Well this took forever...

Chapter 45: Will of Iron

The next day was not unlike the previous, though the air was more still and the clouds above seemingly thicker. The courtyard was no longer amiss with activity as it had been before, all had been halted for the challenge. In the center a large circle had been drawn and on the west side, outside of the circle on a wooden crate, sat Karl. Sir Gallen assisted him with his armor; a shining steel shell of the highest quality that could be had in the Isles, branded with his own boar's head sigil on the chest. Behind them stood Sir Brandon with a contingent of islander soldiers and Hans for whom it had been mandatory to attend and to hold his brother's helm. As the last clasps and buckles were fastened the elder prince looked in anticipation toward his opponent on the opposite side.

Aldren sat on a crate of his own to the east and saw to the clasps of his armor alone, not paying mind to anything else. His helm sat on the ground to his left while Black Autumn sat in it's scabbard leaned against the crate on his right. Some distance behind him Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf all stood by chairs that none of them chose to sit in. Anna paced back and forth glancing between Aldren and Karl, Kristoff kept his arms tightly folded to his chest-doing his best to look calm, Olaf simply twiddled his thumbs in worry from his place atop Sven's back who shared the same look. While standing just ahead of them all was Elsa who's fists remained closed at her side with an expression somewhere between needing a hug...and needing to punch something really-REALLY hard. Farther back stood Baldrek, Barec, Kai and Freja along with a contingent of Arendellian soldiers and Trolgon who's height let him see over the crowd in front of him easily.

On the north; Rapunzel, her husband Eugene, the captain and his daughter were all seated with their own guard while on the south Zyon stood with his men. No one spoke as the combatants readied themselves-not that there was much that could really be said; the only words to be spoken today would be with swords.

There was a brief moment of thought on Anna's face before she suddenly made her way past the others to Aldren before anyone could intercept her. Elsa came the closest, shaken from her angered trance by her sister's sudden boldness but before her hand could grasp anything she'd already made it inside the circle to Aldren's side.

"Um Hi." Aldren turned in surprise to see Anna twiddling her fingers together as he nervously spoke, "So some of the others are a little concerned-(not me of course) that this whole duel thing seems a bit drastic and well...dangerous. And some-(not me) are wondering if you have some kind of plan you've been preparing and...what that might be..."

"There is no plan Anna." Aldren breathed out before she could speak. He began tightening his right bracer as he looked down from the princess's pleading look, "I fight and I win...or I lose."

"Oh...I mean-do you think you'd have won...back in Fracaia?" she asked, wincing slightly as the words left her mouth.

He looked back at her and held out a his hand. She smiled and took it, kneeling beside him, he gripped softly and smiled back, "I know what your concern is; I remember my history with Karl..but I also remember where I am and what I'm fighting for today. I'll never forget that, now go back with the others...you're making me nervous." he jested.

She replied with a small laugh in her voice, "OK OK...sorry." before she left she game a quick peck on the cheek, "Good luck."

She nodded and released his hand, returning to the others.

Aldren finished readying himself but found the straps of his left pauldron to be loose. Gillian, watching intently from the side, stepped forward to assist but was stopped when someone else brushed quickly and no so gently past him instead; Freja.

To the Embercrow's great surprise this elder woman whom, in general despised him, aided him with the rest of his armor. "I must admit I wouldn't have expected you of all people to want to help me, overseer Freja." Aldren said.

"Luckily for you, the one thing I dislike more than your family...is islander scum like him." she said. On finishing her work she glanced towards Karl and back to Aldren, "They say he's never lost a battle...show him what that's like."

He decided to say nothing, instead looking to his shoulder and observing her work. She looked down, grabbing his helm from the ground and holding it in her hands, "It isn't the first time I've helped a young man into his armor before he went to war."

Aldren took up Black Autumn and they both stood, she handed him his helm which he donned with one hand. He grasped the handle of his sword and drew it from it's sheath, Freja took the scabbard from him and they nodded to one another. While the overseer stepped back he made his way into the circle to meet his challenger...

OoO

Karl abruptly stood and turned to Hans, snatching the helm from his hands, "I hope you won't be too disappointed brother...when I emerge victorious."

"Truthfully I don't particularly care for either of you; whoever loses...I win." Hans said with a snide smile.

Karl responded only by meeting Hans' gaze, donning his helm and flipping the visor closed so only his eyes could be seen. The upward curling metal tusks protruding from the front and the fire in his eyes said all that needed to be said. Sir Brandon then held a sheathed sword out to his prince and Karl grasped the handle swiftly drawing it from the scabbard and looking it over. The sword's design was relatively simple; an islander longsword with a cross guard, a two handed handle wrapped in dark leather, a blade that had once been shining covered now in scratches from battles past. The crowning piece of the weapon was a detailed steel boar's head for the pommel that had a chip in one of tusks.

