Chapter Nine: Emergence of the Past

Kristoff was smiling as he passed through the mists of the Valley of Living Rock. He had spent the entire day (aside from the hours before and after midday, obviously) with his family, only leaving a few hours before dusk. Anna had insisted that he spend the day with them, even though she had seemed nervous when doing so. He was glad he did, but anxious to get back to his wife and see what was wrong.

As Kristoff harnessed Sven to his sled, he heard the unmistakable sound of one of the trolls rolling toward him. That in itself was odd, the trolls almost never approached the confines of the Valley. An even bigger surprise was the troll that unravelled. Grand Pabbie? Knowing something was wrong, Kristoff knelt to address his foster-grandfather.

"Kristoff, something has happened in Arendelle," he said ominously. Kristoff felt his blood turn to ice and moved to stand, ready to unlatch Sven and ride back as fast as possible. At least he would have had Pabbie not kept ahold of his shirt, keeping him down with surprising strength.

"The conflict is resolved," the shaman continued, "and Anna is fine. There is something far more pressing for you right now." Kristoff was almost burning with confusion, and a rare impatience. How could pabbie be so calm?!

Pabbie placed his palm on Kristoff's forehead, eyes closed, and hummed. Kristoff flinched and would have toppled over had pabbie not been holding him upright. Images flashed through his mind from the shaman's touch, a … pathway? The images ended in the likeness of a cave hidden deep within the mountain passes, a ways off the trail down the mountain.

Kristoff shook away the wave of dizziness that welled up and regarded Pabbie. The troll shaman seemed deadly serious, a look that would make armies of madmen pause in their tracks. "Find that cave, Kristoff. Inside is someone who holds a key to the fate of Arendelle. Without it, all might very well be lost."

Pabbie's gaze softened into warmth and he patted Kristoff's cheek. "I will see you soon, I'm sure." With that, the troll chief rolled away, back into the Valley, leaving Kristoff a little stunned.

The ice harvester stood and finished harnessing Sven. As he loaded up, he looked up, further into the mountain's passes. A kind of mental itch, likely Pabbie's way of guiding him, urged him up. Kristoff sighed heavily and urged Sven on.

Don't worry, Anna, he thought, I'll be home soon.

It was late into the night when Elsa came to the infirmary to check on Alphonse, the man who had once again saved her people. The mage's chest gently rose and fell as Gerda lightly dabbed his forehead with a wet cloth. Elsa remained quiet as she watched, concern welling inside her.

As soon as her people had finished returning from the mountains, Elsa had ordered Alphonse brought to the castle doctor. Doctor Stein had examined him and come to the conclusion that he was simply exhausted, though he also had a moderate fever.

After the diagnosis, Elsa had been swept up in the nightmare of consolidating the damage from the Kjempeslange's rampage, the state of her people, and the one-thousand-and-one other facets of the temporary relocation that needed her attention. It was only now, hours past nightfall, that she had stopped working, with a pile of paperwork to be seen in the morning, and had taken the time to check up on him.

Elsa noticed the sound of soft footfalls approaching and a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Couldn't sleep, Anna?" the queen asked as her sister took a place at her side.

"Apparently I'm not the only one," Anna replied, though her teasing was laced with concern. Concern over Elsa's health, no doubt. Elsa regarded her sister seriously and smiled in reassurance, though it felt like a token gesture even to her. "Elsa," Anna asked, her tone of voice unusually serious, "can I talk to you about something?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow at the somber request. "Of course, Anna, anything," she answered sincerely. Anna nodded and led the way to Elsa's room to settle. Tea and a small plate of fruit and bread sat, freshly delivered. Elsa thanked heaven not for the first time, that the castle staff were so attentive. Anna sat and twiddled her thumbs, seemingly less-than-eager to speak.

"Anna?" Elsa prompted. Anna grimaced, as if wrestling with herself, and relaxed. She began to speak, describing a dream she had had the night before. A dream of war and death and cataclysm. Of a spectral horse and men fighting not-men. A dream that seemed like the end of the world. The words seemed to spill out of the princess, as if she had been considering what to say for hours and it all just came rushing out. Then again, perhaps that was exactly what was happening.

Anna didn't stop for a good half-hour. Really, that was short for her, but the sheer … intensity of her words left Anna breathless. Panting lightly, Anna looked at Elsa with pleading eyes, almost begging to be believed. Elsa pursed her lips and thought over everything she had gotten from Anna's description. It almost sounded like …

Elsa's eyes widened as bits and pieces of information slotted together in her mind, a massive puzzle she had had no idea she was even working to solve. Their father's book, the Serpent, draugr, Alphonse - the picture of Odin came to mind - Anna's dream, it all made some bizarre form of sense.

