Chapter Four

Hours later, the small expedition had settled into a more casual formation. Queen Elsa rode near the center along with the pack horses, soldiers taking lead and guarding the rear to protect against wildlife. Where the land allowed, they also ranged to either side. Captain Beorne usually rode with the Queen. Sometimes the rough terrain forced them to stretch their line, however, at which times he would patrol the length of it. Kristoff, riding Sven, roamed constantly, sometimes disappearing into the snowy landscape ahead only to reappear later.

After one such reappearance, Captain Beorne urged his horse close to them. "I would appreciate it if you would not do that," he growled.

"Do what?" Kristoff echoed, honestly confused. "My job?"

"Disappear like that." The Captain glanced over the line of his men, then gave Kristoff a narrow-eyed glare. "I understand you are not under my command, but you are under my employ."

"Yeh, and you hired me to scout. So Sven and I have been doing that. Scouting." The mountaineer straightened his spine while Sven gave a loud snort.

"It is typical practice for a scout to report both before and after such reconnaissance. Excuse me, scouting trips." Even as he spoke, the Captain scanned the treeline ahead.

Kristoff leaned forward onto Sven's neck. Man and reindeer eyed the Captain. After a moment the mountaineer said, "Look, I know we don't know each other very well, but relax a bit, will ya? I promise to tell you if I see something wrong, ok?"

Captain Beorne narrowed his eyes further. "You are here because the Princess Anna requested it, not for any loyalty to the Queen. You help the Princess laugh, which has won you a tolerance in the castle, but any can tell you have no love for it."

"Hey!" Kristoff snapped, jerking upright again. "What shoved a pine tree up your back? You weren't like this back at the castle!"

"We are currently in the wilderness, heading towards rumors of an uncertain danger. When we ride with the Queen, we also ride with the country of Arendelle. We are charged with that protection." Most of the soldiers had passed them by during the conversation. Captain Beorne nudged his horse to follow his men. "If it were the Princess riding with us, would you be so carelessly carefree?" he called over his shoulder as he rode ahead.

Kristoff and Sven glared at the Captain's back and as one stuck their tongues out. Kristoff then sucked his tongue back in and exhaled a sigh. "Great," he complained to Sven, "so apparently both Elsa and Beorne think I'm an idiot. C'mon buddy. Let's keep up, before his Royal Guardness thinks we've gotta report in any time we're gonna sneeze."

The first village they sought wouldn't be reached until well after the sun had reached zenith. One of the soldiers managed to shoot a pheasant. He retrieved it, plucking it as he rode and ensuring it was ready for the noon meal. With exaggerated care Kristoff directed them to a wide, snowy clearing. Elsa cleared a space of snow for a small campfire and kettle, as well as baring bitter winter grass for the horses. Most of the men sat easily and joked as a simple stew was made of the bird, although their backs and shoulders never relaxed. Others stood guard, watching for any potential disturbance.

Nothing disrupted their meal, however, and all was quickly cleaned and cleared to resume their trek. The constant wary tension among the soldiers irritated Kristoff to no end. He stiffly told Captain Beorne he was going to scout ahead, but there was no peace in solitude. The mountains were very much a part of him, but their snow-laden silence no longer had the primary claim upon him. He missed Anna, and had very much looked forward to spending some time with her.

Thinking of that reminded him of his promise to her. He winced, realizing he'd roamed far ahead of the small expedition. "C'mon, Sven," he grumbled. "Time to go back and," here he adopted a slightly falsetto voice, bouncing his head from side to side in mockery, "make a report to the Captain like a good little soldier." Switching back to a normal tone of voice, he suddenly grinned, "Let's make sure they know we're back, huh?"

Soldiers scattered as man and reindeer plunged into their midst. Arms bearing small crossbows snapped to attention, but aim was fouled by spraying snow. They saw their Captain before they saw their target. Captain Beorne was holding up his hand, frowning heavily as he glared at Kristoff. For his part, Kristoff just looked innocently back. His attention was jerked about, however, as Sven leaped sideways. It seemed the Queen's mount did not appreciate all the commotion. For a few moments, all her attention was on quieting the fractious horse.

