Jellicle's Creed
Frozen Memories
Sequence 3
Memory 4: A Song of Ice and Fire
16 May 2051
Arendelle
North Mountain Pass
Elsa's Ice Palace
Late morning
"Simply amazing" Mark whistled. Now he knew he was in complete awe at what he was going through. The night before as his First meeting the queen for dinner, alone, just him and her, man was he tongue tied at that initial dinner, but after she warmed up to him, he managed to relax and enjoy it. Now even Snowfeather was with them, along with Olaf, Sven, Kristoff and Anna, all packed for a week at Elsa's beautifully crafted ice palace.
"Now that's ice" Snowfeather said, it made Kristoff smile. He'd said the same thing when he first saw the place.
Elsa opened the door, well, the doors opened as she neared them, allowing them all to enter. As she stepped in the seemingly dull colors of the ice palace brightned almost instantly as she set foot inside. It was set up into three parts originally, at least until the Dukes Men had shown up. Elsa had rebuilt the ice chandiler piece by piece, as well as the north balcony and south balcony. She even added two more bedrooms, one for Kristoff, the other for Anna, In fact her own room had no doors, nor did Annas, but the walls were frosted and thick enough that one could not see through them.
Elsa smiled at Marks words, when she told him about it the first time only five days before he refused to believe it at first until she made a model, then he wanted to see the thing in person. That was enough to get and keep his attention. "I am glad you like it, when I first built it, I did not know what I was truly able to do with my powers. And now I even added more rooms too, one for both of you. I already had my own bedroom upstairs, but I added two more for Anna and Kristoff. There's no doors between any of the rooms. But the walls are thick enough to prevent prying eyes." the only doors she had on the place where the ones to keep the heat inside the ice palace.
"I cried the first time I saw it" Kristoff admitted, and he did, and Anna never judged him for it either. It was so expertly designed that Kirstoff just cried at the pure beauty of what Elsa had made at the time. It made Elsa smile at that thought, seven years ago she had made this place, and Kristoff still cried when he saw it as it was so beautiful.
Of course two days after thawing out the kingdom Elsa had requested some time alone and went back to her ice palace to clean it up and repair anything that was broken. The first thing she fixed was the chandiler. Then the balcony doors. And then lastly, the railings. She even added a pair of extra bedrooms, one for Anna, and one for Kristoff and Sven. "Yes" Elsa said softly, "And we don't judge even if you do it now" Of course Kirstoff instantly dried off his face before Elsa looked in his direction.
Elsa took Mark by the hand as Kai came in behind them with the food and supplies they'd need for the week. Anna was a good cook sure, but still. Kai made sure everything was in readiness before leaving to care for the kingdom for a week down below in the valley. "Come on, let me show you around. You too Snowfeather." She said, Elsa pretty much dragged Mark with her as she headed for the dining room through the doorway under the twin stairs leading to a landing which then lead up in two different directions from there.
Mark was not expecting Elsa to drag him through her ice palace. Hell he was not even expecting to be invited on the weeklong trip to the place as it was. He was thinknig he'd be sent out on contracts or liberating districts the afternoon before. But no, the only contract he had was to protect Elsa in Matthews stead. That was what he and Snowfeather were told carefully, protect Elsa. Mark was then given the reason of why.
Prince Hans and the Duke of Weselton both had listed a bounty on Elsas head. The only problem was, they were releasing the bounty to local bandit camps. And there were three of them below the Ice Palace to begin with as it was! Which meant that even though Mark accepted Elsas invitation to stay a week with her and Anna, along with Snowfeather, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, at the ice palace. It was originally to be a week of just relaxtion in the beauty of the North Mountains. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet, this is why he was there, Snowfeather had tracked on ahead of the group to ensure there was no ambushes set for them, and there were none. Thankfully so.
With Snowfeather on the job ahead of them, and Mark with Elsa and her sister as it was. It was actually a lot easier than he originally thought it to be. Upon seeing the majestic Ice Palace alone Mark was awestruck. It was just simply amazing. And to be shown around within it made it ever more breath taking. Heck just to be touched by Elsa alone was breathtaking, her skin was soft against his own sunbleached skin.
It made Mark slightly nervous for Elsa to actually be dragging him through her ice palace, seemingly axious to show him what she had built with her powers, yet, after being shown the beautifully crafted dining room, front entry and fountain; along with the rear south facing balcony. He found himself relaxing.
