A/N: I know I'm a douche, it's been way too long and it's not even an extremely long chapter nor is it oodles of elsanna. But it's progress and we need to get this story moving! So I'm all settled in my apartment with my roomies, we didn't have a router for a while which didn't help and my job has sucked up my free time. Those are my excuses. I shall prevail though, thanks for your patience! Happy Reading :) -FW

Chapter 24: Calculation

Present Day

-Arendelle Palace-

The moon's glow through their frosted window was a nightlight for Anna, casting over Elsa's sleeping form. During these ungodly hours, Anna had woken up, stirred by her own mind and taking time to watch her lover's features, the rise and fall of her bare chest.

Inhale, exhale. Repeat.

So beautiful.

She was sidled up next to the blonde, head on her shoulder with an arm slinked around that svelte waist, careful to not wake her as she drew figure eights on the side of her hip. Elsa had one arm lazily tucked under Anna's head, supported by their pillows, and legs tangled together with duvet sheets nestled above their belly buttons.

At some point throughout the night, they managed to kick them down, meandering downy covers useless after endless sessions of lovemaking. Ranging from needy and desperate to slow and deliberate. It was the best night either of them had shared together, and Anna's necklace seemed to thrum to life along with the beats of their hearts.

The redhead nibbled on her lip with a small smile as Elsa let out a little snore. Her platinum locks were mused, splayed around like ribbon. Her collarbone proudly wore a love bite, matching others further beneath the sheets. Anna's chest did a little flip when her wife nestled a bit closer subconsciously, sighing contently as the ginger left a feather kiss on her neck. She breathed in lavender, mint, and sex, letting her eyes fall shut as she settled back into a dream filled sleep.

Until there was a light knocking on the door.

'Who the hell.'

Anna glanced at the door, slithering away from Elsa ever so cautiously and bringing up the sheets to cover her up. The second knock came as she reached for the closest silk robe, slightly stirring Elsa, "Mm'who is'zit?"

"Shhh, I'll find out, back to sleep," she gingerly turned the handle, peeking her head to find Gerda waiting expectantly.

"What is it Gerda? It's awfully late."

"My apologies, your Majesty-

'Ooh, still weird to hear that…'

-there's someone waiting by the front gates, they wish to speak with you…"

Anna cocked her head, looking back towards the snoozing blonde, "You sure it's not for Elsa?"

"No dear, she requested you."

"She?" Anna's brow knitted together in confusion.

Gerda nodded once.

"Alright, I'll be right out," with another curt nod, Gerda left the Queen's consort to make herself more presentable. She looked around, crouching for Elsa's shirt and trousers as she slipped the articles on before stuffing her feet in her boots. She padded around the bed, brushing back her wife's long bangs as she gave her a chaste kiss with a whisper, "I'll be back soon, kay baby?"

"Hmm? Whereyugoing?" A lazy row of lashes fluttered open, one baby blue iris squinting up at Anna's fuzzy form. 'My god, she's so cute.'

"Someone wants to see me, I won't be long, love you."

She plopped her head back in the pillows, shifting onto her stomach with a hum, "Mm'loveyu."

Anna smirked, raking her fingers through her fiery hair as she picked it up in a quick ponytail. Giving a final glance at her lover, she gently let the door click and made her way to the front of the palace. She yawned, rubbing the back of her neck as her boots echoed along the wood floor of the halls.

She passed by Hans' room, 'He's probably dead asleep…' and something didn't sit right in her stomach, causing her to falter minutely. She shook her head, picking up her pace. The sooner she saw to this stranger, the sooner she can crawl back into bed with Elsa.

Or so she thought.

"N-Nina!?"

Soft blacks curls, round face, dark irises, and engorged belly. Evidence that she was truly looking at her in-law, her pregnant in-law. Elijah's wife. Kristoff's widow. Her dress was caked with moist mud and clingy snow at the bottom, tattered a bit as was her cape.

She was panting, clutching onto a parchment as she stared up at Anna with wide eyes, "It's true… my gods it's true, you're alive…"

Anna took a step closer, laying a hand on her shoulder, "Nina… what're you doing here? You should be in the Southern Isles where it's safe!"

"NO!"

