News of those outside of the Metro had caught everyone's attention - including the Polis Council. For twenty years, the people of Moscow felt isolated that the world beyond the city was finally dead. There were moments where people spoke with the rest of the world moments after the bombs fell, but the radios fell silent for a time due to inaction. Thankfully, the excitement was contained in the D6 bunker-complex where the Order's efforts in finding hope after all these decades had come to fruition. Had anyone else taken notice of this sudden influx of delegations, the major powers of the Moscow Metro would take advantage of the situation for their own reasons.
Colonel Sviatoslav Konstantinovich Mel'nikov was glad that parts of civilization had survived and the remains of the Russian military had made it out okay. The technology he found in that place seemed like the government took into consideration its options as the officer sat quietly in his office and waited for the delegation from OSKOM to arrive. Then he thought about the souls who accompanied him when they discovered that place for the first time.
Miller remembered when the biomass attracted innocent souls to their doom; however, he also remembered the hopeful eyes of a boy. The young man was one of the many futures of the Metro, but his disappearance demoralized the commander. Artyom was not part of the Order, but his perseverance in enduring the hellscape that every ranger faced seemed like it was worthy of a medal.
The door opened as a well-dressed general of OSKOM had entered the room in his peaked cap. "You must be the commander of the Spartan Order."
He nodded his head and pointed to the chair in front of him. "Yes, I am. Please take a seat. Do you want any tea?"
The representative of OSKOM shook his head as he sat down in the comfortable red lounge chair. "Sadly, I must decline the offer due to time constraints."
"Understandable, I suppose bureaucracy is the same in Novosibirsk Metro. Please introduce yourself?"
"I am General Anatoly Vinogradov. Tell me, what is the state of the situation here in Moscow. I know this is the capital of our once glorious nation, but why did I have to come on a trolley in secret."
The colonel let out a defeated sigh. "The information that Lieutenant Colonel Klebnikov had provided about your Metro has a mixture of both good and bad. Unlike Novosibirsk, Metro Command broke down and any form of order in Moscow led to factionalism."
"Damn," He swore in front of him, "How exactly do you manage?"
"Respecting authority when it matters. The council is the leftovers of Metro Command that didn't join in on the factionalism and managed to be respected for fighting mutants in the tunnels or a third-party that can get peace agreements between these factions. Much as we would like to enforce our authority upon everyone else, fighting in the tunnels is a pain in the ass to deal with. It's also not helped that despite our professional rangers, we're heavily outnumbered by everyone else."
"So you make it out through diplomacy. To think that Moscow actually did worse than us is amazingly stupid."
"Tell me about it," Miller replied, "The communists, the Nazis, and the capitalists are the big threats that we have to tolerate for the time being. So if we introduce OSKOM to them, it's best not to initiate a war with them. It's too much trouble for all it's worth."
"At the very least, it's better than arguing about the green stuff."
"Green stuff? What's that?"
"It's anti-radiation drugs - very valuable in Novosibirsk since we got hit hard as well."
"How bad are we talking about?" The colonel asked.
"Bad, really bad," General Vinogradov answered, "That green stuff is really the only reason why we're even alive at all. Had it not been for it, the sheer amount of radiation would have killed us a decade after the bombs fell. Why do you ask? It sounds like none were issued to your people at all."
He shook his head. "There's no anti-radiation drugs for us. We just got used to it here and if someone gets mutated, well, there's not much we could do. Then again, we did have a missile defense grid to hit the bombs before the serious ones did their damage."
"I see. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
"Yes. The teleporter machine that we have might cut you off from OSKOM command in a scheduled few days. We just started to figure out how it works and we're taking a look at whether there are other places where we can send an expedition for our peoples."
"You're telling me, now?" His face was puzzled.
"My apologies, but our brahmins can be pricks sometimes. Beyond that, your people are welcomed to join the expeditions if your superiors allow it."
He smiled at the news. "I'll relay the information to command and they'll make the decision, but no guarantees. How long till the teleporter opens up to Novosibirsk?"
"We have a list of coordinates, so we're probably going to be consistent with our schedule and make sure you have access to Moscow."
Days had passed since Elsa saw Artyom leave with her horse and his absence was far from unnoticed. Not only did Kai feel compelled to personally have a conversation with him when he got back, but the princess also figured that he would be fired from his duties as a stable boy. Yet, it felt wrong to get rid of him since he gave her the opportunity to open up to her sister and help them learn more about their parents. He also brought life to the halls filled with the boring habits of a family that barely kept in touch with one another.
