CHAPTER 21

Stunned silence filled the cavernous room. The only movement came from Mattias' still-heaving chest. Elsa's mouth hung open in shock and a confused expression was frozen onto Anna's face. The Prince's steel eyes drilled into Anna's own, desperately searching for some hint that the Princess had registered his accusation.

A tense moment passed before Anna dared to move, turning her head to look towards the Queen, whose arms were still raised, ready to lash out at the Prince with ice. She slowly turned her head back towards Mattias, but did not meet his gaze, opting to focus her sight on the ground at his feet.

"What did you just say?" the Princess asked meekly, voice laden with uncertainty and confusion.

"You are an Assassin." Mattias reaffirmed. "Or rather, you are a descendant of an Assassin."

"How... how do-"

"How do I know?" the Prince interjected. "That golden aura you see around certain people and objects? It's called 'Eagle Vision', and it's a skill only possessed by direct descendants of the first Assassins."

"So... because I see a golden aura... that means-"

"It means that Assassin blood flows through your veins, just as it flows through mine."

"Enough!"

Suddenly, ice began to encase the Prince, starting at his feet and stopping once it reached his neck so that only his head was exposed. Anna flinched at the outburst and watched with bated breath as Elsa marched towards the imprisoned man. Her brow was furrowed in anger and her teeth were visible through a rage-filled scowl. One of her arms was extended to her side and ice began to materialize in her upturned palm. As she drew closer to the Prince, the ice began to narrow and elongate. The tiny storm of magic in her palm subsided as she reached the Prince's side, exposing a crystalline blade the size of her forearm. Anna's eyes widen when she saw a glint of light reflect off of the razor-sharp ice.

"Elsa, no!"

Her cry fell on deaf ears however, and the Queen reached her hand out, leaving the blade a hair's width away from Mattias' neck.

"How DARE you!" Elsa screamed. "My sister is not a murderer!"

"Please Elsa, stop!"

"I didn't say she was a murderer!" cried Mattias as he struggled to keep his neck as far away from the knife as possible.

"Assassin, murderer; I'm failing to see a difference!"

"STOP!"

The Queen turned her head towards Anna, who could not contain her tears when she saw the look of unbridled rage her older sister's face. Elsa gasped and her expression turned to worry when the Princess let out a loud sob. She began to slowly back away from the dagger-wielding Queen

"What are you doing, Elsa?" she cried through her sobs. "Look at yourself! Look at what you're doing!"

A tear glistened in the corner of the Queen's eye as she looked between her sister and the blade. When Anna spoke again, her voice was simultaneously authoritative and laden with sadness and disappointment.

"I don't know what has gotten into you, but the Elsa I know and love would never threaten someone, especially with her powers!"

The Queen's eyes dipped back down to the blade in her hand and Anna could see her hands starting to tremble.

"Are you really going to let him make you a killer?" Anna barked, fists clenched at her sides. Elsa slowly met the younger woman's eyes, and she choked out a sob as a fine mist began to form in her hand. A moment later, the blade had completely evaporated into the air.

"All you managed to do was scare me, because nothing you do is going to make him change his story." Anna's eyes met the floor and sadness returned her voice. "He's telling the truth Elsa, and the fact that you don't believe me... th- that r-really hurts."

"Anna..." the Queen muttered. Her hands fell to her sides in defeat as she watched the redhead quietly cry.

"Anna, I- I'm so sorry."

Anna looked up as the ice surrounding the Prince began to fall away. An instant later she was wrapped in Elsa's arms, still shaking as the elder sister cried into her auburn locks.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Anna, I'm so sorry..." she repeated over and over again. The sincerity in her voice caused the Princess to smile through her own tears.

"It's alright," Anna whispered as she softly stroked the Queen's hair. "I forgive you, Elsa. I forgive you."

Elsa separated from the Princess and looked into her eyes lovingly with a smile across her tear-stained face. "Thank you. I was just so angry. I should know better than to let my emotions get the best of me."

