A/N: I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting this fic to pick up so fast! I thank everyone who's already followed this story and I promise that as a result, I will keep writing and work hard at having it release alongside OUAT's Season 4. If you catch any Assassin's Creed references in this, you're awesome. One more thing for any Game of Thrones fans who are reading this: Asgeir's appearance and character is based off of one of my favorite characters from the show: Jon Snow! Small wonder why if you really think about it. And yes, Asgeir has a British accent. This is because he was raised mostly by Assassins with accents. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to review, follow, and even shoot me a PM. I appreciate all feedback.

Chapter 2:Past-Nothing is True...

I was nine when I first heard those words speak loud and clear as my training began.

"Nothing is True..."

Nothing? Then why must anyone believe in anything? To truly never believe in anything is to lose purpose for everything.

"...Everything is Permitted"

That can't be true either. A world where I can truly do anything and no one would stop me is just a pointless dream.

They all told me the same thing from the start. It was Matthew who truly spoke it to me, and my understanding began for the Creed.

"Remember, Asgeir. We are Assassins. We work in the dark to serve the light, bringing death upon those who deserve it. Those who would seek to see this world to end with us kissing their feet are truly the bane of existence to this world. Never forget that when your time comes, you will leave behind something for this Order."

Matthew was the Grand Master of our wing of the Order. I had my share of friends in the Order, but none like him. He was my father's apprentice when he was my age, and saw it his own responsibility to teach me what my father taught him. He was like a brother to me.

But I didn't just have Matthew. Under my hood in the Order, I had a secret only few knew of: my true family. I was a bastard born to a Queen of a nearby kingdom; The kingdom of Arendelle. Several of my friends in the Order knew of this, but outside the order, I could count on my fingers the ones who knew the truth.

Twenty four years ago, the King and Queen of Arendelle were expecting a child. They had been waiting for an heir for so long. When he was born, the Queen confessed the truth to her husband: I wasn't his trueborn son, but the son of Daniel Swortssen, a name only some knew of. King Agdar knew of him, because he was one of our enemies: A Templar. He covered the truth up as best he could. Hours after I was born, he ordered the seven servants that had seen me to forget that it ever happened, and then took me out to the woods to leave me. He also burned a diagonal slash across the back of my right hand to show my status to the world: the Bastard's Brand. Then he left me to die.

But Agdar didn't count on our eyes. My father knew that Gerda was with child, and sent several spies for us to keep their eyes on me, and ensure my safety. When Agdar left me for dead, they took me to Father.

He proudly took me in as his true son, and for the first few years of my life, he raised me. Despite being an Assassin at heart, Daniel was also a good father. He always made me feel like I had a place where I belonged. But when I was six, the Templars found our hideout, and executed him, Agdar leading the charge. I will never forget looking down the hilltop as we fled, seeing Father beaten and bloody, his neck against a log, as Agdar took his sword and then his head.

We spent years fleeing from the Templars everyday. But I know something: even if the Templars were to destroy every home we ever knew, we always find a new one. A small community on the border between Misthaven and Corona served as our new home. I grew up wanting to kill Agdar for hurting me. Father never told me why Agdar wanted to kill him, aside from the fact that he was a Templar, and we were Assassins. But Matthew eventually revealed the truth to me: Agdar wasn't killing Father out of bloodlust for our feud with the Templars, but revenge for giving me to his wife, my Mother. Ever since then, I trained harder than I ever could. Nothing drove me further than getting to Agdar for killing my father. I spent years across the realms, killing Templars, and those who did not deserve the lives they held. Many times I heard whispers from the Templars about Agdar's rage towards me. He had no idea who I truly was, only that I was the Assassin who sought to end everything that he had built up.

When I was 16, Matthew sat me down to discuss some important things.

"By now you may be aware of your mother's daughters?" He asked.

I nodded. "Elsa and Anna. I haven't seen them, but I know of them. What about them?"

"We've uncovered the Templars' true plot, and it involves both of them. I don't know when, but sometime in the future, both girls will be inducted into the Templars and become new members."

I nodded. "It'll put my own blood at the top of my list."

"There's more. Both sisters have been locked up for years, and we now know why: Elsa holds some sort of ice magic. It's dangerous, and from our knowledge, it nearly killed someone in the castle. Add that with her wisdom as a monarch, and-"

My eyes widened. "The Templars will have already won."

Matthew nodded. "Now normally, we'd be killing both sisters right now. But Agdar hasn't even told either sister of his allegiance towards the Templars, or who they are."

"We need to kill Agdar." I said. "And quick."

Matthew disagreed. "What have I taught you, Asgeir?"

I thought hard. It was an old lesson by one of our greatest from another land. The teachings of Ezio Auditore. "Striking at the head won't solve anything. We kill Agdar now, and someone will take his place."

"Exactly." Said Matthew. "We have our targets aligned with Agdar, so they will come first. Agdar will eventually come to our sights, but until then, we can't do anything like that."

I got up. "So where do we start?"

"We start soon. Right now we wait for a move from the Templars. Then we fight."

As I walked out, Matthew said one more thing. "We aren't killing those girls yet, Asgeir. Remember our first tenet."

The life of an Assassin is the furthest from an easy one. It takes the strongest of us to even bear it. Every year, more of us die at the hands of the tyrants with the Red Cross. We're always seen as the villains in this war, and people believe the stories. I often dream of a world where we find an end to this world. The last Templars see a world where people no longer cheat each other, and can work together without the Templars' influences. A world where all people, cultures, and faiths are equal. Where instead of spending all our time trying to hurt each other, we focus on protecting each other. That reminded me of a saying written by Ezio's father Giovanni Auditore: "There will come a day when men no longer try to cheat each other. On that day, we shall see what we are truly capable of." That day was long away. I always knew I would never live to see it, but I would do my part to leave something behind for those who would.

For five years, we fought the Templars, doing what we could to push them from Arendelle and Misthaven. Word began spreading of dangerous Templars rising faster than new Assassins. Cora, the Queen of the Eastern Reach suddenly vanishing, and her daughter Regina taking her place into the Templars. Then came a snag in the plan as another one of our targets fell.

