CHAPTER 19

2 days ago

"Finally. I thought he'd never leave."

Prince Mattias grunted as he stood. He had been sitting on one of the turrets overlooking the fjord for the better part of the afternoon, waiting for his target to make a move.

He had been tailing one of the Royal Guards, a young sergeant named Hagebak if he remembered correctly, since the early morning. The sergeant and four other men made up the Queen's personal guard and were directly responsible for the safety of the Royal Family. They were led by Captain Torvald Stenson, whom Mattias had come to know personally since his arrival in Arendelle.

The Captain was cordial to the Prince, accepting him into the ranks of Arendelle's guard without hesitation and making him feel as comfortable as possible. The Captain was also quick to inform him that he would give his life for his Queen, which made his plot against her all the more troubling.

Mattias had heard of a plot against the crown of Arendelle several weeks before he had arrived. After the incident with Weselton and the Kingdom of the Southern Isles, it was safe to assume that others would try to take advantage of Arendelle's instability. It was the reason the Order had wanted to send a representative to the kingdom in the first place. The Prince was eager to volunteer his services, considering that the circumstances of his betrothal already required him to travel to Arendelle.

That, and the fact that he didn't trust anyone else with the lives of his dear friends.

It didn't take long for Mattias to discover the identities of the conspirators. It made sense, really; the Queen's personal guard would be the last person that anyone would suspect in a plot against her.

The Prince had figured out the who easily enough, but he still needed to determine the how, the when, and perhaps most importantly, the why.

Why would a man that served the Royal Family for decades want to assassinate the Queen? It didn't make sense. Mattias considered himself to be a good judge of character, and when the Captain had talked about his loyalty to the crown, the Prince had sensed no deception.

So, when Sergeant Hagebak left the barracks alone as the sun began to fall behind the mountains, Mattias sprang into action. Donning his hooded cloak, pistol, and wrist blade, he scaled the castle wall and began to tail the Sergeant.

The Prince followed Hagebak as he made his way through the parapets and towards an abandoned boathouse near the water's edge. As he emerged from the walls of the castle, the sergeant began to move slowly with his head on a constant pivot, carefully observing his surroundings. The shadows cast by the stone walls of the castle made it difficult for Mattias to see the sergeant approach the small building, but he was able to see the silhouette of the man disappear into the structure.

Now, an hour later, Hagebak had emerged from the boathouse with another man, presumably another guard. The pair of men moved several pieces of wooden debris in front of the door, presumably to keep up the abandoned appearance of the building as well as to keep prying eyes at bay.

Mattias dropped back into the shadows of the turret as the men headed back towards the barracks. He could hear them laughing as they passed, oblivious to the fact that he was stalking them from above. The guards entered the parapet and Mattias made his move.

The Prince dropped down from the turret he was perched on, catching himself on an arrow slit to slow his descent before landing on the ground below with a thud. He knelt and silently traversed the small clearing between the castle wall and the boathouse. He made quick work of discretely clearing the debris that blocked the entrance, but his progress was halted when he uncovered a large metal padlock.

After taking a moment to weigh his options, the Prince deployed the blade hidden in the vambrace that adorned his right forearm and inserted it into the lock mechanism. With a few studied movements of the blade, the lock popped open with a satisfying CLICK. Mattias sheathed the blade and placed the lock to the side, careful to make as little noise as possible.

Mattias turned the handle and stealthily entered the decrepit building. The interior was pitch black as the windows had been boarded up long ago. The ever-prepared Prince reached into his tunic and pulled out a matchstick which he then struck on the cold rocky floor. The light provided by the match was minimal, but it was enough to allow him to make a precursory observation of the room.

At first glance, the interior was exactly as he expected it to be. Various ropes and chains hung from the walls, and the floor was littered with old fishing nets and traps. Several barrels and crates were stacked to one side. They were all warped and cracked due to neglect and exposure, evidence of just how long the old structure had been uninhabited. In the center of the room was a large wooden crate that seemed to be in better shape than the others. On top of the crate was the only thing in the room that seemed out of place; a well-polished brass lantern.

Mattias walked towards the crate and retrieved the lantern. He could feel heat emanating from it; Hagebak and the other guard must have been using it. The Prince shook the lantern and, much to his relief, heard the sloshing of the fuel inside. He used his match to ignite the wick and the room filled with light.

The man took in his newly-illuminated surroundings and discovered several things he had initially missed. The first new object of interest was a stack of books piled under one of the boarded-up window. Mattias picked up the foremost text and examined it. The leather was worn and the pages were frayed; the book was clearly very old. The only detail that bothered the Prince was how clean the book was. There was not a mote of dust to be found on its exterior. If the book was abandoned along with the building, it would be as dusty and moldy as everything else in the room. He held his lantern up to the tome, the light from the flame dancing across the leather surface and illuminating the embossed title. It was written in a foreign language, Gaelic, if he remembered his lessons correctly. He was never good with the language, but he attempted to decipher it none the less.

"Hmm… Ar Draíochta Agus Asarlaiocht…" Mattias recited in broken Gaelic.

"On magic and… sorcery?"

Puzzled, he put the first book aside and picked up the next in the stack. He easily recognized the English written across it.

"The Holy Bible. Easy enough." he said as he placed the text near the previous one.

The next book was titled in the Prince's native language, gold lettering weaving its way across the cover, spelling out Bekjempe Heksekunst: Rettsmidler for Staver og Besvergelser.