Dinner was being served, but the princess's reserved interactions with Anna was beginning to unravel. The two sat across from each other as the servants walked out of the kitchen to set out their soups before them. It was a small meal as social etiquette demanded, but the childish side of Elsa made a mental note that it would mean more room for chocolates in the end. More food from the staff had arrived to complement the meals as she looked up to see her sister lower her head. "Anna, is there something wrong?"
She stole a glance from her. "Yeah, the more I read those books the more I found myself wondering why our parents were studying books about magic. Nothing about it is right. They have a hidden room full of these books and the thought can't get out of my head. What do you think about it?"
"Mother and father seemed to be on something important that caused that shadow in Artyom's room," It was difficult to lie about her powers, but it was a safe lie, "I seemed to stumble upon some old pictures where they were standing next to someone who almost resembled that shadow."
Anna's eyes lit up. "Did you find something that you can tell?"
Elsa shrugged her shoulders. "It's not much I can tell in the first place. The papers I found were written in a different language."
"Incredible. I would love to see that. How about we check those documents out once we finish eating? Maybe we could eat chocolates while we're at it."
She reluctantly smiled before her sister as the dining room doors were swung open with Kai in the doorway. "Your highness, we have a visitor from Imperial Russia!"
"Imperial Russia? What is he doing here?"
The servant took a moment to breathe. "Do you remember those creatures that Artyom brought back with him? There is a nobleman who is willing to take it for further study, but I overheard your issue with the documents and took a look at them myself."
Elsa was surprised by this development. "Wait, are you saying the nobleman might be able to help us know more about what is said in those papers?"
"Yes," He answered, "Shall I introduce him to you after you finish eating?"
Anna was quick to reply. "No, I think this takes precedence over the meal."
"Very well," Kai nodded his head in acknowledgment to her words, "I'll inform him of the situation and perhaps he may join all of you for dinner." He bowed before the girls until he straightened his back and left the dining room to their own devices.
Her eyes turned towards the quiet girl, only to be surprised at her sister's reluctance. "Are you okay?"
The princess's gloved hands became uncomfortable. "No, it's just we never had a proper visitor from beyond the gates for a very long time, much less left the castle. I don't know what to expect."
"You will be fine," She assured her with a smile as she rose from her seat, "I am sure he wouldn't judge us too harshly."
The princesses heard the clicking of boots snapping throughout the castle halls as a large commotion of movement was approaching the dining room. The closer they marched, the more that Elsa felt afraid of what was to come. She took a quick glance to see her gloved hands remain normal for now, but signs of a melted snowflake slipped out. Hopefully, no one would notice.
A dark-haired man, perhaps as old as the late King of Arendelle, entered the room in his green uniform and white trousers. There were dozens of medals adorned on his chest as a fancy hat with feathers found refuge in his arms. His head stood tall and proud, looking throughout the room as if it was an inspection before his free hand had begun to brush his mustache for a moment. When his eyes took notice of the girls, they widened in surprise before he bowed before them. "Princess Elsa, Princess Anna, I am honored to be allowed into your home."
The girls smiled as Elsa spoke. "Hello, it's good to make your acquaintance… mister."
His back jumped back up as he introduced himself. "I am Prince Vaska Dolokhov, your head servant sent for me about some strange creature that the kingdom has stumbled upon. His gracious majesty, the tsar, would like to have the opportunity for the fatherland to study these specimens at our fine academies."
Kai entered the room, behind the prince. "My apologies, your highness, I had to handle matters that Artyom would have done if he was here at the stable."
Prince Vaska looked over his shoulder to see the large man. "Artyom? Your stable boy is a Russian?"
"Yes, he was temporarily hired to replace the previous one who got injured by a kick. He is also the one who hunted these creatures down in the first place."
"Where is he now?"
He shook his head. "I have no clue. He went missing for a few days and hasn't been seen since. Why do you ask?"
"Curiosity, you see," He answered, "It would make for a delightful and educational conversation, but I suppose he may have gotten lost."
"It is possible, but he was once a hunter before he became a blacksmith and then our stable boy. Is there a good reason for this?"