"King Agdar is gone." Said Matthew one day at a table meeting.

Several of us were shocked. "Gone?" Said Jason. "Dead?"

"Lost at sea." He said. "He and Queen Gerda's ship was found by rescuers four days ago. They are both dead. With his death, the Templars in Arendelle are fractured. We can now set up a better wing in Arendelle, and hopefully reclaim our home in due time."

I just stood up and stormed out. Matthew called for my name, but I did not answer. I went out into the woods, and climbed up into the trees. Agdar was the one person who's death would let me sleep easier. Killing him for revenge would not bring Father back, but it would make our lives as outlaws much easier. I had become an Assassin who made sure targets suffered before they died. I had gone into a downwards spiral that only gave me more pain and suffering. I was one of the only people in our wing of the Order that used poison almost as often as steel. I was under a lot of contempt for other people's lives, those of the Templars, and of those in privileged lives as nobles. There was a time, weeks ago, when I killed a lower ranking Templar, and didn't even offer the prayer for him: "Hvil I Fred", or "rest in peace" in Old Arendelian. It was our way of showing respect for others, and instead, I deliberately avoided wishing that for him. What kind of monster had I turned into? No true Assassin. And to now hear that Agdar, the one who tried to bring death on me when I was born, was dead, didn't make me relieved. It made me furious.

But something happened after that day that changed things. Both potential Templars in Arendelle were without parents, and therefore had no one to help induct them in. This was another chance that we had. Matthew asked for my help in this.

"We aren't to come straight out to either sister. Tenet two and three." He said. "We are to observe them, and protect them. Find some way to stop the Templars from trying to reach them."

I did as I was asked. I watched both sisters with curiosity at a distance. For three years I spent my time in Arendelle, watching Anna and Elsa with interest. At first I only saw more potential targets in them, but they were different. Anna was a warm, gentle soul who saw value in everyone's lives, and who personally knew every one of the servants names off by heart. It was almost like they weren't her servants, but more like friends. Her only friends, since the castle was always closed up tight. Though, not enough for an Assassin.

Elsa was a different story. She was very wise beyond her years. But she lacked in courage what she had in her heart of ice. She could take a lesson from one of us about what it meant to face problems instead of hiding from them. But I felt a similar way with her. Both sisters were souls who didn't deserve the life of either an Assassin or a Templar. A life like that would be too much to bear for them. It was as I watched them that my faith began to come back. Faith in the Creed, and it's impact on humanity. I knew that one day I could truly stand among the legends. Ezio, Altair, Edward, Connor, Arno, all of them, and become one of the greats. Anna and Elsa brought me back, without talking to me, or even knowing who I was.

Despite being family to me, neither of them had any resemblance to me. Anna had bright blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, and freckles across her nose. Elsa had skin as pale as snow, and as smooth as ice, with light blonde hair. I had black shaggy hair, a stubble, and several scars across my faces from various fights. One went from my right eyebrow, down diagonally across my nose to my left cheek. The other was down my left eyebrow, cutting it in half and down to meet with the other, almost forming a slight "X" across my face. Anna often said these days they reflected how much I had been through and how they had made me stronger.

The Templars did not give up in their plans for the sisters. Their plans revolved around the hope that the window could open up. And they would send one of their own to twist both sisters into their weapons. None of us let it happen. I killed three potential threats before they even had their chance to get turned away because Elsa wasn't seeing anyone that day. (Or ever. She was always shut up in her room if she wasn't taking lessons from her tutors.)

There was one day that I was almost exposed. The target was a Lord from Misthaven hoping to discuss the possibility of a trading alliance in the future. He needed to discuss the plans with Elsa, as she was unofficially the Queen of Arendelle, and therefore, the only one who could verify the agreement.

I found out about the true intentions of the meeting only an hour before he arrived at the castle. While Kai went to go get Elsa, I climbed up onto the roof of the garden's covered walkway. I watched as he sat down, waiting for a response. It was a simple job of running over, jumping down from above, and slicing his neck open with my blade. But then came the snag.

As I put him down, whispering the prayer, I heard a gasp. I looked up suddenly, thankful for the cover of my hood.

A young woman stood there. She had her strawberry hair tied in two braids, one of which was hinted with a streak white as snow. Despite her status, she wore a dress that looked more like that which a villager would normally wear. She had her hands to her mouth at the sight of the hooded man before her, covered in her sister's guest's blood.

There was no disappearing from this. But there was also no killing Anna because I could not do it, no matter what. She fit the term "innocent" as perfectly as a shoe tailored for oneself. I stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do.

Then came one of the most strangest responses I ever thought of: I looked at Anna directly in the eyes, my face hidden by the shadow of my hood, and I raised my finger to my mouth, hush. Then I took off, the wind blowing with me.

That was the last I saw of Anna for seven months. Not long afterwards, Elsa's revelation came forth in the form of a winter in the middle of July that lasted three days. Elsa became more than just the Queen of Arendelle. She gained a new name alongside her coronation: the Snow Queen.

Anna had an experience in those days I wish was better. It turned out that the Templars' plan almost had been successful, but we were unable to intervene due to the winter. Anna, however, foiled their plans. Their member, a prince by the name of Hans, was tasked with doing whatever it took to turn Elsa to the Templars. Anna didn't matter, because they didn't see any value in having her. But Anna ended up getting in the way of their plans. Hans was stripped of his titles, and I breathed easier as I resumed my position of watching each sister from afar.

You may have had this moment in your life, or you are waiting for it. No matter, everyone gets at least one moment. It's the moment when something happens in your life that truly changes everything in less than a whole second. It will be in that instant that you will have a life that is never the same. It can be arguably seen that the moment in my life was when Agdar left me to die. But that is not true. The real truth was when I received a letter from one of our spies two months after Elsa's coronation.

Matthew called me over when the carrier bird brought it to us. Enclosed with it was a list. The letter read:

"Master Asgeir.

This situation concerns all of us, but I am aware that it will be of your concern the most. I recently intercepted a Huntsman for the Templars, and with it, a list of targets. Most of them are some people not of our care, but then came one that did shake me. It was Princess Anna of Arendelle.