"Combating Witchcraft: Remedies for Spells and Incantations." Mattias read. "That's… eerie."

The Prince returned the books to their original places and moved the lantern down the rest of the stack, reading the spines of the remaining books as he did.

"Witchcraft… sorcery… magic… witches… I think I may have found the why."

Satisfied with what he learned from the stack of literature, Mattias turned his attention to the crate in the middle of the room. He lifted the lantern into the air, letting the light wash over the wooden surface. The crate was littered with more books, stray papers, empty ink wells and food scraps, as well as the waxy remains of multiple burnt-out candles.

'Looks like someone has been spending a lot of time here.' Mattias thought.

He put the lantern down on the crate and swept the remains of someone's meal off of a large piece of paper that took up the majority of space on the surface before kneeling next to it. On the paper was a rudimentary drawing of the castle and its grounds, including the shoreline of the fjord and the portion of the city directly adjacent to the walls. The most striking feature of the drawing was the presence of several large X shapes which were violently drawn over certain areas of the castle. One mark, which Mattias guessed was over the throne room, appeared to be drawn with such enmity that the parchment was torn through and the surface under it had been scarred with the cross.

Mattias scanned the map, taking in information and memorizing the likeness of the castle as his gray eyes swept side to side across the parchment, stopping when he reached the castle's eastern wall and the main gates. An anomaly on the map caused him to immediately focus on the bridge that connected the castle to the city.

Instead of an X, the bridge was enclosed in a thick circle of dark ink. Inside the large circle, on the bridge, were seven smaller circles; three rows of two with one between the first and second rows. The circles in the second row of two had slashes through them.

"Here's the where. Position markers..." Mattias uttered as he analyzed this new information, placing his finger on the five unmarked circles. "The guards, and..." His finger found the two slashed circles, tapping them as he thought.

"...targets?" he said. "But why two?"

He contemplated this for another moment until he finally decided that he was satisfied with this new intelligence. He stood up and meticulously rearranged the items on the crate so it resembled its original appearance as closely as possible before dousing the flame of the lantern and exiting the boathouse. He secured the iron padlock to the door and replaced the blockade of detritus before retreating into the shadows of the castle walls. Upon reaching the base of the fortification, he immediately began to climb. He reached the top of the wall and clambered over the side before taking off towards one of the towers.

Since coming to Arendelle, Mattias had often scaled the various belfries and turrets of the castle, finding comfort in the solitude that they provided. He found that the sweeping views of the kingdom afforded by the towers were the perfect backdrop on which to think and reflect. So as he reached the peak of the tower and perched himself near the spire, he did just that.

"Two targets..." he said out loud. His brow furrowed in thought and he began to absentmindedly thumb the scar on his lip, a habit that he had kept since the day he received the wound. The Prince often pondered why his attention was drawn to the blemish on his features whenever he found himself lost in thought. Perhaps it was born out of boredom, or perhaps it was to remind himself of the consequences of failure, but tracing the pronounced line that marred his face always seemed to help him focus.

"Two targets." Mattias repeated. "That means Elsa and Anna." He turned his attention to the castle keep, eyes focusing on the large window of the Queen's study.

"Obviously the guards think Elsa is an 'evil ice witch', and I suppose that explains why they want her dead, but that doesn't explain why they'd want to kill Anna too, unless maybe they think she has powers as well, which she does not."

Mattias' hand stopped its rhythmic motion across his mouth as his brow furrowed and his head cocked to the side.

"...at least, I don't think she does."

A quick flash of reflected sunlight caught the Prince's attention, drawing him away from his curious thought about the Princess and attracting his gaze back towards the Queen's study. The balcony doors had opened, the changed position of the glass being responsible for the bright orange glow that now obscured his vision. He stood up and shielded his eyes with his left hand, grabbing onto the spire for support with his right and allowing his body to hang to the side, like a sailor hanging from the mast of a frigate. From his vantage point, he was able to see the outlines of two figures as they walked out onto the balcony. One of the figures was Elsa, judging by the way the waning sunlight glinted off of her like it would a diamond.

"She really likes those ice dresses." the Prince commented under his breath.

If one of the figures was the Queen, the other had to be the Princess. The two were inseparable at all other times, so Mattias saw no reason to believe otherwise now. His postulation was further confirmed by the fact that the second figure was slightly shorter than Elsa, and as far as he knew, the only person in the castle shorter than the young monarch was her younger sister.

Mattias debated returning to his meditations, but his curiosity won out and he continued to watch the scene unfolding on the balcony intently, ignoring the small pang of guilt he felt for intruding on what was most likely a private moment. So he watched and waited, like an owl perched high in a tree as it searched the ground for its prey. The two women moved to the railing of the balcony and the Princess raised her arm, pointing at some distant object. The glimmering figure of the Queen leaned forward over the railing for a moment before retracting herself and quickly spinning to her sister. The two seemed to be arguing over something, as Elsa began gesturing wildly in the direction that Anna was pointing to a moment ago. Another moment passed, and Mattias saw the Queen's shoulders drop as her hands fell to her sides before Anna reached out to embrace her. He watched as Elsa returned the embrace before the two pulled away from each other slightly.

What happened next, however, caught him off guard.

Mattias watched as the sunlight pouring through the gap between the Queen and Princess' faces disappeared. It almost looked as if they were...

