You mean to tell me you were going to withdraw from the contract?!
That isn't what's important now!
Never have I seen you back out of a job like this, especially with the price at hand!
Why the sudden interest? You've never cared this much about a target before.
Neither have you. And that is why you fail…
This conversation is over.
For now, boy, for now…
Eryn soared overhead of Elsa in a shadowy blob, the mountains and ravines whizzing past like a blur. She had been barreling through the jagged mountains for the past few hours in a blind panic. Worry worked its way into Eryn's heart and mind as they edged closer to Arendelle. If Anna wasn't actually injured, he worried that this was a trap. If she was injured, he had no idea what it could mean. Who could've attacked the castle while he was away? Surely none of his contacts would be so stupid enough to stage an attack out of nowhere. Maybe Twiggy would, but he was smarter than that. That was the whole reason he hired him on.
Why are you so concerned about this princess? She isn't the intended target, so she-
It's because she's not the intended target that I'm worried.
Hmph, compassion is cowardice, Odrikson. Three years of our partnership should've taught you that…
Enough, we're approaching Arendelle.
Eryn landed in the stables, just out of sight of anyone passing by. Elsa arrived soon after, leaping off her horse and rushing inside. The two guards saluted her as she whizzed past them, a trail of frost following her. Eryn ran up to the two guards and asked, "Is it true, is Princess Anna…"
"Unfortunately yes," one of the guards said, "Fortunately, the princess is expected to make a recovery."
"Any lead on who did this?"
"We have one of the perpetrators in custody, sir. We're combing the city for any more."
"Take me to him, then…"
XXXXXX
Elsa ran faster than she ever did before in her life. Every step she took felt like it was in slow motion. Her whole body trembled as she neared Anna's room. Please be wrong, please be wrong, Elsa silently prayed. As she rounded the corner to her sister's room, she saw Kristoff standing outside the door, his arms crossed and a scowl plastered on his face.
"Kristoff," Elsa shouted, running up towards him, "is she…?"
"She's… fine," Kristoff said, "The doctors just finished up with her."
Elsa approached the door as she grabbed the doorknob. Slowly twisting it open, the queen's face went pale. Anna was laying atop her bed, sound asleep and snoring lightly. Elsa reeled in horror as she noticed Anna's right leg, which was now reduced to a stump. Elsa's heart sank as she approached Anna's bedside, kneeling beside her sister.
"Anna…" Elsa choked up as she stroked Anna's cheek. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as guilt settled in the bottom of her heart. The room dropped in temperature as frost began to creep out from where she knelt. Kristoff approached her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It should've been me," She whimpered, "She's been hurt enough on my behal-"
"Don't beat yourself up over this," Kristoff reassured, "This was out of your control."
"I should've stayed. If I had been here, maybe they would've-"
"And what about Anna, then? If you got hurt, or worse, what would she do?"
A single tear rolled down Elsa's face as she gripped Anna's hand. She imagined herself in Anna's place as Anna wept over her. It pained Elsa to imagine that scenario.
"...Who did this?" She asked.
Kristoff pursed his lips as he stared at the floor. Elsa stood up, glaring at the ice harvester.
"Who. Did. This?" She punctuated each word with a drop in the room temperature. Kristoff stood up and took her hands in his.
"You might not like what I have to say…"
XXXXXX
Eryn followed the guards down into the dungeon. It was dank, cold, and rife with mold, just as he expected. The guards led him to a series of wooden doors, identical in size and shape. One of the guards began fumbling with a series of keys and proceeded to shove one into the door, the jangling piercing the quiet norm of the dungeons. Once it swung open, Eryn marched through the door, silently cursing. Sure enough, Twiggy stood in the middle, chained down and grinning maliciously.
"Could you excuse us for a moment?" Eryn asked the guards. They silently nodded and walked away, leaving the two of them alone. Eryn glared at Alius with solemn fury as he took a few more steps into the cell.
"What in the fuck did you do, Twiggy?" Eryn demanded.
"What you failed to do, Eryn," Alius chortled, "Unlike you, who liked to play make believe, I wanted results, as does our contractor."
