The Ninth Duke of Weselton walked over the drawbridge out of his castle, passing numerous guards on the curtain walls, and stopped when he reached the barbican. He smiled to himself and waited patiently for the sound of horse hooves, as he was expecting his cavalry, along with Lieutenant Aleksander, back from the field. After a short while, Magnus snapped his fingers and two liveried footmen approached him, one caring a pitcher full of ale, and the other a rather large tankard. The Duke smiled again as he took his stein, and then quickly dismissed the footmen with a pointed look. His keen hearing picked up on the sound of footfalls behind him, but he didn't bother to look, as he knew it was General Voljor, along with two guards.

Magnus took a large swallow of his ale, his eyes wandering to the parapets above the walls surrounding the barbican, and noted the careful placement of the archers on the high walkways. He glanced over his shoulder to the gatehouse, just beyond the drawbridge, noting again the strategic areas that were now occupied by more archers.

But General Voljor thought that the Duke's backwards glance was toward him, and offered his Duke a warm greeting. "Good morning, My Liege."

"Indeed it is, my good man."

Voljor stepped up to the Duke's side, and grasped his arm briefly. "You wanted me to meet you here, My Liege?"

Magnus snapped his fingers again, and a page came forward to take the stein from him. He carefully straightened out his uniform jacket, then adjusted his short fencing cape, bringing the clasp over his breast. "Lieutenant Aleksander brings back the cavalry this morning, General. I thought it only fitting that you accompany me to welcome him back—you are my top general, are you not?"

The General smiled again as he turned away from the Duke, his eyes drawn to the outer drawbridge, and the activity there. "Yes, I am, My Liege."

The Duke nodded, and then clasped his hands behind his back. "You can dispense with the honorifics, Voljor, and just call me Magnus."

"May I?"

"Of course."

Both men were distracted by the sound of hooves on the grasslands beyond the Castle boundaries, and Magnus purposefully stepped away from Voljor just as the first horses entered from the outer drawbridge, and assembled themselves on the barbican. The horsemen removed their swords from their sides and brandished them with a wild abandon, and eagerly waited for their Lieutenant to enter. When Aleksander entered into the barbican his men cheered. The young lieutenant maneuvered his horse over to his Duke and then removed his own sword, lowering the point of it to his heel in a clear sign of submission.

Magnus understood the gesture, and nodded his approval immediately. Following his royal custom, he approached Aleksander and briefly touched the blade with his gloved fingers, signaling for the young man to sheath it. When Aleksander did so, Magnus offered his lieutenant his hand, and the young man gladly shook it. "I've heard all about your exploits, Lieutenant, and wish to offer you my sincere congratulations on a job well done."

Aleksander removed his helm and tossed it to a nearby page, his thick wavy hair falling to his shoulders. "It was my pleasure to do my Lord's bidding. I do not seek glory for my own sake, my Lord, but that your renown may be spread throughout the land."

Magnus chuckled, the young man was surely trying to impress him. "Are you saying that my own reputation is important?"

"Of course, my Lord."

"So, are you claiming it is important that my reputation be a good one among my own people?"

The young lieutenant smirked. "Of course, again, my Lord."

The Duke ran his hand through his long black hair. "And precisely what type of reputation do I have, Lieutenant Aleksander—among my own?"

Aleksander looked around him, and noticed the archers on the parapets above. "Among your own subjects? You are known as a hard taskmaster, my Lord—unnecessarily cruel and ambitious. Some call you pitiless, while others claim you are the devil."

General Voljor gasped, incensed by the young man's words. "How dare you say such things to your Sovereign!"

Magnus smiled again, but there was no mirth behind it. "And what of conquered people—what do they say about me?"

"To them you are vile, repugnant, and evil—a friend to no one—"

Voljor stepped forward. "Enough!"

Magnus locked eyes with Aleksander. "Would you say they are correct, my good man?"

Aleksander removed his handkerchief from his pant's pocket and blew his nose rather loudly. "Oh, yes, my Lord. Your reputation apparently preceded us wherever we went, and so we were either feared or pitied, depending on what region we were in."

