Once a Thief
Vermont, United States
Three Years Ago
After three years, Elsa and Anna had turned up little in their search for the grail. Like their parents before them, they never devoted much time to their efforts as other opportunities to seek other treasures around the world cropped up. Even so, Agnar and Idunn had been incredibly thorough in their search, turning over every stone they possibly could. Consequently, this meant that Elsa and Anna were no closer in their search for their grail than their parents were before their disappearance.
It wasn't until Kristoff passed on word of a crusade era tablet, supposedly describing the location of the grail, that had been recently acquired from Italy by an American professor of Archaeology and brought back to the United States. Unknown to either Elsa or Anna, this had been the very same tablet that their parents had set off in search of before their untimely demise. Utilizing Kristoff's illicit connections, the trio were able to locate the tablet at an isolated mansion of a collector of antiquities in rural Vermont.
... ... ...
"Trouble is, it could be anywhere inside. And it's a big place," Anna said as she set down the binoculars she was glassing the large mansion with.
The collector's mansion sat in the midst of a low valley, seated on a small rise. Behind it, lay a dense deciduous forest which at this time of year was a patchwork of orange, red and yellow leaves. To its front lay a large and sprawling vineyard, whose grapes had been picked clean in advance of the coming frost. The entire property was accessible only by a small road which cut through a large wrought-iron gate connected to a stone wall that surrounded the entire perimeter. From their position in their van, parked off the road on the opposite side of the valley, the trio could discreetly survey the mansion as they had been doing for the past two weeks.
"Not to mention all the hired guns this guy has. Jeez, talk about insecure much?" Anna noted as she picked up her binoculars again.
"Hmm," came Elsa's voice from the back as she thought aloud. She was piloting a drone via remote-control, conducting discreet flyovers of the property to gather more intel. "If we can draw most of their attention away, it could give us a window to sneak in and grab it. Of course… we still have to find it, and we wouldn't have very long to do it."
"We'd have to be already inside the property when the distraction happens," Anna replied as she turned back to face Elsa. "And it would have to be something big," she muttered.
At that moment, Kristoff's car emerged over the rise in the road as he approached them and parked alongside their van. He gestured with his hands to roll down the window.
"So, Mister Bigshot antique dealer," Anna started. "How did the meeting go?"
"Marvelous," Kristoff grinned and spoke in a fake, yet convincing, American accent. "Let's not talk here though. Meet me back at the motel."
"Alright, we'll see you there," Anna tossed aside her binoculars and started the truck.
... ... ...
"So, what are we looking at here?" Elsa asked.
To gain access to the inside, Kristoff had posed as a potential buyer who was interested in some of the artifacts the collector had accrued. Joseph Slater was the persona he adopted, and after securing a meeting with the collector, Slater was invited to inspect and appraise the artifacts himself at the mansion.
"Alright. The collector is a pretty dodgy fellow. He wanted to get our business over with sooner rather than later since he's leaving the country next week," Kristoff explained. "That gives us our window of opportunity."
"How exactly did he get his hands on the tablet?" Elsa asked.
Kristoff shrugged. "He wasn't particularly forthcoming with the details, but from what I gathered, he stole it from some guy, who stole it from some other guy, who stole it from another guy," he shook his head. "Whatever happened to honor among thieves?"
"And now, we're stealing it from him. Ah, the cycle of life," Anna chuckled. "The mansion, anyone else live there that we need to know about?"
"He has no family to speak of," Kristoff explained. "The guy practically lives alone, if you don't count his guards of course."
Elsa pulled up the aerial footage she had acquired from the drone flyovers and Kristoff strode over to point out the mansion's features. The mansion was built in a bracket shape, with the pointed ends facing the vineyard.
"The front entrance is here and the gallery where the artifacts are kept are here. In the north wing," Kristoff pointed to the locations. "Security is pretty tight. You got rent-a-thugs on the inside and patrolling the outside. Cameras, spotlights, alarm systems, the works."
Elsa pulled up a different aerial shot from high above that showcased the entire property, including the perimeter wall and the forest. "What's the quickest way to get to the gallery?" she asked.
