"We never fail when we try to do our duty, we always fail when we neglect to do it."

-Robin Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell

August 5th, 1840

Royal Palace, Arendal

A relaxing calm hung over the Royal Palace after midnight, a fact that was commentated on by many of the Royal Guard and night staff. It was hardly surprising considering that with the maelstrom that had engulfed their world, any peace was tranquil and any silence was golden and noticed. But despite the serenity of that night, around the witching hour Anna shot up from the bed with a tight, racing heart and skin damp with cold sweat. Hyperventilating, Anna clutched her sheets in fistfuls as panic took hold of her, if even for a moment. But eventually her eyes adjusted to the dark and revealed to her that she was safe and secure, and whatever had plagued her was no longer present.

Her breathing slowing and seeing no point in waking Elsa to deal with her troubles, Anna laid back down. But despite the near instantaneous post-adrenal sleep she fell into hours earlier, she found herself staring blankly into the darkness. It didn't help that Anna dwelled on her night terror moments before, as well as her family connection to such issues.

Anna had heard enough from Elsa to know that their father had his own demons to face, demons that nearly possessed him entirely. And it didn't take a doctor to say that Elsa's issues with anxiety were 'a little out of hand'. So Anna didn't exactly feel entirely confident in her own bloodline's ability to vanquish her nerve's troubles.

Her eyes still wide open and heart still racing after an uncertain amount of time, Anna eventually sighed before speaking to herself. "I guess this is life now. I should have known better that to think I'd be some great hero…"

"Well that's just not a good way of looking at it."

Anna rose from her bed at a moderate pace, barely startled as she recognized the voice. It was Queen Frida, again. Sitting on one of Anna's chairs in a casual posture, the long dead Queen seemed more like a brief interloper than a messenger bearing vital news. Pushing some her messed hair out of her face, Anna responded in a slightly irritated voice. "What do you want?"

"Nothing today, though I noticed you had trouble of the spirit."

With part pride and part frustration with the spirit, Anna replied with an unconvincing "I'm Fine."

Frida simply gave a disappointed and disbelieving look at Anna. "Really."

"Fine. I feeling uneasy during quiet periods, like tonight. And given all the crap me and Elsa have been through, It's hard for me to let my guard down. Like, ever." Anna scoffed at herself, before continuing. "Some hero I turned out to be."

Frida cocked her head, her face bearing a slight scowl of disapproval. "Yes, for none will remember Anna av Arendal, slayer of Draugr and leader of men because of her trouble sleeping."

"It's much more than that!"

"Of course it is, because you let it! This isn't some monster you can vanquish, this is your own mind and spirit, Anna! You can't fight it!"

Anna sat a little taken aback, disorientated and astray. "But how then? What am I to do? I don't understand!"

Frida gathered her breath, before explaining. "Before all of this, you were not conditioned to deal with any of this. Then over a matter of weeks, you were thrown into the maelstrom. Blood of the hero or not, that is a heavy weight for a young woman. So now you yourself are changing to meet your own circumstances. But before long, if you learn to embrace your new self, you'll make a fine warrior."

Anna sat in silence for a few moments, taking in all of Frida's words. It all made sense, but one thing troubled her. "You said I had the blood of a hero, which allowed me to slay the Fire Draugr. But today, as I fought in battle, I often found myself exhausted. How is that?"

"Simple, you're merely human. You get tired the same as anyone. The strength of a hero is only there to help you fight what others can't, the true monsters of the world. Your heroic blood is there to help you defend people, not subjugate them."

"I see…"

"Today you let your bravery get the better of you. And when you faced that rabble, your nobility clouded your judgement."

"Wait, how?"

"Anyone of those men could have shot you dead, Anna. Who would protect Arendal from the Draugr then? And what did you accomplish? You saved a few hundred men, men who let me remind you have had their hearts twisted by evil and came to kill you."

"Those men were helpless. There was no honor or glory in killing them!"

"This isn't about honor or glory Anna! This is about survival! Now your people have hundreds more men to feed and guard, which may take vital men away from the decisive moment. All of this risk, to save those who aren't worth saving…"

"And the alternative? To kill them all and take no prisoners? No… I won't become that. Not ever."

"Of course. Mercy is required of a ruler, and when those men out there throw down their weapons and throw themselves at the feet of your soldiers, you must be just and fair. But when they only surrender when trapped like a rat when moments before they had no qualms about kill your people…" Frida shook her head before continuing. "Show them mercy as you will, provided you no longer risk yourself. But sooner or later, these 'Crusaders' will show you their true ugliness. Perhaps then you may have a different opinion of whether you must always show mercy."

