"Six days." Halfdan said. "Six days. That is how long we have been riding, and we we haven't found them at all." Halfdan looked into both Mari and Kristoff. "Kristoff, your highness, maybe we should go back to Arendelle."

"Never!" Kristoff and Mari said in union.

"And Mari Halfdan, call me Mari, not your highness. I am not wearing a crown, am I?"

"Six days ago you pretended you did wear it." Kristoff said to her. Mari shrugged.

"I use my royal title when I need to."

"That is not going to be very useful to us now, since the Red Snake's men won't care are you royal or not."

"Oh really?" she said. "I am sure they would..."

Out of nowhere, a man jumped at Kristoff with an axe in his hand and Kristoff and he both fell from Sven.

"Kristoff!" Halfdan and Mari said in union and then Halfdan took out his sword, ready to save Kristoff. Kristoff was just dealing with this man with an axe. I never killed, but if he hurt Sven, I will... Kristoff took his dagger and didn't have the strength to drive it in the man's neck or head. He instead drove it in the hand that was holding he axe. The man screamed like an animal in pain and the axe fell from his hand. Taking the chance, Kristoff pushed him away from himself. Kristoff clenched his fist and hit the man in his nose, making the noise of breaking. Kristoff never hurt anyone in that way, and he almost said "Sorry." but he kept that idea, not to say it.

"Halfdan! Mari!" he yelled.

"We are fine!" Mari said. Kristoff saw that Halfdan was holding a bloody sword in his hand and a body was laying before him. Kristoff's stomach turned and under different circumstances, he would have thrown up. But again, he held himself from doing something utterly stupid in this situation.

"Sven!" he yelled again and touched his reindeer who was disturbed. "Are you okay, buddy?" Sven gave a grunting voice that in reindeerish language meant "I will be fine." Kristoff breathed in relief.

"Who are these..." he didn't have the time to finish his sentence, because a group of eight men jumped out of the forest, all of them with great axes and huge swords. Their eyes were full of anger, especially at Halfdan, because he killed their companion, who was probably also their friend. Kristoff charged at them to fight, but one of those men hit him in the head as hard as he could with his fist and Kristoff fell to the ground, his head hurting again. The man then took his weapon and two others were holding Sven.

"Don't hurt him!" Kristoff said and stood up again, but they pointed their axes at him, making him stay on the ground. They took every weapon Kristoff had.

"Let me go!" Mari yelled.

"Shut up, stupid woman!" they said trying to shut her up, while Halfdan they held down, not allowing him to pick up his weapon.

Kristoff tried to get up to save both Mari and Halfdan, but he was again met by the same hit in the head like the previous time. He fell to the ground and four men started kicking him in the stomach, his legs, his hands, his face, almost everywhere. Kristoff just wanted them to stop.

"Stop!" a voice said. Kristoff didn't know where did that command came from, who gave that command, for what reason, he genuinely knew nothing about that voice except for one thing-he welcomed it more than he welcomed anything in his life before, because the kicking and the pain finally stopped. Kristoff was holding for his stomach, and keeping his eyes closed, as he could barely open them after so many beatings. He could bet he had many bruises and scars on his body now, he was just now too weak to open his eyes and see them.

"Stop?" a voice asked. "Stop?! Stop! Look what he did with my hand, look!"

"In defense and in fight people lose their limbs, fingers, hands and even more important things." the voice that commanded: "Stop!" spoke again. "You attacked him and he defended himself. There is nothing unfair in that." Kristoff had to admit: he wanted to know the commander of these men. He slowly started to open his eyes. And what he saw scared him a little.

What he saw was a man tall six feet and three inches in height, physically imposing, with big hands, wearing simple soldier's clothing, but huge, and a great sword was in his hand. He had dark blond hair and dark blue eyes, and he had a scar across his face, making him seem even more terrifying. The only man taller that Kristoff ever saw was Oaken, who was almost seven feet tall. But Oaken looked like a friendly man. This man's face was not the face of a friend.

