Edward followed behind Stonewell as he wheeled into the castle where he was saluted by the guards as he passed. The young man took a look around and could see that many of the guards were very tense and alert as they should be given the situation. In his mind, he couldn't see the ceasefire having no hidden motives and could guess that the Captain felt the same way. The brief bout between the two leaders gave Edward a chance to peer into Greed's mind and get a little bit of insight on the situation but it wasn't enough to ascertain the enemy's complete strategy.
While he was deep in thought and just followed behind the old man, he didn't notice that he was being taken into the west wing until he stopped in front of a door guarded by four men and a familiar scent wafted through the door.
Winter peppermint.
Elsa…
Upon smelling it, he wanted to barge through the doors and be at her side at a moment's notice but their last interaction with each other was still fresh in his mind. He still hadn't received the ok to return to the castle and speak to her, even during the current crisis he might not be welcomed. Gerda and Kai's looks of anger and disappointment made a lead weight grow in his stomach as he imagined what they would say if he snuck behind their backs.
He was about to voice his concerns but Stonewell had already kicked the door open, announcing his arrival and wheeled in leaving the young man exposed in the open door.
Gerda seemed to be the only one inside and jumped off the stool in surprise as she whirled around to the unapologetic expression of the Captain who wordlessly took a place next to her. The older woman didn't seem to mind any as she instantly zeroed in on the young man who looked like a caught deer. Before he could even offer up any kind of defense, the maid had already reached him and enveloped him in a crushing hug.
"Thank goodness you're ok!"
Edward was too stunned to respond as he awkwardly waited until the maid let go of him and tug on his hand to bring him before the other occupant in the room. Tucked into a modest bed was Elsa whose face was so relaxed that she almost looked to be sleeping. The young man knew better though, the blonde had passed out from overuse of her powers. With the rapid response she used to create those shields at the harbor, her falling off her horse and creating those large ice walls to encircle the village, it would definitely be a taxing experience. Even more so since she would be thinking of her people and that would bring even more mental weight on her abilities. She would be fine if some time to rest but with the way things stood, he didn't know if she would get it.
"Doctor Steward said that she'll be fine but has no idea when she'll awaken. Besides the minor concussion she received, the wound on her side has been crudely sealed up with her magic and is for now holding. He wrapped some bandages around it in case it melts and says that he'll check back in to see how it's doing."
Edward hummed in affirmation as he stood over her before taking a seat on the stool and clasping his hands. Hearing that she would be ok from someone else helped calm his nerves but his mind was still abuzz. Greed was here in person and already requested that they hand the blonde over as well as surrender the capitol in exchange for the people taken hostage. Despite the Captain's rather strong bluff, they were in a bad position.
With Elsa unconscious and hostages being in play, the enemy had the upper hand. Even if Stonewell was correct in saying that the enemy didn't have enough troops to take the castle, the remaining guards were still outnumbered. Destroying the bridge and using the cannons on the battlements would buy time but it wouldn't change the situation. Should Greed decide to commit more troops by downsizing the amount of hostages, he could gather a large enough force to take the castle yet still have civilians he could use. Any corpses would further illustrate the lengths he would go to ensure victory.
A horrible thought of Lina's head being brought to the bridge made his stomach flip. He really didn't want to think about that possibility but his mind was practical enough to point out that it could happen.
If the blonde was awake, she would most assuredly accept the terms of surrender no matter what anyone else thought. Edward knew her enough to know that she would freeze anyone who attempted to get in her way of trying to save her people. Greed giving them time to recover was a smart move on his part, if he knew that Elsa was unconscious. The more time he gave them to try and come up with a plan when they knew he could order the deaths of the hostages at any time limited their options to waiting for Elsa to wake up to surrender, or come up with some way to rescue the hostages while being heavily outnumbered.
They were screwed, there was no point sugarcoating it. Stonewell kept the guards that heard Greed's ultimatum guarding the bridge so there was no way no one but himself and Edward knew about the offer. If the council got wind of the offer, they were likely to surrender the Queen, not out of concern for the people, but of their own lives. The young man knew that the moment Elsa was aware of the situation, she would surrender without a fuss and wouldn't let anyone stop her. Her very nature would demand her to do so, he knew that but he still dreaded seeing her eyes open.
