Usual disclaimer. I asked, you guys responded. Thank you so. much. to the people that reviewed this week. Seeing some new people commenting gave me the drive to write the next two chapters in this story. I also made it on a fic rec! Also, I feel like I should let you guys know this: my new Tumblr name is crossedjuxtapose, in case you wanted to follow it.

Also, surprise! Because you guys gave me a beautiful wave of responses, I decided to give you a treat. Happy early update!

With that said, enjoy!

"I must say, Oran. I am very impressed with the results of this mission. Not only were you able to kill the seven Mansings with ease, you were also able to find out very valuable information," Doirin commended. Oran stood a little straighter, a light smile gracing his face as the Special Ops Commander praised him. She looked to Rí, as if silently asking him something.

"I think a promotion is in order, Oran," Rí said, much to the shapeshifter's surprise.

"Your Majesty, I was simply executing the mis—" he was cut off by a wave of his King's hand.

"I understand, but you also went above and beyond and gave us some of the most valuable information that our order has found to date," he said, "that, in and of itself, warrants a promotion." He rose from his throne, walking toward the tall man at the center of the circular table. Oran stood straighter still, the pride now fully evident in his eyes.

"It is my true happiness, Oran, to promote you to not a Ziq, as you might have thought, but to an officer. Welcome to the higher ranks, Second Lieutenant," Rí said with a smile. Oran's jaw dropped. While he was happy about a promotion, he was not expecting to be named an officer. Immediately, he dropped down on his knee and put a fist over his heart.

"Thank you so much, Your Majesty! I never… I am truly grateful, my King," he said, for once at a loss for words.

"Do not thank me for what you have earned, Oran. Rise. I will have your new uniform delivered to your quarters… Which now will be in the South wing, along with the other officers. Thank you for your dutiful service, Oran. You are dismissed," Rí said. He shook the shapeshifter's hand before Oran left the Council's presence.

Once he was gone, Rí resumed his seat at the throne.

"There is an important matter to be discussed today, my kind advisors. A matter we have been debating about for a month or so now," he began. Every one of the Council members leaned forward in their seats.

"I believe it is time for us to invite Agent C into our ranks. After much speculation on this, I truly believe it is wise to accept such an influential figure among us, especially one that could influence entire countries. I've decided to write him today—it is my hope that he will respond positively, as the inquiries he has made have seemed to be in interest of helping our cause. Of course, you already know the rest of the details about his character, and with a few dents in his past notwithstanding, he could provide to be of great service to us," Rí said. The Council members nodded their heads in agreement.

"I agree fully, Your Majesty. I believe you are making a wise choice; to have a person of power among us is a smart choice indeed," Lili said. Wade and Blaine hummed their agreement.

"Any opportunity to extend my Spider Web is a welcome one," Blaine said.

"Speaking of which, Blaine. I need you to find the location of a woman for me and bring her to us. Lili, I might need you for this too. Do you have a man that can go by the cover of shadows?" Rí asked. She smiled fiendishly.

"Not a man, my King, but a woman," she replied. He raised his eyebrows.

"I was not aware that you could bend shadows." She shook her head.

"Not I, Your Majesty, but another. She goes by the name of Grimhilde, and if it is the cover of shadows you desire, then she is your best chance, my King," she said. He nodded thoughtfully.

"When the time comes, I will seek her service. As for now, Blaine, the woman I need you to find is shifty, but unmistakeable once you see her. I will provide a picture as soon as possible," Rí said. Blaine raised his eyebrow.

"Her name, Your Majesty?" Blaine asked.

"Esmeralda Gitan."

One month later

Anna was standing on the cliff where it happened, where the world burned below her. This was were the first sign was displayed, where the first heartbeat would restart. She observed curiously as the sobbing man with golden hair cradled his wife within his arms, cursing the gods above at their disservice to him.

"Damn you to Hell, Vita! I will find a way to bring her back," he screamed to the Heavens. The hellfire beyond the cliff roared, as if in protest to the man's statement. She tried to move toward him, but it was as if she could not move, stuck in place by invisible cement. The man created a long, thin blade of water in mid-air. The normal blue glow that would accompany a blue-eyed man was replaced by a darker image: his eyes began to glow a dangerous red.

"I will find a way, you false Gods," he growled. He reared his arm back.

"I will find a way." He plunged the blade into his wife's head.

Anna awoke with a start. While the remnants of the dream were quickly fading, one phrase still stuck in her head.

I will find a way.

"But find a way to do what?" she mused quietly out loud. She felt an arm around her waist tighten, pulling her back under the sheets, and happily obliged with a smile.

It had been a month since Agðar had returned home, and a month and two days since Elsa and Anna had officially become a couple. Their training had slowed somewhat because of the limited attention that Elsa was able to give Anna due to her father, but still progressed forward nonetheless. And their relationship?

"Good morning, my dear," Anna said, pecking her girlfriend on the lips. Elsa smiled in return.

Well, to say the least, it was going great. Though her father's health was declining rather quickly, Elsa was trying her hardest to stay happy, both for her own sanity and for her father's. She truly enjoyed every second that she spent with Anna; the fact that she was such a great listener helped Elsa deal with her father very much.

Anna looked at the beauty that Elsa beheld. The near-translucent freckles that dotted across her nose and cheeks made her dark eyebrows stand out against her porcelain skin, and her beautiful lips drew attention to her smile. But when Elsa opened her eyes, Anna could not help but become ensnared by the quiet intensity that laid beneath the surface.

She leaned in to Elsa, pressing her lips against her mentor's in a silent request. It started off slow, at first, with gentle pecks and light kisses. But like kindling to start a bonfire, things quickly began to heat up. Anna put her hand on the side of Elsa's neck, leaning in closer to her and pressing her lips against the blonde's more intensely, biting down gently on her lower lip. Elsa gasped quietly at the ministration, taken aback at Anna's boldness. She grabbed at the redhead's hips, wanting something more but not knowing exactly what the something was.