With that, the next time Anna blinked, the ancient Queen was gone, leaving Anna alone once more. Still a little anxious, Anna laid her head back down and tried to fall back asleep.

…

Crusader Camp, Exterior of Arendal

The sun rose over the frozen scrubland surrounding Arendal, revealing the night's work put into the siege works of the Crusader army as well as their ongoing labor. In little over a full day, the main trenches were dug as well as the firing positions for the Artillery in which a combination of French mercenary advisors and rebel gun crews had begun to wheel their pieces into now that they had light to work with. And as many of these rebel troops had little or no training on artillery and the rebels had few guns, angry French yelling could easily be heard.

Elsewhere, rebel line infantry either stood picket or dug trenches, the latter having removed their heavy jackets and stacked arms, knowing that overly sweating in this cold could easily kill. And watching them were the foreign mercenaries bought and paid for with Weselton's and England's gold, far too elite to be bothered with trivial camp work unless in pertained to their battalion alone. Instead they loitered and talked amongst themselves in German, French, or English, depending on their mercenary company. The two favorite topics were how bitter the cold was, or the sorry state of their clients. As for the native troops, their small talk consisted on the results of yesterday's battle, news of which could not be suppressed. It was impossible to hide, considering the hundreds that came out wounded or routed, and the nightmare that was inside the city. Even now talk of the Ghost of Agnarr spread like wildfire among the scuttlebutt.

Despite all of this, when Surtrsen arrived at the location of the staff meeting he was in high spirits. His siege works were all but complete, and he still outnumbered the enemy three to one. And given the state of his mind, it was debatable if he could even think negatively of his set upon course of action. It didn't matter that his troops had not won a good, morale raising victory since they marched south. Or that his army lacked the true logistics to support an extended campaign. Or that one of his key staff officers, Lieutenant Frikron, was missing, possibly having defected. Or that his only robust troops were mercenaries, and a large portion of his army were irregular murderers and thieves (to be fair, he had a plan for them.) The only thing that troubled him was that his 'angel' had not shown herself for a few days, which left him a little unbalanced. Unknown to him the reason for this was that with the source of madness removed, his 'reserved' personality was starting to return and cast his uninhibited deeds with a bad light. His conscious response to this was of course to double down, becoming even more rigid in thought.

This rigidness was evident to his subordinate commanders, who quickly found that they were no longer permitted to contradict his orders when in battle the previous day. Still, they had no choice but to follow along, as it was far too late to resign. All that would await them as the senior officers of the rebellion was the hangman's noose. Even now, Frikron was considered a fool amongst them. As for the Mercenaries, they were getting paid and they were soon to be committed to combat. So they were at least content, if only for the moment.

Surtrsen, ignorant of most things just below the surface, began as normal once all key personnel were present. "Good morning Gentlemen. I'm glad to see that your tasks are being carried out smoothly."

A general mumble of pleasantries was muttered in response, leading Surtrsen to cut right to the chase.

"Alright, we've got our perimeter well secured. It is time to go on the offensive. I want an attack tomorrow morning. What is the state of affairs towards that regard?"

A moment of pause followed, before Captain Lacroix stood and began to speak. "Our artillery situation is… less than ideal. We lack artillery of all types, especially heavy guns. And of the pieces we have lack large amounts of shot and powder. We can support a large offensive or two, but we lack the ability to suppress, let alone silence, the enemy guns. And without big guns, we cannot easily breach the enemy's walls in numerous locations."

"Well then. With that in mind, I want breaches on both sides of the gate, as well as a brief suppression of the enemy there as we assault. Is this within the capabilities of our artillery?" Lacroix responded with a nod, leading Surtrsen to carry on. "With preparation settled, which brigade should lead the attack?"

The native senior officers looked uneasy amongst themselves, as they knew full well what was being asked of them. Colonel Tormund's brigade led the attack yesterday, and was mauled. Over 60 percent casualties, including Tormund himself. Sensing such hesitation, Colonel Von Söldnerstadt stepped up.

"Hell, I've been itching for a fight anyways. My boys will lead the assault through the breach tomorrow, though I want two battalions to support mine. Good Battalions, not the levied half-wits I've seen so far."

"Very well. That's one breach covered, what of the other?"