Once he was settled, Kristoff and Sven sidled a little closer. "Sorry about that," he sincerely apologized. "Didn't realize your horse was that… uh… jumpy."

For a moment Queen Elsa eyed him sternly. After that moment, however, she relented with a wry smile. "It's ok. Traveling like this can be a little, well, confining," she conceded. One slender hand kept stroking her restless mount's neck. "Besides, Snofonn here could stand to learn how to handle a little excitement."

Snofonn snorted wetly in apparent disagreement. Elsa chuckled and straightened in the saddle.

Kristoff and Sven rode as close as the reindeer's antlers would allow. He deliberately did not look at Captain Beorne as the man rode close to Elsa's other side. Instead, the mountaineer simply asked, "Snofonn?"

Elsa's wry smile relaxed into a playful grin. "He was Anna's horse originally, but I think he's too flighty for her. The final straw, as I understand it, was when she rode him in search of me."

Kristoff frowned thoughtfully. "She didn't have a horse when I met her."

"Yes, well," Elsa chuckled, "apparently he was badly startled by a bit of snowdrift falling. He threw Anna into the drift and ran for home." She stroked the base of the stiff, bristling mane. "His name used to be Kjekk for 'handsome', but after all that, I renamed him Snofonn." A rare sly expression settled over her face. "After the snowdrift, you see."

"Huh." This time the mountaineer grinned. "She didn't tell me that part! Hah! Oh, is she ever gonna get teased when we get back! Does she know what you renamed him?"

"Oh yes," Elsa practically purred, "and she gave me an earful for it, too."

Captain Beorne coughed. When Queen, man, and reindeer all turned to look at him, he shrugged and twitched his mustache. Clearing his throat, he said, "My apologies, Your Highness. I've heard the tale before about your mount's origins, but it always amuses me to hear it again." He leaned forward to pat the neck of his own horse. "My Krokus, steadfast thing that she is, is simply enough named for the crocus of Arendelle. Hardly as entertaining a tale." Straightening, he looked to the sky. "We should be reaching the first village within the hour, I believe."

It was Kristoff's turn to cough. "More like several hours," he corrected.

"But the maps I surveyed," the Captain began to protest, "and your own advice..."

Kristoff shook his head. "For one person in average weather, definitely. For a group as large as this one, maybe. We're moving a bit more slowly than I thought we would, so several hours. And that's if nothing bad happens." At the Captain's doubtful look, he shrugged, "You did hire me for my mountain knowledge. Maps can only tell you so much. And sometimes you just have to get out in it to judge it properly."

Captain Beorne eyed Kristoff across the Queen's horse. After a moment he sighed heavily. "We shall see, I suppose. In any case," he spoke to Elsa, "have you given thought to what you will be saying to the villagers, Your Highness?" In a hasty afterthought he added, "I apologize if I'm being too familiar."

"It's quite alright, my good Captain," Elsa responded, a little startled. She had been amusing herself with watching the subtle conflict between Kristoff and Beorne and wondering at its source. "To be honest, I am… not very sure. How do I explain that I'm the 'winter witch' they're saying I defeated?"

Both men frowned, but Kristoff waved a mittened hand in the air. "Well, in a sense you did defeat her… you… whatever. You know, in a metaphorical sense."

Captain Beorne stared frankly at the mountaineer. "I would not have expected a mountain man to be educated enough to use the word 'metaphorical'.'

"Hey!" Kristoff bristled, "I'm plenty educated! My Grand Pabbie taught me to read and write!"

Snofonn snorted as Elsa's touch became chilled. The Queen straightened in her saddle, expecting to have to sort out an argument between the two men.

Captain Beorne resolved the issue by bowing his head in apology to Kristoff. "Please, forgive me. I meant to point out my own misconception, not insult you. I should have known better of a man that keeps company with Princess Anna."

Kristoff huffed noisily but didn't protest further.

Queen and horse relaxed imperceptibly.

They rode in silence for a little while, soldiers trading glances behind them. After some long moments, the Captain spoke up again. "Besides," he continued to Kristoff, "You may regret my realization of my own preconceptions. I do my best to make full use of the skills of every man under my command."

