Sir Lamiel of Cardiff

(A/N: Not overly happy with this chapter, had to change a good number of things around in it to bring it more in line with Ahtohallan's location - initially I was picturing it to be based on Iceland or Greenland and thus overseas, then I figured it was on the 'Norse' coast and reached through a pass, which was something I was only half-right on - but hopefully it's more geographically correct now, and still coherent.)

Elsa cried out in pain as a contraction came on her. The sound of the waves lapping against the ship was soothing, but it did precious little to help ease her troubled mind or her pain. Gerda, the Duke of Weselton, Olaf, and Dr. Jekyll were huddled in the cabin with her. She panted for breath. Gerda clung to her hand tightly. "It's alright, dear. You'll be alright," the older woman soothed.

"There is a large gap between contractions," Jekyll said, checking his pocket watch. He looked to Elsa. "The baby is in no rush to get out which is for now a good thing. It means I won't be delivering in a war zone. Hopefully I won't be delivering at sea at all."

"My-my family," Elsa gasped out as the contraction faded.

"We can't stay here much longer, Elsa," the Duke seriously said. "It may only be a matter of time before they discover us."

"I'm not leaving them!" she insisted.

"Fortunately for all of us, you aren't the one who decides when we go," he sternly said. "Ten more minutes. That's all we can spare. Any longer and they'll be upon us!"

"Can't the shadows keep them back for longer than that?" Olaf asked, sounding stressed.

"Only for as long as they can 'exist'," the Duke replied.

"The king is come! The princess and prince as well!" a voice called excitedly from above deck. Elsa gasped in relief. Finally she would learn what was going on out there.

It was only minutes before the door to the cabin burst open. Anna was across the room in a second, falling on top of her sister. Kristoff followed, clinging to baby Gerda tightly and looking strained. "Elsa!" Anna exclaimed, clinging tightly to her sibling. Elsa held her back just as firm.

"What happened out there?" Elsa whispered.

"It was horrible," Anna said, voice quivering. "The survivors are being organized onto two ships by Erik and Francis. They'll make for the Southern Isles, where they'll be given refuge."

"Survivors?" Elsa tensely asked, eyes wide in horror.

Anna sniffed, sitting up and wiping her eyes. "It was so bad Elsa," she said. "If not for your ice, the Duke's shadows, the knights, or Sora, there would have been so much more death."

"Soredamer? Where is she?" Elsa fearfully asked. She gasped as she felt the ship start to move. Hans was taking control, it seemed. She swallowed and focused on Anna again, who was looking away with teeth clenched in grief.

"She-she was taken captive by the pirates and smugglers," Kristoff said. "So was Mattias… We think Thord was too… We couldn't find any of them, but Mattias' men were found. They'd been slaughtered. He wasn't among the dead in the forest and Thord wasn't among the dead in the palace. Sora wasn't among the dead in Arendelle so that's how we ration they were all kidnapped. Along with a lot of others. A lot."

"Kai, what of Kai?" Gerda urgently asked, standing up.

"He's dead," Hans' voice said bluntly and grimly from the door. Elsa sat up quickly to look at her husband, covering her mouth as grief filled her eyes.

"No…" Gerda whispered. "No!" she screamed. "Liar!" she shouted at Hans, making to advance on him quickly. The Duke of Weselton caught her arm firmly, keeping her back.

Hans held his ground. He looked so done. There was no sympathy in his expression, there was no grief, there was no anger, there was nothing. Just a steely, set gaze that reflected zero of what he was thinking or feeling in that moment. "I wish I was," he answered monotonously. Gerda shook her head and broke down, collapsing. Jekyll ensured her collapse wasn't painful or hard. Gerda melted onto the floor sobbing. Hans watched quietly. Elsa looked on in grief and guilt and concern. Anna rose, crossing back over to Kristoff and Gerda. She buried herself against her husband and closed her eyes. Hans looked to Elsa, who was now covering her mouth as she watched Gerda. Tears were spilling from her eyes. Jekyll helped the older woman up and led her off somewhere where she could have time to try and cope with her grief.

Olaf watched them go. "Wh-what do you mean Kai is dead?" he uncertainly asked, looking back at Hans with wide eyes.

"Exactly what I mean," Hans answered bluntly, crossing to Elsa and sitting on the bed next to her. Her eyes were closed, her hand still covering her mouth. He reached out, cupping her cheek and turning her to face him. "I'm sorry," he softly whispered.

"How many died?" she asked in a whisper.

"Fewer than might otherwise have died, if not for you and those who stepped up to defend the city. Still more death than there should have been," he answered. "We don't have numbers. That will have to be figured out later. It isn't over, Elsa. We need to leave Arendelle."

"I guessed as much when you put out to sea despite the fighting being done," she answered in a whisper, staring at the blankets.

"It was Carabis. Carabis in alliance with Xe, who had already amassed an army of smugglers, pirates, and bandits and rallied them to his purposes," Hans said.