Major Stepford, a new arrival, raised his hand. An English sapper officer, this was his bread and butter. "Me and my lad's will lead the way through the second breach, no worries. But we will need a brigade to support us."

Still seeing hesitation among his Brigadiers, Surtrsen decided to speed up the process. "Colonel Heinrich, you and your brigade will accompany Major Stepford's sappers."

Colonel Heinrich gritted his teeth, once again second guessing his decision to mutiny. Only a few weeks ago, when it was just his battalion he still was a Major, it was so obvious and simple. Win a quick battle or two, then march north and establish independence. After that, rejoin Norway and undo the arbitrary border change suffered after Napoleon.

But now, many of his original men were gone, and everyday success seemed less and less likely. After all, he was no fool. He knew that victory had to be won quickly, before every loyalist in Europe arrived with an army in tow. And Surtrsen seemed blindly content to waste time and lives. But it was far too late now. Tomorrow he had to secure that breach and win this battle, no matter the cost.

Pleased with the plan, Surtrsen decided to wrap things up. "Very well. Later we shall designate follow up brigades once the breaches are taken, as well as which battalions are to be used to reinforce the storm Brigades. Dismissed."

…

Royal Palace, Arendal

A little before noon Anna entered the family dining room a little foggy, though that was quickly fading considering the slightly drafty nature of this part of the palace. To be fair she had actually woken up about thirty minutes' prior, but given the increasingly colder 'summer' that Arendal was experiencing Anna found her warm blankets hard to leave.

In the dining room Anna found Elsa waiting, in a general fashion. In a world of her own, Elsa stared blankly at a glass of water with a dumb, content smile while a maid stood behind with a pitcher of water. Confused, Anna spoke with an arched brow.

"Elsa, are you okay?"

Elsa turned at once, her eyes lighting up and her smile growing a little wider upon seeing her sister, almost like a child. "Anna, I'm so happy you are here now. Look what I can do again."

With a wave of her hand the water in the glass became a flurry of snow, which Elsa continued to direct with her fingers to the window, where it disappeared through the cracks. On cue, the maid stepped forward and refueled Elsa's glass before stepping back. As Elsa turned back around, Anna stepped forward and looked more closely at Elsa, a little put off. As she did so, she looked into Elsa's eyes and was worried, considering how… focused they seemed. Ever since the two had reunited in the past few weeks, Elsa's eyes had been a notorious tell when it came to her true feelings. This was particularly true whenever Elsa felt sisterly love for Anna, as her eyes made it plain as day.

This was different, even if was all in the subtext. Before it was a layer of love added to any emotion: sisterly humor, loving concern, disappointment, etc. This wasn't that, it was single minded obsession, an entrancement.

"Look, Anna… remember when we used to do this as children? This was the first spell I cast to make you happy, Anna." Elsa began, her voice edging into creepy territory. "You loved my magic then, and now I finally have it back."

The smile Elsa gave after finishing made Anna's skin crawl. Something was definitely not right. "Elsa, are you alright? You are not yourself this morning."

Elsa's creepy, child-like smile and entranced eyes shifted into confusion, before the young queen appeared to experience vertigo, grasping her table and the chair she was sitting in for stability. After a moment Elsa seemingly recovered, as the familiar worried look asserted itself in Elsa's eyes.

"Elsa, what just happened?"

"I… I don't know. I was there, I had… control, for lack of better term, but uninhibited. Almost like when I was a but a child."

"This was Grandpabbie's spell or whatever, wasn't it? There's no way this was a coincidence."

Elsa shrunk a little. "He did say I may might experience emotional issues… But it's too late for now."

Anna leaned in a gave Elsa an annoyed glare. She knew that Elsa knew better. "Elsa…"

"It'll have to wait Anna. There's too much to do today regarding the defense of the city. I've been gone too long and I need to make my presence known amongst the ranks before they start asking questions. And besides, we have foreign guests that we must meet. I'm sure it can wait until nightfall."

Anna bit her tongue, as after all, Elsa was right about their schedule. She only hoped that nothing bad would happen until they met Pabbie.

…

While the people of Arendal tried to stay indoors and by their hearths, certain occupations had little choice but to do their jobs, siege or no. So while soldiers manned the walls and barricades, and work parties cleared rubble and did their best to build and repair vital buildings, there was a third group at work at a thankless job.