"You cowardly, traitorous—"

Magnus put his hand on Voljor's arm, stopping his tirade, his eyes never leaving the young lieutenant. "Thank you, Aleksander." He moved away from his confused general to stand next to Aleksander's horse. "Observe, Lieutenant, what I do to real traitors within my realm. Archers!"

Voljor stepped back when he realized the archers were pointing their arrows at him, and not young Aleksander. Then the realization hit him, just before more than a hundred arrows flew into his body—a singular, paralyzing thought: Magnus knew, all along, about his complicity with the Southern Isles.

Master Kai was in the vestibule of Arendelle castle, talking with a few nobles, when he heard the shouts. He immediately went to the great gates and, not waiting for pages to assist him, opened the great doors himself and ran into the courtyard. Several people came running from the outer gates into the courtyard at exactly that moment, their eyes full of fright. He grabbed a man by the shoulders. "What? What has happened?"

The frightened man shivered. "Didn't you see them—those giant red dear? They ran through the marketplace like wild harpies! I think they killed someone!"

Kai blanched. "That's impossible…"

"Go see for yourself! Now let me go!" The man wrenched himself free from Kai's grip, and backed away from him.

Kai ran past him and through the outer gates and paused at the long bridge, trying to get a good view of the marketplace beyond. He watched as a rider on horseback came barreling down the bridge, so he raised his hands and began to wave, hoping the rider would stop.

The soldier on horseback did, and pulled up right next to the Master of the Castle. "Master Kai, I bring the most unfortunate of news. Those stags—the princess' protectors—have killed two of our citizens!"

Kai felt sick. "How did it happen?"

"I don't rightly know why. But they were observed racing from the castle not too long ago, screaming, and they trampled down the marketplace, killing two."

Kai nodded. "Do you think they meant to kill the merchants?"

The winds came roiling from the bay, chilling down everything they touched, including the two men on the long bridge.

The soldier looked up as a few drops of freezing rain fell to the ground. "That's the thing, Master Kai, people don't seem to think they knew what they were doing—they were full of rage and fury."

Kai blinked when a raindrop fell into his eye. "What in the world—"

"Master Kai, I've got to go. Excuse me, sir." The soldier spurred his horse on and towards the castle.

Bewildered, Kai stood where he was for only a few moments. Then his intuition was telling him he needed to find the Queen, quickly. He turned around abruptly and ran back to the castle, that certain inner voice telling him that something was terribly wrong. Bypassing the castle security, he huffed up the great spiral staircase to the residences and startled two maids just as they were about to knock on the Queen's door.

Kai reached the parlor door before the women did, and knocked rather loudly. He waited, his impatience growing as the seconds passed and still no Queen. His hand reflexively went to the door handle and found it unlocked, so he entered quickly and looked around, there was nothing out of the ordinary. When the two maids tried to enter he waved them back and went immediately to the Queen's bedroom door. That's when he saw her, passed out on her bedroom floor, the beginnings of a bruise on her left cheek. He dropped to his knees and placed his ear on her chest, listening for a heart beat, and audibly sighed when he found one.

The Master of the Castle sat back on his heels and cried out for the maids, one of whom came running straightaway. "My god, woman, what took you so long? Go and sound the alarm, the Queen has been hurt!"

Then, events happened extremely quickly that they were almost a blur. Palace guards came rushing into Her Majesty's bedroom and lifted her onto the bed just as the Royal Physician came running into the room. He ordered the guards away as he examined Elsa, but allowed two of his nurses to assist him. After he finished examining her, he ordered two guards to watch at the Queen's parlor door. Then several nobles came to see how the Queen was faring, including Harald Halfdansson and the Earl Malkolm, who appeared to be stunned as he observed the unconscious Queen.

Then a thought hit Kai like a blow. He rushed to the castle guards outside of the Queen's rooms. "Has anyone checked Princess Anna's bedroom?"

Two guards looked at each other then scrambled down the hallway. They knocked furiously on the door, but nothing happened. That's when Kai pushed past them and entered the room. It was empty, and Anna was apparently missing. He turned on the guards then, furious at their incompetence. "Where is Princess Anna? Is she missing? Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

A guard from down the hall came running to them. "I saw her! She was with that man, Kristoff. He was carrying her—like she was sleeping."

