Chapter 11: Black Autumn
The sky was gray, the tiniest drops of rain falling as the wind blew softly through the air, occasionally gusting more erratically. Aldren watched from the edge of the of the city as the reinforcements in their new steel armor, spears pointed skyward with green/violet banners flowing in the wind, departed from Arendelle city. A hundred men for each of the neighboring regions: Hadenville, Ashla's Pike, Riverview, and Hammerhel. He had already said his farewell to Arvid who queen Elsa had sent to lead the detachment sent to Ashla's Pike, stating that he would be vital leadership for the northernmost fortress. She was right...but Aldren would have liked for him to stay and continue his training as her captain...perhaps she did not agree.
He knew that she desired only to ensure her people's safety, but he felt it wasn't wise to send any of them out this soon. Only a few of them had even seen what their enemy was and fewer still had faced them in battle, they were not the soldiers that Arendelle needed yet. Yet he could only state an opinion as her's was the final word, after all this was not his fight...he was merely a temporary instructor. But he was only proving a fool to himself if he denied the truth, he knew what he was running from and he questioned if it was right to run anymore, to leave his homeland to its fate.
He turned and walked back towards the castle, passing by the citizens of Arendelle: the weavers, bakers, blacksmiths, farmers, ice-harvesters, tinkers, toy makers...they had no idea what was coming for them. Truthfully he wasn't sure if even he had an inkling of what their enemy was capable of. Queen Elsa had yet to begin 'teaching' him to control his powers, although she was more eager to start than he was. But he was willing to give her the chance to show him how and who better to show him than another elemental, he hoped she would keep her distance still, he'd never forgive himself if she was harmed because of him...no one else needed to be hurt.
Eventually the cobblestone ended and his foot met the first step leading to the castle entrance, looking up he was surprised to see queen Elsa with her hands clasped together, in her...violet dress? He was intrigued to see she wore a violet dress with pink flowers, a unique pattern of purple embroidery and jewels on the chest and a violet bloom in her hair.
She smiled at him, "I see that I'm not the only one who needed some outside air."
He couldn't help but chuckle, "I think most people tend to avoid the outside on days like this. Though I suppose...we are not most people."
She shook her head, he gestured to her attire, "A lovely dress your grace, your work?"
She smiled toothily, "Yes, thank you. I wanted to try something different today."
He nodded, "Indeed."
She frowned, looking down at the ground and then back to him, "You still don't believe it was wise to send them, do you?"
He closed his eyes and sighed, "No, I do not. But that is not my decision to make and I understand that you want the rest of your kingdom to be defended."
Elsa stepped down from the stairs, putting her hand on his shoulder, "Thank you, I know this is a difficult undertaking for you; staying here and suffering my...inexperience." she said this with a slight humor in her voice.
Aldren smiled briefly before his expression became more serious, "Those before me always believed that 'learning on the fly' was the best experience builder...But remember, you are the one who must lead this army. I'm here to train you to fight, you must be direct their purpose, be their leader...their reason to fight. You will need to project strength, conviction and most importantly faith in your people to help you win this conflict."
She nodded, "I understand. I have led before, war on the other hand...you certainly don't make it sound easy."
"That's because it's never easy."
"I suppose that's true isn't it...however, as I recall you are owed a training session of your own." she smiled, her hips shifting to one side.
Aldren had known this was coming, he wanted it yet at the very same he was fearful of the consequences of letting his powers free. "I just hope that I'm ready...I'd very much like not to burn down a city I'm helping prepare for war."
She walked up to him and took his hands in hers, "You won't Aldren, I'll be here to make sure that doesn't happen." welcoming him inside with a gesture of her hand, he followed her into the palace. He assumed she had a plan for this...considering they were walking into a very large, likely very flammable building...
OoO
Elsa led them through the castle to the gardens where they had fought the naga leader and his men. Before they stepped outside, Elsa turned to Aldren whose brow was furrowed, she smiled, "You seem surprised."
He shook his head, shrugging, "At least it's outside."
They walked into the garden which still bore scars from their skirmish with the naga: broken statues, burnt plants and scorched earth. She led them out towards the center and turned back to Aldren and gestured with her hands, "Alright, go ahead." she said bluntly.
Caught off guard by the question, Aldren clapped his hands and laughed nervously, "Go ahead...?"
She nodded, "Yes, I want to see you make it, without any direction. Just simply...go."
He exhaled, closing his eyes and taking up a stance as if he were preparing to duel, he extended his hands ahead of himself away from her direction. As he opened his eyes a pair of orange flames emerged from his hands and slowly snaked through the air as he guided them. Elsa watched with admiration as he performed though she could see in his fear and hesitation, he did not take his eyes off of the fire for even a second.