Despite misty waters and increasing number of ice floes, a combination of longshoremen, merchant marine, military sailors, and ice harvesters worked day and night to keep their harbor open. After all, ships had been coming in and out since the relapse of the frozen summer, and the waters had to stay open to get supplies in and people out. And it was no easy task to do so.

On call at all hours, the men worked the long boats to and from the ships, while others chopped and cleared ice from the docks, no safe task. Despite thick wool, oilskins and fur wrapping their bodies and roaring fires mere yards away, all the men working the harbor with any experience knew how dangerous their work was. If the water besides the docks had been a lake, only the most desperate ice harvesters would risk going out considering how thin it was, as well as unpredictable. The Chief Longshoreman would have closed the harbor on a normal day with these conditions, as a shift in the ice floes could easily capsize a long boat, drowning or freezing the men within.

But despite the dangers, every man in the harbor did their duty. Even when men inevitably died, every time a ship was spotted, men went out. For while the conditions were indeed dire, every time a long boat went out carrying women and children, and needed food and medicine came in, one's own safety became a minor thing.

But despite the Harbor Master's declaration that he would not sit on his hands and uselessly watch an iced over harbor, he could not ignore reality any longer. The ice floes had become too thick and too many, and the frozen sheet clinging to the docks was too large to handle, despite his men's bravery. So today would be the last day.

It started off more of the same: civilians out, supplies in. But in the early afternoon, when the longboats came back from the ship, he at first thought something was wrong. He saw people come back, instead of supplies. In the wind, snow, and mist, it was impossible for him to observe the boarding itself, so he had no idea what had happened. Instead, he had to wait till the longboat came closer before the answer revealed itself. As they did, the situation clarified itself. Women and children had gone out, but coming in were fighting age men. Then it had occurred to him what these were.

Reinforcements.

…

Royal Palace, Arendal

But while Elsa and Anna hoped for elite troops to make up the reinforcements, they would be sorely disappointed. Shortly after the first message arrived announcing the appearance of fresh blood, a second soon arrived with less heartening knowledge. These men were not soldiers. They weren't even Arendaler, at least not all of them.

Instead, the sisters were informed that these men were instead members of a fairly new organization, one that had already stirred quite a bit of trouble, despite their short history. Simply put, they were Scandinavian Nationalists.

This posed all sorts of problems to Elsa and Anna, given their status as Royalty. After all, from what they knew of this group, a key belief they had was that Scandinavia should be one, unified country. That, and Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Southern Islanders and Arendalers where the same people, artificially separated by petty Monarchs, which prevented them from achieving true greatness. Monarchs like Elsa.

But these men did not come to spread pamphlets, incite trouble or demagogue. They instead simply wanted to meet Elsa and Anna, purportedly to offer their help and services. And while in normal circumstances Elsa would not permit herself or even Anna to meet these men to avoid scandal, they were not experiencing normal circumstances.

So Elsa and Anna were quietly sitting in the throne room, flanked by Royal Guardsmen when the representatives of the Nationalists arrived. Getting a good look at the men, Elsa was hardly surprised to see that these men mostly matched the stereotypical description of the radical: young, middle class students. Few were out of their twenties, and none had reached their fortieth. And while none wore clothes of the pauper, their suits were clearly not from the finest tailors in Europe.

The small group approached the Royal sisters, halting an appropriate distance from them and performing a bow that clearly indicated them men unfamiliar with court etiquette. Rising up, they had a variety of reactions to the presence of the two sisters. Some were bashful and shy, others had restrained contempt, and others found themselves exhilarated to be in their presence. After studying the men up and down for a moment, Elsa initiated the meeting.

"Greetings Gentlemen, I bid you welcome to Arendal. Now I understand you came all the way from Scania to meet me?"

The men looked uneasily amongst themselves, before one stepped up after an awkward period of silence. Dressed unlike the others with a uniform jacket and kerchief, the blond man with barely kempt hair and a scraggily facial hair was one of the more confident looking of the group. Speaking Norwegian with a Swedish accent, he addressed Elsa.

"Thank you, your Majesty. And yes, we were meeting in Lund when your coronation and the… ensuing events occurred. And when we heard of the current crisis, we felt the need to come."

"That is what confuses me. For I have been told that you and your compatriots were against the monarchy and were in fact Republicans. So you can understand my suspicions of your group."

The blond man chuckled nervously, finding himself at a loss of words. Elsa smiled, having confirmed her suspicions that there were republicans, and perhaps revolutionaries amongst them. But as Elsa was about to say something clever, the oldest of the men spoke.