"Erik and Francis are alive I assume, if they're loading the survivors onto ships," she said. Hans nodded. She looked at him. "What about the knights?"

"They're fine. In fact, they're on board," he answered. "The fighting isn't over. Xe is waiting in ambush. He's going to follow us. Erik and Francis will get the refugees to the Southern Isles. Xe won't cross into Meilic's waters. His focus will be on us. I'd suggest trying to lose him in Southern Isles territory, but we don't have time to make it all the way there. We may be able to shake him on the water. At least for a while. Not long, though, if he's working in tandem with Carabis."

"Dammit," she whispered. She closed her eyes. He felt a chill. She was going to try and end this before it had a chance to escalate, he realized. She was probably going to attempt to freeze or destroy the pirate ship or freeze the sea.

"Don't," he said, reaching out and clasping her shoulder firmly, causing heat to run through her arm. She looked quickly at him. "Either way we have to get away from Arendelle. Even if you stop Xe in his tracks, all you'll do is slow him down when he doesn't plan to attack regardless. Expending that much power right now…" He ran his hand down her body and rested his hand on her stomach. "I can't lose you Elsa," he murmured.

She stared at him quietly before laying back down, turning her back to him. "If I'd known this pregnancy would render me so useless…" she began.

"Useless? You saved lives. A lot of them with those snow beasts of yours," he answered. "For most of this pregnancy you were just fine besides. It's just… right now things are a bit more complicated. Carabis' doing, not yours or this pregnancy." Silence. "What's your plan?"

"Erik and Francis need to bring the refugees to the Southern Isles, as you ordered. In the meantime, we make for the Enchanted Forest where we'll be safe. From there we can plan a retaliation and Arendelle's salvation," she said.

"Exactly what I was thinking," he answered, smiling a bit. His smile fell. "I'll speak to my brothers. They'll send men across the sea to occupy Arendelle and prepare for whatever war might be coming to the doorstep. The Knights have written the others. They'll come too and they'll come with a vengeance, particularly after realizing what happened to Soredamer."

"I take it you have a whole battle plan preemptively laid out?" she asked, turning around again and smiling tiredly up at him.

He bent over her, pressing his lips to hers before releasing them and sitting up, running his hands through her loose hair. "Second nature," he answered. She nodded, looking ponderous. "Gods… You're so beautiful," he murmured gently to her. She let out a bit of a laugh, attention returning to him, and offered a radiant grin. He smiled softly, but soon his smile fled. "I thought about stopping in England. Picking up some of my allies to join us. Might be too dangerous for that though. Most of them aren't exactly trained in combat."

"We'll be safe in the Enchanted Forest," she said in a whisper.

"I hope you're right," he replied.

"I can slow the pirate down," she said. "It won't take much power or effort."

"Don't try it so close to shore. Too easy a way out for him there," Hans said. "Out in the open ocean where he has nowhere to try and run."

"Hans, there is no open ocean between here and there," Elsa said. She waved her hand, conjuring up an ice map on the table next to her.

Hans looked it over and started, eyes widening. "It's that close?!" he exclaimed.

"If we followed the river through the mountains, we'd be there in a few hours depending on how fast this ship can sail up current," she said. "But we're not going that way. It would make it too easy for those who'd hurt the forest to find. We're going the way my parents went. They went through the Channel here. That's the closest thing to open ocean we'll have until we come upon the Dark Sea."

"Then we sail right up the middle of the channel," Hans said with a determined frown, tracing the path they'd take and leaving a fiery trail locked inside the ice. "It'll be good enough. It has to be." He looked at her. "The mist..." he began.

"Cleared. There's no force keeping the enemy back," she said in concern. "It's a race. We have to get there enough ahead of Xe that I can contact the entities and get them to seal it in mist again. The Northuldra won't be happy, but they'll understand how necessary it is to keep us all safe."

"Damn. There are too many unknowns, too many ways this could go wrong," Hans said.

"Too convoluted for even the Chameleon King to be able to adapt?" she asked with a teasing smile.

He examined the map then smirked devilishly, giving her a smoldering side-eye. "No. Too convoluted for me to want to, too much is at stake, but not too convoluted for me to pull off regardless."

"I'll keep trying to reach them. The trip may get rough. Very rough," she warned.

"I'll handle it," Hans assured. "Let me worry about the sea. You worry about the communication." She nodded, smiling at him.

