Chapter 18: Prisoners of War
In the farthest north of Arendelle, Ashla's Pike had become the Witch King's seat of power for the duration of the war. His black banners adorned the island city where the winds of winter blew harshest. The naga were not used to the cold and it afflicted them greatly, many fires were lit in attempts to stave off the chilling bite of the Ever Winter mountain range's shadow. Even still they continued to go about their work: guarding the prisoners-which was the entire population of the city, Repairing the walls, manning the battlements and carrying out whatever tasks their master commanded of them.
The island's landscape was at a slight incline, allowing for three distinct levels of the city: The lower city; where the docks received shipments, merchants sold their goods, and crews of ice harvesters delivered their own cargo to and fro. The middle city; where the residents that chose to endure the bitter cold of the farthest north carved out their living, and the upper city; where the few matters of government were handled and stores of food and supplies were stockpiled for the winter. Of course that was all gone, the livelihood of this great city was but a memory now.
At the very center at the highest peak of the island was the Marauder's Hall. It had been called so by ancient nordling ancestors who descended from sea fairing pillagers that broke away from their people to settle a new land across the sea, led by the greatest among them, 'Asger Horn Helm' or as he would come to be known soon after...Ashla. This ancient keep that had been destroyed and rebuilt countless times over the centuries is where 'Ashla the King of Winter' began the creation of what would become the kingdom of Arendelle, this was where the King of Winter once held power.
But it was from here that Amicus now waged war on Arendelle, within the hall there were no fires burned, no light other than the little that leaked through the windows, and nothing to stave off the cold. Though nothing could protect one from the chill that now plagued the hall, the Witch King's very presence filled the hall with an unnatural cold or perhaps not cold, rather...dread.
He sat on his dark metal throne where General Tarn and Venereth stood on either side and naga troopers stood at attention along the walls, his dark methodical voice echoing through his black helm. The armored fingers of one hand drumming against the arm rest as he addressed the wounded witch knight that knelt before him. "So our garrison at Hammerhel has been lost then..."
"Yes my lord...-but we made them pay for every inch of-"
"And you tell me of an ice dragon among the Arendellians forces...did I hear you correctly Sir Decicus?"
"Yes my lord: no doubt a machination of the snow queen. The two elementals along with the beast were too much for our force to stand against. Even so we might have held them back longer...but it would seem the humans found another way in through the Embercrow Keep."
The Witch King's head turned slightly, "Indeed? I find it interesting that you found no such hidden entrance during your initial assault on Hammerhel..."
Decicus swallowed, "We did my lord-but we were unable to get past the door that-"
"And you felt it was wise not to inform me of this development?"
"I... Forgive my impudence my lord, but what difference would that have made?"
"None..."
Amicus leaned forward slowly ever so slightly, "But I expect my warriors to inform me of everything... For I explicitly order that I be informed of everything.... This is expected from the witch knights more so than any others. I trust you will remember that in the future... Sir Decicus."
The witch knight sunk his head even lower that before, "Y-Yes...my lord."
Amicus leaned back into his throne, "Good..." He waved a dismissive hand and Sir Decicus rose, bowing and turning to leave the hall, a pair of guards opening the doors for him as he left.
The Witch King turned to Venereth, "Tell me, Venereth, is there truth in what Decicus has told me?"
Venereth nodded, "Yes my lord, they used such an entrance to infiltrate the fort and open it to their army from within. It would also seem that a small band of rebels escaped custody and aided the in this endeavor...even mention of a dragon was the truth."
Amicus tapped a single finger momentarily before speaking, "Her fall will not be due to a lack of creativity; I will grant her that."
He rose from his throne and slowly walked forward across the room, Venereth and Tarn following, the general's heaviest footsteps strained the wooden floor greatly as he walked across. Amicus spoke to them, standing in the middle of the room with his back to them, "And the elementals?"
"Powerful...they defeated Decicus and Grima in single combat: a coupling of magic and martial prowess that proved too much for the pair."
"Interesting...it is not every day that a witch knight is defeated in such a manner...What else did you see?"
She blinked her eyes in thought, "I... saw their army: three thousand strong at least, siege weapons, of course their dragon...there was also the princess..."
There was moment of uncomfortable silence as the Witch King turned towards her and slowly asked again, "What-did-you-see?"
