Chapter Twenty Three

Bjorn's Ultimatum

VALLOKEN

Leaning on the parapet of the upper levels, Val waited alone for the rest to show up. It was morning, and as Elsa had promised, Talya's training would finally begin today. He was still in awe of this entire place as he surveyed the empty hall below him. It was a training temple of some sort, with intricately designed details that made this entire glacier of ice appear to be more than what it really was. It really felt as if he was in a legitimate temple - or palace - or sanctuary. He supposed that Elsa really did have more than a century to build her home.

He still couldn't believe what he had witnessed. The Snow Queen is real. To think that he'd mocked and dismissed the thought for so long and now, he was the one who had been wrong all this time. First he had learnt that sorcery truly existed, and then discovered that his sister was one as well. And as if that wasn't enough, they had been attacked by sorcerers multiple times, crash landed in the middle of freak storms twice, and now, at long last, found the mythical Snow Queen who was in fact very real.

All the stories about her were apparently true, according to the legend herself. She wasn't much of a talker, but the vibes that she gave spoke of a lifetime of love, pain and wisdom, certainly commanding the respect of everyone around her.

Now that Val had come to accept that the world was a much larger place than he'd actually realised, he found himself genuinely in awe of this living legend. To think that his legendary ancestress who'd actually fought in the Exon Campaign was actually still alive today to teach and instruct his own sister in the ways of sorcery - it was almost a little too much for him to comprehend.

"You look unsettled." Peggy noted, making him jump.

He hadn't realised that she had approached, but then remembered that her training as a spy meant that stealth and noise discipline came as easily as breathing to her.

"Not unsettled. Just…thinking." Val answered, turning sideways to face his distant cousin. She was dressed in a fresh set of tight blacks and her knives and pistols were in their compartments close to her person. as if prepared for a fight to take place. He raised an eyebrow. "Expecting a fight?"

"Best to be prepared." She shrugged. "Never know if this General Bjorn is crazy enough to send an army across the sea just to kill us."

"Not you. Just Talya and myself." Val said. "If it comes down to that, you better run for your life."

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "Not a chance."

"Bjorn has no quarrel with you. He only wants the two of us. I don't want you risking your life for nothing."

"Not for nothing. The two of you are my family now." Peggy said quietly, avoiding eye contact with him. "Apart from my great grandfather, you two are my only blood family left. I can't afford to lose you both, not when we finally know each other."

Val grunted. "Can't argue against that. But I still think-"

"Forget it. I can handle myself."

And she was right. Val had watched her carve through sorcery-enhanced sorcerers on multiple occasions, with nothing more than a pistol, knife and pure skill. She could very well take care of herself. Grudgingly, Val nodded.

"So what's on your mind?" Peggy asked.

"Contingencies. In case this doesn't work out."

"You think Elsa won't train your sister?"

"It's not that."

Inquisitively, Peggy fixed her gaze on him. "You think your sister isn't capable of learning fast enough?"

"Don't put it that way." Val scowled.

"But it's the truth, isn't it?" Peggy pressed further. "Just be honest with me."

Val sighed. "It's not that I don't have any faith in her. It's that based on observations and logic alone, there's no way you can train a sorceress to take on a Blood Mage in a few days. These things probably take months or years of practice, don't they?"

"I'm not a sorcerer so I can't pretend to know." Peggy admitted. "But maybe we should have more faith in Talya. I saw her in action both at the hospital and during the forest ambush. The raw power within her is unlike anything I've ever seen. And I've fought many rogue sorcerers so far. I believe with Elsa's help, she can do it."

"Never pegged you as an optimist."

"I'm not. But I know raw talent when I see it." Peggy glanced at him. "I guess it runs in the family."

Val averted her gaze, feeling his cheeks grow a little warm. "I'm just the tech guy."

"Without you, we wouldn't have won the battles as fast as we did, and we definitely wouldn't have found Ahtohallan. I owe you for that."

Puzzled, he met her gaze at last. "How so?"