"...kissing?"

The Prince's eyes widened with shock as the light reappeared between them.

"They're... kissing?"

As if to drive the point home, the two figures came together once again.

"They're kissing! Why are they kissing?!"

The scene repeated itself once more before Anna retreated into the castle.

Mattias' mouth hung open as he stared at the Queen, trying to understand what he had just witnessed. The influx of thoughts he was having as a result had seemingly shorted out his mind, leaving him so flabbergasted that he didn't notice that he was losing his grip on the spire. As the Queen began walking towards the door, the Prince felt gravity pulling him down the sloped roof of the tower as his hand slipped away from the spire.

"Oh nonononono!"

His mind snapped out of its haze as he began to slide off of the tower. He clawed at the roof of the structure but was unable to stop his rapid descent as his fingers slipped helplessly over the smooth surface. Finally, after his body had completely fallen away from the tower, his grip found purchase on the very edge of the structure, stopping him from plummeting to his death on the rocky shores of the fjord. His relief was short-lived, however, as his fingers began to lose their tenuous grip on the ledge.

"Vel, dritt."

As his grip fell away completely, Mattias used his legs to kick himself as far away from the tower as he could, hoping to give himself enough momentum to clear the distance between the castle wall and the icy waters of the fjord. As he sailed through the air, he watched the massive boulders at the base of the wall grow closer and closer. After what seemed like an eternity, the foreboding gray of the stones turned to the glorious azure of safety, and a sense of relief washed over the Prince, just as the cold water did a moment later. Now completely enveloped by the watery sanctuary, his world became nothing but dark and bitter cold.

"GAAAAAHHHSWEETALLFATHERTHATISCOLD!" he half-gasped, half-screamed as his head breached the surface. Without a moment's hesitation, he oriented himself towards the shore and began frantically swimming. The shock of the extreme temperature made it difficult for him to catch his breath, so when he reached the shore, he collapsed onto his back, gasping for air and shivering.

"Th-th-this cou-couldn't have w-waited t-t-till s-summer." he said between deep inhales and through chattering teeth.

"Ice Queen, winter, coldest nation in the Council... it's as if Höðr himself has a vendetta against me."

Several minutes later, Mattias had caught his breath and stood up. He discarded his saturated cloak, leaving it on a rock to dry.

'Or freeze...' he thought. 'I'll come back for that later.'

Still dripping wet and violently shivering, the Prince made his way to the castle's postern gate, leaving a trail of moisture in his wake as he trudged across the courtyard. Unbeknownst to him, his interesting and out-of-place appearance had caught the attention of a certain blonde-haired man as he made his way passed the stables.

"Rough day, stranger?"

Mattias stopped his slow and miserable procession and spun toward the source of the noise, unsheathing his wrist blade and taking a defensive stance as he did. His stance relaxed and he retracted his blade when he saw the blonde man leaning against the doorway to the stables, arms crossed and a grin on his face.

"You have no idea." the Prince finally replied as a frown formed on his face.

He watched the blonde man for a second longer and noticed his eyes widen and mouth open in surprise before he quickly knelt down to one knee and lowered his head.

"Prince Mattias! I'm so sorry, I-I didn't recognize you!" he stammered. The Prince raised a questioning eyebrow as another chill shook him to the core.

"Please, you don't need to bow to me. I hold no power in this Kingdom."

"O-of course, Your High-"

"Just Mattias. Please."

"Oh-okay then, Mattias." he slowly rose to his feet, a little taken aback by the Prince's informality. An awkward silence befell the two men. Mattias cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and the man jumped.

"Oh, sorry, where are my manners?" the blonde said through an uncomfortable chuckle. "Kristoff Bjorgman, Royal Ice Master and Deliverer to the Kingdom of Arendelle."

Kristoff bowed slightly before walking towards the Prince and offering a hand. Mattias took it before formally introducing himself.

"Mattias, Prince of Ørnhavn." the Prince responded, shaking Kristoff's hand as he did. "It's good to finally meet you. Both the Queen and Princess have spoken very highly of you."

"That's... good to hear." Kristoff replied with a doleful smile as he released the Prince's hand. "May I speak freely, Mattias?"

"Absolutely."

"Why are you wet?"

Mattias let out a bitter chuckle and smirked as he clapped the blonde man on the shoulder.

"That is a very long story, my friend." he laughed. "A long story, indeed."

"Well, I've got a fire burning inside the stables if you'd like to tell it." Kristoff responded. "I also just got a case of rum from a friend of mine who works down at the docks. Why don't you join me for a drink?"

Silence befell the two men once again as Mattias pondered the offer, recalling the bizarre events of the day as he did. Tailing Hagebak, the map, falling from the spire, the freezing waters of the fjord...

Trumping all of that, however, was the improper moment of intimacy he had accidentally witnessed between the Queen and Princess.

Remembering all of that, especially the kissing part, he decided on his response.

"Sure, I could use a drink or two."

'Or ten...'

2 days later

"I see." Anna said. "Maybe next time?"

"Maybe next time."

Mattias smiled as he watched the Princess wave and turn to retreat from his doorway. The modicum of happiness didn't last long, however, as he shut the door and returned to his preparations. He had practically thrown his scabbards and holster out the window as he scrambled to take them off when Anna called to him from outside his door. He made quick work in retrieving the items and strapping them back on to his person before haphazardly throwing his cloak on. Finally, he secured his vambrace and wrist blade onto his forearm before climbing out of the window and clambering up the exterior of the castle.