I demanded he explain why she was on his list, and he said what he knew: the Templars want Anna dead for ruining their plans four months ago. The Huntsman is not the only one they hired, and it will be happening soon. What's more is that everyone committing the assassination is requested to wear white hoods. It may already be too late."

A frame job. Kill the only person left in this world that she loves, and frame us for the deed. Nothing would turn Elsa against the Assassins faster, and in turn, bring her to the Templars. I didn't say anything to Matthew. He nodded to me as I ran off.

I arrived in Arendelle by dark that night. Already I felt my senses shiver as I vaulted the castle's high walls above the water: the Templars were already here. I climbed up to an unused nest at the top of a guard tower. Already I saw two disguised Templars running across the rooftops. Quickly, I whipped out my air rifle, and loaded it up. Two quick shots followed, with both falling to the ground, off the slanted roof. I dropped to the floor of the nest, onto my chest as I loaded another cartridge of darts in, taking a sharpshooter stance. Another Templar was running, this time trying to take cover from whatever hit his friends. But he was taking cover from the wrong angle. Another click came from the rifle as he fell down from the roof. Sleep poison, I used on them. Despite being non-lethal, a fall from a roof at that height, head first, would be much more deadly.

Guards came out to investigate the bodies as I got up from the nest, and rushed inside.

I swung into a window, and instantly found myself behind one of the castle guards. At this hour, Anna would be in her room. I needed to get there, and quick. I came up behind the guard, and grabbed him by the neck. Holding him for a few seconds took his consciousness right out. I sank back into the shadows as I ran through the hallways with the speed and weightlessness of an eagle.

Another Templar was up in the rafters of the hallway. I whistled quietly to him. When he looked down, I opened my Phantom Blade and stuck him in the neck, the blade soaring up across the hall. I sprinted off towards Anna's room, narrowly avoiding his falling body.

I focused my senses, the Sight kicking in. A blood red path laid onto the floor stood in front of me. The Templars were ahead of me. I needed to move. As soon as I knew I had the right room, I opened it and went inside.

I was only seconds early. The two Templars stood over Anna's bed as she slept, one holding the knife up, ready to complete the deed. Anna's window let the light of the borealis give an ambient glow to the room, the shadow of the two predators standing over their prey. Without even thinking, I was no longer an Assassin. I wasn't even a killer. I was just a brother trying to save the sister he barely knew.

I didn't count on the creaky floorboard, but it gave me a couple more seconds before they finished the job. Both of them looked up as they heard the squeak, and before either of them could respond, I ran over and grabbed the one with the knife by the neck. I shoved his head under my arm, and squeezed hard, feeling his neck give way as he fell to the floor. I quickly slipped the knife out of his hand and tossed it across the room to the other guy. He dropped fast to the ground with a thud, like his friend.

I bowed my head. "Hvil I Fred." I murmured.

"Who's there?!"

I turned. This was the second time this happened, but it would be the last. Anna stared at me again as I raised my finger to my mouth, just like last time. But this time, Anna wasn't so quiet. She screamed out, leaving me no choice but to drop to my knees, and hold my hands to my head in defeat. The guards burst in, and grabbed me. I, Asgeir Swortssen, the Master Assassin, had been caught.

I spent days in the prison underneath the castle. The captain of the guards had no problem with convicting me of an attempted assassination on Princess Anna. He didn't say anything for the seven bodies they found around the castle, and how they looked more like her would-be killers than me. Luckily, the guard that I had knocked out had lived, and would be taking a nice long holiday, and I quote, "no thanks to me".

I sat in the pit for days, waiting for the visit from the one I knew would come. And she did.

I woke up that day to a small amount of sun shining through my window. I was chained to the floor by my hands and feet, but I just sat there, breathing slowly and softly out my mouth. Then I saw it: my breath. I saw the steam rushing out as the entire temperature in my cell dropped as quickly as the Templars I killed from that dinner party when I was eighteen. I smiled as I felt the frost gather in the cell.

Two people walked in, one standing out much more. She was a slender young woman with pale skin and bright blue eyes. Her blonde hair so light it was almost white, was tied in a bun behind her head, and she wore a teal dress with black sleeves. I was a little underwhelmed by her appearance, because I had heard the stories about her as the Snow Queen.

Elsa and the turnkey opened the door as she glared at me with eyes like razor sharp sapphires.

"Leave us." She said.

"At once, Your Majesty." He said, and walked out.

Elsa walked over. "So." She said. "I've heard stories of you, but I never believed they were true: The famed White Reaper."

I grinned. "Is that what they are calling me these days? Not really a good sign to know that I hold a reputation, but you got to admit, it's catchy."

"What's your name?"

I turned my head, and spat off to the side. "Call me Ishmael."

Elsa humorlessly smiled. "Cute. So I'll catch you up on what happened several nights ago. We find in your personal effects, a list containing a number of names, some scratched out. Most of them weren't known by us, but then I spy one that isn't crossed off, and what should I find? It's my own sister on that list. Now I will tell you how this played out: you and your buddies all have Anna as the target. You breach the castle, but as you start to make your way in, a strange realization crosses your mind."

Elsa spoke this with such sarcasm and no sympathy.

"You are the legendary White Reaper. What would happen if on this one particular job, you aren't the one who kills the sister of the famed Snow Queen of Arendelle? You would lose your reputation. So you turned your blade on each of your allies, and killed them all-"

"Did I? I have been very bad."

"-and then expected that when you reached the target's room, you would be the one to finish the job. Did I miss anything?"

I smiled. "You missed everything, Elsa." I stopped myself suddenly. "Can I call you Elsa?"

She scowled. "Your Majesty, if you don't mind."

"Right. As I was saying, Your Majesty, you missed everything. But who's to say you'll believe me?"

"I would."

Elsa and I looked up as Anna walked into the cell.

"Anna, what are you doing here? This man is dangerous. I told you to stay upstairs."

Anna shrugged. "C'mon, Elsa. You knew I wasn't going to listen anyways."

