Chapter 8:
The League of Shadows
Honeymaren sighed heavily, her shoulders tense as she rubbed her forehead tiredly and with frustration. "This night did not go as planned..."
Yelena, Rhanda and Ryder were in her circle with many of the other tribe members huddled in their own, discussing the shocking words of exchange that they just witnessed Hans and Elsa have.
And unfortunately as predicted, Iduna's name was coming up a lot in the conversation, and rather quickly too. How she not only allowed her own husband, the king, to conceal Elsa's magic, but that she didn't even think to bring her to the forest earlier where everything that came after Anna's accident could have been avoided.
Ryder had been pacing back and forth impatiently with his hands on his hips, waiting for anyone else to get a word in but everyone had been taken back by the brutal exchange of words Hans had thrown at Elsa. No one dared say I word, instead they just continued to murmur within themselves.
"Look, I'm just going to say it." Sighed Ryder finally stopping dead in his tracks as everyone including the rest of the tribe turned towards him. "Why didn't Iduna bring Elsa to the forest earlier?"
The tribe murmured in agreement.
"Ryder. Now is not the time to point fingers." Replied Yelena calmly. Even she was at lost for words over the news of Iduna's choice regarding her firstborn, she just wasn't showing it as much.
"It isn't pointing fingers if it's the truth, Yelena." Ryder walked forward to the group again. Seriousness in his eyes. "We're Northuldran, we have lived with magic for centuries. Iduna was born in this very forest. Did she not think to bring her own daughter to her own people!?"
More people agreed with the young Northuldran man.
"Magic wasn't as friendly with us after the battle with the Arendellians, Ryder. You saw firsthand how we always had to hide from the rock giants, always terrified we would be seen by them. Not to mention that the fire spirit always appeared whenever he so pleased and would end up burning our homes from time to time, constantly having to relocate." Yelena declared.
"But she didn't know that!" Replied Ryder with frustration as he gestured to the direction where the trail to Arendelle was. "She couldn't have brought her own daughter to the enchanted forest once?? Her own daughter that had obvious magic in her!?"
"She was probably afraid of telling Elsa's father the truth..." Said Rhanda holding her arms over her chest. "The King always believed we killed his father, remember?"
"So instead she lies to him!?" Exclaimed Ryder as the people gasped and murmured.
"Are you actually agreeing with this man?" Said Yelena referring to Hans. "Did you not see how he broke Elsa's heart just now??"
"I don't agree with the way he went about it. But Yelena, even you have to admit that everything Hans said was completely true. Iduna forgot about us." Said Ryder.
The murmuring from the tribe grew. They were in full attention now and had even surrounded the four of them as if they had been a part of the conversation too. The thing about living in a forest for many generations is that practically everyone becomes family, so many people always joined in the conversation whenever they so pleased. There was never anything to hide between them, especially not at the moment.
Yelena pressed her lips together tightly as if she was trying to find the right thing to say but when nothing came she instead turned her attention to Honeymaren who was still frustrated as she continued to stare at the ground below her feet, her eyes just as lost as her words she longed to know.
"Honeymaren, what do you think of all this?" She asked.
She shook her head with disappointment as she rubbed forehead once more before answering. "I-I don't know... I have no answer for you."
Yelena sighed. "And unfortunately I don't either." The tribe murmured within themselves again before Yelena spoke out loud to refer to them all. "What's important now is we wait and see what the spirits will do with this situation."
"But the man is still living within us!" Yelled a Northuldran from the crowd.
"The fifth spirit had gone deep into the woods to get away from him, shall we do the same??"
Yelena had to raise her hands to silence everyone before they continued to throw ridiculous suggestions and accusations. "My people, please. Now is not the time to think of the worst. I'm sure Elsa will return shortly when she feels more comfortable."
"I should be going after her." Said Honeymaren bluntly as she lifted her eyes up to Yelena.
"No." Replied Yelena. "We must give her some space. I even saw the spirits go after her so I'm sure they are with her at the moment. Let them handle it within themselves."
Honeymaren opened her mouth to retaliate but quickly closed it. She had to respect nature and the spirits. She knew she just had to let it play its course even though she disagreed with it at times.
Yelena turned to her people again. "The rest of us are to retire to our beds. That's enough worries and murmurs for one night. You are all dismissed." She finished by striking the bottom end of her staff with the ground twice before all the Northuldran did as they were told and started to leave one by one.
All except Honeymaren and Ryder who were the only ones who stayed in the same spot as they watched the others, even Rhanda, prepare for another nights sleep.
She hadn't seen anyone from camp for over half an hour and had practically run out of enough tears to cry over as she continued humming her mother's sweet lullaby.
Her back leaned against the tree while she hugged her knees close to her chest, a familiar position she had usually found herself in every day from the time she had struck Anna with her magic. And oh how she wished she was back in Arendelle being held in Anna's warm arms at the moment.
He was right.
She wanted to be angry at him for having the audacity in using her mother as an example, claiming she's more Arendellian than her father, for suggesting the idea that her own sister wouldn't have been saved, regardless of Kristoff's kiss. She wanted to use her magic and send a icicle through his heart for blaming her parents for thirteen years of misery.
But she couldn't, he was right.
Deep down inside, even she questioned the idea of Kristoff's kiss being enough to save Anna that day. Everyday she had questioned it. But Hans's words gave her a wake up call. Nothing would have saved Anna. You can't marry a man you just met. In saying that, wouldn't that also mean that you can't love someone you just met either? Anna didn't love Kristoff, not even when Olaf suggested the idea that Kristoff did too.
Anna, loved her. Her own sister performed the act of true love. It was pure love. Not romantic love. Everything she had ever feared of admitting was a reality at the end. A reality that she had to accept whether she liked it or not. Sometimes destiny doesn't always mean it'll be fulfilling.
Elsa rubbed her swollen red eyes as gently as she could. She raised her head and looked up to the skies when she heard the familiar whistling from the playful wind spirit.
Gale flew her way past Elsa before she gently descended and stood a few feet in front of her in the most respectful way. Elsa forced a weak smile at her, not even caring that she looked exhausted. "Hi."
Gale whistled at her as if she was asking a caring question. "Oh you know, I'm as good as I can be I suppose." Said Elsa following it up with forced yet tired chuckle.
Gale didn't whistle, she was quiet, waiting patiently for Elsa to continue speaking. Elsa sighed in defeat, knowing very well that she had to talk about how she was really feeling instead of running away again like she normally did.
"He's right you know..." she began. "Everything that came out of his stupid mouth was right. My parents and their many secrets, their questionable parenting and how all this could have been avoided had my mother just told the truth..."
Gale continued to listen. The bitter sadness and disappointment ringing very clearly in Elsa's voice.
"And Anna... she sighed again. "Anna was able to save me, herself and Arendelle because of her sacrifice. Because of the act of true love she had performed. Kristoff's kiss wouldn't have done anything, neither would have Hans..."
She leaned the temple of her head on the tree tiredly as her eyes darted to the ground. "I just hate that he has to be back in my life, Gale. Why can't he just be somewhere else but here? What's the purpose of him being here in the first place..."
