"What do you mean, the castle at Stonewell is under siege?" Nik demanded of Karbane, the Lord of Karland. His family had been kings and queens themselves before they joined with Stonewell a generation ago, and had a unique tradition of beginning their names with the prefix Kar, in honor of their lands and forefathers. "Where did an army come from? How did it slip by everyone?" He had only just disembarked as the sun rose that morning; this wasn't the kind of news he expected to receive after his week in Arendelle.
"It was a small army, only four thousand men by the count in the message on the raven, Your Majesty. They landed in an uninhabited fjord along the Wolfswood, the old harbor for Stonewell, and marched through the forest using the old overgrown road. Our patrols happened upon their ships floating at anchor; some of the banners flown included Weselton and Valsparta. All but one were sunk immediately. That ship flew the banner of the Southern Isles, but being smaller and faster managed to escape. We gave pursuit and managed to scuttle it at sea," Karbane informed him. "The invaders are trapped here, and the Osgoods are leading the northern territorial forces down on them. The southern forces are marshaling and growing as they head north. They will be here within the hour."
"Good. Get my horse. I intend to be at the head of that column," Nik stated as he drew Frostbite, his family heirloom sword, and ran the oilcloth along its length. His great grandfather, the legendary King Aleksander, had once used this sword to quell the wars that had ravaged the North for years; it was now over two hundred fifty years old, but still stronger than any sword he'd ever seen. During one of their many practice trips in the Wolfswood, his father had noticed the sword amplified his magic and provided a collection point for a focused application. Its blade gleamed in the light, reflecting almost blue, the color from which its name was drawn. The head of a red-eyed wolf graced the pommel, inspired no doubt by the family sigil.
"I had hoped war could be avoided; I see now that they wanted one regardless. I shall give them one they won't soon forget, and this blade will see blood along its length again." Nik commented. He let an old memory come to the surface, a memory of a letter that threatened revenge. 'At least it isn't him. He'd be much worse to deal with, because he knows these lands,' he thought to himself, 'and he wants something more dire than just a kingdom.' Looking to Karbane again, he asked another question. "How strong will our forces be when we arrive at Stonewell?"
Karbane saw the momentary flash in Nik's eye, and knew exactly what he was thinking about; he was the one who brought that letter to the King. It was still locked in his private safe. "Your castle is currently at fifteen hundred men, sire," Karbane began, obliging his King's desire to ignore the memory. "The Osgoods have sent word that the northern forces number over five thousand. The southern forces should stand at seven thousand by Stonewell."
"Good. Over eleven thousand men; the southern kingdoms have clearly underestimated the strength of the North, and our defenses. We will give quarter to those who yield. Those who don't, shall receive no mercy." Nik frowned, then sheathed Frostbite. "Let us ride with all haste." With that, Nik and his brothers donned the armor they had taken with them, preparing for battle.
By mid-afternoon of the next day, the forces of the North arrived at Stonewell to find the invading army camped just beyond arrow range of the battlements of the castle. Siege towers and battering rams were under construction, but their work had been slowed by various forays by the castle garrison; the invaders had been camped for days and had only barely begun the structures of the machines of war. When the war horns of the North called from the field and were returned by those atop the castle watchtower, the invading army found itself completely surrounded and outnumbered nearly three-to-one.
A few small groups gave battle, but the rest, including the commander of the army, surrendered almost immediately and were broken into groups to be taken to holds throughout the North as prisoners of war. Nik despised holding men so far from their homes, but this invasion was an act of war, an act that he would ultimately need to respond to, quickly and decisively.
The commander, one of the Southern Isles brothers from the hair and eyes, was brought into the throne Room and presented before Nik that evening in chains. "Remove his chains. Even as a prisoner, he is still of a royal house. He'll be treated as such, even if he is of House Westerguard," Nik commanded from his throne, his distaste for that family evident in his voice. When the chains were off, he spoke to the young man in front of him. "So, which of the brothers are you? Don't try to deny that you are one; the hair and eyes mark you as one of them. And who sent you? Who do you answer to?"
