Frozen 2 5

by Yumeka36

It's been about half a year since the events of Frozen 2; Anna receives a letter from a queen of an unknown kingdom - a queen who still thinks that Elsa is the queen of Arendelle. Our heroes soon get caught up in the mysterious plans and dark history of this strange kingdom and its enigmatic queen.

6. Chapter 5

*Author's Note*: The name of the story is "Frozen 2.5" but the site doesn't allow periods in titles for some reason. There are original illustrations that go along with each chapter of this story, however I'm unable to add images to chapters. If you want the full story experience, I recommend reading the pdf version of the story, which is available on my blog here (replace |dot| with "."): yumeka36|dot|tumblr|dot|com/648209143723917312/frozen-25-complete-edition

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"Nice, very nice!"

Marjorie held a steel ingot in one of her hands while a small geyser of fire surged out of her other hand. She moved the fire against the steel, her eyes gleaming with delight as she felt its temperature rise drastically. Its shiny surface took on a heated, reddish glow.

"It's a beautiful color, isn't it, Samuel?" She held the ingot in front of the short, balding man standing next to her.

"Um, yes, Your Majesty," he replied, fanning himself with his hand from the intense heat in the room. He adjusted the glasses that were sliding off his sweaty nose. "I'm positive in a couple of weeks, we can…"

Before he could finish, Marjorie extinguished the fire from her hand and glared at him. "No, not weeks! I'm sick of all this hesitating!" she snapped, the grin on her face turning into a scowl.

Samuel pulled out a handkerchief from his vest pocket and began dabbing the sweat on his chubby face. "But we still have to do another round of testing and…"

"For heaven's sake, Samuel, we've tested enough!" Marjorie's voice was now shrill with impatience. "Have some confidence in yourself! We can only test so much within the walls of the fortress."

"But…"

"You took care of the last major phase, right? Rainy days?"

"Oh yes, we confirmed that the slanted positioning will make water slide right off. Plus, it would have to be a very heavy rain to penetrate the extreme heat anyway."

"Then we're fine. Three more days, that's it. Tell the crew they'll have to work night and day, if that's what it takes!"

With that final proclamation, Marjorie stomped towards the door of the room, leaving a speechless Samuel staring after her. She flung it open with a piercing creak, then headed outside into the crisp, breezy air. A fading half-moon hung low in the early morning sky above the iron gate that led out of the fortress. As Marjorie approached the gate, the guards standing beside it gave quick bows, then pulled the doors open for her to pass through. She stepped out into the empty streets of Dyrankia's village. Her eyes suddenly narrowed when she saw movement in the distance. Under the firelight of the street lamps, she saw Clyde walking with heavy, tired steps up the path towards Dyrankia Castle. Fritz was following close behind him with the caravan in tow.

"Clyde!"

At the sound of Marjorie's projecting voice shattering the quiet morning, Clyde stiffened in his tracks. His head jolted towards her.

"M-Marjorie," he stammered. He hurriedly adjusted his posture and smoothed the surprise in his voice. "It's so early in the morning, I thought you'd still be in bed."

"Oh, I had some extra business to take care of at the fortress." Marjorie's gait was casual as she approached him, the steel ingot still in her hand. "But you certainly took your time coming home. You do realize you were gone all night?"

"Oh yeah, well, I decided to spend the rest of the day gathering herbs in the woods nearby," he replied with the lie he had been rehearsing in his head. "Since I was out there already and it was such a nice day…oh, and berries, too! I went a little farther up the river for those. And, well, before I knew it, it was already the middle of the night. I must have lost track of time."

He gave a nervous laugh, feeling a wave of heat rush into his cheeks despite the cool night breeze. He felt the heat intensify as Marjorie stared at him with a skeptical expression. Finally, she gave an abrupt reply and started to fondle the ingot in her hand.

"I see."

Clyde took a step to the side in an attempt to continue on his way, but he again came to a stop upon hearing Marjorie's voice.

"Do you know what this is, Clyde?" She held out the ingot in front of his face.

"Um, some kind of metal?"

"Not just any metal! Steel!" Marjorie flicked her finger against the ingot's hard surface. It made a ting sound that resounded in the still morning air. "It gets quite scorching with enough heat."

"Oh, uh, that's…interesting," Clyde stuttered, his weary mind unable to think of a better reply. When he noticed that Marjorie didn't respond right away and was instead running her now fire-covered hand along the steel, he made another attempt to leave. She spoke up before he could take a step, her eyes still fixed on the steel.

