Chapter 13: Ashla's Pike

Kristoff sat against the bow of the longboat with his hands together, Sven's head rested on his lap, Olaf was seated atop the reindeer. Next to him were several other ice harvesters with some men rowing the boat. Several other long boats traveled alongside them, carrying either workers, supplies or their delivery of ice. They hadn't had to travel far for ice, winter's coming meant the resource was more easily found further from the mountains. A thin mist hovered above the water and sheets of ice floated calmly across the water's surface. Ashla's Pike was the northermmost city from Arendelle and lay at the center of an enormous lake, therefore the only way to get there was by boat.

Olaf's twig fingers twiddled together, looking back and forth between them and their direction of travel, "Are we there yet?"

Kristoff looked out towards the water and back to Olaf, "Any minute now."

"One, two, three, four, five..."

Kristoff smiled and shook his head, and exactly sixty seconds later Olaf asked, "Are we there yet?"

Kristoff was about to retort until he saw light snowfall in front of his face and a large tall shape appearing in the fog, a smile crept onto his face, "You know what Olaf? I think we are." Olaf's previously bored expression became a giant smile of excitement. In truth it didn't take much to get Olaf excited, he was just happy to visit a new place outside of Arendelle city.

The shape in the fog became clear as they rowed onward; a great statue erected from the water of a tall brawny man with a large wolf standing at his side. The man had a substantial beard with a ring braided into the end of it. Clad in heavy fur, studded leather and thick metal plates for armor, an opened faced helm protected his head, adorned with a multitude of engravings and two horns that protruded from the front of the helm. Kristoff couldn't see it from his angle but the warrior's right pauldron's spike, sculpted in the image of an upside down crow's head and beak, jutted through what looked like a helmet; perhaps taken from a foe. Along the front of his waist tied into his belt were three swords, only the handle and the base of the blade remained where they were broken: trophies of slain foes.

In his left hand at his side he held a war hammer that was shaped as the head of a bearded ram and in his right, held proudly above his head, was a spear. The hammer was clearly a well-crafted weapon, solid in design but the spear was different: there was nothing simple about it, beautiful and almost elegant. Despite the statue being made of stone it was easy to tell that the spear was all metal, the Crocus engraving at the base of the tip almost glinted as if it were the real deal.

Kristoff wasn't a historian by any stretch but if he had to guess, the statue was one of his people's ancient warrior ancestors from a time long past: Ashla...and his pike. The only other thing he wondered was how anyone could have made friends with the wolves in Arendelle, remembering his unpleasant experience with them.

Kristoff stood and walked to the front as they passed the statue and looked out towards the city, the fog parted now to reveal its entirety. It was the largest of settlements outside of Arendelle city and for good reason: it was known as the place where Arendellians first settled in this land, as well it dealt out in trade of fish, livestock, furs, treasure and last but certainly not least, Ice. Built into three ascending levels, it sat on a large island in the middle of the 'northern gate': a great lake that led out to the sea from a river that flowed from the northern mountains. A testament of the majesty and humility of the kingdom of Arendelle, built by hand from wood and stone in ages past.

The Ice harvesters all pulled their boats alongside the docks, as they disembarked Kristoff lifted Olaf out of the boat and helped Sven and the rest of crew. After they finished unloading their cargo, everyone dispersed around the city to rest and relax before the journey back to Arendelle. Of course Kristoff was with Sven and Olaf for the time being as the snowman had been so insistent on coming along. He saw no harm in it and Olaf being less than a year old but possessing intelligence far beyond that deserved to see more of the world.

Atop the nearby buildings he could see the city's banners and knew their meaning: a silver, horned helm that was surrounded by a wreath of white sea serpents against a forest green background. This sigil represented Ashla's Pike as a neutral hold that did not fall under the charge of any one house but belonged to all the people of Arendelle. This fact was one of the things that made him feel at home in the northern city, more so than the capital in the south, but then of course that's where the love of his life lived...who also happened to be the princess.

Kristoff looked around at the hustle and bustle of the great port town, most people he saw dressed in heavy fur, leather and wool since Ashla's Pike was cold all year round but with winter's coming the cold intensified. He himself was wearing his ice harvesters garb and hat, along with his hand ax at his side.

Then he did a double take as he looked upon the guardsmen and saw they no longer wore the green cloth uniforms but were clad in light steel armor, they all carried a spear and angular shield as well. Perhaps Arendelle's ancient warrior ancestry was bound to resurface, with all that was going on it made sense. He noticed one in particular who appeared to be directing the others, he decided to go and have a word with them.

