Chapter Eighteen: Identities

Far from Arendelle, a full week by ship, there sat the small island kingdom of Corona, ruled over by the beloved King Frederic and Queen Arianna, as well as the much-loved Princess Rapunzel and Prince-Consort Eugene Fitzherbert. The kingdom was peaceful this morning as Rapunzel and Eugene finished their morning walk through the town. The couple did this at least once a week, keeping in touch with their people that they would one day rule over.

As the couple returned to the castle, the peace was shattered by a loud commotion some distance away, the sounds of shouting echoing from the guardhouse. Rapunzel darted toward it, Eugene not far behind and both paused at the sight before them. A group of guards were surrounding a middle-aged man with their frying pans out, several other guards splayed across the ground.

One of the standing guards lunged at the man from behind, but the intruder spun around and knocked the man clean out with a cane and a faint crunching noise. "Must I ask again?!" the man spoke, not shouting but his voice carrying. "Take me to Eugene Fitzherbert. I must speak with him. The very world may depend on it!" Another guard lunged for the man, who gracefully spun out of the way and knocked him out with a single punch.

"Stand down!" Rapunzel shouted. Even if this man was a threat, the guards were clearly no match for him. With only token hesitation, the guards backed away from the man, who had stiffened at the sound of her voice. He turned to face Rapunzel, his expression almost awe-struck.

The man was clearly old, somewhere between middle aged and elderly. His hair was almost uniformly grey, with only a few strands of black, and reached to his shoulders, all held back by a woven leather headband. His face was quite wrinkled, but still regal, with an aquiline nose. But it was his eyes that were most striking, a pale, almost white grey all through, which could only mean …

"Are you blind?" Rapunzel asked, unaware that she had asked the question aloud. The man smiled and nodded.

"And you must be Princess Rapunzel," he said, his expression fading back to calm seriousness. "Your majesty, I realize that this is unorthodox, but I must speak with you and your husband. You are the cousin of the queen of Arendelle, yes?" Rapunzel's eyes widened at the sudden change in topic and she nodded before realizing he couldn't see that.

"Yes," she confirmed. The man nodded as if to himself.

"I take it that this," he gestured at Eugene without turning his head, "is Eugene?" Eugene narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.

"Yeah, that's me. And since you're not calling me 'Flynn' I doubt you're one of the people that has a grudge against me. So what do you want with me?" The man chuckled at Eugene's words before gathering himself.

"Grudge? I could never have a grudge against the son of my dear brother," he responded. Eugene took a step back, his face pale as a ghost as he stared at the stranger with wide eyes.

"What did you say?" he whispered. The man nodded solemnly, both hands on the handle of his cane.

"You heard correctly, Eugene," he said. "I am your uncle." No one spoke for several minutes, not even the guards. Rapunzel had approached Eugene and placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to give even a small hint of comfort to her visibly-shaken husband. As the silence stretched on, Rapunzel looked closely at the man before them.

With an artist's eye for detail, Rapunzel took in his appearance and tried to correct for age. Moving past the wrinkles and grey hair, not to mention the featureless eyes, she had to admit that the man greatly favored her husband. And even past that, she had a feeling in her gut that this man was telling the heartfelt truth.

"Who are you?" Rapunzel asked, hoping the man would understand her real meaning. The man, Eugene's uncle, closed his eyes with a heavy sigh.

"That is a very long story, princess. One that is almost impossible to believe. But I swear to you that it is true. You must believe me, for your cousins from the north depend on it." The man hissed and clutched his chest, coughing haggardly. "Please," he bit out, "I do not have much time." As he spoke, strands of his hair visibly turned white, like frost growing over the ground. "Is there anywhere we can speak privately, or even with your parents?"

Rapunzel glanced at Eugene, who still seemed shaken, and placed a hand on the older man's shoulder to guide him along. "What is your name?" Rapunzel asked. The man lasted a few hallways, the guards following them, before answering.

"My name is Hodr," he said.

In the king's study, Frederic held the missive from his niece, Elsa, that described the bizarre happenings around Arendelle. It had only been the king's stalwart respect for Elsa's intellect (as well as the testimony from his daughter about the Eternal Winter and his own experience with the supernatural) that kept him from completely dismissing the apparent tall-tale.