"I told you to let me handle the contractor. Your job was to provide intel for this operation."
"And your job was to kill the queen! Now, we're a month into this operation and she's still alive!"
"I save you from the gallows and this is how you repay me?!"
"You should be thanking me for my intuition. Unlike these other assholes you brought on, I took the initiative."
"THINGS WERE GOING FINE UNTIL YOU DECIDED TO FUCK IT UP!"
"WERE THEY?! EITHER YOU WENT SOFT OR-"
"WATCH. YOUR. TONGUE!" Eryn could feel the numbness penetrate his muscles.
"It's just one woman! How hard could it be to kill a simple woman. Especially one as volatile and fragile as that bi-"
Eryn lunged forward as he plunged the dagger into Alius's windpipe. Rage boiled his blood as he dragged him to the ground and repeatedly stabbed the short man, plugging him full of bloody holes. Alius flailed his arms, struggling to get Eryn off of him. Eyrn planted the dagger one last time in Alius's working eye as he got up off of the floor, panting heavily. Alius was left a bloody mess on the floor, barely recognizable as a human being.
"Guess you weren't as smart as I thought, Twiggy," Eryn spat.
As Eryn turned to leave, his face went pale. Elsa stood before him, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Her hands were balled up in tight fists as she shook. In one of her fists, she held what he recognized as his schematics for the castle he placed under his bed.
"Y-you?!" She said, "This was all your idea?"
"Elsa, wait-" Eryn began. He was met with a sharp stinging on his face as she dragged her palm against it in a violent slap. He could feel tiny shards of ice dig into his skin.
"My sister nearly died. Because of you!" Venom filled her words as she spoke.
"Elsa, I wasn't expecting this to happen!"
"What were you expecting to happen?!"
Eryn tried to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat. What could he say that wouldn't already piss her off even more? Elsa glared at him, awaiting his answer.
"This is why I didn't want you to return. They-"
"So you could kill me? So that Anna would die?!"
"Because I knew they'd be waiting for you when you came back!"
"What else did you do?! It was you who poisoned my wine, wasn't it? And that time in the tailor shop, that wasn't an accident, was it?!"
Eryn's heart grew heavy as he started to choke up, "Please, Elsa, I-"
"I have had enough of your lies… " Elsa's words were filled with venom as a few guards rallied behind her, "Arrest this man."
The guards clamored into the room with weapons drawn. As they started swinging at him, Eryn faded into the floor and through the iron bars of the window.
XXXXXX
"Take it easy, feistypants," Kristoff said, "Elsa should be back soon."
"I'm not worried about her," Anna growled, "you should be worried about the bastard who did this when I get to him." She hoisted herself out of the bed, nearly toppling over before grabbing her dresser.
"Maybe you should wait until you get that replacement leg. The doctor's said it should be here in a couple of da-"
"A couple of days is too long. No one gets away with trying to kill my sister."
"You really need to start thinking about… yourself?"
Elsa appeared at the doorway, looking solemnly. She forced a smile on her face as she saw Anna.
"Elsa!" Anna hopped towards her sister, helped along by Kristoff before collapsing into Elsa's arms.
"You have no idea how much I missed you!"
"Thank God you're alright! I shouldn't have-"
"Oh, no you don't! You've beaten yourself up enough. Once Derrik gets back here, we can-"
"There is no Derrik."
Anna and Kristoff's eyes went wide, "Wait, what?"
Tears began to stream down Elsa's face, "He… he was the assassin trying to kill me. He lied to us every single time," She turned to Kristoff, "You were right. He was a snake. I shouldn't have trusted him…"
Kristoff extended his free hand and placed it on Elsa's shoulder, "Don't beat yourself up over this. You did what you thought was necessary for Arendelle. None of us could've predicted… this."
Elsa smiled warmly as a soldier came into the room, saluting the queen.
"Ma'am, we have confirmation of the true identity of Mr. Ormeister," he said, handing her a slip of paper. Elsa opened it up to see an old wanted poster with "Derrik's" face on it. Underneath the image, the poster announced:
WANTED
For the Murder of Gen. Urlaf Garrigheim & desertion of the Arendellian military
Eryn Odrikson
Male
18 Years of Age
Last seen: Karnisvarne, Søderlund
Reward: 500 crowns
Elsa read over the paper multiple times before looking back up to the guard, "Have there been any sightings of him?"
