A/N: Hey. HEY! Lookit this! ANOTHER update! *screeches like a pleased pterodactyl* I am seriously enjoying this no writers block thing with this fic. More nameless characters getting names in this chapter. More characters we know and love/loathe coming up in this one. As you all know, I have so many fics going on at once, and I do rotate through them as inspiration strikes. Currently, this one is the one making itself known most of all.
Warning: This chapter contains language, plotting, and... I think that's it. Pretty tame after the Duke skinned one of his own soldiers. I don't even want to hear it if you think this is graphic.
With love,
Korrupted.
Shout outs-
CobaltDusk: Yeah, that was pretty gross, wasn't it? I was kinda sad about Sven dying, but in battles, you aren't promised to come out alive. It's war, and there will be deaths. Sadly, it was Sven's time to die. I'm glad you are enjoying this fic, I hope you like this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Frozen, Disney does. I'm just showing them a really good but utterly confusing time. This fic is inspired by AtomicRedBoots AU art series on Deviant Art. You need to look at it. Right the hell now if you haven't. No, seriously. It's super amazing.
Anna and her soldiers were going through another drill, her beloved queen creating a contained blizzard to help prepare them for the battle ahead when a sentry sounded one of the horns. All sounds of training ceased as the frigid conditions rapidly dissipated, everyone of guard as the sight of approaching figures was noticed. However, the princess knight held up her hand to signal everyone to relax, she and Elsa walking to meet Ames and Alejandro on the frozen water. "My greatest of thanks to see the both of you here." Elsa stated in an even tone, the two dignitaries dressed in green and blue cloth lined with thick furs and wool. "I must admit, I had thought it would be your captains leading your troops, not the two of you."
Ames smirked, the tall, slim but strong French man inclining his head respectfully to the two women. "Bah, but I do not trust them with your lives. Monsieur Alejandro and I swore to aid you, and so we have come."
The short, stocky Spaniard fixed his black fur cloak, his form rippling with obvious muscle under his blue wool clothing, his black goatee as neatly trimmed as his comrade's. "Si. Reina Elsa, we do not take our words lightly. Duty is duty."
Anna smiled at the two men, bowing to them respectfully as they did to her. They had, as did the dignitaries from Germany and Ireland, remained friendly to Arendelle after the coronation, except Ames and Alejandro preferred to come to visit and help them as needed, even if their monarchs didn't wish them to do so. It was not a surprise to the princess, but she was glad to see the men again after all that had happened. "So, we must catch up after we have settled in. Mon ami, come. We must have our men rest so they may be ready for battle." Ames stated, motioning for his long time friend to help lead the extra troops to their barracks.
Elsa turned to look at Anna, a torn smile on her lips as her blue eyes softened. The younger woman knew that Elsa was glad to have the two men fighting beside them in the coming battle, but at the same time she was concerned about them being killed. It was less of a concern of how it would impact the relationship between Arendelle and the other countries, and more of her losing two people she was fond of. They were honorable, they were strong, they were decent even though they knew of her abilities. Anna had to admit that she did like the two men, and it would be sad to lose them. Her gaze turned back to her men, her expression stern. "Back to drills, you idiots!" The wintry tempest starting up again.
Hans sat atop his horse Sitron as he led his troops beside the Duke's, the two men wearing matching expressions of hate as they stared off into the distance. The two women they would face were as cunning as they were dangerous, likely summoning up creatures of Ragnarok to aid them in the coming battle. The Prince had now lost three brothers to the Mad Queen, each one turning him a little more desperate to see her slain; she was a threat to all if she wasn't stopped. "Prince Hans, reports are coming from the scouts that the ice ahead is broken. We must find another way around." One of his lieutenants informed him.
"No. We will continue this way." He spoke in a voice as cold as the ice below them, his green-hazel eyes full of determined malice.
"But, Your Highness-"
"Did I make myself unclear?"
The man went silent, nodding his submission before returning to the left flank. If men died crossing the icy waters, then they died. As long as that ice whore perished too, he didn't care who had to die. After that, he would claim Arendelle as his own and be king there, and that was all that truly mattered.
Kristoff worked silently on more armor, his eyes focused on the metal he was embedding his power into. It was only his fourth day working in the military outfitter shop, and all was currently going well when a sudden voice broke the calm silence.
"Yoo-hoo~!"