She moved beside him, clasping her hands together beside her face, "Wow, um...let's see, why don't we try something more...creative. Hmm...A Dragon! Think you can do that?"
While still keeping an eye on the flames he chuckled, almost sounding drained from his deep concentration, "You...almost seem...like you want me to burn down your palace."
She carefully put a hand on his shoulder, "I want to test your ability...and I want you to know you won't burn down anything as long as I am around."
He sighed, "Very well, you seem to trust me more than I do."
Closing his eyes momentarily the flame spun through the air and sparked into the shape of a baby Wyvern no larger than a song bird. It took flight through the air, circling around them and stopping to hover in front of Elsa. She smiled and hesitantly reached out to it, out of the corner of her eye she noticed Aldren's anxious expression, she smiled and gave him a reassuring glance that she knew the danger.
She encased her hand a glove of ice for the fiery creature to land on her index finger without harming her, nestling down and trilling calmly. Aldren's expression changed to a small smile and she was extremely pleased to see Aldren finally relax, if only a little.
He still kept a hand firmly ahead of the dragon, like a leash on a hound, "You see, this is easy for me, commanding it when I'm still holding the reigns."
Then his face turned grim as he lowered his hand, the dragon let loose a miniature screech and flapped its wings and began flying wildly around the garden. It stopped in front of a stock of flowers and let loose a stream of flame from its maw, burning them to ash. "But when I let go...it does what it wants to, and runs wild, it does...what fire does." he shook his head in disdain towards the fiery beast.
Elsa looked to him and then the dragon, furrowing her brow she lifted her hand in the air. The dragon looked at her, flying back over to land on her finger once more. It seemed to like her, she looked at Aldren's solemn expression then back to the dragon. Smiling she formed another glove for her other hand. His eyes slowly widened as she watched her softly brush down the creature's back, the fiery beast was encased inside a shell of ice, resting in her palms now was what could best be described... as an egg. Both elementals were struck with surprise for it seemed even Elsa didn't know exactly what would happen when she touched the dragon.
Then a small crack emerged in the egg followed by several others, eventually the casing collapsed into fragments and toppling over itself...was a newborn baby dragon. Whatever process Elsa had put the flame through had changed it: transforming it, burning, orange flames had faded into soft, white snow and bright, blue teal ice. She also noticed that the irises of its small eyes were a deep crimson not unlike Aldren's. Once it was able to gather its full bearings the newborn looked itself over a moment, flexing its wings before flapping and rising from Elsa's hands hovering in front of her face. Elsa smiled widely and laughed quietly, tears almost forming: the kind of expression a mother might have when gazing upon their child for the first time. Even Aldren couldn't help but show some teeth at the sight of something that was new, even to him. The Dragon trilled happily, zipping through the air on its new wings.
Elsa laughed as they watched it, "Now what shall we call you, little one?" she said as she let the shattered eggshell fall to the ground.
It responded by shooting out a stream of white powder onto them. "Trolgon..." said Aldren, brushing the snow from his face and shoulders. "Trolgon; a synonym for 'trouble' in Alfar...'trouble' sounds right for you".
She chuckled, brushing snow out of his hair, "Trolgon it is then." the dragon flipped through the air, landing on Aldren's shoulder, he sighed and scratched underneath his chin. The beast rubbed its head against his cheek before crying out and taking flight, soaring happily through and around the gardens. Aldren put his hands on his hips and laughed as he watched the dragon zip through the air, "Now that is something I've never seen before."
Elsa turned to him, they smiled at each other for a moment before Elsa made a bold move, not unlike the one he made the day he began training her. She reached out and grasped his hand in both of hers, his palm facing upwards. He looked at her questioningly as she rubbed her thumb across his palm, she looked up at him with soft eyes, "You say that you want to control your power, that you're afraid of your power 'running wild'. I don't think it's about that, I had to let go of my fear, my pain and my anger...So that I could be free." her right hand moved and sat on his chest, just above his heart, "Maybe that is what fire is meant to be. You have to let go of whatever it is that causes you this pain. If you want this, you need closure...we can take it little by little if that would help."
She then stepped around to stand beside him, the length of her arm against his and her hand wresting atop of his, "I want you to try again, now this time at the very moment right before you let go of your control...the thing that hurts you, replace it with something different, something that elates you, that makes you happy...makes you feel loved. Are you ready?"
He nodded uncertainly, "What should I make this time?"
"Whatever comes to mind."
Again outstretching his hand, another flame sparked through the air and took the form of another flying creature, this time it was a flaming crow: the sigil of house Embercrow of Hammerhel, an extinct noble family of Arendelle...curious. She took note of this for later, for now watching Aldren's latest creation glide through the air with his hand guiding it through the air, her hand following his as he did, the crow cawed loudly as it circled around them. She then looked to Aldren his eyes closed in concentration, perhaps recalling on a happy thought to aid him.