Despite Greed seemingly being the mastermind of this plot, Edward knew that there were two more people above him, both with their own agendas for the Queen. If they got their hands on her then it wouldn't end well for the blonde. Talib always had a habit of killing his subjects and Father has already expressed his desire to kill her. As the young man knew, he couldn't fight Father, their recent encounter had painfully illustrated the futility of such an action. He hoped to find some type of limits for the seemingly godlike abilities the Patriarch had but in the meantime, hoped that those abilities only affected him and the other six.
An ice Elemental was able to stop him last time, so Edward hoped Elsa would be able to this time. So handing her over to be killed was a far from favorable option.
However, he couldn't ignore the hostages. He had come to care for everyone in Arendelle and would fight to the very end if that's what it took to save them. The problem was, fighting alone wasn't going to solve this problem. Greed on his own was a huge obstacle, he couldn't die, had a high rank position in the enemy's command structure, and had his own set of abilities at his disposal. Even if Edward assumed Wrath's true form, Greed could still keep him at bay, that ability of his made him almost impossible to touch if he saw the attack coming.
Despite not being able to reveal his true nature in the presence of his allies, his knowledge still made him dangerous. If Edward came to that meeting in the town square, it was guaranteed he'd be watched like a hawk.
There were also the Weselton and Southern Isles forces to contend with as well. They outnumbered Arendelle and basically had the village on lockdown from what he could see on the way over. The Weselton troops and those soldiers that Greed ambushed him with occupied the square while the Southern Isles troops roamed the village looking for any pockets of resistance. The ice walls that Elsa created eliminated their use of cannons as well as landing any more additional troops from the harbor but it was already too late as they had secured a considerable advantage. With all of these factors in mind, Edward found it very hard to come up with a way to strike back without endangering the hostages or losing a good amount of manpower.
Stonewell had been mostly quiet the whole way over, his face set in a deep pensive expression. He was likely thinking along the same lines and knew their options were limited. The old man took a moment to gaze down at the unconscious blonde before a tender look entered his eyes for a brief moment before they hardened into their usual cold look and turned around.
"Runt, I'm calling a meeting in the war room, be there in fifteen minutes."
The Captain wheeled off without sparing Gerda a glance and gently closed the door behind him. This left Gerda and Edward alone with an unconscious Elsa. The two of them remained silent, the last encounter they had with each other was still fresh in one another's mind. The young man had thought long and hard over what Gerda said about loving another person, putting their needs first without expecting anything in return.
During the course of his relationship with Elsa, he had primarily put her first before himself, whether that be out of his personal feelings for her or his self loathing for himself. The blonde had also done the same for him multiple times and has really helped improve on his outlook on life. Now there was seeing what the other thought and learning to compromise.
Initially, his anger over her hiding the fact that she kept Talib hidden from him was justified but as he thought more about it, he could logically see why she did what she did. He had information that they didn't and as he experienced with Father, charging in blindly was not wise. While there was a chance he could always be lying, Elsa was far more intelligent than people realized and would've always kept that possibility in his mind.
Regardless, the information that could be gained that could help protect her kingdom was worth more than the feelings of any one person.
Logically, he agreed with that sentiment and shouldn't be mad.
Emotionally, he was still furious.
His anger refused to be pacified and only increased every time he even thought of Talib's face. If he was being completely honest, if the alchemist walked through those doors right now then Edward was sure he'd leap from the stool he was on and tear the man to pieces. With how he felt, he couldn't really blame Elsa's decision to leave him the dark. His feelings were hurt but when he put himself in the blonde's shoes and imagined always asking herself how this decision could affect her kingdom, he felt guilty.
Arendelle would always come first for Elsa, her upbringing had drilled that priority in her very being.
That was what a Queen was expected to have in her mind.
The Queen of Arendelle should be prepared to sacrifice absolutely anything if it meant the continued survival and prosperity of her kingdom. Elsa knew this and he knew that for the most part, she tried to embody that philosophy the best she could. He also knew that despite her best efforts, she still lacked a few key traits to being the 'perfect' Queen she wished to be.
If anyone asked Elsa what Arendelle was, she would say it's the people who lived in her borders. That is an answer from someone who valued the lives of the people they governed. However if someone asked Rakat how he described Blackdust, he would say it was power that was his kingdom. The reach his influence had and how much fear he inspired in both enemies and allies alike.