"That would probably be through the kitchen and dining room. In the center, here," Kristoff said. "There's an entrance to the backyard from the kitchen, and from there it would be about half the distance to the gallery then it would be from the front entrance.
Anna studied the backyard of the mansion, which stretched on several dozen meters before meeting the perimeter wall that bordered against the forest. "We can head through the forest, then sneak up to the mansion and head in from the kitchen entrance," she said. "There's an unused service road that cuts through the forest and from there, it'd be a short walk to get to the perimeter wall."
"What are you gonna do about the guards?" Kristoff asked.
"We just need a distraction," Elsa said. "Something big to draw them away. Something they couldn't possibly ignore and would keep them busy for a while."
"Okay," Kristoff nodded. "What do you have in mind?"
"A fire!" Anna perked up.
Both Elsa and Kristoff looked at her at the same time.
"The vineyard!" Anna continued. "Grapes will be harvested this time of year, which means the vines will be nice and dry. One of us sneaks in, douses the place in some gasoline and lights a match. Whoosh!" she giggled maniacally and wiggled her fingers, pantomiming a fire. "Wait, this reminds me of a joke actually."
Elsa and Kristoff paused and looked at Anna expectantly.
"What sound did the little grapes make when they got stepped on?" Anna asked.
Silence followed.
"Nothing, they just let out a little wine," Anna grinned and stifled her laughter as best she could as she waited for Elsa and Kristoff's response.
Elsa and Kristoff glanced at each other and shrugged.
"Heh. A little wine?" Anna emphasized the pun, grinning wider. "Like, they were whining about being stepped on? Get it?" she continued. "Except they're being incinerated. It's funny."
"Oh… ha ha," Kristoff laughed forcefully. "Yeah, no... that was great. Really."
Elsa looked down and shook her head, hiding the small smile that had appeared.
Meanwhile, Anna released the pent up giggles she was holding and fell into a fit of hysterical bubbly laughter as she doubled over and slapped her thigh.
"But to be serious for a moment, you really want to start a fire?," Kristoff started, steering them back on track. "I mean, we're already talking breaking and entering here, but now you want to throw arson into the mix? Rack up thousands in dollars worth of property damage all in one night?"
Anna shrugged. "You said yourself, the guy lives alone, so no other dependents to worry about," she replied. "And besides, that's only if we get caught. We aren't getting caught. Right, Elsa?" she nudged her with her elbow.
"No, we aren't. It isn't the most elegant solution," Elsa admitted. "But if anyone could afford a little property damage fees, it's this collector. He's got a whole mansion full of priceless artifacts. What difference would one missing piece make?"
"So just like that, no more moral qualms or legal quandaries?" Kristoff asked. "We're not exactly the three musketeers here, we aren't much better than this guy."
"Yeah, just like that," Anna said easily. "You told us yourself, you can't have a conscience in this game. We won't hurt anybody that doesn't need hurting or break anything that doesn't need breaking. So we're gonna sneak in, we're gonna start a little teensy fire, we're gonna grab one tiny tablet, and we'll get gone lickety split."
"Something like that ought to keep them busy long enough to get in and get out," Kristoff rubbed his jaw. "Alright then, it's a plan. I'll set the distraction, then head back to the van. As soon as you guys grab the tablet and get back, I'll be ready to pick you up."
Elsa nodded her agreement, then turned to Anna expectantly.
"Great," Anna bounced up and down in excitement. "Now, let's go steal some rich asshole's shit!"
... ... ...
The next few days were spent preparing for their late-night caper and before long, the collector, true to Kristoff's word, left the mansion. Kristoff turned off the main road and drove down the beaten gravel service road that wound through the dense woods around them. The sun had set a few hours ago and the moon had risen high in the sky, bathing everything in an ethereal glow.
Setting the car in park, Kristoff turned around towards the rear where Elsa and Anna were adjusting their outfits. They were both fully clad head to toe in black, wearing thick turtlenecks with matching gloves, cargo pants, and boots. Covering their respective heads of blonde and red hair were woolen beanies. Anna was fiddling with the strap of her satchel when Kristoff opened the rear door.
"Wow. You two girls are a picture," Kristoff said as he hefted a large canister of gasoline, sloshing it around and feeling its weight.