"If he has somehow taken down these creatures himself, I would like to have his account. The researchers at the academies would enjoy this information with delight. Since my travelling is over for quite some time, perhaps I can search for your stable boy with my recently arrived regiments."
Kai glanced at Princess Elsa with his reluctant expression as if he was looking for her guidance. Then she spoke. "I believe my sister and I would appreciate it if you did. He's been helping my sister and I discover my parent's past with some books we discovered in a secret library."
Vaska raised his eyebrows. "A secret library. What sort of secrets are we talking about?"
"We are clueless as you," Came her reply, holding her emotions from getting too far, "We found something important and we even discovered some documents that appear to be in Russian. Without Artyom, we do not have much in terms understanding what was going on back then."
"I see. How about I cover this matter after dinner. My men and I have been on a very long voyage to be here."
"Thank you."
Being an ice harvester was a very difficult and dangerous business. Kristoff knew that when he was young he made a living on cutting ice and making sure he didn't fall into the icy waters. It certainly was not the safest occupation he had come across, but it definitely paid a lot for himself and his reindeer. People from across the world would pay hefty sums just to pay for their extraction and freshness - it was also incredibly expensive to bring ice out of environments where it could melt.
The tired young man leaned back in his seat as his reindeer brought him home and then he glanced beside him to see the sack full of carrots. "We're almost there, Sven. Once we get back, I'll make sure you can eat all the carrots I got in the back." His words sparked incentive into the reindeer as it began to pull his sled faster into the valley.
When he got closer, Kristoff recognized the familiar sights of hot springs as his aching body relaxed at the warm temperatures. Then he noticed movement coming from his left as a small rock rolled out from a tree line and revealed a young troll flying up into his arms. "Kristoff, you're back!"
"Little Rock, how are things going in the valley? I've been busy at work."
The child pointed ahead of the ice harvester and his companion. "We got a visitor from Arendelle, he's in some kind of trance or something, but Grand Pabbie will explain better."
"Really? I'll go take a look," Then he set the troll down into his seat before grabbing the reins attached to his reindeer, "Sven, you can stop now. I'll go on foot," As he stepped down from his sled, he grabbed the bag full of carrots and walked up to his childhood friend, placing his favorite food on the ground as he went into the valley alone.
Things were a bit more livelier than he imagined. Normally, his family would be making their way to bed and go to sleep. As he passed through the crowds of trolls and greeted his adoptive relatives, he looked ahead to see a stranger resting on a stone slab table where Grand Pabbie was standing beside him. It was especially unusual for him to be at meetings, but whatever was happening seemed to catch his attention.
He walked towards his elder, but was stopped by what he would call his mom. "What is Grand Pabbie doing?"
She turned around to see the old troll closing his eyes while his hands were out beside him. "Some old business, but it seems like that young man needs help remembering who he was and sought him out. Don't worry, he'll be up in no time."
The atmosphere amongst the valley changed when someone shouted and pointed to Kristoff's right. "Look, shadows!"
Their attention was focused on dark shadows of six men that appeared out of thin air who walked towards the slab on the table. It was a slow advance towards the stranger and Grand Pabbie, but Kristoff could not help and gawk at the sight. He had seen many things in the troll's valley; however, this was entirely new and perhaps… supernatural in terms of magic. The young man heard voices from the men, speaking in an entirely different language. It seemed like they were having a wonderful conversation with each other before they laughed amongst their group.
The leading shadow in front of the group brought his hand up to stop the group as if he sensed something. Upon closer inspection, the ice harvester noticed he was far more armored than the others as he looked around and spoke in an icy tone. Within a moment, silence filled the mood as the men raised their weapons from their sides and began to form a circle with one another. Something had caught their attention.
More shadows revealed themselves; however, it's figure was neither man nor beast as the men found themselves surrounded by these non-humans. One of the men in the defensive circle shouted to the top of his lungs and then a battle raged between the circle of men and these tall creatures. The loud volumes of their weapons were nothing he had ever seen before as the men fought back against something so alien. Their opposition reached out as if it would do something and Kristoff watched as one of the men dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, his hands holding his head and screamed in agony.