Elsa crossed her arms as Anna knelt down towards me. "I want to hear his side."

"Why, Anna?"

"Because from what I saw, he wasn't trying to kill me. He was saving me."

Elsa almost burst out laughing as I sat up, the cold chains rubbing against my bare wrists.

"What say you, Reaper?" Anna said. "Or what do I call you? What is your name?"

"Asgeir." I simply said. Then I began. "Those were assassins paid in coin to kill you, and I intercepted one of them days ago. I made it here, killed every one of them, and was meaning to leave, but as we know, the one standing before me blew my cover. As for the guard, I deliberately made sure I didn't kill him because of who he worked for."

Elsa looked at me strangely. "But why save her? What does it matter if either one of us live? Aren't you just an assassin? Who are you?"

I shook my head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Surprisingly, neither Anna nor Elsa said "try me". Which is how I usually had things play out if I said that. Elsa just stormed out at my obscurity, but Anna stayed behind.

"What's this?" Said Anna as she pulled out the thing in her hands. "It was with your effects."

I tried to reach out and take that from Anna. "Careful! That's a blade!"

Anna smirked. "What, a leather bracer? What kind of blade looks like that?"

Anna tapped it a few times, but it didn't open. Our blades are built with a special mechanism in them, designed so that only us trained in our ways can open them.

Anna glanced at me, then put the blade back into her cloak. "Who are you, Asgeir? I don't even know you, yet you seem concerned for my well being since you saved my life, and are afraid I'll cut myself on this blade."

I sighed. "You met me once before. I know you know when."

Anna's eyes widened. "You're the one who killed that Lord Franklin when he came to discuss trading alliances. Why?"

"It's complicated, Highness." I said. "Such is the life that I lead."

Anna stood up, also fed up with my secrecy. "It always is. Last time I heard that, the secret was my sister had ice magic. I'm not even sure I want to know what secret you're hiding yet."

Anna walked out as the guard closed and locked the gate behind her, leaving me in the cell. The frost gathering on the walls had disappeared, leaving the room damp and cold. How was I going to reveal this truth to either of them? I couldn't answer that question, no matter what I tried to visualize their reaction might be. They would take the news as easily as anyone could.

We have a ruling in our Wing of the Order: we leave no one behind. But this was a different case. I personally asked that I be left behind to give me enough time to reveal everything to the sisters. But who to tell first? Elsa was less trusting of anyone, and would probably freeze me if I said anything along the lines of "I'm your long lost half-brother, born to your mother and the kingdom's most feared Assassin."

Elsa wasn't giving up on trying to pull every secret out of me. After that day in the prison, she moved me to a different cell where the chains hung from the ceiling, and not the floor. She was convinced that her story was true, that I had killed those Templars to let myself be the one to kill Anna. The captain of her guards spent the whole of that day interrogating me. But I once acclaimed four scars from an interrogation from the Templars when I was seventeen, and I didn't say anything past "that tickles". This interrogator was nothing.

That night, I tried to sleep for a bit. It was hard with my hands chained to the ceiling. But as the moonlight shone through the window of my cell, I felt the whole castle go silent as the last person up above drifted off. My chance had come.

I swung my legs up, and hung upside down. Then I started climbing up towards the ceiling with my head facing the ground. Escaping imprisonment like this was another of the techniques they taught me when I was young. True escape artists taught what they knew to us Assassins. When I reached the end of the chains, I let go, falling down onto the ground. The force of my fall caused the chains to break off their brackets into the ceiling. I was free.

The guard heard the commotion, and ran over to the cell. When he saw me standing free, he flung open the door and drew his sword.

"Clever!" He said. "But you're gonna bleed for that!"

I rolled my eyes, then swung the chains out towards him. It made a blunt whip, in a way, that instantly knocked him out the second they made contact.

"Sorry mate. I'll apologize to you personally if Elsa forgives me for this."

I rushed out into the corridor, and down to the guard station. I knew they had my effects locked up there, so after searching the lockers, I naturally found them hung up. Quickly I threw my hood on and strapped my weapons on. Then I took off.

When I exited the prison, I was in the main entrance hall of the castle. As I focused my Sight, I saw three guards in separate areas of the hall, and not one of them at the door. Quick as I could, hiding in the shadows, I opened the massive front door and slipped out.

The moon shone a huge light on the courtyard. The surrounding town glowed orange in it's firelight, but I started for the water. If I could make it that far, I could swim around the town and work my way back to the woods leading out of town. From there I could-

"Freeze!"

I turned suddenly. Both Elsa and Anna stood before me, a guard flanking each of them. The guards had their rifles out, aimed at me.

I smirked. "Pun intended?" I called over.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Elsa, remind me to never say that again!"

"Nowhere to run, Reaper!" Cried her sister. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"

I shrugged. "A little, yeah."

"You give yourself up, and maybe we can talk about giving you another week left to live!" Cried out Elsa.

I smirked. "You do realize I'm armed to the teeth, right? I've dropped enough bodies to fill seven hundred cemeteries, Your Majesty. I doubt your guards can take me down, even with those rifles. Now if you don't mind,"

I pulled out my flintlocks and aimed them both at the guards.

"I think it's well past time I made my exit!"

"Not until we get answers!" Cried Anna. "The only people we've seen you kill wore those white hoods a week ago. All the rest are guards here, and they've only been injured. Add that to the fact that you saved my life, and a lot doesn't add up! You're a cold blooded assassin. Why the sudden change of heart?"

I looked at Anna. How could I explain things to them? No proof to support my word. Nothing except the ramblings of an Assassin. Elsa would never believe me, but maybe Anna would.

Then I remembered who could provide proof. We had one mutual contact in Arendelle when it came to magic none of us understood. The Living Rocks, or trolls.

"Meet me where the rocks breathe in two days time, Highness. Your Majesty. I request that you two come alone, and we both know I won't do anything to hurt you there. Where the rocks breathe, and the steam rises from the ground. You know where it is."

I dropped a smoke bomb to the ground, leaving me to take off.