The outburst made Anna jump as the Southern Queen winced, "I- I'm sorry… I can never go back…"

She tried a different route of conversation, "How did… you get here?"

The Southern Queen looked to the ground, "I…"

Nina had managed well enough for the duration of the war, fear gnawing at her stress levels with every far off sound of cannon or howl of the wind. It had stopped temporarily, giving her a chance to rest her eyes for a bit. It was short-lived. A shake of the shoulder had her gasping and squealing away in the face of a darkened ominous figure. She remembered him enough, leather gloves, dark cape and hooded face, she only ever saw his stubbled chin, a peek of his nose and even then he was a constant mystery. The sorcerer..

"Get up," he towered over her, outstretched arm ready for her to take.

Her eyes glistened, body betraying her as she cowered in fear. "I don't have all night, let's go," upon his demand she struggled on weak knees, using his arm for support as she cradled her stomach. Standing on her own she swayed from each ball of her booted feet, clutching back to his forearm for a little more balance as her body adjusted. He let her lean on him as they took slow steps up the ship's cabin.

"Where are you taking me?" she croaked, gaining no reply.

The first thing that hit her senses was the frigid cold, dustings of snow that fell over her face. She looked around as he waited for her to further adjust; it was easier at night to transition from the dark quarters to the soft moonlight. Even then, she still had to squint, eyes growing misty as she gazed at the stars. He watched her warm face, cocking his head in curiosity at her reaction.

Or something.

She shut her eyes, inhaling the crisp night as she subconsciously rubbed her thumb in circles over her belly. She felt eyes on her, letting those lids flutter open and meeting Clay's watchful stare. Well, he was facing her, she could only guess he was staring. She had this odd impression about him, he didn't shove her around, he didn't yell at her, he didn't treat her harshly or force her anywhere even if he 'didn't have all day.' He was letting her take a moment to breathe, and sometimes that's all someone really needs. She cocked her head with his, "You know… I never expected my life to curb this way…"

He remained silent, forearm still supporting her weight a bit. She looked back to the stars, as her tired induced mind let her rant, "… I was so very happy before all of this, before…"

Then he spoke, "Elijah."

"No… before I lost Kristoff."

He didn't understand this, not anymore, but to an extent he sympathized. He could manage that.

"Come on," his voice was deep but quiet, as if she were of porcelain.

His opened his palm, black smoke pooling around them and engulfing their forms. In one moment, they were aboard the abandoned southern fleet over the frozen fjord, the next, they were in the woods and Nina felt nauseas from the little spin her surroundings did. She gripped his forearm once more, rubbing her temple as she groaned, "W-Where are you taking me?"

"Away from the southern camp before a snake finds you, you're lucky to have survived this long," he looked back, noting the faint glow where he had left his company. To their impertinent insistence for needs and supplies, he transported them on the edge of the woods, just where the wall ended near a cliff. He continued to lead her away, being mindful to watch her footing as they crunched through snow. They were peacefully quiet, trudging through as they neared a clearing.

"Why're you doing this?"

He ignored her, doing a double take on the foot prints that nearly faded under freshly fallen snow. A whole troop of them. 'That's odd.' Nevertheless, he needed to send this woman away. "Here, keep north and you'll reach the palace, ask for your sister Anna."

She looked to him incredulously, "What kind of joke is this? Anna is long dead."

He ignored her once more, looking past her through the clearing to the trail as it banked away from the palace, "Go, Nina."

Her eyes, flicked back up to find him, "Wait-"

But he was gone, leaving her with confused thoughts and suppressed memories.

"I… I escaped."

Anna cocked her head at the hesitant reaction, licking her lips to respond. She faltered at the orange glow casting in the corner of her peripheral.

"What is…?"

With a loud shriek, Elsa's snowling confirmed the worst, echoed by the screams of the townsfolk. It swooped from its perched place, to the searing fires that lit up the night with a war cry.

"Shit! Wake the troops!" Anna barked. The nearest soldier on patrol sprinted to the closest tent, shouting cries. Sitron was the first to sprint out, tying his sword to his hip. They barely had time for armor, going for their weapons and dashing to the stables.

"Bring me my horse!"

"Quickly, they're burning the town!"

"Where's Kai!? Nevermind, Gerda take her inside!"