She knew there was no point in trying to hide her thoughts from him...it was practically impossible. She looked down at the floor briefly, sighing she replied, "I saw my brother, a prisoner in the human ranks...had my blade been set loose, I might have recovered him-"
"Don't let your love for Meren cloud your reality. In time you will be set loose against our enemies...but only when I have deemed it necessary."
She nodded, but her gaze still held the same concern for her brother. Before he could comment on it another voice interjected, "You're not going to hurt Elsa...are you?"
The three turned towards a small cage, suspended from the ceiling that held a small snowman...the one known as Olaf. General Tarn made his way over to the cage as the creature continued to speak in an unfailingly polite and kind tone as he twiddled his stick fingers, "I just couldn't help but overhear you mention Elsa with the word 'downfall'. It just made me a little nervous and I mean-you know, can you blame-"
He was silenced when Tarn's heavily armored hand grasped the cage and shook it violently, "Silence, you-wretch!"
The snowman whimpered slightly, his feelings clearly hurt. Amicus walked over and held a hand in front of Tarn, "That's quite alright General."
The Witch King spoke in a soft, low tone to the snowman, "No little one, I'm not going to hurt her..."
A small glimmer of hope appeared in Olaf's eyes... it was ripped away by the next words; spoken in the same unfeeling tone, "I'm going to kill her."
What was meant to be a talkative and expressive being, at this moment truly did not no what to say. He could only curl up in fear and sadness at the back of his cage. The clawed metal tip of Amicus' finger pressed against the bottom of the cage, causing the snowman to slide towards him as he tried in vain to look away from the Witch King's black helm, "Interesting how a life so small has so much significance to the Snow Queen and her sister. But then, children do so adore their...pets."
Removing his finger, the cage swinging back and forth slightly making Olaf tumble back and forth. Amicus turned to a naga trooper, "I have no further use for him...I have all that I need, let him be with his 'friend'." He held up a vile filled with snow taken from Olaf's body.
The trooper nodded, unhooked the cage from the ceiling and left the hall with the distraught snowman. Amicus then turned his attention back to Venereth and their previous discussion. He stepped towards her putting a hand on her shoulder, "Your brother may not be the bravest warrior nor the best liar, but he is not without cunning...am I right to believe that he will continue to aid in Arendelle's downfall, despite being a captive?"
Her slitted pupils dilated slightly and her heart beat increased as she stood level with her master, "Yes-my lord, my brother remains loyal...he is not weak."
"It is not his constitution I doubt but the methods that may be inflicted upon him to extract information. The most recent battle report suggests that Queen Elsa may not be as ineffectual and merciful as previously believed, and while he may not be acquainted with the full extent of our plans, it is imperative that every minute detail be revealed only at the precise moment I intend."
"He will not fail you my lord...and neither will I." she stated, holding his gaze.
"You have served me well for many years Venereth, continue to do so and I will see to it your brother is returned 'unspoilt'."
She nodded her compliance as he removed his hand from her shoulder. The trio made their way towards the double doors of the hall, speaking again as the doors opened to the three of them, "Do you know why I have proclaimed that the young queen must die, regardless of any other facets?"
They came to stand on the precipice that overlooked the island city from on high, the Witch King's cape and their armor's skirtings floating in the wind. Venereth affirmed confidently, "Because she is a powerful enemy, because she is a threat to us?"
The Witch King clasped his hands behind his back "Thousands of generations of naga, elves, men and all other races have walked Midgard since the beginning of creation. And since then, elementals have been born at random throughout the centuries by way of an unseen force of magic that holds our world together. Most predominantly it would seem, to oppose our conquest of this world... Only once have I ever encountered an elemental with her abilities: the ability to create life...and he perished centuries ago by my hand. But hers...is beyond the limits of what I had previously believed possible, a power she does not yet know the full extent of, a power meant to halt our advance...indefinitely..."
He turned towards both of them "A power that cannot be left to her want, a power that does not belong in the hands of an ignorant, naive child! And if she has been born to oppose our purpose then her life is forfeit in the eyes of Malignus, she must die... by whatever means necessary."
"I understand my lord. My blade will serve you, however you deem fit." She bowed her head.
"As it always has...Continue your work in the south Venereth, bring me their next stratagem."
Her hand reached for the ground and she became an orb of black mist that ascended into the sky. Amicus looked out towards the horizon as he spoke to Tarn, "Have our...'devices' been sent to Riverview and Hadenville?