"Not yet, ma'am. The whole city's on lockdown. It won't be long until we catch him."
"Take caution. He has magic now, we don't know the extent of his power."
The guard simply saluted and ran off to spread the word.
Elsa turned to Anna and Kristoff, tears once again swelling in her eyes. Three times now, Anna nearly died because of her in some way, shape, or form. It was a miracle that Anna didn't resent her for it. Kristoff and Anna extended their arms out, inviting Elsa in. Elsa smiled weakly as she walked into their arms, humming contently as they embraced her.
XXXXXX
Eryn stopped for a rest next to a rather large boulder overlooking the fjord. Behind him was a vast forest that stretched for miles on end. He was a few miles out from the city, though he could still see the lights of Arendelle clearly. The sounds of panicked guards carried over the water as they attempted to look for him. Eryn slammed his fist into the rock, not caring about the stinging pain. What he did care about was that his lies finally caught up to him. Here was a woman that trusted him with her life and what does he do? He breaks all the trust she had in him and nearly kills her sister! He collapsed on the ground, dragging his fingers through his hair. For the first time in his life, he felt like a piece of shit. What was he going to do now? His mind was flooded with a thousand thoughts, screaming at him simultaneously. Unfortunately, one thought was much louder than all the others.
What are you doing?! Get back up and get back to the castle!
What's the point? Eryn shot up and began walking into the forest, hoping to put some distance between him and Arendelle.
The point?! The point is that you need to fulfill your end of the bargain!
If we go back, we die.
YOU might die, but I will endure.
The whole. Damn. Town. Is looking for me! If I go back, I'll-
AND IF YOU DON'T, I SAID IT WOULD BE THE LAST THING YOU DID! Do you not remember that?!
Why do you need Elsa's blood that badly?! You told me as long as the lifeforce of a human ran through you, you had enough to grant me powers. "Destroy the man, preserve the legend" and all that nonsense. What's so special about her blood?
Magic is a fickle thing. I wouldn't expect some fool like you to understand.
Well, it looks like we'll need to look somewhere else for magic blood, then. I can't-
Y̵̩̳͚̬͉O̸̷̦̤̗̖U̟̜̭̬̮̺͍͝ ̸̮̭̕Ẃ̴̧̪͈̮̖ͅͅI̞̟̤L̴̵̯̖L̩̺̬!̱̜̲̟͙̰̀
Skyne's voice stung at Eryn's brain like a hive of angry wasps. Eryn collapsed to the floor, clutching his head.
We've caused enough damage! Anything else-
THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT! Your compassion is what makes you weak! Tell me boy, did compassion save your father from the avalanche? Did compassion cure your mother of Yellow Fever? Did compassion return Malia's virtue after Urlaf stole it by force?! OF COURSE NOT!
Leave them out of thi-
A thousand years I have waited for this day! Eryn began to slip in and out of consciousness, And I will NOT let some poor nobody deprive me of my freedom!
I-I won't let y-you!
Ý̠̮̺͙̜̼O̷̙Ų̯̻̭ ̴̢̜̗N̠̬̮̗̟̳ͅÓ̖̙̭̦͡ ̧̺̫̟͎̠̻̜͎L̵̳̻͔̪͟͢ͅO̤̜͜͜N̸̞͓͜͡G̗̩͉̳͔͙͜E͏̦̯̮͚́ͅR̗̙̫̱͙̺̜̦̰͡͞ ͇̘͜͡H̵̰͔͓̟̦̗͢Á̞̫̠͘ͅV̸̬̯̥̻̯͟E̶͚̫̥̝̖͘͠ ̸̥͖̯͓͕͇͔̜́͡À̶͈͍̠̬̮ ̴̭̻̱̫͈͎̀͠S̯̫͎̮͟A͢҉̵̥͇̙̫Y̴̵̯̻̰͉͓̦,̸̸͙̝̦̫̻̪͟ ̨̮̝̩͔͚̻̮͠B̷̷̩̜̘̩̻O̢̪͇̘̠͚Y̛̪͡!͖͚̱͍̳̗͢
Eryn felt the numbness envelop him as he finally faded out of consciousness.