As he approached the guardsman turned and noticed him, he nodded to him and stood stiffly, "Master Kristoff, what brings you to Ashla's Pike?" he had brown hair and brown eyes and was just slightly shorter than Kristoff.

"Business rather than pleasure, sadly... And you are?

"Arvid, sir. The Queen entrusted me as the lieutenant of this unit" he said rather enthusiastically.

"So what's the royal guard doing here?"

The guardsman smiled, "We are no longer the royal guard, we are the Arendelle royal army now. And we've been sent to reinforce every settlement in the kingdom."

"That's good to hear. And that is some very nice armor you're all wearing."

Arvid looked down at himself momentarily then replied, "Aldren designed the armor himself, though Gillian and his smiths have the credit of crafting so many suits of armor in such a short time. We even brought extras for the militia already stationed here."

"Wow, well it's good to see that Aldren seems dedicated."

His expression dropped slightly, "Unfortunately the rumor is that once our training is complete, including her majesty's, he will not stay and fight with us."

Kristoff frowned, "For all our sakes, I hope that isn't true."

Their talk was interrupted when Olaf's unmistakable voice shouted, "Hey Kristoff, I see ships!"

Kristoff saw where he was, a wall that faced out towards the channel that lead to the sea. The Snowman was sitting on the edge looking through an icicle which had become his makeshift telescope. Kristoff and Arvid ran to the wall, Sven was below grazing on loose hay and was previously unconcerned but looked up in curiosity when he saw Kristoff run by. When they reached the top they could see several large ships sailing towards them with their sails up at half speed.

"Ashla's Pike isn't meant to have any ships arriving anytime soon, I looked over the manifests for this week when we arrived." Arvid commented militantly.

Other soldiers were now joining them atop the wall. Kristoff looked down at Olaf, "Hey Olaf, can I see that?" he said, gesturing to Olaf's icicle.

Olaf readily obliged, Kristoff at first hesitated but looked through it, he wasn't sure how this was working but that didn't really matter. He was able see the ships closer now and what he saw next sent a cold wind of fear down his spine. The sails unraveled now to speed their approach, revealing a dark standard... A black-horned viper.

He lowered the icicle, "Oh no..."

The loud booms were followed by the whizzing sound of the bright red, bristling projectiles ripping through the air slamming into the wall, explosions of splintered wood and shattered stone, high and low along the length of the wall forced them all to crouch. Kristoff flinched from the force of a projectile crashing through the top of the wall not far from them, taking several Arendelle soldiers with it and punching a hole into a nearby building. The terrified screams of the citizens rose as panic ensued from below. Arvid hesitated only momentarily before he snapped back to the present. "Defensive Positions!", he ordered.

At once the troops sprang to action, as Arvid continued giving orders, "Spears and shields! Spears and shields! Archers form up behind them!" Troops lined along the walls, the clatter of metal ringing through as their shields locked together and the archers took position behind them.

But Kristoff was stunned, among all the commotion all he could do at present was get Olaf off the top of the wall and duck below. His heart beat at top speed and blood pounded in his ears, he could not hear Olaf or Sven shouting to him...

OoO

A dark figure stood silent on the deck of the flagship known as the 'Vengeance'. General Tarn watched as the cannons fired on the now crumbling wall of this picturesque port town, his hot breath crystallizing in front of his steely eyes, hidden behind his mask that took in every detail. The local militia, though in shock, were preparing a wall of spear men and their first volley of arrows. They were fortunate as the wind was on their side, carrying the arrows further towards the naga fleet, though it would matter little.

He folded his arms and watched the arrows rain down. He heard some of his own kind on board cry out as they were struck. A single arrow struck his left shoulder and he watched as it bounced off and landed on the deck. In his many battles nothing had ever broken through his armor and these arrows were nothing for him to fear. One recollection of a previously unfamiliar emotion stood out that caused him to lift a hand to the broken off section of his helm... still exposing the blackened, scarred flesh...

Commander Sorvec ran up the deck and stood behind him awaiting instruction. Tarn spoke without turning, "Prepare the boarding parties."

Sorvec nodded, descending from the deck, "Half speed! Prepare to disembark!" Flags were raised to signal the other ships.

From the sides of each warship, two large troop transports were lowered into the water, each capable of holding fifty infantries, they numbered ten in total. As the battleships reduced speed and ceased canon fire, oars extended from the sides of the transports and began rowing to the shore beneath the wall.