"I understand, Elsa." Anna smiled back. "We all make mistakes." The two quickly embraced once more, turning back towards the Prince once the hug was finished.

Mattias' demeanor was similar to that of a statue and his skin was sickly pale. His face was abnormally twisted with a strange cross of fear and relief, causing Anna to stifle a laugh. Elsa cleared her throat before addressing the man.

"Alright, Mattias. If Anna believes you are telling the truth, then so do I."

The Prince blinked and let out a long held breath, allowing his posture to relax slightly.

"Oh, thank the Gods." he exhaled before unceremoniously collapsing to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"Mattias!" Anna cried and Elsa let out a loud gasp. The Princess ran to the man's side and knelt down next to him. She turned him onto his back and cradled his head in her arms as she looked at Elsa.

"You scared him to death, Elsa!" she yelled as the Queen slowly approached. She let out a startled yelp when the Prince started loudly snoring.

"Oh, never mind, he's still breathing." Anna said and dropped the man's head abruptly to the icy floor.

"Anna, his head!"

"Sorry, sorry!' Anna said through a grimace. She stood up just as Elsa reached her side. "So what should we do with him?"

"Hmm... oh, I know!" Elsa exclaimed. With a wave of her hand, the floor directly below the unconscious Prince turned from ice into pillowy snow. "We can't bring him back to the city like this, so we'll have to wait here until he wakes up."

"And then what?"

"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure." Elsa replied. "We're going to have to come up with some explanation for everything that has happened." The Queen began slowly pacing and raised a hand to her chin as she contemplated their next course of action. After a moment she stopped and turned towards the younger woman.

"What do you think, Anna?"

"Me?" the Princess' eyes widened in surprise. "Well I don't really know..."

"You were able to explain our departure from the castle earlier with ease. Do you think you could do something similar to explain the attack?"

"Umm, I suppose I could try." Anna plopped down onto the floor, crossing her legs and placing a hand on each knee. Elsa quickly followed suit across from the Princess.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lower lip as the gears in her head began to turn. She recalled the countless hours she spent in the portrait room of the castle talking to the paintings. She would make up stories for each work of art, naming the subjects of each and weaving intricate plot lines that explained the eternally-captured moment in their lives that each drawing represented. It was a seemingly useless skill, but she was now happy that she had developed it.

"Well you said it yourself that people cannot know that it was Mattias, even if he was just protecting us. I don't think that anyone should know about Captain Stenson's plans either. If word got out that a member of your inner circle made an attempt on your life, people might question the security of your reign."

"So what do we tell them?" Elsa queried.

Anna pursed her lips as she thought. "What about the other guards? What do we know about them?"

"Well, like most of the Royal Guards, they all served in the military. Stenson has a wife, I believe, as do Wolf and Holt. I think Commander Holt had children, which might explain why he acted like a father to Captain Arnesen. I don't know much about the other two, unfortunately."

"Hagebak and Carlson." Anna interjected. "They were always nice to me. I used to speak with them a lot when you were... you know. I think they felt bad for me since I didn't really have anyone to talk to. They understood, I think, because they were both orphans. Neither has any family."

"No family..." Elsa repeated sadly. "I know how awful that feels."

"Yeah," Anna responded. "but now you have me!"

"Thank goodness for that." the Queen replied with a smile.

"Anyway, back to the explanation." Anna said as she returned to her thoughts.

Several minutes passed silently, save for the occasional grunt or snort from the Prince, while Anna weaved a tale in her head. Elsa still sat across from her, mindlessly creating various figures and shapes with her powers, waiting patiently for her sister to complete her work. With a sigh, she created a miniature reproduction of the Princess in her palm.

"I got it!"

The sudden outburst startled the Queen, which caused the tiny Ice-Anna to burst in a puff of snow. Elsa quickly composed herself and noticed that her sister was quietly giggling at her.

"S-sorry I s-startled you, Elsa!" Anna said through her giggling as the powder that had been thrust in the air settled around – and on – them.

"It's fine." Elsa replied as she brushed the snow out of her hair. "Now then, what have you come up with?"