Bruni had suddenly appeared out of the corner of her eye. The salamander crawled his way on top of Elsa's knee. She reached her hand out weakly to which the salamander accepted affectionately.
The two spirits kept her company, in no way trying to reach out to her. Instead they just waited till she opened her mouth to speak again. But Elsa had nothing else to say, she had accepted the hard truth even if she hated it.
And so she closed her eyes and started humming again.
He had been grumbling his way back to the four peaks, slamming his foot angrily against the the ground. "Unredeemable monster, pah, she wishes." Hans instinctively reached for his dagger to start throwing it and use the trees for target, something he did as a child whenever his brothers didn't want to play with him.
But when he realized that he had not only forgotten his dagger, but the rest of his weaponry, he slapped his forehead in frustration.
"I left my weaponry there. Damn it." He cursed as he kicked a small pebble that was lying on the ground. He watched as the pebble rolled down to the nearby lake until it hit the water and began to float down to the ground.
He looked up to the night sky where the many glorious stara were out. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
What have I done?
For what seemed a very long time, he actually began to feel compassion towards someone, and not just anyone, but Elsa. The one he had just brutally yelled at. The one he had tried to strike his sword down with.
He knew he was right about Anna and her sacrafice being the reason why she, her and Arendelle still existed. But instead he had brought up her deceased parents, the former king and queen of Arendelle. Instead he called her a monster, a liar.
He knew he was wrong. Because she wasn't one, she never has been.
He sighed heavily again, this time opening his eyes slowly as his riled up anger slowly drifted away with each exhale that escaped his mouth.
It wasn't her fault her parents never brought her to the forest. It wasn't her fault that she wanted to stay away from Arendelle, it wasn't her fault that she couldn't control her magic which caused her to accidentally strike her own sisters heart, the thing she most feared.
And he knew that he didn't help either. At the end of the day his intentions were to marry her, get the throne and please his family. To have his own kingdom. But he let pride get the best of him, and he knew that.
He was responsible for trying to kill her. Nothing outweighs that, nothing can justify that. He wanted to kill her. Even if it would have stopped the winter.
She was innocent. He was not.
"I'm the monster, Elsa, not you." He muttered to himself before turning around again to fetch his weapons and if given the chance, apologize and excuse himself from their presence forever, even relocate like she so desired.
The men who arrived at the shore had been trailing through the deep forest, not once stopping to rest. They walked quickly and with no fear in their hearts, while their leader stared straight forward, his eyes focused on his prey who he had been searching for over a year.
All the kingdoms he's gone to, all the days, weeks and months of tribulation and starvation they've had to endure, just to get to him.
They reached the lake and each of them without hesitation jumped into the waters and swam across, not once swimming upwards for air. They rose their heads just above the water where they found a fire burning in the middle of a camp. The Northuldra camp.
The families were retiring to bed, save just a few of them who preferred to wait for Elsa. Honeymaren and Ryder to be more exact. Even Yelena made the excuse to check up on every single family in the tribe as a way to wait for Elsa's return.
The six dark individuals rose to their feet and quietly hid behind the bushes as they got a better look at the the strange indigenous people. They were here for one man. They darted their eye to every corner and possible hideout that they could spot. "He must be here." Said their leader in their language. "Spread out and find him, he is not to leave this place alive."
"What shall we do of these people?" Asked one of the men.
Their leader returned his stare back to the families. "Make them talk, they may know of his location. And if they refuse to cooperate then eliminate whoever gets in our way." He replied darkly before he rose to his feet again as the five others followed.
Ryder walked up to her sister who had been starting at the trail that Elsa had stormed off to with her arms still crossed over her chest. The concern in her eyes was so obvious that Ryder didn't even have to see the front of her face.
"Still waiting for her?" He asked as he made his way next to her.
"She's been gone for too long." Sighed Honeymaren as she continued to stare out to the forest. The concern in her voice so clear that she was barely able to mutter it.
"Look, Maren." Sighed Ryder turning to face his sister. "We aren't responsible for Elsa, okay?"
"I know that, Ryder." She scoffed finally turning to face him. "But we have to understand where she's coming from. She wasn't born here and practically spent her childhood in the forest like her mother, Iduna did. She was born in a castle, born into royalty. Her main purpose in life was always to control her powers so she could become queen, nothing else."
"But she says she likes it here." He protested.
"I know, but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel like a stranger. She's still trying to get adjusted to even sleeping in her hut. She's still trying to adapt to our culture."
Ryder nodded his head slowly, it was true, even he noticed that she wasn't a fanatic of the mattresses made of hay that they normally used. She was so accustomed to the rich, and large feathered ones.
"And now to pile all of this situation on top of her." She continued again with another deep sigh. "I can only imagine how much she's questioning herself right now."
Ryder pressed his lips together. "She'll be okay, Maren." He said as he gently but firmly grabbed his sisters arm. "Let's not forget, Elsa is the fifth spirit. She'll know what to do, the other four will be by her side, and we'll have her back."
Her brothers caring reassurance brought a little peace in her heart as her tense shoulder slowly lowered. He might have been an idiot, but Ryder made a lot of sense at times, he could say the most deepest thing in the most simplest way.
"Now come on." Said Ryder gesturing to their huts. Tomorrow is another day.."
They were walking back to their huts when they suddenly noticed Rhanda who was still awake and pacing around the camp, shouting in the air with her hands clasped around her mouth. "Àron!"
Ryder and Honeymaren glanced at each other before walking towards the teenage Northuldran girl. "Àron, come on! Mom says it's past your bedtime and I am not staying up all night chasing after your naked butt again!"
"Àron playing naked hide and seek again?" Chuckled Ryder as he and Honeymaren approached her.
She turned around to face the twins and scoffed. "When isn't he." Childish giggles exclaimed form behind her as she and the twins turns their heads quickly just to get a glimpse at the small naked child running into the forest. "Ughhhh, little brothers are the worst, why do they even exist!" She exclaimed running after him.
"You can say that again." Said Honeymaren teasingly as she crossed her arms and nudged at her twin brother.
Seriously, again with that!? I'm only 5 minutes younger than you!" Retaliated Ryder as Honeymaren erupted into laughter.
Meanwhile, the naked small boy continued to run through the forest, trying to get as far away from his sister as he possibly could while still giggling uncontrollably. "Àron! Get your butt back here, now!" Yelled Rhanda running after him.
The little boy quickly jumped behind the nearest tree and leaned back in it as he clasped his mouth while trying to hold back an enormous gaffaw. All while Rhanda continued to yell his name.
From the corner of his eye he started to notice a strange and dark figure standing in front of the bushes in front of him.
At first he thought it was his imagination. After all, the evening had already come. But just to be sure he picked up several pebbles from the floor and began to throw it at the dark figure standing in front of him.
Each pebble struck the dark shadowy figure before hitting the dirt but the strange figure didn't move and this only made Àron all the more curious as he titled his head to the side to get a better glimpse at the strange figure.
"Aha!" Exclaimed Rhanda as she jumped in front of him, causing him to gasp and take a leap back in surprise "There you are you little rascal! You are in so much trouble. Wait till mom hears about this."
