#The Frozen Court#
Tatiana Kudrov was an Ice Maiden. Her life began as seventh daughter of a poor peasant family. Before her mistress had found her, she only had known a world full of hardships and eternal hunger, void of the warmth of a loving family or the soothing feeling that one was welcome. After she began her apprenticeship, things changed only marginally. She no longer had to fear starvation, but the hunger for affection and love still remained for many years. The regime of her mistress was a strict one, even the smallest mistakes were punished, the same if Tatiana couldn't reach the standards her mistress had set for her.
It took years full of scoldings and beatings, but after Tatiana found the way of learning that worked the best for her, she would often exceed the expectations of her mistress, even if praises were still very rare and indirect. At the time she earned the title of Ice Maiden, Tatiana had developed a personality that was fixated on learning, driven by the buried longing for recognition and affection.
Several years later, the now twenty-eight years old Tatiana was on her way to the Tzarina.
The group consisted of ten palace guards, two Ice Witches and Tatiana. They were on their way to the throne room. While the Ice Witches wore clothes appropriate for their rank and origin, Tatiana looked entirely different. Of the long blonde hair that would had been the pride of any woman only short stubble remained as these required the least amount of care. She also wore the standard winter uniform issued by the AoL, without even the slightest deviation in form of some decorative ornaments. Only the sprinkled ice crystals on her left cheek—being evidence of one too many mistakes during her enchantments—and the unnerving stares from the gray eyes identified her as Ice Maiden.
While most of the accompanying guards thought that she was going to her execution, her request to join the Army of Light being the ultimate humiliation of Kislevite rites and to the sisterhood, she was thinking about something different. Tatiana had already thought about her possible death before sending the fateful request. And as such thoughts would not help in the current situation, they simply did not appear in her mind, as was so typical for her. No, her current thoughts were about one of the accompanying Ice Witches. What a coincidence that the same Ice Witch that had initially led to her affinity with the AoL would now escort her to the Tzarina.
***
Everything began about three years ago, shortly after the Northern Campaign had started. As all Ice Witches, the Ice Maiden Tatiana had been informed about the coming campaign, being instructed to either assist in the operation or keep away from the territories beyond the Lynsk until the normal soldiers would have passed the region. But as Tatiana had seen no importance to her at the moment she had received such instructions, knowledge about them soon faded from her consciousness. She always had problems remembering things she saw as unnecessary. While she had an outstanding memory after having memorized something, it was difficult for her to do so in the first place.
Later on, she still had crossed the Lynsk to follow an intuition—one week before the campaign would begin.
Some day, she noticed increased activity, hearing far away explosions and unknown rumbling. Getting curious, she followed the sounds and discovered an AoL unit with a few horseless sleds. She had heard a little about cars and the technology coming over from Germany, but as was her personality, these things never really embedded themselves into her memory. What help would this unnecessary knowledge help her in her study of ice magic? Even Germany, whose appearance changed much in this world, was only cataloged as a strange version of the Empire, bringing trouble to everywhere its name would be uttered.
Tatiana observed the unit as it engaged a small group of orcs she had evaded a few days ago, as she had found it more important to investigate a small nearby ripple in the local magic current instead of gaining unnecessary further battle experience against an enemy she already had fought in the past. For others, it might had been intimidating, impressive or at least interesting to see how easily the humans killed the battle-hardened orcs, but Tatiana saw no relevance for her studies and so quickly lost interest and turned away again. But for the next four days, the humans continued to follow her trail. At first, she found it interesting, evidently seeing the need to improve her skills to wander through the wilderness unseen. After four days and nights during which she had utilized all of her knowledge and skills to hide and escape in the wilderness, her initial curiosity turned into cold determination. She would attack her followers and learn how they continued to follow her. She saw no reason not to do this. It never came to her mind that these humans were fighting on behalf of Kislev. They were hunting her down for reasons unknown and so became valid targets for her attention. However, while preparing traps for the coming attack, she was surprised by another Ice Witch whose presence she hadn't felt before and was easily defeated.
After her swift defeat, she once again was informed about the Northern Campaign. She also learned that it hadn't been the Ice Witch that had kept following her, but the normal humans. They had use some things called infrared cameras, autonomous drones, a magic compass and two very skilled trackers. Tatiana was thoroughly scolded by the Ice Witch. Hadn't the begin of the Northern Campaign been announced long ago? Hadn't she received the order to either cooperate with the advancing troops or keep away until they left the region again? Tatiana felt like trash. Once again she had failed to met the expectations. How could she had brought disgrace to the sisterhood? And how could she be defeated by mere technology as these strange things had been called?