If they looked at it from a completely tactical point of view, Elsa's life was worth more than the lives of any number of hostages. If he turned into Wrath and killed every last one of the enemy soldiers and it resulted in all the hostages being slaughtered but the blonde being spared then Arendelle would still stand, as it has more people and land beyond the capitol.
Elsa would never forgive him for such an action but the result would be her continued survival. As much as it disgusted him, part of him actually considered that option. It was the kind of action that Rakat would order as he knew that the hostages were only a small part of the population of Arendelle and if the Queen decided, they could expand her domain and get more people to join her kingdom.
Yet Elsa would never do that. Her value on each person's life made it impossible for her to ever make a call like that. It all came down to a matter of morals and ideology on what a perfect monarch was. Despite having all that power at her fingertips, she allowed her ideology to keep them restrained. Such an enigma was humorous as it was sad.
When Wrath asked her if she actually wanted to be Queen and she answered she didn't know what she would be if she wasn't, he understood right then and there.
She had a war within her as well, between being the Queen she should be and who Elsa was as a person. The Queen of Arendelle in this situation, should be able to recognize that the hostages were only a small part of Arendelle and not the whole. Yet Elsa herself refused to let that line of thought enter her mind, she would give her life for any one person in her kingdom. She refused to acknowledge the blow that Arendelle would take if they lost her as they would also lose her Elemental abilities that were worth an army.
Elsa was a wonderful Queen, that could not be questioned but Edward had to admit that objectively speaking, she would always be flawed.
He could feel a headache coming as he worked all of these thoughts in his head and was actually relieved that Elsa was unconscious right now. If she were to awaken right now, he would have to explain to her the entire gravity of the situation. He would tell her that objectively she was worth more than the hostages, which she would disagree and hand herself over. If that were to happen, a very serious question came to mind.
Would he allow her to walk to her death?
His first reaction was to say no, he had the capability of forcing her to remain in the castle if it came down to that. He didn't want to lose her, he couldn't lose her, his mind would likely fall apart if that came to pass. Yet when he took in Elsa's feelings and how she would feel knowing that she was likely walking to her death, he realized that he wouldn't stop her. If he tried, he'd be essentially locking her in her room out of fear. Edward never wanted Elsa to be confined in such a way again and wanted her to have as much freedom as he could possibly give her.
That also included freedom of choice.
If Elsa decided to hand herself over to them, if he loved her, really loved her from the bottom of his heart, he would let her go.
A gentle hand lightly laid itself on his shoulder and that's when he realized that he must've been shaking. He looked over his shoulder to see Gerda fixing him with a warm expression. The look on her face radiated comfort and it made him hope she could somehow fix everything.
"Gerda...I don't know what to do. They want Elsa, but I know if they take her, I'll never see her again. I know that if they don't get her, they'll kill innocent people and she would never want that. I don't know what to do; should I just let her go, or kill them all myself?"
Gerda's eyes widened when she processed what the young man was saying but forced herself to put her feelings aside to address him. "Edward now isn't the time to act impulsively, going out there will only make things worse-"
"I can kill all of them on my own."
Edward said that sentence as if he was telling them how many clouds there were in the sky. He said it as a statement that he knew to be true but wasn't too worried about forcing everyone else to accept it as fact. Gerda watched him look down at his hands and turn them so they were palms up.
"I could tear them all to pieces, no matter how many men they have, guns or cannons, I could kill them all easily. I've done it before, I've stained my hands with blood before and it was as easy as breathing. It also wouldn't take too long for me to do so, the only problem is that if I go out there on my own to kill them, the hostages will die. Elsa wouldn't forgive me and I think I couldn't forgive myself as well, but I don't want to watch her die."
The older woman couldn't deny that she was slightly disturbed by how calm the young man was when he described his ability to kill but could also see this weighed on him immensely. He wanted to protect Elsa yet the way he could do so would also hurt both of them. Pushing her disturbed feelings away she shook him to get him to look at her.
"Edward, I can't tell you what to do. I don't know as much as you do when it comes to fighting, I also can't tell Elsa what to do when it comes to running a kingdom because she knows more than me. What I can tell you is that you know who you are, don't be what others expect you to be or want to be, be who you want to be."
The young man didn't know what to do with that and was about to tell her that but something happened when the woman blinked. Her eyelids moved much slower than a blink would take and her expression didn't change in the slightest. The almost instantaneous movement to blink seemed to take minutes as Edward looked at her in slight confusion.