"Since you came back, I'm assuming you took care of Elsa, didn't you?"

Clyde felt a shiver run up his spine upon hearing the question he had been dreading. He tried to sound casual, but his reply rolled off his tongue faster than he wanted.

"Oh, yes, f-for sure I d-did, I definitely took care of her, yup." He felt a tinge of gratitude that what he said wasn't actually a lie.

Marjorie shot him a quick glance with her eyebrow raised. She then turned back to the now reddish colored steel in her hand. "And what did you do with the little queen?"

Clyde gulped, realizing that Marjorie hadn't specified what to do with Anna. He decided to play it safe.

"I killed her too, don't worry." The distaste of the words caused his reply to come out more unnatural than he intended.

"And the halberd? You did bring it back, right?"

"Oh yes, I have it right here in the caravan!" Clyde exclaimed, feeling enormous relief that he had remembered to retrieve the weapon and its sheath before leaving the gorge. He clambered into the caravan and grabbed the halberd from where it lay against a row of crates. He forced a crooked smile on his face as he held it out to Marjorie. She took it from him with one hand, placing the ingot that was in her other hand onto the ground. She pulled the sheath off. The halberd's spotless blade glistened under the flames of the street lamps.

Clyde felt his face flushing again when he noticed that Marjorie appeared to be scrutinizing the blade. His mind desperately searched for something to say before his response came out in a nervous stammer. "I, uh, c-cleaned it for you."

Marjorie looked at him with an indecipherable expression on her face. He held his breath. Was she onto his lies? Was she going to ask him to present evidence that he didn't have? Or had he actually managed to convince her? His knees began to tremble until finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she gave a quiet, nonchalant reply.

"How thoughtful."

While she replaced the sheath on the halberd and picked up the ingot, Clyde attempted to walk away again, but after a couple of steps, he realized what he was forgetting. Despite how mentally exhausted he was, he knew he had to take care of this as soon as possible.

"So, uh, when can I visit the fortress? I'm really excited to see what's going on in there. I'm sure it's…incredible!" He tried his best to sound enthusiastic.

Marjorie turned her sharp gaze towards him. Clyde felt nerves beginning to rise in his stomach when he noticed her expression take on a hint of skepticism. But then, he expelled a sigh of relief when she calmly responded.

"Soon. A few days, maybe."

She reached out and gave his cheek a quick pinch before turning around and walking along the same path he had been heading towards the castle. She kept the halberd leaning against her shoulder and the ingot gripped in her hand.

Clyde slumped against the side of the caravan, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. Thoughts began to swirl around in his mind. Did that steel have something to do with whatever was going on in the fortress? He was hoping he would be able to find out the secrets of the fortress sooner rather than later, but he knew it wouldn't be wise to pressure Marjorie about it. He ran his hand over his sweaty face and let out a few deep breaths, finally feeling the nervous shaking in his body subside. Fritz gave him a gentle nudge on the elbow.

"I can't keep this up much longer, Fritz," he sighed, patting the ox on the head.

---

A rush of white filled Elsa's blurred vision. She blinked and shifted her gaze downward. She could make out the shapes of a familiar diamond pattern against a background of lavender, and the outlines of a large glass window off to the side. A realization slowly surfaced in her clouded mind–she was in bed, looking at the ceiling and walls of her room in Arendelle Castle.

"Elsa?"

She turned her head towards the voice. Three stick hairs came into her fuzzy view, followed by the orange of a carrot attached to Olaf's concerned face. Suddenly, something large and brown pushed in front of Olaf with anxious grunting sounds.

"Hey, Sven! Not so close!" Olaf shoved his hands against the reindeer's snout. "Give her some space!"

A blue blur dashed in front of Olaf. He turned his attention away from Sven and reached towards it. "You too, Bruni!" He scooped his stick arm under the salamander's belly and pulled him away.

Elsa slowly lifted her aching head and tried to lean forward, supporting herself on her elbows. Her vision gradually came into focus. She saw Olaf standing in front of her, his back facing her, one stick arm against Sven's snout and the other holding Bruni.

"Olaf?" Her voice was hoarse from lack of use.

At the sound of his name, Olaf twitched and gave a short gasp. Then, he spun around with his arms held wide open.

"Elsa!" He threw his arms around her shoulders and cuddled his squishy, snowy face against her cheek. "I thought you would never wake up!"

