Nothing was working, but Hans couldn't discount the idea that the old woman disguised any damage to the tendril with her magic. It wasn't like Hans had any better solutions, running away probably wouldn't work either.
Besides, it was a very slow thing. Hans could dodge it for a while. He just woke up, after all. Anna would be in more danger, and she just stood back far away from it.
Well, points for not running away. She squinted, and looked at the creature. Considering it was a tendril made of plants, it was pretty impressive to look at. Of course, it was hard to study it since it spent it's time trying to smash Hans into the ground.
"I got it!" After a few agonizing minutes of dodging, and one thorny smack across the face, Anna shouted, nearly causing Hans to fall over. At once, Anna grabbed her sword and ran towards the creature. It sounded like she had some kind of plan, so Hans tried to stab the tendril and keep its attention on him. At once, Anna was standing right next to it, standing on her toes to reach a point at its plinth.
"Ergh!" It swat at her, smacking her across the face. But she recovered and slashed again. Once she did, the entire thing shook.
"What was that?" Hans asked.
"The flowers. The flowers on it. They glow, kinda. I thought maybe it meant something." Anna jumped back to avoid the next attack. There were a few white flowers on it. As it moved towards Anna, Hans stepped in close and swiped. Unfortunately, his sword was too large to wield that precisely, and it bounced off against the hard thorny growth.
Why did I let Conrad take his daggers back? The tendril seemed to take offense and swiped at Hans again. He had to roll to get out of the way. But it shivered again as Anna sliced off another flower. Several of the vines, too, fell off as Anna cut.
They traded blows back and forth. Anna started to get sluggish, she still hadn't slept and was clearly exhausted. But as more vines fell, the tendril moved slower, and it was easier to get a proper footing up close, and move his sword to delicately slice the flowers without touching the rest of it.
Eventually, there was nothing left but an inanimate clump of thorns and vines. Without it being animated, it burned when Hans used the magic to set it alight. He had a number of cuts on his face and a few other places where the tendril attacked him, but he wasn't in terrible shape. Anna didn't get it as bad, but she sustain a glancing blow.
"How did you figure that out?"
"I…just looked. I saw the flowers on it glowing kinda weird. I thought it was important. It was the only place you didn't hit with your sword."
"You...I didn't even notice that." Hard to, when something is attacking directly.
"You do think quickly on your feet. I guess between this and beating Natan in a fight, it's not just chance."
"T-thanks." Anna looked at the ground. Was she still truly so insecure? She'd have to watch that: Hans wouldn't be the only person to try and take advantage of it. Or did she truly think such things only happened once.
"So, if that witch was right, Samuel is back at Varisen."
"Even if he had a good wind, he would only have just arrived. He wouldn't be headed out to Oren for a few days. We could reach Varisen by that point. We'll have to avoid the roads, though. Marcus knew I was still alive, so my other brothers will know too. They'll get messages out to patrols that walk the roads, and we'll encounter more of them the closer we get to Varisen."
"Is there any way we can get to the city unseen?" Anna asked. Hans had been milling that question over for quite some time now, back when the two of them were traveling with Elsa. Varisen had its impressive wall that was built to withstand siege and greater: A single man could never hope to breach it. There were a few hidden passages to the castle, but not through the walls. It might be possible to smuggle oneself in a merchant's cargo, but finding the right one would be a challenge.
"Let's think on that after we get some sleep. Thinking of things like that shouldn't be done while tired, and clearly, you might have some good ideas of your own. I'll keep watch now while you get some sleep." Hans could see Anna blushing as she lay down in the tent. She truly must've been so unused to praise. Not a good sign, she'd have to work on that.
He let her sleep, and, once she was out, he began to tend to his injuries.
"I know you're in here, Alexander." Samuel had been delivering his report to Rickard while Ferdinand saw to Elsa. Judging from the look of sheer confusion his elder brother tried his best to hide, Rickard clearly hadn't been updated yet.
So goes the way of the puppet. Ferdinand was keeping Rickard on a short leash, not telling him anything. How long would that last? Probably long, Rickard had no interest in ruling, he just wanted the crown.
But now, he planned on a quiet meal before attending a service for the departed he buried at Kipplevost. No longer.
"I suppose it would be too hard to trick a spy." Alexander stepped out from a hiding place.
Well, yes, but even without that, you're better suited for the negotiating table, not infiltration. I could see your shoes. No need to insult him: That could come later.
"What do you want?" Samuel knew the rule dealing with this brother: Let him handle anything related to commerce on his own, and don't let him trap you in sweet words.
"I wanted to talk about Queen Elsa. What is going to happen to her?"
"Worried about trade?"
"More worried about someone else." Alexander wasn't going into his formal language. Was he really that worried, was it a ploy?
"I won't let her come to harm: I saw her in Kipplevost and she was clearly shaken by it." He couldn't reconcile the woman he met days ago with a cold-blooded killer, even if she was a witch.
"You're that vigilant, are you? Pardon me if I'm not convinced."
"So concerned, Alexander? Only one reason I can think of. It was you, wasn't it, who created this plot in the first place. To get Sebastian and Hans to take them home." Samuel sat down on his bed. Alexander didn't respond, as good as admitting it. Not that Samuel disagreed: Sebastian never had an eye for the subterfuge required to assassinate Father and Laurent, and Hans, being in prison, never could have set the plot up. He might have murdered Mother, but the plot wasn't his fault; not this time. They'd be the only two who could take her home safely.
"So then, what's your plan, sit around and hope she isn't murdered in her bed. She still sleeps, despite her witchcraft."
"This. Follow." Samuel strolled towards the opposite end of the room, towards an armoire full of women's clothes, for when his wife was in the palace. He reached inside, towards the top of the frame, feeling.
"C'mon…where are you?" His hand settled on the catch, and he gripped it, and pulled it.
"Mind lending your shoulder?" He called over Alexander, and they were able to slide the armoire along the rails, to a cobweb laden secret passage, with stairs going up.
"I didn't know about this exit."
"No one does. It was an old construction built in our forefather's time, but it collapsed and was covered over. It took me a great effort to get this dug out in secret. But it only goes between here and one floor up. There's another armoire that hides it up there."
"And one floor up from here is Queen Elsa's room." Alexander smirked.
"It's pretty easy to get out from my room unseen, since they'll be more interested in hers. I shall sneak her from the palace tonight, and servants who answer to me will keep up the ruse. I can sniff around for the real mastermind behind this plot."
"You think Queen Elsa can survive the streets of Varisen by herself?"
"You'll be going with her. Keep her on your trading vessel, stay there yourself. It'll be easier to track who comes and goes there than here at the castle. My spies report chaos over in Hyensignor, when soldiers of fortune attacked, so one of their conspirators, probably Arendelle, is in that direction. Marcus and Conrad can deal with them. We'll deal with the traitor in our own family."
"Well, you've outdone yourself. I'd be careful of such a carefully laid plan, they tend to go awry."
"You're just mad because you didn't think of it." Alexander did have a mind for things like this, but even he could only go so far. Spies lived and breathed plans.
"I worry a little, brother. What happens to Princess Anna, and Hans?"
"I don't know." The report mentioned that Marcus had custody of both of them, but it was doubtful he'd hold them: Marcus was always a bit of a softie when it came to the littlest brother. In truth, Samuel knew he was hard on him: Hans couldn't have chosen to kill their mother: Babies could only crawl forth from the womb. But, as Hans was fond of saying, consequence came with choice, even by accident. He took their mother, there was no denying that. So he should pay the price. Whatever happened to Hans was his own affair.