"Anna," Elsa asked carefully, "do you remember those stories Papa told us as children? The very old ones?" Anna's eyebrows shot up at the unexpected question.

"Yeah, about the Aesir and the giants and the monsters and the end of the world? They always kinda freaked me out, you know? Like they were talking about a completely different world, where different rules stuck. Though I always-" Anna stopped in her tracks as she remembered that last bit. The End of the World - what did they call it? Rag- Ragnar -Ragnarok! That was it! Words her father had told her from the stories began to fit together - into an image that eerily resembled her dream.

"You don't think that dream was … more, do you?" Anna whispered. Elsa considered her answer for a moment. She replayed what Alphonse had said about the Kjempeslange before he attacked it, as if Ragnarok had already happened.

"I think," she said slowly, "that something is happening around us. Something we can't fully understand without someone who can explain it." Elsa glanced at the door. Alphonse could explain it, that was clear. When he woke up, perhaps she could get him to explain what had happened.

As the sisters discussed Anna's dream, Gerda was finishing attending to the sleeping Alphonse. She gathered her things, just a little worried at how little he had responded. The boy's fever had gone away, but he was almost totally still, as if his body were conserving what little energy it had until more could be generated.

The matron's musings were broken by an unusual sound coming from the window, like a high tapping noise. Curiosity suddenly burning, though she wasn't sure why, Gerda opened the window to see what was making that noise. As soon as the windows were open, two black blurs flew into the room and settled on her charge. The two ravens croaked at each other and settled into his chest, causing the young man to shift restlessly.

"Shoo, shoo, you filthy things!" Gerda scolded quietly, flicking her hands to ward them off. The birds turned to regard her in one motion, one that sent a chill down the old woman's spine.

"I'll have you know we are actually quite clean," one of the birds said in a smooth and cultured voice. Gerda gasped, covering her mouth in shock. The other bird fluttered toward her to settle on the foot of the bed.

"Get out, woman, before we peck your eyes out," it said harshly. Gerda scrambled for her things and left. Hugin croaked in a quick laugh before Munin rejoined him on Alphonse's chest. They bowed their heads as they focused on the task at hand. Their student had started to go soft, his head filled with sentiment and caring. He was losing his edge, and quickly too. They had to act even more quickly to salvage what they could.

Alphonse ran blindly through the dark, twisted woods that his dreamscape had been forcibly corrupted into. He wasn't sure what he was running from, he just knew it had to be escaped. A tiny flicker of familiarity sparked along his consciousness, but his blind mortal fear brushed it away. In the sense that a candle flame would be "brushed away" by a hurricane.

Alphonse emerged from the woods, face and arms covered with scratches from the branches and vines, only to halt in his tracks at the edge of a steep, jagged cliff. Clouds of steam rose from the volcanic vents far below. As he stopped, that flicker of deja vu returned, just a touch stronger. Fear battered at it, shrunk it, but didn't snuff it out.

Alphonse turned at the sound of massive footfalls, steps that made the ground shake. Out of the dark woods came something of nightmares: a human-like figure easily twenty feet tall, broad as it was tall, face covered with horrific scars and a club fashioned from a tree in its hands. The thing leered at him with teeth sharpened to points and lifted it club to smite him.

Even as fear pulsed through him and turned his blood to ice, Alphonse noticed a hint of movement in the trees. Two birds sat on a branch, watching with cold humor. That spark of memory grew into a flame of remembrance; he remembered that those two had done this before. When they were "less than pleased" with him.

Alphonse felt anger rise within him, burning anger that fought against the cold fear. He focused that rage, at least most of it, and began to seize back his dream.

"Get out of my head!" he shouted.

Elsa and Anna, summoned by a nearly-frantic Gerda, rushed into Alphonse's room to find him looking far worse than before. He was panting and sweating and thrashing, growls emanating from his throat. Two ravens were perched on his chest and clawing to keep ahold, drawing blood in their struggle. Two ravens - just as Kristoff had told Anna.

Impulsive as ever, Anna lunged and grabbed one of the birds. The princess gasped as she felt something invade her mind, an alien presence that was far from human. The raven seemed to grow in her hands until it filled the room, eyes burning with cold indignation as shadows invaded the room. Fear gripped the princess, cold stealing the heat from her body.

Anna gasped as she felt something else rise inside, warmth that fought off the fear. Light filled the room and power burned within her. The raven seemed to shrink again and croaked with surprise, indignation turning to curiosity. That strange feeling continued to grow until Anna felt she might set on fire.

Something shook Anna, knocking her out of her trance. The raven was gone and Elsa was shaking her. Nausea welled up and Anna darted for a pitcher. Nothing came up, but it was a close thing. Anna swallowed thickly, tasting bile at the back of her tongue. She took a shaky breath and turned to face her sister.