"Shut up," Anna shot back. "Are we ready?" she asked as she turned to Elsa.
"Ready," Elsa replied and gave a thumbs up.
"Alrighty then, get to your position by the wall. When I give you the signal, get in and get out. No time for dawdling, okay?" Kristoff said.
"Wait, what's the signal?" Anna asked.
"Oh gee, I don't know, maybe the great big fire that I'm starting?" Kristoff remarked as he turned and set off down the road. "What's the signal she asks. Unbelievable."
"We'll radio you when we're in position!" Anna called after Kristoff. "Dickhead," she muttered under her breath.
Elsa allowed herself to smirk slightly as she stepped out of the back of the van and onto the gravel road. Anna slung the satchel over her shoulders and together, the pair set off in the direction of the woods.
The night was clear and slightly chilly, though not unpleasantly so. The wind that whispered through the trees bore the foretelling of the coming frost as Elsa and Anna strolled through the autumnal forest. They walked in silence side by side with only the wind and the hooting of a lone owl to accompany them. Though the woods were dark, the pale moonlight provided enough visibility that they could walk easily without the assistance of the flashlights that they brought.
As the crested a small hill, the perimeter wall of the property came into sight. It was a thick, cobblestone wall, crawling with ivy and moss and standing just over three meters tall.
"Okay. Let's take a look-see here," Elsa said in a hushed voice as they approached the base of the wall.
"Up you go, gorgeous," Anna smiled playfully.
Using the thick ivy as handholds and footholds, Elsa easily scaled the height of the wall and peeked over to the other side. She grasped the top edge with both hands and brought both of her knees up to her chest, resting her weight on her haunches which in turn was supported by the wall. It was a common climbing technique, though in the moment it had the unintended effect of complementing the curve of Elsa's shapely rear.
Anna couldn't help but stare slightly slack-jawed as the light of the moon shone on her rather comical expression. For a moment, she felt as if she were being actively blinded by the angle of the moonlight and the sight of her sister's rear, while also resisting the peculiar urge to reach out and touch it.
"You got a great ass, Elsa," Anna immediately said without thinking.
Elsa looked down, her face a mask of utter confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Uh… I mean… nothing," Anna looked away and cleared her throat. "I didn't say anything."
While Elsa resumed her survey of the mansion, Anna coughed and wrenched her gaze away as she appeared suddenly interested in the leaves softly crunching beneath her boots. She didn't know where the comment had come from, let alone the sudden urge that had overcome to caress Elsa's rear.
The mansion loomed in front of them and appeared much larger in person. The tall windows were dark and no light shone from the interior of the house, confirming that the collector had indeed left. Elsa scanned the exterior as she searched for a point they could make ingress and spotted a section of the wall further to her right that was lower to the ground and slightly crumbled. Jutting out from the base was a tall oak tree, its roots digging into the foundations of the walls and whose branches stretched out over and beyond the perimeter wall, into the tree line.
"Well, what do you see?" Anna asked from below.
Elsa released one hand from the top edge of the wall and turned her body to face Anna. "There's a lower section of the wall to our right with a tree we can use to scale it," she replied, pointing in it's direction.
"Alright, let's get over there and then radio Kristoff," Anna replied as she headed off.
Elsa released her grip and pushed off with her legs, turning her body mid-air as she dropped to the ground. As she landed she dipped her body with her downward momentum, softening the impact and the noise. She righted herself, brushing off her thighs and when she noticed Anna was several paces ahead of her. Elsa followed along just behind.
This walk was not as long as their initial hike, and soon enough they came to the crumbling section of wall where the oak tree had dug in on the interior side of the property. Sure enough, a thick and wide branch hung just a meter above them, within easy reach thanks to the haphazard cobblestones sticking out from the wall.
Anna scaled the wall first this time, reaching the top edge then climbing up and onto it. She cast a quick look around, ensuring that they were undetected before bending over to help Elsa up. From there, it was easy enough to step into the upper boughs of the oak tree where they could observe the mansion and remain hidden from sight. Their vantage point offered them a view of the north wing as well as the southernmost portion of the vineyards, where Kristoff would be setting the blaze.
Anna pressed a finger to her right ear, activating the ear-piece that each of them wore. "Kristoff, we're in position, waiting on your go."