OoO

Kristoff was startled when Olaf smacked him across the face, "Kristoff Wake UP! I don't know exactly what's happening but I don't think it's good!"

"Huh! Oh-yeah-right-right! We-We need to get out of here!" he looked out from their hiding spot. Atop the wall soldiers with spear and shield held position in front while bowmen in the back fired arrow after arrow at the enemy. Their aim was drawn lower and lower, signifying that the naga were getting closer. Eventually he could see thick metal hooks clamp over the wall and soldiers jabbing their spears over the wall and the archers firing directly down. The rain of arrows was returned with a barrage of bright red projectiles, miniatures compared to the ones previously seen but no less terrifying, causing them to take cover in between shots or be struck and be sent hurdling from the wall if they were unfortunate to be hit.

"Kristoff! You need to go, NOW!" Arvid shouted down to him but before Kristoff could respond, a large armor plated naga reached over and grabbed the soldier next to Arvid and pulled him, screaming, over the wall. It then hoisted itself over the wall and growled at him, Arvid held his shield defensively and took several thrusts at the enemy. The naga took one to the shoulder but dodged the others, grabbing the end of the spear and bearing down on Arvid's shield with its ax, slowly pushing him down.

As he watched the soldier struggle against the beast Kristoff acted quickly, taking hold of his hand ax and aiming carefully at the naga's leg. An exact throw to its knee, the naga cried out in pain and Arvid took the opportunity to thrust his spear through its neck, finishing it off with a shield bash to the head. It fell off of the wall in front of Kristoff and he retrieved his ax from it's leg.

"Now Go!" Arvid shouted again.

Kristoff grabbed Olaf and put him on Sven. Climbing on himself they rode to join the mass of civilians heading for the docks.

OoO

The Lieutenant turned back to the fighting, shouting orders to the soldiers, "Hold positions, shield to shield! Don't let them over the wall!"

But more naga made their way to the shore and climbed over the wall, they would overrun them eventually but they could buy the populace time to escape. A naga cut down one of his comrades and then charged him with another following closely behind. He threw the spear forward into the naga's chest, the second was nearly on him. Arvid drew his sword and rushed him. Pinning them against the wall with his shield and stabbing their neck, as one fell another peered over the edge, Arvid swiped up at the head sending them back over. A third seized his shield with both hands trying to wrest it from his grip, he dropped his weight downward breaking its grip then quickly rose and slammed upwards with his shield into their jaw.

He breathed heavily but turned quickly when he heard a rapid whizzing in the air behind him. He turned to see briefly, a crimson armored form spinning in the air towards him before delivering a kick to his chest, the wind was knocked from his as he landed crashing into the ground below the wall. He winced from the pain, groaning as he raised himself, seeing the naga duelist staring down at him from atop the wall. Looking away from his nemesis at the ensuing chaos he saw they could not hold the wall, he needed to act fast or they would no chance of holding the tide back at all.

"Fall back! Fall back from the wall! Draw them into the city!"

The remaining troops pulled from the wall before they were overwhelmed and began taking defensible positions near the buildings wherever they could. Arvid stood at the front, in the open watching as the last of his men withdrew from the wall and ran towards his position. But when he looked back at the enemy he saw that they did not follow, the duelist had sheathed his swords and a line of Naga Ai troops gathered beside them with their ranged weapons aimed down at his direction.

His eyes widened as the duelist raised a closed fist, Arvid raised his shield running sideways to cover, "Take cover!"

The naga commander's hand shot forward and the double barrels of their weapons rained down red fire on the Arendellian soldiers. Arvid felt several bolts pelt his shield almost knocking him over, he barely spun into cover behind the wooden walls of a nearby structure. Others who had left the wall too late were not so lucky, gunned down before they could make it to safety, the piercing bolts tore at the buildings and at the ground kicking up dust and debris that clouded the air making it difficult to see.

Arvid stood and peeked from his hiding spot, the enemy fire had not ceased but it had thinned, he suspected they were coming down from the wall. His suspicions were confirmed when he could see red flashes in the distance to his sides and hear blades clashing, as well he heard several footsteps heading straight for his direction.

He ducked back behind cover, slowing his breathing and listened and heard as the iron plated feet walked closer and closer. When the moment was right he burst from cover, catching one of them by surprise jamming his shield into their throat before they could aim their weapon. Another swung down at him with their sword, Arvid dropped his shield tilted upward blocking the blade and thrust forward into their gut between the metal plates. A third charged at him with a spear, passing their attack past his flank with his shield and slashed across their back. He charged his fourth target, knocking them to the ground and stabbing them twice as their two shots flew out from their weapon into the air .