"What just happened?" she asked uncertainly. Elsa didn't speak. She just stared in awe and perhaps … a little bit of fear? Anna looked down to find her skin faintly glowing with a soft light, even her dress. Anna felt someone else's eyes on her and turned to find Alphonse awake, and staring at her as well.

Alphonse, after a half-second of stunned staring, stood and clumsily donned a nearby robe, covering his right eye as he did so. He had to look at Anna, to truly See what only he could See. Surrounding the princess, along with the soft light, was a hazy over-image, like a second skin made of mist. Imposed over her, Alphonse saw a woman who looked like Anna, and yet nothing like her.

This woman had golden-blonde hair that fell past her shoulders in immaculate waves, complementing her grass-green eyes and creamy skin. Her pale gold-and-green dress hung off her shoulders and was somehow both cut loose and accentuated her curvaceous figure. But it was the glint in her eyes that was wrong. Like Anna, this woman's eyes held that glimmer of mischief and the shine of unbeatable drive, but something else, too - a ferocious desire that would consume any lesser man like a blazing fire to dry wood. Alphonse knew this woman, though not personally. He knew who she was and had vague memories, like a long-forgotten dream.

This was Freya. And that simple revelation paved the way for a deeper, more frightening one.

As Alphonse stared at Anna, who had shaken off the effects of the whatever-had-just-happened, both sisters began to grow worried. "Alphonse, what's wrong?" Elsa asked, picking up on the mage's discomfort. He took a moment before blinking rapidly and somehow looking both of them in the eye.

"I don't know whether to congratulate you or pity you, Princess, but either way, now you must know." His gaze became a mix of sadness and despair. "You are like me, Anna. You are a Residuum, a reborn fragment of the Time Before Ragnarok. You are a piece of an old god."

Anna gaped at the mage and tried to laugh it off. Clearly he was joking, there's no way she clumsy, awkward, rambling, babbling Anna could be a god-goddess-whatever - that was ridiculous, like if she had fire magic like Elsa had ice magic, ridiculous, no way, it just couldn't-! And Alphonse wasn't smiling. He looked as serious as Elsa did when she addressed her council, maybe even more (if that were possible).

Alphonse sat and rubbed his temples, as if warding off a headache. There was no way Hugin and Munin had known this (then again, it was unwise to put anything past them. They may have had their suspicions) as they had seemed surprised when Anna had counteracted their invasion of his mind. Anna had somehow tapped into her former-self's power - without any form of training, sheerly by instinct.

"What does this mean?" Elsa asked, her voice forcibly calm and her face a mask of false calm. Alphonse considered his words carefully - this was something utterly unexpected and could be dangerous. Unless Anna had a guide. Alphonse stood again and looked Anna in the eye, mustering every ounce of force he could muster.

"Anna, now that your Remnant has been brushed, your path is set." he paused to take a breath - this next part would be hard. "Left unchecked, it could fracture your mind." Anna gasped and covered her mouth with horror, the seriousness in Alphonse's eyes driving home the danger.

"If you are willing, I will help you through the first stages," Alphonse offered.

Anna backed away, mind reeling. What could this mean? She didn't want to have mind broken, she liked her mind whole and hearty, thank you very much, she wasn't sure what could happened - what did Elsa think? - what was happening?!

Anna's internal rambling was cut short by Elsa's cold hand on her shoulder. Elsa's gaze was steady, a rock to help Anna center herself. Alphonse was some distance away, giving the sisters some privacy.

"What should I do, Elsa?" Anna asked, fear in her voice.

"I think," Elsa said slowly, "that we don't have much of a choice," she said solemnly. Anna gulped thickly, nervousness churning in her gut. A part of her felt she should be, like, happy?, that this was happening. She was the rebirth or whatever of a freaking god! Or something (she said her prayers - she was a good girl)! But she felt … hollow, like she hadn't fully grasped what she was.

Anna approached Alphonse, who had somehow changed clothes in the brief time they had been talking (magic, maybe?). Anna tried to speak, but for once the words wouldn't come out, so she just nodded a little shakily.

Alphonse gave that small grin, probably trying to put her at ease. "You'll be fine, Princess Anna. I promise you that." Alphonse swayed for a moment, eyelids fluttering, and anna placed a hand on his shoulder to try and steady him. He let out a breath and nodded his head, saying he was alright.

"We'll start your … education, tomorrow." The mage sat on his infirmary bed, suddenly looking as if he hadn't slept in days. He glanced at Elsa, who had approached to gaze had him with an unreadable expression.

"Get some rest, Alphonse" Elsa said, gaze softening and voice gentle. Alphonse nodded and collapsed, and Anna suppressed a smile. It was like a mother scolding her child. Or a wife her husba- whoa, where did that come from?! Anna filed that thought away to consider later, when she wasn't exhausted from crazy supernatural mumbo jumbo.