She was instructed to follow the unit for the next few weeks together with the other Ice Witch, preventing her to disturb other units if left behind in the wilderness again. As Tatiana had decided to learn from her mistakes, another of her personality traits kicked in. She was fixated to learn as much as possible about anything she saw as necessary. Not the smallest detail should be omitted, each gesture was deemed just as important as the ability to breath. Forgotten was the disgrace of swift defeat, while she absorbed even the smallest bit of information.
During the following four weeks until the Ice Witch received orders to join another unit, she had rarely spoke with Tatiana. Not because she wanted to scold her with silence, but she was surprised how fast the young Ice Maiden adapted to the new situation. Within the short time, Tatiana had learned to drive the Unimog truck that was part of the unit, could identify and name all of its technical parts, learned the correct protocols to use when using the radio, the German school of first aid, a lot more German and Reikspiel than the witch had learned in the three months prior the campaign she had used to learn and improve her language skills. And it would be way more difficult to track Tatiana down once again after the also had learned all the tricks of the trackers and the weaknesses of drone, compass and infrared cameras.
The witch saw no reason to speak with Tatiana before leaving the unit. The maiden was somehow strange, even for an Ice Witch, but would surely find her own way. But just as she wanted to part with the unit, one of the members had to speak words the witch couldn't just ignore.
"What? First you watch her day in and day out behind her back, and now you won't even a single word of farewell? I guess you have to be an Ice Witch to make sense of this…"
The result was a partially frozen man. Not enough to immediately kill him—she was able to restrain herself in the last moment—but enough that he would lose a few extremities if not freed as soon as possible. Being left with no other choice, she addressed Tatiana.
"Handle this. And teach them how to act towards Ice Witches."
When she turned around again and left the group of men and women she would not have imagined what meaning her words would have for Tatiana.
***
Back to the Frozen Court.
The group had nearly reached the throne room. Only two more minuted and Tatiana would meet the Tzarina. The Ice Witch she had met these few years ago could no longer remain silent.
"Why have you remained with the Army of Light? You could have gone to a thousand different places."
Tatiana answered with an open heart and eyes that spoke of things that had changed her. There was no need to think about the answer, it came so natural as if asked about her name.
"You told me to teach them. So I taught them just as I had learned from my mistress. In exchange, they further taught me about them. I found questions and searched for answers which again led to further questions. At some point it felt… natural to be with them."
Then they arrived in front of the throne room. The Ice Witches and the guards were to wait outside while only Tatiana was allowed to enter. Noticing the look of the Ice Witch, Tatiana saw the need for a last comment before her entire attention would focus on the task before her.
"These past few years were worth it… whatever will happen."
After the doors closed behind Tatiana, she approached the Tzarina, sitting on her throne, as far as her rank allowed her to, went on her knees and awaited to be addressed by her majesty. She had to wait several minutes, while the temperature within the room dropped significantly. The Tzarina was upset. Rumors were already spreading that an Ice Maiden wanted to defect to the Army of Light. That she rejected the sisterhood. And now she was before her, not wearing the appropriated dresses for an Ice Maiden, but the simple and functional uniform of the common soldiers, baring any resemblances of the true appearance of a member of the sisterhood.
"Tell me. Why do you reject the sisterhood? What do you expect from the Army of Light that Kislev and sisterhood cannot offer you. Why do you wear… these? And why do you think I should let you leave her alive?"
The mere voice of the Tzarina seemed to cool down the room some additional degrees. She had not made any final decisions, but some assumptions still dominated her mind. This would not be the first member of the sisterhood that went astray by the many new and sometimes deceptive ideas finding root in Kislev. If she deemed the Ice Maiden a threat to Kislev of sisterhood, Katarin would not hesitate to kill here on the spot.
Many times, Tatiana had played this conversation through. She knew she was bad with words. That her attention might drift to something else if she wasn't careful. But it was already too late for second thoughts.
"Your majesty, I do not reject the sisterhood. I owe my life to the sisterhood and will always serve its ideals. Just as I had been taught, I followed the path as it presented itself to me. It led my to the Army of Light where I have learned many things that helped me to understand the proper path of an Ice Witch.