"You helped me to fulfil my own quest. To find out if what my great grandfather told me was true. And to find the Snow Queen on his behalf. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I suppose." He replied awkwardly. He had never been one to know how to react to compliments, "So, what happens after?"

"You mean after we defeat Bjorn and free Arendelle from occupation?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know," Peggy shrugged and let her shoulder slump. "I've seen too much here. I don't know how I'm going to go back to my job and pretend that nothing ever happened."

"Frankly, me neither." Val's ambitions of being an innovator and a key player in his kingdom's military intelligence sector seemed so far away now. It was as if they were dreams from a different world, now that he was immersed in a world of sorcery and supernatural happenings.

"I guess my priority would be to spend whatever remaining time I have with my great grandfather. He doesn't exactly have very long left." Peggy paused to draw in a mildly sharp breath. "And then I'll probably try to change the culture in ERI8. A lot of field agents and operatives have the same mindset as I did; that all sorcery is evil. At least, that's the way the academy trained us to think. Now, I guess I'm in a position to help change that."

"Pity I can't do the same for Arendelle. Sure, you could do that with ERI8, but not with the rest of the world. The public isn't ready to know that sorcery still exists around them, albeit hidden in plain sight sometimes. I suppose I'll try to help my sister with her royal duties and find time to dabble in improving our kingdom's security and intelligence sector on the side."

"Then you have your work cut out for you. Sounds like you'll be busy." Peggy smiled. "I hope you'll have time to come visit once in a while."

"I will." Val returned the grin. "As long as you promise it's not in that old apartment in the Hydrech district."

Peggy chuckled, and Val was about to say something else witty but a noise interrupted them both. There was a vibration coming from inside his bag where he'd stowed his tablet. Miraculously, after the storm and the beating it had taken, the tablet was still functioning. He removed the tablet from his bag and turned it on.

"It's a broadcast transmission from…Bjorn. He's trying to get through to us." Val's eyebrows furrowed and he set it down on a nearby platform of ice behind them that had enough elevation to act as a table. Then, he played the transmission.

General Bjorn appeared on the screen, dressed in the white and gold uniform of the Southern Isles, the four golden stars on his epaulettes marking him as the highest ranking officer in his kingdom's military. At his feet knelt two Arendellian soldiers who had their arms bound behind their backs. And in Bjorn's hand was a pistol.

"Bjorn." Val's voice lowered to a hiss.

"I must commend you and your sister," His voice was hard and emotionless. "I did not think you royals had the courage to escape, let alone evade my army and leave the kingdom." He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance. "An oversight on my part. I underestimated you."

"Bjorn-"

"And then, you pick apart two of my squads, and put to flight a third." Bjorn went on. "Both of you make formidable opponents, and I see you've made a new friend."

Val glanced over his shoulder at Peggy who'd folded her arms, then turned back to Bjorn. "Let my people go. They have no part in this."

"Unfortunately, they do." Bjorn said. "You remember when I told you both that I'd hate to spill more blood? Well, I have a little problem."

Val grimaced. "Your bloodlust."

A look of amusement flashed across Bjorn's face. "You continue to impress, Prince Valloken. How did you-"

"Know that you're a Blood Mage?" Val finished. "I know more than I let on, General."

"Very well. Then you know that it is a curse. I don't wish to kill, but my biology compels me." Bjorn gestured at the two soldiers on their knees. "Just be glad that I do have a conscience."

"You? A conscience?"

"I won't stoop to murdering civilians. But soldiers?" Bjorn glanced at them. "They're casualties of war, serving a higher purpose."

"What higher purpose?" Val clenched his jaw.

"You must understand that I answer to a higher power. I have a task to accomplish."

"Which is?"

"To see to it that the reign of the Southern Isles is unthreatened. And that can only happen if I have the two of you accounted for. It's messy to leave loose ends."

Val grimaced. "What do you want, Bjorn?"

"Return to Arendelle and surrender yourselves to me. Otherwise," Bjorn extended a hand and clenched it. The soldiers were levitated off the ground and their heads snapped back in a most inhumane way, spilling blood across the carpet of wherever Bjorn was. With the release of his fist, the two soldiers crumpled lifelessly to the ground.