It took a moment for Kristoff to see the grin that accompanied the words. Rising to the spirit, he waggled a mittened hand at the Captain. "Ah," he stated, "but I'm under your employ, not under your command."

Also taking to the mischievous peace-making, Elsa quipped, "No, you're actually under my sister's command."

Kristoff opened his mouth, but no witty retort emerged. Elsa chuckled and nudged Snofonn to move a little faster so they moved ahead of the men.

Captain Beorne gazed after her for a few moments before turning to a now-unobstructed view of Kristoff and Sven. "It would appear we are both forsworn to a royal sister," he commented drolly. "Perhaps rather than Captain to scout, we are more brothers-in-arms?"

The mountaineer winced. "I'm not so sure about the 'in-arms' part," he said. "I'm good with a hunting knife, not a sword." Not seeing the Captain's frown, he continued, "You really like her, huh?"

Shoulders and spine straightened within the grey uniform. "I have the greatest admiration for our Queen, and it honors me to serve her and our country."

"Uh-huh," grunted Kristoff, "eeeyeh, good luck with that. I remember how it was when Anna and I first met..."

"Do not," interrupted the increasingly stiff Captain, "confuse love of country with love of a person."

Kristoff and Sven blinked several times before exchanging a befuddled glance. "Oookay," the mountaineer drawled, "so… how about I go do some of that scouting. You know, that job you hired me for?"

"Yes, I think you should," Captain Beorne snapped. "Go exercise those woods skills you are an expert in, rather than presuming to be some… some kind of… of… love expert!" With that, he urged his horse Krokus into a snow-wrestling lunge in order to catch up with the Queen.

"I never said I was a love expert!" he yelled at the Captain's retreating back. Sitting back heavily enough to make Sven grunt, he grumbled, "I said it was my family that are the love experts." Noticing several of the rear guard glancing to him as they passed, he snapped, "What?" They hastily looked away.

Kristoff rubbed his forehead. "Anna," he muttered to himself, "you better appreciate this. C'mon Sven… let's go do what we're experts at, huh?"

Sven snorted, turning his attention from the woods nearby. At a light bump from Kristoff's heels, he moved into an easy trot. Several horses glared at the reindeer as he pranced by on his splayed hooves while they struggled with their own solid hooves.

They reached the first village in relatively good time, well after noon but also well before the sun began to set. At first the villagers were frightened by the sight of soldiers, then they were disbelieving that the Queen herself had graced them with her presence. It took multiple reassurances from Kristoff before they were convinced this was a welfare visit. It took the Queen conjuring a very small swirl of snow to convince them that she was in fact whom she claimed to be.

It then took a frantic yet oddly polite shouting match to convince the villagers that the Queen's expedition had brought their own supplies and would not be requiring a feast in honor of their unannounced visit. Many of the soldiers grumbled among themselves about the lack of food cooked in a hot kitchen rather than over a meager campfire, but even they saw the wisdom of not depleting these people of their winter stores. Many of them even began praising the Queen's foresight in insisting that they pack in anticipation of little to no restocking opportunities.

Once the negotiations of visitation had settled, the Queen began asking the villagers about any strange happenings. She was regaled with many stories of odd winter storms and barely glimpsed beasts, but they were all tales from one or two villages over. Nothing untoward had happened here beyond Old Man Alf tipping back a little too much bottled spirit some months ago and walking through an ordinary storm singing about wolves and bears. He came back with a tale of bears dancing in the snow, but considering the only reason he didn't freeze was because of how much alcohol was burning through his body, no one took him seriously.

As the sun began to set, the villagers requested the Queen repay their tales with some of her own entertainment. She hesitated, but the sight of several hopeful children won her over. Keeping it simple, she made several large spiraling snowflakes. Raising them high enough to capture the last rays of the setting sun, she sent them chasing each other about the small gathering of people. The children clamored for more.

At this Elsa pulled back, haunted by the memory of Anna's small body tumbling through the air. Her retreat was halted by a hand on her arm. Jerking in startlement, she glared first at the hand, then at the person belonging to that hand. A woman old enough to be Elsa's mother smiled, unmindful of the Queen's potential anger.