"Okay... I have ten, maybefifteen minutes, if I'm lucky, to get into position." he explained to himself as he ran through his objectives once more.

He had to get atop the guardhouse above the gate before the Royal Procession exited the castle. If he didn't get there before all the guards were in place, he would surely be caught. He needed to get to the boathouse and secure the map that detailed Captain Stenson's plans, because something told him that the Queen would not appreciate him killing her personal guards without proof that they were conspiring against her.

Of course, he had to do all of that without being seen.

The Prince reached the roof and immediately ran towards the far end of the structure, crossing the balcony of the Queen's study and reaching the edge of the building in no time. Without stopping, he jumped towards the stables and the large pile of hay that was currently stacked against it. He landed in the soft material and quietly made his way towards the postern gate, which he had left unlocked two nights ago after the... incident... on the spire.

Once outside the walls, the Prince sprinted the final distance towards the boathouse. He threw the debris that blocked the door to the side and kicked the door down. He grabbed the map and one of the books and placed them in his cloak as he retreated from the building. Mattias positioned himself at the bottom of the curtain wall where he had climbed down during his initial investigation the other night. With a grunt, he ran toward the wall and shuffled up to the first foothold he could reach, pulling himself up the façade meter by meter.

Mattias launched himself onto the roof of the parapet and immediately rushed toward the gatehouse. He scaled and dismounted the towers one by one, each one costing him precious time that he could not afford to lose. As he rounded the final corner towards the gatehouse, he saw that Elsa and Anna, along with the guards, had already begun their march toward the gate. With all the speed he could muster, he closed the distance to the gatehouse, scaling the side just as the procession reached the gates. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he positioned himself on the front of the tower and watched as the first two guards came into view on the bridge below. Captain Stenson appeared a moment later.

Another moment flew by, and Mattias heard the gates slam closed. Just as they did, he saw Stenson reaching for his sword. The Prince activated his wrist blade, which slid into place with a familiar, comforting click, and jumped.

Time seemed to stand still as he flew through the air. Stenson's sword was out of its sheath and Mattias heard an angry yell emanating from the man. The Captain's weapon was climbing high into the air as he spun around to face the Queen and bring the blade down, but his attack faltered when he noticed a shadow closing in on him.

Mattias saw the Captain's eyes widen in shock as he noticed the Prince. A moment later, Mattias made contact with the Captain, striking him in the torso with his legs and stabbing his wrist blade into the man's left shoulder. The Captain let out a pained howl as the blade ripped through his flesh, severing muscle and bone alike. The Captain hit the ground, Mattias still on top of him, blade still sunken into his shoulder. A moment later, Stenson's sword fell to his side with a metallic clatter. Mattias ripped the blade from the man's chest, the motion sending a trail of blood flying through the air.

With a motion of his wrist, the weapon slid back into its home, and Mattias stood up over the fallen Captain. He reached his arms across his body and his hands found purchase on the handles of his prized swords. In a fluid motion, he drew both weapons, ready to take on the remaining traitors. A feminine scream drew his attention, though, and he slowly turned towards the Queen and Princess. He tried to explain himself through his eyes as they met the Queen's, but a loud growl and the sound of swords being drawn took his attention away from the Monarch. He had a job to do; he could explain himself later.

For now, he had to protect his friends.

Elsa couldn't believe her eyes.

They were playing tricks on her.

There was no way that she had just witnessed her friend, a foreign prince no less, murder the Captain of the Royal Guard.

She didn't have time to debate herself though, because the sounds of sword fighting and the sight of the Prince engaging her bodyguards made her realize the severity of the situation playing out before her.

Anna.

She had to protect Anna.

Elsa spun around and pulled the Princess towards her. Once she was close, the Queen clapped her hands over her head, and a dome of thick, clear ice appeared to enshroud the two young women. She grabbed her sister tightly as the dome completed itself, defensive instinct making her wrap her arms around the Princess' head.

Elsa watched the struggle through the ice. She could hear the guards in the gatehouse shouting.

"Open the gates!" they cried, but the gates didn't open.

Her attention was drawn from the fight in front of her by a loud pounding. She turned towards the gate and saw it swell and contract with each thumping sound. It was then she noticed that a large plank of wood was threaded through the handles of the gates, keeping them from opening.

She also noticed that the two rear guards were now violently hacking at the sisters' icy sanctuary with their swords.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled at them. "Stop him!"

Her order was ignored, and confusion and terror struck the Queen. Her head turned back towards Mattias just as he dispatched the two lead guards, his swords dancing over their necks and ending their lives. She screamed as their blood sprayed onto the icy surface of her enclosure.

The Prince then turned his attention towards the remaining two guards. He vaulted over the frozen shield and immediately engaged the soldiers. He moved so quickly and with such precision that the guards never stood a chance. Elsa watched as the Prince parried an attack that came from behind him with one sword and stabbed the other guard through the stomach with the other. He kicked the impaled guard hard in the chest, sending him flying over the side of the bridge and into the icy water below. The remaining guard fought as best as he could, but if Mattias could handle five guards at once, one guard would be no challenge. Mattias swept the guard's legs from under him and he hit the floor, sword clattering away from his grasp. Mattias stood over him and thrust both swords into his chest with a sickening crunch before retracting the blades and returning them to their sheathes.