She marched up to her younger brother, her glare furious as she bent down, carefully adjusting his pants and tunic on him again. "Why do you have to run naked all the time? It's not cute anymore, you know."
Rhanda was surprised that Àron wasn't fighting her or even hitting her, something he always did whenever she or her mother were trying to dress him. Perhaps he was finally learning his lesson. But what Rhanda didn't know was that Àron's eyes had widened when he saw the dark figure twitch.
"Rhanda..." he whispered fearfully.
"Okay, fiiinneee. I won't tell mom, but you gotta promise me that you'll stop stripping out of your clothes all the time. Do you know how hard it is to find you??"
"Rhanda!" He hissed at her this time.
She looked up at him with furrowed and concerned brows. Her brother was never one to have fear in his voice. "What, what is it?"
He slowly lifted his finger and pointed towards the dark shadow he had just been throwing rocks too. She stood up slowly and squinted her eyes to get a better view of what her brother had been so secretive about. And then that's when she saw it.
There seemed to be a shadow in front of her, or some sort of figure. But at last, it wasn't. Because suddenly the shadow had to pair of dark eyes starting back at hers.
She swallowed and extended her arm to hide her brother behind her. "Àron, run." She whispered to her brother as she slowly started to take a step back.
But Àron didn't run, because just like his sister, he too was taken back by the pair of eyes staring at them and how suddenly it was moving forward with a spear so visibly clear in his hand and two more pairs of eyes behind.
"Run!" She exclaimed louder. Her brother didn't protest this time as he immediately began to sprint back to where he had come from with his sister just behind his tail.
Honeymaren and Ryder had been sharing a laugh at the same spot they had just seen Rhanda not too long ago. It was practically them two, everyone else had retired to bed, Yelena was probably scoping out the camp grounds one final time and the twins were making sure to wait for Rhanda to return with Àron.
"It's been over five minutes, should we go make sure they're okay?" Asked Ryder.
"Yeah, your probably right. I'll go get my staff—"
The twins ears immediately perked up when they started to hear loud muffled noise from the distance. "Did you hear that?" Asked Honeymaren.
Ryder didn't have to respond, his expression confirmed to her that he had heard the same thing she did and pretty soon it was growing louder.
Another loud yell filled the air and this time it was so clearly heard that they immediately jerked their heads to the direction of where it came from, the same path Rhanda had went to find her brother, and within seconds they saw a now dressed Àron, jump from the bushes and sprint past them with Rhanda following behind.
Their eyes widened when they saw the terrified expressions on their faces. "We're under attack!" Exclaimed Rhanda as she moved past Honeymaren who had been trying to stop her.
Once she was out of her grasp they turned to the direction of where they had come from and soon they too saw the bushes shaking uncontrollably, enough evidence for the two of them to know that Rhanda was right.
"Ryder, awake the rest of the clan and tell them to get their spears ready!" Commanded Honeymaren as she and her brother sprinted into opposite directions.
She sprinted as quickly as she could to each hut and without thinking, she began to lift every flap and yell at them, despite if they were asleep by now or not. "Grab your children and evacuate your homes now! We're under attack!"
Shortly thereafter, dozens of screaming families were running around the camp with Yelena and Honeymaren trying to clear the traffic and help as much as they possibly could.
Mothers holding their children close with fathers trying to comfort their nervous wife's.
Ryder came sprinting back with the large group of Northuldra warriors behind him, all of them with spears on their hands. "Every able man who is able to wield a spear, help us fight!" Exclaimed Ryder as he tossed his fathers spear in his other hand to Honeymaren, to which she caught gracefully and joined her side.
"Get to your formations!" Commanded Honeymaren, the warriors did as they were told and stood behind the twins in a single formation with their spears pointed to the shaky bushes.
They stared out to the dark forest, concentrating on any sort of thing that would unveil itself while the panicking families still continued to run around.
Then a dark figure appeared from the bushes. A man. The same man who had the long and thin sword on his back, his dominance was serious and his eyes were concentrated on all of them as if he had no fear.
He glared at the indigenous who had their spears pointed at them, he said no word to any of them. Not even Honeymaren and Ryder who were glaring just as serious. Then five more individuals appeared from the bushes, each of them dressed in the same manner as their leaders in dark armor and tunic and each of them welding different weapons, weapons not one Northuldra were familiar with.
They stared each other down, the Northuldran warriors against six dark Individuals, not one of them knew each other, not one of them spoke each other's language. But their eyes spoke enough, they were ready to fight.
"Attack!" Exclaimed Honeymaren in her native Northuldran tongue. The Northuldra warriors all howled and roared together, as they followed the twins and sprinted towards the mysterious men who were now sprinting towards them.
They clashed together, and although the mysterious men were outnumbered, the way they fought made it seem as if they had an army behind them. They fought with so much quickness and speed. They're style was not one any Norhudlran was familiar with. They would hardly get hit, and when they did, they made sure to counter it and hit even harder.
They clashed spear against swords, knifes, and blades of every kind. The families watched in horror at the violent scene before them. Many of their own people dropping to the floor unconscious as cries of battle grew even louder that it began to fill the sky, even reaching the ears of Hans and Elsa.
Each of them perked up at the loud cries, they're expressions tense as the sound of weapons clashing grew louder and louder as did the crying children.
While Elsa stood up on her feet, worried her people were in danger, Hans, who had been making his way back to the camp, already knew who it was. The familiar sounds of those blades, those swords.
"No..." he muttered to himself fearfully before he suddenly took off and began to sprint as quickly as he possibly could to the direction of the camp, as did Elsa who was on the other side of the forest with Gale and Bruni following behind.
He pushed every bush and twig out of his way and when he arrived to the camp he had just stormed away from, he found as what was expected. Panicked families running in circles, trying to keep their family in line while the fathers defended them with their lives.
Honeymaren and Ryder stood back to back, countering every single blow the masked vigilantes threw at them. "Hold your ground!" She yelled at her people as she kicked one of the masked men's stomach, casing him to collapse back in pain.
"Where the hell are the spirits and Elsa when you need them!" Exclaimed Ryder as he ducked just in time before being sliced, only to be met with a hard right hook to his jaw. In that moment that her brother fell backwards, she was distracted for just a brief second and that was enough for the leader to elbow her injured ribs so quickly and so hard that it sent her backwards, gasping for air
Rhanda, who has been attending everyone's wounds, jumped forward and began to drag the injured Honeymarn from the battle site only to have her long dark hair suddenly yanked backwards from a large handful fist from the leader.
"Ahhhhh!" She exclaimed as the man pulled her backward to the point that her back was on the floor. The man stood over her, his glare dark and serious as he drew out the thin sword and pointed it towards her throat.
"Kare wa doko ni imasu ka." He demanded angrily at her.
She furrowed her brows with fear at hearing the strange language she had never heard before in her life. "W-what?" She responded in her native Northuldra tongue.
"Kare wa doko ni imasu ka!" He yelled now more furiously as he tightened the grip on his sword.
"I-I don't know what you saying—" the man growled as he raised the sword to the sky, ready to pierce Rhandas heart.
"No!" Exclaimed Honeyamren, just barely able to lift herself to the ground as the sword started coming down.