The head maid was frazzled, leading Nina inside as the troops pooled out, collecting their steeds, "Come, dear, quickly!"

"Sitron, with me!" Anna mounted her horse as he trotted next to her, awaiting her lead command. With a loud slap of the reins and kick of the boot to their horses' flanks, they began a furious gallop, no more than twenty in her cavalry. "C'mon!" she cried at her steed, thundering over cobblestone as the flames became more visible, the cries grew louder. The sight of Southerners burning the homes of innocent people, massacring them with blood stained steel, drove a wild rage within Anna.

"Bastards!"

They charged forward as Sitron tossed her a sword, "Anna!"

She caught it midair as she unsheathed the metal, discarding the scabbard and zeroing in on her first victim. The soldier wrenched his blade from a little girl, mercilessly, just as Anna thrusted her weapon into his neck.

Elsa gasped, waking up to the call of her magic. Raking a shaky hand through her locks she snapped her head to the window, a clear view of her snowling flying from its perched place to the town as Arendellian troops followed. She flung off the sheets, running for a set of shirt and trousers. Boots on, dagger within, she ran to the front gate passing Gerda guiding a stranger in her home. She'd question later. The stables were cleaned out and she needed something fast.

Faster than a horse.

With a burst of energy, rage, and magic she shaped snow to her liking. It bore large paws with vicious claws, a long snout with crystallized teeth, a swishing tail, and strong hind legs. It took heavy breaths, growls rumbling from within as vapor huffed with every exhale. Shaking its fur clean of excess snow, her dire wolf howled into the night as she climbed atop its muscular back, gripping the downy coat by its shoulder blades. With a bark it leaped into a sprint followed by snarls, matching Elsa's mood.

She blazed a trail through cobblestone, leaving ice cracked under the pressure of each paw print, spreading like a virus. Remnants of snow flaked off from the wolf's swift tail, fluttering in the wind and hitting the floor gracefully. The flakes followed them like magnets, tumbling over frozen cobblestone, gaining momentum and size with every roll. The random shapes growled and came to life, with icicles jutting from fangs and claws.

Lumps of snow unfurled from mid roll, front paws emerging first to take form of a wild dogs and breaking into sprints. Six smaller wolves began to hit formation behind her, banking off into the woods as she neared the flames consuming her town. Her people.

With a screech of her snowling it tried desperately to douse the flames up above, batting its wings against housing as snow reduced them slightly. But it wasn't enough on its own as the fires licked its feathers. Not when enemy soldiers were trying to take it down. The town was surrounded in flames, finding it difficult to get through, but she was determined as she witnessed her troops fend off what they could. She gave a kick in her beast's flanks, breaking through searing flames, ends of her braid sizzling as her wolf leapt over the wall of fire and dove head first into a troop taking aim at her snowling.

It barreled into him, snapping his neck between its frozen jaws and spooking the Arendellian horses near from its loud snarl. Howls echoed the horse's whinnies around the town in a symphony of animalistic cries. White wolves hopped over burning rooftops in a rendezvous, snarling with wicked intent as the noise grew louder in the chaos. Wails of dying men joined the cacophony as Southern troops were ambushed by relentless beasts. They tore open exposed throats, dragged men towards the flames they caused, crunching their fangs at them.

There was a young boy, too young, burning into the fires. Elsa didn't waste time shooting out her hands to rid the flames as her troops grabbed the boy and patted him down as he cried for his papa. From another far corner, the enemy had ripped an infant from its mother, thrusting a blade into her stomach as she wailed for her little one. Her magic wasn't quick enough to save her, but enough to attack the southern troop with a mangled throat before he could even think of what he'd do to that child. An older man, possibly the father, scooped up the child and ran from the chaos. Where to? She wasn't sure.

There seemed to be destruction all around. Behind her she heard Anna, screaming as she drove her blade into the heart of one man and stalking another just as quickly. Her steed laid dead near her, sliced from the side with glossy eyes, white mane stained in blood and soot. Anna worked with the wolves, cutting behind a man's knees as the beasts ripped him apart once he fell. Her attention was drawn as an explosion came from the inn, the fires engulfing over half the town as her snowling was caught in the destruction with a sickening screech, feathers melting away as her creation steamed into nothing.