Finally he was brought to her own bedroom. Everything was made of ice, from the rug, which looked like a flat snowdrift, to the blankets on the icey bed. So perfectly crafted. So breathtakingly beautiful was everything she was showing him. He was awestruck as she lead him into her bedroom. Each room merely had a doorframe of expertly crafted and carved. The walls were thick enough that they were frosted perfectly to not even allow the briefest of shadows to get through.
Elsa let go of Marks arm as they entered her bedroom, "Well, what do you think ?" She asked, she had stepped further into the room and spread her arms, proud of what she had made seven years before.
"I will admit one thing. Your magic is very beautiful." Mark replied, his eyes took in everything, making sure the room was safe naturally. Hell, he had yet to be in Elsas bedroom back in Arendelle as it was! And here she was showing him her room in the Ice Palace. Somehow he felt safe that her parents were dead. Even though it hurt him mentally to think in such a manner. He just was unable to help but think that. Hell the guards would have harmed him had Elsa not dragged him there herself!
"Thank you." Elsa said, a soft smile on her face, "All my life I never knew what I was able to do with my powers. At least until I fled Arendelle seven years ago" She had told him the entire story, how she had accidently froze her own kingdom only scant moments after being crowned queen; that same night and most of the following day she had built her Ice Palace on the west face of the North Mountain.
Mark nodded, "Yes, you told me last night, out of fear you fled to here. Choosing to stay here and keep yourself safe. Building your own home with mere thought. I must admit, I never would have believed the stories we heard in Egypt of, how do I say this without insulting or offending you in any manner." Mark said thoughtfully. Finally he knew what to say "Ah yes, A Mythic Woman, able to use magic of the Frost. Of unsurpassed beauty." He said.
"There were stories about me ?" Elsa asked, clearly surprised at Marks words, even though some stories were of a monster or powerful sorceress living in the North Mountain Range, the stories were just that, stories, sure she had power, but she also had knowledge on her side as well.
"Not were, are." Mark corrected slightly, "There are stories about you. Or rather, the locals version of you. They've never met you, so naturally, they make up stories, some of the stories are actually pretty steeped in mythic study. Others are merely pure conjecture. Based on rumor and word of mouth you see." Mark explained. "One of those stories spoke of a powerful sorceress living in the Northern Mountains, basically evertywhere my compass aims is south at this point though. So I'd assume we're at the North Pole ?"
Elsa smiled. She liked Mark, he was a nice well versed man. The night before he had enthralled here with his stories of Egypt and the Assassin's there. "Most of those stories are more the truth then some realise. Or would want to remember" Elsa said softly, in all honestly such stories calling her a monster and witch were just that, stories. Nothing more. But there were some stories that actually respected her as a person, not a monster. And those were the local stories as Mark explained one legend told the children of a beautiful young queen that ruled a wonderful kingdom and could make beautiful creations out of snow and ice.
"Hey, relax, OK, Some of those stories they tell to kids before they go to bed at night. Me, when I was first told the stories, at least a few of them, I found many of them were changed up, some made you seem evil, others made you more or less misunderrstood, but almost all of them ended the same, love thaws the frozen heart." Mark said, "It made me a bit confused when I read, and found more of the same story, just told by different writers with different... flavors for the story as a whole. All in all, each story spoke of a lengedary woman, you. Or someone like you there was a story called The Wolf Queen, nine volumes, but that was an old Egyptian tale from ages ago. Quite the good read I'll say that"
Elsa merely smiled, "Come on, lets go meet up with the others in the dining room downstairs. I am sure they're hungry. That is, unless you want to see more of the palace. After all it is your first time here"
Mark didn't know what to say in answer to her., he actually did want to see more. But not of the ice palace, he wanted to see more of her, but he kept his thoughts to himself, the ideas floating in his head. Instead he merely offered his arm. Saying "I think it would be wise for me to know the lay of the land, so to speak." he said, Elsa smiled, slid her arm into his, and the two went deeper into the ice palace.
Arendelle
North Mountain Pass
Bandit Campsite
Late afternoon
The jeep came to a halt; Hans stepped out of the passenger side while his brother stepped out of the driverside. "This is the place." Brad said, He pointed towards a nearby fire well lit and cared men stood near it keeping watch as the jeep arrived. One steped closer towards them as Brad called out. "Templars with news, Where's your chieftian ?"