"They departed three hours past my lord."
"Very good General. We shall see how the Arendelle army fairs against our most recent machinations..."
OoO
Within Ashla's Pike the surviving Arendellian population were kept in locations throughout the city, one of these was a large stable house that was now empty of steeds and instead filled with human prisoners. Crammed together in this space with only food and water enough to keep them alive and no source of warmth other than the clothes they wore and the embrace of their loved ones.
Kristoff was not so lucky as the others, still in his ice harvester outfit, his wrists were bound by a tight rope that was hung above his head on a metal hook hammered into a support beam. His wrist had not been broken but a tendon may have been torn by the naga who captured him, his legs were the only part of him that reached the ground. He had been in this suspended position for most of the past weeks, thankfully a guard outside the stable house permitted him latrine breaks, meager rations and water, it was not much but it was a chance to stretch his legs.
He didn't know why they were doing this to him but that was not the first thing on his mind. He worried about his friends: he did not know where Sven and Olaf were and for all he knew they might both be dead. For the longest time the thing that kept him going was the hope that Elsa and Anna would find a way to rescue them, but if Aldren had already left and the two sisters were on their own... and as the days dragged on into weeks...he was starting to lose faith.
Anna, he missed her more than anything, the way she looked was starting to fade from his memory. But he never forgot how kind she was, how protective, funny... and stubborn. There were no tears from his eyes despite his grief, he had cried more than he ever had before in the past weeks, he did not believe he had anymore tears to cry.
His contemplation was shattered when he heard the chains around the stable doors unlocking, followed by the hushed, fearful gasps of the other Arendellians. The stable house doors opened and two naga soldiers walked in, one carrying a rifle while the other held a small cage. When Kristoff focused his eyes he felt a sudden relief and joy when he saw Olaf behind the steel bars who smiled widely and waved at him. "Hi, Kristoff!"
Kristoff wanted to respond but he struggled to speak, having not used his voice much for weeks. Before Olaf could speak again the naga threw the cage towards Kristoff and it rolled roughly coming to rest a few feet from him. Olaf gave the guard a 'thumbs up', "Thanks, I'm OK by the way." One might think it was sarcasm but it was anything but.
The two naga left without saying a word, locking the doors behind them. Olaf poked his head out from between the bars with a goofy grin, "So how've you been?"
Kristoff did his best to laugh as he spoke weakly, "I've been better Olaf..."
"I bet, being in that position for all this time-terrible for the muscles-course I wouldn't know since I don't have muscles...don't worry though I'm gonna get you out." He pulled off his carrot nose and began picking the lock.
Kristoff was starting to find his voice again as he watched with concern, "I don't think that's a good idea Olaf, what if they see you? They might hurt you."
"Oh Kristoff you should know by now you can't hurt a snowman-except for his feelings, besides I'm sure they won't mind if I step out for- Aha! Got it!" the lock clicked, Olaf opened the door and climbed out and began assessing how to best free his friend. He climbed on top of Kristoff's head and attempted to saw at the ropes with his carrot, "Ok lemme get up here, ok ok ok, yeah, that's-that's not working..."
Kristoff craned his head back as much as he could, "Olaf, maybe you can pull the hook out."
"Ooh good idea!"
Olaf scrambled up the beam and grabbed the hook while pulling as hard as he could, straining for several seconds before leaning his head back and panting heavily, "Oh wow, see this is what happens when...when you're not in shape."
"No Olaf, twist it." He motioned with his hands.
The snowman laughed and hit himself on the head, "Oh duh! Of course twist, I knew that, I knew that..."
He began rotating the hook counterclockwise and slowly it became loose as the wood squeaked slightly. Finally, it fell, the blunt end hitting Kristoff on the head as it did. He mostly sighed in relief as his hands were set free, he winced slightly, holding his injured wrist. Olaf dropped down with worry in his eyes, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine...man, that lady had a tight grip."
"Yeah...but she was a lot nicer than the other ones..."
"Nice? That's a word for it I guess...Olaf, you could get out you know, maybe even make it back to Elsa and Anna. You go, I'll be alright..." he said, knowing in his heart that it was a lie.
The snowman shook his head furiously and plopped down next to him, "No way, I am not leaving you until we figure out how to get you and all these people out of here!...any ideas?"