Elsa screamed, dealing with searing flames licking her skin, charring every layer without actually being caught in the fires herself. Always a price to pay.

Anna snapped her head, coming to her aid as Elsa clutched to her wolf desperately. In the minute it took for the enemy to realize her vulnerability, she was surrounded by bleeding men crazed by adrenaline, wanting to end it all by spilling the blood of the monarch. The dire wolf backed up into a fit of growls, waiting until one moron went for the kill alone. There was always that one fool.

Sure enough, a young man jumped forward to bring down his blade. The look in his eyes filtered from determination to fear and agony once burning ice imbedding into his calf over and over. He was tossed like a rag doll into another soldier just as three men leapt into action. Anna tumbled under, driving her blade into the side of one seasoned soldier. She spun on her heel, ripping her blade free to deal with another as the beast finished the third with a crunch to his head.

Elsa panted as she held on steadfast, shaking her head and her nerves from her recent bodily trauma. She looked up wearily to Anna, "You okay!?" The redhead shouted over ringing steel. Elsa nodded once, straightening up slowly as she forced her ice upon the flames over the collapsing inn, charging from her palms and crinkling her nose at the scent of burning flesh. She gritted her teeth, trying to keep her wolves in check from the flames as she doused the fires the best she could. She didn't want to feel the experience of being burnt alive again. She needed to tread carefully if she wanted to survive this with a clear head.

There was only so much a person could take before losing their mind.

"I knew I shouldn't have left him alone," Kai huffed in frustration, tripping over a coated root as he stumbled through the woods. "Dammit Hans, where did you go?"

The steward peered through the foliage, squinting in the darkness as he wiped his creased forehead. He wasn't naïve enough to think Hans wouldn't stay put in his room, he wasn't daft to think Hans had been A-okay with his recent injury. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised discovering an empty bed when checking up on the ginger man. He followed the scuff on the hardwood floors to the front gates, then the prints imbedded in the snow. When the prints started to fade he began to worry, growing a bit frantic at the eerie tension as the woods held its breath.

He stumbled again, falling on his palms with a grunt, "Damn woods…" His eyes were focused on crisp leaves crusted in frost, so intently as his mind whirled as to where his friend could be. Something was out of place, unnatural within the purity of snow. A stain of magenta turning pink piqued his senses with a wash of dread.

It had pooled, touching a small hill of snow where it ended. The steward finally acknowledged the large heap under a blanket of white, two feet away from the stain. A knot tightened in Kai's throat, crawling closer to the misplaced figure with a shaky demeanor. The knot expanded as he gave a light shove to what he prayed would be a hunted animal, snow falling from a familiar face with a pale complexion proving him wrong.

"H-Hans! My God!"

The steward cried, ridding the snow from his limp body and noting the open wound; a nasty red with aggressive blood flow into the ground. Kai ripped a piece of his coat, applying pressure as best as he could, digging the cloth into the wound. He wasn't a doctor but he needed to do something as he fought the panic-attack hitting him hard.

The rag soaked up blood greedily, trickling through as the steward thought of only one option, praying to save this man's life. He huffed, hoisting Hans over his shoulder in hopes that more pressure from his shoulder would help. He couldn't be sure. "W-We need to get you home. I need to get you home… I-I.."

He was gasping, trying desperately to watch his footing as he repeated the same mantra to keep his cool. "Don't die, don't die, don't die." There was a warm glow back near the palace, grateful for the beacon home but the smell of char told him to feel otherwise.

"Don't die."

Things were getting quieter, the crackling of wood transformed to a gentle simmer under fleets of snow, steam adding to the gagging smell of carnage. Ringing echoes of steel masked by cries dulled as the people whimpered behind the advancing cavalry of Arendelle, finishing off the remnants of Southerners. All that remained as Elsa finished off the last bit of embers were dead bodies, soldiers and townsfolk alike, and the sorrows of those who remained.

Anna was slumped over a little girl, sullen eyes watching over her lifeless body. Parents not too far behind, bleeding out over the land in a sharp contrast between white and red. Common colors of the night.