"Quite another dilemma you find yourself in."
The young man heard his exact voice across from and looked on the other side of the bed to see a copy of himself standing there. The copy was dressed in the same attire he was, white collared shirt with a brown tie and vest with brown slacks. The two of them looked similar except Edward had a more disheveled appearance as he lost his tie during the shore bombing and his sleeves were rolled up with his shoes missing.
Everything was the same as it was last time, time seemed to slow down as the copy looked around the room before focusing his gaze on Elsa and gently reaching a hand out to caress her cheek with the back of his knuckles.
"There's an army bearing down on you from outside and the one thing that can pacify them is passed out in a nice comfy bed. Not much they can do but wait for her to wake up so they can surrender. It's funny, the first thing she'll wake up to is the grim reality that she'll be marching off to her death. Oh if only there was another option."
Edward scowled as he realized what the copy was getting at. Elsa had her hands tied and had no options, but he did. He just told Gerda what that option was and how it would end if he went along with it. Despite how tactical and logical it was, the emotional and moral aspects of it stayed his hand.
"But wait, there is something you can do. You've thought about it, it saves Arendelle and Elsa yet you're too scared to go through with it, what happened to no hesitating? Walter would be so disappointed to see you here looking so indecisive."
"Shut up."
The copy's teasing and joyful voice finally grated on Edward's last nerve and made him break his silence. Hearing the command with a small undercurrent of rage, sobered the copy up quickly, making him adopt a more serious tone.
"What are you waiting for? You know exactly what to do, you're Wrath, killing people is what you do. Elsa is worth more than any of those hostages and you know it, she's the Queen and an Elemental. What if someone else tries this, you think Elsa can give her life every time someone takes a random person hostage? Don't be naive, you're letting her morals get in the way of logical thinking. You on your own could deal with this, yet here you are playing nurse to an unconscious liability."
Edward was about to rush to his feet to defend Elsa but the copy had just appeared right next to him on the opposite side of Gerda and grabbed the young man by the collar and brought him up to his face so he could stare into his red eyes.
"You're acting like a pathetic human and you're better than that. No human can keep up with you. No human can defend themselves against you if you actually fight like you should. These outdated moral standards you cling to aren't even yours, they were forced on to you. The more you limit yourself the same way as that Elemental does, you'll eventually find yourself in the same situation."
The copy shoved Edward to the ground and then instantly appeared on Elsa's bed sitting on the headboard while leaning over to look down at the blonde. His eyes were filled with disgust as he watched her unconscious form, the young man sat up from his position on the ground and watched as the copy moved his eyes from the woman over to him.
"She's the Queen and is in charge of an entire kingdom, if she dies then it'll go to her sister who's location isn't even confirmed, she could be dead for all you know. If that happens then it'll keep going down the line of succession with each one potentially increasing the danger to Arendelle. There is no one more powerful than the Queen in the entire kingdom yet she rather use her powers making ice rinks instead of soldiers who she could order into battle without incurring human losses. That's who you're defending right now, eventually she will lead you to your death, it's better to put her out of your mind and remember who you are, not who she wants you to be. At your core, you'll always be a beast that hungers for the blood of his enemies, pretending you're anything else makes you weak, no wonder Rahim beat you when he wasn't even trying."
Edward blinked and he was once again staring at Gerda's kind expression as she just blinked. The young man looked around the room and saw that everything looked the exact same and that there was no sign that anyone else had been in the room besides the two of them. It made him realize that the copy he just saw was all in his head. This was the second time that copy demanded action from him, the first time on the mountain to move or be killed by Stonewell. Now it wanted him to let loose and disregard the hostages as a whole and just kill the enemy on his own.
The young man thought that the copy might be Wrath but the way it spoke and appeared alluded to something else. Also its attitude to Elsa didn't come from either of them, if Edward was a container for Wrath's feelings then him loving Elsa wouldn't be possible. In fact, if the young man could categorize the copy's desire toward the blonde, it would be the desire to kill her. There was genuine disgust in his eyes like every breath she took was an insult to him and he wanted to snuff out her life. That made Edward reluctant to listen to anything he said but the logical part of his mind couldn't help but agree with what was said.