After a few seconds, Kristoff's voice crackled from the other end. "Got it. I must have doused a quarter of this field in gasoline, so I'm ready when you are."
Elsa locked eyes with Anna and gave a silent thumbs up for confirmation.
Nodding, Anna snapped her gaze back to the vineyard. "Light it."
Another few seconds passed in tense silence before a bright orange glow suddenly exploded in the distance. Flames had erupted at the lowest section of the vineyard and were quickly burning their way towards the mansion. The blaze was still relatively small, but left unchecked it would swallow the entire field. Shouting broke out from the front side of the mansion that they couldn't see and sure enough, a retinue of guards appeared. Some were shouting orders, others were scrambling to find water, and a few simply stood still as they were stunned by the swash of bright yellow and orange lights that were dancing before them.
Seizing their moment, Elsa and Anna leapt down from the tree, landing in the soft grass and rolling as they did to cushion the impact. Utilizing their forward momentum, they then sprang to their feet and bounded across the grass towards the mansion. As they approached a low hedge, Elsa easily slid into a crouch to take cover, while Anna preferred to dive forward and roll into place next to her.
The pair crept alongside the hedge, rounding a corner and continuing on until they met a low stone wall. Elsa slowly peered over the edge, and from where they were hidden she could see they were within easy distance of a single glass exterior door that led into the kitchen. She tracked her eyes upwards, scanning for any cameras and found two some distance apart from each other. They each covered a different section of the garden and were routinely panning back and forth. From their current position, they were right within view of both of them, but as long as they remained behind cover, they would stay undetected.
"Two cameras ahead of us," Elsa whispered. "Each one covers the entrance at different intervals, with about twenty seconds between each round. How fast can you pick the lock?"
"Hmm," Anna peeked over the edge and scanned the door for few moments, then dipped back down before she was spotted by the camera. "Looks like your average garden variety wafer lock, so clearly our boy has a lot of faith in his hired goons and electrical security system. Shouldn't take longer than fifteen seconds for me to crack open that sucker."
"Alright, we'll have to make a run for it as soon as the cameras pass over the door."
"Got it. Ready when you are."
With that, they waited until the coast was clear and when it was, they vaulted the waist-high wall easily and crossed the remaining distance to the mansion in a half-crouch, half-run. As soon as they crossed over, they immediately pressed themselves against the shadows at the base of the wall. Creeping towards the door, Anna fished out a lock-picking kit from her satchel while Elsa maintained lookout. In the distance, they could still hear the fire blazing and guards shouting as they struggled to control it. Anna peered through the glass from around the corner, observing the dark and empty kitchen for any signs of occupation. With no signs of anybody home, she set to unlocking the door. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and her tongue stuck slightly out from the corner of her mouth as she manipulated each tumbler with her pins until they slid into place. After exactly fifteen seconds, the lock clicked open and Anna inched the door forward. When no alarm sounded, she stepped through with Elsa, who shut the door behind them just before either of the cameras could spot them.
As they crept through the kitchen, the fire from outside cast an eerie orange glow that was sporadically broken up by humanoid shadows passing by the far windows. Moving silently, Elsa and Anna passed through the dining room, using the long table for cover until reaching another lengthy hallway. They paused at the edge of a wall and Elsa glanced over the side. Ahead, dark and empty rooms awaited them. Voices were now audible from outside, continuing to shout unintelligibly as the extensive vineyards continued to burn in the night. The scent and taste of smoke was beginning to fill the air, oddly fragrant as it was perfumed by the grapevines that the fire was consuming.
They crossed the hallway quickly, staying low and close to the walls. As they reached the north wing, they were met with a corridor that branched off into three large rooms. Silently, Elsa and Anna nodded to one another as Elsa took off to the left, and Anna broke off to the right.
As Elsa crept along the display cases she passed by a strange looking golden idol in the shape of a sneering chimp. On the other side, Anna briefly paused to examine a small vial containing small blue pebbles that emitted a soft glow.
They did not find what they were looking for until the two met at the middle gallery. In a large display case, in between a broken sword handle and a cracked horned great-helm was a large and flat stone tablet. It was roughly square and about thirty centimeters in dimension. Carved on its front was a cross and surrounding it was Latin script, inscribed into the stone.