Elsa was taken aback, her mind still hazy. After a moment, she smiled at his embrace, just as a slobbery tongue pressed against her other cheek and pushed her back on the pillow.

"Oh, Sven!" She giggled as the reindeer's rapid licks tickled her face. She then felt a skittering sensation on her chest and saw Bruni staring up at her with his large, expectant eyes. He chirped and rubbed against her chin. "Bruni…you're here, too?"

After giving Elsa a few more licks, Sven bounded over to where Kristoff was sitting in a large armchair near the bed. He was in his green lounge robe, sleeping with his head uncomfortably resting on his hand. Sven gave his arm a hard nudge, causing his head to fall and waking him up immediately.

"Sven…what…" he mumbled. He paused when he saw Elsa. "Elsa, you're awake! What a relief!" He sprang to his feet and hurried to the bed.

"Kristoff!"

Elsa bolted up into a sitting position, then cringed back down as the pain from her injury flared from the abrupt movement.

"Hey, take it easy." Kristoff gently lifted her back up and leaned her against the pillows that Olaf was now stacking behind her. "You need to lie still. You're injured, remember?"

"Yes, resting is healing," Olaf added. He patted his hands on the pillows while Bruni perched on top of them. "Of course, I wouldn't know, since I can't be wounded. I kind of want to know what it's like, though!"

"No, Olaf, you don't, trust me," Elsa replied while stifling a few labored breaths and holding her sore side. She felt the aching pressure in her head again and rubbed her hand against her brow. "My head…" she groaned, leaning back farther on the pillows. Olaf anxiously wiggled around on his snowball feet as he tried to think of something comforting to say.

"Can we get you some ice?" he suggested. A second later, a laugh burst from his snowy lips. "Okay, that has to be the stupidest thing anyone's ever asked you."

Cool wisps of ice magic formed on Elsa's fingertips as she continued to rub them against her head. "It's fine, I'll just do this." Her gaze then fell across the bed. She saw that she was wearing her purple nightgown.

Kristoff noticed her look of confusion. "You've been unconscious for almost two days. Anna's been so worried."

Elsa's last memory of Anna's scared, crying face popped into her mind. "She's okay, right?"

"She's fine, don't worry," Kristoff answered quickly, sensing Elsa's rising concern. "She wanted to stay with you, but with everything that's happened, she's been busy making plans…"

"So we took turns keeping an eye on you!" Olaf chimed in. He began straightening the creases in Elsa's nightgown with his stick hands.

"The nurses couldn't believe how fast your injury was healing," Kristoff added. "Clyde's medicine is really something else."

"Clyde…that's right." Elsa remembered Clyde bringing his caravan and offering to help. "I didn't get a chance to thank him."

"Anna thanked him enough for everyone. Hopefully he knows what he's doing, going back to Dyrankia after all that." Kristoff's voice trailed off for a moment before he suddenly turned to Olaf. "Hey, Olaf, why don't you go get Anna?"

"Okay, I'm on it!" Olaf beamed with childish glee at being entrusted with a task. "Let's go, Sven!" He jumped onto the reindeer's back, then held out his arm towards Bruni. "You can join too, Bruni!" Bruni looked up at Olaf with an excited squeal before scampering up his arm.

Kristoff watched the three of them head out the door. When they were out of sight, he sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed. Elsa noticed that his expression was extremely solemn. She had never seen him look so grave, as if he was going to burst into tears at any moment. She was about to open her mouth to say something, but he spoke first.

"Anna told me everything that happened." His voice was just as melancholic as his expression. "It sounded…awful."

Elsa felt a pain in her heart as memories of that day began flooding back to her– the fear she felt seeing Anna gagged and tied up, the agony of trying to hold up the broken ledge, and the excruciating sting of Marjorie's attack striking her head-on. She thought of how terrified Anna must have felt from not only being captured for hours, but then witnessing the horrific events at the gorge. Elsa clenched the edge of the blanket.

"It was," she whispered.

"I should have been there." Frustration was starting to make Kristoff's voice shake. "Even if it seemed like a good idea at the time, I shouldn't have left Anna alone, even for a second." Elsa could see his lips quivering and a thin layer of tears glossing over his eyes. "Maybe if I was there, this wouldn't have happened."

Elsa regarded Kristoff's pained expression for a moment before placing a tender hand on his arm.