From his right, another was swinging downward, but instead of cutting down a fifth naga his blade was met with two blades blocking his. He was face to with the duelist commander that attacked him before. The naga forced Arvid's sword upward with his own, kicking him in the chest. Landing on his hands and knees in the opposite direction, he looked back at the commander who laughed mockingly at him, "Thig! Seall dhomh na dh'fhaodas tu a dheanamh, daonna!(Come! show me what you can do, human!)"

Arvid shouted and spun swinging his sword back at his attacker's leg. They parried his blade upward with one sword and struck the guard of his sword with the other, knocking it from his hand behind him. Arvid managed to block the next two strikes with his shield and pushed forward with all his strength, gripping the shield in both hands. The duelist pushed back as well, forcing Arvid back. Next throwing a series of kicks all from the same leg in rapid succession; the first to Arvid's shield knocking it from his grasp, the second to his knee forcing him to the ground and the third to the side of helm sending him into the dirt. Shaking his head Arvid began crawling to reach his sword.

OoO

Sorvec stood over the Arendellian soldier with his dual swords in hand, he couldn't help but be impressed, he had not expected to see any of these humans fight nearly as well as they did. They matched the naga assault well, most Arendellian men being larger and stronger than the average naga, their invasion force had met steady resistance and he welcomed the challenge. He sheathed his swords, then looked forward as more of their troops flooded into the city in pursuit of the populace. He then spotted one individual of particular interest among the crowd: He had been briefed on this human named Kristoff, he was not a member of the royal family...but he was important to them.

Two elite troopers, distinguished by their higher quality armor and siege rifles which in addition to the common double barrels were equipped with a spindle that allowed for multiple shots. They flanked Sorvec on either side, one put his foot down on the Arendellian soldiers hand keeping him from reaching his sword while the other aimed their rifle at his head. Sorvec grabbed his arm pulling him up short, and pointed towards the Ice harvester. The trooper nodded, stepping forward onto one knee and aimed the rifle, pressing the stock to his shoulder and aiming down-sight. Before he fired Sorvec put his hand on his shoulder, "Beo. (Alive)"

The trooper huffed, pulling the trigger and sending two bristling red projectile through the air. They impacted right in front of the reindeer's stride, creating a small explosive crater in the earth that flashed brightly, throwing dust and snow around. The beast cried out, rearing backward and fell over with its two riders being dumped off onto the ground. Sorvec grinned underneath his helm and moved forward with his troopers to close in on their prize. But not before gesturing for the troopers to pick up the Arendellian lieutenant, forcing him to walk at gunpoint.

OoO

Kristoff groaned, his hand rising to meet his head, raising wobbly to his knees, he looked around at the chaos...the naga were everywhere, weaving through all three levels of the city. Overwhelming the soldiers, people that tried to hide in their homes were shortly rooted out, forced at sword or gunpoint, all towards the center of the cities lowest level. Kristoff called out frantically, "Sven, Olaf?!"

"We're okay!" he saw Olaf and Sven through the dust and some relief rested on his heart. A Arendelle soldiers rushed towards him to help him to his feet but before he could thank them, a naga warhammer swung into the soldier's chest, knocking him away. He took his ax out to fight back but as soon as he swung the large naga grabbed his chest with one hand and threw him into the side of a building. As Kristoff pushed himself back up the brute ran towards him, the ice harvester attempted another swing but the naga knocked the weapon from his grasp and gripped his throat with their free hand. The naga hissed as it lifted him higher, applying more and more pressure, Kristoff's eyes rolled back as he choked against the grip.

The naga was swept completely off its feet when a pair of Antlers rammed into him, freeing Kristoff from the grip and knocking the hammer from their hand. As he fell to the ground, he gasped and regaining his breath and saw Sven trample over the naga brute, then turn to face them as they rose back up. Sven scraped his hooves and bellowed, the enemy growled pulling a sword from its back but couldn't find an opening to attack, Sven swung his head knocking the blade from their grasp with his antlers.

Kristoff saw another one coming around the corner of an adjacent building, but this one was different: it's armor was more intricate and neat, the colors red and black mixed in its paint and the fang tipped longsword stood out among the other weapons. Kristoff cried out in fear, "Sven, look out!"