"Huh. Looks like our Latin lessons did come in handy after all," Anna remarked. "And that grouchy old headmaster said I would never amount to anything."
Outside, the brilliant orange light from the blaze was beginning to fade. The collector's guards had managed to cordon off the fire and prevent it from spreading any further. It was now only a matter of time before they had it under control.
"Let's grab it and go," Elsa said, a touch impatiently as she strode up to the glass display and inspected it closely for laser emitters or other alarm systems.
There was a small clasp at the bottom of the display, allowing it to swing open on hinges on the back. Holding it closed was a single padlock that looked to be surprisingly cheap given the contents it was keeping secure.
"Anna?" Elsa said as she gestured with her head to the lock.
"Piece of cake." Anna whispered, busying herself again with her lock-picking kit.
Seconds later, she had it unlocked and swung it open easily on oiled hinges. Anna reached out to take it when she suddenly paused, frowning.
"What's the matter?" Elsa asked hurriedly.
"This was too easy. It can't be this simple," Anna replied. "All these priceless artifacts and the only thing this guy keeps them secure with is a cheap hardware store padlock?
"Anna, we don't have time. We need to go now," Elsa said as she glanced out the windows. Much of the shouting had dimmed and in the far distance, she could hear the sound of fire sirens approaching. "Fire department's on the way," she added as she turned back to Anna.
"Alright," Anna said hesitantly as she reached out to grab it before withdrawing her hand again.
Elsa rolled her eyes and snatched the tablet from the pedestal which caused it to move slightly upwards, triggering a blaring alarm.
"Oh crap!" Anna yelled. "Cheese it!" she took the tablet from Elsa and stashed it securely inside of her satchel.
Together, they sprinted back down the hallway towards the kitchen. Rapid footsteps approached them and a bright light was shone into Elsa and Anna's eyes.
"Stop right there!" one of the guards shouted.
Shielding their eyes, the pair turned and cut through the dining room towards the kitchen. Behind them, the guards had given chase. The entire mansion was blaring the alarm and everywhere they looked, red lights were flashing. As Elsa and Anna burst through the kitchen door they had unlocked earlier, flashlight beams from either side of them signaled the appearance of more guards.
"Cut them off!"
"They're heading for the wall!"
Elsa and Anna were sprinting with everything they had, boots pounding into the soft grass and lungs burning. The guards were still some ways behind them, but they would be on them in seconds before long. As they approached the wall they leapt forwards, catching onto uneven ledges and propelling themselves upwards as they climbed.
"They're getting away, weapons free!" A guard exclaimed and suddenly the wall was peppered in gunfire.
Anna reached the top first, helping Elsa up before leaping onto the thick branch that stretched out into the woods. Elsa was just behind her when she was overcome with a dizzying sense of Déjà vu.
"Come on!" Anna exclaimed from the far end of the branch where she faced Elsa. "We're almost outta here!"
Except Elsa wasn't there, not fully. In the heat of the moment, Elsa was seeing her younger twenty year old sister but in her mind, Anna was a little girl of seven again and was challenging Elsa to meet her on the branch where she was standing.
Elsa froze, her breath hitched and her mind raced with flashes of a memory that she had long repressed. All at once, the shame, the guilt and the anger Elsa felt all those years ago for failing Anna came rushing back in one, nauseating second.
Nuh uh, you still have to catch me.
You could fall Anna, please come back.
Are you scaaaared Elsa? Too chicken to come and catch me?
I'm not scared! I just don't want to fall!
"Elsa!" Anna's frantic voice cut through the tidal wave of memory,
Elsa snapped back to focus. Seconds had only passed but the shouting of the guards was nearly upon them now. Anna was standing with her gloved hand stretched towards her. Just then, a gunshot suddenly slammed into Anna's chest, while another ripped across her temple above her right brow. Anna fell off the branch, fingers just brushing against Elsa's before she impacted against the earth on her back with a heavy thud.
Elsa screamed in terror, as the past and present came crashing together in one, unrelenting and unforgiving moment.
You're supposed to watch over her.
You have a responsibility to her.