The king of the trolls, Grand Pabbie was a long time friend of ours. While he saw that our fight with the Templars was one that he would not fight with us, he helped us when we were most in need. But like most outside the small circle of people I trusted, he was unaware of my true parentage. But he trusted the Assassins, so I could have him find some way to prove my words.

I spent the next few days in the woods, hiding and doing what I could to avoid Elsa's soldiers. Despite my requests, she had her forces try their best to track me down. I only hoped that she and Anna would come alone to the Valley when they would.

I arrived early that day, and saw some of the trolls up and walking. I had been there only twice in my life, so the only one to recognize me as Asgeir was Grand Pabbie. All the rest had a different sort of attitude about me.

"Another one."

"Why do they always wear those sinister hoods?"

"Mommy, he scares me."

"...downright cruel, I hear some of them are."

"...Grand Pabbie trusts them. Leave him be."

I sat down cross legged on the ground as Grand Pabbie rolled forward.

"Asgeir. It has been far too long."

I nodded. "Yes, my friend. I hope I can ask you for help?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"Would it be possible to prove two family members were related? Through blood magic?"

Grand Pabbie stared at me in surprise. "Why yes. What is it that you wish?"

"I have secrets, Grand Pabbie. All of us in the Order do, but mine are greater in secrecy than most. I need you to understand the utmost importance that this stays between me, and the two people who will be visiting you soon."

"I will be having more visitors, eh? I was hoping I could take my nap, but I suppose. Who are they?"

I sighed. "My half sisters, Princess Anna, and Queen Elsa."

As Elsa and Anna entered the clearing, I held my hands up, my weapons all lying on the ground in front of me.

"You came alone, Miladies?" I called out.

Anna nodded. "But what is it that you want with us? Who are you?"

I lowered my hands. "My name is Asgeir Swortssen, member of the Assassin Order. My father was an Assassin before me, but it was my mother that provided a connection of me with you."

I held my hands out. "I'm your brother."

Both girls stared at me, jaws hanging by loose threads. Then Elsa spoke up.

"What are you playing at?!"

I held my hands up again. "Nothing. I came here to protect the only family I have left."

"Liar." Elsa snapped. "You're just another Hans trying to take Arendelle!"

I narrowed my eyes at Elsa. "Don't ever equate me to that royal prick again, Your Majesty. I seek a better world than what people like he are after."

"I believe him."

Both Elsa and I stared at Anna after she spoke up.

"Anna, enough."

"No! It makes sense now. He wants us here for proof. Proof only the trolls can give. And you said it yourself: he's one of the deadliest assassins in the kingdoms. Why hasn't he killed us yet? Why did he save my life?"

Grand Pabbie rolled forwards from behind me.

"Anna. Your Majesty." He bowed. "I have known Asgeir's kind for a long time, and I trust his story."

Elsa nodded at him. "What proof can he give us?"

Grand Pabbie beckoned for the sisters to approach. "Blood. It's in your blood."

Anna grinned in realization. "Blood magic. I've heard of this!"

"All I need is two people to give a few drops of their blood. The rest is no problem."

I glanced over at my weapons on the ground. "Highness, perhaps you should grab that sword over there? I doubt our sister would approve of myself grabbing it."

Anna nodded and walked over. As she did, Grand Pabbie left to go get the items for the spell. Elsa glared at me, inches away from freezing me solid right where I stood.

"If you so much as twitch near her, Assassin..."

I nodded. "You've made that clear, Majesty. But I have no reason to."

"Assassin or not, you have a reputation. I've seen your story. Killing innocents across the lands. People who have been known for their philanthropy."

I bowed my head. "You're right." I said, sarcastically. "I am ashamed of those deaths. It's not like they were only buying their way into a good position with the people with their generosity and faux sympathy. My enemies wish to control all of mankind, and in doing so, they have taken high positions on the food chain, calling us the evil ones. They say history is written only by the victors. We seek for the freedom of everyone from monarchs and dictators that would rather see their people bow down and obey them than truly be good rulers."

"And me?" Said Elsa. "Am I your enemy, Asgeir?"

I turned my whole body towards her. "No." I replied. "Even if you saw the world wrong, I wouldn't kill you. I'd try to help you see a different light in the world. The world you seek is not unlike the one I do."

Anna walked up with my sword, and kneeled down beside me just as Grand Pabbie returned. He held a vial of water in his hands.

"So how does this work?" Said Anna.

Grand Pabbie pulled a hair off his head as he explained. "The water is from the spring which fuels our magic." He said. "All it needs for this spell is a hair off an elder troll's head, and the two subjects' blood."

Grand Pabbie dropped the hair into the water, then looked at Anna.

"You first please, Anna."

Anna looked down at my sword with unease. She held her hand out, and carefully slid the blade across her palm, wincing sharply as she did so. I grabbed her hand, and held tight. Elsa almost jumped forward at me, but stopped herself.

"Thanks." Anna whispered to me. She held her open palm over the potion as the blood started dripping out.

I took the sword from Anna, and using the other side of the blade, casually slid it over my hand. Pain was another thing we were taught to master in the Order, so this did not hurt me at all. I held my palm out.

"What happens next?" Said Anna.

Grand Pabbie watched as the potion glowed white. "If it turns blue, you are pure brother and sister. If it turns red, you are of no relation. To prove Asgeir's story, the potion must turn green, signifying that you only share half of your blood."

Grand Pabbie shook the potion gently. Suddenly, we heard a small hissing noise as the potion began to darken. It then took on a hue akin to that of a deep forest.

Anna flung her arms around me as I smiled at the result. Elsa just stood by, brooding to know that she was related to such a monster.

While Elsa kept silent for the rest of the day, Anna couldn't have been more excited. When we got back to the castle, she explained things to Kai, who in turn, would get the guards off my arse.

"He saved my life. We should welcome him and let him stay for a while." She said.

I told her not to reveal my true identity just yet to the othwe people at the castle. I would decide when the time would be right.

"And what is the name of our mysterious guest, Princess Anna?" Said Kai, glancing over at me.

Anna was about to say "Asgeir", but I knew that Kai was one of the seven servants that had seen me when I was born.

"Connor." I said, cutting Anna off. "Connor Kenway."