The prince looked back to his opponent who was making his way into the ring and he too began his own approach to meet him in the middle...

OoO

Elsa watched as the two men approached one another, fighting the urge to erect a wall of ice between them with spikes on the side facing Karl. "Lady Sol."

The lady of Starlon walked to her side, "Yes your grace."

"Before this stupidity transpires...tell me what exactly is supposed to...transpire."

Sol looked to the ring, "Well...obviously the contest isn't to the death or the blood; the two combatants will meet in the center of the ring and the goal will be to push one another outside of the circle, whoever set's foot outside of the line...is the loser."

"Your telling me in all our history that this challenge has never ended with some one loosing limb or life?" Elsa's disbelief was evident on her face. She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, opening them again and breathing out shakily, "And should things...'escalate'?"

"Two warriors from either side will stand watch outside the ring to intervene if any rules are broken." she said gesturing to Baldrek and Barec who had already stepped forward, and to Sir Brandon and Sir Gallen in Karl's case.

"So I can do nothing..."

It was not a question but Sol felt compelled to answer, "Any outside interference is forbidden unless permitted by the rules of the rite...I am sorry."

"So am I Sol...so be it."

OoO

The only sounds Aldren heard were his own foot steps and the tip of Karl's sword scraping against the cobblestone as they neared one another. At last they came to the center of the ring, standing perhaps six feet apart; just before the very spot where they had both stabbed the ground with their blades a day past...and in that moment all was still.

Karl lifted his visor; a confident smile on his face in contrast to Aldren's neutral expression. The prince casually planted his sword in the ground and rested his hand on the pommel, "I suspect at least part of you..has been looking forward to this moment for some time." Aldren did not respond as the prince went on, "But I have no wish to fight you today Embercrow, I've no doubt you'd prove a valuable asset to me in the war to come...what say you concede now and we can avoid this barbaric display and any...'potential' bloodshed."

Aldren was unmoving for several seconds before walking forward a few steps, "I would extend you the same offer Karl..."

The prince sighed and shook his head as if disappointed, dislodging his weapon from the ground as they began to circle one another, "You know, it's very possible we could have been friends...in another life."

Aldren grimaced as he raised his blade into two hands, "Not in this one."

"Pity." he closed his visor and raised his own weapon.

A silence as they both stopped, the slight shifting of boots and then the clash of steel blades as they past one another. Turning back, Karl held his sword out towards him with one hand, Aldren responded by knocking the blade away striking down. The prince countered by letting the blade slide down his own and thrusting at his chest, Aldren spun out of the path and gave Karl a hard shove in the back that made him stumble forward slightly.

The islander whipped back around only to be caught off guard by Aldren's sword colliding with his own. The price realized he was being pushed towards the edge of the circle and to counter he ducked down and rammed his shoulder into the Embercrow's gut, making him double over slightly. They both took a moment to recover, then circling one another again but taking care to move from the edge of the ring.

They met again with more power and speed, each swing seemed to come dead close to harming the other. Their second clash reached a height when their weapons met again, blades shaking as they pushed against one another, teeth gritting and eyes narrowing. Suddenly Karl parried Aldren's blade downward and drew back, backhanding his opponent across the face with his steel gauntlet. The pain from the blow forced Aldren's eyes shut but he still managed to duck the next swing from the islander and followed with an upward elbow into Karl's jaw which forced his helm to fly off.

The cheap shot on Karl's part made the royal sister's grimace and glare; both of them nearly charging into the circle only to be stopped by Sol stepping in front of them, they backed down as they were reluctantly reminded of the rules. Baldrek and Barec began to move into the circle but stopped when Aldren held a hand out and shook his head, ordering them back. The two knights rushed to their prince's side, the younger of the two picked up the helm and held it while Karl held a hand to his own aching jaw.

The prince reached to take his helm but stopped when he looked up at the Embercrow who stared directly back at Karl with an angry frown, a line of blood streaming down from one corner of his mouth. Aldren's hand rose slowly to wipe it away and then grasped the edge of his own helm and removed it. The prince's brow furrowed as he then watched his opponent toss his helm away in what seemed like an endless sound of metal on stone until the helm finally slid to a stop outside the ring. When he looked back the Arendellian craned his neck to one side, lowered his gaze and whipped his blade outward with the tip pointing forward. Karl's eyes narrowed and instead of taking the helm he gently pushed it into Gallen's arms and stepped away from the knights. Though they were reluctant to leave their liege without the extra protection they obeyed and retreated outside the circle.