Dearest Uncle Frederic,

Before I begin, please realize I have the utmost respect for you, Aunt Arianna, and Rapunzel. Knowing that, I humbly ask that you accept that what I write about is in every way true, and not just the fantasies of a young woman with a crown.

I suppose I should start from the beginning.

The lore of my homeland, of Aunt Arianna's homeland, describes an entity called a "draugr", a corpse of a man reanimated by a twisted force of will and malevolent magic, whether natural or artificial. These creatures perform acts that they strived for in life, such as vengeance upon enemies or guarding treasure.

Three days ago, Anna was attacked by one such monster in the halls of our very home. Anna was saved by the intervention of a large wolf that then fled the castle and into the night. I realize this may seem fanciful, but in all honestly it only gets stranger.

The night after, as Anna, Kristoff and I explored the marketplace, a ramshackle army of the nightmares arrived. They ignored our people, thank heaven, and pursued only Anna and myself. Despite the bravery and skill of my Guardsmen, as well as my own power, their unearthly strength and great numbers almost overwhelmed us.

And yet, once again, we were saved by a guardian angel. A young man arrived and, through powerful magic, destroyed the army of undead before fleeing Arendelle on a horse conjured from mist. Anna herself believed that this magician and the wolf that had saved her were one and the same, and I could not shake the feeling that she was right.

The next morning, I sent Anna and Kristoff to discuss the matter with the trolls who live in the mountains. (I believe Rapunzel has told you about Kristoff's adoptive family.) As I waited for their return, I was visited by none other than the mage himself. His name is Alphonse, and he pledged his aide in this matter, claiming the works of a dark sorcerer as the source of our troubles.

Of course, I didn't take his word at face value (though I sensed no treachery). It was only after Anna and Kristoff returned that I began to believe. Grand Pabbie, a powerful shaman and leader of the trolls, had already spoken to Alphonse and advised us to trust him.

I write this missive the morning after Alphonse's arrival. I sincerely hope that whatever misfortune that plagues my kingdom has not spread to yours.

Dearest love and greatest regards,

Queen Elsa of Arendelle

As he finished rereading the letter, Frederic narrowed his eyes at their "guest", the man who called himself "Hodr" and claimed to be Eugene's uncle. Examining the man, Frederic had to acknowledge the similarity between the two. But the story he had given them was perhaps even more fantastical than what Elsa had written about.

Hodr had told them of the time of Northern myth, of the Aesir and Vanir, the jotun and monsters, and of the cataclysmic Ragnarok. Frederic was a learned man, quite familiar with the stories of his beloved wife's homeland. Hodr had claimed to be the very same Hodr from the legends, the blind brother of Baldr who had been tricked by Loki into killing the fair god.

Hodr had gone on to explain that the Aesir and Vanir, the gods of old, were re-emerging in new human forms, fragments of their essence being reborn as humans. According to him, the Alphonse from Elsa's letter was the "Residuum" of Odin who roamed the earth slaying monsters. He went on to claim that his neice Anna was the reborn Freya and her husband Thor's rebirth.

And most troubling of all, on that front, was that the infamous Hans Westergard was the reincarnation of Loki, driven half-mad by Loki's influence and striving for the throne of Arendelle and the death of his nieces. He was the dark sorcerer that plagued Arendelle, the draugr his pawns and his schemes only beginning.

But the icing on the cake was what Hodr said about his Rapunzel and Eugene. According to him, Rapunzel was one of these "Residuum", though he had yet to claim of whom. And to up the stakes, he claimed that his brother, the so-called Baldr, was Eugene's father who had died after conceiving Eugene.

"I realize that this is difficult to believe," Hodr said calmly, "but I assure you it is the truth. And I believe that missive from the Snow Queen," he pointed at the letter in Fredric's hands, "only encourages my tale." How was this man blind, again?

Both Arianna and Rapunzel had stayed respectfully quiet during Hodr's tale, even as Rapunzel visibly had to keep her mouth closed to prevent questions flying out. But before she could ask, Eugene beat her to it.

"If I'm your nephew," he said, his tone showing that he had yet to accept this turn of events, "why am I just learning about this? Where were you during my time in the orphanage, or even during the past few years?" Hodr sighed heavily at the question, turning to face Eugene.

