Hello again people, and welcome back to Frozen: Lords of Storm and Stone. I don't know what it is about the timing on my chapters, but chapter 9 was posted on 12/12/2021, the 2nd Sunday of that December, and chapter 10 was posted on 12/21/2021...those date numbers should speak for themselves. And no I'm not the superstitious type; I just find it...extremely interesting.
For the rest of the morning, things have been tense; they spent most of their breakfast in near-total silence since there was nothing to say that wasn't already said. Afterwards, Sigmund distanced himself from the rest of the group while they traveled through the village. The group kept to themselves mostly, but went to check on Sven for not only his sake, but their own as well. Elsa in particular was in need of some stress relief, and Sven was nothing if not entertaining.
Anna kept a close eye on her elder sister, not just because Elsa had more than a few bruises, but she was clearly shaken by what she discovered about Dietrich. Anna herself only heard of what had happened, and she was shaken, even though she had seen the fruits of Dietrich's dark labors first hand. She still had faith things would turn around, and was grateful she went through the preparations she did before encountering the worst of what she had seen, but the toll spoke for itself.
They could deal with what was next later, now...they had a reindeer to observe, as he rushed through the meadow having the time of his life.
When Sven had his fill of excitement, Kristoff hooked him up to their sled, and they rode back to Sigmund's fortress. On the way there, Anna snuggled into Kristoff's side as usual, and Elsa kept an eye on Olaf, as well as the expansive valley around them. Anna then sucked in a deep breath of air.
"There's a real nip in the air..." She said casually.
"No doubt about it. Winter is on it's way..." Kristoff said.
"So is Christmas." Olaf said, then Anna facepalmed.
"And Elsa's birthday! What are we going to do for-" Elsa cuts Anna off.
"Relax...there's three weeks before then. That's more than enough time to prepare." She said.
"Here's hoping Sigmund isn't too caught up in...whatever he's doing." Kristoff said.
"He could use a break himself if you ask me." Anna said.
"There's also a few places he hasn't shown us." Kristoff said.
"That is true..." Anna said.
"Maybe he could show us sometime soon." Olaf said.
"If he's willing and able to." Elsa said.
"It doesn't hurt to ask." Anna said.
"No...it doesn't." Elsa said.
When they got back to the fortress, Sigmund was napping on his throne like he was the first time they met.
"Sigmund?" Anna asked.
"Yes...?" Sigmund groaned.
"While we were coming back, something occurred to us. There's a few places in the valley we haven't seen yet." Anna said, and Sigmund sighed, straightened himself out, and stood up.
"That is true." He said.
"Wait...you don't have to show us now." Kristoff said.
"It's not a bother. Besides, there is still plenty to see." Sigmund said.
"Such as?" Anna asked.
"Well, have you seen the monastery, the farms, or my ice harvesting operation?" Sigmund asked.
"We haven't seen the monastery, or...wait a moment..." Anna trailed off.
"I saw the ice harvesting place, but you two haven't." Kristoff said.
"Neither did Olaf." Elsa said.
"I haven't? Oh right...I haven't." Olaf said.
"We've seen the farm Lisa works at, but I don't recall the other farms that well." Anna said.
"Most of the valley is nothing special aside from how vast it is, but those areas I mentioned are a different matter." Sigmund said.
"Then let's go." Kristoff said.
"Ingmar." Sigmund said, then Ingmar approached.
"Yes My Liege?" He asked.
"Keep those records I made handy. When we return, I will need them." Sigmund said.
"Not a problem Sire." Ingmar said before Sigmund led the group out.
"May I ask?" Elsa asked.
"It's a long story." Sigmund said.
"Where should we go first?" Anna asked.
"How about the monastery?" Kristoff asked.
"In hindsight, there really isn't much to see there. The monks who live there keep to themselves for the most part, but every now and then, they come out to share their insights in the form of texts, and evangelism." Sigmund said.
"Evan what?" Kristoff asked.
"That means preaching." Sigmund said.
"Oh..." Kristoff said.
"The brothers also brewed more than a few medicines for the sick, or wounded." Sigmund said.
"That sounds pretty important for people that keep to themselves." Anna said.
"They keep to themselves because they do work that as far as I'm concerned, is critical. Even if it wasn't...they still believe in what they do, and I completely sympathize." Sigmund said.