"In the main tent, he'll be out in a minute. What do you got ?" Brad handed over a fake wanted poster.
"We stopped at two other bandit camps on our way here, none of them wanted to go after the girl we seek. We want her alive and only long enough to force a deal." Brad replied, Hans smiled, letting his older brother do the talking was better than letting him do the talking, hence the complete whiping out of the other two bandit camps at the time.
"You want this girl alive, good luck, she's upstairs." The bandit pointed up the cliff. "A good thousand or so feet upstairs in fact." The bandit smiled, the payment offer was substanital indeed. Well worth the effort he assumed. "When do you want her ? How do you want her ?"
"We will speak with your chieftian first. In the mean time, we use these" Hans withdrew a packet of sleeper darts and revealed them to the bandit. Who then identified himself as Jarvi.
"Sleeper darts; you want the woman alive. For questioning ? Or for ransom elsewhere ?" Jarvi replied
"Both, in a way." Hans replied. He snickered, realising that Jarvi was the leader of this merry band of misfits.
"Do tell." Jarvi replied, revealing himself then as the leader of that bandit camp. He was rather interested by the possiblity of money gained in this venture. "of what it is you want my men and I to do for you."
"I need a few of you to storm the ice palace, just as night falls, even in complete darkness the ice palace is brightly lit is it not ?" Jarvi nodded. "Good, use these to set off a small collapse under the rear balcony of the ice palace above, Elsa from what I hear tell, stands on it to watch the sunset and the northlights play on the skies above before going to bed. Am I correct ?" Again the bandit leader nodded. Hans continued. "Good, then it is settled, use this, you got one shot, nail her anywhere on her body, and she's asleep for the next ninety six hours."
"Four days." Jarvi replied, "Is there something important about those four days of her, being out as you plan" Jarvi gave Hans a look, "You want me to send my men to her ice palace to storm it, to distract those inside while a true trap is laid to entrap her properly down below. Why ? What do you plan ?"
"Because we need her for something important." Hans replied before his brother could spill the beans and ruin it like the last two times. "Let me put it this way, you get her knocked out with one of these and in our hands afterwards" He held up the packet of sleeper darts "And there's gold in it for you. Deal ?"
"Deal. I'll inform my men to ready the trap. We have guns with good sights to use, sleeper guns, air guns, all of them silent and well aimed. Pick one of them and We'll get ready for tonights party" Jarvi replied, "Make yourselves to home by the fire if you wish, I wont be long."
Hans and Brad did just that, As they sat beside the fire, Brad spoke "So we've a way to get our queen." He said.
"No, not queen, woman, that is all Elsa is, just a woman, with a title, a falsly given title, at that." Hans corrected his brother, "You see, I doubt very much that the people of Arendelle would notice a change in leadership; we capture Elsa, the only way to get free is to hand over the queenship, the kingdom, to me. Then she goes free and clear into the sunset. Leaving me king and you my royal advisor"
Brad chuckled, "What makes you think that she'll go with it ?"
"After four days of being tied up in the cabin we passed on the way here. Cornered, nowhere to go. The only way out of the cabin is to hand over the kingdom to me, and then I let her walk out on her own two feet as if I never had her in my own grasp." hans said, "Its that simple."
"What if she wont give it over ?" Brad asked
"I force her to make a choice, give over the kingdom; or live in that cabin forever as our prisoner. A simple choice she'll have to make no ?" Hans said, it was the perfect plan he had thought on during their drive from Weselton to the ice palace location.
"No, to me it will be more like the one choice she will have to severely think carefully on. You might end up waiting a long time to get an answer from her." Brad pointed out.
"True, I might, but I will have her cornered into either handing me the kingdom, or living forever in that room, unable to leave as long as she is calling herself the queen." Hans said
"You're a Templar, little brother. And yet here you are planning a simpl game for a not so simple queen. Why ?"
"Because at this moment, those four days, I will search for her Piece of Eden; the one that her sister has... rescued, of a sort. And when I give her the choice, and when I give her the chance to make her choice, I'll have it active. Making, forcing her to chose to give me the kingdom in order to gain her freedom." Hans replied, "That is why we have her locked up in the cabin for four days. During those four days we search for her piece of eden, and then use it against her."
Brad smiled "Ah; so that is the plan. Where shall we then search ?"
