"So, what is Longon like?" Olaf asked.
"I would also like to know." Anna asked Robin. She was never in Longon and she would like to know what is like the place where her brother was raised.
"Well, nothing special." Robin said. "It is made of great stones and bricks and it is full of stables and training points for soldiers and wards. It more seems like a fighting fort than a castle. Except that it is little smaller." then Robin glanced at Arendelle castle a little. "It is certainly smaller than..." he showed with his finger at the castle. "...this."
"How much smaller?" Anna asked him.
"Enough smaller." he said, causing people around him to laugh.
"Huh, Robin, you are a great joker, aren't you friend?" Kristoff said.
"And your friend Lyonel is just as the same." Mari said, petting the black dog with white dots. Obviously. She loved animals. She even talked with them...at least that's what she said. Although she obviously did, Anna still remembered when Mari told that roebuck Leif to free them.
"Huh, strange?" Robin said, looking at Lyonel who was walking beside Mari.
"What?" Mari asked.
"He usually doesn't like strangers." Robin said. "He usually barks at them. Except at you." then Robin looked at Anna too.
"And you." he smiled and told her quietly. Anna felt good because of this.
"Well, maybe he recognized blood." Anna said, at which Robin smiled. However, it seems only she and Robin heard themselves.
"Well, what can I say." Mari said with proud smile. "Animals love me, is it true, Sven?" she said stroking the reindeer's chin, and Sven was happy at it. Anna shook her head. Then she looked at Robin again. Robin looked quite similar to men from her family. Sure, he had black hair and brows and his voice was slightly husky-ish and he was kind of short, but overall, the face, the figure and of course his eyes, he looked like an Arlic. Rapunzel, aunts Arianna and Willow, and father...they had green eyes, but Robin's eyes were the exact seal of their dead father, the king.
In just a moment, Anna tried to think how Robin felt like, without family for two decades. No one of them visited him, except the father for three days, if she remembered well. She tried to imagine herself in his place. Four years ago, she and Elsa lost their father and mother. It was a terrible experience, since both of them were still young. Elsa wasn't still mature, while Anna just entered the most important part of life, puberty. Anna even now isn't still mature, she is half a year away from twenty, and Elsa is just twenty two. Four years ago, that feeling when their father and mother died...it was painful. It was indescribable. It was terrifying, it was heartbreaking and she felt cold and abandoned because of that, and Elsa must have too. After that, Anna even lost faith in God for a little while. It was a painful experience, that Anna didn't want anyone to get in to. But she and Elsa at least had them to lose them. They at least experienced the beauty of knowing their parents.
But what about Robin? He never did. He never knew the father well. He saw him just once. Father never taught him to walk, to talk, to fight with arrow and sword, to read, to write, to know politics, to recite Scriptures, to name every vassal of Arendelle, to ride the horse...nothing. Never. Father just met him once.
But worse, mother. Robin never met her. No one did. No one knew who she was. Was she dead? If yes, how? Did she die on childbirth? Who was she? Maybe a noblewoman, maybe a commoner, or maybe even a prostitute? Growing up without a mother is a terrible thing, that is not a good life for a child. Anna never understood how her father could have done that. How could have he been unfaithful to her mother. How could he have been so irresponsible and...lustful. Because of this, Anna thought for her father she never thought she will...rage. Disgust. Even hatred because of that. It was an awful feeling. She never understood how can anyone, be it man or woman, sleep with someone just like that without remembering the consequences. That could never get in her head. Two people sleep without caring for a person whose life they destroyed. She thought it was awful, and she felt sorry for Robin.
But Anna knew someone like that. It was her uncle...if she can even call him like that. Aron. The Black Snake, who was known as a womanizer. How many bastards did he have? Anna noticed, that there were two young men standing beside Aron when he appeared in Arendelle. One was a blonde man and the other one had a brown hair with a hint of red. They both had a braid that gathered almost all of their hair, like some primitive tribes she saw. They both looked little more...highborn than others standing with Aron. Could they have been his bastards? Were those two men her cousins?
But how did he survive? How did he come back from the Western sea that no one ever returned from. Her father and mother went there and they never returned...wait? Her father and mother went just a little south from the place where Aron did. Their ship never returned, except one small part that could only belong to the royal ship, but strangely, there was never any survivor. If Aron had a band of pirates at his disposal in that time, couldn't he have destroyed an entire ship with them. Dear Lord, Anna thought, could it be possible that Aron...
"So, Robin, what do you think about the new technology that is appearing now?" Olaf asked. Anna stopped. Her long thoughts lasted just a few moments. "You know, the one with weapon that have fire in them?"
Robin looked away with his eyes. "Ah." he said. "I don't trust that technology. Sword is a man's best friend, trust me..."