"No, Kristoff." Her tone was serious, but gentle. "Even if you were there, there was nothing you could have done…against someone like her. Actually, it's better that you weren't there. She would have hurt you, too."

Upon hearing Elsa's words, Kristoff felt a bit of relief. The two of them exchanged smiles before they turned towards the sound of footsteps approaching. Anna was standing before them, her verdant cape falling against her back when she stopped at the doorway. She was breathing heavily, as if she had just run through the entire hall. She stared wide-eyed at Elsa.

"Anna!" Upon seeing her sister, Elsa felt a sudden spurt of energy rush through her weakened body.

Anna sniffed back a cry that was forming in her nose. She hurriedly stumbled towards the bed, practically falling on top of Elsa before wrapping her arms around her in the tightest hug she could muster.

Elsa brought her arms around Anna and pulled her close, then abruptly moved back. "Ow, ow," she cried, the pressure from their embrace irritating her wound.

"Oh, sorry! I forgot!" Anna immediately let go of Elsa and leaned her back against the pillows.

"It's okay, it's really so much better than before," Elsa assured upon seeing Anna's worried expression. As her thoughts became clearer, concerns of what may have occurred over the past couple of days began flashing in her mind. "What's been happening?"

"Not much. I don't know if that's good or bad," Anna replied. She straightened the pleated folds of her dress and leaned forward on the bed. "We've had the guards patrolling the inner and outer perimeters of the kingdom non-stop. No sign of any trouble. We even sent a few men to sneak around the outskirts of Dyrankia, but they couldn't see anything beyond the walls. I guess Marjorie hasn't made her next move yet."

"But we shouldn't just wait around until she does!" Kristoff exclaimed, clenching his fists.

Anna nodded. "I know. We sort of came up with a plan, but Mattias, Kai, and Yelena still can't fully agree."

"Yelena's here?" Elsa asked. An unexpected image of the Northuldra elder in Arendelle Castle popped into her head.

"Oh, yeah, Honeymaren and Ryder, too. We've been hosting a lot of the Northuldra here in Arendelle." Anna's face lit up upon remembering that, despite how traumatic things had been, she'd felt happy when the Northuldra had arrived at Arendelle the previous day, concerned about the impending threat. "Once they found out what was happening, they've been really eager to help. Actually, I just told Olaf to gather everyone in the courtyard. So we can let them know that you're okay. They were worried about you, too."

"Really? I should go see them." Elsa pulled the cover off and slid her legs over the side of the bed. When she started to stand up, Anna grabbed her arm.

"No, you need to stay in bed."

"I'm fine, Anna, really. It's just a little sore." Trying to prove her point, Elsa stood up as straight as she could and took a couple of wobbly steps forward. "I've been in bed long enough. I should walk around a little."

"Well, okay," Anna reluctantly agreed. She pulled Elsa's arm around her shoulder to support her. "Just take it slow."

Kristoff came up beside Elsa and supported her other arm over his broad shoulders. With steady steps, the three of them headed down the castle hallways to the courtyard entrance. When they stepped outside into the bright, afternoon sunlight, Elsa couldn't help but gasp at what she saw.

Not only was there a crowd of Arendellians gathered in the courtyard, but a large number of Northuldra as well, more Northuldra in Arendelle at one time than Elsa had ever seen before. As people began noticing her, they cheered and gathered around her, shouts of "So good to see you!" and "We're glad you're alright!" ringing throughout.

"There she is!"

While she was waving at the crowd, Elsa heard a familiar voice off to the side. Honeymaren and Ryder were running towards her with huge grins on their faces. She took a few shaky steps away from Anna and Kristoff to meet them. The two siblings came up on either side of her and threw their arms around her.

"We were so worried about you!" Honeymaren cried.

"Are you alright?"

Elsa heard another familiar voice and saw Yelena standing in front of her with a stern but worried expression on her face.

"Yelena…I can't believe you're all here." Elsa looked at each of them in turn, then at the crowd, still in disbelief at the number of Northuldra and Arendellians currently in one place.

"Ryder is the one who got things moving after I told him about our visit to the trolls," Kristoff said. He stepped next to Ryder and placed a friendly hand on his back.

"Yeah, I hurried back to the forest as fast as I could," Ryder explained, waving his hands in enthusiastic gestures. "But just my luck, after I got there, Honeymaren told me that Elsa had just left after getting this weird letter."