Frozen

When news of the events in Arendelle reached the Southern Isles, and the refugees, there was no time wasted. The Isles were abuzz with activity. The refugees were being housed, the princes were preparing an army to sail for Arendelle if only to repel whatever invading force might try and raze the rest of it to the ground, and Jurgen was hurrying to get his ship prepped for the journey to the Dark Sea, Erik and Francis with him. He was taking the fastest vessel he had. There was no time to waste. It would cut their trip in half. More, if they did shifts and never stopped to rest. "If it's not one damn thing it's another," the pirate king agitatedly said. "Damn Xe to hell!" He boarded the ship with the Duke's two men. It was ready to go. "Raise the anchor!" he ordered as the last of his crew scrambled aboard. They did so and the ship put out to sea. Erik and Francis were clearly apprehensive about the matter of being on a pirate ship. As soon as the Southern Isles were out of sight, Jurgen gave another order. "Raise the flag!" he shouted sharply. Quickly the royal flag was lowered, and another was hoisted into the air. A pirate one, though not the stereotypical Jolly Roger. It followed the pattern, but instead of crossed bones it was crossed swords. On the skull's head there was a crown topped with a bleeding heart with a knife buried in it. Francis grimaced. Erik was looking around on high alert, suspicious of most every person on this ship. "How about you two relax? Sound like a plan?" Jurgen bit with a frown.

"Excuse us for being uncomfortable about ending up tied to pirates," Francis replied. Jurgen rolled his eyes hopelessly.

"Do you even know where to start looking for Ahtohallan?" Erik asked.

"Nope. I know it's north. We'll find it. Even if Hans can't find a way to communicate with me, and he will find a way, there are other ways to find a secret land that's not-so-secret anymore. At least as far as I understand what little I know of that story," Jurgen replied. "Don't worry about it. If things start going wrong, you two will be the first ones to know. For now, trust me. I won't go plundering or pillaging, promise. My goal in this is to catch up to Xe and make him regret his plotting. Erik and Francis exchanged dubious looks before sighing and relenting with nods of understanding. A crow cawed from above. They looked up at it. "Hey, no freeloaders!" Jurgen shouted at it, picking up a piece of debris and throwing it at the bird. The bird flapped and flew off the mast before soaring down to him and perching on his shoulder, pecking him hard. "Ow!" Jurgen exclaimed. The bird pecked again. "What the hell bird!" Jurgen snapped, batting at it. It fluttered away before beginning to change forms. Jurgen tensed. Oh. That explained it. He frowned, blatantly unimpressed as his brother appeared. "I thought I said no freeloaders," he testily said to Lars.

"We need to catch up to Elsa and Hans as quickly as possible. I can shape shift into a sea monster and tow you across the sea faster than you could ever hope to go by wind and current alone," Lars said with an annoyed sigh.

"Your plan or Caleb's?" Jurgen asked.

"Rudi's, actually," Lars replied.

Jurgen nodded. "Fine," he relented. "Hop to it then. Whenever you feel you have the strength."

"I can get us as far as Arendelle in a few hours, before exhausting myself. At that point you're the one who'll be playing catch up for a while. I'll remain behind in Arendelle to play General for the troops that will come later. Monitor the place before they arrive, see if I can't figure out some other allies to pull into the issue," Lars said.

"I don't like the idea of you being there alone," Jurgen said, frowning.

"I can contact Mozenrath and Aladdin if things get dangerous. Mozenrath can get to me via portal. Odds are he'll pick up Aladdin and his genie in the process. Another option is leaving Erik and Francis with me. Then I'll have them as well as Mozenrath and Aladdin," Lars said.

"We're for that," Francis said. "I'm not fond of the idea of leaving the Duke of Weselton to his own devices, but he's well protected as is. You wouldn't be."

"Thank you," Lars genuinely said, which told them all he hadn't been keen on being the single defender of Arendelle for the few days to a week it would take for reinforcements to arrive.

"Friends and all that," Erik joked, smirking.

"Then that's settled. So let's get a move on," Jurgen said. Lars nodded and dove overboard before taking on the form of a sea snake and emerging in front of the ship. "Toss him the lines!" Jurgen called out. His men did so. Lars took them into his mouth and immediately started off so quickly the men pitched back, some almost going over. "Lars! Easy!" Jurgen furiously shouted, standing back up. "Incompetent," he complained. It earned him a stinging tail flick to the cheek that left a bleeding mark. Jurgen scowled and commenced to grumbling and complaining under his breath.

Frozen

The ships pitched violently in the raging storm that had brewed the farther North they got. Elsa had gotten through to them. Said storm was evidence enough of that. Elsa stood on deck holding tightly to a mast, Hans at her side with a death grip on her wrist. "As soon as you do this, we go back into the cabin!" he called to her over the noise. She nodded her assent and turned her eyes towards the pitching pirate ship behind them. She closed her eyes, drawing a breath, then opened them and let out a stream of icy air from her lips that Hans suspected she hadn't meant to do. He frowned a bit. She lifted her hand and waved it quickly. Immediately the ship began to freeze over, as well as the sea beneath it, the waves rapidly solidifying into sharp, towering, jagged walls of ice that gradually closed in around Xe.