While cooperating with the Army of Light, I heard that the Germans had given words to the Dwarves that helped them to better understand and improve the craftsmanship they had honed for centuries. I dare not to say the Army of Light can do something similar for the sisterhood, but they already had taught me things I would never had learned if not for them. I… I always had problems with people. Studying, learning was always more important for me. But since I have been with them. It felt different. It felt… right. They saw me not as Ice Maiden, not as just another asset or threat. But as somebody of them."
Tatiana hesitated for a moment. She had long since made up her mind to follow through to the bitter end. She could have found better words, more flattering for the sisterhood. Words that would surely had improved her chances of survival. But these words were now gone. She had to concentrate, to fully concentrate on this conversation.
"Wearing this uniform was the last wish of a dying man. Tanis Welg, a convicted murderer from the Empire. Being only three weeks away from the day he could have returned home as a free man, he still decided to sacrifice his life for his unit and a group of nomads he had never seen before. Under normal circumstances, he would have already ended on the gallows years ago. But instead he was in the North, fighting against the allies of Chaos. He taught the new recruits the ropes, taught them his knife skills, helped them acclimatize to the unit.
Outside from the new recruits, he wasn't well liked. He picked fights on many occasions, stole rations whenever he could, molested any women his eyes fell on. But during battle… his platoon fought like one man, all trouble was forgotten."
Tatiana had to stop for a moment. She was drifting away again. She hadn't wanted to fixate so much on him, but the words simply had come before she could have stopped them. She already knew about her deficiencies with words and concentration, but it was still difficult to stay on track.
Concentrate, imagine you are in battle. During battle or when engrossed in studying she could concentrate for hours without pause. Why would she fail at such an important moment?
The silence had lasted for a short moment and was enough for the Tzarina to notice. And it might explain some matters.
Even before calling the Ice Maiden to her, she had received her records from the Army of Light. She might not be a full member of the AoL, but as she had continued to cooperate with them for nearly three years, she had been given own records, with the same assessments, reprimands and regular reports as everyone else had received. The Army of Light had stressed the fact that all matters regarding the Ice Witches would fall into Katarin's hands.
She had read all of them and also had inquired about her from her former mistress. Tatiana Kudrov was described as single-minded person with great perception, awkward towards people but always truthful towards her beliefs. And having read about the dead man, Katarin thought she already knew what turn this conversation would take.
Tanis Welg had died while the platoon under his command had engaged a larger group of goblins that were about to attack a hideout of local nomads where they had hidden away their women and children while the warriors were out fighting another group of goblins. He had been hit by a poisoned arrow from a previously hidden goblin scout. As it seemed, the arrow had been meant for Tatiana who had been standing only a few steps away from Welg, unleashing her magic in preparations of their own counter-attack.
After realizing the attack and after the platoon leader already had died, Tatiana had once again unleashed her magic. It was then that she had lost control that resulted in the ice crystals that now decorated her cheek. After the battle had ended, she had ignored clear order to remain on site and had instead hunted down the few surviving goblins to kill all of them. That had been the only event of her ignoring orders during the entire time she had worked together with the Army of Light.
"So, what were his words exactly?"
Being taken by surprise of the sudden question, Tatiana had no time to think and simply spoke the first words filling her mind.
"… Except the uniform, you already are one of us."
She still withheld her preceding question why he had done something so stupid for an outsider like her. She also kept silent about the many occasions he had helped her to socialize with the other platoon members, how to cope with her personality traits, how it had been his influence that one day she had stopped to think about them and her, and had started to think of all of them and her as us. No word was uttered that she had begun to feel some kind of affection for the man, that his death seemed to have taken something from her she hadn't even known was there before.
Tatiana had already decided upon her path. Now she just had to speak the last sentences that would decide her fate. The moment Tanis had died, she had promised herself that she would honor his sacrifice by committing herself wholly to the order. That she would make the enemy pay dearly for his death. There might come the day that she would forget about him, forget about her determination. But at this moment right now, she wanted to do this with each fiber of her body.
The Army of Light united so many different people, so many different beliefs through a shared goal. The order had transformed a confessing murderer—one that had murdered countless people just because he had loved to see their fear when they realized they were dying, as he had shared with her one evening—into a compassionate and caring leader, risking and sacrificing his life for others. It was worth to fight for them.
