Chapter 14: Soldiers

Elsa stood in front of her desk with her head level, keeping her face neutral and giving no tells of emotion, "That is my decision Anna...and I will not change it."

Aldren stood on the other side of the desk as an observer in this moment, he would not intervene, he couldn't. She had to do this on her own.

"How...How can you say that!" Anna stood across from the queen, her hands clutching to an invisible object in front of her, her face wretched with despair and disbelief.

"Anna I-I don't want to do this but I cannot send untrained soldiers into a battle. They are not ready."

"You're saying we should just stay here and-and do nothing, while monsters hold our friends- our family captive?!"

"As queen of Arendelle I have a duty to our people to-"

"What about duty to family?! What about our duty to Olaf, to Sven, to Kristoff?!"

"Anna I-"

"You are the queen! There must be something, you have to find another way!"

"THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!" The whole room was brought to silence when Elsa gripped her sister's shoulders. She breathed heavily before loosening her grip and looking into Anna's shocked, almost horrified expression. "There is no other way...Anna I know you love them; I know you love him... I love them all and I love Kristoff as I would a brother. But I cannot send our own people into slaughter, not even for them...not even for family." the last few words felt like poison in her mouth and she scarcely held back the quiet sob in her throat at uttering them.

Anna's breaths were sharp and shallow as tears began seeping in her eyes, pulling herself from her sister's grasp and bolting from the office. Aldren sighed, he knew that no matter what Elsa said the young princess would not respond well, he could see Elsa moving to go after her. He stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder and she quickly turned towards him, the sting of the argument still fresh on her face. "Elsa if you'll permit me, let me try to console her."

"How?"

He looked between the door from where Anna had left and back to the queen, "Follow closely and listen, intervene if you do not approve."

Elsa looked uncertainly at him and then the direction of her sister, biting her finger anxiously, "She's never been this angry with me before..."

"She's not angry with you Elsa..." he reached into his pocket and pulled out the crimson cloth with the horned viper, "She's angry with them, she just doesn't know it yet."

Elsa looked down at the cloth, her gaze hardening slightly before nodding to Aldren. He bowed and gave Elsa a warm, reassuring smile that she returned. He lingered and watched Elsa turn to look out the window and just as he was turning to leave something caught his eye, a single drop of water hit the floor where they had been standing. As he examined the group of icy spikes jutting from the ceiling, it was a reminder of just how controlled Elsa could be and... just what she was capable of. Before she could turn around he left the room and decided to keep that to himself.

OoO

Aldren managed to track the distraught princess to the balcony overlooking the city, there she leaned against the railing with her head in her hands crying. Quietly he walked over beside her and rested his arms against the railing, she noticed him and wiped her eyes, "I just want to be alone right now Aldren..."

He nodded, "Many people want a great many things princess, and many times they receive it...but it's not always what they need."

Anna looked at him with frustration, he could feel her sadness begin to fester into anger; it was exactly what he was looking for. He gestured below to the courtyard where one group of soldiers was cycling out for another to use the training grounds. "Look down there Anna, those soldiers down there; they all face a similar struggle if not the exact same struggle as-"

"Aldren! I-" Anna was now up and exasperated, he looked at her, his expression still the same. She realized her outburst and sighed pinching the bridge of her nose, "I-I know what I said back there was stupid and irrational but-"

"Quite the opposite really." she looked back at him surprised, he rose from the railing and turned to sit on it with his arms folded, "To react any other way would be irrational. Now if I may continue, the point I was leading to is that many of the people you see down there have loved ones who are held captive just like your friends. They want them back and are willing to fight to accomplish this, Barec is willing to fight for his brother and your sister is willing to fight for a whole country...do you want your family back?"

She scoffed, "Of course I do."

He stepped closer to her now, "Then what are you willing to do?"

She inhaled deeply before answering and her next response came out like a quiet whisper, "Anything."

He held his hand out to her, "Then starting tomorrow...you will learn to fight."

She looked down at his hand and then back to him and a small smile appeared, grasping each other's forearms they gave one, solid shake. Aldren's expression hardened slightly, "You begin tomorrow at noon, meet me in the west wing of the castle...do not be late."

Her face dropped at the harshness of his words but she nodded her affirmation.

"Tomorrow you will no longer be just a princess, from then on until the end of this war...you will be soldier." with his final words he released her arm and left her alone on the balcony once again. Returning down the hallway he saw Elsa emerge from behind a pillar, she nodded her head in approval if perhaps reluctantly so. Aldren put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he walked by.

Elsa wanted to walk to the balcony and talk to her sister but instead she would leave Anna be for now. She hated that her younger sister might be putting herself at risk but if it was her choice...then so be it.

OoO

Elsa had received word from King Reidrich of the Southern Isles, he stated that his son Hans had not attempted any assassinations but that he would investigate any suspicious activity from his thirteenth son and that he sent his condolences. Aldren was reminded of his own personal distaste for the Southern Isles which he'd already possessed before hearing the story of Hans' attempted murder of the two sisters.

But now his concern and attention lay primarily with Elsa and Anna. In the next weeks to come Aldren trained with Elsa and Anna, as well as with the soldiers he would help lead into battle. From the beginning he could see the guardsmen showed promise in a few areas; they had excellent aim with spears...he would show them how to use it effectively in melee. Arendellians were a naturally hardy and strong people; he'd teach them when to use that strength and when to exercise dexterity in combat. How to properly stand, how to pivot when swinging a sword, how to use their shield in tandem with their weapon...they would have to learn all these things and more...fast.