"Well, I take it that means they don't want to be disturbed." Anna said.
"We could probably arrange a meeting with the abbot...but you're right. They should be left alone, at least for now." Sigmund said before they left the fortress.
"Well...ice harvesting place, here we come." Kristoff said.
They then took the sled through the woods, up the side of a mountain...the same mountain Sigmund took Kristoff the time they had their talk about risky it was for Kristoff and Anna to be together. As they went up the mountain, the air got progressively colder, and the environment got equally snowy. It was no surprise, but it was still something to get used to, except for Elsa of course.
Eventually, Kristoff stopped at the end of the dirt road.
"Here we are." Sigmund said, as the group got out of the sled, and looked at all of the large men sawing and hooking massive ice cubes, hauling them into carts, or sliding them along the wet ground.
"It looks just like the place I grew up working in." Kristoff said as Anna and Elsa looked at it.
"There's about as many men working too." Anna said.
"Want to go join them?" Kristoff asked.
"Would I ever!" Anna said seriously, then Kristoff grabbed the saw, fork clamps he kept stored in the side of the sled and helped Anna out.
"Lets go cut some ice." Kristoff said before the pair went to join the icemen.
"I want to go too!" Olaf exclaimed.
"I doubt you're strong enough to cut ice." Sigmund said.
"Why would I cut ice?" Olaf asked.
"Because the ice is used for cooling- Nevermind...let's go." Sigmund said.
"Alright." Olaf said before jumping out of the sled, with Elsa behind him, then Sigmund followed.
Kristoff and Anna went past the icemen, making sure to stay out of their way, and found a patch all to themselves.
"Remember when I took you ice harvesting for the first time?" Kristoff asked.
"It's hard not to at a time like this." Anna said casually, then Kristoff shook his head.
"I still can't get over how adorable you were when you tried pulling the ice cube out." He said.
"Hey! It was my first time. How was I supposed to know there was a trick to it?" Anna asked.
"I'm not trying to tease you. I'm serious." Kristoff said.
"Well...still..." Anna said.
"I didn't much luck either when I was a kid." Kristoff said.
"Kristoff...you were a kid." Anna deadpanned.
"Anyway, you want to cut this, or should I?" Kristoff asked.
"You go first." Anna said.
"Suit yourself..." Kristoff said before he dug the saw into the ice, then started forcing it through. Anna then watched as Kristoff put his impressive bulk to use by tearing through the ice foot by foot. Anna then turned to see the other icemen doing the exact same thing Kristoff was doing, then looked back at Kristoff who was almost done already.
"I still can't believe Sigmund made you that saw." Anna said as Kristoff finally cut out a cube of ice, then looked the saw over.
"Best saw I've ever used too, and there's not a scratch on it." He said.
"My turn?" Anna asked.
"First we get this cube out, together." Kristoff said before he gave Anna a clamp, then she crouched, dug the clamp into the cube, then Kristoff gripped the clamp with her, then they pulled it above ground with Anna straining. Then Kristoff shared a smile with his panting wife.
"I did it..." Anna breathed out.
"We did it." Kristoff said and Anna snickered before straightening herself out.
"Let's do that again." She said with a smirk.
Meanwhile, Olaf wandered the area with Elsa looking after him, then Sigmund shivered.
"Aren't you cold?" He asked, and Elsa shook her head.
"The cold doesn't bother me." She said, and Sigmund smirked.
"No...why would it? This is your element, like the ground itself is mine." He said.
"Right..." Elsa trailed off.
"Are you still thinking about Dietrich?" Sigmund asked.
"How can I not...?" Elsa asked.
"Elsa..." Sigmund breathed out.
"It's not just his anger that gets me...it's how different he used to be. He was exactly like Anna, and now he's...the complete opposite. I find it more than a little frightening." Elsa said.
"There is no way Anna would turn out like he did." Sigmund said.
"How do you know?" Elsa asked.
"Because I know you wouldn't allow it." Sigmund said, and Elsa sighed.
"I guess so." She said.
"And I know so." Sigmund said seriously, and Elsa looked at him, saw how earnest he was, and smiled.
"Thanks...I didn't even know how much I needed to hear that." She breathed out.