Xe scowled darkly at the ice creeping up his ship and across the deck. He looked spitefully towards the Queen's ship as it drew further and further away, while theirs began to be slowed by the freezing sea clawing at the sides and forcing them into a gradual but inevitable stop. The towering waves froze all around them. His men were panicking and freaking out. He could have spat but refrained. This was a minor setback. They would recover from this. Especially with the help of the evil fae. For now, though, he knew he had no choice but to weigh anchor. It was that or see his ship torn apart too far away from any sort of land for it to matter to anyone on board. They would be doomed if they tried to cut through this horror. "Weigh anchor!" he shouted furiously. Oh, the Arendellians would regret this.

Elsa and Hans watched as the icy prison formed around the ship and kept watching until it was far out of sight. "That'll give Jurgen a chance to catch up," Hans said. "At least for now Xe is out of the way!" Elsa nodded. Suddenly she cried out, doubling over. "Elsa!" he exclaimed.

"Con-contraction!" she gasped in pain. He cursed, quickly guiding her back towards the cabin to lay down. They got inside and he lay her on the bed. She groaned and cried out in pain.

"It's okay, you're okay," he insisted. She nodded, teeth clenched firmly. Hans inwardly cursed again, looking towards the door. The sooner they reached land the better. He looked back to her. "I'm going to get Jekyll," he said. She nodded again, clinging tightly to his hand before releasing it so he could get the doctor. He left quickly. Not long after, Anna came in looking concerned.

"How much farther?" Elsa asked in pain.

"Not long, Elsa. Just hang in there, okay? Just hang in there," Anna said.

"Dammit, why isn't it coming?!" she exclaimed in pain.

"I don't know," Anna said nervously. "Jekyll says early labour can last for a few days!"

"A few days?!" Elsa exclaimed.

"At least your contractions are slow! It'll be better to give birth in the forest anyway. If something goes wrong, then at least there'll be people there to help you. Jekyll can only do so much on a ship with limited supplies," Anna said.

"It's too early," Elsa tightly said, fear in her voice. "Anna, it's too early."

"I know," Anna said, voice cracking a bit. "Which is why it's better if that baby doesn't come until we reach shore. The more time it can spend inside your body the better. I think?" She wished she knew. She went to her sister's side, holding her hand tightly and stroking her forehead in a reassuring gesture. "Hold on, Elsa. Just hold on," she gently said. Elsa nodded.

Frozen

True to his word, Lars had gotten them to Arendelle in only a few hours. Erik and Francis had disembarked with him at the docks, and Jurgen continued onward alone with just his crew for company. Hans had let them know there were two ways to reach this 'Enchanted Forest'. He and Elsa had taken the longer one to preserve the integrity of the shortcut from enemy eyes. After some debate, Jurgen had determined to follow his brother's route. It would give him the opportunity to catch up with Xe. Maybe sink the ship, if he was lucky. Then his brother and his sister-in-law would be safe! They'd been sailing as fast as the wind and currents would allow and were covering ground at a rapid rate. With luck, it wouldn't be long before they caught up to Hans and Elsa et al. "Captain, a ship broken apart! A recent wreckage," the lookout called out to him from the crow's nest.

"Arendellian?!" Jurgen shouted.

"Yes!" the lookout said.

A cold dread filled the pirate king and his stomach lurched. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He cursed and blamed the northern storm that had cropped up around the time they'd reached Arendelle. It had kept him docked longer than he would have liked before he'd decided to chance it despite his sibling's protests and the sound arguments of their two friends. If that ship was Hans and Elsa's, he'd chanced it too late... Oh his brother had better be alive. "A ship broken apart in a rocky pass. A bad omen that," a crewman nervously said. The rest of the crew seemed unsettled too. "It could well be nokk, maybe even selkies or some other such things."

"It was the storm, you babies," Jurgen replied testily. "But we'll approach this cautiously," he threw in as an afterthought to reassure his nervous crew. He looked up at the lookout. "How badly damaged is it?!" he shouted out.

"Split in half! It'll sink soon as its parts slip off them rocks!" the man called back.

The dread filled the pit of the prince's stomach all over again. "What are we going to do if there are survivors?" the first mate asked. "Break your image?"

"Yes! That ship could well by my brother's!" Jurgen replied. "Besides, it's not that big a secret anymore that me and Meilic are one and the same. At least not on the SI. Everywhere else, yeah, but not there."

"Forgive me apprehension about your duel life," his first mate said with a frown.

"Worry about Jekyll's, not mine. At least I control mine," Jurgen replied with a shrug.

"Wait, Dr. Who?" the mate asked.

"Never mind," Jurgen said with a sigh. Ugh, he missed Erik, Francis, and Lars already. He forgot how woefully out of the loop most of his crew, heck most of the Isles, were about the things their princes and allies had gone through these past years.

"Captain, a man aboard is flagging us down!" the lookout called.

"Brave man to flag down pirates," the mate said, frowning a bit. "Or just that desperate."

"Is anyone else alive that you can see?!" Jurgen called up.

"No Captain, just him! I almost suspect the only one on that ship at all was him!" the lookout replied.