Rhanda closed her eyes, lifting her hands up nervously for protection as she was ready to meet her ultimate doom when suddenly she saw from the corner of her eye a large and leather dark boot strike the masked vigilante hard on the stomach, causing him to grunt out in pain and roll backwards several times.
Rhanda's eyes widened in surprise, even the other masked individuals wear sharing the same expression despite most their faces practically hidden. She followed the the direction to where the powerful kick came from, all of them did, and what they saw was even more surprising.
It was Hans. His fists clenched and his posture firm and tall as he stood in front of Rhanda and the rest of the Northuldrans, shielding them as if he was their protector.
Ryder and Honeymaren, though surprised by his sudden reappearance, quicky wasted no time and rushed towards Ruanda who was still lying on the ground in awe as she was helped back up to her feet and led back to their people.
The leader of the five stood up to his feet quickly angrily with the help of the other five coming to his aid. His eyes were extended in surprise when he realized who had kicked him.
Hans stare was serious as he stood his ground to them. It didn't matter what language the man was speaking at this point, because when he pointed his sword to Hans angrily and spat out the words "Kimi Wa!" Everyone could tell by that tone that what the man was really trying to say was "you!" And they could already tell that this man and Hans had history by the way they glared each other down.
Even the other five men had an expression of surprise themselves. They all knew each other, that was obvious at this point.
"Kare o Korose!" Commanded their leader angrily. At once the rest of the five men immediately charged at Hans, lifting their heels up to kick him, to punch or to even tackle him to the ground. But Hans only jumped higher as he kicked one of them in mid air so hard that he sent him backward until he collided with a tree.
He then countered the large blade that was mean to strike him and instead grabbed the man by the shoulders who had been wielding the weapon and kicked his stomach repeatedly before countering another punch and kick with one of his own.
The Northuldra watched in amazement as Hans continued to fight and deflect every single attack easily as if he knew every single move that they were trying to throw at him.
His hands and his speed outmatched each of the five men. He jumped in all types of maneuvers as if he was the wind spirit himself. His hands were so skilled that it was as if they were dancing.
Two of the masked vigilantes charged at him and were able to kick his chest and pin him to the ground, but he quickly jumped to his feet again and threw one of the men over his head with brute force while the other he brought down to his knee and began to punch him repeatedly in the chest with his two fists in such great speed.
But suddenly a loud and viscous scream howled through the air as the leader of the men suddenly kicked Hans chest that it knocked him down hard. He bent down to punch him but Hans countered and jumped to his feet only to be met with another kick by the man.
But he quickly recovered and they began to exchange blows so quickly with one another. They would block off every single punch and deflect it off each other as if it were the duels of all duels. Both men were equally skilled and the people all watched as if they were a match in the making.
The leader grabbed Hans shirt to throw him over his him but Hans quickly wrapped his legs around his to maintain balance and instead threw him over his shoulders. The man grunted in pain but quickly rolled back to his feet. He was met with one more punch to the face before ducking his head just before another punch landed on him and instead he jumped in mid air as Hans did the same. They were going for the same move and so they ended up kicking each others foot, boot colliding to boot, which caused both of them to stumble backwards.
Ryder's jaw dropped, even Honeymaren was speechless at how skilled the two men were. And just in that moment where the two men had kicked and stumbled backwards was when Elsa had appeared from the corner of the forest with Gale and Bruni and with a gasp escaping her mouth.
Hans quickly jumped to his feet again and lifted his hands up, ready to attack again as he watched the man rise to his feet angrily.
Elsa could see the rage in the mans eyes as he glared at Hans. What she and the rest of The Northuldran didn't expect however, was that the man pulled down the half mask that covering the bottom half of his face and then followed up to toss his dark caped cowl from his head and unveiling his dark hair and the rest of his face more clearly.
All of their eyes widened. All except Hans.
"TRAITOR!" He screamed angrily and loudly as he paced back and forth quickly. Everyone's eyes widened the. The mysterious man who had been yelling at Rhanda, not too long ago was now speaking to Hans in a language everyone understood. Scandinavian tongue.
Elsa's furrowed her brows. Now she was more confused as to who these people were.
All expect Hans, he knew exactly who they were.
The man paced back and forth angrily, he was a bit taller than Hans and his skin was neither dark nor light, it was olive. His hair dark, straight and short and he was young, about the same age as hans, probably even younger.
His eyes and face were shaped in a way that wasn't like the indigenous people. His nose was flat and broad, his dark eyes were round, more upturned with double eyelids. He definitely wasn't from Scandinavia, and Elsa could tell right away that the man seemed like he originated from Asia.
"Tadashi..." Said Hans softly.
Tadashi... is that his name? Does Hans know him??
"I have traveled all across Europe and Asia, looking for you!" He spat angrily as he pointed his sword at him.
Elsa gasped and quickly shot a glance at Hans with a surprised expression.
So he does know them...
"Tadashi, Brother, please." Said Hans in the Asian language the man had been speaking in. Elsa was surprised he even knew their language in the first place as he began to walk slowly towards him with his hands up in mercy. "Just let me explain—"
"Aaahhhhhh!" Exclaimed the leader instead, ignoring his plea pulled out his sword and charged at him. He began to swing the sword in every direction towards Hans. All while Elsa's anxiety shot up, she was actually concerned for him. But despite the mans skill and speed, Hans countered every strike at him, even rolling out of the way or jumping over him.
"You are not my brother!" Exclaimed Tadashi as he went to strike Hans in the heart, but Hans quickly raised his wrist up just in time and instead the mans sword ran through Han's spiked gauntlets. Familiar gauntlets even the masked vigilantes possessed.
He tried pulling away but the sword was stuck, and so Hans took advantage and sent viscous strikes to to his face. The man rolled backwards before digging his heel to the dirt so he could sit up right before wiping the blood from his nose.
"And I am not your enemy!" Yelled Hans furiously now with the man's sword in his hand. Elsa watched as he threw it in front of the man. He was trying to talk some sense to him before they killed each other. "The enemy is out there, and he's very powerful!"
Enemy? What enemy??
Tadashi screamed again in anger and charged at Hans, picking up the sword that had been thrown in front of him and this time able to counter his own strikes while hitting his ribs brutally before slashing his sword through his back.
Elsa gasped as did the others. Hans hissed in pain as he held his ribcage and fell to one knee. Everyone's eyes widened in fear, especially Elsa's at seeing Hans weak and vulnerable which was very unlike him. Tadashi ran towards him again, but Hans quicky rolled out of the way and was just strong enough to kick the sword out of his hand, but that didn't stop Tadashi. Instead he quickly grabbed Hans by the throat.
But Hans kneed his chest and rolled to his back before the two of them jumped up to their feet again. They began to strike at each other again and deflecting every jab and kick they threw at each other, that is until Tadashi kicked his injured ribcage hard and then kneed his stomach to which he fell flat on the ground.
He went to pick up the sword that had been kicked out of his hand and raised it above his head, ready to strike it down at Hans, who already raised his wrist up, ready to accept his fate when suddenly ice formed beneath everyone's feet.
One by one, each of the masked individuals fell, including Tadashi as his back collided with the ice hard. Each of them lifted their heads slightly and followed the path of the ice where Elsa stood in front of the Northuldra with her arms extended.