"I believe I should start from the beginning. After Ragnarok transpired and your father and I rose from Helheim, we had originally planned to try and rebuild what had been destroyed. But upon seeing, upon feeling, the clean slate of the world, we knew it would be best to simply let it come to be on its own. Baldr and I faded into the background and allowed the remains of the races, of men and elves and dwarves, to create their own home free from the machinations of our kind. We still helped where we could or when we felt it necessary, but for the most part we kept to ourselves.

"All of that changed nearly thirty years ago, when Baldr met a young woman. I never learned her name, nor the circumstances of their meeting, but Baldr fell for her and she for him. My brother would spend much time with her and on the third year of their time together, you were conceived.

"What my brother had failed to tell me was that he had passed his essence, his power, on to you, leaving him to fade away into a shadow of himself. He lasted a number of months before he died of old age, his life force given up so that you would live. I eventually determined what had happened and I tried to find you.

"But your mother had died in childbirth and you were sent to an orphanage. Not knowing who your mother was, I could only do so much to find you. It has only been in the past few years, when you stayed in one place, that I have been able to Dream about your home and find you." Hodr finished his story, tears streaming down his cheeks. Despite his clear attempts to stay angry, Eugene's features had softened considerably and he even seemed to believe his supposed uncle.

Hodr coughed again, his hair turning even further white. This had been happening throughout his story, and his hair was nearly free of gray, his face more wrinkled than ever.

"Please, Eugene, I don't have much time. You must believe me, for the royals of Arendelle need you and S-Rapunzel." Everyone caught the slip-up in his speech, especially Rapunzel.

"S-s-s-what?" she asked. "Who was I before?" Out of all of them, Rapunzel had been by far the most accepting of this tale, no doubt thanks to her childhood seeped in magic. Hodr gave a faint smile and passed his hand over Rapunzel.

The princess began to glow, an after-image of soft light surrounding her. The image looked like Rapunzel, with a rounder face and darker skin, her hair blond and reaching her ankles and her eyes silvery-blue. She was dressed in a white-and-gold dress that left her arms bare, her forearms and hands wrapped in leather bindings like a charioteer. And just as fast as it had appeared, the image faded away.

"It is good to see you again, Sunna," Hodr smiled. The old man's hair faded to full white and his wrinkles deepened. "My final time has come," he sighed, turning to Eugene. "It is time I passed on to you your birthright, my nephew."

Hodr placed a hand on Eugene's shoulder and the other on his forehead. Light seemed to shimmer over Eugene like ripples on a pond. Hodr rapidly began to age, his limbs thinning and his hair falling out, his skin weathering like old parchment. Hodr collapsed against his nephew, his breathing ragged.

"Goodbye, my nephew. And good luck." And with that, Hodr breathed his last in his nephew's arms. The color leached from the old man and he faded into dust. All that remained was a small leatherbound notebook, Eugene's name carved into the cover.

Eugene picked up the notebook and flipped through it, revealing a bizarre looping scribble-like script. And even as he looked upon it, the loops and whorls seemed to click into place, their meaning clear to him as if it were written in plain script. The ex-thief flipped to a map of local Scions, skimming over the description of what they were, and his thoughts turned over to Hodr's report on the state of Arendelle.

Eugene stood and looked to his wife, his gaze communicating far more than mere words ever could. Rapunzel nodded with a grim smile.

"I think it's time to check up on my cousins," Rapunzel said.

Anna kept her breathing even as she held her hands, shimmering with green-gold light, over Alphonse, her eyes glowing as she Saw into his injuries. The princess swallowed against the bile rising in her throat at the Sight of his wounds, both physical and metaphysical.

To anyone else, they would only see the deep burn-scar around his neck and the gaping, now only-barely bleeding wound in his side. That was bad enough to make an average person retch, and had actually made a serving man faint. But beneath the surface, in the supernatural side of it all, it was much, much worse. The wounds, the groove and the puncture, pulsed with an eerie burning glow that contrasted his natural aura.

Anna steeled herself and examined further, trying to gauge the apparent age of the wounds. Something felt off about it. Alphonse could only have been hanging a few hours, but these wounds seemed days old. Frankly, she had no idea how he was still alive (not that she was an expert in this kind of thing). And the wounds seemed to resist her efforts to close them, to make them better. It was like Alphonse's body were fighting against her magic. But she powered on and did what she could, practically forcing his wounds to close and partially-mend. At least now he won't bleed to death, Anna thought grimly as she wrapped his wounds in bandages.