The metal cowter went flying from his hands as he violently jumped in shock, turning to scowl at Oaken slightly. "Oaken, I have requested that you do not do that while I am working." The troll-man huffed out irritably, his brown eyes narrowed.
"Oh, I apologize. Vhat are you verking on?" The towering man questioned, watching as his current assistant hunted for the elbow armor once again.
"Just some armor. Enchanting it to resist cold. It would help to keep you from having to pull another all-night shift to make more clothing." Was the reply.
The hulking man blinked at his words, touched that Kristoff was concerned. Oaken already planned on joining the fight regardless of how exhausted he was, but to know that he would be able to rest just a bit more was a comfort that not everyone had. So, he turned for a moment and poured a cup of hot fruit cider, then offered it to the blond chief who many shunned. "I do not know vhat you eat, but vould this be okay? I heard Queen Elsa say you ver once human."
Kristoff stared at the wooden drinking vessel for a few minutes before taking it, a smile on his lips. "I mostly gain what I need from the earth itself, but I still do eat human foods. Thank you, Oaken."
The man waved off the thanks casually, hearing the sound of boots approaching the two men and turning to see a young militia man. "Yoo-hoo! Velcome to the armory outfitter. Vhat can ve do for you?"
The brunette man cast a wary glance at the stony skinned man who was unfazed by it, taking a drink of steaming liquid before turning back to the metal in his hand. "I require my armor to be repaired. Sadly, it was heavily damaged in the last skirmish against Weselton, and in disrepair. Can you fix it?"
The man heaved up a large bundle of cloth, opening it to show the now sitting crafter the broken breastplate, rusted chainmaille, and damaged leather pieces. Kristoff walked over, whistling softly at the horrible state of the items. "That's a bit of a fixer-upper." He breathed.
The bearded former merchant shrugged. "It's a minor thing." Was the reply to his helper, then looking back at the soldier. "Ya, ve can fix it."
The scruffy military based male frowned visibly. "No, I want you to fix it. I want a human working on it, not some... Demon."
Kristoff paid the irritated man no mind, clearly accustomed to such words as he turned away unfazed to return to his previous task. Oaken, however, leaned closer to the other human, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his gigantic form suddenly even more imposing. "Vhat did you call him?" Was the softly asked question.
Kristoff spun back around, but before he could stop him, Oaken snatched up the offender by his collar in one hand, scooped up the broken armor with the other, walked to the doorway of his workshop, and literally threw them out. The chief watched as the human dusted off his hands as if he had merely tossed a sack of flour, his expression calm. "Now, vhere ver ve?"
"Oaken, why did you throw him out? He had an order that was easily hundreds of gold coins!" The magical man protested, gaining a disinterested shrug in reply.
"He vas very rude to you, Kristoff. I don't like it vhen people are cruel to my friends." Was the entirely all to simply reply.
The former human blinked, rather dumbstruck. "Friend...?" He questioned in a confused voice, as if disbelieving that anyone aside from Anna and Elsa could want to befriend him.
"Ya. You vurry about my health. That is vhat a friend does. So, I vill defend you. Because that is also vhat a friend does."
The enchanted man blinked several more times, a lump in his throat. Sven had been a great friend, but Oaken was a human choosing to befriend him regardless of how he looked. All because Kristoff cared about his health. "I... I think I would like being friends with you." He had seriously misjudged this man, now that he thought about it.
Oaken extended his hand, the blond chief clasping his wrist as he smiled. After a minute they broke the contact and returned to work, preparing for the battle ahead.
Ames and Alejandro both knelt before Elsa as she sat upon her throne, Anna standing guard by her side with her ice sword casually held blade down under her hands, the tip in the stone dais. "We will fight by your side, Reina Elsa." The Spaniard stated, not caring at all what his own king and queen thought of his actions. These girls needed him, and a true Spaniard would never leave women to face battle by themselves. "I would rather fall in battle as a warrior than die in Catalina as a politician."
Ames looked up at the duo, his level gaze full of determination. "Oui. I may not be of Arendelle, but I shall fight for her in your name, Reine Elsa. We swore to aid you three years ago, and we will not ho back on our word."
Anna closed her blue eyes, her scarred features tense in thought. They needed these two for help, but the princess knight hated the idea of losing them. "We graciously accept your aid. You both should rest. The enemy should be here in a few days." Elsa informed them, Anna giving her blonde sister a sideways glance, trying to read her carefully blank expression.