"We started to worry when you didn't come back all day," Honeymaren addressed Elsa, her tone softening as she recalled the upsetting event. "Then we got even more worried when Nokk showed up and started making a big scene in the water, splashing all over and neighing his head off. That's when we knew something bad must have happened to you."

Elsa suddenly flashed back to when she had left the agitated water spirit standing in the river, waiting for her when she left for the gorge. "That's right. He must have gotten worried when I didn't come back for so long."

"Even before that," Yelena began, stepping closer to the group, "after hearing the news from Ryder, I knew this was something that was not only a potential threat to Arendelle, but the forest as well. So after calling a meeting, a group of us decided to come to Arendelle to see what we could do to help with the war against this Dyrankia."

"I wish you wouldn't say 'war,'" Ryder groaned. "Maybe it won't have to come to that."

"It might not, if Mattias would just listen to me," Yelena growled. Her face wrinkled with annoyance. "He's still as stubborn as he was when we were trapped in the mist."

Upon seeing Elsa's puzzled expression, Anna explained. "Mattias wants to launch an all-out attack on Dyrankia as soon as possible. He thinks if our army is large enough, we can overwhelm Dyrankia, since it's such a tiny kingdom that none of the other major kingdoms are allied with."

"He's a fool," Yelena scoffed. "The queen of Dyrankia possesses powerful magic. Normal battle methods can't win against that. We'd just be sending soldiers to their deaths for no reason."

"He felt really bad that he wasn't able to protect me from getting kidnapped," Anna clarified, trying her best to defend Mattias' good intentions. "He feels like he failed as general. So he might be trying to over compensate. But I do agree that we should contact other kingdoms. We've started writing letters, but it might be too late if Marjorie starts attacking, like, today or tomorrow."

"Yelena thinks we should try a stealth mission." Honeymaren continued the explanation. "Just a few of us should go to Dyrankia and try to sneak in, find information, maybe even take hostages. Or even discover a weakness about the queen's magic."

"It's the least wasteful tactic," Yelena proclaimed. She tapped her staff on the ground in confirmation. "We Northuldra are quite good at blending into the land. Especially with the help of the spirits." She turned a knowing glance to Elsa.

"Speaking of the spirits, can you believe Bruni rode with us all the way from the forest?" Honeymaren exclaimed, nearly jumping with delight upon remembering the momentous occasion. "He was a little scared of course, but he stayed on the tip of my reindeer's antlers for the whole ride to Arendelle. I couldn't believe it!"

"So that's how he got here…" Elsa said before a sudden gust of wind brushed against her face. "Gale? You're here too?" The wind spirit blew another gust against her, rustling her hair and the frills of her nightgown.

"Even Hubert decided to follow us! He rolled the whole way, like a big snowball." Ryder beamed with excitement. He rotated his arms around, imitating the earth giant's movements.

"He was too scared to come into the kingdom, but he's hanging out in the woods nearby," Anna added, nodding her head towards the foliage behind the castle.

"This just proves how strong of a connection you've formed with the spirits." Yelena smiled at Elsa, but her tone quickly grew serious again. "And only magic can win against magic. Since we still cannot fully command the spirits, we'll have to rely on you for that."

Elsa gave Yelena a confirming nod. She turned to Anna. "Anna, you said that you had come up with a plan. What is it?"

"Well, after a lot of discussion, I decided it was best to incorporate a little of everyone's ideas." Anna felt honored, but also slightly nervous about explaining her first major plan as queen. Some of the gathered Arendellians and Northuldra stopped to listen as she continued speaking.

"We will go to Dyrankia and confront Marjorie. I agree with Yelena that doing it in a stealthy way would be best, but I also agree with Mattias that we should send at least some soldiers too, just in case…"

"Alright, everyone, it's time to go back to your homes now. The curfew will start soon."

Anna was interrupted when Kai and a few castle attendants began hustling around the courtyard, urging the crowd out the gates.

"Kai thinks it's best if we concentrate on fortifying Arendelle," Anna continued, watching the head servant go from person to person in the crowd, ushering them towards the open gates. "He wants to have all the soldiers stay here and wait for Dyrankia's attack. Eventually, we agreed to keep some of them here to protect the kingdom while the rest will go with us to Dyrankia."

Anna turned back to Elsa, her expression shining with royal passion. "But it's as Yelena said–magic is probably the only way we can win against other magic. So we'll need help from the spirits…and you." She looked away, regret and guilt beginning to crease her face. "I'm sorry, I was really hoping you wouldn't have to bear the burden again."