She flicked her wrist again and this time sharp icicles rose from the ground and surrounded all of them, including the injured auburn man she despised so much.
"If anyone takes one more step, so help me God, I will summon the icicles through your heads."
They're eyes widened in fear, confused yet surprised by the magic they were witnessing before them. Tadashi slowly turned to Hans, his expression as if he was questioning if this was real or not.
"I'd do as she says." He grunted as he slowly rose to his feet in obvious discomfort.
Tadashi knew that he was now not only outnumbered, but that Hans had come to their aid, but also this strange magical and beautiful woman before them. So instead Tadashi rose to his feet and after several seconds of painful silence, he threw his sword to the ground and raised his hands above his head in surrender, his men followed their leaders example and did likewise.
Honeymaren wasted no time as she quickly took advantage and gave a command to the brave warriors to hold down all the men to the ground as they began to tie their hands in feet in tight bondage.
"Honeymaren." Said Hans suddenly as he made his way past Tadashi who's hands and arms were being tied behind his back. She turned to face him, surprised he was talking to her, even the fact that he remembered her name. Elsa furrowed her brows.
"Make sure you keep those weapons as far away from their hands." He said still holding the side of his stomach in pain. "And don't let them speak to anyone, they are trained to find any opening available that would cause someone harm."
How ironic, that sounds like yo.
Thought Elsa to herself.
Honeyamren didn't know what to respond with. Was he helping?? Instead she very slowly nodded her head as she and the rest of the people watched him slowly turn around and start walking back to the where the the four peaks was located.
But with every step he took it only added more discomfort. He wasn't his usual self. He was starting to limp and the expression in his face confirmed to Elsa that he was indeed in a lot of pain.
"Hans!" Exclaimed Tadashi loudly as the Northuldra warriors started pushing him away from the rest of the people, including Elsa. "You think this is over!? I've been traveling the world the past year trying to find you, you think I'm just going to let you live!?"
Elsa watched as Hans grabbed the nearest tree for support as he stopped to catch his breath, still holding his ribs in pain.
"I'll get out of these bondages, and when I do you better pray you unleash the Dane in you again, or else the last thing you'll see is my sword coming down to slice your head clean off!" The Northuldra watched horrified as the mans voice grew louder and angrier, two more warriors had to join and start pushing him because he was refusing to cooperate.
"And then I'll place your head on a stick, and carry it for the rest of my life, to remind me of the hell you put me through, the hell you put all of us through!" Elsa watched as Hans closed his eyes and inhaled deeply with frustration. "The league is coming for you, Hans! They're coming, and you can't stop it! You know you can't!"
His final words echoed through the forest as he and the rest of the masked vigilantes disappeared into the corner. The Northudlra began to murmur within themselves about everything they just heard. It was clear now that Hans and this man had a history, it was clear that for some reason he was referred to as Dane, to them.
"What does Dane mean??" Asked Ryder as he, Rhanda, Yelena and Honeymaren whispered with each other.
But most importantly of all, it was clear that he was hurt. Elsa turned her attention back to Hans who still used the tree as support. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily one more time before limping back to his route.
Elsa felt a strange feeling start to develop in her. She had just witnessed this man protect and defend the people of Northuldra. Her mother's people. Her people. The same man who only an hour ago, accused her mother of betraying them in the first place.
She turned around to Yelena and the rest who had gathered around her, each of them sharing a familiar expression, not knowing what to do next, but Elsa knew, and so did Yelena, who gave her a reassuring nod.
And for the first time, Elsa geniuly went after Hans.
She didn't expect him to walk that far, instead he was only a few footsteps away and as predicted, she found him limping to the nearest tree again. She watched curiously as he leaned on the tree and grunted in pain.
He reached for the bottom of his dark tunic and began to slowly strip it away from his body. When his defined skin was finally exposed, the first thing she could see right away was a deep cut that ran down the injured and bruised rib cage he had been struck with.
Blood was starting to flow down and rather quickly too. He had another bruised spot on his back this time from one of the metal weapons the other masked vigilante had.
Elsa inhaled deeply. The mans body seemed to never take break.
He followed his injured rib cage and slowly ran his fingers through the cut before bringing it to his gaze and seeing his blood. He sighed heavily as he slowly bent down and held his rib cage in pain.
This was it, this was the part where she knew was the right thing to do. Elsa put all her thoughts and doubt aside and approached him. His eyes widened when he felt the gentle cool and soft hands touch his bare and defined shoulders. "Here, let me help you."
He knew that angelic and soft tone anywhere. He turned his gaze to her, his expression filled with confusion and shock. "Uh, I'm fine I'm— ah." He hissed in pain when he tried to stand up to his feet only to fall to his knees again.
"Don't be absurd." Said Elsa bluntly as she gently put his arm over her neck and helped him up to his feet. She dragged him to the tree he had been leaning on and sat him down before checking his wounds.
Her fingers slowly and gently trailed over his bloody ribs. "Does it hurt?" She asked looking up at him.
He closed his eyes and nodded.
"We need to heal it before more blood starts to flow. Gale!" She called out and within the seconds the wind spirit appeared by her side. "I need you to go get Rhanda, I might need her help."
Gale whistled in agreement before taking off to find the young Northuldran girl. Meanwhile, Elsa took advantage and created a cloth made of her magic and with it, she gently pressed it against his skin as she began to wipe of the blood.
He stared at her as she continued to attend every injury he had with such care. How could this woman who he had just yelled at still come to his aid?
"E... Elsa—"
"Shh, just stay still." She replied as she continued to concentrate on the injury.
Gale returned with Rhanda as promised. The wind spirit has literally carried the young seventeen year old through the air. When her feet touched the ground she quickly ran to Elsa and kneeled next to her.
"How bad is it?" She asked as she took her side bag over her head.
"He's pretty swollen in some areas. But his ribcage has a deep gash." Replied Elsa as she moved over, making room for Rhanda.
"Okay, not to worry. We can fix this in no time." Replied Rhanda as she began to dig in her bag for her medicine. Honeymaren and Ryder came running from behind out of concern after seeing that Gale had taken Rhanda away.
"Everything okay? Anyway we can help??" Asked Honeymaren as she and her brother ran to the three of them.
"Yes, actually. Ryder, I need your hands, make sure his chest isn't huntched over he needs to breath normally in a good posture."
"On it." Replied Ryder as he started making his way to Hans.
"And Maren, I need you to assist Elsa and hold pressure on his rib cage." Said Rhanda.
Honeymaren wasted no time and did as she was told as she knelt down beside Elsa and put her hand on top of hers.
Hans watched as all of them each did their part in helping him, even Elsa who he had just chastised not too long ago and even called her a monster.
He hadn't ever seen Elsa this up close before, not since her coronation at least. He could now see the different woman she's become. And it wasn't just because she looked more mature and it also wasn't because she wore her hair down, but he could clearly see that even the way her expressions moved was so unlike from the newly crowned queen he remembered.
She was beyond beautiful.
His eyes darted down to her chest where he could see his pendant still hanging from her neck. He smirked, she still hadn't returned it to him.