Her pupil moved over her hips, effectively straddling Elsa. Their breaths mingled together, steam beginning to arise between them. Anna continued her conquest of Elsa's skin, breaking off from her lips and leaving feather kisses along her jawline and down her neck. The blonde's chest started to rise and fall quicker, her heartbeat accelerating with each light touch of Anna's lips.

Yes. Their relationship was going very well.

Unlike Elsa, who was sheltered from any form of sexual education growing up, Anna knew the fundamentals of sex. She had more experience with males, sure; that did not mean she was completely oblivious to the needs of a woman. For Vita's sake, she was a woman after all!

She lightly bit on the nape of Elsa's neck, and the reaction was instant. A sharp breath was released from Anna's mentor, and the hands on her hips clutched tightly, her nails digging ever so lightly into the skin there. Anna smirked against the blonde's neck, and lowered her hand to the hem of Elsa's shirt. As her fingertips started to glide up over her navel, she felt a firm yet gentle hand grasp her wrist.

Anna pulled back and looked at Elsa. The blonde looked apologetic as she shook her head, but Anna simply smiled.

"It's okay, Elsa. No worries," she said as she retracted her hand. She leaned down and gave a light peck on Elsa's lips before rolling back over on her side. Elsa rested her forehead against her girlfriend's, her hand resting on the back of Anna's head.

"Thank you," she said softly. Anna pecked her again on the lips. There was a peaceful silence between the pair for a few moments, before Elsa reluctantly pulled away.

"I need to make sure my father takes his medicine. Would you care to pour me a bowl of cereal, please?" She asked. Anna nodded, standing up likewise and stretching, the vertebrae in her back popping. She threw on a sweatshirt over her black tank-top and walked out to the kitchen, pulling the chocolate Cheerios out for Elsa and the Cocoa Pebbles for herself.

Her mind wandered back to the dream that she had this morning. What had it been about? Her mouth pressed into a thin line as she poured the milk into the bowls, wracking her brain to remember any kind of detail from the dream aside from that one repeated phrase. Wait.

The man in her dreams renounced the Gods. And since he said Vita, he was originally a worshiper of the Six.

I will find a way, you false Gods.

Typically nobody called the Gods fake, not unless—

"Good morning, Anna," said Agðar, interrupting her thoughts. She looked over to him and smiled, noting that his skin was not as ashen as it normally was today. The observation made an even broader grin spread across her face.

"Morning, Agðar. Do you want some coffee?" She asked. He nodded, opening a can of dog food for Janders. There were few things that Agðar could still do; feeding his dog was one of them, and he refused to have anyone else touch another can of dog food while he was still breathing.

"Ladies," he said quietly. Both Anna and his daughter turned their heads to him.

"I think I'd like to go down to Arendelle today and see the ice sculptures. I'm feeling much better today, and I think I can finally leave the house," he told them. Elsa hesitated; with good reason, of course.

"Papa…," she began. "Is it really a good idea to leave? I understand you're feeling relatively well, but…"

"Listen, Elsa. I have limited time left, as we both know. I want to see the ice sculptures again, regardless of if it's a good idea. It's not much physical taxation on my body—after all, it's not like we're trekking down the mountain. I understand the pair of you have training today, and that's fine. Just, if you could. Today's one of my better days, and I want to take advantage of that fact."

Elsa sighed, reluctantly acquiescing to her father's wishes. Anna poured him a cup of coffee, soon sitting down and eating her bowl of Cocoa Pebbles. Agðar smiled quietly to himself, sipping his coffee and adding more sugar.

Your Almighty Greatness,

Your time is coming. In three years time, I believe, it will be upon us. We are in the process of getting the resources we need, but soon, Your Greatness, you will return. We will find a way, we always do.

Signed,

Your obedient servant.

A/N:I had so much fun writing this chapter my dudes. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it! Also, I'm gonna start doing the thing the JYN044 did in The Queen's Mercy: just put my responses to the people reviewing as opposed to their review and my response.

And now, for the reviews! (thanks to everyone who followed, reviewed, PM'd, and favorited this week. Y'all kick ass!)

Strasza: Hm, an interesting theory. Is there a greater evil? You make speculations that I greatly enjoy reading, Strasza. As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated; this one was highly enjoyable for me to read. Thank you for being understanding—it truly means a lot.

Guest: Thank you so much! I worked really hard to get in. My girlfriend… I love her beyond words. She is absolutely wonderful. Thank you—but also know that your thoughts are really all I need to hear. If you think that the X-Rebels sound like X-Men, don't be afraid to say it like you did! I likewise agree that they sound like X-Men, actually, now that you say it.

Haley Universe: No need to apologize, my friend. All I ask is for is your thoughts. I greatly appreciate the fact that you took the time to review this week—it means more than I can say. The next chapter is already written, my friend!

Lance58: Indeed. I like to create a fully immersive world, not just one that focuses solely on Elsa and Anna. It bores me as a writer that way. As a person who has personally had cancer, it is a strange thing. For some, it goes fast. Others, slow. Agðar's cancer is currently unpredictable. I always answer my reviews, man! No matter how many from one person. I already have the next chapter written.

PenguinVuelve: No worries, Penguin! Thank you for commenting, and I'm sorry about your stomach ache… I hope you're feeling better. Thank you for the positive vibes! Yeah, I emailed Development and they appear to have fixed the problem now. And yes—but not to worry. This chapter (hopefully) should have quelled your fluff needs.

Alright, that's all for this week. I'll see y'all next week! ~ Burns