper softly to herself:

"The King of Weselton, his family, his court and all his fallen soldiers and citizens—have mercy on their souls."

I marveled at my aunt's compassion though I wasn't surprised by it. She had no physical scars like Captain Anbjorn but I knew her scars from this war ran deeper, were unseen and most likely would never fully heal. I spied Admiral Westergard who stood below the dais with some Arendelle soldiers. He wore the same haunted look as my aunt and I wondered if he was going through the same thing as she did.

The solemn moment ended and a more festive one followed as my aunt moved on to honor the living heroes. She started with the homeguard and the Marshmallow Brigade. Father and Olaf led the groups to incredible cheers.

Then she proceeded on calling each of the fifteen ships of the returned fleet and their respective captains. Aunt Elsa had proud words for each one, mostly short narratives on their part in winning the many battles. She presented each captain and their crews with tokens of valor, shook their hands then allowed each member of our family to do the same.

Captain Aksel was first to be called. The new proud commander of the Christina blushed when he came to receive his honor and his mother could be heard among the crowd calling "That's my boy!"

Captain Anbjorn's moment was bittersweet as he announced his retirement from service. Mother cried and hugged him like he was a dear grandfather.

Finally Queen Elsa came to the last one, the one I knew everyone was waiting for.

"I would not be alive here today if it weren't for this man," Queen Elsa began. "In fact we might not have won the war if it weren't for his brilliant strategy. I present to you the new commander of the Alexandra and Arendelle's navy, Admiral Hans Westergard."

He was met with thunderous applause and I was among the ones that cheered.

But even before he could step up the dais, I felt a movement on my right. I caught a glimpse of my mother's angry expression before she stepped down wordlessly off the dais and left her sister and the celebrated admiral to face the awkward silence that followed.