Both warriors then roared in fury, charging back into the fray; their weapons clashing harder with less grace and more ferocity. Sparks careened back and forth from the steel, despite the rules of the challenge it seemed that any misstep would mean serious harm or even death for one of them. This was apparent to Elsa most of all; her fist clenching impossibly tight, ice forming around it and tears of fear and anger brimming in her eyes.

Karl came down with a powerful strike. Aldren raised his blade to block but the force of the attack pushed his own weapon into his chest plate and Karl's blade lingered dangerously close to the crux of his neck. The islander prince did not waste the opportunity, baring down hard as he pushed his opponent back. The struggle could be seen in Aldren's face, he gritted his teeth and tried to stand firm but continued sliding against the ground as Karl forced him closer and closer to the edge of the ring. Those of Arendelle, Corona and Zaria all watched in dread as Aldren's defeat seemed inevitable, while the Islanders smiled at what they saw as an unsurprising outcome.

But just as they were about to reach the edge Aldren's right foot suddenly planted into the ground and the slide halted, everyone and everything went quiet. Karl shoved against him...now it was as if he were pushing against an iron pillar, his shocked/confused expression was met with eyes of determination-the struggle in his opponent's face having vanished. Aldren shoved the prince's sword downward and grabbed him by the back of his neck swinging him around and throwing him back into the center of the ring. When Karl stopped rolling he shook his head and looked up from the ground to see his opponent take up an unusual stance; his right foot forward, both hands gripping the sword which he held above his head with the tip pointing backwards.

Aldren stayed in that stance even as Karl pushed himself up from the ground and huffed, rolling his shoulders and striding back to engage him. Just as the islander came into striking range Aldren's blade swung down fast-impossibly fast, striking Karl's weapon so hard that it nearly knocked it from his hands. Before he could recover, another strike came that the prince had to lean back from, he only just brought his blade in front to try and block the next. Every one of Aldren's attacks was faster, stronger than they had been before, it was more than Karl could hope to defend himself from and everyone of these attacks was pushing him back.

The Islander crowd watched in utter shock at the sudden shift in the fight while the Arendellians all cheered, except for Elsa. In a last ditch effort Karl swung wide to created some distance and thrust at Aldren's chest. This proved to be a mistake as the Embercrow stepped around the thrust, catching the blade in his guard and yanking it from his grasp. Aldren swung at Karl's chest, weaponless the prince stumbled nearly falling backwards, only stopped when the Embercrow grabbed the collar of his chest plate.

The prince panted, met with the Embercrow's lowered gaze and sword point at his throat, balanced on his heels, the only thing keeping him from falling was Aldren's grip on his chest plate.

Then the Arendellian's expression softened slightly and he motioned down with his eyes and Karl's followed to the heels of his boots to see that they were but mere centimeters from the ring's edge, he sighed and closed his eyes, "Damn..."

Aldren released Karl and the prince fell back painfully onto the cobblestone outside the ring in front of his supporters, unable to suppress a small smile from the islander's reaction. Before any of Karl's subordinates could help him Aldren swung his blade outward at them, warning that it was not over yet. The Embercrow planted the tip of his sword in the middle of Karl's chest and looked down on him with an expectant gaze, the prince frowned in return but without any choice, he uttered the words, "I yield."

Aldren removed his blade and to Karl's surprise held a hand down to him, the prince grasped it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Initially Karl didn't release Aldren's arm and the silence between them gained everyone's attention. Karl was silent a moment longer and then spoke, "It is proven", he said loud enough for all to hear, "He is the greater warrior."

It was Aldren's turn to be surprised by his opponent's sudden fairness, Karl released his arm and bowed his head to him, "You are the victor; I take my place behind you on the battlefield."

Aldren nodded in response, the crowd around the ring was finally allowed to enter, everyone was pleased by the outcome save for the islanders who stayed silent, nursing their wounded pride. Anna rushed Aldren from the side with a tight squeeze as the rest of the Arendellians surrounded him. He smiled-thankful for all their support but noticed someone was missing. He turned to see her standing a short distance away with her arms folded...and she did not look happy, she looked very much the opposite of happy...

"Lord Embercrow, I'd like to speak with you...alone." she said in a flat tone before turning and walking towards the palace.

Everyone was surprised by Elsa's less than cheery attitude and Karl chuckled lightly, "A pyrrhic victory for you it would seem."

Aldren grinned and sighed, "Well...I'm always in trouble with someone around here." he gave his sister one last squeeze around the shoulders before turning to his cousin, "Take over for me lady Sol."

She put a firm hand on his shoulder and smiled into his eyes, "Of course. Master of War."

He nodded and moved to follow his queen into the castle, for better or worse...