Still smiling easily, the woman stated, "We heard, back when it happened, how Princess Anna was injured by your powers, Your Majesty."

Elsa tried to swallow the sudden, painful lump in her throat. She ducked her arm from the woman's touch before the chill could seep through to the woman's fingers. The village woman didn't even seem to notice the break in contact. She merely added, "We also heard how you care for your sister. How you fought your powers, and how you cried when you thought her slain by them."

Unable to face such a frank assessment, Elsa dropped her gaze. She tried to move farther away as snow rang gently about her. The village woman seemed unfazed, however, and even moved to touch light fingertips to Elsa's shoulder. She looked up, startled by the contact.

The woman tilted her head towards the children. "Small slides," she suggested, "now, that wouldn't harm them, would it, my Queen?"

Slowly Elsa smiled. She twirled her hands, sending out chiming streams of snowflakes. Children yelped and chased the flakes. As their laughter rang out, echoing off the nearby mountainside, Elsa made a gathering gesture. The snow coalesced until it formed several small slides. In moments the children were happily playing in snow that was both softer and far more slick than ice. Elsa placed a hand over her mouth to hide the trembling of her lips as she watched them.

The village woman nodded to herself, then said to Elsa, "There are plenty that will judge you for your mistakes, my Queen. But old moms like me, we judge you by how you correct'em. We all make'em, my Queen. Mistakes, that is. Correct it, don't regret it, I always say."

Elsa opened her mouth to respond, but the clank of a sheathed saber interrupted her. Captain Beorne walked up to them, his hand resting lightly on his hilt. "You seem very familiar with the Queen," he prompted. "You are…?"

Not in the least unsettled, the village woman simply smiled with pride. "Brigid, sir. My own mom was laundry maid for the castle." She turned to Elsa, stating, "We never did agree with how the King locked you away. So many good people lost good work, and there was my mom sayin, 'But what of those babies?' More'n a few of us were thinkin' it was no good to shut a child away like that, Royal or not."

Elsa raised a hand to her own cheek to quickly brush away impending tears. "My father did… did what he thought was best, at the time… but… thank you. You know, the castle is now open, if… if you… want work there."

"Oh bless me no, Your Majesty," Brigid laughed, "I've made me a life here. Though I know some youngsters what may be of a mind to give it a go."

"Well, for whoever does… tell them to ask for Kai. He is the castle steward."

"Ah, I remember him well, though I was much younger then. Him and Gerda. Fine people."

A warm smile touched the young Queen's lips. "They are indeed. Either will give someone a good hearing and a fair chance at work." A small commotion made her head twitch in its direction, but Brigid's voice refocused her.

"Bless you, Your Majesty."

"Bless you as well, Brigid," Elsa responded warmly. The commotion suddenly became louder, forcing her attention around. "I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me, I think I need to go save our mountaineer and his reindeer from a small mob of children..."

Brigid blinked, then peered past the Queen. Only a few bits of man and reindeer could be glimpsed beneath the eager dogpile of children. Laughing, the village woman exclaimed, "Oh dear, the poor deer!"

They stayed the night, then after breaking fast they packed and headed out again. Perhaps because the first village went so well, they became careless on their way to the second. They were not as alert, and allowed themselves to stretch into a ragged line. It was a longer trail over more rugged terrain. Two days out, a snowstorm began building. None of the men were concerned, since they traveled with their very own Snow Queen. Even Beorne and Kristoff thought more of the inconvenience of the snow than of the stories that had brought them here.

Sven, however, shied from the building snowfall. He snorted at shadows and pranced uneasily along the trail. At first Kristoff was irritated with the reindeer's antics, but long years of trust won over personal ire. He began watching Sven's ears, turning to peer into the white that surrounded them only when they pointed steadily in a single direction. After some long moments, he nudged Sven closer to Elsa and Beorne.

"Elsa," he said, then at an annoyed glance from the Captain, corrected it to "Queen Elsa?"