But before Sven could react the dark warrior outstretched both hands, a wave of unseen energy pushed the reindeer away and onto the ground. The other naga seized the opportunity and piled on top of him, holding his body, the one that Sven had trampled kicked the animal in the stomach and grabbed him by his antlers, forcing his head on the ground. Before Kristoff could even begin to run and help his friend, he felt his body tense and he was lifted slowly into the air against his will. Another warrior of similar aesthetic walked around from behind him with her hand raised in the air. She tilted her head before throwing her hand forward and Kristoff slamming into the wall, as he fell the warrior's clawed glove grabbed his face and threw him to the ground.

The naga's attention was drawn away from him when Olaf ran up and kicked her in the shin, "Leave my friends alone!"

A part of Kristoff wanted to smile at the sudden burst of aggression from the usually upbeat and welcoming snowman. But the moment was short lived when the naga growled and back handed Olaf's head off and his body was left running around without direction.

Kristoff swung his ax but the naga swiftly caught his arm and gripped hard, he cried out as he heard and felt his wrist crack. The ax fell from his grasp and the naga grabbed the back of his hair and shoved him to his knees, holding their longsword to his neck. His head was wrenched back enough that he could see the black viper mask, a feminine yet ferocious voice addressed him, "For your friend's sake, I suggest you don't try that again!"

Around him he could see Arendelle soldiers on their knees with guards behind each of them. Another Naga came walking forward into the scene, slender in form with dual swords at his sides, they shined in the light but were of wicked design with curved teeth lining the top edges of the blades. He observed the situation, looking between Kristoff, Sven and chuckling at Olaf's headless body running around. His gaze settled on Sven and he gestured to the soldiers, the one holding the antlers bent his head to the side so his throat was laid bare. The commander gripped the handles of his swords as he lazily walked forward, rolling his shoulders and head.

Kristoff struggled against his captor, "No! Stop! Leave him alone...Please!" his cries fell on deaf ears, whipping out the swords and performing a series of twirls with the blades as he crept towards the reindeer at a tortuously slow speed. As soon as he was over him he raised them above his head, Sven whined in fear as he looked into Kristoff's eyes. Tears began to sting at Kristoff's face, he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth as the stroke was about to come down.

"Sorvec!" The female sorcerer that held him captive yelled to the naga commander who stopped and lowered his arms. She released Kristoff and marched over to Sorvec while two other naga troopers replaced her. She walked up to the commander, pushing a button on the side of her helm, the face shield of her helm lifted to reveal her intense, blue reptilian eyes and pointed ears, "They're beaten, we weren't ordered to execute unarmed prisoners."

The commander pushed the button the side of his own helm, his eyes were yellow and his ears rounded, his shrewd narrow face formed into a coy smile, "I did not hear the beast surrender Witch, I didn't realize you placed such a high value on an animal's life, or perhaps you're just too soft for this...like your brother."

"Perhaps we should find out how soft you are, Sorvec..." her eyes narrowing and grip tightening on her sword, the commander only smirked arrogantly.

"Enough!"

All was still and Kristoff looked up and saw a naga much larger than the others walking towards them with two troopers at his sides. He wore heavy, black metal armor that encased his entire body so no skin was exposed, save for a piece that was broken off at the jaw. His steps thumped harshly against the earth as he came closer. The commander and witch sheathed their swords and stepped back, "General Tarn."

Tarn halted in the middle of the group observing all momentarily before looking to Kristoff. "And what have we here?"

But before Kristoff could answer he recognized Arvid who elbowed his guard in the groin and hit their face with the back of his own helm, knocking them to the ground and grabbing a spear off the ground and thrusting it at Tarn with all his remaining might. The naga general didn't even flinch as the spear splintered against his armor like a toothpick. Arvid looked at the spear stunned and backed away from the giant, Tarn grabbed his arm twisting it above his head painfully and forcing to his knees. Commander Sorvec walked towards them, "This is the one that led the defense against us."

Tarn looked over Arvid for a moment before stating, "This one will be useful."

A quick punch to Arvid's head with his other hand dented His helm and knocked him out cold. Tarn dropped him to the ground and stepped over his limp body and continued on his previous course towards Kristoff.

Kristoff swallowed "Please! Don't hurt them...I was the one who attacked your men. It's not their fault, I-"

Commander Sorvec stepped forward and punched him across the face, the rough metal cutting into his face, making him wince. Tarn held up a hand "Enough, commander Sorvec! Stand him up."