A warning sounded off in the back of Kai's mind, and he grabbed the guard by the shoulders, shaking him. "Sleeping! Since when do you allow someone to carry away our princess? Where did they go?"

The young guard froze to the spot. "But it was Master Kristoff!"

Kai slapped the young man. "The Queen is unconscious, and you allowed the princess to be accosted by an ice harvester!" He replayed his last conversation with the iceman in his mind, and remembered the words: I came back for Anna… Shuddering, he looked up to see Lieutenant Lindar approaching him from the great spiral staircase. "Lieutenant!"

Lindar held up his hands. "Yes, I already know, Master Kai." He made his way to the smaller man. "Are the deaths in the marketplace connected to the Queen's assault in any way?"

Kai shook his head. "I don't know, Lieutenant."

"Lieutenant Lindar!" Harald Halfdansson came out of the Queen's rooms and waved at the two men to come over.

Lindar scowled, he didn't like the nobleman at all, found him too conceited. "What is it, Your Grace?"

The Chieftain cleared his throat. "What is your plan?"

Kai rolled his eyes while Lindar openly showed his disgust. "My plan is my own business! And I can accomplish it more efficiently without your interference. Guards!" Two of the nearby guards came over to him. "Secure this floor, and make sure no one is allowed up here unless it is by the Queen's order. Your Grace!" Lindar glared at the noble.

Harald was furious. "You'll regret this, Lieutenant. Believe me!"

Kai watched in satisfaction as the castle guards escorted Harald Halfdansson away. "I've always wanted to tell off that bastard…"

The Royal Physician came out the Queen's suite. "Gentlemen, please come in. She's waking up."

Elsa fought through the fog in her mind to rise to the surface, not quite knowing where she was. Her eyes opened slowly, and she blinked several times. One of the first things she noticed was an overwhelming pain on the left side of her face, and that she was lying in her own bed. But she had no idea how she got there. When she lifted her head slightly she noticed Kai, Lindar, and her Royal Physician standing over her, concerned looks on their faces. She turned her head to the left and noticed royal guards standing in the doorway.

The blonde let out a weak breath and had to fight the urge to vomit. "What—what's going on?" Her hand went tentatively to her face, and she cringed. "Why does my head hurt?"

Her physician leaned over the bed. "How are you feeling, Your Majesty?"

"Stop yelling."

Kai and Lindar exchanged glances; the physician had not yelled. Kai resisted the urge to take Elsa's hand. "Do you remember anything, my Queen?" he whispered.

Elsa searched through the fog of her memories, trying to find something to latch onto. After a few moments, she found what she was looking for, and then closed her eyes. She and Anna had made love… Anna! Where was Anna? "Where is my sister?" A part of her was afraid to know—had they been discovered?

Kai glanced at Lindar, not quite knowing how to answer the Queen's question. Lindar stepped forward, a small smile on his face. "Perhaps it would be prudent to let Her Majesty rest a bit, yes?"

The blonde opened her eyes. "Let me rest?" So, they had not been found out. But there was something that was being left unsaid. "Kai, what is going on?" She tried to lift her head, but the nausea kept her in her place. "Kai?"

Kai groaned inwardly. "This is what we are trying to determine, Your Majesty."

A fine tendril of fear crept up Elsa's spine at that remark, and the dragon stirred, roused from an unwanted sleep. "What?"

Lindar looked helplessly at the Master of the Castle, not quite up to speaking after that low growl.

Kai stepped closer to the bed, and leaned over it, just like the doctor did. "Several things have happened, Your Majesty, that we are trying to figure out. The first being that the stags have fled Arendelle, and in their haste to leave have accidently killed two of our citizens." He waited for a harsh reaction, but it never came.

But the Queen had stopped all movement, and was now lying completely still, her eyes wide open. "And?"

"We found Your Majesty passed out on her bedroom floor, apparently injured somehow."

Elsa had no memory of that, and it not only frustrated her, but the dragon, as well. "Where is my sister?"

Kai stood up straight at the coldness in the Queen's voice, a small amount of fear clenching around his heart. "That's the third thing, Your Majesty—we don't know."