"While you were away fighting Dietrich, I also discussed what Anna and Kristoff can do for the coming battles ahead." Sigmund said.
"And?" Elsa asked.
"Kristoff spoke with Captain Lars like I suggested, and Kristoff agreed to train like the other troops do, and Anna...well, she and Kristoff will both train with me sometime in the future." Sigmund said.
"I see..." Elsa said.
"You approve?" Sigmund asked.
"Of course not...but what choice do we have?" Elsa asked.
"I think the same way. But...now is not the time for this." Sigmund said.
"No...it isn't." Elsa said, then Sigmund continued watching the icemen, before he picked up some snow and made a ball with it.
"You know I learned to compress earth after I paid closer attention to how a snowball is made?" He asked.
"You did?" Elsa asked.
"Yes. I figured that if it can be used for one element, why not another? And I was not wrong..." Sigmund said before he held the snowball out in front of her. Elsa then took the snowball, took a moment to think, then made her signature snowflake out of it. She then looked at Sigmund who was keenly interested in her creation, then they shares looks.
"I...also used ice armor during my fight with Dietrich." Elsa said.
"Did it help?" Sigmund asked.
"Yes, quite a bit actually." Elsa said.
"Well...keep at it, and it will likely become even more helpful." Sigmund said softly...which got Elsa's attention. Sigmund then left her to her thoughts, and Elsa looked over the valley while inhaling deeply. Olaf then waddled up to Elsa and looked over the snowflake.
"That looks pretty..." He said casually, and Elsa smiled.
Sigmund walked past the icemen, some of whom stopped their tasks to greet him, and he returned the favors on his way to the house on the other side of the area, and the foreman there came outside.
"My lord? I wasn't expecting to see you here." The foreman said.
"My guests wanted to come here Fredrick." Sigmund said.
"Ah, so Kristoff brought the other two did he?" Fredrick asked.
"Yes, he and I both." Sigmund said, then Fredrick looked to see Kristoff and Anna cutting ice together.
"Well, while he, Her Majesty, and the rest of the lads enjoy themselves, I am pleased to inform you we are bound to make our quota before Christmas Eve." Fredrick said.
"Very good, although...since we have the ice queen in our midst, most of the ice here is better sold for coin than used by the people." Sigmund said.
"Is that so? Should I halt production" Fredrick asked.
"No, I will discuss this with her first." Sigmund said.
"Alright." Fredrick said.
"Elsa is keen on using her magic for the benefit of others, but it is not fair to rest the production of ice on her alone. Either way, your efforts here are by no means in vain." Sigmund said.
"As you say my liege." Fredrick said.
"Carry on." Sigmund said before Fredrick bowed and went back inside. Sigmund then looked over the dozens of icemen sawing, clamping, and loading ice onto sleds aplenty, then Kristoff and Anna doing the same routine, and even smiled as Anna slipped and Kristoff caught her. He then saw Elsa standing alone looking over the valley with Olaf doing the same.
Eventually, the group added the ice cubes Anna and Kristoff harvested to the ones the rest of the icemen harvested, then went back to Sven.
"Well, that was fun." Anna said.
"You're more than welcome to do it again if you would like. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the help." Sigmund said.
"That would be nice, but once is enough for now." Anna said.
"As you wish." Sigmund said.
"So what next?" Kristoff asked.
"I'm going to check in with Captain Lars, the rest of you...well, I have nothing special in mind, so enjoy yourselves." Sigmund said.
"What about the monastery?" Anna asked.
"I will have to send them a notice for visitors, as is customary." Sigmund said.
"Right...they have critical work to do." Anna said.
"That is not something to make light of." Sigmund said seriously.
"I wasn't trying to, I was just...well, reminding myself." Anna said and Sigmund stared at her.
"Interesting..." Sigmund said.
"I'm serious." Anna said.
"I know." Sigmund said simply.
"Sigmund?" Elsa asked.
"Yes?" Sigmund said.
"There's something I forgot to mention...Lisa was there, in the mirror." Elsa said.
"She was?" Sigmund asked.
"What?" Anna asked.
"What?!" Kristoff asked.
"Yes...those two knew each other, quite well from the look of it." Elsa said.
"Oh...that changes things..." Kristoff said.
"Yes, it does..." Sigmund said.
"Do you think we should talk to her about him?" Anna asked.