"It's fine, Anna," Elsa said. She placed a reassuring hand on Anna's shoulder. "Protecting Arendelle will always be my duty. But the burden is not mine alone this time." Anna smiled in agreement.

Yelena walked past her, heading back to the castle. "I should tell Mattias to start planning which of his men will go and which will stay. We all know how long it takes him to make big decisions like that." As she disappeared behind the castle doors, Honeymaren and Ryder followed after her.

"Those Arendellian beds sure are nice. And so soft," Ryder gushed. "But the rooms are way too big. Not as cozy as our tents."

"I can agree there." Honeymaren nodded as the two of them skipped up the steps to the castle doors. "But the food is a different story!"

As afternoon began to fade into evening and the brightness of the sun dissolved into the faint orange hues of dusk, Anna watched the remaining crowd in the courtyard disperse. A few Arendellian women were having conversations with a Northuldra woman as they turned the corner out of the castle. A couple of Northuldra men exchanged friendly parting waves to Kai and the other castle attendants. In the far corner of the courtyard, she saw Olaf standing on Sven's head. He was holding Bruni in his hands, showing the salamander to a small group of Arendellian and Northuldra children while their parents looked on. One of the little Northuldra boys was pointing to him, seemingly giving an explanation to the others before Bruni's back suddenly burst into flames. Everyone jumped back in startlement for a moment, then the children giggled as the salamander looked at each of them in turn while flicking his tongue at his eyeball. Anna turned and noticed that Elsa was looking at the same sight. Their eyes met and they exchanged heartfelt smiles.

"I can't believe it, either," Elsa said. "So many Arendellians and Northuldra together…and getting along."

"Maybe I can retire the weekly wagon rides sooner than I thought," Kristoff added with a chuckle.

"This reminds me of something Father told me, during my studies to become queen." Elsa watched the Arendellian and Northuldra children wave goodbye to each other as their families headed in different directions. "Sometimes, something good can come out of something bad. In times of adversity, we find out who our true allies are. "

"Speaking of allies…" Anna began. Her smile started to fade as she thought about Clyde. "I was really hoping I would have heard from Clyde by now. He said he would try to get information about Marjorie's plan." Her mind flashed back to the two times he exhibited strange reactions upon hearing about the trolls. "And there was more I wanted to talk to him about…"

"We'll try to find him when we get to Dyrankia," Elsa replied as she headed towards the castle doors.

Kristoff put a hand on Anna's back. "We just have to hope he knows what he's doing."

---

Clyde flipped through his research notebook. When he got to the page he was looking for, he laid it open on the table.

"Okay…that's the amount per dose," he mumbled to himself as he ran his finger along the notes that were scribbled on the page. He pulled out a wooden crate that was under the table, mentally tallying the number of empty glass jars inside. "Those should hold enough lichen for at least fifteen doses of Fate's Mercy."

He pushed the crate back under the table and closed the notebook. As he turned towards the other side of the caravan, he noticed the scenery from the open window. From the neighboring woods where his caravan was currently parked, he could make out Dyrankia Castle in the distance, its pointed spires piercing through the dusty evening clouds. Despite the anxiety he had felt the past few days while waiting for Marjorie to invite him to the fortress, he also felt relieved. Answers denied to him for his whole life were finally within reach, and even if there were hardships along the way, the situation with Marjorie and Dyrankia would be resolved soon. As he continued to stare at the castle, a feeling of closure, almost like rejuvenation, washed over him.

"Hey, Fritz." He spoke loudly so the ox standing in front of the caravan could hear him. "How about, once all this is behind us, we travel all over the world. I can share my knowledge of medicine with all the lands and kingdoms. Think of how many people we could help!"

He heard the ox give an approving moo. As he looked around the shelves of the caravan, stocked with jars of various medicinal liquids and creams alongside baskets full of berries and herbs, an exciting idea popped into his head.

"I should make a list of the most important medicines to share first, since there are so many. Of course, Fate's Mercy is top priority. I'm sure Elsa and the Northuldra can show me the best places to find the lichen in the Enchanted Forest. It'll take time to gather the other ingredients, but once I'm away from Marjorie and her rules for how long I can stay out, I can take my time…"

He paused when his gaze fell to the corner of the caravan. Sitting on top of the wooden stool was the broken fragment of ice he had pulled off of Elsa when he was treating her. He felt it would be disrespectful to discard it, so he had kept it there until he could figure out a proper place for it. He walked over to the ice and picked it up, feeling its cold, sturdy surface between his fingers.