All color drained from Elsa's face, and she sat up abruptly, her nausea forgotten. "What? How can Anna be missing? Did you check her room, the conservatory, the stables?" Then it occurred to Elsa that Anna would not be out of castle without her, considering her current mood and state of mind. In fact, Anna would not leave her side, for anything. Her fury increased tenfold. "She is pregnant…!"

The dragon came to life, and lifted its head to roar out to the heavens. The noise was so terrible that a few guards fainted where they stood. Elsa's body fell to her bed, twisted and contorted, slowly transforming itself.

Master Kai scampered away from the bed as fast as he could, grabbing Lindar as he did so. "Come on, let's get out of here—now!"

Lindar, confused, followed Kai out of the bedroom. "What—what are we doing, Master Kai?" The subsequent scream sent chills down his spine, and he looked on in horror as something huge was coiling in the shadows of the Queen's bedroom "What the—" He found himself being dragged by the neck out of the parlor door rather quickly, and turned his head to see Master Kai doing the deed. The parlor door slammed shut just as another blood-curling scream emanated from Elsa's bedroom. "Kai, unhand me!"

"Not a chance! Get moving, all of you, down to the first floor—now!"

A loud boom rattled the windows and doors, and the sound was quickly followed by a deafening crash and the sound of glass breaking. Kai and Lieutenant Lindar hesitated by the stairwell, both curious as to what had just happened. Both men slowly made their way to Elsa's door, listening for any sound, but hearing nothing. Lindar cautiously turned the handle and pushed the door open. When Kai attempted to step in Lindar put up his hand, and then unsheathed his sword. He held out his sword in front of him as he warily stepped into the parlor, but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

Lindar gestured for Kai to follow him as he walked to the bedroom door and peered inside. The entire room was in shambles, as if a big animal had trampled down all the furniture and then escaped through the smashed window. Kai took his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his brow while the Lieutenant sheathed his sword.

After a long while Lindar turned towards the Master of the Castle. "I have a feeling you know what is going on, Kai, and I need for you to share it with me now."

Kai sighed, and then realized his hands were still shaking. "You're right, there is something you ought—no, need—to know. It has to do with the old prophecies, Lindar. Ragnarök and Fimbulvetr."

The Lieutenant frowned. "What? Tell me you're not talking about the end of the world, Master Kai."

Kai barely understood himself. "Well, in a sense, I am. Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are at the center of those ancient tales." He glanced at the Lieutenant. "Do you have the time to hear it?"

"I'll make the time."

Kai started walking towards the great spiral staircase. "Then follow me to my office, I have some things to tell you."

It raged through the forests of Arendelle, its fearsome ire only matched by the roiling incoming storm. At first, it circumvented the city boundary, sniffing at the air and foliage, searching for its mate. But its efforts were in vain because it avoided the obvious scents in and around Arendelle proper. Jörmungandr paused at a thick copse of trees and settled on its hind legs before completely lowering itself to the ground. Growling, it licked at the cuts on its front legs, as they had been injured when it crashed through the windows in Elsa's bedroom. Just as it was about to lay its head down it picked up on a scent, a faint wisp of an odor, of Anna. But it was enough to spur the beast into taking off towards the border of the Valley of the Living Rock. Its wings flapped and nostrils flared, and Elsa was completely lost, her only instinct at the moment was revenge.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Kristoff gritted his teeth. "I'm protecting you, what else does it look like?"

Anna shook her head, attempting to shake off the stupor she found herself in. She tried sit up, but couldn't. "What was that liquid? Oh, I'm not feeling so good." When she closed her eyes her head began to spin. "I asked you a question!"

"I don't know what it was. Hølje gave it to me. I think he figured you wouldn't be a willing partner." Kristoff temporarily guided the horses off the path, hoping not to leave tracks. He glanced back at Sven, who was tied to the back of the uncovered wagon, and pulled his jacket more tightly around him. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright? Do you have any idea what you've done, Kristoff? Elsa—no, not Elsa—Jörmungandr will come after you!" Anna managed to sit up, and pulled a blanket around her as the winds started to pick up. She felt a pain in her stomach and frantically looked up at the mountain man. "How close are we to the Valley of the Living Rock?"

"At the border, why?" Kristoff tightened his hold around the reins.