"Well we need someone to blame, but like we said, it can't be Mattias and it can't be Captain Stenson. But we can blame the assassin!"

"But Mattias is the assassin. How can we blame him without blaming him?" Elsa asked.

"Luckily, no one knows that but us!" the Princess responded excitedly while rising to her feet. "So we blame it on the 'rogue assailant'. To make it seem more plausible, we say that he was conspiring with Hagebak and Carlson, who have no family, and therefore-"

"-And therefore have no one to speak on their behalf." Elsa finished. "Anna, that's brilliant!"

"Thank you." the Princess replied with a small bow. "We can say that Stenson, Wolf, and Holt died protecting us from the attackers. Hopefully no one noticed that Mattias- err, the 'rogue', felled all five of the guards."

"I see." Elsa affirmed. "But why would the 'rogue' run away instead of finishing us off?"

"Easy." the younger responded with an arrogant smile. "He was scared off when the other guards broke through the gate."

"Okay." Elsa said quietly. "Okay, this could work. This will work."

The redhead watched a smile form on Elsa's face and blue eyes lock on to her. Anna felt warmth building up in her cheeks, sparked by the Queen's soft gaze. Her face grew redder and redder as the Queen continued watching her patiently.

"Elsa," she finally said, shyly brushing her braid behind her ear. "You're staring."

"Sorry, but I just can't help it." the Queen replied with a small giggle. She stood and began to approach Anna, who couldn't help but notice the way her hips swung back and forth as she walked, causing her face to become even redder. Elsa laced her arms over the Princess' shoulders and continued her praise.

"You just continue to impress me." she said with a sultry tinge in her voice.

"Oh, uh... w- what do you mean?" Anna asked, now noticeably flustered by the Queen's presence.

"For one, your story-telling prowess is a thing to behold." Elsa replied, which earned her a playful nudge in the shoulder, after which she slid her arms around Anna's waist.

"And for another," the blonde continued, moving to speak directly into Anna's ear. "you look very attractive when you're scheming."

Anna felt lips press into her temple and a hand press into the small of her back, and she was sure the heat radiating from her cheeks would melt the palace around them.

"Well, um, th-thanks, but w-we can't do this here, the Prince, uh, Mattias is right-"

"Mattias won't be waking any time soon." interrupted Elsa, who was now twirling a copper braid around her finger. "Besides, there are plenty of other rooms in this palace, as you already know."

"Y-yes, that is true, but I still- EEP!"

Anna was cut off by a curt tug of her arm, and a moment later she found herself being led off into the depths of the ice palace.

"Ugh..."

The light of sun was blinding as it poured through Mattias' slowly-opening eyes. He let out another groan before something moved into the light, mercifully shading his aching eyes. Someone was talking, a man by the sound of it, but the voice was muffled by the grogginess of his mind. He risked opening his eyes completely and the world began to slowly come back into focus. The voice became clearer as well, and he determined it was coming from whatever had moved to block the light.

The Prince's eyes shot open blisteringly fast as the figure above him came into focus, and he found wide black eyes staring back down at him. The pale figure then gasped and turned it's head away from him.

"Elsa, Anna, I was right! He woke up!"

Mattias blinked as the figure turned to look at him again. This time he was able to make out one large buck tooth and a...

Carrot?

"Hi, I'm Olaf!" the creature exclaimed and threw its arms- sticks- out to its sides. "And I like warm hugs!"

Mattias blinked again. A snowman was talking to him. A snowman.

"AAGGGHHHHHHHHHH!"

The Prince scrambled backwards, struggling to gain traction on the slick floor of the palace. When he did find purchase, he propelled himself backwards and slid across the room, finally coming to rest against the wall. He surveyed the space in front of him as he struggled to catch his breath.

The snowman stood next to where Mattias was previously lying, staring at him with confusion. To his left, on either side of an icy chess board, sat Anna and Elsa, who were also watching him as if he was the oddest thing in the room.

