A week had passed since they had set up camp and the fog remained. The waiting was unsettling for everyone as snowfall had arrived that morning. Any longer they remained in the winter, the harder it would be to maintain the expedition to the land of Northulda, but Elsa's mother insisted that they remained there. The question was, how long? It was a thought on the young woman's mind as she busied herself in her tent, reading a book beside a candle. She looked at the notes her mother had written down, containing an incredible amount of ingredients that would result in magical potions for her to toss at the fog. Out of all of the ones listed here, about half of them were used.

Elsa looked outside the flaps of her tent to see her mother spill out her potion at the magical barrier one more time, but the reaction remained the same. She seemed dampened by the outcome and the composure changed as her head lowered from the failure. Curious, the young queen placed the book down on her cot and went over to open a trunk full of clothes, reaching for the scarf that gave her comfort. After she wrapped it over her shoulders, Elsa stepped outside into the coming winter and approached her mother.

The woman in front of her had collapsed to her knees and all the queen could do was run to her aid. "Mother?!"

She slid across the snow to her side to find her kneeling over and crying her heart out. When it was realized they were together, the former queen began to wipe her face.

"What's wrong?"

The duo sat together as Elsa waited for a response. "It's nothing serious. I'm just frustrated that I cannot seem to open this no matter how hard I try. My people are on the other side and I am a moment away from seeing them."

All she could do was comfort her and Olaf's tactics of hugging people seemed to work. When she did, her mother returned the same gentle favor over to her.

"Thank you, dear, I needed that."

"Maybe you should rest?" The young woman thought about her well-being, "Being out here in the cold for so long would bring ill to your health."

The older woman nodded her head at the logic behind it. "Perhaps you are right? There are still more potions to make and we haven't gotten through all of them."

She began to rise from the snow as her daughter helped pull her up, but Elsa paused as she heard a strange siren call out to her from across the fog. Its echoes earned her full attention as she looked at the border to Northuldra with curiosity. Enthralled by this ethereal voice, the royal took a few steps forward, only for it to get louder the closer she was. Just a few steps away from touching to fog, but her mother's voice broke the connection between them.

"Is something the matter?"

Elsa nodded her head. "Yes, I think someone is calling to me from the other side, but I don't know who it is."

The surprising part was that the former queen seemed to understand. "Maybe I'm not supposed to open this?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, looking at her mother's face and wondering what was in her thoughts, "Is there another way?"

"It might require your touch."

"Wait? You mean to say that I should give it a try?"

There was a smile upon her mother's expression. "Let us see, shall we?"

The queen stepped forward with great reluctance, but as her fingertips began to reach out to the fog, the smoke dispersed away from her reach. It was as if it did not want to be touched, but as Elsa pressed forward, there was a break between the fog, and a great opening dissipated from where they stood. They could see Northuldra for the first time.

"Amazing," She remarked before she continued, "Stay right there, I need to fetch your father and sister."

Before the parent fled back to the rest of the camp, the siren called out to her once again, but this time it was different. A gush of wind pushed against her face from the only passage into this magical land. Then the directions changed with a force so strong it started to push her into Northuldra without warning. "Help!"

The young girl looked back to find her mother running towards her in desperation, but it was not enough. Elsa planted her feet into the ground and hoped it would stop her from being sucked in; however, the wind was much stronger. As she was tossed inside, her head looked back to see her mother try to reach out to her, only for the fog to immediately close the opening. She ran back towards the fog, hoping there was a chance to return with her family and everyone else on the other side, but her body bounced on something before the barrier launched her back.

Dozens of minutes passed as she tried to force an opening, but frustrated with her failure, the royal of Arendelle took a few steps back and released the full power of winter. Her magic could not solve this problem as the rage of winter blew back against her, making her feel the results of her ice. For the first time, Elsa was cold while her arms rubbed across her chest for warmth.

Winds howled outside the small hovel built into the ground as a Polis Ranger rested his back against the wall. The days felt shorter; however, to pass the time was agonizing. There was so much Artyom could do with cleaning his weapons and preparing his kit before the boredom would kill him. Fortunately, the wolf he had encountered was much more than a threat to everyone in the settlement. The creature laid down beside him as he began to scratch and rub his belly, earning a whimper every time he stopped. He couldn't help but love such a creature.

The wolf stopped being joyful as mere instinct made him roll off his back and onto his belly. His head was alert, staring at the door without breaking contact. Something daringly caught their attention as the young man reached for his holstered sidearm. "Who is it?"