Now Jurgen frowned. "That's strange," he said, raising an eyebrow. Low-key a relief, but strange otherwise. "Hmm… it may be time to slip on my alter ego after all." He reached into is bag and withdrew the mask and hat, placing them on his person. He smirked. "Now I have become Meilic," he said. He moved to the front of the ship, looking towards the broken vessel and pulling out a spyglass, peering through. Sure enough there was a solitary man on board, waving them down as the lookout had said. He frowned. "Slow the ship! Come abreast of it!"

His crew hurried to obey his order and soon the pirate ship floated almost stationary next to the ruined vessel. "Ahoy there, buccaneers!" the shipwrecked man aboard called out almost cheerily. "Thank goodness you came along! Afraid attempting an escape solo on a ship meant for a crew was a poor idea in the Channel."

"A criminal then!" Meilic called back. "It would explain your daring to call upon the aid of pirates. But it won't save you."

"I have nothing to give but my life, I assure you," he answered. "And that I'll offer! My servitude for your sanctuary. I assure you, despite appearances I am a seafaring sort of man. But no accounting for the North Sea and her foul temper."

Meilic stared at him warily. Everything about this was suspicious. Could this stranger have actually sailed the ship so far without help? If he hadn't, then where were the ones who had helped him if there'd been any at all? Was this stranger really so lucky that he had ended up the sole, cheerful survivor? Despite his mistrust, though, this man intrigued him. And it wasn't as if he would be anything he and his crew couldn't handle if he tried to get out of hand. Then again, an ambush was a possibility. Another rival pirate on the seas perhaps?

"Where do you hail from?!" Meilic called out.

"Cardiff, my liege," the man answered.

"Britain then. How came you to be so far from it by yourself?" Meilic asked.

"You ask too many questions," the man replied.

"You answer too vaguely," Meilic replied.

"Very well. I was imprisoned in Arendelle for a misunderstanding. When the prisoners were set free by those who besieged it, I got away and took a ship," he answered. It didn't ring true, but there was no way to prove it was false either.

"And why should I let you aboard instead of killing you?" Meilic answered.

"Because you gain nothing with my death. The ship has no treasure aboard, and if it did it's sunken now. There are no others here but me. You gain something if you take me on, you gain nothing if you leave me," he said.

"Board the ship and murder whoever you find in hiding!" Meilic ordered his crew. "Bring him aboard then sink the wreckage. It's in our way." His pirates chimed out calls and shouts of support and immediately hurried to obey his command and catch any potential deceit. When it was clear there was no lie being spoken, they went back to being guarded. They brought the stranger reluctantly aboard their ship and set about sinking the ruins of the ship.

As the last of the wreckage sunk beneath the waves, the stranger ruefully said, "Waste of a good ship."

"You're the one who decided to try and sail without a crew in the North Sea," Meilic retorted.

"You seem bitter. Annoyed there was no ambush lying in wait or treasure to be found?" the man replied.

"Take him to the brig!" Meilic ordered his men. "He'll be fed and watered there, and there he'll remain until I decide what to do with him." The man didn't put up a struggle or even protest. In fact, he pretty well walked himself down below deck. Meilic blinked blankly after him. What the heck? What was with this guy? He just… didn't fit! Nothing he had done thus far made any sort of logical sense that he could come up with, and it was starting to freak him out a bit.

His first mate approached. "Your thoughts on him?" the man asked.

"I don't know," Meilic replied, mystified. "It's like he appeared out of thin air."

"Loki? Some trickster entity? Be wary of him if he seemed to appear from nowhere. What if he be a selkie or some other ocean fae that lures people to their deaths or causes shipwrecks? If you invited aboard a selkie or nokk like the nixie, we're all dead. You know that, right?" the mate said uneasily.

"You think I don't know how to identify those sorts of creatures by now?" Meilic asked.

"Everyone can make a mistake. Even you, Captain," the mate replied.

"He's a man, like you and me," Jurgen replied. He looked back to the steps again. "But he doesn't… fit."

"So what are you going to do?" a crewman nearby asked.

"I'm seriously considering putting him to death, but at the same time, I'm intrigued. He could be of more benefit to me and this outfit than we know. I think what I'm going to do is take a chance. He obviously knows how to sail, if he made it this far without breaking up and even then only broke up because of a northern storm, so it's not as if his hands are going to be idle. He'll work for his keep. Like they all do. We'll monitor him and see where to go from there."

Frozen

The man they'd taken aboard had been well-behaved and optimistic. Too well-behaved and optimistic, Jurgen Meilic noted. Even to those who had taunted him or tried to do him injury through the bars of the cell in the brig. When they'd let him out, the man hadn't sought revenge and hadn't complained. He'd been too calm. Too self-assured. Too… he didn't know. Too everything. He turned taunts around into jokes, earning himself laughter and on occasion even apologies or friends. He was getting on with members of the crew who Meilic still had trouble keeping a bridle on. Crewmen with behavior problems, crewmen who constantly defied him or got violent, crewmen he'd trust the least, who he barely respected and who in turn didn't respect him. This stranger was making friends of each one of them. It wasn't a good thing. He would put the man back in the brig, except he was proving exceedingly valuable and knowledgeable about everything. The man respected him, obeyed him, stayed in line, proved an excellent consultant, and wholly, wholly unsettled him. Something was going on and if he was smart he'd shoot the stranger or lock him up again, except given how quickly the man had ingratiated himself with his crew, namely the ones most disposed to mutiny, it would probably end badly for him.