Seeing the Queen returned his thoughts to earlier when the same blonde-haired woman held an ice dagger to his throat. In a panic, he ran his hands over his body, searching for wounds. Finding none, he looked at the sisters.

"Am... am I dead?" he asked, a loud 'gulp' punctuating his question.

"What? No, you're not dead." replied Elsa. "Not yet, at least."

"Elsa!"

"What?" Elsa shrugged at the Princess, who threw her a reprimanding glare.

"What Elsa meant to say is that no, you are not dead." Anna explained as the sisters rose to their feet. "Although, you did faint."

The Prince looked out the window to the sky above, noticing that the massive blizzard that formed earlier was gone, replaced by the sunlight that had roused him from unconsciousness.

"How... how long was I out?"

"Sixteen hours." Elsa answered. "Give or take an hour or two. It's hard to tell the time up here. But you slept through the night."

"Yeah, you are really good at sleeping!" the snowman added. "I don't need to sleep, because I'm a snowman, but if I did, I would never be as good as you are!"

Mattias stared at the snowman incredulously. He threw his hand out in front of him in the direction of the snowman and turned to look at the Princess. His gesture successfully asked the question on the tip of his tongue without needing to actually speak.

"That's Olaf." Anna replied. "He's a snowman."

He looked back towards the snowy creature who smiled and waved "Hello!" with his stick-arm. The Prince threw his hands in the air with exasperation and leaned back against the wall.

"Jeg vet ikke engang..." he muttered. "What else does Arendelle have in store for me, I wonder!?"

"Quite a bit, actually." Elsa replied. "Considering the... sensitive nature of the information that you have shared with us."

"Plus you'll need to be by our side as we attempt to contain the situation and keep our citizens calm." added the Princess.

Mattias took a moment to decipher everything he was told and weigh his options. He looked at the Queen, whose bright blue eyes were staring right through him, and something told him that any answer other than "Okay" would have very grave consequences.

"Fair enough." he as he stood. "What do you need me to do?"

"Elsa and I have come up with with a plan that should be able to calm the populace while simultaneously reaffirming the strength of the crown."

Mattias listened intently as the sisters explained their strategy. The story was solid and more importantly, believable. The only people that could refute the explanation were in the room with him, or dead. He silently nodded his approval.

"All you need to do is stand by us and offer your support to the people." said Anna.

"I can do that." replied the Prince. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes." the Princess replied. "Mattias, I trust you, and so does Elsa. But we are taking a huge risk to protect you. If it was ever made public that we were covering this up, well... I don't need to tell you what would happen."

"I understand."

"Good." continued Anna. "Please, don't make us regret helping you."

Mattias nodded solemnly. He knew what was at stake, not only for Arendelle, but for the entire region. With civil war inevitable in the Southern Isles and Weselton refusing to partake in regional politics, the Council Nations couldn't afford to have Arendelle's authority questioned.

"Is there anything else that we need to know, Mattias?" asked the Queen. "Anything at all?"

The question made Mattias' mind race. There was a lot that the sisters did not yet know, including why the Order sent him to Arendelle in the first place, so he decided to start with that.

"The Assassins Brotherhood is worried, Elsa." he began. "The region is growing unstable, and the Council of Nations is on the precipice of disaster. My superiors deployed an assassin to each of the seven council nations. Fortune was on our side thanks to the marriage contract, so I was chosen to come to Arendelle. The other nations received their agents in a much more subtle fashion."

"You call this fortune?" asked Elsa with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Oddly enough, yes." continued the Prince. "If the Order had sent another agent, you would have never known he was here. Plus, being lifelong friends makes cooperation easier."

Both sisters stared at him quizzically.

"Alright, I admit, this was not how I wanted you to find out about my mission, but the Captain forced my hand."

"Pardon me, Mattias, but why would the Assassins be interested in keeping the region stable?" asked the Princess. "What do they have to gain by maintaining a presence here?"

"They have nothing to gain," Mattias answered. "But they have everything to lose."

"What do you mean?"

"The Council of Nations was formed to protect the region and bolster each individual nations strength. On the global stage, each nation is relatively weak. Together, though, their negotiating power is large enough to compete with the major world powers."

