35- Arendelle Town
Anna evacuated all of the shell shock casualties as soon as was possible, she made sure that Alice in particular would receive the best treatment and also, going against her sister's direct orders, she proceeded to send most of her healthy troops back home to protect them from another offensive.
Alistair was in charge of leading the twelve thousand troops through the forests and fjords on their long travel to the North, while Anna remained at the Front commanding the two thousand men that had volunteered to be part of the final guard beside her.
The Princess of Arendelle was sure that she only needed one division to remain at the Line and use the Crackers again in case it was necessary, and then, just two days after the others had departed, the sentinels atop the hills informed her of what she had been wishing to hear all that time:
The Southern Isles positions looked abandoned, there were no horses anywhere and only a small fraction of the enemy armies remained at Arendelle…
Anna was delighted to imagine that Hans had faced a massive mutiny of his troops, which had been caused no doubt by the devastating damage and destruction they had suffered, and now she could be sure that the war was won for good.
The weather was getting warmer with every day that passed, not so freezing anymore despite the fact that the valley remained covered by snow…
Sadly, the mysterious metal canisters that were being arranged at the other side of the valley were too small for Anna's sentinels to notice… time was passing without another attack, and finally the largest part of the Army arrived at Arendelle Town.
"Please, bring them all to the Palace, we have transformed it into a hospital" Queen Elsa called out to her medical staff, trying to organize the reception and care of the injured men- "The Gallery, Throne Room and Armory are attending the worst cases… General Alistair!"
It was a cold but beautiful day at Arendelle Town, the wind was soft and only a little of snow remained here and there on the streets. The sky was blue and clear, and that morning hundreds of doctors, nurses and even common people from distant villages had showed up as volunteers to receive and attend the troops.
The view of soldiers without a leg, an arm, a missing eye or even worse things alarmed the medical staff and volunteers, but they seemed really awestruck at the sight of some of the worst cases of Shell Shock that Anna had sent back home…
The twitching legs, shaky hands and those mad, lifeless eyes were almost too disturbing for those that had never seen shell shock victims before, but the medical volunteers were courageous and very soon all of the casualties started to be taken for treatment inside of Arendelle Palace.
"Your Majesty" Alistair said, bowing with pride before the Queen- "It has been a difficult journey, but we have made it without any incidents… Princess Anna sends you her greetings, saying that she hopes to come back home within two or three weeks."
"Please tell me, Alistair… how is my sister?" Elsa asked, holding one of the General's hands between both of hers- "The last time that I talked to her, she seemed… I don't know, like she is just not the same Anna anymore…"
Elsa and Alistair stood together at the middle of the Fountains Square, which had become a very agitated place as the medical workers tried to find and select the cases that needed the most immediate treatment.
There were stretchers, medicines and bandages ready to be applied, and meanwhile even more troops began to arrive at the outskirts of the Town...
"Anna is an incredible commander, and a powerful fighter as well" Alistair replied, speaking with great pride about the woman he had known for the past few weeks- "Your Majesty, the Princess has been deeply affected by the war, like the rest of us, but I am sure that you shall have your sister back when all of this comes to an end."
"Thank you…"
The tired but cheerful soldiers were being reunited with their families everywhere, those that were injured looked delighted to find themselves back home, wives and children cried of happiness and Elsa, looking all around her, began to understand why Anna had decided to disobey her direct orders after all.
Anna had done the right thing, but still the Queen remained worried about the weakened defenses that her sister commanded down there at the Front…
"I know what you are thinking" Alistair said- "Your Majesty, I understand your fears but you have never seen the Crackers in action… Believe me, Anna and the rest of our army shall remain safe and sound."
"Please follow me Alistair, we have loads to talk about…"
Elsa dashed into the Palace followed by Alistair, a special gathering of the War Council was ready to receive the experienced General and meanwhile, back at the Sammel Line, Anna and her troops had no idea about the danger that they would face that day...