Elsa was tactically more valuable than any one person in her kingdom, as such, she needed to be protected no matter the cost. His logical mind set that as the bottom line and wouldn't budge on that. His emotional state, the part of him that deeply and truly loved Elsa, chose to see things from her point of view. If she had learned that while she was unconscious, he decided to slaughter the enemy which resulted in the hostages dying for her sake, she would mostly blame him, but later blame herself.
She would feel that he traded all those lives for her safety and every time she looked in the mirror; she would see all of their faces looking back at her, asking why she was so important. Edward didn't want to put her through that and he knew that it was her choice what she did and even if he didn't agree, he should stand by her. He already knew what she would decide, it killed him to think about it but he already knew, the moment she woke up would be the last time they would see each other, unless something was done.
Edward reached into his pants and pulled out his watch to check the time. It had almost been fifteen minutes, he had a meeting to get to. The young man replaced his watch and got up off the stool and headed to the door without sparing Gerda or Elsa a second glance. The older woman watched him move across the room in measured steps and saw him rest his hand on the door handle.
"Thank you for the advice Gerda, you've given me something to think about, but there's one thing I already know." The maid watched him turn his head toward her and saw that the earlier doubt and fear that plagued his eyes were gone and replaced with an expressionless almost cold look that she couldn't get an idea what was going on in his head.
"Who I am and who I want to be are two very different people. For now, all I can do is just be me." The young man opened the door and walked out before closing it behind him. He walked with a sense of purpose and a face intensely focused on the path in front of him. All of the fears he had just a moment ago were washed away and now he could think logically and without any distractions.
Wrath had to admit, when Edward took all of the emotions that plagued his mind, thinking became a lot easier. Recently the predator had been dealing with a lot of new emotions that he didn't know how to deal with, somehow Edward was able to take some of the burden off him. After hearing Father saying that the young man was nothing more than a container for those emotions, he didn't want to believe it but now he could see the benefit.
His mind was clear, he could hear so many people scurrying around the castle, and with each footstep his bare feet made on the ground, his muscles prepared themselves for any quick movement.
Wrath knew what their options were and logically he knew the one he should take if he wanted to deal with their situation. All the same, he wanted to listen to the war meeting that Stonewell called for. He doubted it but perhaps the old man would have a solution, if he didn't then…
The predator sighed heavily.
Even if it was logical, he found it hard to sacrifice the hostages, especially Lina.
Klein jumped when he heard the gunshot but wasn't fast enough to close his eyes, if he did he would've missed it. The Weselton soldiers all dropped to the ground dead from a volley of bullets that came from above them. Looking up, he saw several rifles being held by people in dark uniforms. They all descended quickly until they landed on the deck of the ship and the young guard was able to properly identify them.
He had seen the black frock coats that belonged to Blackdust a few times while he was on guard duty but never seen it up close. The hoods and masks were kind of ominous but right now he was relieved to see them especially after what just happened. The Captain being held hostage looked at his dead men in shock and looked ready to resist when heavy footsteps on the deck could be heard.
"Don't even think about it, your men are dead and you're outnumbered. The best thing you can do right now is to remain calm and answer our questions." Klein looked behind him to see Ahimoth circling him with his hands behind his back and sending a hard stare in the guard's direction. For a second, Cameron thought that the stare was for him but the stiffening from the Captain in his grip, he remembered he had a captive.
The Prince gave the young guard a nod before he walked right up to the Captain and reached out with his hand then grabbed the officer by the neck. Cameron let go of his captive and watched the large man bend over to look at the smaller man at eye level.
"You will answer my questions won't you?"
"You can kiss my a-"
Ahimoth locked his elbow against his side and bent his upper body backwards which made the man in his grip be lifted off his feet. Then with a grunt, the Prince pushed his arm up parallel with his body until his captive was in the air above the large man's head. Locking his arm so that he could maintain the weight above his head, he tightened his grip and heard the gasps for air.
"Why don't we try this again, all your men are dead and it's just you. I won't lose any sleep if I end your life right now but I can respect that you're a soldier just doing what he was ordered to do. What I want to know doesn't compromise your kingdom, I just need to know one thing. Is Hans of the Southern Isles, the one in charge of this invasion?"
The Prince tightened his grip even more after asking the question before he eased up on it and allowed the man a breath to speak. The Captain could barely get any air in his lungs as he looked down at the large man and could see the certainty in his eyes. Unlike that other guard who was a kid and he thought would buckle under the idea of killing someone while looking them in the eye, the man in front of him was completely different. The large man's eyes were completely at ease and had a dispassionate look in them like he didn't care in the slightest if he killed or not. The Weselton soldier knew that if refused to answer then it was likely that he would die.