As Anna returned to her normal vision, she glanced up at her sister. Elsa's eyes were still red from crying and she clutched Alphonse's hand like a vice, her entire body seeming tense at the sight of his labored breathing and ashen complexion. And as much as she respected and admired Alphonse, Anna could help the flare of anger that smoldered in her gut at the sight of Elsa looking so scared for him; especially over something he had done to himself!

Alphonse hissed in pain as he tried to rise, but both sisters held him down by the shoulders. "I really hope it was worth it," Anna growled. Now that she thought about it, especially as mad as she was, it seemed like Alphonse couldn't do something amazing without almost dying. How had he lasted so long fighting monsters if this was always how it ended?

Alphonse's eyes fluttered open and he looked at Anna, his gaze heavy with pain. "That's debatable," he bit out through gritted teeth. "I didn't want to worry any of you, but this was something I had to do. And for the record, I did get something out of it." The side of his mouth twitched in the briefest of grins. "I learned half of Odin's charms."

Anna looked up as Elsa gave a faint gasp, covering her mouth in awe. Elsa may know what that meant, but anna didn't. And anyway- "Half?" she asked. "You went through all of this and you didn't even get the full set? What a ripoff!" Elsa and Alphonse both chuckled at the outspoken woman, though the mage's chuckles devolved into pained coughing.

"Well, I only hung for half the time Odin did," he explained.

"How is that possible?" Elsa asked, somehow both gently and with immovable force. "The poetry says that he hung for nine days. You were only hanging since this morning. How could you have hung long enough to learn anything?"

Alphonse took a shuddering breath before answering, explaining the strange effect that the Scions of Yggdrasil had on Time. As he spoke, a myriad of emotions flitted over the sisters' faces, everything from awe to horror. As he finished his short lesson, briefly reflecting on how often he had been giving speeches lately, Anna glanced down at his wounds, bandaged up and seemingly ordinary.

"So, what charms did you learn?" Elsa asked, voicing the question Anna had been unsure how to ask. Alphonse huffed a laugh and hissed in discomfort.

"I don't know exactly which, so far. I know that I was able to pick nine out of the set, but it will take time for me to adjust. It's like …" he was silent for a moment as he mulled over his words, "like a pond settling after boulders were tossed in. They'll come to me one at a time, probably over the next few days." He grinned. "But I do know the first one for me."

What happened next, neither sister could have explained. Alphonse lips were moving, but the sound that escaped was like the buzzing of wasps, the hissing of serpents, and the rumble of an avalanche all together. Alphonse gasped and his eyes flashed with blue light, and he settled back into his bed.

"I know the name of every Ashlander creature creature in this world; every entity descended from the aftermath of Ragnarok. Every eld, dwarf, troll …" he glanced at them both before his gaze settled on Elsa. "And every Residuum." Anna paled and looked up at her sister, finding a frightening mix of horror and disbelief on her sister's usually-calm face.

Both knew, without having to ask, what he meant.

"It can't be," Elsa whispered. "I- I can't-" The queen looked down as Alphonse grasped her hand, his gaze a mix of guilt, admiration, and … holy skylights, was that actual love?

"Who?" a voice asked, prompting all three to turn and find Kristoff leaning against the wall. "Who was Elsa before all …" he gestured around, as if meaning the world, "this?"

Alphonse sat up, the royal sisters too stunned to stop him, and gave a heavy sigh. "The original Snow Queen. The fearsome Skadi, goddess of winter, mountains, and bowhunting."

At the mage's words, Elsa thought back on everything that had happened since the first draugr attack. Those sudden surges in confidence, the armor and war-garb wrought from frost and snow, muddled flashes of memories - the bow of ice and her unthinking skill. It all made a warped sort of sense. She glanced at Alphonse as an important question came to mind.

"Is there anyone else we know like this?" she asked. Alphonse gave a faint grin and held up his hand, his fingers counting down. As if on some supernatural cue, Kai entered the infirmary, his countenance the firm air of business.

"Your majesties and honored company," he addressed the latter to Alphonse, "Princess Rapunzel and Prince-Consort Eugene have arrived at our doorstep. And they wish to speak to you." His gaze swept over the group before adding, "All of you."

All of the royals glanced at each other, communication beyond words flitting between them. This couldn't be a coincidence, especially since Alphonse had quite literally counted it down. Elsa stood from the bed, her expression the calm reservation of royal business. "Bring them in," she said, her tone aloof. Anna grinned. Elsa may uphold that icy queenly demeanor now, but that would drop as soon as Rapunzel entered the room. If there was anyone who could compete with Anna when it came to defrosting her sister, it was good-old cousin Rapunzel.