The Prince began to walk around the room aimlessly, continuing his lesson on global politics.

"Now imagine if the Council were to collapse. It would make the seven nations weak and vulnerable to those that would take advantage of said weakness."

"That still doesn't explain why the Assassins would become involved." Elsa reiterated as her eyes followed the Prince's movements.

"I was just about to get to that." Mattias rebutted. "You said earlier that the Brotherhood was bent on causing chaos and upsetting order. That is a lie, perpetuated throughout history by our enemies, the Knights Templar. Since the beginning of our conflict, the Templars have had greater numbers and been able to keep us repressed."

The Prince stopped his patrol and turned toward the Queen.

"Someone as smart as you must realize that history is written by the victors."

Elsa nodded. "Yes, I am aware. Those who triumph in conflict are those who get to tell of their triumph. The dead cannot speak for themselves."

"Exactly." agreed Mattias. "While the Assassins were never truly defeated by the Templars, our numbers have been thinned many times throughout history. That, along with our choice to work in the shadows, has allowed the Templars to tarnish our name.

"The Assassins follow a Creed that guides our actions. At the head of that Creed is a maxim. That maxim states that nothing is true, and everything is permitted."

Elsa opened her mouth to protest, but the Prince cut her off before she got a chance.

"I will explain, don't worry." He stopped his pacing and turned toward the sisters before continuing.

"When we say that nothing is true, we mean that society is built on a fragile foundation and that it is up to us, as humans, to guide our civilization. To say that everything is permitted means that we understand that we are the architects of our actions and we must live with the consequences of those actions, be them glorious or tragic.

"Our mission as Assassins is to preserve peace and order without interfering in the natural order of things; without denying our fellow man his or her ability to think for themselves."

"Free will." Anna interjected. "You work to protect free will."

"Exactly." replied the Prince. "Free will is what makes us human, and we work to stop those that would see their will forced upon others."

"So the Order sent agents to the Council Nations to protect free will?" Elsa asked, not masking her disbelief.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Mattias replied. "If the Council were to fall, it would create a power vacuum in the region. It would only be a matter of time before someone tried to seize control, be it one of the stronger nations or an outside force. The Order doesn't want to see the people of these great nations suffer under the hands of a tyrannical ruler."

"So your presence here is merely a precautionary measure against a shift in power that may not even happen?" asked the Queen.

"Well... yes." the Prince replied with trepidation, which Elsa immediately recognized.

"Prince Mattias, I would hope that you were not foolish enough to lie to me." the Queen retorted.

"I assure you Elsa, I speak the truth, but..."

"But what, Mattias?"

The Prince let out a long sigh. "But, there may be a... complication."

"A complication?"

"Yes, a complication." he responded. "The Brotherhood is worried that there may be an outside power influencing the recent series of crises that have been plaguing the nations of the region."

"What do you mean, outside power? Like another country?"

The Prince's slate eyes narrowed as Elsa and Anna waited for the answer, but they would have to keep waiting. This wasn't the time or the place to tell them.

"We need to get back to the castle. There's something there you need to see." he ordered.

"You didn't answer-"

"Where are my weapons?"

"Mattias, what-"

"How fast can we get ba- mmmmphhmm!"

With the flick of her wrist, the Queen had conjured a gag of ice that filled his mouth, effectively silencing him. He put his hands out in surrender and Elsa dissipated the ice.

"We are not going anywhere until you answer the question." Elsa commanded. "What kind of power?"

Mattias sighed. His eyes fluttered back and forth between Elsa and Anna, his dear friends, his future. This was not a burden that he desired to share with the sisters. Despite all that had happened to them, they were still young and innocent. He had witnessed the atrocities that human beings could commit and was no stranger to the horrors of war.

If his intelligence was correct, the sisters would come to know war just as well as him, and soon.

"Mattias?"

His brow lowered and his mouth formed a grim line as he locked eyes with the young Queen.

"The kind of power that can bring the world to its knees."

"What a mess."