A legend of our Order, and one of my heroes, I always used Ratonhnhaké:ton's colonist name as an alias.

Kai smiled. "An honor to officially meet our 'royal protector'." He joked as he shook my hand.

Anna and Kai led me to the guest chambers up high in the castle. When he was finished, Kai headed off to deal with some other business. Anna turned to me.

"So how long do you plan on staying with us, Asgeir?" She asked.

I stopped. "I'm not really sure. My first plan was to wait until a better time to reveal who I was, and then go back to the Assassins."

Anna frowned. "So you reveal yourself and then you just go right back to the way things are? You're more like Elsa than either of you two would care to admit. She was eager to jump right back into routine after her coronation, but she didn't expect things to go sideways like they did."

"I know. My brothers and I were within her magic's range. She's that powerful?"

"Oh yeah." Then Anna stopped. "Brothers? There's more of our family?"

I smirked. "Not exactly. My brothers at arms in the Assassin Order. They were the ones who raised me. Taught me their ways, and forged me into the Assassin I am now."

"So are you obliged by an Assassin to give a fake name to your hosts?" Asked Anna. "Connor?"

I shook my head. "I told you that I am your brother. What I forgot to mention was that your father took me away from this family personally when I was born, and told the kingdom I was stillborn. But seven servants saw me breathing. Kai was one of them. He would know exactly who I was if I said my name was Asgeir. He's not ready for that truth yet. Trust me."

Anna opened her mouth to counter my argument, but then stopped again. "You really are a lot like Elsa: you're one big mystery just begging to be solved."

I sat down on the bed. "Yeah, but I'm not sure you'll like what you find at the end of that tunnel. And there's one thing I don't have in common with you or Elsa."

"What is it?"

"I really am a monster."

Sleep is a strange force to the Order. It comes to us naturally, or all that guilt and alertness keeps us on the edge. I've never been a real sleeper. Anna left me in my room after dinner, but I found myself watching out into the woods out on the rooftops of the castle.

I understood Elsa's position. How she saw Agdar. She saw a father who would do anything to protect his daughters, even if that meant locking one up to save the other. And her mother. Why would she risk throwing away her marriage to Agdar for an Assassin like my father? To spend a night voluntarily with him and have a son from that. Shame, is what she felt. Shame that I was here. I only wish that she truly understand what kind of person her father really was, as I was the only one to truly see the terror that the Templars were capable of on the innocence of a newborn.

And even though he thought I was dead, it still wasn't enough for Agdar. He hunted us through Arendelle, tearing the kingdom apart if he wasn't busy pining over Elsa and her magic. The Templars say they wish to guide humanity into a new world. One where they can lead and be the shepherds protecting the sheep from the eagles. Yet the truth is that if an eagle were to target the shepherd instead of the sheep, the shepherd would use a sheep as a shield in fear. They were the only people motivated by fear more than an angry mob.

Yes, Elsa had a brand new burden of the family. She thought that she could let go of all the blood shed by this family, mostly done by her, only to see that someone else had dyed their innocence crimson.

The cool autumn air caressed my face, running through the stubble on my cheeks. I looked down at the shadow I cast over the water. The hood's point formed what looked like an eagle's beak, to truly make our enemies break down in fear.

The glow of the morning light was breaking through, rising over the Arendelle bay. I had a good assumption that Anna would be greeting me as early as she would wake up, so I jumped down from my perch and slid down the wall to my window, where I swung back into my room.

I knew things about the sisters, but when it came to sleep habits, I stayed clear of that since the only time I needed to know that kind of information was with targets. I didn't know that Anna was a very late sleeper. I tried to take the last couple hours of peace I had left, and sleep, but it didn't work. Sleep, as I said, eluded me like a common enemy.

Elsa was the only one in the dining hall as I came down when Kai notified me. We sat in silence as we ate. I was just amazed at all the food I had to try. Last breakfast I had was a crow and it's eggs. Worst part was finding a bullet fragment in it while I was eating. Happened all the time with me.

"How long will you be staying with us, Connor?" Said Elsa.

I looked up, a bit surprised, but then understood. Elsa must have been told what I told Anna from her, and there were two guards present in the room.

"I don't know." I said. "I expected I would be on my way now, but our mutual friend insisted I stay longer."

"Stay away from her."

I smirked. "Had to see that coming." I murmured.

Elsa ignored my remark, and continued with that icy glare at me. I saw a few flurries float over her head. "While you hung over the edge of the castle, right above my room, I was doing my homework on your kind. Those are not really nice things you people like to do, eh?"

So she knew my sleep habit now. Easy for her to assume the worst out of me.

I chuckled. "And I assume all these books were written by your father? Did you find any red crosses in those books?"

Elsa nodded. "But that doesn't excuse what you do, friend. I do what I do to protect Anna. And right now that means keeping you from her."

I chuckled again. The ungratefulness from that brat was unbelievable. I didn't care that Elsa was my sister. It wasn't fair for her to only see my hood and steel after I saved Anna's life. It made her no better than a certain sniveling duke.

"Is there something funny, Connor?"

"Yeah. If I did stay away from Anna, you would be just as alone as you were on that mountain. If I had stayed away in the first place, she would be dead, and you would be one of my enemies. But I don't want an enemy, and I doubt you do too. Sure, I'll try to stay away from Anna, but we both know that it's her that won't let me stay away."

I got up, clearly not welcome there. I started towards the door, but not before finishing with a good quip like any movie I had seen in the Land Without Magic.

"You call me monster in your head. Remember how that word was used by others four months ago, right here in this kingdom, Your Majesty." I spoke those last two words with such loathing, I knew Elsa would have frozen me right there if Anna hadn't walked right in.

While she looked ready for the day, I did notice a few tangles in her hair because she hadn't brushed it completely. Maybe she was just excited to see me.

"Morning!" She called. "What's on the schedule today, Connor?"

I glanced at Elsa. I saw the ice on her hand fading away.

"I need to talk to the blacksmith in town. Where can I find him?"

Anna nodded. "I know where. I can take you to him.