"Yes, it is true that there's republicans amongst us, but contrary to popular belief we are not unified in belief. While we all believe in a united Scandinavia, we all argue the best way to go about it. At least, we did."

Elsa took a moment to get a good look at this man, as there was something unique about him. Tall and lanky, with commonly brown hair that was beginning to recede into a rounded widows peak and a large hawkish nose, the man certainly was an odd looking fellow. And while he was the best dressed, his gaze upon her was a little too… familiar than a gentleman should be, especially one that appeared in his thirties.

Glancing over at Anna to find her also silently studying this strange man, Elsa began to probe.

"We did?"

"Yes, there were many views on what the ideal government Scandinavia should take, or which Monarch. But then, the events of your coronation happened. Now while I am just a writer and poet, even I saw the providence linked to you."

It suddenly occurred to Elsa who this man was, speaking at once on the matter. "Wait, you are Mister Andersen, the fairy tale writer, aren't you?"

A little bashful, the odd man replied. "Well, some of my works have been fairy tales, but I have done other works."

Elsa turned over to Anna, remembering that the odd Danish writer's stories had been a comfort to both of them as teenagers, expecting Anna to light up at his 'unmasking'. Instead, Elsa found Anna to be strangely sullen and annoyed. Making a mental note, to ask what was wrong with her sister after court was concluded.

"But yes, you were saying something about providence?"

Andersen began to blush heavily, before stammering. "Well isn't it obvious? I mean, well-"

This time a Norwegian stepped in to fill in the gap. With red hair, spectacles, a respectable suit, and a lack of facial hair, this one was clearly a student of some sort. Perhaps the university of Oslo. "Mister Andersen spoke to us that your coronation at this junction of history, combined with your powers as well as your blood made you a perfect candidate as a common monarch." Switching to a very soft tone, the young man preceded to mumble under breath "amongst other things" as well.

Not hearing that last bit, the young Queen looked incredulously at the representatives. "So let me get this straight… you all came here to fight, and possibly die for me, because you think I would make a good leader of a nation that doesn't even remotely exist yet."

The blonde man responded first. "In a word- yes."

Before Elsa could even respond, Anna stepped in, harshly. "Are you all insane? You all decided to come to fight in this damned war because a children's book writer told you so? Men are dying out there, this isn't some fairy tale! You all are fools!"

A little shocked by Anna's outburst, Elsa shot Anna a surprised but in no ways unclear glare after her outburst. One that said 'let me handle this'. After Anna sat back down, still upset but at least attempting respectful deference to her elder, Elsa carried on as her younger sister continued to simmer silently. "If you all wish to fight in my army under my colors and officers, I have no issue with this. I'll will coordinate with my officers to determine how you all will be utilized. I bid you all a good day."

The assembled men bowed, before quietly exiting. As soon as they were gone, Elsa immediately turned to Anna, who was still visibly sullen. "Anna, what happened there?"

Anna, turned to Elsa, still irritated. "I told them the truth Elsa. As soon as the first volley is exchanged, those schoolboys will wet themselves and run. We need real soldiers now."

Raising her voice much higher than normal with her sister, Elsa began to lay in Anna. "Anna, you don't think I don't know that? But we have put fourteen-year-olds into uniform right now, and some of those very same died in yesterday's fighting. We need to fill ranks, so I'll take whatever I can get." Elsa paused, shifting to a quieter tone, like that of a counselor. "And Anna, you know better than to make an outburst when we are in court like that. What's going on?"

Anna sighed, becoming visibly more calm. "I- I don't know Elsa, I just got irritated by listening to them and their petty views. I'm sorry, I think it's just been the stress and fatigue."

Elsa wasn't entirely sure if that was the bottom of it all, but Anna's expression was truthful, as well as one that was finished with the topic at hand. "Alright, but please do be careful. I'd hate to see you give that punch you gave to Hans to someone who dragged on a little too long."

Anna chuckled, before the two prepared for the next matter in court.

…

After a long day of court, inspections, meetings, and just general reestablishing of Elsa's existence to their beleaguered troops, the two sisters only found themselves returning to the castle after dark on a long 'summer' day. After informing their staff what quick meal they desired before they engaged in late night duties and only then sleep, they decided to bring their concerns to Pabbie. As they began minutes of detailing Elsa's issues, the elder troll stayed silent until they reached the end, when he finally replied.

"And are you certain?"

Anna nodded in response to Pabbie's question. Taking a moment to think, the troll spent a moment to think, before responding.