"We, you and I, wont search, we, my dear brother, will remain at the cabin with our guest when we get her in our grasp. Walter and Brian however will search for the POE in Arendelle." Hans said, Brad nodded, he liked that plan. He liked it a lot. Five minutes later and Jarvi returned, his men were ready, and the trap was about to be set.
Arendelle
North Mountain Pass
Elsa's Ice Palace
Evening
Dinner was served promptly at six that evening, of course by then it was nearly dark and yet, it was beautiful at night within the ice palace. So vibrant and full of life. Everyone was happy and it was a good tasting meal, three different kinds of meat, Mark noticed, just like the night before in the library. Only this time there were seven different kinds of cheeses, plus five more additional kinds of bread, and there was no wine to be had. Apparently Elsa never drank up there. Or it was too cold as the water was amazingly refreshing.
Mark marveled at the design of the dining room, the table, everything. The snow flake pattern was visible clearly everywhere he looked, the walls were frosted and cool to the touch yet inside the beautiful ice palace the place was very warm. Everyone was happy, and that was what counted the most he surmised. He had never seen Elsa that happy go lucky in the almost a year since he'd arrived in Arendelle to begin with. And yet here she was, enjoying time with her sister and friends, just the five of them... well seven actually if one included the talking snowman and reindeer. Mark still was slightly nervous around Olaf, but he slowly was getting used to the talking snowman. But it was taking a while.
Dinner passed slowly, questions were asked to him and Snowfeather concerning meals and what Egypt was like, most of the questions concerning Egypt were from Elsa. With some of them from Kristoff who wondered how anyone could live in a location so warm. Of course Mark was writing between bites of wonderrful food, and the questions, in his journal. It was in arabic however. So only Snowfeather could understand any of it if at all.
With dinner soon done and the plates cleared away and the food that was left safely stored for the next day. Elsa took her leave and went out onto the rear balcony, out of impulse alone Mark followed, though Snowfeather watched from afar, she could see only so much. Mark however stayed near the door and watdched as Elsa watched the sunset and the northern lights played upon the sky.
It was then that all hell broke loose.
First it was anna, screaming something about a bandit in the kitchen, which was partly true and mostly... well true as there was indeed a bandit in the kitchen, dead on the floor thanks to Anna whacking the guy clean in the face with a frying pan. Elsa was about to roll the body over when shouts rang out from the front room. More bandits. "Spread out, buy be careful, we need only one shot at this!" Looking to her sister and friends, they got the message and pretty much melted into the background. Let Elsa handle it, she had the best footing on the icey floor.
Moving swiftly and silently as she could Elsa flicked her wrist and snowflakes flickered into view. Snaping her wrist out as if she were throwing a snowball or just flicking a snowflake away, the snowflake shot from her hand and struck a bandit dead in the face. Sending him to the floor with a crack as his neck broke.
Elsa took two steps into the front room, the fountian flowed with powdered snow. She heard the crack of heavy footsteps behind her and flicked her wrist as she felt a hand grab at her from behind. With a fast move of her head she clocked the man with the back of her head dead in the nose, forcing him to let her go. Her vision blurred slightly but she let it pass and moved swiftly enough that the man was dead before he hit the ground. A snowflake lodged in his neck.
Then it became a scene of complete chaos.
One second she was taking down bandits that had suddenly broke into her ice palace, the next thing she knew, part of the palace rear balcony broke apart under their feet and crumbled towards the fjord three hundred meters below. Mark scrambled and grabbed the ledge with his right hand, the iduradaeden/i gauntlet gripping the ice tightly. While Elsa in turn grabbed his outstreched left hand as the floor of the rear eastern balcony fell away. Above them Snowfeather and Anna grabbed Mark by the hand to pull him up who then inturn focused on bringing up Elsa with him.
Mark could see she was barefoot again. He could also see a little more than he'd wanted at that point, because the angle was straight down. Man, even in a really dire situation Elsa was drop dead gorgeous, it was what made it so hard for Mark to focus at that moment on her hands holding onto him because his view at that moment was dead down the front of her dress. It was next to impossible not to look directly down it.
With her being barefoot once again, Mark presumed that she really hated shoes. He made no mention of it however as her grip started to slide on his arm, forcing him to also try not to shift his own grip lest she fall three hundred meters to the waters below in the fjord. "Don't you dare let go!" Mark said, As soon as he was up enough onto the ice above Snowfeather grabbed him hard and started pulling while Anna tied a rope around his waist. Which then allowed Mark to let go with his right hand and use both hands to hold onto Elsa who dangled below him.