Elsa stood up. "Actually, Anna, I think it would be better if I had Kai or Gerda give him a map or something."

Anna smirked. "C'mon, Elsa. It's just the blacksmith. What harm can it be to go with him?"

Elsa pursed her lips uncomfortably, her brow creasing. Finally she spoke. "Fine. I'd say take a guard with you, but I know what your excuse would be there. One of you is a guard."

Anna beamed and grabbed my hand. "Let's go, As-Connor." She stuttered.

I could only chuckle at her almost blunder of my name. We'd find a way to bring my real name to the public eye one day. It would send a message to the Templars that one kingdom had an Assassin helping protect it.

Anna took me across the bridge of the castle into town. She took me from the bright and colorful trading district where the people had their stands set up, to a more humble district. It seemed darker, despite being the middle of the day, and the old steel sign over the door looked like it hadn't been washed since it was forged, which looked like the dawn of time. The sign was a simple piece of steel, holes placed strategically on it to make it look like a flaming hammer. Anna opened the door, and beckoned me in.

A man with brown hair and a stubble and mustache stood at the bellows, pushing them up and down to stoke the fire. When he heard the bell from the door ring, he smirked.

"Well, well. Princess Anna and..." Then he saw my hood. "Ah. What do you need?" He asked.

Most blacksmiths from here to the Southern Passage to the Eastern Reach were aware of our cause, and would do what they could to help us, for coin.

I put my coin purse down on the counter. "Regular sharpening and I will need ammunition."

"Excellent. I'm just going to need your inventory."

I pulled each weapon off my person as he examined them.

"Let's see. A pair of cutlasses forged in Corona, very nice."

"Two standard flintlock pistols. Cleaning and ammunition, I can give you."

Then he stopped. "You a pirate, friend?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Spent my time on board a ship. Sometimes their weaponry likes to stick with you."

He nodded and went back to work. "Lever action air rifle. Sleep, berserk, and steel tipped dart compatible. Impressive."

Then he checked my blades. The right handed one wasn't anything special, but the lefty was different. The smith noticed this too, and pressed the button. The blade's mechanism opened up and Anna jumped a bit.

"A Phantom Blade." The smith breathed. "These are very rare."

I nodded. "I'm one of only five Assassins in this realm to still use one. I like my projectiles just as much as my blades. Can I get ammunition for this?"

"I'll need a reference. Do you have a bolt from it?"

I nodded, pulling it out of my satchel. A long steel blade with no handle or bracer attached. Early designs of the Phantom Blade used broken pieces off of dead Assassins' hidden blades.

"Alright. I should have this back to you by the end of today. Come just before closing." He said.

Anna grabbed my hand. "Plenty of time for you to meet some more people." She said.

I smiled, then nodded at the smith. "I'll be back tonight."

Anna held my hand as she pulled me down the corridor.

"Just one thing about this friend: he's a big hugger."

I glanced at Anna. "I don't know, Anna. Last hug I gave someone-"

"You put a knife in their back?"

I nodded. "Such is the life."

Anna then laughed a bit. "You could try that on him, but chances are it won't do anything." She smirked as I just stared in confusion.

Anna opened the door to the library and we walked in. It was a massive room with a ceiling at least a good fifty feet up, with greatly carved pillars, and a roaring fire in the fireplace. Too many books to read in a lifetime strewn out over every shelf.

"Olaf!" She called out for the friend. "There's someone you need to meet!"

I heard a happy chuckle echo through the shadowed library as I looked down the way of shelves, trying to catch a glimpse of this mystery friend. The fire provided the only light in the room, making anywhere behind the shelves dark. I suddenly felt a tap behind me.

"Hi! I'm Olaf!"

I turned, and looked down. Olaf didn't get a chance to say two words before I shouted out and sent my foot flying through his head. It flew off his body altogether and landed in Anna's arms.

"What the hell?!" I cried out, reaching for the sword at my belt that wasn't there. I forgot the blacksmith had them.

Anna protested. "No! Asgeir, this is Olaf!" She held up his head, which seemed to be in no pain. A small cloud with snow falling from it hovered over his head.

"Uh, Anna?" He said.

Anna nodded, and set his head down onto his body. I just stared at the little white creature before me.

"How in the hell...?"

Anna smiled. "Elsa. She's just that powerful."

"She made a damn snowman come to life? Bloody hell..."

I have seen many strange things in my time in the realms, but for some reason, Olaf really threw me a curve. A dragon with two heads made me bare down and fight, but a talking snowman somehow was too much.

Olaf grinned. "And you are...?" He said.

I tried my best to smile, still trying to wrap my head around a talking snowman. "Uh, Asgeir."

Olaf looked at me funny. "As-gear?" He said, straining to pronounce it. "Asgeir, Asgeir, Asgeir." He said, three times quickly.

Anna smiled. "He's my brother, Olaf."

Now it was Olaf's turn to freak out. Although he didn't kick me in the head, which I apologized for later. He just gave this big gasp.

"But aren't you and Elsa the only ones in this family?" He said.

Anna shrugged. "I was as surprised as you, Olaf. It's a long story."

"What's with his hood?" Observed Olaf. He then held a hand towards his mouth. A hand made of a branch.

"He looks kinda scary with it on." He whispered to Anna.

I can swear that Olaf was easily one of the only friends I had then that had the most contagious smile. And he loved what he always referred to as "warm hugs". He gave one to both me and Anna as we were about to leave.

Anna smiled, waiting for my thoughts as we closed the door behind us.

"Well?" She said.

I laughed. "I'm hoping I don't have to meet a reindeer with a glowing nose next." I said, sniggering.

Anna looked by in confusion while I dismissed it.

"I'll explain to you one day. Who's next?"

"Well, you're half right with that assumption." Said Anna. "But it's not just Sven."

Anna led me outside into the stables. When we arrived I saw a tall man with messy blonde hair feeding carrots to a reindeer in one of the stables. It grunted loudly as we came in.

"What is it, Sven?" The man said, turning around. He smiled as Anna approached and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh! He's not just a friend, I can see." I thought to myself.

"Who's this, Anna?" He said.