"There." Said Rhanda leaning away from Hans just as she finished rubbing cream on his now bandaged and covered ribcage. "Now we'll just need to cool it for several minutes, Elsa—"
Without a second to lose, Elsa made herself comfortable and rather close to Hans before carefully placing her soft palm over his defined ribcage as she sent the coolest breeze she could summon.
There was something about her touch this time, it didn't seem as doubtful or terrified. Instead it felt as if she was truly trying to help him and for some strange reason it touched him.
The others backed away, giving the two of them space as Elsa continued to do her work and hold his right side. Their eyes met several times but each time they quickly glanced over each other, trying to find anything else to look at but each other.
But Hans knew what he had to do, after all, he was heading back to the campsite to apologize in the first place.
Hans cleared his throat. "I'm sorry." He muttered.
Her brows furrowed as she glanced up at him, this time in full attention, her expression just as surprised as the rest of her friends behind her. She couldn't even conjure up anything to reply with. Had Hans Westergaard just apologized to her??
"I'm sorry about what I said. I was... frustrated. I didn't mean to take it all on you." She listened attentively. "You aren't at fault for anything, I am. Everything I did in Arendelle was for my own gain. I shouldn't have gone it in the way I did."
She stared at him, a little more relaxed but still unable to say anything.
"And I shouldn't have brought up Queen Iduna's name. That was disgraceful of me in every way. She's the reason why you have your gift in the first place."
She pressed her lips together, soaking up every word he used and how his tone sounded. She looked down to her hand, a few drops of his blood had dried up on her fingertips and hand. All while she still held his defined and beautiful skin.
"You don't have to forgive me, I just... thought you should know." He finished before facing the ground again.
Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. "Perhaps... I've been too hard on you." Said Elsa finally as she turned to look up at him again.
Now Hans was the one with furrowed brows.
"You can say that again." Snickered Ryder only to be followed up with a grunt after receiving an elbow from Honeymaren.
"Perhaps I haven't given you the benefit of the doubt yet. I've been too caught up in my own worries and emotions. I haven't been listening to the spirits advice in hearing you out, instead of blaming you..."
"But you do have a right to blame me."
"Yes, I do in a way." She sighed. "But I need to do what's right despite how I feel about it. That means establishing a new trade partner with Arendelle, that means finding out why you are here in the first place. And I need to find out the right way."
"What's the right way?" Asked Hans.
Elsa bit on her lip before looking up at him. Even Honeymaren was curious to know. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"Ahem, well. I for one am very grateful that we've made some amends I suppose. But that still doesn't explain the six skilled men in the funny looking tunics." Said Ryder as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah, who are they." Questioned Rhanda as she turned to look at Hans. "Do you... know them Hans??"
Hans inhaled a deep and stressful sigh.
"Hans? You know them??" Asked Elsa still holding his stomach with her hands. He didn't reply, instead he looked out towards the forest as if he was looking for anything to distract him with at the moment, anything that would allow him to avoid answering the question.
"Hans." She said softly but more firmly now. He had no choice but turn his head and meet her sapphire eyes. "If we're going to work together than you need to start by being honest with me, or else I won't be able to help you."
She rubbed his ribcage with her thumb as if she was asking him to tell her. "Who are they?" She asked.
Hans sighed one more time before looking to the dirt below and answering. "Remember how I told you the story of when I was serving my time in the pit? And the story of the little girl who was able to climb out to her freedom without the rope??"
"Is that how you know them??" She asked.
"Not necessarily." Came the sudden different voice from behind them. All of them expect Hans immediately turned their head quickly behind them to find none other than Tadashi, the leader of the six individuals who stood behind them.
Elsa quickly rose to her feet with her arms extended, ready to blast them into thin air while Honeymaren and Ryder quickly jumped in front of a terrified Rhanda to shield her.
"What are you doing here, how did you escape." Demanded Elsa.
"Easy there." Said Tadashi arrogantly as he raised his hands up. "Your leader set us free."
"Our leader?" Said Honeyamren.
Just then from the corner of the bush came out Yelena, walking with her staff at hand towards the now assembled group with the rest of the Northuldran warriors behind her.. "Me."
"Yelena... W-Why would you do that??" Asked Honeymaren stepping forward. "These men just tried to conquer our people!"
"I am aware of that, Maren. But you all must hear the reason of why they did so in the first place." Said Yelena gesturing to Tadashi to speak to which he nodded gratefully and turned his gaze to the group.
"Please just let me explain. My name is, Tadashi Hamada." He began.
"Are you... from Asia??" asked Elsa.
"Yes, I originate from Japan." Said Tadashi as he stepped aside and gestured the rest of the five. "And these are my brothers in arms."
One of them stepped forward and pulled down his mask, revealing his tan skin and light brown eyes, even lighter than Honeymaren's. His hair was darker than hers and Rhanda's too. "I am, Ahmad, from Saudi Arabia."
Another stepped forward and did the same, he pulled down his make and revealed his dark face and dark eyes. "I am, Isla. I come from Kenya."
Another stepped forward and unveiled his tan face and light green eyes, although not as green as Hans's. "I am, Kareem I also come from Saudi Arabia."
Elsa furrowed her brows, all these men were not from the same place.
Another stepped forward, and did likewise in a heavy accent. "I am, Alexei. I come from Russia." He was the biggest out of all of them and his skin was fair, his eyes brown and his hair brown.
And then the fifth stepped forward, his skin was fair, yet his eyes were grey and his hair blonde. "I am, Apollo. I come from Greece."
The group of friends stared at the strange men who assembled themselves behind Tadashi again. "We weren't here to cause chaos to your people. We were just here to bring this man back into custody." Said Tadashi pointing at Hans.
Hans rolled his eyes and Honeymaren snickered. "Really?? You weren't trying to cause chaos?? Take a look at our people, our homes. That doesn't look like chaos to you??"
"Why do you need Hans in custody for?" Asked Elsa.
"Because he betrayed the league." Replied Tadashi darkly as he glared at Hans. Elsa, along with the others furrowed their brows in confusion.
"I didn't betray the league. I left it." Retaliated Hans just as darkly.
"You betrayed us!" Barked Tadashi.
"Wait, hold on." Said Elsa standing between the two bickering men and crossing her arms. "What league are you talking abut exactly?"
"The League Of Shadows." Said Yelena with her arms behind her back.
"The league of what??" Asked Ryder with a confused expression.
"The League of Shadows. We are an organization of ninja assassins who work for Ra's Al Ghul, our leader."
"Whoa, hold on. You guys are like professional assassins?" Asked Rhanda with widened eyes.
Hans scoffed. "More like murders."
"We seek to bring justice and fear to the criminal underworld. We are not murderers." Replied Tadashi as he continued to glare at Hans.
"So... your vigilantes then." Said Elsa.
"No, no, no. A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed or locked up."
"Same difference." said Hans rolling his eyes.
"Then what does Hans have to do with any of this??" Asked Elsa.
Tadashi stared at Hans and pressed his brows. "You haven't told them have you."
Hans sighed. "I was getting to that."
Tadashi shook his head before turning to Elsa and the rest of the Northuldrans. "Hans was one of us."