"I am Harold, the youngest brother, 14th in line for the throne of the Southern Isles, King Nikolaus," the boy announced, standing tall at the base of the dais. "I was selected for this because I do not want and will never get to sit the throne, so I'm considered expendable. My brothers often forget to mention that I even exist, except when it is convenient for them. Often they simply ignore me on a daily basis. However, I disagree with my brothers' ambitions, and the decision to release Hans was a huge mistake, though no one listened to me."
Discovering that yet another brother existed was a shock, but the mention of Hans being freed snapped Nik's temper hard enough for thunder to roll outside the castle. "Harold, I wish you no ill-will," he spoke gently now, both to maintain his control and because the boy couldn't be much over fifteen; he could not fathom why those brothers would send such a young boy to deal with their enemies. "But I need you to understand that you have become a pawn in a much larger game, and how well you play along determines the length of your life. Here is my proposal. Cooperate, and you may spend the next few years here in Stonewell until your eighteenth birthday, when you can choose your life as you wish. Or you can choose to resist, and I will send you back to your brothers piece by piece until they desist with their plans to rule everyone."
The boy's eyes filled with tears. "Please, Your Majesty, I don't want to die. I'll do anything you ask. If you grant me asylum here, I'll tell you all that I know of their plans," he paused and met Nik's eyes, "which currently involve forcing Arendelle to submit by your demise."
Nik leaned forward at this bit of information, a small smirk on his face. 'So, Hans wishes me dead. He's not the only one, though he will not find me so easily disposed of,' he thought to himself. After a moment's consideration, he spoke to Harold again. "Harold, you'll have your asylum conditionally. Give me what information you have, and if it is true and you display loyalty to Stonewell and the Northern Alliance, then you will be an adopted brother here. If it's false, I will have no problem removing your lying tongue personally and leaving you to rot in a dungeon," he threatened, his voice hard. "Speak, boy, and be quick about it. Arendelle's defense is of great importance to me."
Harold dropped to one knee and looked up at Nik. "Hans' plan was to capture Stonewell and you, and present your head to Queen Elsa to force her submission, as he believes the two of you are betrothed by some spell of yours. Once Arendelle and the North were his, he was going to turn to Corona and use whatever means necessary to bring that kingdom to its knees, possibly by threatening the death of the other of Rapunzel's cousins if a siege failed." He paused here, shaking his head as he thought on what had transpired earlier in the day. "Obviously he won't get Arendelle so easily, and the North is lost to him. He vastly underestimated your defenses here, but I believe he'll launch his assault on Corona just the same. He will probably still attempt to lie his way into Arendelle's submission as well, but without the proof...Queen Elsa is a strong woman," the boy stated, a hint of admiration in his voice and eyes. "The envoy that will bring her the news should already be en route to her harbor."
Nik rose and called some guards. "See Harold to a guest suite and confine him there. Post guards outside his door. See that he is fed, and keep him informed of what is happening with this war. As of right now, we ARE at war, in particular with the Southern Isles, Valsparta, and Weselton." He turned to Harold then, and met his eyes. The boy didn't flinch. "I want to believe you, boy, but you must understand that I cannot trust you as yet. When I return, we'll discuss how things go and what your future will be. Until then, aside from interaction with others, every comfort will be provided you as is befitting a member of a royal house."
Harold nodded, then followed the guards to his temporary home. Nik turned to his brothers, his concern for Elsa's safety beginning to show on his face. "We must move quickly. Corona will need our help immediately. Aksel, take half the strength of every inland garrison, board the fleet, and make for Corona with all speed. I'll provide a spell to speed your trip. The harbor garrisons are to remain at full strength with enough ships to patrol our shores for another invasion.
"Johan, you and I will ride overland to Arendelle with all haste. Forty men as an escort, no more. We leave within the hour, and travel as light as possible. Armor and arms only; we'll find other provisions along the way. Have the ravener send messages to Corona and Arendelle with his best birds, three birds for each kingdom. They must be warned of the impending attack, and the messages MUST get through. Move!" he commanded, then turned to head to the stables and prepare his horse.
Within the hour, an army was marching toward a fleet of ships and Corona, and Nik, Johan, and forty of his best guards were riding down the peninsula at breakneck speed for Arendelle and Elsa. He hoped that his message made it to her in time, and that she would be wise enough to stall their enemies until he could arrive if they beat him there.