"Oh, no… no." Anna watched, incredulous, as her stomach distended even more, and knew immediately what was happening. "My pregnancy…" The closer the wagon came to Yggdrasil, the closer she came to delivering her child. "You have to take me back, Kristoff, before something bad happens."

Kristoff stopped the horses and whirled around. "I would say that something bad has already happened!" He had to fight a sudden sense of nausea. "You… you, and your sister! I don't care what is says in those goddamn prophecies, Anna—and you are pregnant! How did that happen?"

Anna could see that Kristoff was in near hysterics, and her heart clenched in fear. "Kristoff, you have to calm down… please…" She winced in pain as her belly extended even more, and the baby grew even bigger. "You need to help me!"

The mountain man closed his mouth, and regarded Anna and her struggles. "Anna…?" He secured the reins and turned his body around to face her. "Look, I'm just doing what Hølje told me to do."

"What did he tell you?"

"He explained the prophecies to me—about Ragnarök and Fimbulvetr." Kristoff looked away for a moment, then turned back. "I'll be completely honest with you, Anna, the thought of you and Elsa together makes me sick! But if you have no choice in the matter, well, then I guess I can try to understand."

"Wait, what?" Anna blinked, several times, at Kristoff's words. "What are you talking about?"

Kristoff was just about to answer when a terrible roaring sound could be heard in the distance, accompanied by the thunderous sounds of many hooves. The mountain man's eyes widened, and so did Anna's. So she was doubly shocked when Kristoff grabbed the reins and called for the horses to start moving again. After a short while they were moving along fast, and Anna fell backwards into the wagon and clutched at her swollen belly. The further into the Valley the wagon traveled, the greater the princess' pain became.

"Kristoff! Stop!" Anna yelled her loudest, but it had no effect on the mountain man. She peered over the back of the wagon and realized they were going much too fast for Sven, as the reindeer was barely keeping up with the horse's pace. Angered to her limit, she crawled to the front of wagon and grabbed Kristoff's jacket. "I said stop, right now! You're going to kill us!"

The stags were more than two hundred yards away, but their screams were easily heard. They frightened Kristoff, and he was loath to stop the wagon, but Anna's screams scared him even more, so he slowed the wagon down until it came to a complete stop. Anna collapsed in the wagon's back and writhed in pain just as Kristoff ran to the back to check on Sven.

When Anna screamed again the mountain man jumped into the back of the wagon to check on her. "Anna! What is it?"

"The baby… I think its coming… oh, no…" Anna ripped off her outer skirt, as it was tearing at her waist, and too small. "Help me, Kristoff."

"Oh, god, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, I've never had a baby before."

Before they could react or do anything further, the stags surrounded the wagon, and made sure it could go no further by killing the horses. Duraþrór impaled both animals with his antlers, and growled deeply as he easily tossed them aside. Dvalinn and Duneyrr advanced on Kristoff while Dáinn turned his attention to Anna. He sniffed at her and his eyes widened.

"Princess Anna, you are close to your delivery!" The stag whirled towards Kristoff and thrust his head at him. "You brought this about, human! Death is upon you!"

Anna turned onto her side and quickly raised her hand. "No, stop! He has to help me deliver this baby!"

Dvalinn and Duneyrr backed away from the wagon and raised their antlers in frustration; they howled and stomped their hooves on the hard path.

Dáinn, however, ignored them and aimed his antlers at the mountain man. "Are you sure, Princess Anna?"

Anna fell to her back again and moaned rather loudly. "Yes, now back off Dáinn, and let the man get closer."

The stag backed up a few feet, but that was all. "I'm watching you, human."

Kristoff sighed in relief and knelt beside Anna. "Thank you."

The princess reached up and slapped him. "Don't make me regret it."

The mountain man grunted then opened up one of the boxes he had brought and began pulling out towels and blankets and tossed them in Anna's direction. Next, he pulled over a rather large container of water. "Anna, what's happening right now?"

"I think they're called contractions…owww!" Anna reached for and grabbed Kristoff's hand; she locked eyes with him as the contraction rolled over her. "It hurts…"

"Stay with me, Anna. Come on, look at me." The mountain man let go of her hand and lifted her hips so that he could place a rolled up blanket below them, to raise her from the wagon floor. He then placed some towels next to the blanket. When he attempted to part Anna's legs she tried to punch him.