It made him think back to what the Duke told them when they all rendezvous in the Southern Isles. The noble told them of the Snow Queen and the dark magic she possessed, power she used to freeze her own kingdom and almost killed her own sister. There were many rumors that went far and wide about the Snow Queen's benevolence but the power she held scared a great many people. When she cut off trade with Weselton, it made a huge blow against their economy as members of her alliance of kingdoms refused to trade with them as well.
This made their King gather his own allies and make their own alliance effectively forcing the world into a standoff between two major powers. There were skirmishes here and there that made profit for the Weselton but they were still reeling from the economic blow. The King was a traditionalist and would not tolerate sorcery of any kind as it showed that that person had made a deal with the devil for their powers, according to his beliefs. That being said, he wasn't fool enough to launch an attack on Arendelle as one; forces would be seen coming by the other kingdoms, two launching said attack could be the spark that could throw the entire world into war, and three the Snow Queen's powers were said to be limitless and he couldn't risk the retribution she could rain down on them.
This standoff would've continued had Hans who was now the King of the Southern Isles proposed that if he became the King of Arendelle then he could be the bridge between the two alliances and bring profits to many kingdoms, Weselton being chief among them for their support. Since he was also part of Elsa's alliance, the attack could be considered an 'internal dispute' that can be resolved between the two kingdoms. If the Snow Queen were to die and Arendelle was legally switched to him, the other alliance members would have no jurisdiction to force him to step down.
Especially if he had the other alliance backing him.
The only problem was the Queen's sorcery, Hans said that he had found people who were well versed with such devil magic and could handle it. The King was skeptical but the Duke convinced him that with their combined armies they could overcome her powers. So far, the invasion plan had gone quite smoothly, they took over the capitol and had a fleet of ships covering the oceans in case of any enemy reinforcements. The only hiccups being the giant ice walls and the appearance of the Blackdust forces but from the Captain's perspective, they were still winning.
It was only a matter of time before the Queen surrendered or the main force charged the castle.
The officer smiled in the Prince's face as he rasped out the words that were very likely to be his last.
"In the end, it doesn't matter who is in charge. All that matters is that witch finally being sent to the depths of Hell where she belongs."
Ahimoth's face took on a disappointed look before he spoke. "That's all you have to say?" When he got nothing but a smirk, the Prince sighed then he curled the fingers in his other hand into a fist before sending it at the man's face knocking him out. The weight in the large man's hand slumped and he let the body fall to the deck. It didn't really matter whether or not the officer died or not but Ahimoth could respect the man for not giving up his allies.
With that over, he looked back up at the Arendellian guards who were back on their feet and gathering their weapons. That young guard from earlier was staring intently at the unconscious Weselton Captain while his hand that held the flintlock kept twitching. The Prince had seen what happened when the guards were caught, he was waiting for his men to get in position and was too late in stopping one of them being brutally shot. He could guess what was going through the guard's mind as he stared down at his ally's killer.
Ahimoth wouldn't be surprised if the guard didn't shoot him dead, his only concern right now was undermining the enemy. They had taken out a majority of their leftover harbor forces on this side of the wall with their main force while leaving a few two man teams to sow chaos on the other side of the wall. The Prince knew that they couldn't hope to defeat the entire invasion fleet but they could at least drag out the conflict.
The thing about this invasion was that it was time sensitive, the Southern Isles making this big of a move with Weselton troops wouldn't go unnoticed. Some alliance member of Arendelle would respond sooner or later, plus with the destruction of their ships, Ahimoth essentially stranded them here and limited their ability to repel reinforcements that come by sea. He had already sent a message back to Blackdust requesting reinforcements before clearing out from their ship to prevent them being discovered.
If Lilian got his message then there would be ships inbound in two days.
Two days wasn't too long of a time and he already had a couple of places where they could lay low and wait. After destroying their ships by igniting their gunpowder stores, Ahimoth planned on sneaking back to the castle to see how things were going on their end. With Elsa creating ice walls to cut off troop movement, Edward should be having a field day tearing through the enemy with those claws of his. The Prince warned his two man teams to not engage any unknown third party forces to prevent them attacking Wrath and being killed by the beast.