However, Alejandro stood with a savage grin, his dark eyes alight with impish delight. "Oh, I think that it may be longer than that, Reina Elsa. One of our boats had an ice breaking crew aboard. We decided to make... A bit of a welcoming gift for them. Unless they are loco, they must find another way around."
Elsa had to fight back a smirk at his words, arching an eyebrow in amusement. So, the Spanish fleet had opted to make things far more difficult for Hans and the Duke, maybe even halt them for a few more weeks. Not even those two bastards would be foolish enough to attempt crossing a broken section of the ocean.
Hans was furious as he glared at the broken ice before their army. It was starting to freeze over again, yes, but it was too thin for them to cross easily. His horse was prancing slightly, obviously wary of the surface before them as it's rider tried to urge the animal on. Snorting, the beast skirted the ice again, the prince finally kicking it harshly with his spurs to force it to jump. Sitron screeched in pain and did as ordered, his hooves leaping off of one side to scrabble for purchase on the other, only to break the landing surface below it.
Hans threw himself off of the creature and onto the safety of the thicker ice, turning in time to see the white horse vanish below the icy depths, dragged along under the surface a bit before it's head broke through a few yards down. He knew that his stead was as good as dead, his only regret being that his best sword had been fastened to the damn saddle before turning to face the others. "Throw the crossing ropes! I will anchor them there and then a few may cross."
A few long ropes were hurled towards him, the young man catching one and staking it down before grabbing several more. He helped men cross one at a time,and then started assisting the creation of several bridges to aid in the crossing. That bitch might try to kill him, but Hans would stand victorious over her and that bratty sister of hers. Perhaps if that Anna girl begged him, he might let her live as his mistress. She had been pretty enough, even with her face bleeding from Virdi's sword as she threatened him, but it would be the ultimate insult to the Mad Queen's memory to have her sister become nothing more than his servant and whore.
Slowly, the bridges were moved to cover the gap, the men crossing the freezing waters safely before the Duke ordered them to make camp. Hans found himself pouring over the maps in his ally's tent, the older man busy with keeping himself fit for the coming battle. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the mechanized man practicing his swordplay, a typically two handed sword held by the synthetic hand as if it was a rapier and not a broadsword. It was quite astonishing for the sixty two year old man to not only have survived battles against Elsa multiple times, but also chosen to gain false limbs and the occulus device for his missing eye. He had made the most out of the lot God had cast upon him. And now, both men who had lost so much to that Mad Queen had banded together to destroy her once and for all; one in avenge his brothers, and the other in revenge for his butchered form. "Prince Hans, how many more days until we are to engage in battle?" The Duke inquired calmly, sweeping his sword in a parry in the open air.
The red haired man studied the maps a bit more, his index finger tapping the surface, calculating silently. He had to factor in snow fall, weariness, and anything else that could slow their advance to give an accurate guess. "I would say if we do not have any major obstacles, likely another three to five days." Hans replied, but added, "They likely aren't expecting us to have crossed the cracked water like that. So, we may have the element of surprise on our side."
The red beam of the Duke's artificial eye narrowed. "Excellent. As agreed, once Arendelle has fallen, you will take up the kingdom. I simply want that bitch dead for the indignity she caused me." His gaze locked with Hans', the weasel faced man looking slightly enraged. "She tried to take away my humanity, my dignity. I seized my chance to make the most of being reduced to an invalid. She will taste my revenge. And my GOD, will it be painful."
The youngest prince of Southern Isles grimly nodded, his green gaze meeting that of his current ally. "Just ensure that it is slow and painful. I have a family to avenge."
The Duke grinned and nodded, returning to his drills as the prince returned to his planning. As annoying as the Duke was, he was invaluable to Hans, his resources pivotal and his drive for revenge inspiring. He had lost something greater than loved ones; he had lost part of his humanity with each encounter with Elsa. A single lost limb may not have been terrible, but she had cut away more and more with each battle, rendering him all but useless until he had decided to take matters into his own hands. Reportedly, it had been a horrifically painful experience to endure, but the elderly merchant had taken it in relative stride; the auburn haired male doubted he had the mental fortitude to undergo that process.
Alejandro settled into his shared quarters with his friend, his powerfully built frame exposed as he changed into his sleeping clothes. "Amigo, I forgot to ask, how is your husband?" He inquired, the tall Frenchman turning to grin.