She looked up from Snofonn's stiff mane, having been lost in thought. "Yes, Kristoff?"

"There's something… do you think you can clear some of the snow?"

Captain Beorne edged closer. "Something wrong?" he demanded, a hand already reaching for his crossbow.

"I dunno," the worried mountaineer mumbled, "But Sven… something… maybe."

Meanwhile Elsa was frowning at the snow. She gestured with her bare hands once, twice, then a third time with increasing emphasis. Her own blue-glittered snowflakes could be seen spiraling about her slender hands, but the falling wall of snow showed no sign of affect. Queen Elsa's frown deepened. "I can't," she started to say.

The snow exploded with a fearful roar. Soldiers yelled as they struggled with panicked, screaming horses. Kristoff had to grab onto Sven's antlers to keep from falling off as the reindeer wheeled in frantic circles. Elsa's own horse alternated between mad short dashes and frantic bucking. Through the frightful cacophony cut Captain Beorne's own bellow.

"To our Queen! Rally 'round our Queen!"

Elsa threw her weight hard to the side to startle Snofonn out of his panicked bucking. While her horse staggered, the soldiers closed ranks about them. Without the room to run, Snofonn consented to stand as still as his heaving breaths would allow. Kristoff, Sven, and Captain Beorne moved to patrol the outer ranks of the circle.

Again the snow roared explosively. This time, however, the Snow Queen was ready. Elsa threw a thick wall of ice in a half-circle around her protectors just as something huge and white crashed towards them. It slammed into the ice with enough force to make the frozen ground quake. Claws and teeth scrabbled madly against the slick surface, a pink tongue flicking between powerful jaws to press against the ice in futile bites.

"...what…?" Elsa gasped.

"Mother of God," whimpered one of the younger men.

"By Freya," gulped one of the older men.

"Crossbows!" barked Captain Beorne, galvanizing the paralyzed soldiers to action. "My Queen, drop the ice on my mark!"

Elsa nodded, but at that moment the snow swirled heavily. It further obscured the creature's already vague form. It seemed to be backing up, as though preparing for a massive rush. Elsa glanced to Captain Beorne and could see his curt headshake. If she left the ice wall up, it would simply slam into it again. If she brought it down, then it was very possible that even if all the crossbows found their mark, men would be injured by the animal's sheer momentum.

It turned her stomach to do so, but she prepared to create deadly spikes of ice across her wall should the beast charge.

The only warning they had was a twitch of Sven's ear.

Then it seemed the very snow itself attacked from behind.

Elsa felt something slam into the back of her head. Her world exploded into darkness. Screams of men and horses seemed to tear into her ears then drift away into the growing dark. She felt her world heave and spin, then softness enveloped her. It would be so very easy to just let go, drift away into the stomach-lurching darkness that promised sweet numbness.

But somewhere above her, men were fighting.

And possibly dying.

The Queen struggled to force herself upright. The brilliant white of snow stabbed into her eyes more painfully than she imagined a sword-strike to be. Her body seemed incredibly heavy. Lassitude pressed her down even as she fought to lift her head and look around. Crossbows and grey cloaks alternated with flashing hooves and huge walls of clawed and toothed snow. Yells, bellows, and a thunderous snarling clawed into vicious focus, then just as quickly faded out again. That softness wrapped around her again, and she vaguely thought she must be laying down.

Laying down didn't seem like a good idea, but really it was all she could do at the moment.

One thought, one feeling pervaded her.

"Anna," she called, reaching blindly into the white darkness. Her hand, her arm felt so heavy.

The noise faded, but she couldn't tell if that was due to the cessation of battle or her own fading consciousness. A weight shifted next to her, the crunch of snow simultaneously loud and quiet. The sensation of mass was so prevalent that it seemed the very ground tilted towards it. Something stepped before her. A foot? Hoof? She couldn't focus enough to tell. A soft grunt blew a dizzying amount of air into her face.

"S-Sven?" she asked. Talking seemed so difficult, taking so much air. "Sven… go… to… Anna… s-sorry..."

The white of snow and darkness of unconsciousness become one and swallowed her into all-encompassing heaviness.