"Anna, Robin!" Flynn appeared, running to them. He had a hard breath. "Come with me! Elsa is calling the two of you, now!"
"What is so important?"" Anna asked.
"You'll hear it yourself, come!" he said.
"Oh, that's a good thing." Olaf said. "Bye Kristoff, bye Mari, bye..." Flynn stopped his waving hand.
"Uh, snowy friend." Flynn said. "She called only them."
"She did?" Olaf asked.
"Yup." Flynn said.
"Uh, okay." Olaf said, little said. Then Robin approached Mari and petted Lyonel. "Take care of him until I come back."
"It will be my pleasure." she said, and Robin tried to convince his dog not to follow him.
As they went to the castle, Anna saw that one of Robin's friends, Kenan, was close.
"Hey, Robin, where are you running?" Kenan asked.
"Please, later lad." Flynn said. "Queen asks them to come immediately!"
"Your highness!" another Robin's friend, Vilgar, she thought was his name, appeared, he was red in face, right now, and he was bowing his head to her. "Your highness, good morning."
Well, he is polite, Anna thought and also remembered manners.
"Thank you, Vilgar, it really..."
"I agree with Flynn, we should go Anna!" Robin grabbed her by shoulders and started lightly pushing her.
"Oh, okay, but..."
"Anna, we should go!" Robin said and Anna noticed he threatened Vilgar with his finger.
"Let's go now." he said.
When Flynn brought them to the castle, Elsa was walking nervously from one side of the throne room to the other. She was very frustrated because of something.
"Elsa, I brought them." Flynn said. Elsa raised her head with relief.
"Now leave us three alone Flynn, please." she said and Flynn left them all three alone. Anna looked at Elsa and saw that her eyes were scared.
"Elsa, what happened?" she asked her. Elsa then approached them both. They were all three alone in the room. There was no one else.
"Yesterday, lord Gondor's daughter and youngest son were attacked by two men in cloaks." Elsa said.
"Are they alright?" Robin asked her. Elsa nodded at it.
"Thank the Lord, they are. If it weren't for their wolf and Flynn and uncle Adan they wouldn't be." Elsa said. "But it isn't that that troubles me the most."
"What troubles you then?" Anna said. Elsa then sighed, trying to say.
"On the swords that those two men carried, there was one symbol. Of one house." Elsa said.
"What house?" Anna asked.
"The symbol they carried...belonged to prince Edgar Westergaard of the Southern Isles."
Anna was awed by this. Hans' brother, she thought, a Westergaard again worked mischief in Arendelle.
"A Westergaard?" Anna asked Elsa.
"Yes, a Westergaard!" Elsa said. Anna was frustrated. One Westergaard almost killed her and her sister. What was another one ready to do.
"First Aron and now Westergaard!" Anna said to her sister and turned from her. "That's the last thing we needed now! After a holiday!"
"A Westergaard?" Robin said. "Prince Hans Westergaard tried to kill both of you, didn't he?"
"Yes...and I left a mark on him." Anna said, remembering her fist hitting Hans' small and evil face.
"He almost succeeded in it." Elsa said.
"What would another Westergaard want?" Robin said. "He appeared a few days after Aron did. Is it not suspicious?"
Anna and her sister both looked at him confused.
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked him.
"Think about it." Robin said. "Aron is a fool if he threatened us if his only allies are bandits and pirates."
"You think he and Edgar might have a deal?" Anna asked him. It did seem suspicious.
"I am not sure." Robin said. "But I think it is possible."
"That is not the only problem we have now." Elsa said, getting attention from both of them. "King Runeard of Southern Isles died. Caleb Westergaard is now king."
"What?" Anna and Robin both were awestricken. Anna never met Caleb, thank the Lord, but the stories about him said that he was the most furious, uncontrolable and quick-tempered man to be born in house of white pegasus. He was known as a man who was fractious, who was insulted by one wrong word and could punish someone severely for that...even deadly. People gave him a nickname...Caleb the Burning Pegasus. In other words, Hans seemed like a knight compared to him.
Anna couldn't believe that this all happened at once. Aron returned, prince Edgar sent assassins and Caleb became king...this was all dangerous.
"What are we gonna do?" Anna asked, breathing fast. "Prince Caleb is mad, Aron is mad and prince Edgar tries to kill Gondors...Elsa. Caleb and Aron are gonna attack the whole Israel and the war will happen."
"Anna." Elsa placed a hand on her shoulder. "We have to keep our heads calm to decide what to do. Aron already attacked lord Aramir's army in Gulma. We must think what to do."
"We must think quickly!" Anna said. Then Elsa put a hand on her shoulder.
"We must think quickly and clearly." Elsa told her. "We won't think that way if we rush."