"Ice that lasts forever," he muttered. More ideas began rushing through his mind. "That would be incredible for treating impact injuries. And preserving berries and other ingredients. I'll have to ask Elsa if she could make some for me."

"Oh, Clyde!"

A knocking and Marjorie's singsong voice from behind the caravan door yanked Clyde out of his thoughts.

"M-Marjorie!" he stammered, more to himself than to the door. He started to move hesitantly towards the doorknob, then remembered the ice fragment. He fumbled it in his hands and tucked it out of sight behind the empty jars in the crate under the table. He forced a smile on his face as he pulled open the door and saw Marjorie grinning at him.

"M-Marjorie, what a pleasant surprise!" His happy tone still sounded phony despite how genuine he was trying to act. "I mean, you never visit me in the caravan, especially when I'm away from…"

"The guards said they saw you head this way." Marjorie interrupted him, her expression as casual as ever.

"Oh, I know why you're here! It's time to go to the fortress now! Has it been three days already? My, how time flies!" Nervous but relieving anticipation rushed over him. He wanted to believe the time had finally come. Standing in the caravan with Marjorie made him uneasy anyway, so he was eager to leave. He attempted to walk past her out the doorway, but she didn't budge.

"Not just yet." She pushed her way inside in a seemingly menacing way. Clyde stumbled back a few steps, his nerves beginning to rise as he watched her meander around the shelves and tables, scrutinizing every inch.

"I thought we should…talk first," she said. Her eyes were still scanning around the interior of the caravan.

"T-Talk?" Clyde leaned against the table, both to steady his legs that were beginning to shake, but also to block the crate that held the ice fragment.

Marjorie picked up a stray twig that had fallen onto the table from one of the berry baskets. She began idly examining it as she spoke. "Now that you've become such a competent slayer of Dyrankia's enemies, I was thinking of making you a leader in our first phase of conquest. How would you like that?"

"Oh, uh, I'd like that a lot." Clyde tried to keep his nervous voice steady.

"A general perhaps? Oh, I know. How about lead executioner?" Marjorie snickered as the twig between her fingers erupted into a quick burst of fire before falling to ashes onto the ground. Clyde felt every muscle stiffen. Marjorie was putting an unnerving emphasis on each of her words, as if she were speaking to a child. It made him even more anxious, but at this point, he knew it was best to humor her and not say anything even remotely suspicious.

"That all sounds great!" His mouth was starting to hurt from continuing to force a smile.

"But unfortunately, there is one thing you're still hopelessly bad at."

Clyde looked away for a second in an attempt to calm himself. "Oh? What's that?" he asked, finally managing to smooth the cracking in his voice. But when his eyes fell on Marjorie again, his heart began rapidly pounding in his ears. She had bent down and picked up a tiny shard of ice that had chipped off of the fragment he had hidden.

His mind raced. He knew he had recently cleaned the caravan. Did he miss that shard? Or maybe it fell off the fragment when he picked it up just a few minutes ago. Before his frantic mind could think further, Marjorie continued.

"You're still hopelessly bad at…" She paused, turning the ice shard around in her fingers as if examining a priceless artifact. Finally, she looked at Clyde, her eyes widening in rage.

"LYING!" As she screamed the word, she flicked her hand to the side, flinging the shard of ice at Clyde. He flinched when it struck his cheek with a sharp sting. Marjorie advanced towards him, her eyes now blazing with fury. "Did you honestly think you could pull something over on me?"

Clyde backed up against the table, knocking down a stack of books that clattered to the floor. He felt the hard corner of the table ram against his back. Marjorie was looming over him as her enraged shouting continued.

"You think I'm so dense that I would believe my pacifist little brother was capable of even thinking about killing, let alone actually doing it?"

Clyde opened his mouth and was surprised that he was able to form a question with his lips trembling. "B-But if you knew that, t-then why did you…"

"So I could have a good, solid reason to expose you for the bungling little traitor that you are," Marjorie answered before he could finish, her tone now cold and callous. "It's not like killing Elsa will be a problem for me, especially now that the plan is so close to completion. I knew even your treachery couldn't ruin it at this point."