As much as he hated to admit it, Wrath would be a welcomed weapon to have on their side if he could do half the damage he did to Blackdust to the enemy.
"Commander Ahimoth, we have a situation report."
The large man turned to a pair of Blackdust soldiers who were a part of one of his two man teams. They saluted him before the one on the left spoke. "Sir, we have news from an Arendellian guard instructor named Edward, he wished to convey some information to you as well as a request for aid."
Ahimoth's face took on an intrigued expression as he nodded telling them to continue. "He claims that the enemy has taken hostages in the town square and that a large number of enemy troops are there so attacking would be ill advised. He asks that you assist him in saving the hostages. He said that he was heading to the castle to ask for more help but I have no idea if he succeeded or not."
The Prince was quite sure that Edward made it to the castle. If what he said was true and there were hostages involved then they couldn't just blindly charge in, they would need reconnaissance of the area and an appropriate plan. He would need to gather all the two man teams and take accountability of who he had left and inventory what they had to know what he had to work with. He usually would've used a signal flare but with them in close proximity to the enemy, he couldn't risk it.
He looked around and counted that he had twenty men counting himself among them. While he didn't doubt their skill, there was only so much they could do with the amount they had, especially if a large force was overseeing the hostages. He was about to consider hunkering down and waiting for reinforcements from Blackdust when it occurred to him that there were Arendellian guards next to him. Sure, they weren't as competent as his men but they did bring more manpower to the table.
Even if they couldn't successfully pull off a rescue with the people they had, they could still at least do some recon then return to the castle to inform the Queen of the situation. Ahimoth turned to the young guard who still seemed to be debating on killing the officer. The Prince walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder to snap him out of his trance.
"If you're going to do it, then do it. Hesitating like this is a bad habit, one a leader can't afford to develop. Every second you spend here debating on whether this dirtbag lives or dies is another second that an ally goes without your support. Make a choice and know you can't take it back so there's no point in agonizing over it."
Klein tightened his grip on the pistol in his hand and primed it, preparing to fire and end the man's life but a flash of his little sister had him slowly release the flintlock so he could store it in his pocket. He was a guard, not a killer, his job was to protect people. Killing this guy wouldn't protect anyone, what happened had already happened and he couldn't change it. All he can do now is make his little sister proud.
Ahimoth looked a little surprised at the action and shrugged. "Alright listen, we have a hostage situation over by the town square, we don't have enough men to pull off a rescue so our current objective is to do some recon and go back to the castle. Since you're a native here, I'm going to need you to come with us and help guide us there without being detected. Hopefully you'll also be able to provide some intel on the location that could be useful, I'm talking about buildings that would be a good vantage point, back alleys too small to move a large force through, things of that nature."
Cameron looked a little intimidated by the large man and his request but nevertheless nodded his head, resolving to do his best. The Prince patted his back before ordering his men to ignite the gunpowder on this ship and moving out.
Kristoff instantly began to panic when he couldn't see Anna anymore after she was taken by that monster. He ran into the direction they flew in screaming her name hoping that he wouldn't see her body falling out of the sky. He continued this for a few moments before Grand Pabbie rolled in front of him and held his hand out in a calming gesture.
"Kristoff my boy, you need to calm down." The mountain man whirled on the troll and said the first thing that came to mind.
"Calm down?! My wife was just plucked out of my arms by a monster! I need to get her back before anything happens to her!"
The old troll wasn't phased by the outburst and spoke in a calm even tone. "Yes she was taken, but she is still alive. Remember, the men earlier were sent to retrieve the two of you rather than kill either of you. They were sent by that creature who took Anna, it is very likely that they have plans that require both you and her to be alive. You running and screaming for her name does nothing especially since they can fly. I could sense that creature's presence for a while but she has flown too far away, it is likely they have gone to Arendelle. We need to proceed cautiously to prevent anything worse from coming to pass."
The ice harvester's panic wouldn't subside and he wanted to argue they needed to do something now but the old troll's gaze was stern and had him agreeing. Sven had come up behind him and nudged him with his head trying to comfort him but the reindeer's face couldn't hide the worry on it either. The other trolls unrolled themselves and each had a concerned look on their faces at the loss of the redhead but remained silent as Grand Pabbie looked down toward Arendelle.