"Maybe later..." Sigmund said.
"Well, I hate to cut this talk short, but we're almost at the valley." Kristoff said, and they spent the rest of the trip in silence.
When they returned to the valley, Sigmund went straight to the barracks as Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa went to the farms, with Olaf staying at the fortress. They witnessed the farmhands harvesting wheat, others sending wheat that was already harvested to the mills for processing, and others sending the already-processed flour to the bakeries across the valley. They also went to the apple orchards, and were graciously given some spares apples after touring approximately an acre's worth of space encompassed by trees.
After wandering through the vast orchards, and marveling at their natural aesthetic, they went to the rest of the farms. Vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, and potatoes were being planted, harvested, and loaded just like the wheat was, and dozens of people were on the job in each department. Naturally, Kristoff took some of their spare vegetables for Sven's next meal.
The group then went to the rest of the farms, and witnessed cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and even ducks being groomed, fed, watered, and allowed to roam the farms on their own.
When the group went to the daisy farm Lisa worked at, she was tending some goats, and currently petting the same young goat she introduced the group to.
"Hey! Welcome back!" Lisa exclaimed before rushing to greet them.
"Hi Lisa." Anna said.
"I see you've made out like bandits at all the other farms." Lisa said casually.
"Yep. My reindeer Sven has his dinner now, and we'll have some leftover for our dinner." Kristoff said.
"I can see that, and...speaking of bandits, I've heard rumors..." Lisa trailed off.
"There really was a fire, and it was caused by...the person we captured." Elsa said.
"Wait...what?" Lisa asked.
"It's a very long story, but...right now I need to ask you something." Elsa said.
"O.k...you have my attention." Lisa said.
"Do you...know someone named Dietrich?" Elsa asked, and Lisa sighed.
"Yes...I grew up alongside him, and I haven't seen him since that storm I mentioned before." She said.
"Well, he's the one we captured." Elsa said and Lisa's eyes widened.
"Is...is he the one who caused the fire?" She asked seriously.
"I'm afraid so." Elsa said, and Lisa backed away and looked at the three of them in disbelief.
"He...he wouldn't do that...the Dietrich I know would never do that..." She breathed out.
"I'm sorry Lisa, I saw him do it with my own eyes." Anna said.
"But...how could he...?" Lisa asked.
"I talked to him about that very thing, and...I know how he used to be, but he's changed now, drastically." Elsa said.
"But how? He wouldn't hurt a fly, let along another person, and definitely not hundreds of people, even if they were up to no good." Lisa said.
"People make bad choices when they're mad, scared, or stressed...and like I told Sigmund, Dietrich is probably all three of those things." Anna said, and Lisa sighed deeply, before looking at the group again.
"I need to talk to him..." She said seriously.
"Uh...Dietrich left last night." Kristoff said.
"I meant Lord Sigmund." Lisa said.
"Oh...really?" Kristoff asked.
"Yes...I've wanted to meet him for some time, but now I have to." Lisa said.
"We'll talk to Sigmund for you." Anna said.
"Really?" Lisa asked.
"Yes, he's a very busy man, but he's bound to make time." Anna said.
"Thank you so much..." Lisa breathed out before trembling and smiling.
"Lisa?" Kristoff asked.
"It's just...I know this is important but...I've been itching to meet the Lord of Stone in person for almost a month now, and never got a chance until now." Lisa said.
"I wish it was under better circumstances." Elsa said.
"Well...maybe at least I can give him a hand somehow, so that's something, I guess..." Lisa said.
"See you later." Anna said before they left the goat farm, and went to the barracks.
When they got there, they saw Sigmund and Captain Lars looking over a map on a table.
"With the bandits out of the way, countless areas are now available to us, and commerce to the kingdoms to the east, and especially the west are free to flourish." Lars said.
"Have you made any preparations?" Sigmund asked.
"No, but I have weighed options for where to deploy people and resources." Lars said.
"Make the areas we lost to the bandits or top priority. We cannot afford to stretch ourselves too thin at this point; we will address expansions after the holidays." Sigmund said.
"Yes my liege." Lars said, then Sigmund walked away, and spotted the group.
"Sigmund? We just spoke to Lisa again." Anna said.
"And?" Sigmund asked.
"She wants to meet you." Anna said, and Sigmund took a moment to think.