"You bastard." Val growled.

Bjorn got down to a knee and swiped a finger through the spilt blood. Gently, he smeared a bit of the blood on his forehead and it evaporated almost instantly. "Their blood is on your hands. I could have made them suffer for your mistakes, but I'm choosing not to." He clasped his hands behind his back, sighing visibly as if killing the two soldiers had sated his bloodlust temporarily. "Unfortunately, my bloodlust will return within forty eight hours, and I will be forced to kill again."

"You will not harm my people any longer. You hear me?" Val growled.

"Who I kill is entirely up to you. If you and your sister return in forty eight hours, I will spare your soldiers and smite my own. My soldiers are prepared to make that sacrifice. Are you?" He smiled in a way that told Val that he knew he held the winning cards, but there was a certain subtle woefulness to his features that unsettled Val considerably. "Let us not drag this war any longer. Return to Arendelle, and I give you my word, I will personally see to it that your deaths will be swift and painless."

The screen went black and silence reigned in the sanctuary. Val was the first to speak after a long pause.

"That's it. I can't stay any longer. I have to take action now." Val said, picking up his tablet and turning on his heel.

"What do you mean?" Peggy asked, her breath caught in her throat.

"It's time to reach out to Arendelle's allies." Val explained. "I'd hoped that Talya's plan would work out, but we have even lesser time than I had thought. I must act now."

"Val, what are you saying?" Peggy asked.

"I'm leaving you and Talya here with the Snow Queen while I return to the mainland." Val set his jaw. "I'm going to cross the forest, get back to civilisation where I can establish contact with the Prime Minister of Einsfelt, and convince the Einsfelt Republic to rally their army to storm Arendelle and flush Bjorn and all his damn militia out of my kingdom."

"Can't you do that through your tablet?"

"No. I don't have the access codes to the networks. And I can't hack them with this hardware." Val answered. He considered explaining the technicality of it all, but caught himself before he could do so. It wasn't going to make a difference. She wouldn't get it. He sighed. "I have to do this in person."

Peggy drew herself up. "Then I'm coming with you."

"What? No." Val said sharply. "You're staying here."

"I don't know if you were even listening to what we were discussing. I'm not sitting this out. This could be a trap."

"I need you to look out for my sister." Val growled indignantly.

"She has Elsa to take care of her. You, however, do not." Peggy was firm, her shoulders squared and a look on her face that told Val there was no changing her mind. "Someone needs to look out for you."

That was mildly embarrassing. "I can take care of myself."

"Not with Bjorn's assassins lurking around." Peggy said bluntly. "End of discussion. Are you going to tell Talya, or should I?"

"No. We can't tell her."

"What?" Peggy looked somewhat taken aback. "You're just going to leave without an explanation?"

"If she knows about this, she'll insist on coming with us. No." Val shook his head. "She's made all this effort to get here, and I won't jeopardise that. If she really believes that the Snow Queen can train her to be who she needs to be, then I'm not getting in the way of that."

Peggy looked doubtful and pensive. "Fair point, but I still think-"

"We'll leave a note behind, explaining everything." Val suggested. "By the time she knows what's going on, we'll be long gone, and she'll have no choice but to stick with her training. It's the only way to ensure maximal chances of success in defeating Bjorn. I've done the math. We'll stand at least an eighty percent chance of winning if we do it this way. But if not-"

"I get it, I get it." Peggy seemed mildly annoyed at his rambling. "I'll record a hologram for Talya and Elsa to inform them that we're gone, and then we can go. You better pack your stuff quickly."

"You sure you don't want to stay and-"

"Get out of here and pack."

"I don't believe this." Val muttered and gave a disgruntled sigh, turning away from the balcony to get his bags from the guest room.

Author's Commentary:

Just a routine welcome to those who've just hopped into this world. It'd be great if you could check out my other stories about the Frozen sisters' adventures, which are all set in this same world. Thanks again for joining us and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story which is soon coming to a head!