The Queen watched with morbid curiosity as the Prince returned to the body of the Captain. He knelt down and grabbed Stenson by his lapels, drawing his face close.

"Why?" Mattias yelled. "Speak now, and redeem yourself!"

The Captain let out a nefarious laugh, blood sputtering from his mouth with each ragged breath.

"WHY?!"

"For God and Country!" the Captain spat before continuing his twisted cackling.

A moment later, the laughing ceased and Stenson's eyes grew wide. Elsa saw them flutter back and forth, seemingly confused, as if he hadn't been witness to what had taken place. A distressed frown suddenly spread across his face.

"What... what has happened?!" he yelled with what little breath he had left. "I-I... I don't... the Queen... I don't... can't..."

With one final breath, the Captain's eyes rolled back into his head and his body went limp. He was gone.

"Måtte din sjel finne trøst i det neste liv." Mattias said quietly. "Hvil i fred."

The Prince placed the Captain on the ground before standing and turning towards the Queen and Princess.

He once again met the Queen's eyes, and Elsa could see a torrent of emotion in the deep pools of gray. The orbs suddenly darted up in the direction of the gate, just as a loud crash and the sound of wood splintering filled the air. The guards in the courtyard had broken through. He turned his attention back to the Queen and spoke.

"Anna will know where to find me."

With that last utterance, he turned and ran across the bridge before disappearing into the sizable crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion. Elsa kept her eyes trained in his direction, watching the guards attempt to disperse the crowd and pursue him. Mattias' cryptic words reminded her of her sister, and she turned her attention towards Anna, still wrapped tightly in her arms. She was whimpering quietly and her chest was heaving in and out violently. Though her attention was focused on her sister, Elsa could see guards surround them in her peripheral vision. They were tending to the wounded, or at least attempting to; Elsa knew they were all dead already. Mattias' attacks were too vicious and too precise to leave anyone alive. She then heard a familiar, distant voice calling out to her.

"Majesty, Highness!" yelled Kai, flanked by a nervous Gerda and Kristoff. "Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

"Anna, Elsa, please!" Kristoff chimed in, knocking frantically on the glassy dome. "Answer us!"

She ignored them for a minute, instead choosing to use the privacy that the enclosure provided to steady her breathing. Her breathes became more even as time passed, and she finally released one hand from around her sister and waved it in a circular motion above her head. The dome began to disappear, evaporating into the air from the center outward. Once it was open enough, Elsa stood, carrying her sister with her. For the first time since the attack began, Anna separated herself from the Queen, who looked down at her, ignoring the worried cries of Kristoff, Kai, and Gerda.

"Are you alright, Anna?" she asked desperately, hands clutching the Princess' face. "Are you hurt at all?"

Hot tears streamed down Anna's face. Her mouth parted, but no words came to her, unable to pass the lump in her throat, so she nodded her answer.

"Thank the Gods!" Elsa cried. She wrapped her sister in her arms once again. Finally, she turned to Kai.

"Did anyone survive?"

Elsa didn't know why she asked the question, considering that she already knew grim answer. The sad look on the face of the Head Servant further served to confirm the fact. He bowed his head and shook it side to side.

"No, Your Majesty." Kai answered sadly. "The Captain and his squad are deceased."

"I... I see."

"We need to get you inside the castle, Your Majesty." Kai said with urgency. "The assailant may return, and we need to get you to safety!"

Elsa nodded. "O-Okay." she said meekly. Kristoff moved to the duo's side and reached an arm out to help the women into the building. As he approached, Elsa flinched, reflexively turning the Princess away from him. Kristoff backed away with a frown.

"Elsa, I just want to help." he said calmly. "You two are my friends. I want to make sure you're alright."

Elsa nodded after a noticeable hesitation, and the Ice Master put his muscular arm around the duo, gently guiding them back into the castle. Normally, only Anna was ever able to touch the Queen in such a way, but Elsa welcomed the safe, comforting feeling that the burly man's grip provided. As the group reached the grand staircase, Kristoff released his protective grasp on the sisters. Gerda was the first to speak.

"Majesties, if you'd like, I could summon the Royal Physician to examine-"

"My study." Elsa interrupted. "All off you. Please."

The group nodded as Elsa, still holding Anna, led them up the stairs. Kai motioned for two guards to follow the group, who quickly fell in line at a safe distance as to not further upset the monarchs. When they reached the study, Elsa turned to the group and spoke, voice shaky and small.

"Wait here until I call for you." she commanded as best as she could. "I need a moment alone with An- the Princess. Kai, find the next guard in line for Captain and bring him here."

"Yes, Majesty." he responded.

"We'll be waiting right here if you need us." Kristoff said with a smile. Gerda nodded her agreement and Elsa smiled weakly.

"Thank you." she said, almost a whisper. She led Anna into the study and closed the door behind them, locking it with a layer of ice.

The Queen brought the Princess over to one of the couches in the room and they both fell to the cushions, collapsing under the weight of what had happened.

"Anna..." she whispered. "Anna, it's okay. We're safe now."

With unexpected speed, Anna grabbed the Queen and kissed her deeply. Elsa was surprised by the sudden display of affection, but relented and melted into the kiss. She let out a soft sigh as Anna's hands found her cheeks. The Princess severed the connection and stared into Elsa's eyes as tears flowed from her own.