"It seems Aron wasn't joking." Robin said, holding his hands behind him. "He really did attack those who oppose him."
"Did you ever heard of things he did?" Anna asked him. She heard of the Black Snake, by which Robin called him, but she never listened to much of the tales about him.
"I did." Robin said. "I heard of the twin dogs, I heard of that poor kitchen girl that he killed, I heard of that innocent lord, of that poor boy from Corona...and I heard of uncle Avnir. I heard of everything.'
"And about the Black Snake?" Elsa asked. "What did you heard of the Black Snake? I heard nothing."
"Neither did I." Anna said. She heard once that the Black Snake is a pirate who destroys everything in his path, but nothing else. Robin looked away a little.
"Too much, unfortunately." Robin said. "He attacked the city of Garlok, that just didn't want to trade with him. He and his army of eighty men sacked the whole city. They killed every man capable of bearing a sword, and they sold the young boys and girls to slavery around the world." Robin then swallowed, not happy to say what he planned to. "The women they raped and then left them alone in the city."
Anna was horrified and put a hand on her mouth. Robin continued: "He did the same to the city of Filgoth, that welcomed him as a guest!"
"He killed his own hosts!" Anna said in horror. How could he do that? The host is holy to the guest and the guest is holy to the host! It is a sin against God to harm your guest or your host! "How could he do that!"
"Anna..." Elsa put a hand on her shoulder again. "Aron was always that mad. You don't remember it, but I do. Anna he killed his own brother."
"But he harmed his own hosts!" Anna said. "He must have some limits." Anna now thought he didn't.
"Apparently he doesn't." Robin said. "There are many other things that I heard. Some too terrifying. Some of them are maybe exaggerations, as common folk likes to exaggerate but..." he looked at both of them. "...it's Aron, I suppose no one can exaggrrate what he can do. I heard of Black Snake, but I never thought that, I mean, no one thought that could be Aron."
Elsa then clasped her hands, as she always did when nervous.
"This isn't good." she said. "He is capable of everything if he did all those things. We have to think smartly." Elsa then turned and looked at them.
"I don't think crown is what he is looking for." Elsa said. Anna was confused. He called himself king of Israel, he asked all of them to proclaim him their king, he came to Arendelle and threatened us, Anna thought in herself, if he doesn't want the throne, what then does he want?
"If he really wanted the throne, why did he not attacked Arendelle immediately, here he has best chance to become king." Elsa said. "He would gain some support here. But he attacked Gulma. Why?"
Anna thought a little at this. "You think he wants to trick us into being scared?" Anna said.
"It makes sense." Robin said. "If he really wants something else, he would want to scare us into thinking he wants the throne and we would fight him to protect Israel."
"Slow, now." Elsa said. "I am not sure what he really wants, but we have to find out."
"And how are we gonna do it?" Anna asked. It's not like they can just ask him.
"I don't know." Elsa said, rubbing her pale chin. "But we will have to find a way to."
"You will have to do it without me." Robin said. Anna turned, not believing what he said.
"What? What do you mean Robin?" she asked him confused.
"I am lord Ethac's ward." Robin tried to defend himself. "If the war is starting for real, I will have to go with him to protect Arendelle, my home."
"Robin, this is your home!" Anna run to him, taking his hands. "We are family, and this is our father's castle! You can defend it here, with us!" Anna didn't want Robin to leave, even if war is starting.
"Anna..." Robin called her by name. She didn't expect it. "...it isn't that simple. I was raised beside lord Ethac's other wards, and lord Ethac took care of me since I was a boy. And I owe him and them, my friends, my life."
"But, Robin, we are your sisters!" Anna said. "You are our brother!"
"Anna." he said. "You two barely know me."
"It doesn't matter!" Anna said, angrily now. "That is enough!"
"Robin..." Elsa got in conversation too and looked Robin in the face. Anna saw that her older brother and sister seemed to be of around the same height.
"...I will not force you to stay." she said. "I would want you to stay with us, but I know you have duty towards lord Ethac and your friends." Anna couldn't believe her sister's words. Robin just came to them and Elsa was going to allow him to go.
"Elsa, how can you let him go?" Anna said. "He is our brother!"
"Anna..." Robin tried to interrupt, but Elsa stopped him with her hand.
"Anna." Elsa said to her. "Robin has duty just like you and I do. I want him to stay just as much as you do, but he is free to go or not."
"But..."
"Anna." Robin interrupted her. "I want to stay just as much as you want me to stay. I want to stay with both of you. But I can't."
"Yes you can!" Anna said. "Lord Arvid Ethac will have enough men to protect Longon even without you!"
"Anna, I owe him to stay there." he said. "He raised me in his own home."
"But this is your real home! Our father's house! You belong here!"
