Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay, all. It's been a busy couple of days. Anyways, here's chapter 9! Chapter 10 soon to come!

Chapter 9

Arendelle's dungeons were hardly ever full. Thanks to King Stellan's wisdom and fairness, crime in the kingdom had been very low as of late. Every once in a great while, some psycho would find himself locked up in one of those dark, dank cells, with only the occasional rat for company. He would lie on the bed, which was nearly rock hard, and stare at the ceiling or pass the hours by drawing with his fingernail on the rocks that made up three of the four walls. Today was no different.

Captain Hansel had returned from the North Mountain and dismissed most of his troops. It was too rough a night to keep them away from their families, especially with the weather the way it was. A few men had stayed behind to keep an eye on the prisoner. Now, they were hunkered around a dwindling fire, holding their hands out toward the warmth. The storm had intensified over the last few hours, and now the icy wind howled and screeched as it wound its way around the turrets and towers of the castle. The townsfolk were, for the most part, under house arrest as the snow continued to pile, foot upon foot, around their doors and walls and windows.

The captain looked through a thickly frosted window. The North Mountain was no longer visible. In fact, hardly anything was visible. He should have never left the king out there alone. Or with those trolls, or whatever they were. Hansel had heard of the mountain trolls before, and all the stories of his youth told him there was nothing to be feared from them. They mainly dealt in magic works, and kept to themselves, but had no quarrel with Arendelle or the royal family. The captain shook his head. He had done the right thing in coming back. He had followed orders. But as the cell doors began to rattle from the action outside, he could feel his face grow pale and cold.

Hansel turned to look at the one prisoner that had the misfortune of being locked up in a cold room on a night like tonight. No sympathy was to be spared to this scumbag. Abducting the queen? Seriously, what did he have to prove? He had gone through a short interrogation before the search party had left, but they had got nothing out of him. No ransom price, no demands. Not one word.

At the moment, the kidnapper was standing next to the window, staring out into the white, his hands resting on the frosty window pane. The cold seemed to not bother him. Or he was already so coldhearted that the freezing temperatures passed right over him. Either way, he didn't seemed fazed in the least by the storm howling outside. A wicked smile crept over his face.

Hansel tried to look away, but that face filled him with such disgust that all he could do was stare. At last, the captain rapped his sword hilt on the metal bars of the cell door. The prisoner turned around slowly, still grinning.

"You think this is funny, do you?" Hansel asked, his voice shaky in the cold. The temperature seemed to be dropping by the minute. "Just think, if you had told us how to find the queen, someone probably would have given you a blanket. Maybe even some hot grog."

The prisoner laughed.

"So…" he hissed, "No luck finding her then?"

It was the first thing he had said since his arrest. Hansel jumped at the chance. Maybe now he was in a more cooperative mood.

"Why did you take her, in the first place? It's not like you've made any profit from it. All that happened was it landed you in jail. And trust me, King Stellan is not going to let you off easy at all. I'm just curious, what was in all of this for you? If you cooperate, you'll stand a better chance during your trial. Are you working with someone?"

The prisoner came and stood right next to the door, only a small ways away from the captain. He didn't seem afraid. Not in the least. And that was unnerving.

"Actually, yes, I am. They aren't supporting me on this particular assignment, however."

"Well, that's probably because you are in jail. No honor among thieves, mate."

Hansel almost grimaced at that last word. He would rather put an arrow through this man's heart than be "mates" with him. But building rapport was essential in uncovering the truth. He pushed a little further.

"So, these associates of yours, is it them who are interested in the queen?"

"Oh no, not at all! She was a particular interest of mine alone. We go way back, her ladyship and I," and that evil smirk once again played on the kidnapper's face, "But the queen is not my end goal, either. She was merely an opportunity that I took to work the circumstances to my advantage."

That did not sound good.

"What circumstances? You are in prison."

"Only for a while longer. When I am free, however, all of Arendelle will crumble under me. Every man, woman, and child will be no more."

Something was very, very wrong with this picture. This man was calm, too calm. Outside, the storm screamed angrily. He wanted to be here!

"Guards!" shouted Hansel.

But he was too late! A spear of ice materialized from the prisoner's hand, shooting forward at the captain and slashing him in the chest. He fell backward with a thud against a table, slumping down to the floor. Everything was blurry. He saw his men run forward, but a blinding white flash left them stunned… or worse… sprawled across the ground. The prisoner pressed his hands against the metal bars of the door, smiling as they turned cold and brittle, then stood back and shot a giant wall of ice at the door. It crashed open easily. Edvard stepped out of the cell, looking about him at the unconscious figures that were meant to be his guards. Laughing, he stepped over the bodies, opened the door, and ran into the whiteout.