"I-I-I thought I w-was going to l-lose you ag-again!"

With that, the Princess broke down once more. Elsa quickly followed. The two held each other and cried for several minutes until they had both calmed down enough to speak.

"Elsa, why would Mattias do that?" the Princess asked. "How could he kill our guards?"

"I don't know, Anna." the Queen replied. "I really don't know."

"The Captain... I can't believe he killed Captain Stenson... that man protected us for all these years..."

"Mother and Father, too." Elsa added.

"..and now he's... how could this happen?" Anna mused.

"I honestly don't know." the Queen replied with exasperation. "I just-"

"Mattias is our friend!" Anna interrupted. "I have to marry him!"

"Anna, that's not likely to happen at this point."

"I trusted him!" the redhead cried. "Gods, it happened again!"

"Anna!" Elsa yelled. "Calm down. I trusted him too. He's my friend as well."

"But-"

"No buts. This was not your fault." Elsa said curtly. "Now, we have to deal with this. We are the rulers of this kingdom, and right now we must act as such."

Anna nodded with her head down. "O-okay. Okay." she said, gaining a little bit of confidence. "What do we do?"

"First of all, I think we should handle this, not the guards." the Queen explained. "If the people find out that Mattias was the perpetrator, they will call for war with Ørnhavn, and we cannot afford to lose another ally."

"Yes, I agree." the Princess responded. "That information can't get out, at least not yet. The Council nations are already divided enough with everything that has happened recently."

Elsa watched her sister fidget with one of the braids that was slung over her shoulder. Her teal eyes were shifting back and forth rapidly in their sockets and she was tapping her foot over and over again.

"Is something on your mind?" the Queen asked.

Anna muttered something under her breath.

"Kjæreste, what is it?"

"It doesn't make sense." Anna said, louder this time, head and eyes shooting up to meet the Queen's.

"If Mattias wanted us dead, he could have done it at any time. He's staying in the castle; all he would have to do is wait for everyone to fall asleep, or poison our food, or... anything!" Anna stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of the Queen's desk.

"He had a million opportunities to kill us already, so why wait for the middle of the day to try, in full view of the public, while we're surrounded by the best guards in the kingdom?"

Elsa pondered the question thoroughly. Anna was right; something didn't add up.

"Not to mention the fact that he ran once he had finished... dealing... with Stenson's men instead of attacking us! He had his opportunity, and he squandered it!"

Elsa walked behind her desk and took her seat while the Princess continued her frenzied pacing. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the wooden surface with her fingers laced together.

"He asked the Captain why... why what?" Elsa queried. "Why would Mattias interrogate him after fatally injuring him?"

Anna threw her arms up as if to say "I don't know" as she spun on her heals and continued her patrol.

"And what he said afterward... 'May your soul find comfort in the next life'... what kind of murderer says something like that?"

Anna repeated the same motion as before.

"Then again, right before he ran, he said that you-"

"That I would know how to find him." the Princess interrupted as she finally stopped her pacing. "I heard."

"...well?"

"Well what?" Anna replied. "Do I know how to find them? Of course not! I have no idea what he's talking about! I've only ever been to a few places with him! The docks, the tavern, the castle, but there are tons of people in all of those places; he wouldn't go to hide there! He would go somewhere isolated, somewhere secluded, kind of like, well, kind of like you did on the night of your corona-"

Anna paused suddenly. Her eyes shot open in realization and she turned towards the Queen who was staring inquisitively back at her with an arched brow.

"The ice palace..." she whispered.

"Come again, Anna?"

"The ice palace! He's at the ice palace!" the Princess declared.

"How can you be sure?"

"He asked me about it this morning, remember? He wanted to know if we were going there today! He kept bringing it up over and over, I thought he was just being weird, but maybe he was warning me somehow of what he was gonna do!"

"The ice palace." Elsa repeated. "I suppose going there would make sense. The mountain is difficult to traverse, especially during the winter; no one would think to look there."

"So when are we leaving?" Anna asked, voice tinged with a morbid eagerness.

"Not yet," the Queen replied. Anna's shoulders fell in response. "but soon. We need to handle things here first. We also need to think of a way to explain why we would suddenly head to the North Mountain without escorts."

"I'll think of something." Anna said with a sly grin. "Just follow my lead."

She punctuated the statement with a wink which caused a small smile to form on the Queen's face. The happiness only distracted her from her grim business for a moment though, and her face morphed into the stoic image of authority that adorned it when she conducted stately affairs. Anna saw this and moved to sit down in one of the chairs across from Elsa's desk, but the Queen stopped her before she made contact with the seat.

"No! Don't sit! Your place is here," Elsa gestured to the space adjacent to her. "at my side."

Anna smiled and quickly made her way to stand at her sister's right as Elsa dissipated the ice that was securing the door.

"Wait," Anna exclaimed. "before you call them in..."

The Princess leaned down and placed a kiss on Elsa's cool lips while her hand took hold of the Queen's.

"I love you." Anna said warmly and gave the Queen's hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll get through this."

"I know." Elsa replied with a smile. "Now then, time to play queen."

Anna giggled but quickly stifled it and clasped her hands behind her back. She sent the Queen a small nod indicating that she was ready. Elsa returned the gesture and turned toward the door.