"It is no longer enough for me to only see the same things, eat the same food, wear the same clothes as them. There already had been people dying and killing for me. I want to be part of this thing that connects all of them, want to repay them for all the things they already have given me. I no longer want to question all my decision, asking myself if this really if in the interest of the sisterhood and Kislev.
So I wish to receive the permission to not only fight alongside them, but as part of them. Against the enemies of sisterhood and Kislev. I cannot state any reason for you to spare my life. There are many reasons to end my life here and now.
All I can say is this and it comes straight from my heart:
I want to fight. With the Army of Light, as part of it. For the sisterhood, for Kislev, for you. I have questioned many of my decisions throughout my life. But this feels right for me. So right as nothing before in my whole life. I want to spend my life for this fight. Be it as long or short as it will be."
So many words, attempting to describe something so simple as admiration and love. Because it was admiration for the dedication, solidarity and acceptance these people displayed in their daily struggles up north. Because it was love for the man that died not for just anyone but for the person he had held dear. The Ice Maiden had still not realized that she had begun to share these feelings with Tanis.
But it was up to the Tzarina to decide if such simple concepts were permitted for an Ice Maiden or if this was the beginning of an infestation that had to be eradicated as soon as possible.
Tonnere, close to Castle Artois
Jean dodged the missile by only that much by bending at the hip. When he came up his upper body twisted to the right and his arm snapped back with his counterstrike. This one flew true and struck his opponent squarely on his chest. It left a white mark, caused a squeal and lot of laughter. Jean and the many other children that had been herded together in Tonnere enjoyed the bit of sun that had come up and the snowball fight that could be had that way. The kids had managed to become acquainted rather quickly during the last weeks and anything that broke the boredom that was this "fortified village" was good.
The battle went on until lips were blue and fingers white, then a group huddle in one of the huts where the family allowed such restored temperature. When Jean made his way home for a dinner that was bound to be not much and that probably cold he saw the figure that made his way towards the palisade but his mind made nothing of that. The other mind which saw it dutifully logged the information and the mouth that belonged to it crackled a mirthless chuckle.
Spider-like fingers moved a quill on parchment, leaving notes legible only to the writer while a mouth which housed only the ruins of teeth munched on a bunch raisins.
"So this was needed to bring you back into the Lady`s favor. I thought it would have needed a bit more than a campaign against some hapless serfs."
Dame Poignard looked up from her notes to see the serene-seeming face of Dame Isabeau, the Lady`s Handmaiden that had made Caste Artois her home quite some time ago.
"And that is exactly why my worth has been recognized again Isabeau. This is not a "campaign against hapless serfs" as you so ignorantly put it, this is a battle for Bretonia`s very soul. It is a battle unlike any we have fought so far, it is against an enemy we only begin to understand and its smallest part is decided on the battlefield. It is in places like here in Castle Artois where we have to keep the serfs from running away, the tithes to go into our coffers and the harvest to be made where it is won or lost. And none of you have what it takes to win such a war without Sir Robert and us to hold your dainty hands. And when it is all over you can tell yourself that you are much better than us, that the blood is on our hand. We do what is necessary no matter what and that is our worth for in the Lady`s eyes."
"The Lady does not only value results, she values how we achieve them. There is a chivalric code after all."
"We can lose this war using it or win it ignoring it. And since the chivalric code is so important in keeping Bretonia together she called for our likes so that you can feel noble and pure when we are done."
"Just that we won`t."
"Oh you should better pretend to when this is over as will all the others with a bit of a brain."
"And so what is the "whatever is necessary" you do now? It has roiled the Empyrean in ways I do not recognize and I am not sure which are safe."
"Don`t worry to much about that, it will give wrinkles to your pretty face."
"Dame Poignard, I am responsible the sanctity of the souls in this castle. If you cannot convince me that what you do is safe you will stop doing it."
"Oh I just shared some sweets with some of these oh-so-innocent village youths."
"So?"
"Might be that the sweets had a bit of cigue in them and each of them ate from the same fruit than me me. If they see something so do I if I wish."
"Why in then Ladies name did you do that."
"Because they are invisible to the adults. When the enemy`s spies come to the camps, when the traitors meet then I will see them and then we can start fighting this battle for real."
"Are you totally mad? This will …."
"Isabeau, do you know how many of these kids will become blind on the diet your Baron allows them anyway or how few become ten at all even without my meddling?"