OoO

"You knew you would beat him..."

Aldren was faced down by Elsa who stood in the center of her office with arms folded, a very unamused expression upon her face. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together, "Not at first but-"

"But?"

He sighed, "Yes..."

"And yet you chose to fight him anyway..."

"Yes."

She took a step forward, "You told me it wasn't about pride..."

"It wasn't."

"Then what was it about? You think any of us gave a damn about Karl's opinion! That what he thinks of you bore any weight among the rest of the council-none of us were doubting you Aldren, so why even take his bait?!" She took a few more angry steps forward.

He looked up at her, "Because I doubted myself..." The anger in her face faded slightly as he closed the distance between them, "I am grateful to all of you for trusting me-yours is the most important to me...But after what Amicus did to me; I needed to know for myself that I was still capable. The duel-...I used the duel as a test to myself; to see if I was still sound of mind enough for the fight, for strategy...for war."

"Aldren...-"

"And in any case; Karl would have continued to be a problem so long as he felt there was any way he could overtake my position...and get closer to you."

"Me?" Elsa asked with visible confusion on her face.

"For one; he believed he knew better than I when it came to warfare...he likely still does. And being your second would mean I'd be taking orders from him and you would have to consider his opinions much more heavily."

She rolled her eyes, "Thank heavens that won't ever be the case."

He chuckled slightly, "But it's also no accident that Reidrich chose to send his eldest son and heir to aid the unmarried queen of a country he's long sought to add to his empire..."

Elsa closed her eyes and shook her head, "He really is a pig isn't he..."

He shrugged, "He's a powerful king who's made his kingdom great through conquest, intrigue and marriage and teaches his children to do the same...as swine-like as they come." he said with a smile.

She couldn't help but chuckle at that, looking back up at him and biting her lip in an amused grin. "So...this turned into a duel for my favor then did it?"

His eyes went wide, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Well no-not that I wouldn't want to fight for your favor, but it wasn't-because you choose who you'd want to be with-obviously, because-"

He was silenced when she put a finger to his lips, "You want out of the hole; first you have to put down the shovel my love."

He chuckled bashfully and she responded by reaching up with both hands to his face, wiping away a small trace of blood from the corner of his mouth with her thumb. Then she brought her hands down to his shoulders and her expression became more serious, "What did he do to you?"

Aldren touched his lip and rolled his eyes, "Besides bashing me across the face, I don't think he did any real-"

"Aldren..." he looked back to her, she looked into his eyes, "What did Amicus do to you?"

His eyes instinctively averted her gaze at first, but then quickly stopped himself and looked back to her. Sighing heavily he grasped one of her hands, more to comfort himself than anything else, "He brought me through the past; Arendelle's...and my own."

"Your own?"

He nodded, "In the dream-vision, I awoke in a spanning field brimmed by groves of trees. I didn't recognize the landscape but as I scanned my surroundings I spotted a distant figure; I couldn't see a face but I could tell it was a woman. Soon after, another smaller figure broke off from her...a little girl and as she drew near I could see it was-...it was Analia..."

Elsa reached for his other hand as he continued with a small smile, "I saw her Elsa...my daughter, as big and bright eyed as she should be now-just...just how I always imagined her."

"Tell me about her."

He chuckled, "She takes after her mother; wonderful green eyes-a mischievous twinkle in them and the pointed ears of all alfar...but she has my nose...and hair; black as a crow's wing and thick as leather."

"Do you...do you think the woman was-"

"My wife?...I don't know...If I'm being honest, it could have been her...or maybe it was you." he said gripping her hand back a little tighter.

She smiled at that and he smiled as well-for a moment...and then it faded as his eyes met the floor, "But then...as I held my daughter the sky darkened and the witch king's voice perforated the air and-..." he swallowed hard, "She turned to ash...right in my arms, right-right in front of me..."

"I'm so sorry Aldren."

He shook his head, "Doesn't matter...that's past now."

Elsa nodded, thought in her eyes before she spoke again, "Was there anything else?"

He looked her in the eyes... "No, then came the war in Arendelle...that was all."

She nodded, moving her hand to the back of his neck to pull him in for a short kiss. Then as they leaned their foreheads together she spoke in a whisper, "You're one of the strongest people I know Aldren...just remember we can be strong too; you don't have to face these things alone."

"I know...thank you."

She pulled herself into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed in contentment and closed her eyes but Aldren's remained open as he stared out the window. He held her close and searched within himself why he had chosen not to tell her the rest of the dream. Why had he lied to her...? Why?

Sorry this took me so long but life is life and its seldom easy.

I hope you all enjoyed it and ill try to crank the next one out asap.