Elsa's eyes widened. It all made sense now. The fighting, the similar tunics they wore, they were all a part of the league Tadashi was talking about.
"Hans?" Asked Elsa turning to the aburn haired man. "Is this true??"
Hans slowly nodded his head.
"Whoa." Muttered Rhanda. "So you were an assamin like them."
"No. I never committed murder like them." Said Hans darkly. "In fact that was the reason I left in the first place."
"Wait, hold on." Said Honeymaren raising her hands up. "So how did this all come to be? How did you join in the first place??"
Tadahsi turned to Hans who only rolled his eyes and sighed before turning to Honeymaren and the rest of the group. "Has he told you about Lazarus Pit and the story of the young girl who was able to climb out without a rope."
"Yes." Replied Elsa. "The urban legend of the girl."
"Oh, it's no legend." Said Tadashi.
Elsa furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"
"The man who helped the child escape, the man who was her protector, is none other than the one who has been residing in your forest."
They're expressions slowly filled with astonishment. Elsa's eyes widened as she turned around to face Hans. "It was you..." Hans sighed. "You're the one that helped her escape??"
Hans gave no answer, instead he continued to stare at the floor, refusing to meet Elsa's eyes.
"And that woman who has been raped to death. She—"
"She wasn't my partner if that's what you were going to say. And the child is far too old to be mine. I had no relationship with Nadia, expect the fact that she was merciful and kind to me." Explained Hans.
"Nadia... that was her name?" Said Esa to which Hans pressed his lips and nodded.
"You see Hans tried everything in his power to make sure they never laid a finger on the small child. He realized that the men in the pit weren't going to stop until they got their hands on her, so he helped her escape out of the pit instead while the rest of the prisoners beat him and punished him."
Elsa's eyes widened. As did Rhanda's and Honeymaren's. "Punished him? What punishment??" Asked Ryder.
Tadashi turned to glare at Hans as if he was demanding to tell them. Rhanda on the other hand already had and idea, there was only one way he could have ever gotten those scars.
Hans sighed. "One hundred lashes."
Elsa's stomach dropped, and everyone was sharing the same astonished and scared expression as Elsa's. "O-One hundred lashes..."
"By the time twenty five struck his back he had already passed out. They decided to leave him and starve him to death instead." Explained Tadashi.
"B-But you didn't die." Said Rhanda.
"No... because we rescued him." Said Tadashi unfazed. They paid closer attention.
"You see when the child escaped the pit she went to find her father, the mercenary. When she found him she unveiled what had happened to her and her mother, his one true love.
And being overtaken with anger, he followed his daughter back to where she came from the pit and erupted in chaos, seeking his revenge and killing several men who had killed his wife."
Elsa continued to listen as she would glance back to Hans occasionally.
"He went after to find his daughters friend, the one who had protected her. But when they found him, the damage had already been done."
"So, you rescued him?" asked Ryder.
"We took his unconscious body back to our quarters where he was reunited with Talia, the girl. It's there where he became one of us, Rha's accepted him into the league and trained him to become one of us."
"Hans." Said Elsa turning to look at Hans. "Is this true?"
Hans sighed and slowly stood up to his feet. Ryder immediately walked forward to help him up. "Yes, it's true." He said standing up on his feet. "I became a part of the league."
Elsa's eyes widened.
"You see the league is very accepting to those who come from a harsh past. In fact, we have all come from a past life we are not proud of." Said Tadashi gesturing to his men behind him. "We consider ourselves more of a creed, always willing to accept those who make an oath to follow our ways."
Honeymarens eyebrows lifted.
"Tadashi and I met each other there and immediately hit it off. We trained together and even fought together. Him and I went on a lot of missions and would capture criminals who were violating the law. It seemed like a new start at life for me. I was nowhere near Scandinavia and I thought I had found a new... family in a way. But God was I wrong."
"What happened?" asked Honeymaren
Hans pressed his lips. "They wanted me to kill a man—"
"A criminal." Spat out Tadashi.
"Still a man." Spat Hans back. "They wanted me to raise my sword over his head and strike him down in cold blood."
"He was a murderer, an eye for an eye." Snapped Tadashi.
"That's not the way I see it." Said Hans stepping forward matching Tadashi's glare.
"Okay. So you didn't kill him then what happened." Asked Ryder.
"I realized that I couldn't be a part of this corrupt organization, so instead I tried escaping, even fighting everyone that stood in my way, and in so doing burned their temple down to the ground." Said Hans.
"Yeah that'll do it..." Said Rhanda with raised eyebrows.
"You are requested for be in the presence of Rhas, Hans. You either return with us or—"
"What." Snapped Hans. "What could possibly be worse than already having all six of you here."
"Hans... come on. We've been looking all over for you. You knew this was bound to happen." Said Kareem, one of the six.
"Kareem, I have been living by myself for over a year. I have been living my own life in peace, trying to forget everything from the past, why can't you live yours."
No one said a word, Elsa was surprised by his sudden statement. "We're done with this conversation." Said Hans turning to leave. "If you guys don't leave, then I will and you'll spend another year trying to search for me."
"You can't run away from this Hans. Sooner or later, you will have to be held accountable for your sins!" Exclaimed Tadashi.
Hans stopped in mid track and slowly turned his head around. "I've been accountable for my sins since the day I was born."
And with that bold statement Han departed from their presence with. The rest of the group following behind while Yelena commanded the warriors to return Tadashi and his men to where they were being held captive.
—
They arrived at the middle of the campsite where the chaos just occurred not to long ago. Many of the northuldran were picking up after the attack they were just in and trying to get settled in, no one was going to sleep anytime soon.
"Well, that was quite a night..." Said Honeymaren as she and Ryder sat Hans down on a nearby tree stump in front of the fire before Elsa came forward with his dark tunic and helped him dress again before sitting next to him.
"You can say that again." Said Ryder. Rhanda returned with a bucket of water and a large spoon and offered it to Hans. He accepted it and began to scoop out water before placing it in his mouth to drink.
"Sooo... what now?" Asked Rhanda as she sat down with everyone in the circle.
"I think her majesty agrees that now we move forward and do everything we can to help Arendelle." Said Hans as he and Elsa faced each other. "That is until I leave again. I figure it's the least I can do for all the trouble I've caused here and in Arendelle."
Elsa pressed her lips, a small feeling of guilt overcoming her as Bruni made drawer his way up to her knee.
"How are you gonna help Arendelle, you're a fugitive, remember?" Said Ryder.
"That may be true, but Hans is still a citizen of the Southern Isles, and before that he was a prince." Said Elsa moving just a little closer to him but still a respectable distance. "Hans, you're going to teach me everything you know about the Southern Isles law and trade."
"Me?" He said with a surprised expression. "I mean don't get me wrong, I'm flattered you think so highly of me your majesty—"
Elsa rolled her eyes and Rhanda couldn't help but grin.
"But weren't you Queen? Surely you studied other kingdoms, including mine before we came to your coronation." He finished before placing another spoon full of water in his mouth.
"I did and I do have some knowledge of the Southern Isles, but you were it's prince, I'm sure you can educate me on anything that might be helpful regarding the Southern Isles before Arendelle does business with them. Surely you know the tricks and loop holes when negotiating with them."