It was all Viggo could say as he watched the chaos unfolding below.

From his perch on the mountainside he could see the entire battle playing out in the harbor town below. It was home to the majority of the Southern Isles' naval forces which made it a key location for both sides of the civil war. Whichever side controlled the navy would have a decisive advantage over the other.

The distant thundering of cannon fire only served to mask the blood-curdling screams temporarily, but in between salvos the sound of death was clear as day. Viggo watched as men weaved through the streets below, dodging the massive blasts of the cannonballs as well as the shrapnel the explosions created. One by one the men fell, torn apart by the constant bombardment.

"Aye, a mess indeed. I'm surprised the rebels keep pourin' souls into the harbor."

Viggo looked to the young man standing beside him. His agent, known only as John, shook his head at the sight below. He couldn't have been more than twenty-five years old, and how he had found his way to the Southern Isles from the Scottish Highlands was a mystery. But he was here, and he was gifted in the art of espionage, so Viggo didn't ask any questions.

"The harbor is crucial to victory. Whichever side controls the navy controls this war."

"At this rate, the rebels aren't gonna have enough men ta sail a rowboat, let alone a frigate."

"It's a distraction." Viggo deadpanned. "By attacking the harbor, the rebels are keeping the Loyalist ships busy. The rebel fleet will arrive soon, probably under the leadership of Prince Søren."

"Aye, probably." John agreed. "Honestly, I never suspected the crown prince was the one schemin' to usurp his ol' man."

"That's because he didn't want anyone to know." Viggo retorted.

"Don't get me wrong," John continued. "I always knew one o' the princes was planning something, but I always imagined it would be one o' the younger ones, like that Hans lad."

Viggo shook his head in frustration.

"And you 'ave to admit, I was almost right about Hans. I just got the country wrong."

Viggo sighed and pulled a spyglass out of his cloak. He extended it and raised it to his eye in one motion, aiming it out to sea. The mast of a ship peeked over the horizon, quickly followed by several more.

"See anythin'?" John inquired.

"Yes." Viggo answered as he collapsed the spyglass and stowed it in his cloak. "The rebel fleet just breached the horizon. They should have the Loyalist ships in cannon range shortly."

"That'll be a sight." the Scot interjected.

"It's a brilliant move by the rebels." Viggo stated. "The Loyalists are focused on defending the harbor, so they won't see the rebels coming. The rebels will be able to destroy much of the fleet before the Loyalists can shift their attention."

"And when the Loyalists turn their attention to the rebel ships, the soldiers will be able ta take the harbor." added John. "But they're losin' so many men ta this bombardment. Is the harbor really worth all these lives?"

"Of course it is." the spy replied. "Are you forgetting that the kingdom is an archipelago? Whoever controls the waterways controls the nation."

"I know, I know, but there has ta be a-"

John was cut off by the sound of a distant explosion that caused him to fall backwards onto the ground. Viggo looked into the harbor to see a Loyalist man-of-war engulfed in flames as its mast fell into the sea. The other ships around it began to move as a second volley from the rebels impacted the massive vessel, delivering the killing blow. It began to list violently to the side and slowly sink into the murky depths.

"Sweet mercy, that nearly scared the life outta me!"

Without reacting to the younger man, Viggo stood up and began to walk the short distance to the top of the mountain.

"Ye aren't even gonna help me up?"

"No time." Viggo called back. "We need to move quickly."

"Fine, whatever, I'm right behind ye." John said as he scrambled to his feet to catch up to the spy.

The two men crested the mountain top and began their descent to the shore below. When they reached the bottom of the slope, they ran along the shore until they came across a small inlet surrounded by jagged rocks. Anchored a few meters from the shore was a small sailboat.

"Did you finish the preparations?"

"Aye, she's all set." John replied. "Fastest boat I could find, loaded with four days worth of supplies; should be more than enough to get back to Arendelle."

"Good, now let's get going."

The men began to cross the gangplank to reach the cutter. As they approached, Viggo noticed that something had been hastily painted on the boats hull.