Elsa slid down from her dire wolf, patting its back as she took cautious steps towards her wife. Soft crunching of snow added to the sobs all around with each step, the splintered wood giving way in the corner of a charred inn provided an eerie creak in the desolation, causing Anna's skin to jump with a flinch. She wiped her nose, smearing more soot as dry blood crusted the side of her face, blood of the guilty and blood of the innocent. Lives she couldn't save.

Her blade no longer looked of steel, painted in burgundy and black, even to the hilt. Her clothes stuck to random spots of skin in deep hues of magenta, splattered with dirt and sizzled on one end. She looked foreign to Elsa, a woman filled with scorn and regret. She had lost herself in battle, consumed with a savage need to kill. They both had. Her wolves did no better, mercilessly hunting more for the sake of revenge than for the duty of protecting. It made Elsa feel sick.

She kneeled next to her wife with a heavy sigh, wiping her sweaty brow with the back of her palm. Anna didn't acknowledge her, keeping her sights on the child though her mind was elsewhere. Elsa looked over the girl's peaceful features, closing her eyes and bowing her head in a silent prayer.

Anna sniffled, the first sign of emotion since rage came into play, followed by a choked sob behind a hand as she leaned into Elsa. The blonde screwed her eyes shut, holding Anna close with a hand cradling her head. A lump formed in their throats, with a wave of failure hitting them harder than the reality of being so easily deceived. How could they have been so stupid?

There was a grunt and a shuffle in the snow as they turned their heads, a Southern soldier attempting to crawl away from the debris as his leg soaked a shade of deep pink in powdery white. Anna growled coming up behind the man and pulling him back by the hair, "…Ethan."

The man snarled, spitting at the royals with disdain.

"You fucking bastard, my brother trusted you," she yanked back harder as he gritted his teeth with a sickening chuckle.

"Your brother's naïve…" his grin stretched even farther, "Well… was."

She pressed his face in the snow while twisting back his arm in a lock, "Speak clearly or this will break." Anna didn't shout, didn't scream or holler. Instead she carried an eerie calm in her voice, one that would mask any emotion and used by the best of cons. Elsa's brows rose in surprise, Anna's usually the expressive one.

She stretched his arm even farther, "Tell me."

His eyes screwed shut but his smirk prevailed, "That c-cripple is no longer your c-concern, he's probably bleeding the last of his life in the s-snow."

Her eyes widened, getting off of him quicker than she could contain the break in her heart. "Y-You're lying." The crack in her voice had him rolling on his back, goading with a hearty laugh, "I don't care what you believe… it won't change the fact that he's dead."

Elsa stepped between them, "Take us to him or you will die."

"Weak threat."

Her dire wolf snarled behind him, "I beg to differ."

He remained silent, eyes squeezing shut as growls grew louder behind his neck, a cold gust sinking down his spine. He looked back up to them, eyes finding Anna, "Fuck. Off."

Mercy died when her people did. She didn't take too kindly to traitors.

She turned away as Elsa gave the command, fangs sinking into his neck with gurgled cries. He choked, jugular caving into itself as his hands clawed at the beast behind him weakly. Elsa didn't wait to watch him die.

Anna wiped her sword in her trousers, keeping it on hand as she walked towards the woods. "Anna wait," but she didn't listen to the blonde, she needed to find the truth, hoping she'd instead find a camp instead of her brother. "Anna." She didn't look back, she didn't even register anything else until the blonde grabbed her elbow, and "Anna let me go with you."

"No, your people cannot have you abandon them."

"They're your people too, An-"

"ANNA!" Odd shadows tumbled from the woods, collapsing a few feet in front of them. She recognized that voice anywhere, "Kai!"

"I-It's Hans!" They rushed to them, collecting the cold prince as he continued to bleed out, paler than the moon. "Nonononono," Anna became frantic, hand shaking over his covered wound. It looked as if Kai already tried to plug the wound, clotting to prevent any more loss. But it wasn't enough. "Hans!" she screamed for him to wake up, anything to stir him.

"Lay him down!" Elsa barked, as she removed the makeshift bandages. She dipped down to his chest to press her ear there, catching the faintest thump of a heartbeat, "He's still alive!"