"What is your name, stranger?" Meilic asked.

"Call me Cardiff," he answered. "After my home."

"That's not how this works," Meilic replied. The man had been getting… a little more assertive as of late.

"You'll know my name, Captain, when you know my name," he answered, tone jumping exponentially to a somewhat threatening one Jurgen Meilic definitely didn't like. There was malicious intent behind it. A wordless promise that if he kept pressing for information before the stranger deemed he was entitled to it, things wouldn't go well for him. Meilic bristled. He considered dropping threats, but he couldn't shake the feeling that threats would shatter whatever balance they had going on here. The man turned back to the map the two of them had been looking over. "Where are you trying to go?" this 'Cardiff' asked.

"That's none of your business," Meilic replied coldly.

"It's more my business than you know," he answered.

Silence. "Please," Meilic finally said through gritted teeth. "Tell me your name."

The man glanced over at him looking somewhat ponderous. Finally he rose. "That depends on what you know already," he answered.

"I know a lot. What exactly am I supposed to know?" Meilic asked.

"Why your brothers Lars and Hans were recently conspiring together, to start," the man answered. "And where your baby brother's newest little guards came from." Meilic was silent. "You've seen me before, Jurgen," the man said, a tone in his voice that unsettled Jurgen deeply. The prince shifted uncomfortably, jaw twitching slightly. "Or a shade of me," the man pressed a bit more.

Meilic let out a stream of air and his tongue darted out over his lips nervously as he began to shift. Others were starting to notice the change too. He wasn't meeting the man's eyes, but soon forced himself too. If he started showing fear, he would lose face with a crew he couldn't afford to lose face with right now. "Which one?" he finally chose to ask. The question could only be answered if his suspicion was correct. He wasn't going to say anything about what they'd seen in Avalon or what had happened after. If he was on the right track, he wouldn't need to. He suspected he would because Hans had mentioned that one would be sent to aid him at some point or other.

The man smiled a calculating, serpentine smile. "My name is Lamiel. Sir Lamiel of Cardiff," he almost purred. "And I was the pirate king of my time. Sent to yours to help you combat your little rival and keep him and others who would rise in the wake of him in check. Help you defend the seas, really." Meilic was silent. He didn't know where to go from here. "Now step aside please," the man continued after a moment.

Jurgen gave him a quick look. Silence. "Are you usurping me?" he incredulously asked. The man just hummed in response, going back to the map. "Are you seriously pulling off a mutiny without raising a weapon?!" Meilic demanded.

"A mutiny would imply I killed you or cast you out to sea or abandoned you at some island or port, so in that sense no," he answered. "But I am usurping you."

"You scum!" Jurgen angrily and testily snapped.

"Oh come now, it's only for a while," the man replied. "Then you can go right back to your little pirate king-ing. For now, though, you need me more than I need you."

"I can find Ahtohallan myself!" Meilic snapped.

"But can you? Really?" the man asked.

"I have a better idea of where it is than you do!" Jurgen snapped.

"Yes, you do. So why are we heading for open ocean?" the man asked. Meilic was quiet, staring confusedly at him. "Ahtohallan is a Nordic name, isn't it? So why are we making for this place instead?" He pointed at what was Iceland.

Did the guy even know what that land was, Jurgen bitterly asked himself. His jaw twitched a bit. "Because Vikings found it?" he lamely offered after a moment.

The man, Lamiel, grimaced at the mention of Vikings. A disdainful grimace if ever there was one. "Are Arendellians seafaring folk?" he asked.

Jurgen shifted. "No?" he finally and somewhat sheepishly replied.

"And if they were forced to flee Arendelle, where would they go?" the man asked.

Silence. "North," he finally replied. "By land. Through the mountains."

"Mmm hmm. So why are we crossing the sea?" the man asked.

"Because Hans…" Meilic began.

"Played wounded bird on your rival?" Lamiel said.

Silence. "Son of a bitch," Meilic hissed. "You couldn't have brought this up sooner?!"

"I gave you credit for more insight than that," the man answered. Jurgen flushed in embarrassment. Silence. "You should have followed the coast rather than cutting across the channel." Silence. "Do you know where Ahtohallan is beyond 'it's north'?"

"No," Jurgen replied. "I was… to wait for Hans' direction when it came. We… didn't think it through. None of us. Clearly not even Hans."