"Seonaidh." Viggo mumbled. "I suppose you think yourself clever?"

"Aye."

"And I also suppose there is a hefty supply of 'offerings' on board?"

"Aye, very astute of ye."

The two men boarded the vessel and began preparing to cast off. The anchor was raised and stowed away and the sails were hoisted. The wind drew the sails taught and the two operatives were on their way.

"Are ye absolutely sure we can break through the blockade?" John asked fearfully.

"No." Viggo responded bluntly. "That's why we need to reach the blockade while both fleets are busy fighting over the harbor. With luck, the blockade won't even be there."

John didn't respond, opting to stand watch at the bow. The men sailed silently away from the shores of the Southern Isles, leaving the chaos of war behind. Many minutes later, a large warship came into view.

"We've got company!" John called out. "Ship o' the line, by the looks of it. Must be part o' the blockade!"

"Has it spotted us?" Viggo asked.

"A dinnae ken," John answered. "But it's headin' toward us!"

"It's a ship of the line, a big, slow thing." the elder spy explained. "We can outrun it."

"That's a lotta cannons. If that thing fires broadside at us..."

"We will be well out of range by the time it turns." Viggo interjected.

"She's pullin' hard starboard!"

"We'll be fine."

"She's almost on us!"

"We'll be fine!"

Suddenly, the massive warship exploded. Fire burst through the gun ports on all decks of the ship and the hull splintered and cracked. The shock wave from the explosion caused the small cutter to roll wildly for several seconds before it righted itself.

"Shite!"

"Fy fæn!"

"What the bloody hell just happened?"

"I don't know, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth!" Viggo cried. "Full sail! Let's get out of here!"

As John got to work, Viggo looked at the twisted wreckage of the massive warship. He could see two smaller ships beyond the burning wreck. Though he couldn't tell the allegiance of any of the vessels, he could only assume that the smaller ships were the cause of the explosion. His theory was confirmed by the report of another salvo from their cannons.

"John, look. They weren't turning to target us." Viggo pointed out towards the one-sided battle. John ducked under the mainsail to see what remained of the ship.

"Well, look at that." he uttered softly.

John disappeared below deck as suddenly as he appeared under the boom, emerging a minute later with three glasses filled to the brim with a frothy amber liquid. He handed one to Viggo and moved to the starboard gunwale. He outstretched his arm and poured the contents of one of the glasses into the sea before raising the other glass over his head.

"Here's ta ol' Shony, then!"

Viggo grunted with exasperation but complied none the less. He raised his glass as well, tapping it against John's own with a clink. Both men took a long drink from their glasses before heading to their stations.

John set about securing the rigging as Viggo took control of the rudder. He reach the stern of the ship and took his seat near the till while gazing up into the evening sky. His attention was suddenly drawn back to the boat by the sound of singing

"The Diamond is a ship, ma lads, for the Davis Strait she's bound..."

Viggo rolled his eyes and began to steer the ship, making sure the setting Sun was off to his left.

"And the quay it is all garnished with bonnie lasses round..."

He sighed as he took another drink from his glass and placed it down on the deck.

"This is going to be a long trip..."

A/N

Hey gang, it's me, still alive somehow. Sorry for the delay, but my life has been, in the words of Jim Lahey, a real "shit blizzard" as of late. But that's no excuse! And as such, I apologize.

Here's learning time for this edition!

Jeg vet ikke engang- Norwegian, literally translates to 'I do not even', as in 'I don't even...'
Seonaidh- Prounounced 'Shony'; A mythical Celtic water spirit; villagers would offer ale to the spirit in return for a plentiful crop in the coming season
Fy fæn- Norwegian for 'Fucking hell' or 'Goddammit' etc.

The song that John is singing is a Scottish sea shanty called 'Bonnie Ship The Diamond'

Alright, that's all for the learning. Now as penance for taking a month (yeesh) to update, I am gonna try to have the next chapter out in 2 weeks. If I fail to do so, I will eat my hat. Thanks for sticking around, and I'll see you next time!

-Cosmic