They weren't too far away but even from here, the old troll could sense something familiarly ominous. It sent a never ending wave of chills throughout his body. He had chosen to keep this feeling to himself as he knew he had to help Elsa with what she was facing, but with every step they took closer, the stronger the chills got. That being said, the familiarity grew as well and the troll hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.
He was barely able to push that thought aside when he looked to the horizon and saw ships coming along the coastline nearest to them. His gaze must've caught everyone's else's attention as they all looked in the same direction. Five ships sailing in formation with a sun like insignia on the sails.
Kristoff hadn't started his training to become a Prince consort but he did remember the flag of the ship that Rapunzel and Eugene left on. He wasn't aware of them having a reason to visit but right now he was glad to see they were there. The problem was, they were heading straight toward a battle without knowing it, he had to warn them somehow.
"Grand Pabbie, those ships are allies of Arendelle, we need to warn them before they sail straight into a warzone, do you have any ideas?"
The troll took a moment to ponder their options. If it were night time he'd be able to use the aurora borealis to construct some kind of symbol, but that was a few hours away. Troll magic wasn't as flashy as the other kinds of magic that could be found throughout the world. Their magic was more attuned with the earth they walked on, they couldn't cause earthquakes like earth giants could but they were more able to tap in the elemental forces natural to the earth. As he continued to think about what they could do, an idea occurred to him and he turned to one of the younger trolls of the group and held out a hand.
"Terra, can you hand me your fire crystal?" The smaller troll gave the glowing red gem without a fuss and the older troll motioned for everyone to follow as he turned into a ball and rolled toward the shoreline.
Lilian wiped the sweat that covered her brow as she leaned on the railing of the ship for support. The discharge of magic she just gave off made her vision dizzy but she was still able to remain conscious. The Captain of the ship sent two of his men to fetch her and help her back to her quarters as he sailed his ship through the field of burning debris.
They had come to see a blockade of some sort in the distance and it was around that time did the Arendellian soldier awaken. He told them that he was Admiral Richard and his ship had been attacked by a fleet of Weselton and Southern Isles ships that were currently heading toward Arendelle. It didn't take much deduction to figure out that the blockade of ships ahead of them was likely to keep any reinforcements from coming to Arendelle's aid.
There were quite a few ships in formation and they had only three ships on their side. They would've been forced to turn around, had they not had Lilian aboard who was able to show how capable she was. Those who did not know her would assume that she could just snap her fingers and all the ships would just catch on fire just like that but her power wasn't nearly strong enough to do so. Her abilities as an Elemental relied on her intelligence and ingenuity, it took a great deal of effort to create a large fire out of nothing.
However, controlling a source of it wasn't nearly as difficult.
The Captain of the ship fired his forward cannons to get the attention of the blockade. As expected, the blockade sailed into a formation where they could launch the maximum amount of firepower at the incoming fleet. Unfortunately for them, doing so lined them up perfectly for Lilian's attack.
The earlier cannon ball wasn't just used to gain their attention, it was to also measure the distance between them and the nearest ship in that blockade. With the rate they were going and the clear line of sight, Lilian prepared her attack and fired when she was just in range. The fireball she lobbed over wasn't really big enough to take down a ship, but she threw it with enough force that it would puncture the wood of the hull of the ship.
Once she hit her mark, the brunette's face took on that of intense concentration. She manipulated the flames as if they were an extension of her body and had them dancing all over the ship before finally she found the gunpowder stores and the first ship went up in an explosion. The burning debris gave her plenty of firepower and she moved on to the next ship and the next and the next. The last ships tried to run away before the flames jumped to their ships but explosions kept throwing around burning debris and so long as one burning board landed anywhere near them, she was able to use that small fire to cause a bigger one, until the blockade was reduced to cinders.
Her head was pulsing with a splitting headache and she would need a few moments to settle but she had done her part. Their route to Arendelle was clear and by the time they arrived, she would be up and ready to join her fiance.
Writer's block suck, plus winter storms. Turns out I had a lot to do and there are a lot of stores closed, plus I don't have internet so screw me. I am sorry for the late update and can guess you all are tired of them. If any of you are wondering, I will say that this WILL be finished before the end of this year. As I reread it a couple of times I felt that my pacing was all over the place and maybe I could do better. I won't rush it but story wise I can end this around ch 100. Anyway please don't hesitate to review or pm me, I will respond as soon as I possibly can, Hope you enjoy the chapter, I will definitely enjoy the next four :D.