"Probably understandable, given everything that suddenly crashed down on you all at once. But now you have someone with a level head on their shoulders to help you out," the man replied. "How about you let me be king for a while? No one else has to know. I'm good at subtlety."

Silence. "Fine," Meilic relented through clenched teeth. "As long as we catch up to Xe on the way. What are your orders… Captain?" He almost spat out the last word.

"Make for the coast," Lamiel answered.

"Make for the Norse coast!" Jurgen shouted out in agitation. He looked at Lamiel then turned once more to his crew. "The storm put us off track!" Best save face as best he could.

Frozen

Xe seethed in anger when finally the storm subsided and they were at last able to carve their way through the ice and start out again. This time, though, with no clear idea of where to go. "Sail in the direction they were heading when last we saw them!" he called agitatedly out. His men did so and Xe growled in distaste. Their slipping away left a bitter taste in his mouth. He reached into a pocket and withdrew an item there, staring at it quietly. A faerie gift from the wicked troll they'd dealt with. The last thing he wanted to do was use it. Never trust the fae, after all, but they may not have much choice if they couldn't pick up the trail again. It would end up a decision between using it or perishing lost on the seas. He supposed they could make for land, or backtrack, but their supplies would be running low in not very long. Then again, making for shore might still be their best option. Who was to say how much farther on this 'Enchanted Forest' was? The red mist swirling inside of the little crystal unsettled him to extremes and no, he absolutely did not want to use it if it could be helped. He frowned and went to his cabin to consult his maps. He could track their path from Arendelle and judge where they'd ended up, as well as the nearest land or any potential location for the forest itself. It couldn't be overly far from Arendelle. Before he could even shut the door behind him, though...

"Captain, it's Meilic!" a frantic and terrified voice cried out in terror. Xe started, stiffening up with eyes widening.

"Impossible," he growled. Spinning around, he raced out and to the back of the ship, looking out. His eyes widened in disbelief and appall. Sure enough, cutting through the waves rapidly was the ship of his rival! He frowned. The way it was being sailed though… It seemed different somehow. The ice debris was no small obstacle. Meilic tended not to take chances when such problems arose. Whether out of a desire to keep his crew alive or a lack of confidence in his own ability, Xe didn't know. The point was, it wasn't like Meilic to take these sorts of risks with such confidence. The ice field would slow them down regardless of course, but they were still coming too quickly for comfort. "Drop all the sails and start rowing if you have to!" he ordered his men. "Put as much distance between us and them as we can and prepare for battle!" Immediately his crew raced to obey his orders, scrambling as fast as they could. Xe looked back towards the ship they were now leaving behind but wouldn't be for long. "Who the hell is commanding that ship?" he asked himself. Rather who would Meilic have given control to? No one, was the answer. Xe's lips pursed tightly. So what had happened to the pirate king?

Meanwhile, Meilic gaped in horror as Lamiel, in control of the helm now, cut neatly through the ice floes. When they'd started to see large chunks of ice where ice shouldn't have been, they'd followed the trail thinking it might be Elsa's doing. It was, but it hadn't been Elsa leaving them a trail for sure. More Elsa defending herself and her family and friends. Xe's ship stood out like a sore thumb among the ice. Jurgen had been interested in a 'better safe than sunk' approach. Clearly Lamiel didn't give a damn.

"Are you insane?!" he freaked at the man.

"I know what I'm doing," Lamiel calmly replied.

"Do you?!" Jurgen demanded.

"Tell me, do you want him dead or alive?" Lamiel asked.

"What?!" Jurgen demanded. Lamiel didn't repeat himself. Jurgen looked numbly ahead and didn't answer.

Xe scowled at his rival's ship, whispered a curse, then shoved the crystal into his pocket. "Keep following the channel but draw closer to the Norse coast!" he ordered his men. They cut quickly and neatly across the channel, initially putting a big distance between them and Meilic, but soon enough Meilic's ship came out of the ice field and leapt ahead, racing after them. Now it was a game of keep away, and Xe knew that if he didn't shake them, he would be as good as dead. Seriously, who the hell was steering that ship and shouting commands?! Where the devil was Jurgen?! This wasn't the prince's style! Not even close!

Frozen

Hans and Elsa sailed gingerly along the coastline. Mist weighed heavy in the air. "We got to the Enchanted Forest through the mountains," Anna said, tone quiet.

"Can we even get to it on water then? Really?" the Duke of Weselton asked, cradling baby Gerda in his arms and playing with her by dangling his fingers above her and letting her try and catch them.

"All seas are connected to oceans. Except the Dead Sea and maybe one or two others that are actually technically big lakes," Hans replied. "Unless the Dark Sea is actually a lake, then yes. We can reach the enchanted forest via ocean. The question is whether it's the forest Elsa wants to reach or Ahtohallan itself. She still hasn't clarified that to me."

"Ahtohallan was across the sea from the Enchanted Forest. There's no reason for us to go there. The Northuldra are in the Enchanted Forest and they're the ones who could help her!" Anna protested.