When Elsa had sent riders to intercept the reinforcements, none had returned from Ashla's Pike. Thankfully the others had been intercepted in time, still the loss of any soldiers weighed heavily on his mind and one of his most promising students: Arvid had been sent to the Pike.

Now he paid extra attention to another promising candidate he intended to groom as Their lieutenant: Baldrek had proved a fierce and unpredictable fighter who knew how to use his weight effectively and excelled with heavy weapons. As a former Ice harvester his weapon of choice was an ax he'd used in his previous career. It may have been made for cutting ice but Aldren confirmed for Baldrek the blade was sharp and heavy enough to cut through steel, Gillian even refitted it with an extended handle so it could be wielded in battle with two hands. He would also be required to study strategy, battle tactics as well as combat scenarios he might encounter so that he could be an effective leader on the field.

But by far Aldren's greatest challenge was training the kingdom's two monarchs, he could sense the despair from both sisters. The weight of leading a kingdom to war bore down on Elsa's shoulders the most. She was more than willing to learn but learning to fight without her powers was undertaking. But her constitution was strong and her physical strength was nothing to discount, she showed this strength from the beginning and she grew stronger with every passing day. He was pleased to see that the weapon she showed the most promise with was the spear. This would reinforce the importance and usefulness of the weapon amongst the ranks and he could finally test if she was ready...for the 'gift'.

Anna...Anna's progress was the slowest, though she was already better with a bow and arrow than he had been at her age, even shooting from the saddle almost effortlessly and showed great promise with a sword. And while her sister's greatest asset was her strength and skill, Anna was agile and lithe while at the same being ferocious and hard hitting. But her anger, plain and simple, was holding her back and if she truly wanted to save her family she would have to overcome her anger. A daunting task for Aldren as he in some ways was still resolving a very similar turmoil within himself...perhaps they both had something to learn from each other.

OoO

These were the thoughts that plagued Aldren's mind as he sat in the castle forge. He was jerked from his thoughts at the sound of Gillian's hammer driving metal studs into a suit of armor not unlike the kind that the soldiers of Arendelle wore. The cloth and metal were dyed black and a flaming crow for its standard rather than the violet/gold crocus: painted in deep red and orange on the right shoulder. He looked away from Gillian working and back at the object he held in his hands: an open faced, black steel helm with a crow's head protruding from the forehead while it's wings layed back and up against the temples and curved upward at the tips behind the back.

Gillian paused in his work and walked over to the bench sitting next to him. "When I was younger, I apprenticed under the lord of Hammerhel: Aldric of house Embercrow. He was the greatest smith in the kingdom, as well as king Agnarr's Master of War and one who believed in the old warrior ways of our ancient past. A stern but dutiful lord to his people and his country and a hard teacher to learn under... but worth it. And I also remember a young ashen haired boy...with crimson eyes that would watch his father and I smith from the doorway because his father forbade him from entering the forges...I think I now know why." He said with a smile and raised finger.

Aldren was silent for a moment as he acknowledges everything he'd said before chuckling, "Yes my powers were somewhat...volatile near any source of fire at the time, back when I had... no control at all. And you...you were the lock footed, skinny apprentice who always, always made sure to address the ashy haired boy as 'My Lord' ...even though I said you didn't have to...How long have you known?"

Gillian shrugged, "Oh I suspected the moment I saw you but I knew for certain when you asked me to help you design and forge your armor."

Aldren nodded, "I'm sorry for not recognizing you sooner, Gillian."

The old man scoffed and scratched his bearded chin, "As I recall we weren't exactly well acquainted back then and well...I wasn't quite so fuzzy back then, that and my hair still had color." Gillian's expression turned more serious as he leaned towards him "What ever happened to that Ashy haired boy?"

Aldren looked back into the helmet, his reflection staring back at him in the polished surface as the flames of the forge flicked the air in the background, "...He died...in a fire."

"We all thought so, him along with his father, mother and sister. I know you've only told me this much because you need my help...but how is Aldric Embercrow's son alive? How does he come to sit next to me now?"

Aldren closed his eyes and sighed before standing, "Perhaps soon, you will find out along with everyone else, after all Hammerhel is our first stop to taking back the country."

"I'm guessing that her highness will find out sooner than the rest of us?"

Aldren nodded, Gillian rose from his seat to continue his work, "Good, she deserves to know first. she needs you in these dark times...and you need her. Lord Embercrow." he added with a sarcastic bow.

Aldren didn't say anymore, on some levels Elsa would need his skills and council in the fight to come...but him needing her? She was to continue to teach him to control his power whenever possible...but he had some sense as to what else the old man was suggesting, he confessed to himself that he'd grown more than simply fond of the sisters...Elsa especially. He had sworn to serve Elsa out of respect for her as a leader and admiration of her courage and selfless nature, he would fight to save their people, bleed to safeguard his homeland...die if he must. But he could not allow himself to feel that, not for her...he wanted to but he didn't want to feel that joy only to have it turn to ash in his hands like it had before. She would learn why, he dreaded it but he needed to tell her so that he might possibly have closure and continue to learn to rule his powers as she did. But he did not desire to put himself through the pain...of loving her, even if she loved him too...