"That depends." She said, suddenly flinching. "Was I supposed to say that?"

I smirked. "Name's Asgeir." I said to the man. "But if you please, I'm under an alias for most of the castle."

The man nodded. "I get it. I'm Kristoff." He glanced at my hood. "Have we met before? I've seen someone wear a hood like that before."

I shook my head. "No. Never once met."

Anna nodded. "But maybe you saw a friend of his. The... club which he belongs to wears those hoods, and they've been friends of the trolls for a long time."

Kristoff's eyes lit up in understanding. "Grand Pabbie never let me talk to any of you, but I remember a few of them waved to me as they left when I lived with the trolls. Strange club you must belong to, Asgeir. So why are you here?"

Anna leaned in towards Kristoff. "He's that prisoner we had in the dungeon a week ago."

Kristoff's smile dropped from his face and shattered. "I thought he broke out. He came back? Why?!"

Anna gestured with her head to me. "He's got no other family left."

"Well he can-" Kristoff stopped. "Family? What are you-?"

"I'm Asgeir Swortssen, bastard brother of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle."

Kristoff shook his head. "This family of yours, Anna? It's never short of world shaking secrets. Your sister has ice magic, and you also have a long lost half brother."

We were up in the lounge, the fire lit, while Kristoff tried to process this revelation. I just knew that he would not be the last to react this way to the story.

"Why haven't I ever met you? How come you've lived separately from the sisters for most of their lives?"

I held my hand up to quiet him. "My life with the Assassins kept me from the sisters for so long. It was mainly shame holding me back from them."

Anna glanced at me. "Shame?"

"I kill people. Innocent or guilty, killing is never easy. The only thing that can get me to sleep in that rare night is remembering that those I kill deserve what I give them."

Kristoff threw his hands up. "Great. And he kills people. Anything else I should know?"

"I saved Anna's life."

Anna smiled. "It's true. Even Captain Terry of the guards was amazed at how quickly he dispatched those Templars."

Kristoff quickly glanced at me. "So what? He's your guardian angel?"

I scoffed. "No such thing exists. All I did was intercept orders and acted on stopping them."

"Well, I guess that's worth a 'thank you'. But are you staying here? Are you leaving?"

"Queen Elsa would rather I leave immediately, but Anna's insisted that I stay a bit." I replied.

"I hope you can welcome him, Kristoff. I think Asgeir will be a good part of this family."

"That's just what you thought out of Hans when you met him."

My smile dropped. Once again, compared to the slimy Templar wannabe. "Don't ever compare me to Hans, iceman." I snapped. "Hans sought to have Arendelle hunt down and kill my brothers at arms along with me. Trust me when I say that it wasn't just my sisters he would screw over."

Anna grabbed my arm. "C'mon." She said. "Let's at least forget about the 'H word' and walk around some more."

I didn't resist as Anna pulled me gently out into the stables. As soon as we were out of earshot, Anna piped up, almost squeaking.

"I'm so so sorry, Asgeir. I didn't expect such rudeness from everyone. I hope you can forgive me."

"Forgive you? I'm shocked you're defending me." I said. "Why even side with me? What have I done for you to side with me against Elsa?"

"Don't get Elsa wrong. She's not as...cold blooded as you'd expect."

I shook my head, snorting. "The puns are never short of bad, and never ending."

Anna nodded. "But seriously. Elsa will see what I see. I can do only everything possible to help people see what I see. After all, I wouldn't be around anymore if you hadn't been there."

Elsa continued to ignore me throughout the days as I caught glimpses of her throughout the castle. Anna and I talked as often as we could, catching up. After a few days passed, I almost seemed to have known Anna for so long, and yet only met her a week ago. The daily routine became one where I would spend my days talking with Anna, and my nights on the roof. One night was different. As the borealis lit up on my fifth night, I felt a chill as I stood out on the roof. I slid down off the roof towards Anna's window. She wasn't alone in there.

"-saying is that maybe you should give him a chance. You know? After he saved my life? He's your half-brother, too." Said Anna.

Elsa folded her arms. It was strange. In all my time at Arendelle, I never once saw her as the famous Snow Queen. She always wore either her royal dress or her nightgown from what I saw of her. I assumed that she was afraid of showing me that side of her, even though everyone knew about that side.

"Anna, what do you know of the Assassins?"

"So far? Not much. Asgeir's been really conservative about this whole war between them and the Templars."

"Well, I did my research. It turns our our father was part of this secret 'club'. He wanted us a part of it one day, too."

"No." Said Anna. "I won't befriend them. Not after they tried to kill me."

Elsa picked a book up from the desk beside her. It looked like she had set it down as she went in. She opened it, and turned to a point in the book. The book's black leather cover held the Templar's Red Cross on it. Whatever was in that book, I knew, would be heavily biased and prejudiced against us.

"'800 years ago during the Great Crusades across the realms," read Elsa. "'Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad went down as one of his people's most notorious and despicable warriors. Much of his allies remember him cutting down countless proud warriors in the worst ways. There was even a time when he killed his own Order's Mentor, and setting his body ablaze (which was considered blasphemous during that time.) His actions gave him the title the 'Great Altaïr' among the Assassins, proving that they are just as despicable as him.' We don't have to turn to the Templars, but this Asgeir can't stay. He's a criminal."

I had heard enough. Elsa was convinced that I was the bad guy, but it looked like Anna didn't believe her sister, judging by her expression. But all the same, I still climbed back up to the roof, thinking of how I could show Elsa that it was the Templars she should be fighting, not me.

Then, I heard a familiar cooing. It was a pigeon's cry. I cursed under my breath as I grabbed it, and pulled the note off it's leg. As soon as I did, it flew off while I read the note.

"Asgeir. Southern Twins approach Arendelle with swords drawn. Be prepared." It read.

"Bollocks..." I groaned.

The Southern Twins. Fritz and Franz (yes you read right. Their parents thought that naming their children like that would be cute and not stupid.) were Hans' older brothers. Numbers five and six in line if you were wondering. If they were coming to Arendelle like this with guns blazing, then they likely knew that I was here. Because they had been inducted into the Templars two months ago.