The princess followed her sister back to their rooms. As she settled in and changed into her sleep clothes, she wondered where Kristoff could be. With all of this happening, she wanted to know he was alright.

Kristoff stepped carefully by the light of his torch, wary of stray roots and vines that could trip him up. He had been moving through the mountains and forests in at night for years, but it never paid to be careful. Especially now that he had someone who cared about him, who would worry about him. Speaking of, he hoped it wouldn't take much longer. It was a few hours past dusk, and Anna would be worried by now.

After a few more minutes alone (Sven had refused to come closer, which meant he was probably pretty close) Kristoff found the entrance to the cave he had seen. It was more like a stone overhang, a twisted tree settled on the slab and hanging over like a gnarled, protective hand. Kristoff tried to forget that analogy as he approached.

The ice harvester ducked underneath the overhang to find a round cave, far too symmetrical to be natural. The grooves running down the sides looked … carved. Those thoughts came to a screeching halt as Kristoff noticed something else in the cave, or rather, two things.

Two men, old men, lay on their backs. One was breathing hard, gasping, and the other was utterly still and ominously pale. Kristoff rushed to the breathing man's side and tried to get his attention, asking what he could do. The man's eyes, unfocused and wavering, seemed to brighten at the sight of him and he grabbed Kristoff's shirt, dragging him close and pressing something thin into his hands.

"Ta-take - take ch-es-st," he gulped, "save - home. Save - l-l-lo-ve …" The man went released Kristoff and went limp, as if his energy had run out. "Fa...ther," he gasped before his eyes closed and he breathed his last. Kristoff felt nausea rise and shoved it down. He closed the man's eyes and sat back, taking them in.

A line of runes was inked into the man's cheekbone that read a single word: Magni. Maybe his name? Kristoff moved to brush the hair out of the man's face, but he … dissolved into dust?! A quick glance showed the other man was gone too, just a pile of dust where he had been.

Kristoff sighed and stood up. Was this all Grand Pabbie had wanted him to see? Sure, at least these guys, or one of them had had someone to watch their final moments, but what was that about the "key to the fate of Arendelle"? Before he could really think about it, Kristoff noticed one last thing in the cave. An iron chest sat against the far wall, partly hidden. Right, "take chest".

Kristoff approached the chest and tried to lift it, groaning in surprise at its weight. Try as he might, he couldn't even budge the thing. After trying a few more times, Kristoff relaxed and panted against the chest. Only then did he remember that he was holding something, something passed from the dead man. Magni, he thought. It always paid to respect the dead.

Kristoff lifted the object into the light to see a bracelet woven from strands of leather, strung with two iron rings. Kristoff raised an eyebrow in confusion before shrugging and putting the bracelet on. Kristoff took a breath and grasped the chest, and heaved with all he had.

Kristoff was a manly man, and confident with himself. Therefore, he would later admit that he had shrieked at a rather unmanly pitch when the chest came off the ground, weighing no more than a box of wood would. He hefted the chest a few times, unsure of what this meant, if anything. As he carried the chest back to the sled and loaded it up, the sled making an unhealthy creak as he placed it down, he resolved to ask Elsa about it tomorrow.

He urged Sven on, back toward the path down the mountain. And beyond that, Arendelle. And beyond that: Anna.

In the minutes approaching midnight, a young guard patrolled the shores of Arendelle Harbor, looking for anything odd. Especially after the giant sea serpent had attacked, it was time to be vigilant, so the captain said. The guard sorely wished he could have been closer to watch his queen fight the monster. Stories were spreading from those brave or stupid enough to stay close of the queen's bravery and skill. And that of their guest, the hooded magician.

As the guard continued, he caught a strange sound. It sounded like … moaning? The guard followed the sound and suppressed a gasp. Someone was laying on the shore, half-submerged! The guard rushed over and pulled the person from the water before looking them over.

The guard felt heat rise in his cheeks as he saw the person, the woman, before him. She was lovely! Silky black hair, lank with sea water, framed a pale heart-shaped face with plush lips and long eyelashes. Eyelashes that fluttered as the woman began to stir. She looked up at him with wide green eyes and started before clutching at his arms.

"Wh-where ... ?" she seemed unable to speak properly. The guard tried to be reassuring as he explained that she was in Arendelle. That seemed to calm her down, if for a moment. The woman clutched at him and sobbed with fear, clearly traumatized. Coming to a decision, the guard lifted her up, holding her by the shoulders and knees. He whispered that he was taking her to the castle, where he was certain that the queen would take care of her.

As the young guard carried his charge to the castle, he couldn't have noticed the glint in the woman's eye. One that spoke of anything but fear.

What do you think?

Special thanks to TeamArendelle and Miaka for reviews.

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