"Let her know I will be in my fortress waiting for her." He said.
"Why not just go see her now?" Kristoff asked.
"I'll explain later, but I need to give Ingmar some orders, and they cannot wait." Sigmund said.
"Alright. See you then." Kristoff said before the group walked away, and Sigmund flew back to his fortress.
When the group went back to Lisa, to give her the good news, she immediately beamed, and followed them back to the fortress. Despite the grim undertone of the reason behind the meeting, Lisa could barely contain her excitement. She was breathing deeply, rapidly, and unevenly, she couldn't stop smiling and shaking, and her eyes feasted on the inside of Sigmund's fortress.
When Kristoff opened the doors to Sigmund's throne room, Lisa's excitement became even more intense.
"There he is...the Lord of Stone..." Lisa breathed out as she looked over Sigmund on his throne.
"Welcome back all of you...and you must be Lisa." He said, and the group walked towards him with Lisa in tow.
"I...I am..." She said simply.
"You have made quite a name for yourself among my people, and I must apologize for not making time to meet you sooner." Sigmund said.
"It...it's not a problem...my lord..." Lisa said.
"Is there anything you wish to say to me?" Sigmund asked...then Lisa started convulsing, then got on her knees.
"I can't take this anymore! Thank you so much for letting me come here! I've heard so much about you, it was killing me that I couldn't talk to you about it, and now here I am in the middle of your fortress! I'm deeply honored to meet you!" She exclaimed, and Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff all widened their eyes at Lisa's outburst, but Sigmund only found it amusing.
"Stand up girl, I understand your excitement, but there's no need to lose your mind over it." He said.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't contain myself anymore. I had to let all of that out." Lisa said before getting up slowly but steadily.
"For what it's worth, I am equally pleased to be able to speak with you." Sigmund said.
"I've heard that you made the statues that protect the valley, made most of the stone buildings the people live in yourself, and you can twist entire mountains to your will." Lisa said.
"Those rumors are all true." Sigmund said and Lisa beamed.
"I knew it!" She exclaimed, and then Sigmund's own amusement disappeared.
"Lisa...as pleasant as this is, I must ask you about Dietrich. I know you two were close..." He said, and Lisa sighed.
"Yes...we are, I also heard about what he did to the bandits." She said.
"Then you must also know that in spite of this, he is not a friend. Quite the opposite in fact." Sigmund said.
"I still can't believe he would do that." Lisa said.
"I don't want to believe it either, but you are surrounded by the people who proved their honesty more times than I can count, through their actions, and reputation." Sigmund said.
"But, there has to be something you can do other then kill him." Lisa said.
"No one said anything about killing him, but he is clearly not above doing so, and neither am I." Sigmund said before getting up and walking towards his war room as Lisa followed him.
"My liege, please! He's a good man! He cannot have forgotten the way he used to be; he's not able to forget anything. I know he can be persuaded to let all of this go and return to the way he was before. I beg you to give him a chance." Lisa said, and Sigmund sighed before turning to her.
"Lisa...Dietrich destroyed the outlaws surrounding the valley, and I consider that no small service...but what you ask of me is impossible." He said seriously.
"But my lord!" Lisa exclaimed.
"I don't disagree with you, but he has made himself unworthy of my trust, and has made genuine attempts on our lives, especially Elsa's, and I cannot ignore that." Sigmund said.
"That...that's not the Dietrich I know...it just can't be..." Lisa breathed out, and her eyes began to water. Once Sigmund noticed, he sucked in a deep breath, and the others around Lisa looked at each other. To say the least, this was not a light situation for anyone in the room.
"This is quite tragic Lisa, but Dietrich has made his intentions quite clear. I understand his motives, and I wish things were different too, but that does not negate the fact that he is a threat to the valley, and everyone living here...and he must be treated as such. I will not send troops to kill him, let alone leave myself, but whether or not things turn bloody, is up to him." Sigmund said.
"O.k..." Lisa whispered.
"I'm sorry...but this is out of my hands." Sigmund said softly.
Well damn...that's all I have to say. That, plus the fact Elsa finally said her catchphrase, and anyone who gets the reference gets an imaginary cookie. Alright enough joking, please continue to Rate, Review, and Share while I keep cooking. Stay tuned.