"What makes you think I want to ?" Elsa cried out in reply to Mark as she adjusted her grip on his arm. Terrified of the sounds of water far below her. The cold never bothered her to begin with. But that water, the rushing rough very loud dangerous water. iThat/i terrified her at that moment! And she dangled above it. Her brilliant light sapphire and silvery green dress tangled around her feet as her cape whipped in the wind. She felt something hit her in the foot, causing it to numb and lose feeling within a heartbeat, "Pull me up!" Elsa cried out as she felt something hit her again, this time dead between the shoulders at the base of her spine. Suddenly it was hard for her to focus. She felt really sleepy all of a sudden. Her grip went slack and she felt herself falling.
As Mark started to pull Elsa up to get a better grip with both hands something landed in the rope that Anna had tied around his waist. He stared at it, tranq darts! "Snowfeather, cover now!" Mark shouted out
"But what about Elsa!" Snowfeather said, Mark cut her off with a sharp shake of his head.
"Go, I got her; get Anna to safety!" Mark said, he jerked on the rope as he felt Elsas grip suddenly go slack as a dart landed dead between her shoulderblades. His hands scarmbled for a better grip on her own hands and wirsts, but it was too late. Elsa slipped from his grip and plummeted three hundred meters into the roaring fjord below. "ELSA!" Mark shrieked as she disappeared into the fog below. The darts stopped as Elsa was hit. He'd just lost his second date. And he was sure that Anna was going to kill him for losing Elsa to the Fjord three hundred meters below.
Down below on the fjord side looking up at the now crumbling ice palace, a man smileed and crowed out as he hit his target "Got her!" Said one of the bandits, Hans smiled. Perfect. It took him a week to get to the camp on horseback. But he made it work out as hoped, if not better than hoped initially.
"Good, she's out ?" Hans asked; If they'd manage to actually knock out Elsa and keep her asleep for a few hours, then they'd be all set. They'd be almost back to Weselton by time she woke up. But then Hans changed the plan, they were going to stay in a nearby cabin he'd come across on his way there and wait for the Duke to join them.
"Yeah she's out, and... there she falls." Said Jarvi. He watched as Elsa fell from far above and landed in the fjord as planned with a horrific and powerful splash. The bandits and Hans men stood at the fjord edge and looked out where Elsa hit the water among the ice.
Hans watched her slender beautiful form as she fell from far above and hit the water hard with a splash. "If she is dead or if she is wounded in any way, you are all dead. Understand ?" Hans growled. The bandits all nodded. Selecting one of their members, the group searched along the fjord edgeline for Elsa in the water.
Above the Fjord Mark was pulled onto the more solid part of the ice palace by Anna and Sven as Kristoff tied off the rope on the nearby pillar and grabbed his hand to get him to his feet. Snowfeather knew the method to the madness and cast her own ice to repair what was damaged so they'd have a railing around them to look over. Mark went to the side and looked over the edge. "I'm going after her" He said, already starting to strip his overrobe. It was already freezing cold.
Anna put up a hand to his shoulder, effectively stopping him in mid movement "No wait, you wouldn't survive the drop, that's freezing cold, if not colder, water down there. You wouldn't survive even if you made it to the bottom. The cold doesn't bother my sister, but it could kill you by time you got to the bottom." She said to him.
Mark looked distressed, yet Anna's calm demanour and apparently wise advice however made him slightly confused, so, as calmly and as nicely as he could he asked her "Ok, You're right." Anna had a point, it was indeed cold, "What do suggest then, Princess Anna ?"
Anna saw that all eyes, aside from Olaf, Marshmellow and Sven were on her, so she said simply, "We go after those that raided us to keep us busy. I think that Elsa was their target, not us, so we go after them, they'll lead us straight to her." Anna said, a plan on the spot, sometimes they worked, most of the time they didn't.
Mark nodded, "Alright, I can work with that. I'll meet you at the foot of the stairs out front. I'm going to see if I can pinpoint where she landed, hopefully in the fjord, we can get to her quicker." Three hundred foot drop, forget twenty feet of fresh powder at the bottom, what you'd want for that is at the very least fifty feet. In truth Mark wanted privacy to call out a certain friend.