OoO
Aldren desperately searched the recesses of his mind for a recollection that would help, he had fond memories, good times to recall but could anything overpower his inner struggle. Every time he'd try to place an image of happiness ahead of him, the same thing plagued him: he could still see her hair stained with red, her fading green eyes, her light skin...and the flames that surrounded her. It became too much to try and bear, having to look upon her face and see the nightmare all over again...
OoO
Elsa's concern grew as Aldren's teeth gritted, his eyes wrenching tighter and tighter, she watched the crow cautiously as its flight pattern became more erratic and agitated. Suddenly, without warning Aldren's eyes flew open, a terrified shout escaping his mouth as he fell backward onto the ground. Elsa knelt beside him but before she could begin to calm him her attention was drawn to a loud, angry cawing from the sky and the flaming crow dive bombed towards them. She prepared to strike it from the sky, but she was beat to it by a stream of frost that knocked the crow from the air onto the ground.
Their tiny ice dragon followed the flaming menace as it hit the ground, hovering around it he continued his barrage until the crow was completely extinguished. Trolgon landed on the small mound of snow where the crow used to be, the fins along his back flexing as he hissed at the mound and turning to whip at it with his tale. The dragon then looked at his creators, cocking his head and chattering quietly.
Elsa nodded thankfully to him, then turning her attention back to Aldren who was breathing heavily, his mouth agape and his eyes focused solely on the mound of frost where the crow had fallen. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Aldren?"
He blinked and nodded slowly, raising himself off the ground, despite his distraught he still had the decency to offer his hand to Elsa to help her from the ground. She took it but did not let go of it as she stood, he groaned and ran a hand over his right shoulder, she bit her lip momentarily before speaking again, "Aldren...I can't fully help you, unless I know what is holding you back. I revealed to you what kept me from embracing my power, maybe you can find it in yourself to reveal to me your struggle?"
He had a frown upon his face, rubbing hand over his face and Sighing, he looked back at her with a softened face, "I know I probably haven't been as open with you as I should be, it is hard...but I am ready to try...little by little."
Elsa smiled, just enough that her white teeth showed slightly and Aldren's eyes softened as he smiled back. Trolgon took to the air, landed on Aldren's shoulder who reached back and grasped the handle of his longsword, unsheathing and holding it before her, "For now, I will start with this part of my story."
He offered it to her and she looked up at him, then back to the blade, she grasped the handle and her other hand rested underneath the blade. The blade shined faintly in the afternoon sunlight leading into deadly sharp point. After studying it a moment longer, she noticed a set of symbols etched into the blade, like the ones in her book, "What are these?"
"They are Alfar runes I carved into the blade, I call this weapon 'Fomhar Dubh': 'Black Autumn', the former bearer called it 'Bane an Dubh Olg': 'Bane of the Black Ogre'."
"Are those runes on the sword as well?" she asked checking both sides of the sword
"No...no, you see most Alfar 'Cosaint'-this something like a knight, forge their own weapon and carve a set of runes that not only bring a personal meaning to the weapon for the bearer but also breathe life into the blade."
Elsa looked between Aldren and the sword disbelievingly, "The sword is-Your telling me this sword...is alive?"
He shrugged, "Well, perhaps not alive in the sense that you would think of a creature like you or I. But yes, that weapon you hold there has a sense of its surroundings...or at least the person who wields it. I know that it's difficult to understand, it certainly was for me when it was passed on to me."
She looked on questioningly, "And who passed it on to you?"
"A warrior, a teacher...an old friend: Elom Yjoric." as he seemed to recall a fond memory. "Would you believe me if I told you the blade was forged in the flames of a great drake and the handle was carved from the tooth of the beast?"
She looked up at him, grinning and shook her head. "No, probably not."
He chuckled, "Neither would I... But that's what he always said."
She handed the sword back to him and he held it in his hands again, "My parents... died when I was young... I had nowhere to go, no one to look after me and no place in Arendelle anymore. And it doesn't take long for a dirty, wandering child to be noticed on the road...I was taken into slavery."
Her eyes widened at this revelation, he turned around, looking at his reflection in the blade and continued, "They found me wondering the western road towards the fringed sea to the west, I was actually one of only four at first. But as the caravan moved on others were put in chains much further away from here. We were marched beyond the northern, remote forests of southern Arendelle to a dock and were shipped across the Sea to the continent of Eradis in the west... 'The Flagrum Keep' they called it...yes, that was that wretched place's name; an outpost of the Caldarian Empire, placed just within the borders of the Eldoron Forest."
Elsa walked around to face him, "I'm sorry, I've never heard of this...Caldarian Empire."