Hans licked his lips. "I do actually. When you are thirteenth in line with no responsibility you learn a lot through just watching your family everyday with no duties or responsibilities. Unless it had to do with commanding the navy."
"Perfect, so tell me, what do I have to do first." Said Elsa as she instinctively reached up in the air where Gale had brought her notebook and pen to take notes. Hans furrowed his brows, he still wasn't used to the magical elements.
"Awww, look. They're bonding." Whispered Ryder to his sisters ear teasingly.
"Shhhhh." Hissed Honeymaren.
Hans sighed as he sat up straighter to make himself more comfortable. "Well, first and foremost you have to learn about our trading goods. The Southern Isles, like many other kingdoms, have a possession in which they hold most valuable."
"Correct, I did my studies. Arendelle has ice and the Southern Isles for some strange reason have apples, correct?" Said Elsa.
"Not just apples, your majesty. Don't forget that the Southern Isles is also known for its great military and navy."
"Arendelle's military isn't as strong as the Southern Isles. In fact we barely even complete half of the amount of soldiers you guys have. And I'm sure the Southern Isles wouldn't be interested in our navy either, Hans."
"Which is precisely why you have to bargain with the Southern Isles, something that would get their attention." Said Hans.
"They've been lacking ice, isn't that enough considering the fact that it's prince betrayed Arendelle.." Said Elsa.
"If only it were that simple your majesty." Smirked Hans. "You see my father is a very power hungry man. He wants the Southern Isles to have as much goods as possible. He's known for screwing people over out of their trades and contract. So you have to come up with one more thing besides ice that would be able to convince him of sending Arendelle provisions at double the portion."
"Okay, okay let me think." Said Elsa running her temples in deep thought. A lightbulb went off in her head as she turned to look up at him. "How about winter clothing for the military?"
Hans raised his eyebrow in surprise. "That... might actually work. Huh, your right. The Southern isles would find those helpful when going to war in cold countries."
Elsa lowered her gaze and continued to write notes. "Okay, anything else?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure." Said Hans looking around the camp. Wait a second, isn't Arendelle and the Norhudla in alliance as well??"
"It's Northuldra." Corrected Honeymaren. "But yes, technically our people and Arendelle established peace with one another."
"Okay, so that figuratively speaking if a random kingdom started to attack Arendelle then the Northuldra would immediately come to its aid, correct?" Said Hans
"Well yeah, Elsa and Queen Anna are Iduna's daughters, of course we'd go to Arendelle and help." Retaliated Honeymaren with her arms crossed.
Elsa eyes widened, now fully realizing what Hans was getting at. "I see what you are trying to get at! Northuldra and Arendelle's military and warriors would unite as one whenever there would be an attack and so if I tell your father about this peace treaty—"
"Then that would persuade him more into leaning towards the alliance with Arendelle because in his mind he would imagine a two and one alliance with Arendelle." Said Hans finishing for her.
"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on." Said Honeymaren lifting her hands up. "I don't think I like the sound of that."
"She's got a point." said Ryder crossing his arms.
"Don't worry, Maren. I'll make sure to write in the agreement that the Northuldra will only help if Queen Anna allows it, and believe me, she won't ever put the Northudlra in danger." Said Elsa.
Honeymaren tapped her lip with finger, pondering the possibly before looking up at the two again. "Okay, but you'll have to talk with Yelena about it first, she has the final word afterall."
Elsa nodded gratefully before turning to Hans again. "Anything else or is that not enough for the king?"
"I think that might be enough. But now here's comes the difficult part." Said Hans sitting forward. "It is custom for the Southern Isles to always send a representative of the monarch household besides the king to discuss business and negotiations."
Elsa sighed, she was afraid he'd say that. "Don't tell me that one of your brothers have to come down and stay in Arendelle for a week..."
Rhanda's eyes widened and she gasped. "You have brothers??"
Hans smirked and shrugged. "It's the way we do things. We're very skeptical about everything, we like to know who we are doing business with."
Elsa sighed again. "Fine, let's take a look then." She reached up to the sky where the large navy blue book she had brought from Arendelle was being delivered by Gale. Hans still wasn't used to it.
She started flipping through the pages before coming across the familiar text where the Westergaard family bloodline was shown. "Okay.. so there's crown Prince Caleb, the oldest?"
"Trust me, you don't want him. He's a lot like my father, in fact he tries to be like my father in every way so he won't help you out at all, he'll just try to find a way to screw you out of the deal."
"What about Prince Beowulf?" she asked.
He scoffed. "Arrogant and prideful. Trust me you don't want him."
"Sounds like someone I know. Okay, how about Prince Emil?"
"Womanizer, will try to find any opportunity to sleep in your chambers, or Queen Anna's." he replied.
"Ugh." she rolled her eyes while Rhanda covered her mouth and giggled. "Whag about Prince Axel??"
"Wayyy too immature." He replied.
She went through every name on the list and each one seemed to have a default or lacking any common sense. It's as if complications ran through the Westergaard bloodline.
"Okay well I see there's a prince Lars, the third oldest? It says here he's a historian, might seem knowledgeable for these things." she said looking up at him.
"Lars is good, in fact he's one of the few brothers I actually get along with. The thing is that he doesn't live in the Southern Isles. He married princess Helga of Stockholm, his betrothed. He rarely visits the isles in the rarest of occasions."
"Well, I mean I can't think of anyone else really. Everyone I practically named is either a enemy to you or gone." she said with frustration.
Hans chuckled. "Well, you missed one."
Elsa furrowed her brows at him. "I counted thirteen correctly. Trust me, I'm a master at geometry, I know my math."
Hans smirked. "How about your reading capabilities? Clearly you read fourteen wrong."
Elsa furrowed her eyebrows and scoffed "Fourteen?? What are you talking about! Your library made a mistake. Clearly there are only thirteen here, and my reading capabilities are perfect thank you very much."
He chuckled. "Except you forgot to turn the page."
Elsa's eyes slightly widened while Honeymaren and Ryder furrowed their brows. Hans smirked and gestured this time to the book where she slowly began to reread out loud the bottom of the text before turning to the next page.
"King Sören then met the only woman he granted to become Queen of the Southern Isles. Queen Nora, who gave birth to two children."
Her eyes widened.
"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles and... her breath escaped when she saw it and the words could barely escape her lips.
"Princess Hanna of the Southern Isles."
Everyone's eyes widened this time, even Bruni tilted his head.
"Princess... your sister. Y-you have a sister??" she muttered looking up at him.
"I do." Replied Hans digging for the spoon in the water.
Elsa's heart dropped.
"Twin sister, actually."
And then so did Ryder's and Honeymarens.
Well, we got a big plot now folks. Any thoughts? Let me know. Reviews motivate me to write! Till next time!
Also one more thing. I appreciate all those who leave reviews but PLEASE stop asking me what I should and shouldn't write in my story. It is MY story, not yours. I don't write this story to fulfill your imagination or your sexual fantasies.
I already have a plan for this story and if you keep bombarding me with ridiculous requests instead of actual reviews then you will be blocked. You know who you are.
All right, peace out.