A minute of silence passed before Olga revealed herself on the other side of the door. "We need to talk, right now."

He approached from the wall and opened the door, only to find her standing there, eyes filled with fury.

"One of your men raped our women."

"Who?" Awakened from comfort, Artyom realized he needed to solve this issue right now, "Do you know?"

She nodded her head. "One of your Nazis. We've brought him out to the meeting grounds to judge his actions, but his fellows seem to be protecting him. I do not know what you will do; however, my people demand justice… and vengeance."

"Goddamn it! I had hoped they wouldn't do any of this shit ever since we left the Caspian Sea - so close, but no cigar."

He walked over to the nearby table to reach for his armored helmet as his wolf walked by his side. This terrible news would put more stress on him than he wanted, but this hour was not the time to ponder such thoughts. Actions needed to be done and a Nazi needed to be confronted. He nodded gestured his head to Olga, signaling him to lead the way as he followed.

When he left the confines of the hovel, chills ran down his spine, but the plash palatka served him well as he followed the senior leader of the locals. Every person of the Forest he passed by, only earned contempt from their looks while those who accompanied him from the train were worried about fear on their faces. From soldiers, stalkers to defenseless old men, women, and children, there was an aura of hopelessness in their attitudes as he walked past them. Would Olga and her people force them into the mercy of winter or not? It was a thought that even worried him as he passed houses and people alike.

His arrival did not go unnoticed as the only contingent of Nazis from the Fourth Reich were huddled together, protecting their man from the cold and reprisal. The pirates and pioneers were also present as their crossbows and firearms were brandished to emphasize their intentions with the perpetrator. Artyom knew it would not end well one way or another, but he needed to face this alone lest he set a poor example towards those who followed and those who worked with him.

One of the Nazis, a heavy trooper, stepped forward with his multi-barreled gun in one hand. "We will not let them take him."

All he could scrounge up was a question. "Why? Why are you defending him?"

"He is one of us. How can you ever think that we would let you make the decisions for us?"

"One of your soldiers raped a woman!" The young man cried out, "How can you defend someone so vile?"

He took a step forward to tower over him. "Because she is truly nothing. That thing does not deserve the rights that real women enjoy. She is a subhuman, a mutant living like an animal. They are not people, but savages to be erased."

"Yet, you are alive because of them. As hosts, they granted you food and hospitality to outsiders like yourself and this is what you do?" Artyom needed to get to the bottom of this, use their ideology against them, "If they were truly mutants, would they be capable of such mannerisms? Look around you! They build up a civilization out of nothing while you adhere to an ideology that hurts innocents."

One of the men behind the heavy trooper was offended. "Watch your tongue, Ranger! We deem it necessary for you to live because, despite your subhuman sympathies, you will bring us back."

"I have killed a number of your kind at the bridge and surface outpost in Moscow. Do not expect me to make exceptions for you. The reason why I went through the effort to bring you back is that I expected all of you to be better men. If you are truly the supposed master race, why stoop so low as to defend a rapist? Even the gods would be ashamed of the legacy he left behind."

It wasn't like him to snap at others; however, the young man remembered his step-father's zero-tolerance policy on men who threw themselves at women. It was something that rubbed onto him and there was a cathartic to tell this to their faces.

"The man you protect is not worthy of it. Leave his side if you have any sense of humanity. The world is changing and it has no place for the likes of him."

Artyom did not know what to expect from this. The Nazis were motivated by ideology, more so than the Reds in some ways. Perhaps it was the policy of extermination that gave them the sadistic pleasure to be nothing more than brutes with a new coat of paint than followers of an actual philosophy? To his surprise, two dozen soldiers of the Fourth Reich were convinced to step away as the others were flabbergasted by their comrade's betrayal of faith.

The heavy trooper before him turned around and called them out. "Cowards! What would the Fuhrer think if he saw your wavering loyalty?!"

"The Ranger has a point!" Another Nazi counterargued, "These people can't be subhuman or mutants if they were never exposed to radiation in the first place. Look around you, does this even look like Moscow?! Why should we stand beside an fucking dumbass who shares more with a mutant than they do?"

"You all made an oath to the Reich to defend your brothers-in-arms no matter the cost! Have all of you lost your mind?"

"Do you truly believe that? How many of our people would think it's worth defending this shitbag?! Hell, the only reason any of us are here is that there was no one else to turn to. I could care less of a shit about our ideology when the fucking Rangers and the soldiers from OSKOM are hanging out with royals to save our future while we're too busy fucking about with thumbs up to our asses about supposed enemies of the state. Maybe we should listen to the guy who dragged our asses out of the desert?"