Anna nodded and with Kristoff they went to get their gear, Anna had recently begun training with a bow, and had gotten quite good at it. She was also very skillful with a pair of ice daggers Elsa had made for her. Kristoff on the other hand stuck with his ice pick and a very nicely made trifork that most ice harvestors used to move ice around.
With them gone and out of hearing range, Mark whistled a few notes. A massive brown and white eagle flew into view and looked around carefully before screeching and alighting on the ice railing, Ulnaus amber eyes darted around, Where was Elsa ? Where was the Queen ? The masisve eagle cawed out. Mark matched the screeching and pointed downwards, towards the fjord three hundred feet below. Mark spoke to the eagle "Ulnaus! Find Elsa, do not let her out of your sight! Make sure she is safe! GO!" At those words the eagle cried again and dove towards the fjord three hundred feet below.
As soon as Ulnaus was out of sight, Mark turned, grabbed up his sword, and took off for the front doors to the massive ice palace. Man this day just got better and better.
Meanwhile at the fjordside down below the beautiful Ice Palace. The group of bandits moved through the broken trees and moved broken ice looking for their prey. "She can't have floated too far. The cold does not bother her from what we hear tell." Jarvi said as the group of bandits searched along the edge of the fjord.
A shout went up further ahead and deeper into the rushing waters. "I see her" The bandit cried out, he pointed, Elsa had sunk into the water briefly upon landing but now she'd floated back near the surface. Ice flaked off her still form in the water, her dress and cape soaked through as she floated. Amazingly she was still breathing. Unhindered whatsoever by the deadly cold waters.
"Well, grab her and get her out of there before she gets to the falls!" Hans shouted out pointing downfjord. Working as a full group the bandits and the Templars both hauled Elsa out of the fjord to the snowbank they stood upon. Even when dry she was a deadweight when asleep. But soaking wet as she was in her beautiful silvery greenish blue dress and sheer cape only added to that weight.
Hans went over and checked her breathing, if she was dead, all the bandits died, but thankfully when he put two fingers to her nose and picked off a few pieces of ice he felt her hot breath on his fingers. "alright, she's alive. No signs of any frost damage or trauma. And based on the fact that the sleeper dart is drained, she's dead to te world for our desired amount of time; Is the cabin ready ?"
"Cabin ? I was not aware of a cabin to be made ready. Were we not to take her to Weselton ?" Jarvi replied, "After all, Dawn on the fourth day we can either give her another dose, or we could just simply let her wake up in Weseltons not so nice and clean jailcells ?"
"Wont be needed, we only need her captive for a few days, three at the most after she wakens." Hans said. He stood up, "There is a cabin not far from here, we'll tie her up in there. Make sure to use the firerope." Firerope was a recently invented hot to the touch rope that prevented anything cold from breaking it. None of them bothered to dry her off as one of the more burly of the bandits grunted and picked her up. Elsas limp form draped over one shoulder, she didn't even react as Hans closed her seemingly sightless brilliant sapphire eyes.
Within five minutes Elsa was nonetoonicely dumped onto a bed inside a three bedroom cabin. Tied up with the firerope, and then the door carefully locked on the outside with six different locks, even if Elsa did manage to wake up within ninety six hours, she'd never get out of that firerope. But they doubted that would happen, they only needed three days as it was. And Elsa was going to be out for four days at the most.
Hans had the door locked and the keys given to his brother Brad. "I want a guard posted at each window, two at the doors. Armed with sleep darts." Hans ordered; should she waken and try to get free, knock her back out. Besides, Hans thought, the firerope never left marks on anything, and it was simply hot to the touch, and if Elsa tried to use her icey powers to get herself free, well, she'd get badly burned.
Hans turned to two of the bandits. "You two, guard this door, if she tries to esacpe, knock her out again." He said, the to men nodded and took up their posts. "You three with me, we're going to Arendelle to find that Piece."
18 May
Arendelle
North Mountain Pass to Road to Oslo
Predawn
CIA RV 322 enroute to the North Mountain from Oslo
"You're sure we're headed in the right direction ?" Marcus Gray asked. Sent by his boss, Morshank back in America, the CIA wetwork agent was paired off, sadly, with Oslos very own tourist mangante that kept the rank and file in Oslo well enough to be noticed. And yet, all Marcus was noticing was that Steven was a man steeply locked into local lore and legends and stories. His knowledge of the area was what put him with the American team to begin with and it was his knowledge that drove Marcus nuts at the same time. Not that it was a bad thing at least, but Steven was spouting nonsense about a powerful sorceress or some such that lived in the area they were to look out for and treat with respect.