The two naga soldiers lifted him to his feet, Tarn stepped forward and even when Kristoff stood up Tarn towered over him. He gripped Kristoff's chin and turned his head as he laughed bemusedly. "Ah yes, Kristoff the...'Royal Ice Master and deliver'." A series of wicked chuckles and laughs were heard from the enemy soldiers.

Commander Sorvec once again spoke out of turn, "Unfortunately your beast did attack one of our soldiers...and we cannot let that go unpunished."

Kristoff shook his head as Tarn removed his hand, "No! If you're going to hurt somebody let it be me!"

Venereth interrupted him "I'm afraid it's not that simple, human."

General Tarn stood silent for a few moments before making a decision, "The Reindeer is one of our prisoners, but prisoners must be unarmed, Commander...take his weapons."

Sorvec drew his swords once more, brushing past Venereth as he walked towards Sven. The naga brute raised the reindeer up slightly head locking him in place, Sorvec's blades whipped cockily in the air, he swung one blade for each of the antlers, a small whimper as each was severed from his skull. The reindeer whined pitifully and sank lower in defeat, Kristoff could see the pain and humiliation in his friend's eyes.

Kristoff hung his head, his breath shaky...He was forced to look up when Tarn's massive hand gripped his throat and lifted him from the trooper's grasp just off the ground. Kristoff's breathing became raspy as he pulled against the General's armored fingers in vain.

Tarn leaned in ever so slightly, "Let this serve as a reminder, should you step out of line during our occupation." He nodded to Sorvec who held his swords threateningly above Sven's neck. "Your friends will suffer and die first, the snowman will be used for nothing more than kindling and your beast will become slaughter for my troops supper. And even then if you should persist...I'll begin butchering soldiers, women...and children. Until you are the only one left and then...then I'll leave you alive and you can tell your queen and princess why everyone in this city had to die..."

Kristoff could no longer resist as he closed his eyes and nodded his absolute surrender. Tarn dropped him to the ground, cutting Kristoff's jawline with the edges of his plated glove as he did. "Put him with the others, tie the reindeer up outside and find somewhere to keep the snowman, I suspect he will be more trouble than he's worth."

Tarn walked away with his escort, the naga shoved Sven to the ground roughly, tying ropes around him and dragged his limp body away while two others gathered Olaf's parts, "Hey Wait, where are we going? Sven! Kristoff!"

Sorvec walked to Kristoff as the two troopers grabbed his arms and lifted him back up, reaching down he ripped the red sash away from around his waist. Kristoff winced in pain, narrowing his eyes at him. Sorvec looked over the sash momentarily before grinning at Kristoff, "I'll be sure to leave this with your princess...when I hang her with it."

Kristoff glared at the commander as a sadistic smile formed on Sorvec's face, he fastened the sash to his belt and cracked his knuckles, "You're a tough one, this could take a while."

The naga commander drew a fist back but before it carried thru, Venereth caught his arm and narrowed her eyes, "Perhaps you should attend to the occupation...commander."

He sneered at her, snatching his arm away, closing his mask and marching away with his escort. Kristoff looked at her confused, he might almost thank her if she wasn't part of the army trying to dominate Arendelle. Her face showed no visible emotion as she held a hand in front of his face, a black, violet smoke seeping from her palm, "Sleep, Ice Harvester." And the spell made him do just that.

OoO

Venereth lowered her hand as the human fell unconscious, she motioned with her head for them to take him away, she then walked over to General Tarn who faced the opposite direction. Alongside him she saw their master approach, once the Witch King approached they both knelt before him, General Tarn spoke first, "My liege, the Northern Gate is yours."

The Witch king's dark voice chilled the air more so than it already was as he spoke, no fog emanated from his helm even as he breathed...if he in fact breathed at all. "Very good General, it would seem the humans were more resistant than anticipated, admirable...if unavailing."

He bid them to stand and addressed his Witch Knight next, "Venereth, continue your work in south, stay to the shadows and inform me of every move the snow queen takes against us."

She bowed, taking to the sky's as an orb of black mist, Amicus turned to his General who lowered his head, "What now do you bid?"

The Witch King looked towards the south, standing with his hands clasped behind his back "The whole of Arendelle is in our control and we have no doubt evoked her majesty's fury...and her fear. We have laid out our trap General, now we wait for our prey to spring it..."

For those of you who are curious or just wondering, I dare you to go to google images and look up 'Map of Arendelle from Frozen Fever' and try to guess where Ashla's Pike and the other places I've described are located on the map. Good luck ;)