The numbers were truly against those who remained, but the heavy trooper seemed to be in denial about his situation as returned to the Polis Ranger. "I won't let the locals have him. It's not right."

"He cannot stay here and he won't make it out there," Came the Spartan's answer, referring to the state of the weather beyond the settlement's perimeter, "Your man needs to be punished. The locals demand justice and I must bring it to them. There is no choice."

"If he is to die, I want you to do it."

His shoulders expressed his defeat as he stepped out of the way as Artyom turned his head towards him. Was he proposing that he become the executioner? "Are you sure? Do you want your comrades to follow a man who killed theirs?"

"You said that you know much about killing us back in those tunnels," He replied, "Would this be any different?"

"You're letting me kill him?"

The heavy trooper acknowledged this with a nod. "Much as I don't want to admit it, you saved our lives? I don't know how we can do anything if not for you."

It seemed to be that he was at peace with the notion, knowing full well that the outcome was going to be the same. All that needed to be done was for the others to step aside for the execution to begin.

"I hate this as much as the next man, but I want everyone to step aside. There is nothing we can do other than watch."

The last group of Nazis stepped away, leaving a fear-stricken man to look at his fellows. "Guys? Guys?! Why aren't you sticking up for me? Why won't you protect me? We've been through so much, but why won't you stand up for me? Look, the girl I fucked was asking for it. Her tits were worth everything and I wanted to have 'em for myself, but c'mon! It would be a waste since the locals weren't doing her. Please, don't leave me hanging."

When the last man was out of reach, Artyom stepped forward with his plash palatka hiding his hands underneath as his wolf followed him. His slow stride was methodical but firm against the cold ground. As he got closer, the rapist saw him and took a few steps back as he pleaded for mercy where he would receive none. Then he cried out for his comrades to save him from his impending doom, but the young soldier reached for his holstered pistol without the others knowing.

The two were several yards apart when the guilty turned and ran for his life. In spring of action, it would seem like there was a chance of escape, but little did he know about the skill of his shooter. Adrenaline flowed as Artyom's arm extended forward and calmly lined up his shot. Had it been anyone else, there was a chance to miss, but not him.

A shot rang out throughout the settlement as the air was cut open by a single bullet zipping past the Nazis before the flight to escape ended before the locals and the foreigners. The man's body was out in the open as the Polis Ranger's barrel was smoking in the air. Then he reached for his holster and locked the weapon away before one of the Nazis walked up to the would-be escapee. His hand reached for the fallen's neck before looking up at his killer and shaking his head.

There was only one thing left to do as stalkers were ever so pragmatic in these dire times. The young man walked up to the heavy trooper. "Salvage his body for anything useful. Dispose of the body. We can't allow diseases."

When all was said and done, the tension at the meeting had subsided as if nothing had happened. In the treehouses above, a communist officer, could not help himself from respecting the man for such resilient morality in the post-apocalypse.

Trying to isolate one's self from the rest of humanity for safety did Kristof no good. The thought of Prince Hans' threat looming over the royals needed to be brought out in this instance. Yet, the Polis Rangers were insistent that he sticks with his family for the time being until they decided it was right to full force the issue with enough evidence. The question was how long it would take for that to happen? After all, his only way of living is being an ice harvester and there was so much he could do at home before the need for proper food was necessary. Not that he didn't like his family's food, but humans often had different tastes than trolls.

He planted a stick in the ground to check if the ice was strong enough to hold the weight of himself and the reindeer. Fortunately for him, winter's coming made his job much easier at the cost of harsher weather, but he could make do. The young man turned around and walked towards his sled where his reindeer was, but he looked past his best friend to find three dark figures approaching him before he got a closer look.

The Rangers were here, their black uniforms covered in white spots thanks to the wind kicking up the snow. Their gas masks covered their faces as one of the men managed to speak loud enough for his voice to be heard. "Are you Kristoff?"

"Yeah!" He replied as he adjusted his face coverings and walked up to them with curiosity, "Unless you guys know what you are doing, none of you should be standing on this ice."

"Sam told us to pick you up. We're going to tell the royals about Prince Hans together."

Were they finally going to do it now? "Do you have evidence that proves he's a suspect?"

"Yes," The leading soldier answered, "One of our radio posts caught a conversation between Prince Hans and some other guy in his home country. What I do know is that he's speaking Russian and they're talking about the Caspian. Our comrades are recording it as we speak."