XXXXXX
"Has there been any luck?"
"No, Ma'am. We've got every guard on high alert. It should be a matter of time before we catch him."
Elsa sighed, "Thank you, please continue your search."
The guard saluted her and resumed his patrol. The nighttime air blew into Elsa's face as she turned back to the castle. Only a matter of time… she thought to herself. How could she have been so blind, trusting a man she just met? What else was she wrong about? A trail of ice followed her as she thought these thoughts. She looked back on every decision she made up to this point. How many of those were the wrong choice, much like trusting Eryn? She shook the idea from her mind. Now wasn't the time to feel sorry for herself. What mattered now was that Eryn was caught and brought to justice.
As she entered the castle, she was stopped by Kristoff.
"Elsa, we need to talk," Kristoff said.
"You are most certainly right," Elsa replied, "I need you to stay here and look after Anna, I'm going out to join the search."
"You're what?! Elsa-"
"I need to make up for allowing myself to be duped by this… assassin. I'd rather be out there than cowering in he-"
"But he has magic! What if he-"
Elsa held her hand up as blue light emitted from her palm, "Don't forget, I do too."
"I-it's not that! He has Arendolk!"
"I know that!"
"But he's using Skyne's magic!"
"What's the big deal, Kristoff? The legends say Skyne is trapped in the blade for eternity."
"The legend was censored! If Skyne gets magic blood, he's free! Grandpabbie told me everything about it!"
Elsa's eyes went wide as she dissipated her magic. Who would omit such important information about such an evil being? Why was it removed? Before she was able to get any answers, a rather strange noise came from behind her. Snapping her head around, she saw a massive black blob amassing in the center of the courtyard. It slowly disappeared, scattering into the far corners of the castle. In its place stood Eryn, his eyes glowing crimson and his face gaunt and withering.
"You…" he hissed, pointing Arendolk at Elsa, "You are coming with me." His voice sounded warped, as if there were two people talking. Kristoff lunged at Eryn, who effortlessly picked him up with one hand and tossed him to the side. Eryn raised his hand as inky black tendrils slithered out from his palm, wrapping themselves around Elsa. A few guards came rushing out to stop him with swords drawn. Eryn summoned shadowy tendrils from his back to meet them. One by one, the guards fell, impaled by the inky nothingness as Eryn laughed hysterically. Elsa tried to cry out, but was silenced as darkness filled her mouth.
Then, everything went black.
XXXXXX
"Sir Bjorgman! Kristoff! Can you hear me?!"
Kristoff's vision slowly came back to him as he stirred. He'd hit the stables rather hard, causing him to black out for a second. When he woke, he was surprised to find Captain Torvond hovering over him with worry on his face. Just behind him, Eryn saw a large black horse standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by bodies of guards.
"L-Linaeus? What's going on?"
"I came back as soon as I heard about the explosion. Where's Elsa?"
Kristoff rubbed his forehead, trying to remember what had happened. The stinging pain was making it hard to concentrate. Piece by piece he remembered what had happened. He let out a sharp gasp.
"Eryn! Sh-she found out who he was and chased him out. But then he came back, with these red eyes. He took her… somewhere!"
Linaeus's eyes went wide as he noticed something in the distance. A large blob of… something strange was heading north. He was certain that was Eryn and Elsa. His look of worry faded into one of seriousness.
"Go to Anna, I'll handle this," Linaeus began walking back to the black horse.
"What? You wouldn't last a second against-"
"It's not Eryn that's doing this. I know it's not."
"All the more reason that it's too dangerous for y-"
"I made an oath to protect the queen, no matter the cost. If that means facing Skyne himself, so be it," with that, Linaeus snapped the reins and, with the shout of "Magni, bevege seg!" The horse darted out of the courtyard and towards the north.
"Eryn," Linaeus whispered to himself, "What've you gotten yourself into this time?"