Marcus went over things carefully in his head, there was his second in command, Barnabas Greely, then his two support men, Known as The Twins. Thomas and Daris White, and then his three taskforce members assigned to the team by his boss. Michael Green, Jack Walsh, and James Stonehand. Each man was skilled in dreamsharing, and ontop of that, skilled in other ways within the dream.
Jack was chosen because of his ability to make a fake front and work from there within the dream, his methods were unorthodox, but they got the job done. Marcus asked no questions of Jacks methods; as long as the job was done he was happy.
James was chosen because of his skill with firearms and architexture within dreams and buildings alike. It was scary at times to even think of such things. James was the go to man for the layout of a dream of any kind.
Barnabas was a good point man, he could keep tabs on projections within the dream extremely well; and point out trouble spots well before they occur. Which was why Marcus chose Barnabas because he was also not easy to recognise as well. Marcus liked Barnabas due to his skills in side a dream.
Thomas was a proper guard type of agent, he did research, connected within and without of the dream world, he also kept control of the dreamshare devices in his or his bothers hands at all times. Providing research information on people met up with within the dream world.
Daris was the maker of the dreamshare device the teams used, mostly within the dream he dreamed the location of the next one to get into the dream of their target within the dream in order to steal secrets or plan fake secrets or otherwise. Daris was also a master with maps.
And that brought Marcus back to the present and the rambling of their drive, Thomas Stevens. A man who knew the local area so well that he was paired with them, but not only did he know the local area and the country of Norway, he also knew a bit too much of the local lore. "Will you stop spouting off on legends for the moment and focus" Marcus growled. "How much further to Arendal ?"
"Arendelle" Stevens corrected him. Marcus threw him a look. "The kingdom is named Arendelle. And most of the legends concern the city, its outlaying villages, and also much of its people and its leadership. Which is what I was explaining, if we come across a woman who is both beautiful and skilled with snow and ice. We mus be respectable towards her. The legends say she's a very powerful sorceress of some kind"
"When we come across her, if we come across her, how will we know ?" Marcus asked
"Easy, mostly in how she dresses, the constant flakes of ice and snow around her person, among other things are also her crystal clear sapphire eyes, and pale skin with nearly icewhite hair." Stevens replied as he pulled off the paved road onto a logging road that ran through the mountains. He parked on a realitively level area and turned the massive rig around. "Oh and she'll most likely be knee deep in snow too"
"That was very informative Stevens, thank you. Now shut up and stick with this rig while we go further up the logging road. According to the satalite imagery there should be a settlemkent not far from here in a westward direction." Marcus stood up and got into his winter gear as the rest of the team did the same. "Go heavy duty men, this wont take long, but its gallbasting cold outside." The men suited up for heavy winter weather and then quickly left the RV. They had a target to capture.
thirty minutes later
Outside the cabin holding Elsa within it
The team of six men fanned out, there were three dozen men in the area guarding the cabin. With silenced weapons each bandit fell like a sack of grain before being searched carefully. One of them had the key to the cabin.
The door was unlocked and the team stormed in. A statacco of silenced gunfire rang out in soft pops. Allowing the team to continue their search. One came to a heavily locked door and they unlocked each padlock before wrenching the door open. Inside there was a woman laying on the only bed in the room. Tied with red tinted rope, the woman Marcus could see, was drop dead beautiful
For a brief moment Marcus wondered if she was the woman that Stevens had said, she was beautiful, ice flaked off her pale skin. Marcus noticed something of faint scratch marks on her right wrist; presuming it to be birthmarks the CIA team lead ordered the strange tinted rope cut and the woman carried back to the RV, the woman, Marcus then saw clearly, was soaked through and limper than a went rag.
Ten minutes later after carefully searching the cabin, the team left with their cargo.
Twenty minutes later and the CIA team had left and were on the road.
Twenty five minutes later and the threesome of Anna, Mark and Snowfeather arrived at the ruined camp. Elsa was gone, and there was firerope in the cabin. Only one person that Anna knew of used the stuff to tie down anything or, anyone.
Prince Hans.
But someone else had slain the many bandits. Mark recognised one of the bullets. CIA standard issue silent rounds. Just their luck.
Just their rotten luck.