"I'm ready to go," Much as Kristoff wanted to go ahead, he felt that there was some degree of responsibility to tell Grandpabbie about this problem he had found for a time being, "But let me meet with my Grandpabbie before meeting the royals. They're more likely to listen to us if they're brought along."

"We can do that, but mind letting us catch a ride? The three of us walked here and we'd be wasting time walking back."

There was nothing the Queen of Arendelle could do when her magic failed her. If anything, Elsa found herself lost in the wild and desired to reconnect with her family so they could do this together. Yet, the siren which had called out to her had lured her away from the magical barrier as if its song comfortably guided her. She did not want to leave the fog behind in case it reponed, but the call to her thoughts might give her a chance to learn the truth behind her powers.

Darkness encompassed the land as the young woman traversed through Northuldra alone. She didn't even have Artyom's shotgun with her as she continued to press deeper into the hinterland. Trees, leaves, and bushes extended as far as the eye could see and it still surprised Elsa at the extent to which this land could tolerate such dense vegetation. Still, she walked without hesitation while admiring the occasional beauty that came in this foreign location.

Elsa stumbled upon a small frozen pond and without servants to provide for her, it was the closest she had to drink water. She knelt to the edge as her hand reached out to transform the ice into snow, but its depths moved strangely with currents flowing in ways she had not expected. The queen leaned forward to take a closer look, only to feel the ground thunder to life, but a flash was emitted within the water and revealed a shadow of a horse staring at her with cold intent. It reared its head forward and scared the wits out of her as the royal jumped back and watched the strange sighting come to life by smashing the ice head-first and flying into the air with full force. Yet, it descended back to the ground with a grace that Elsa had not seen before.

Whatever it was, normal was not a word to describe it. Just like a horse, it neighed in her general direction before walking towards her with reluctance. Was it trying to convey a message to her? The ice-borne creature lowered its head as the beady eyes looked into her soul for a moment, judging her by criteria beyond her. Despite its intimidating presence, she took the time to think about whether it was going to hurt her or not, but the way it looked at her seemed like it wanted some kind of understanding. The queen did not know what made her think it was trying to and somehow that was the feeling she received from it.

Part of her wondered if it would take it well if she decided to pet it and so she slowly extended her hand out as the horse remained where it stood. When her fingertips touched this magical horse, Elsa's heart was filled with catharsis while she gently rubbed her hand upwards and in-between its eyes.

The feeling in the air changed as the creature shifted its head away from observing her as the eyes looked beyond her shoulders. "He has grown accustomed to you already."

She turned around immediately to find Khan standing there as he walked up to her and helped her off the ground. The fact that he somehow got past Northuldra's borders was shocking.

"Your majesty, you seemed lost."

"Why are you here?" Her first encounter with him made it quite clear that asking how he got here was a question not worth asking, "Shouldn't you be in the Metro?"

The old Mongolian smiled with ease as he casually sit cross-legged and stroked his beard. "The affairs of the Metro are fatefully… coming to a close. I must use the knowledge I've gathered in my years to go out of the way to help those who require guidance, which you so happened to be."

"So you know what he is exactly?"

"Yes," He answered, "Northuldra is a place roamed by wild magical spirits. In this case, the Nokk is the spirit of the Dark Sea further north. It is a surprise he has taken accustomed to you."

Elsa was curious by what he meant about that. "You know much about this place, yet, hail from a different version of Moscow. How do you know these things?"

"I have undergone many lives across the ages and witnessed great events that would impress those who knew my true origins. I sacrificed power for knowledge and so the great khan of the steppes made a promise with a Northuldran to take his place. You wonder why I come here now of all times that I seek you out in means beyond normal. What had happened in that world - Artyom's world - did something so destructive that I cannot reincarnate anymore. Someone must take my place lest this land falls apart."

"You chose me to do what?" The man's revelation did not sit well with the queen as she directed her full attention towards the old man who even suggested she come here in the first place. Despite his helpfulness, all it did was disturb the royal in her decision-making as if the truth was making this understanding of Northuldra even more complicated, "Is it the reason why I was born with ice magic? Did you choose that for me?"

Khan lowered his head as if a dark past was being brought forward. "No. I have spent countless generations and it has never done that. From the old man who provided me with my gifts, he told me that it can only be passed on between those who agreed. When the bombs fell in my world, they destroyed everything both physically… and spiritually. Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory were atomized and the veil of reality between them and the earth was a shadow of its former self. What I do know is the Northuldra is capable of doing things far beyond my control and I think that is what happened, for the first time, it chose a successor without me to hand it off."