He shook his head, "I think...all we can hope for is that Elsa and Anna will figure out a way to rescue us."
"Oh and Aldren, he'll rescue us too!"
Kristoff sighed "Olaf...I-"
"He's her prince after all."
The ice harvester blinked in confusion, "Who-Whose?"
"Elsa's of course."
Kristoff chuckled slightly, "Kinda cliché don't you think...fire and ice..."
"What does cliché mean?"
"It-it doesn't matter..."
Olaf nodded, then Kristoff remembered someone else was missing, "Olaf, did you...did you see Sven at all?"
He frowned and shook his head, then his eyes lighted up, "But I could probably find him."
Kristoff considered it, as well as the danger. Exhaling he spoke firmly, "Ok-but do not let them see you and if they do: I want you to run, leave me here and don't come back unless it's with an army, understand?"
Olaf grinned and saluted, "Don't worry! Stealth is my specialty!"
The snowman found an open space in the walls to squeeze thru, Kristoff shook his head in worry...he wasn't exactly convinced...
OoO
Olaf made sure to creep around every barrel, crouch under every bench, tip toe behind every naga soldier with their back turned as they walked. He took every precaution to stay out of sight as they probably wouldn't be very happy if they saw him outside. He took cover behind two barrels beside a house, he plucked an icicle from above and peaked over the edge, using it as a telescope to search the city.
He eventually spotted his reindeer friend several yards away tied-up against the side of a large building. Olaf then took the icicle and threw it as hard as he could to his right. The shattering sound made the naga in the area snap to attention and rush for the source of the sound with weapons ready. While they were distracted Olaf darted quickly across the span to the building ducking behind it and checking if the coast was clear one more time before making his move.
Approaching Sven he put a hand on the animal's head and whispered, "Psst Sven, Hi."
The reindeer looked up as best as he could, his eyes alight at the sight of his friend as he groaned slightly. Olaf smiled back petting him as he spoke, "Kristoff sent me, he wants you to know that he's OK."
Sven breathed a heavy sigh, relieved that his best friend was still alive. Olaf noticed that Sven's antlers were starting to grow back...he also noticed Sven was much thinner that he was the last time he saw him. Olaf did not think on it long, pulling off his carrot nose and offering it to the reindeer who gave him the, 'are you sure' look. The snowman nodded and Sven took three long bites as he savored the vegetable, when he finished Olaf patted him on the head, "I gotta go now, but Elsa, Anna and Aldren will come rescue us...I promise."
Sven nodded and Olaf retraced his steps, sneaking back to the stable house where Kristoff was captive.
OoO
Kristoff jumped when he heard a scraping sound but relaxed when he saw it was Olaf squeezing back through the open space of the stable house wall. As the snowman approached Kristoff's face was wrought with concern and he cautiously asked, "Sven?"
Olaf smiled and nodded and Kristoff breathed a hopeful sigh, he then noticed Olaf's carrot was missing, "What happened to your nose?"
"Sven was hungry..."
"Oh Olaf..."
"Pssh carrot, shmarrot...I'll get another one."
Olaf sat down next to his friend and the two sat in silence for some time before Kristoff noticed...the silence, which was most unusual for the young snowman. "Is something bothering you Olaf?"
Olaf twiddled his stick fingers for a moment before answering, "I met the king-their king and... I asked him if he was going to hurt Elsa...he said he was going to ...kill her." The last words barely made it out.
This wasn't surprising to Kristoff but he could understand why this weighed so heavily on Olaf since Elsa was practically his mother. Olaf frowned as he continued speaking in a melancholy whisper, "I've never seen anyone die before...not really... and I don't want to...especially not Elsa, she doesn't deserve that...nobody does..."
Kristoff put his arm around the snowman and pulled him close, "Your right, they don't...and you won't have to. And personally I think this 'king' underestimates Elsa...I'll betcha she's got a plan that will surprise him."
Olaf looked up at him hopefully, "You think so?"
Kristoff smiled, "Count on it."
Olaf smiled and leaned against Kristoff's side, "Yeah, she'll come rescue us...all of us."
"The ice harvester patted his side, "Course they will Olaf...course they will..."
His confidence had been shaken at first but after spending some time with the ever optimistic Olaf and learning that his best friend was still alive, he felt a little less terrible and a little more hopeful. Besides: if a year-old snowman could look evil dead in the eye and stay brave...how could they lose...