She sneered and shoved Clyde hard against the table. He lost his footing, knocking down a potted plant as he desperately grabbed the corner of the counter top to stop himself from falling. The ceramic pot cracked in half when it struck the floor, splattering piles of soil across the wooden floorboards. Clyde stared at the broken pot for a moment, numbness beginning to overtake fear as the dominant feeling pulsing through his mind. He steadily pulled himself up as Marjorie kept fuming.

"And, not only did you not kill her, but you saved her with your stupid little concoctions, didn't you? Didn't you?"

At that moment, Clyde felt the fear that had built up in every muscle of his body fade away. It was fear he had always felt every time Marjorie would open her mouth in his presence. He knew the thing spurring him on was the fact that his years of living a life of falsehood were coming to an end, for better or for worse. There was no reason to lie any longer.

He stood up as tall as he could and faced Marjorie. "It's not 'concoctions,' it's medicine." He spoke in a tone as stern and poised as hers usually was. He had never spoken to her like that, but the rush of satisfaction at seeing the shocked look on her face gave him the push to continue. "And yes, I did save her."

"Whose side are you on?" Marjorie snarled, visibly taken aback by Clyde's newfound confidence.

Clyde felt a momentary shaking in his knees. He quickly shook it off and regained his composure. "I-I'm on the side…of what's right."

Marjorie's eyes narrowed. "Well, that settles it, then."

Before Clyde could respond, Marjorie seized the collar of his vest with both hands and pushed him out through the open door of the caravan. He fell with a thud on his back onto the hard ground outside. He heard Fritz give a few alarmed snorts as he pulled himself up, rubbing his throbbing back. When he looked ahead, he saw that Marjorie was standing beside the caravan, glaring down at him.

"I'm now declaring my punishment for your treason," she shouted. "Exile! If you ever come near Dyrankia again, the guards will cut you down. And also, this." She pressed her hand against the side of the caravan. "Something I should have done a long time ago."

The renewed confidence Clyde had felt was immediately extinguished when he realized what Marjorie was about to do. He reached out a trembling hand, his voice a shaky stutter. "M-Marjorie…no, please…"

With a fiendish gleam in her eyes, Marjorie pushed her hand harder against the caravan. Clyde could see trickles of fire flickering under her palm. Before he could voice a protest again, the crimson fire rushed out of her hand.

The entire caravan became engulfed in flames.

"No…no!" Clyde cried. He sprang to his feet just as he heard Fritz stomping and grunting in terror.

"Fritz!" He ran in front of the frightened ox and grabbed at his reins. He reached into the sheath at his side and pulled out his knife, making sloppy, panicked cuts on the harness. He could feel the raging heat of the fire against his body intensify with every passing second. Finally, the harness broke and Fritz leaped out of the way before the wood that held up the front of the caravan came crashing down in a blazing heap.

Clyde stood immobile, sweat pouring down his face from the heat of the fire. He wanted to rush in, try to salvage anything he could. But his mild attempt to hold onto hope was dashed as the entire side of the caravan collapsed. He stumbled backwards to get out of the way, falling onto his bottom as the wooden slats began crumbling in on themselves, melting into charred pieces that rained down onto what was left of the floor. Clyde caught a glimpse of the cabinets shriveling up into burned slabs, followed by a deafening chorus of glass shattering and a harsh crash as the wheels of the caravan caved in.

He clambered to his knees and stared in disbelief at the now sizzling stack of wood and debris that was once his only place of solace and purpose. From the corner of his eye, he saw Marjorie watching him from a short distance away. The coldness in her eyes clashed with the blaze that lay before him. She gave a curt nod in his direction, then turned and began walking away.

Clyde felt the panic inside of him start to subside and grief took over. Tears welled in his eyes as he thought of the hours he'd spent in the caravan, writing in his notebook about every minute measurement of ingredients, every particular herb property, lists upon lists of every trait of every medicine he had ever discovered. He thought of all the days he'd spent gathering irreplaceably rare plants and mushrooms, learning through trial and error of the proper ways to store them and mix them. He thought of all the searching and haggling he'd had to do to get the collection of bandages, cloths, splints, vials, and other medical supplies using the meager resources and budget he had. Years of work and dedication, snuffed out in seconds.

He shriveled down onto his knees. Sobs began to course through his body and tears slid down his cheeks. He felt Fritz lay a sympathetic muzzle on his shoulder as sparks from the rising flames flashed like stars against the darkening sky.