As the day wound down, one of the guards, fresh off his shift, watched as the Coronan princess and consort entered the castle, the doors to the castle proper closing with a muted boom. The guardsman gazed over the town of Arendelle, eyes narrowed at the apparent peace. The town may appear still, but he knew that the people were buzzing about like ants in a crushed hill.

Their queen, God bless her, was remarkable forthcoming for a monarch (the guardsman would know; he had lived in four countries in his youth before returning home) and had been vocal about the dangers that threatened them. But she had assured the people that she, as well as her sorcerous guest, would do everything in their power to protect them.

The people were not exactly afraid, they trusted their queen too much for that. But they were not ignorant of the dangers, nor were they under any false allusions about the queen. The people of the Northern countries, such as Arendelle, were a practical and down-to-earth kind. They knew that the queen and the sorcerer (the people had taken to calling him the Queen's Champion) were only two people, albeit with extraordinary powers.

And Hans, curse that wayward prince, had at least one army at his beck and call.

Though they were trying to keep life working like normal, the people were preparing for whatever may happen. Invasion, natural disaster (hint, hint: giant sea serpent), direct attack by Hans; whatever it was, the people were determined to be prepared as much as possible.

The guardsman's thoughts, roaming and changing on his walk to his home, were interrupted by an unusual sensation that seemed to wash over him. He shivered and looked around, gripping his halberd in surprise. What on earth was that? Seized with curiosity, the guardsman followed the sensation to the edge of town, senses sharp and body tense.

As he began to climb the mountain that faced the town, the guard was finally able to determine what the sensation was: music. Violin music, beautiful and ethereal, wafted through the air. It grew strong as he approached, and the thought never crossed his mind about how he had been able to sense it from the town proper, or that no one else seemed to hear it.

Finally, the guardsman pushed aside some vines to find the source of the music sitting on the bank of a large mountain stream, the rumble of a waterfall a backdrop to the melody. The violinist was pale and thin, his hair shaggy. His face was as serene as could be, though, as he worked his instrument with almost magical grace. The guardsman felt tears streaming down his cheeks at the mournful tune.

After who-knows how long, the man's music came to an end. The guardsmen felt himself drawn forward, pleas for him to resume on the tip of his tongue. But then the violinist looked at him, a malevolent gleam in his eye. The guardsman shivered and then realized that he was up to his waist in the water, drawn forward by the beauty of the music.

He cried out as the violinist grabbed him by the throat and fell, dragging him down. The water churned as he struggled, and then went still, red rising in a stain on the water to be washed away by the current. A few moments later, the guardsman's body rose to the surface, carried along towards the town. And in his lower rib cage sat a gaping hole, his liver gone.

Further up the stream, back underneath the waterfall, Bornemann emerged from the water, utterly dry and a vicious smirk marring his features. He licked his lips and sat back on the bank, quickly tuning his violin with the skill of immeasurable practice. Oh yes, Loki's deal had started out quite satisfactory.

With that thought, he positioned his fiddle and began to play again. That man, large and strong, had only been the beginning. His fingers began moving, and his music wafted over the town. And somewhere in Arendelle, another guardsman was being led to his doom.

How'd ya'll like Hodr. I'm taking inspiration from the scholarly theory that both Baldr and Hodr were more war-like figures than people think. Heck, an old (very old) version of "Baldr's Death" portrays he and Hodr as opposing warlords who dueled for the hand of the goddess Nanna. Baldr was invulnerable from eating magical food and Hodr had traveled to the underworld to get a magic sword to bypass that power. Hodr won, but was avenged by Baldr's champion.

Hodr's skills were partly inspired by Daredevil (with the blindness, I couldn't help myself)

What do ya'll think of the revelations here (I know, kind of identity-reveal heavy, but I have my reasons). Check out Odin's charms online (in the poem "Havamal" or interpreted in Neil Gaiman's "American Gods". More will come in time.

FYI, the tune I imagine the nokken playing is a violin cover for "Dearly Beloved" of Kingdom Hearts. It is a mournfully beautiful tune that is well-suited to the violin. Taylor Davis of YouTube has an excellent cover, ya'll should check it out.