"Enter." she commanded loudly. Seconds later, the door opened and the group made its way into the study.

Kai, Gerda, Kristoff, and an unfamiliar guard stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the desk, each with a look of unease and concern plastered across their faces. The head servant was the first to speak.

"Your Majesty," he said timidly. "we are at your service."

Elsa took a moment to observe the group, focusing particularly on the soldier.

"Is this the highest ranking officer in the Guard?"

"Yes, Majesty." Kai answered.

The soldier was young, far too young, to be the highest ranking guard. The insignia on his shoulder indicated he was a lieutenant, but his boyish features seemed to undermine the rank.

"Lieutenant." Elsa called out, and the guard snapped to attention with a click of his boots. "Front and center."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The lieutenant moved with the refined precision that only those with military training possessed, quickly closing the gap between him and the desk. He clicked his boots once more and saluted the Queen before snapping his hand down to his side. Elsa could feel the apprehension emanating from the man, compounded by the rivulets of sweat that she could see rolling down his neck.

"What is your name, soldier?" Elsa asked. The voice that responded was wrought with anxiety.

"Arnesen, Majesty. Niklas Arnesen."

"Might I ask your age, lieutenant?"

"I am twenty-five, Majesty."

"Twenty-five? That is very young for a lieutenant of the Guard. You must be quite a soldier."

"Thank you, Majesty, I..."

The lieutenant's head dropped to his chest for a moment. When it returned to its upright position, his face was grief-stricken, and Elsa saw a tear in the corner of his eye.

"...I had a good mentor." he finished. "The late Commander Holt took me under his wing when I joined the Guard, for reasons that were never made clear to me."

"I see." the Queen replied somberly. "You have my sincerest condolences, Lieutenant."

"Thank you, Majesty."

"I trusted the late Commander with my life. If he saw potential in you then it must absolutely exist." Elsa continued. "Of course, you are young; but then again, so am I."

That elicited a small grin from the guard and Elsa saw his posture relax slightly.

"So, Lieutenant, answer me this: are you prepared to defend the Kingdom of Arendelle, it's Realms and Territories; in particular, myself, Queen Elsa, Sovereign ruler of the Kingdom of Arendelle, as well as Her Highness Princess Anna, Heir Apparent to the Crown of the Kingdom of Arendelle, to the absolute best of your ability and, if necessary, lay down your life to protect your charges?"

"Yes, Majesty." the lieutenant replied. "No harm shall come to Her Majesty or Her Highness so long as I draw breath on this Earth."

The Queen nodded at the lieutenant's response and stood from her seat. She took a moment to quietly observe the man, taking note of his eyes in particular. The stoic brown spheres showed no sign or sense of unease or uncertainty.

"I believe your word to be sincere, Lieutenant Arnesen, and I trust that you will fulfill your duties without hesitation." the Queen recited. "I hereby promote you to Captain of the Royal Guard, effective immediately. We will have a formal promotion ceremony for you in the near future, once this tragedy has been dealt with."

The newly-promoted Captain of the Guard fell to one knee and bowed his head in appreciation.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will not fail you; you have my word."

"You may rise, Captain Arnesen." Elsa exclaimed, and the man returned to his feet. "Your first task as Captain of the Guard will be to assemble a squad of four men to serve as my personal protectors. You may choose whichever guards you deem worthy of the position and promote them as necessary. Report back to me once you've made your decision."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You are dismissed, Captain Arnesen."

The Captain saluted and quickly exited the room. As the door clicked shut, Elsa turned her attention back towards the remaining occupants. Before she said anything else, she turned towards the Princess and nodded, signaling Anna to explain their impending departure.

"Kai, Gerda, the Queen and I will be leaving the castle later this evening. Prince Mattias will also be leaving with us. We will be spending the night at the palace on the North Mountain."

Surprisingly, Kristoff was the first to respond.

"Would you like me and Sven to bring you there?" he asked. Anna smiled earnestly at the man's willingness to help them.

"We appreciate your offer Kristoff, but we must respectfully decline."

"Pardon me, Your Highness," Kai interjected. "but will you be requiring any sort of escort?"

"No, Kai." the Princess responded. "Knowledge of our absence must not leave this room. Danger may still be present, as the rogue attacker remains at large. We must keep up the image that we are, in fact, still in the castle. Though the Queen and I do feel safe here, we believe the North Mountain will be safer. It is isolated and difficult to traverse, that is, unless you possess the Queen's unique abilities."

"Of course, Your Highness." the head servant replied. "I understand."

"The Queen will use her abilities to mask our movements and make the mountain even more inaccessible. We will, in effect, be completely cut off from society, and will remain as such until we feel that the danger has subsided."

"That is where you come in." Anna gestured towards the two servants before continuing. "We need you to act as if we were still here. Keep the staff calm and make it clear that they are not to disturb me, the Queen, or the Prince."

"Yes, Your Highness." the servant and maid replied in unison. Elsa smiled at the Princess' remarkable improvisational skills. Her explanation of their imminent exodus from the castle would alleviate any suspicions that it might cause as well as give them precious time to handle the situation with the Prince.

"One last thing, Kai." Elsa began. "I need you to prepare a statement to be read to the people as soon as possible. Explain that the Princess and I are both safe and healthy and that an investigation is already underway. Tell them that we will make an official statement as soon as we can."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Kai replied.