Anna squeezed her eyes shut in relief, raking her hands through his matted hair. Elsa laid her hands over his stomach, shooting a shard deep into his wound, his nerves jolted his body but he remained unconscious. The shard melted into slick ooze, slowly stitching together his tissue with gentle ease. Layer after layer, reducing the blood loss to nothing as she finished with another wave of the hand to seal to last layer. "We still need to take him back home, I can't replace the blood he's lost, Kai-"

The steward was shaking, looking like an absolute mess. Blood over his shirt, hair sticking out randomly, sweat perspired, eyes bloodshot from crying. "Kai, try to focus, we need a medic to monitor him."

He sniffled, nodding as they set Hans atop her wolf, slumping over its thick neck. Anna retrieved a horse, trotting next to them just as Elsa hoisted Kai up with Hans, "Go, be quick." She sent off her beast as she grabbed Anna's hand, "I'll be home soon."

Anna nodded with a soft smile, but it was half hearted. Elsa took what she could get, giving her a chaste kiss as they departed. She had failed to prevent one tragedy, but this one thing she was grateful for, in the least. The gods were easy on her, she didn't know what she'd do if Anna lost Hans. But she couldn't save everyone, raking back her hands she whistled into the air and her wolves darted past her to the forest, taking care of nightly patrols.

There will be no more mistakes. Everything must be calculated from here on out. With a heavy sigh, she collected herself and began to heal the mournful with a heavy heart. She wasn't prepared to hear a dead count, or hear the whimpers of a parentless child. But she had to push through, she had no choice. She would be the shoulder her people needed.

Elijah paced the wood just outside his tent, waiting for a long overdue report of his most recent act. He clenched his hands behind his back, gritting his teeth with his back erect, causing strain to his stressed muscles. "Should be back by now," He whispered harshly to himself.

"Who should be back?" The King jumped at the intrusive voice, straightening his back even more so as Clay emerged from the shadows.

Clay didn't give him a chance to answer, "You sent troops to attack Arendelle when we gave them a night of peace. That was foolish."

Emerald orbs narrowed into dangerous slits, "You gave them a night of peace, without my consent. You forget your place."

"I'm doing what's best for your army, saving you some men and profit at the end of this. Have any of your men returned?" He crossed his beefy arms, cocking his shrouded head in amusement.

No reply.

"I didn't think so, now you've lost more than you thought you would because of your impatience and arrogance."

Something snapped. "Tread carefully! I'm still the King, your King!" His jaw line was stiff, faint vein popping from his temple as his brows dipped with uncontrolled anger.

Clay smirked in the darkness, always grateful to be hidden as he bowed half heartedly, "Of course my liege, just be mindful of your steps… wouldn't want you to fall."

"The fuck does that mean!?" The pitch in his voice rose, coming closer to the sorcerer with an accusing finger.

The dark man held up his hands in defeat and defense, "Nothing but friendly advise, things must be calculated now, and I shall provide that insight if you wish to listen."

There was a long silence that followed. Elijah held his ground, chest heaving from exertion. After a few short breaths he gave a slow smile, raking a ringed hand through his locks a bit and tussling his crown. Clay cocked his head once more as the King patted his shoulder with mirth, "… Alright, starting tomorrow I'm giving you the ropes. Do not fail me."

Witnessing madness was always an interesting sight.

"Failure isn't in my plans," Clay dipped his head once more as he lowered his hands. They shared a wicked grin for different reasons as the sorcerer snapped his fingers, transporting them back where they belonged over the fjord. Everything needed to be calculated from here on out.

A/N: So more plot development, I'll try to be diligent for you darlings. This story will be finished. Till next time babes! -FW

Guest: You're sweet.

xAnimejunkie23x: But I didn't kill him lol I'm glad cause it's not over and I have a feeling it may be a little longer than planned. MAY.

Guest 2: Well you pegged him correctly, he's an asshole. Oh no it doesn't end with a happy wedding lol so much needs to happen.

Mysterious Kuro Miko: Their wedding gave me butterflies and everything after. Elijah's on thin ice now... ha see what I did there... okay I'm done lol

malekoydaerb: I'm glad you think so, I was skeptical at first but you guys reassured me. Yea not many survived that, details in the next upcoming chapter.

As always I adore reviews, favs and follows. Thanks for all the support, much love!