"But..."

"Shut up, Hilan!" the man said. "Your hand will be healed after some time. Velior! Giman! Pick this large man up!" then two men came closer to Kristoff and picked him up. He would have stried to hit them, but he didn't had the strength.

"Tie him. Tie all three of them." the man said. It seemed he was in charge of everyone in this group. Kristoff wondered: is he the son of the Red Snake?

"Take them to our camp." he commanded.

"You call that a camp?" someone said. "There are only ten of us, how is that a camp."

"Nine." someone added and placed a sword bellow Halfdan's neck. "Because this filth killed Tom!"

"I want to kill them! All three of them!" someone else said and turned to the man in charge. "Please Eylir, they killed him!"

"We will avenge him later!" this Eylir said and looked at Mari for a little. He took out his sword and pointed with it at her.

"I know you, from before. But where? Who are you, young woman?" then he glanced at Kristoff.

"Mari?" he said. "You called her Mari, didn't you?" Kristoff's eyes widened. Then the man looked again at Mari. "So it is that." he said and put his sword down. He bowed before Mari in a mocking manner.

"My friends, today is our lucky day. For today, we have captured Mari, the princess of Vesterland." they all started talking to each other.

"Princess of Vesterland?"

"Here?"

"That is great!" the man that was holding Mari held her more closely. "Your father will set us all free if he wants you alive, you little princess."

"I don't know what you are talking about!" Mari lied. "I am not a princess."

"Yes. And I am an orc." the man in charge said. "I will not allow our opportunity to run away from us." he looked on his companions again. "Tie them all and bring them to the camp! We will sell her back to her father."

"And for what price?" Mari asked, curious. The man in charge looked into her with a cold face.

"Our freedom to live." he said, so coldly that it made all three of them to be silent. "Take them!"

The "camp" was small, with just eleven sleeping bags placed around a campfire, and a food being cooked on it inside a cauldron. They tied all three of them and placed them to sit bellow a tree. Kristoff just wanted one thing-to see where Sven is. He looked around and saw Sven was laying on the ground. He was alive, but passed out. Kristoff wanted to break their skulls for even touching Sven, but he was happy Sven didn't have any more serious injury.

"How will we get out of here, Bjorgman?" Halfdan asked him. Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, Halfdan. Maybe you should make an escape plan, what do you say?"

"Me? It was not my idea to run off to..."

"Save someone, Halfdan. I decided to run off to save someone's life. Should I be sorry for that?"

"Oh really? And how are we gonna save your princess now that we are held captives by these bandits?"

"Could both of you just shut up and be quiet?! I am trying to save us!" she whispered angrily and then looked into a horse belonging to these bandits. Kristoff knew what she was trying to do.

"You really think that thing will work again? Maybe you cannot speak with all animals, Mari."

"Trust me Kristoff, I can. I know to talk with almost every animal in entire Israel, maybe even in Canaan. The horses are one of the easiest."

"How do you two do that?" Halfdan asked them both and they looked at him. "Talk with animals. You Bjorgman can talk with your reindeer and you Mari can talk with almost every animal? How? Do animals actually have souls?" Kristoff just rolled his eyes and allowed Mari to answer.

"No, they don't. They simply have words and language of their own. Animals also need to communicate, you know?"

"Language?" Halfdan raised his eyebrow. "Does this sound like language to you?" he then made a very poor performance of horse sound.

"Yes. And to answer your question, I don't want to have children with you." she said smiling and Halfdan flinched and became red in face. Kristoff chuckled. Funny comedies like this are real.

Mari then started talking to the horse. He almost came close to her, but he flinched when his master called him back. Mari cursed that master and everything in the world. Then, a noise.

"What was that?" one of three men guarding them said.

"I don't know. It came out of the forest." the other one said.