"What are you doing?"

"I may not know much but I'm pretty sure babies come from here!" Kristoff pointed towards Anna's crotch and scowled. When Dáinn growled at him he completely ignored it. "Come on, Anna, help me out here."

Anna relented, and spread her legs apart, her knees pointed upwards. "Alright…Ungh…" The next contraction hit her hard, and she grabbed both of Kristoff's hands as she rode it out. "Ahh… oh, god, I can't do this… where is Elsa? I need Elsa!"

Kristoff sat back on his heels, his emotions warring within him. He had taken Hølje's words literally, and acted immediately, and now this. As much as he thought he was doing the right thing when he kidnapped Anna, he now had some doubt. Perhaps the troll had meant something else when he said Anna needed to be protected at all costs. Anna had the four stags as her protectors, and she had the Queen, who was apparently destined to be an almighty dragon. What could he do that a powerful dragon could not?

The mountain man grabbed a towel and dipped it into the water, then he wiped the perspiration off of Anna's face. "I'm sorry, Anna. I really thought I was doing the right thing in taking you…"

Anna was grateful for the cool towel. "Well, you weren't! I'm not ready for the baby to come."

Dáinn lowered his head to the princess. "Is this true, Princess Anna?"

Anna was about to answer when she was hit with another contraction, this one lasting longer than the previous ones. She grabbed and held one the stag's antlers, pulling at his head as the wave crested then fell. She dropped to the wagon floor, completely exhausted. "I… I'm so tired."

Kristoff pushed up the princess' skirts and looked between her legs. "I can see… Anna! Part of the head is out. Push!"

"I can't…" She clutched at the antler and pushed as hard as she could, screaming as she did so.

Dvalinn and Duneyrr remained on high alert, and their attention turned to the west, their keen senses picking up on a new presence far in the distance.

Anna screamed again and Kristoff grabbed a large towel in order to catch the baby. "It's coming—the head is out, Anna!"

Anna grabbed Dáinn's antlers. "Help me…"

The stag wrenched his head free from the princess' grasp and pressed his head into her stomach, helping her to push. It didn't take long for the soft cries of an infant to fill the air. Kristoff immediately wrapped the baby in the large towel, not knowing what to do with the cord that was still attached, and placed the bundle on Anna's stomach.

But Dáinn did, and whipped his head around to face an exhausted Anna. "Please, let me assist you, Princess Anna."

Anna could only nod, not able to find her voice. The stag nuzzled the blanket open and gently bit on the cord, easily severing it. He then began to lick the end that was still attached to the crying infant until it was completely sealed. When he was done Anna pulled her baby into her arms and shed bittersweet tears, for her baby was here, but Elsa wasn't.

Kristoff dipped another towel into the water and wrung it out. Hen then cleaned the baby's mouth and head. "You have a son, Anna."

"What?" Anna wiped at her tears, and looked down on her child for the first time. His hair was already about two inches long and a platinum blonde. She looked into his blue eyes and shed more tears. "Oh, Elsa, you should be here." Her soft tears fell onto her son's forehead and he blinked. But then she felt more pain, and knew that her birthing process was far from over. "What… what is happening?"

When Kristoff shook his head Dáinn spoke up. "It is the afterbirth, Princess Anna. Will you allow me help you deliver it?" Anna nodded while kissing her son's head. The stag used his head to press down again on Anna's stomach, and after a few minutes of doing this the afterbirth expelled from Anna's body.

The mountain man nearly vomited at the sight of it, so he quickly wrapped it up in a cloth and tossed over the side of the wagon.

Duraþrór wailed at that moment and threw his head back in acknowledgement of the birth of Jörmungandr's offspring. But Dvalinn and Duneyrr had a different reaction. They sniffed at the air and then screamed in fright, which caught the attention of all. Off in the distance something was approaching at an incredibly fast speed. It was growling and spewing putrid ice the closer it came, its enormous wings helping the beast to practically glide over the rocky terrain.

Jörmungandr had arrived.

As always, let me know what you think. Please review.