"He is fantastique. It will be two years in a month." Ames stated. "And, your wife?"
The shorter dignitary laughed happily. "Bueno! She just gave birth to our son Francisco the day after we left. Maria had been in labor almost two days!" His expression softened. "After the battle, it will be good to meet him." Inquisitive brown eyes met the other man's. "Perhaps you would like to meet him too, si? Maria would be glad to see you and Jacques again."
The slender built man beamed widely at the offer, bowing his head slightly. "I think it would be nice to see your wife again, Alejandro. It has been five months too many." He sighed heavily, twisting his wedding band. "I wish we were able to meet more often, and under better events. Mon ami, if I should fall in battle... Take care of Jacques for me, s'il te plait."
Alejandro stood and walked over to his taller companion. "I will. But por favor, you must also promise me that you will watch over Maria and Francisco for me if I fall."
"Oui. You know I will. But, I must wonder what will happen should we both fall."
"Madre de Dios, that would be rather unfortunate then!" The Spaniard laughed in his rich voice.
"Indeed! Non, we will both strive to live past this battle. I want to meet little Francisco, and Jacques adores children." Ames sighed wistfully. "Maybe one day, we will be able to care for a child too."
A firm hand clasped his shoulder. "With any luck, you both will. You would be a great padre, Ames." The stocky warrior spoke in a soft voice, trying to reassure his best friend of a hopeful dream. Maybe one day, the two of them could raise their children together and be free of battles and politics. Maybe one day, they would be able to watch as their little ones dashed around them, the four adults laughing at their antics.
Maybe one day...
Anna popped a chocolate into her mouth as Elsa sighed happily in her throne, the two women in the throne room with a table full of food. The strawberry blond warrior princess was very pleased with how training had gone, Olaf skipping about with a tray of boar and cheese sandwiches atop his frosty head. "Hey Anna! When is it going to be summer?" He inquired in his entirely too chipper voice.
Marshmallow poked his head in, the hulking snowman looking at his rulers curiously, as if he too wanted to know. "In about seven more months, Olaf. It's just the start of winter. I mean, don't you like anything about winter?" The scarred woman personally adored how the cold would create ice and snow, but they could never be as beautiful as anything her sister crafted.
The happy-go-lucky snowman waved his hand in a playfully dismissive gesture. "Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle," His eyes brightened significantly. "but put me in summer and I'll be a..." He blinked as Marshmallow watched him expectantly. "Happy snowman!"
Anna couldn't help but giggle. Olaf had been through summer days several times now, and each year it was like a new experience for him. "Marshmallow likes winter." The larger creature stated. "It's pretty, and makes everything shine here."
Elsa smiled kindly at her snowy creations, Olaf twirling to her with an offering of cake. "Yes. There's beauty and great danger here. Ice is a very strange substance, alluring and deadly. Beautiful, powerful. Dangerous," the queen summoned a large ice shard in her left hand. "cold. It's unfeeling, unyielding. But, it's not entirely so." The shard floated away to create snow that fell to the floor. "It can be soft, mystical even. The snow can be collected and used as a compress for a wound. Ice can be stored and melted into drinking water, or used as a way to preserve food. Winter is all of these things. It can create and kill."
Anna walked over and squirmed her way into Elsa's lap, the platinum blonde woman leaning back as she held the piece of cake up so it wouldn't be knocked to the floor. The younger woman curled against her, nuzzling her beloved sister's neck as the ice wielding queen smiled. She truly did love Anna, and would do anything to protect her. And yet, there was a gnawing fear in the pit of her stomach that spread icy terror through her body; the fear that her dear knight would fall in the coming battle. Elsa's blue eyes turned downwards to look at the woman in her lap, taking in her happy yet scarred face. They traced the two scars Virdi had given her, the smaller one on her eyebrow from the second battle with the Duke, the other tiny ones from smaller skirmishes. How would she live without Anna? Elsa didn't want to find out, and drew her sister closer, gaining a contented sigh from the warrior, one hand absently stroking the braid with the streak of platinum blonde. "I love you, Anna." The queen whispered.
"I love you more, Elsa." Was the soft reply, gaining a wide grin from the older sibling.
Yes, she would keep her safe, otherwise Arendelle might lose both of them in one fell blow.