"What are you two talking about?" the third one said. "There is nothin..." he didn't finish a sentence because a figure in the night jumped right at him and killed him in the place. In that moment, Kristoff heard someone running to them out of the dark.

"Flynn?!" Kristoff and Mari in union. "I am so happy to...wait what are you doing here?"

"No time, Krist, no time!" he said, cutting their ties with a dagger in his hand. "We have to run, no..."

"Intruder!" the man behind him said, charging at Flynn, but he was stopped by a figure that stood to fight him. As they were fighting, the two replaced each other in their positions and Kristoff saw his face.

"Robin? You? Wait why did you went here?" Robin was still fighting the man when Kristoff asked him this.

"I..." Robin tried to say, but stayed focused on the man he was fighting. He didn't had the time to answer. Kristoff then saw Flynn still cutting their ties.

"Can you go faster?" Mari asked him.

"Sorry princess, but ties are not papers. They cannot be cut so easily." then they were untied. "There. You see? It didn't kill you to wait a little, did it?"

"Flynn!" many voices said to him, including Kristoff's and his two companions.

"Okay, okay." he said and gave them all three some weapons. "Sometimes you all know to be..."

"Flynn." Robin said, his sword bloody and his face with few drops of blood on it. It could already turn Kristoff's stomach, but he held it. "I killed a man while you were standing here! Get up!"

"Hey!" Flynn was angry and he looked carefully into Robin. "Remember Robi, I am six years older than..."

"Forget it." Robin ignored him and helped the three of them to get up. Kristoff could hear the sounds of fighting all around them, and Halfdan immediately went to join it.

"What are you doing here?" Kristoff asked Robin. Robin then pointed with his sword to somewhere and when Kristoff saw to whom, his heart danced with joy. It was Anna. Dressed in a man's clothes, but still Anna.

"We came to save her." Robin said. "And we did."

"Anna!" Mari said and ran to hug her.

"It's good to see you, Mari." Anna said with her beautiful voice. Kristoff ran to her, wanting to hug her.

"Anna." he said. Anna was surprised he was here.

"Kristoff? Wait, Mari? What are you two doing here, you are supposed to be in Arendelle?"

"We came rescue you." Mari said and then she looked at Kristoff. "It was Kristoff's idea." Kristoff's face turned red.

"It was your idea?" Anna asked him.

"I uh, well...yes." he answered rather clumsily. In a second, Anna jumped at him and hugged him tightly. Kristoff returned the hug.

"I am really sorry for interrupting." a scratchy, voice unknown to Kristoff said. Then he saw that there was a human-like creature, with yellowish-green skin, pointy ears, armor made from bones and with black hair and ratty, ugly face with few scars. This was the ugliest thing Kristoff ever saw. "But I think we could all kiss and hug later after we have all saved our heads, wouldn't ya agree?" then he moved his hands in a funny way. "I mean, no need to kiss and hug me, oh no, no, no, not at all, I am quite aware that I am really ugly by human standards, so you can all just pass by me. But kiss and hug the rest, that's okay." Kristoff looked at Anna, confused. She was smiling because of the creature's words, but she managed to answer him.

"Long story short: he is an orc." Kristoff's eyes widened. Orc? Elves? Dwarves? They have all been gone for thousands of years! How?! When?! Is he dangerous?

"Anna, how..."

"I said long story short." Anna said and quickly presented him and Mari.

"Ratbag, these are Mari and Kristoff." then she presented the orc. "Mari and Kristoff, this is my new friend Ratbag." Kristoff was confused, but wanted to have manners.

"Uh, hi. I am glad to meet you, Ratbag." Kristoff offered him his hand. Ratbag took it.

"Glad to met more humans who don't want to kill me at their first sight." Ratbag smiled.

"I am sorry to interrupt!" Robin said, coming to all of them. "But can this all wait!"