"You are dismissed, Kai." Elsa said. "As are you, Gerda. Thank you for your time."

Kai bowed slightly and Gerda curtsied before the two left the room, leaving Kristoff alone with the sisters. The blonde man watched them go as if pleading for them to not leave him alone. The door clicked closed and the sound of a clearing throat made his head snap back in the direction of the Queen, who was now standing next to her sister.

"Kristoff..." the Queen said, barely above a whisper. Kristoff watched as the Queen made her way around the desk to stand in front of him. Despite the fact that he physically towered over the petite woman, he found himself feeling very, very small.

"Uhh...Your Majesty?" the man said suspiciously.

A smile formed on the young monarch's face and, much to the Ice Master's surprise, she engulfed him in her thin arms. A moment later, he felt the Princess impact him and join the embrace.

"Thank you, Kristoff," Elsa said quietly. "for being a good man and a better friend. We are lucky to have you."

"Oh, um, you're welcome." he replied and returned the embraced as the shock of being hugged by the Sovereign finally wore off. "I do what I can."

A minute passed, the embrace ended, and the trio made their way outside of the castle. Once they arrived at the stables, Kristoff spoke again.

"Would you like me to prepare your horses for travel?" he asked the women.

"That won't be necessary Kristoff, but thank you." the Queen replied. "Now get inside and hunker down; I have a feeling that there's going to be a blizzard soon." Elsa accentuated her statement with a wink and a smile, which Kristoff returned.

"Ah, I get it. Alright." he said. "You two be careful out there."

"We will." Anna answered. "Don't worry about us."

With that, Kristoff entered the stables and closed the door.

"Elsa, how are we going to get to the palace without horses?" Anna inquired. Elsa turned to her, making no effort to hide the coy smile that was present on her face.

"I never said we weren't taking horses."

With a wave of her arms, a spiral of ice and snow formed in front of the women. Elsa weaved her hands through the air, manipulating the frost before her as Anna watched in amazement. Several seconds later, the cyclone of snow disappeared and in its place was an enormous horse made completely of ice. Its snowy eyes glowed silver and with every whinny and nicker, a burst of frost would appear from its mouth. Anna stared at the beast in wide-eyed awe.

"Whoa."

The Princess was so captivated by the creature that she didn't notice that Elsa had already mounted the icy steed.

"A normal horse would struggle to get through the deep snowdrifts on the mountain, nor would it be able to safely navigate through the storm I'm going to make." the Queen explained as she stroked the horse's flowing white mane. "But this horse will have no trouble with the dangerous conditions. Plus, thanks to my magic, he already knows the way."

The horse dipped its head and snorted as if it were thanking the Queen for the praise. Elsa giggled at the reaction as Anna moved closer to the beast. She began gently patting the top of the animal's imposing head. Much to her surprise, the creature was soft to the touch, as if its icy body was coated with actual hair. She started rubbing the horse's neck and turned to her sister.

"You never cease to amaze me, Elsa." she cooed. "He's absolutely beautiful."

The Queen smiled widely at the compliment and extended her hand towards the younger woman. Anna took her hand and allowed the Queen to pull her onto the horse. She took her place directly behind Elsa and tightly wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"Ready, Anna?"

"I was born ready!"

Elsa chuckled at the Princess' unwavering enthusiasm. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the outpouring of magic that she was about to unleash. Her eyes opened and she raised both of her hands into the air. She could feel her power coursing through her being and pooling at her fingertips, where it seemingly buzzed with eagerness at its imminent release. Elsa was eager to satisfy its desire to be free and began to unleash her magic into the air.

Anna alternated between watching the Queen's eyes and the sky, which was growing darker and darker as clouds rolled in from all directions. A moment later, the first few snowflakes fell from the sky as the flags on the castle towers began to wave in the strengthening winds. The snowfall grew heavier and heavier and the wind began howling louder and louder with each passing second. A soft light drew her attention back towards Elsa, whose eyes were laden with effort and seemed to be glowing a cool blue.

rrrrrrAAHHH!

With a loud yell, Elsa threw her hands to her sides and a pulse of magic radiated from her in all directions. Not a second later, the blizzard was raging in full force. Anna couldn't see more than a few meters in any direction, though no wind or snow actually reached their mount. She conjectured that Elsa's magic probably had something to do with that.

"There!" Elsa exclaimed. "Now we're ready. Hold on tight!"

Anna tightened her grip on the Queen as reigns formed in her hands. The horse reared up and let out a deafening whinny before slamming back down to the ground below it.

"Let's go find the Prince!" Anna squealed excitedly.

"YAH!" the Queen yelled as she cracked the reigns, and the horse shot forward across the courtyard, thundering through the rapidly-accumulating snow.

"Yes." Elsa growled as her brow furrowed in anger and the glow from the horse's eyes turned an alarming shade of yellow.

"Let's."

A/N

Well hi everyone! It's me, Cosmic, and I'm alive! To prove it, I uploaded a super long chapter! Lot's o' words!

Anyways, chapter 20 is almost done, shouldn't be too long now. Plus, I just got A LOT of free time, which means more time for writing. Isn't that something?

Learning time (though the story covered most of it):

Hvil i fred: rest in peace

Vel, dritt: Well, shit

Kjæreste: sweetheart

I think that's everything. Let me know if I missed something.

Oh, also, Merry (late) Christmas to all!

Love, Cosmic