"And that's well and good, in fact I'm hoping she chooses to have her baby there where the Northuldra will be, but her ultimate goal may well be Ahtollahan itself," Hans said. "And if that's the case, crossing to it will be dangerous. Exceedingly dangerous. Depending on how wild it is. It may be dangerous just getting to the forest, depending on how narrow the pass is. Maybe even impossible on a ship this size, which is why we have longboats. Silence.

"An Enchanted Forest..." the Duke mused after a while, bouncing little Gerda up and down.

"What are you thinking Dear Duke?" Anna questioned.

"Faerie woods," the Duke answered.

"Father's story claimed the magic wasn't that of goblin spells or lost faeries," Anna said. "They came from the most powerful spirits of all. The ones of air, fire, water, and earth. The elementals."

"Your father was young and had only memories of the place to go by. Stories his own father told him and the people there who probably barely understood it themselves!" the Duke said.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked.

"That I can't presume to try and explain," the Duke replied. "That all depends on what the nokk Elsa keeps mentioning actually is, as well as the entities residing in that place. And on what Elsa might be. I intend to do a good amount of digging for information once we get there, believe you me. I want to get to the bottom of this nonsense once and for all! But I guarantee you beyond any doubt, that Enchanted Wood is a faerie realm. There is no question about it. The elf king, the fairy queen, the sprite queen? They might all live here or have bases in it. The surviving rock troll children you sent away for their own safety? They probably wound up in the place too." He looked around. "There's magic here. Thick and ancient and palpable… And terrifying." He looked at her. "The fae are drawn to those places. Mor'du may have been drawn here or found his way to it."

"Let's hope that's not an issue we're going to have to deal with," Anna said, uncomfortably rubbing her hands on her arms.

Hans looked around and let out a breath. "I hate this place," he said.

"Why? It's wondrous. Beautiful and powerful," Anna said.

"No. It's dangerous and cold," Hans answered. He looked at her. "If this is the domain of the Fair Folk, this is not a safe place, Anna. Not unless you know exactly what you're doing or what to expect or how to combat it."

"If this is the domain of the Fair Folk, it may well contain a gateway to Avalon," a voice said from behind. Both of them turned quickly. Raynold was there, walking to the front of the ship and looking cautiously out.

"We're not looking for it," Hans bluntly replied.

"No… we aren't," Raynold answered. "But uh, be careful what lakes or ponds you decide to go deep diving in. Be careful what paths you follow. You can cross into it, or a faerie realm, without even knowing and pass out of it again as oblivious as when you went in."

"Ahtohallan... Hans, what if it was a portal?" Anna asked, looking at her ex worriedly.

"Whether it was or wasn't doesn't matter," Hans answered. "Avalon and where its entryways may or may not be isn't our concern."

Raynold looked at Hans. "Your wife is having contractions again. They're starting to increase in frequency. Still slow, which means it may still be a couple days, but they're increasing in frequency." Hans let out a stressed breath and turned, walking quickly away. Anna watched after him worriedly. Raynold glanced at her and smiled. "Hey gorgeous," he flirted. She blinked and frowned at him, unimpressed. He winked, chuckling, and walked away with a wave. Anna rolled her eyes hopelessly, throwing up her hands. The Duke chuckled fondly, rolling his eyes.

Frozen

Hans sat at a fitfully sleeping Elsa's side, holding her hand tightly, when the Duke came in looking disturbed and concerned. He looked up at Hans. "We can't go farther," he gravely said. "Not in this ship. The tide is out and besides that a challenge all its own. If we push much more onward, we'll be grounded or worse yet end up sharing the fates of Iduna and Agnarr."

"Then get everyone into longboats," Hans said. "We row as far as we can then walk the rest of it. Preferably before high tide comes back."

"We could perhaps wait for high tide right here?" the Duke hopefully asked.

"No. We shook Xe, but we won't lose him for long. He was too close behind us. The last thing we want right now is to be caught in a firefight on the unpredictable Dark Sea. There's a reasons sailors shy away from this nightmarish body of water," Hans replied. "We pull into a cove, anchor there, then as I said, row the rest of the way."

"As you command," the Duke replied tiredly, leaving to carry out the instruction. Hans sighed and picked Elsa up in his arms gently, trying not to wake her. She stirred a bit but didn't awaken. He wrapped her warmly and carried her out into the chilly air. He waited until a longboat was prepared before climbing into it with his wife. Anna, Kristoff, little Gerda, big Gerda, the Duke, Jekyll, and the knights all boarded with them. Theirs was the first boat to venture forth into the black ocean along the jagged coast, followed by the others. Hans looked apprehensively up at the massive, rocky cliffs that seemed almost alive... The sooner they reached a hospitable shore, the better. Hans drew a deep breath and let it out in a steady stream. Into the unknown, he wryly noted to himself. From this point on, there was no plan, and they had no idea what they were sailing into.