"I was afraid that this may happen, especially with my responsibilities pressing as they are. I warned you, your Majesty, that complications may occur."

"I did." Elsa grimaced after speaking, taking a moment to try to tamp down the panic she felt inside of her before continuing. "What will happen?"

"In a word? I don't know. Your magic is closely entwined with your emotions, so that might explain your odd 'childish' stint this morning. But for what might come next, I really can't say."

Anna's heart sank a little, before she raised her voice. "So what now?"

"Now, I must sadly leave. I have gotten news from the rest of my people, and they need me now more than ever."

"Leave?" Anna began, raising her voice. "How can you say that?! We need you here to help Elsa! You can't just leave after you say shit like that!"

Elsa breathed to correct Anna's language, before pausing. Regardless of Anna's court manners, she was right. But before she could contemplate a 'proper' way to protest, Pabbie responded to Anna's complaint.

"You need not worry; I know a human shaman that is as knowledgeable as me when it comes to these matters. She will be able to attend to you by tomorrow, which is when I will depart. Until then, be sure to come see me if you have any pressing matters."

Anna bit her tongue, despite her building anger. While she considered it asinine that Gran Pabbie was just going leave after shrugging his shoulders, she did keep cool enough of a mind to consider Bulda and the other trolls. And if this shaman was as good as Pabbie, perhaps they were in good hands after all.

As the old troll paid his respects to Elsa, he turned and headed out to the hall. As he reached the doorway, he paused. "One last thing Elsa, be careful with your magic and your emotions for now. It is best to be cautious, at least for now."

Elsa nodded. "I understand."

Pabbie gave somewhat of a sad smile, before he headed out into the dark hallway, disappearing from their view.

…

Outskirts of Arendal

Ásta walked quietly into the woods as more snowfall silently drifted towards the earth in the pale light of the quarter moon. Little else made noise besides the crunching of her boots on the fresh snow, which is what told her she was on the right track. After all, with enough focus, one could note that all forests make noise, as the wildlife all had their lot to say. But as the Draugr knew all too well, natural creatures were compelled to stay far away from the unnatural. Before long, the source of the silence was revealed.

Among the clearing, hundreds of undead warriors lay quiet and patient, letting the snow pile up on top of them as they sat in wait. Even as Ásta approached, only a few bothered to rise to greet her. Specifically, the sentries and Linda herself. With the Sentries relaxing as soon as they recognized Ásta, Linda made her approach and began to feed her appetite for news.

"Well?"

Ásta smiled. "It went well, as usually. The seeds of our victory have been sown. Before long, we will be able to strike."

Linda grew a little giddy. Well, as giddy as a thousand-year-old mummified corpse can. "Very good! How long before we can put our sword arms to work?"

Ásta bounced her head back and forth for a moment, trying to give a good estimate. "Hmm, three, maybe four days at most."

Linda's smile soured. "That long? Are we not ready now?"

"Worry not, my dear Linda. It is not the enemy armies that we are delaying for, but the true enemy. The Sorceress."

"Is she that strong already? Last time-"

"This is a different case than last time, Linda. But worry not. In a few days, after my plans have been fully realized, nothing in Arendal will be able to stop us."

…

Bit of Notes

Good news, at least for those of you who were tracking. I got accepted into the Carpenter's Union a few weeks ago, and I am currently waiting to get employed so I can begin my official apprenticeship. While it'll mean some fewer wages at first, it should be very rewarding for me should I stick to it.

As for the story, sorry for the delay and the general lack of actual 'action'. However, this is just a lull in the climax, so expect things to heat right back up.

As for historical footnotes, yes, I included both Scandinavism as well as Hans Christian Andersen, who did in fact showcase some pro-Scandinavian thoughts as well as a poem. Another fun fact, for those that didn't read the Sub-text too well, Andersen was a little… eccentric with regarding his sexual activity. In addition to his general courtship of the impossible (Famous and busy women, Straight Men, etc) he also swore off having sex, an oath he appeared to take seriously. However, he was known to 'study' attractive women, and then proceed to masturbate to their mental image later. In at least one case, he literally visited a Brothel in Paris, spent money, hung out with the brothel workers, then went back to the hotel to masturbate. We literally know this because he wrote about it in his journal.

And to think I only found out about this due to my often obsessive researching, which can lead off on weird tangents. But hey, what can you do?

See y'all next time,

O7,

Dragunov