"Anna, forgive me, but I don't..." he was lost in words. Anna noticed he was unwilling to say what he planned to. "I am a bastard." he said once again, and Anna was really enraged by this. He is not a bastard to her!
"Stop calling yourself..."
"But Anna I am a bastard!" Robin said, with block in his voice. "I do not belong in this castle or in this city. I was born without blessing or expectancy or anything. No one even knows who is my mother. I could never belong here Anna, I was...I was best treated in Longon. Forgive me, but I can't stay."
"But..."
"Anna!" Elsa raised her voice. She now had voice of the queen. "Robin will decide. We will not force him to stay. If he stays with us, he did the right thing. If he goes back with lord Arvic, he did the right thing."
"But Elsa..."
"That is enough, Anna!" she said. Almost as if she...wanted Robin to go.
"Forgive me..." she said and then left them alone in the inside of the castle. She came to the door and closed them. Elsa and Robin were then alone.
"Will you really leave?" Elsa asked Robin, who turned away his head.
"I have to. I am sorry." he said. Elsa smiled friendly at it.
"Robin, you do belong here. You wouldn't be mistreated here, you would..."
"Elsa." Robin took her right hand. "I exaggerated somethings that I might convince her. I am sorry if you misunderstood it.
"It's okay." she said, taking Robin's hands in her own.
"We will stay brother and sister." Elsa said, smiling and Robin returned it.
"I believe it is impossible for me to change it." and they both laughed.
Anna went out of the castle and wanted to be a little alone. Robin just came to them and he wanted to leave? She couldn't understand it. Did she do something wrong? Maybe said? She sometimes had a very long tongue, so is it possible it was long this time as well? Maybe she somehow said she doesn't want him to be here? If I did, then I am sorry Robin, she thought, sorry if you misunderstood me.
But what was it? What wrong did she say? She tried to be very careful. She wisely chose her words in these two weeks. She tried not to insult Robin accidentally, or his friends. She really cared about him. Although they knew each other for two weeks, Anna now considered Robin her older brother...no matter who was his mother. It didn't matter to her-they had the same father, same aunts, same uncles, same cousins, one pair of same grandparents, of same great-grandparents and on and on to the ancestors. They were brother and sister. Anna didn't care about the fact that father and Robin's mother weren't married-that was their father's mistake and it made Robin suffer, but Robin was not guilty of anything in this. He was not guilty for being...illegitimate. It was not his fault, and that will never stand between him and her as brother and sister.
She thought all these things, until she felt a hand behind her tying her up and placing a hand over her mouth.
"Let me go!" she struggled. "Who are you?"
"You know, princess!" the familiar voice said to her. Anna recognized it.
"Lars?" she remembered the smuggler that tied her and Mari. "How?"
"I doubt you should worry about it now!" he said, before putting a sack on her head. Anna then hit him somewhere, and he left a quiet scream of pain...but it seems he was not alone.
"Oh no, princess, you won't do it again." someone said and the next thing Anna felt was someone tightly tying her legs. Anna wanted to struggle to get away from them, but they didn't allow her. They placed her on some horse and they led her somewhere far away from Arendelle. Anna couldn't even speak, because they put a scarf on her mouth and left the sack on her head and she didn't even know where were they leading her, although she left a little trail behind herself. When they stopped, after few hours of riding, one man told her to get up. Anna felt completely different air and she knew she was probably in some forest, and not in Arendelle.
"This is who you asked for...young snakes." Lars said to someone and removed the sack from her head and scarf from her mouth. When her eyes were free, she had what to see: two young men, around Flynn's age, were standing in front of her. One was six feet tall, and the other one an inch shorter. The taller one had light brown hair and uncared for, yet small beard, blue eyes and long face, and a hair put in a braid. Most unique trait about him was that he had a long scar on the left side of his face, that spread from the temple to the lower cheek. The shorter one had brown hair of a tree color, and a trimmed beard, dark brown eyes and a beard little longer for a man, but like one of a woman, and he had eagle's nose, bigger than average, but not too big. Anna recognized the taller one-he was one of those two men who were standing beside Aron when he appeared in Arendelle. The taller one smiled, first looking at her, then at Lars and his companions.
"You did well, Lars." he said before giving him a bag and a sound of coins was heard inside it.
"You brought us whom we were looking for." the shorter one said, before taking a better look at Anna. "Huh." he said and grabbed Anna's chin. "You really are a princess." he said.
"Alright, Asmund, that is enough." the taller one said and this Asmund let go of her.
"We will leave you now, Harald." Lars said and he and his men left.
When they left, then this taller man, whom Anna presumed to be Harald, came a little closer into her face and looked at her.
"Don't worry." he said quasi-comfortingly. "We are not gonna hurt you..." then he approached her ear to whisper:
"...cousin."