What could she say? How could she reply to such information in so much time? All his words did was bring up some questions that seemed to frustrate her future plans. Despite this discomfort of thinking, his company was needed given that there was little Elsa could do to reconnect with her family.

"Perhaps I was too rash in revealing the truth?" The old man thought to himself, "Maybe we should talk about something else?"

She shook her head as she continued to pet the Nokk. "What can we talk about? It seemed like everything was going down ever since my sister was kidnapped."

"Speaking of the other world, I think you would like to hear this news, but I hope you could keep it to yourself before the Order starts asking questions."

"The news has to be good," Elsa remarked, "It's not like my day can improve after Northuldra pulled me in."

"Artyom is alive."

The queen felt her heart rejuvenated with life and energy from that sentence alone. Her stomach felt like butterflies as if all the lost hope and tears were not in vain. "How do you know he is alive? Colonel Mel'nikov said he was a dead man."

"Do not believe a colonel can't make bad judgments," He noted, "The old soldier said he is a dead man but is not the same as being a dead man. As of right now, Artyom is hiding out in a valley for the time being to wait out the winter so he could join you."

"So he is alive all along." She did not know how to convey these emotions other than reaching out to hug Khan and squeeze him with joy in her heart, "Thank you! You have no idea how much he means to me."

"I know he does. He's had the same feelings for you, but the courage to fight mutants is not the same as having the courage to tell someone you love them. It is his love for you that drives him on his return."

The queen of Arendelle had let go of him after letting out all those months of suffering leave her soul. That knowledge alone made things easier for her, but then her marriage to Prince Hans had entered her mind, realizing the situation she's put herself in. She quickly put that issue behind her as she focused on solving one problem at a time. "Okay, how do I get Northuldra to open up?"

"Something disturbing must have caused the land to shut itself away," He answered, rising onto his feet as his weaponry from the Metro jingled in the air, "You should look for the Northuldrans themselves, they might find an answer. After all, this is going to be your kingdom too."

"Could you stay with me for the time being? I don't do well being lonely."

He released a chuckle before turning away from the queen and deep into the magical land. "Of course, your grace. I'll try to lead you towards the nearest ones I can find."

Martin and his son busied themselves at the marketplace that day. His wife wanted some fish they could smoke for tonight and he had to bring his boy along to get used to the haggling of prices between friends. Maybe he was too young for it, but maybe he would get acquainted with it. Who knows?

The merchant had a wide variety of fish at his stand as he spoke up. "Got anything on your mind?"

"Do you have anything fresh coming in?" He asked, hoping to preserve the meat for future meals, "My wife has much cooking to do."

"The lads are finishing up, we'll see what they have in store."

There was a sudden commotion throughout the marketplace as people of all walks of life, Arendellian or Russian, began to make their way towards the docks. "Could we hold this while we check it out?"

"Sure, I'm going to do the same."

Several large ships arrived in port on this day with the flag of Russia waving gallantly in the air. When they were finally anchored in and the ramps laid out, infantry in green and white stepped into the docks with complete discipline. Yet, the blacksmith took a closer look to learn that they were not the same kind of troops that the eccentric Russian noble came with him. Their hats were different in the sense that they could be more distinguished than those who came before. Then the cavalry rode out in force - causing many to make way for the riding uniforms of grays, reds, and greens.

This small army split the crowds of people in two as a rider trotted up and down the human corridor to justify this sudden arrival. "Make way for his majesty! Make way for his majesty! Make way for his majesty the tsar of Russia!"

Martin's blood was somehow chilled by the idea that his kingdom was being visited by someone so prestigious. Realizing the nature of such an important man, he lifted Anders off the ground and rested him on his shoulder. The drums began to beat as the heads of the soldiers turned towards the sovereign. Several pairs of footsteps walked past the rows of soldiers who presented their monarch and his entourage with such dignity. The officers drew their swords as they and their men saluted him before composing themselves back into organized formations. It was a complete contrast to the old man whose expression had seen better days while his hand rested upon the hilt of his sword.

To have such a man arrive in Arendelle was quite an honor due to the difference between their countries. The man who ruled the largest land in the world was visiting one of the small kingdoms that would barely fill a sizeable fraction of his territory. Just what could possibly interest such an individual to seek out the young royals.