XXXXXX
Skyne flew as far as he could, dragging the queen behind him. At long last, his freedom was so tantalizingly close. He could feel his connection to Odrikson wavering, but it didn't matter. Once he was free, he'd never have to worry about such trivial issues any longer.
As his magic weakened, Skyne was forced to make an abrupt landing. He landed on a rather large mountain, covered in snow and ice. Just ahead of him laid a massive palace of what appeared to be ice. He marveled at it for a second before dispersing the shadows enveloping the queen.
"Impressive…" he said as she stood up, "I am to assume you made this?"
"Why did you come back?" The queen demanded, "Did you feel like you didn't twist the knife enough?"
Skyne simply laughed, "I'm afraid Odrikson isn't in at the moment. I will be happy to take a message… once I have what I came here for." Skyne lifted the knife in his hand as he walked over to the queen. Sweet freedom was finally here. With no hesitation he-
"Stop right there!"
Skyne snapped Odrikson's head to see who interrupted him. The commander from the mountain village ran up to them, sword in hand.
"Linaeus?" The queen blurted out, "What're you-"
"It's my duty ma'am," he said, turning to face Skyne, "So, I take it you're not Eryn?"
"I'm afraid Odrikson is paying the price for his disobedience."
"Why did he make a deal with you? What did he have to gain?"
"The poor bastard wanted recognition, so that he didn't die a nobody, like his worthless father. Now, if you'll excuse me-"
"Don't take one more step, demon!" The captain raised his sword, "Let my friend go or else!"
"Do you really think you can take on the Son of the Blood Moon?"
"No, but Eryn can. Eryn, if you can hear me, you need to fight this!"
"Linaeus, what are you-?" Elsa said
"Just trust me, Elsa," Linaeus cut her off, "I know my friend."
Skyne chortled at the captain's words. Surely he knew this wouldn't w-
That's when he felt it. The pang of resistance deep in Odrikson's heart. He really was fighting back?! How?! Skyne watched as the blade quivered in his hand.
"WHAT?!"
"C'mon Eryn, I know you're in there! You're above this monster! Don't let him win!"
Skyne felt Odrikson's mind returning, shouting with a furious force.
GET! OUT!
Skyne let out a furious cry as he was forced to retreat back to the knife. Eryn turned around and hurled the blade into the night sky.
"I knew you had it in you," Linaeus placed a hand on Eryn's shoulder.
"I wouldn't wish that on anyone," Eryn panted, "Felt like I was trapped in a box."
"All of this, just so you wouldn't be forgotten? What were you thinking?!"
"Not like I could've stayed in the military after-"
"Um, gentlemen?" Elsa interjected, pointing up to the sky.
Eryn, Elsa and Linaeus looked on in shock and confusion as the blade suspended itself in thin air.
Foolish mistake, WORM!
Skyne flipped the blade around and lunged towards the group. Eryn swiftly dodged out of the way and into a snowbank when he heard a small whimper. When he unburied himself, his heartbeat stopped. Elsa clutched her arm as small streams of crimson fell over fingers with the dagger on the ground next to her. Eryn watched in horror as her blood filled the runes, turning them a bright purple. Darkness swirled around the blade as it broke in half with an ear shattering crack. Dark energy dripped out of the pieces and formed a large pool of blackness as large as an elephant. Out of the nothingness, a large black claw emerged, followed by another. Slowly, a massive figure, with the head of a serpent with two sharp and jagged cervine antlers, the body of a man, and the legs of a wolf, emerged, cackling maniacally. Its entire body was as black as a bottomless pit, blotting out the aurora behind it.
"You impress me, Odrikson," it said as it stretched its arms and legs out, "Even with your insubordination, you managed to do what others have failed to do…"
After a thousand years of confinement and isolation, Skyne, Son of the Blood Moon and Lord of the Shadows, was free at last.
A/N: If you comment on this chapter, please try to keep them spoiler free, just like chapter 15. Also, just a heads up, Beware the Frozen Heart only has about two chapters left in it. I'd like to thank everyone for their comments and interest in this project of mine.
Until next time :)