He looked up at her, his face serious and loathing, "I'm not surprised, they prefer to keep their 'ambitions' hidden from the rest of the world. Caldaria is a ruthless and oppressive dominion ruled over by the cruel Emperor Cirilla. I was taken to the Flagrum Keep, that was headed over by her aggressive and malicious son Edesious. They are fiercely opposed to anything or anyone of magical origin, anything they can't control...they will destroy. I managed to keep my powers hidden was put to work in a mine, and I stayed that way for years...I don't remember how many exactly but I remember the day that I... stepped out of line. I killed a slave master with fire that was beating another worker and they decided it was the noose for me, along with several others who had instigated a revolt in the chaos. Marched to the edge of their borders to be hung over a river individually, we were meant to be an example to the other slaves and a warning to the forest's true occupants."
Then Aldren smiled, "But before they could we were saved by those whom I would come to know as family for much of my life. I remember their speed, their skill, their fury and how they cut through the Imperials with bow and blade like a cleaver carves through a boar's flesh. And leading them was a silver knight striking as swift and ferocious as a great raptor ...Cosaint Yjoric or as I came to know him: Elom. I Remember thinking to myself 'it was incredible for a man to move with such speed'...of course they weren't men."
He chuckled, "If I'm being honest, I was never a terribly curious child when it came to myths and legends so I didn't know what an elf was, I only knew they were different than I but I did not know how...It was revealed to me that I'd been surrounded by them that whole time when I was in the mines and I was going to be spending a great deal of my life with them in Anoroth, the last great Elven kingdom... I hope I haven't lost you, I know it's a bit hard to believe."
"Its no less believable than an ice harvester raised by future seeing trolls, I trust your word... in fact I'm quite intrigued to hear the rest."
"Thank you...though you'll have to elaborate on these 'future seeing trolls' later...Well the process of being accepted by them was certainly not the smoothest, when they realized I was human and saw the power I wielded they weren't keen on taking me with them. Some of them even thought it'd be better to simply and I quote 'Put me out of my misery.' But Elom wouldn't have it, he said 'This not a Caldarian, he's a Nordling from Althgarr across the sea and one who I believe deserves an audience with the queen. Her majesty will decide his fate.' They took me back with them to their hidden realm of Anoroth. From that day on I became closer kin with the elves than I believed possible, they became my brothers, sisters, my family, my..."
Aldren paused. Looking down, he rubbed his fingers over the intricate runes on the blade, "When Elom...passed, I brought the sword back to Anoroth still sheathed to return it to the knight council. But when I removed it from the scabbard the whole council, even queen Anaria, saw as the runes upon the sword fade away as if they never were. Queen Anaria herself told me that the sword had chosen me to bear it until the end of my days and it would never truly belong to anyone else who might try to wield it...and so I engraved it with the runes you see on it now and it has been one of my closest friends through many dangers." He breathed a heavy sigh before sheathing the weapon, "That is all I wish to tell for now Elsa."
In truth she wanted to hear more, ask more questions and learn more about his shadowed past but she would be polite and patient and wait for another opportunity. She took his hands and smiled, "It is enough for now. Thank you...for trusting me."
He smiled back faintly and bowed his head. "Besides, I imagine you have more important things to attend to."
She nodded, "I suppose... you might be right." The pair headed through the gardens back to the castle, side by side. While Trolgon glided above them as their aerial escort.
OoO
As the two elementals walked back into the castle Elsa's arms wrapped around herself and her expression became suddenly grimmer as she looked on in deep thought.
Aldren inquired, "Are you alright, you're not feeling unwell are you?"
She shook her head, replying quickly, "No-no, I'm just...thinking...though I suppose I could use some...rest."
He smiled and hesitantly offered his arm to her, "May I...escort you then?"
She nodded and looped her arm with his. Once they reached her room on the upper levels, he opened the door to her room and she slowly climbed under the covers. She breathed a quiet "Thank you." he nodded and shut the door.
OoO
Anna had been waiting and watching behind a wooden pillar and now she could put her plan into action. She approached Aldren and tapped him on the shoulder, he turned and she grinned, "Looks like you and Elsa had a good time this afternoon."
He straightened, maintaining his air of professionalism, "Your sister and I have an agreement, she was fulfilling her end of the bargain."
Anna tilted her head, "Did that agreement include taking her arm and walking her to her room."
Aldren frowned ever so slightly, "Elsa didn't seem to be feeling well, so I escorted her to her room-"
Anna interrupted him, worry now on her face, "Wait, she wasn't sick was she?"
He nodded, "No I don't believe so, but she did seem...disturbed by something."
"Well let me check on her." She opened the door to her sister's room… Both of their mouths stood agape as they saw the bed empty and the window open...