"I agree!" Anna said. Kristoff looked around and saw more than dozens of figures in the dark fighting these bandits. He couldn't understand what is happening and who are all these people, but he nonetheless tried to help them and even kill for the first time. However, he was too late. When he took his small sword, this company already killed the last man standing. To not see his blood and get the desire to throw up again, Kristoff turned away. Everyone was now gathered in the same place, trying to catch their breath. There were some people whose faces Kristoff vaguely remembered, like through the mist, and there were some he never, ever met in his life.

"So, these bandits are not the Red Snake's men?" Kristoff said to everyone present, to stop the awkward silence. They all shook their heads.

"No, not at all." a red-haired man with small sideburn said. "These are simple bandits. The thieves who want to get rich for richness' sake." he saw Mari standing close to them and bowed his head. "Your highness." Mari just rolled her eyes.

"No need for that. Please, just call me Mari. All of you." Kristoff saw that indeed, everyone was dead, but he didn't saw two men dead. The one whose hand he...

"This is for my hand, you son of a dog!" a man ran at Kristoff out of nowhere, again, holding an axe in his healthy hand, ready to kill him. However, Kristoff avoided his attack and hit him in the head with the hilt of his sword. He still had no strength to drive the sword into someone. The man yelled in pain and fell to the ground, touching his head, cursing Kristoff, himself, everyone around him, the entire kingdom of Arendelle and the world itself. The man with sideburn took out his sword, preparing to kill this bandit.

"Touch him if you dare!" a voice said, causing all of them to turn. It was the man in charge of this group and he was looking at everyone laying on the ground. "You killed everyone. About most of them I didn't care, but about three of them I did. My friends. Two of them are dead and now you want to kill the third one. Kill him if you dare and I will make you all curse the day you were born!" Robin then stepped forward, with the man with sideburn and Flynn's friend Andal Dorris beside him.

"Drop your weapon and we will hurt neither him nor you." Robin said coldly. He placed a hand on his back for some reason.

"You will not hurt me?" the man said and started laughing. "You are a fool. I could cut through the three of you as if I am carving a cake, boy. I could..." then a stone hit his head and he fell to the ground, his sword falling from his hand. Andal Dorris then quickly hit him with his fist as strong as he could and the man remained on the ground. Kristoff now felt safer and approached the situation closer.

From the tree, a young man jumped, not older than sixteen or fifteen.

"You finally learned to climb on a tree, Benjen." someone said to him. This Benjen made a quasi-insulted face.

"I always knew how to climb, Min."

Robin took the man's sword, glanced at it and gave it to Flynn for keeping. Andal Dorris then took out his sword to kill the man who came back to his senses, but Robin stopped him.

"No." he said. "When I said that we won't hurt them, I meant it." That is a trait of a good guy. Kristoff liked this brother of Elsa and Anna. "We will carry them with ourselves to Arendelle." Robin said and touched his back and closed his eyes. However he quickly returned to the present. The man's face then looked at them terrified at the mention of Arendelle, but then the man with sideburn looked at him too.

"You?" the man with sideburn that Kristoff heard they called Abel said. "You are here? So this is where you hid, didn't you Kingslayer?" Kristoff's and everyone's else's eyes widened at the mention of that name. The man then looked into Abel.

"I don't even know your name." he said to Abel.

"No. But everyone in Israel knows your name. I saw you once and I wouldn't forget you." Kristoff then remembered with what name the bandits addressed this man. He had to ask.

"Is this..."

"Yes." Abel said. "He is." Abel then turned to everyone present. "Lords and ladies, here. The most wanted man in all Israel. Eylir the Kingslayer." Abel then looked at the man and pointed at Robin and Anna with his sword. "These are grandchildren of the king that you slayed, Kingslayer." the man then looked into both of them at first, but then he just stared at only Anna with horror as if he was looking at a ghost. Robin looked at first at Anna and then at the man again, his face inhumanly cold.

"Tie him, Andal." Robin said and then he spoke to the man himself. "We will take him to Arendelle."

Kristoff swallowed. I am in a deep mess for hanging out with highborns.