The others took notice of their comrade who succumbed to this and tried to comfort him, but the tall creatures took the opportunity to unleash their attacks without hesitation. One-by-one, the humans fell to the ground and writhed from an attack that was not inflicted on them physically. The only one who had managed to be the last in the attack was the armored warrior who fired upon the creatures, but they disappeared before he could properly leave his mark on them. Then one appeared in front of him and in a blink of an eye, reached out to the last survivor, and made him fall back and land on the ground. More of these tall shadows appeared and as if they were fully aware of what was happening, turned their gaze upon the human and the crowd of trolls that were watching them.
Kristoff felt a chill down his spine to feel such unnatural gaze looking at him. He trembled in fear at the sight of what they could do. Then one-by-one, they disappeared before the crowd, all except one. It turned away from the shadows writhing on the ground and approached the stone slab table where the stranger and Grand Pabbie resided. As it got closer, the young man saw his elder sense its approach and opened his eyes. The troll stumbled back in fear and almost lost balance on his seat as he inched away from the creature's presence. There was nothing natural about this at all.
The tall entity glanced at the man who was unconscious and placed a hand on his head. It began to walk away from the man in the Arendellian uniform, but a few meters away, Kristoff noticed the armored man lying on the ground sit up with something in hand. Three loud cracks had echoed throughout the valley as the strange creature reacted violently and stumbled to the ground. It struggled to rise up, but something had wounded it before stumbling to the ground.
A few seconds later, the shadows disappeared, leaving Kristoff and his family astonished at the scene that had played out before them. "That's… new," Those were the words he could conjure up after such a terrifying display. "Bulda, I'm going to check up on the new guy. I wonder what happened to him," He said to his mother as he departed away from the trolls who started to speak to themselves about the event.
Grand Pabbie seemed to be at a loss for words as he glanced at the young man before him. "In all of my experience with magic, this is something else entirely."
The ice harvester arrived at the table as he began to ask the only sensible thing he could do. "Grand Pabbie, what just happened?"
He glanced up at his adoptive family member before glancing at the man lying on the table. "I am just as curious as you are, Kristoff. Artyom asked me to help him out with his memories and I obliged. It took several days to perform the ritual, but I don't know if it did anything or not."
"So you're saying that this does not usually happen?"
Grand Pabbie nodded his head. "Yes, normally it would be a simple matter, but… whatever he went through is perhaps an exception. Somehow I could sense something far more… paranormal."
"Paranormal? Are you saying this is new to you?" Kristoff wondered.
"Yes. It is as if magic had nothing to do with this at all. I just happened to - how do I say this right - poke the hornet's nest of something far different."
The ice harvester and the troll were taken aback when the unconscious man opened his eyes and sat up instantaneously. The stranger breathed heavily as he looked around to get his bearings. "W-What happened?!" Then he began to pat his chest as if he needed to remind himself he was in reality.
Grand Pabbie began to ask. "Artyom, do you remember anything?"
He immediately focused his attention on the troll as he regained his senses and began to calm down. "Yes…" Artyom paused for a moment before looking down at his boots. "Yes, I remember… I remember everything," His hands wrapped his own face and expressed a soft sigh, "How long was I out?"
"The ritual I performed lasted a couple of days. It was far beyond anything I have stumbled upon." The troll replied.
"I do not blame you," He said, "The Dark Ones are a very strange species to begin with."
Kristoff had the urge to ask. "You know what those things were?"
Artyom looked at the harvester. "Yes. They're from my home. Who are you? I thought the trolls didn't allow people into their valley."
Grand Pabbie was quick to speak. "He's family, we adopted him when he was young."
Somehow, it managed to spark a smile from the Arendellian. "I suppose that makes two of us."
"What are you going to do now?"
"I'll have to turn back," Came his answer, "My boss is not going to be fond that I took several days off."
The king's library found itself busy with the princesses in the same room as the Russian noble. Elsa sat in a chair where her father would usually be, it felt somewhat wrong that anyone could simply take his seat. In the meantime, Anna took a seat across from her as Prince Vaska's eyes finished the final page of the documents he had been studying. "It appears your parents were meeting men from another world."
The news was surprising to Elsa. "What do you mean by another world?"
The prince looked up from his papers and glanced at the princesses. "The people who made these documents were guests in this castle a very long time ago. I would garner that this was when his majesty finally got married when this happened. Relations with this kingdom seemed to date back longer than I imagine."
Anna made an inquiry. "Wait, Arendelle had been talking with people from another world… for a very long time."
"Yes. These documents imply that these… Soviets… started relations with your kingdom all the way back when your great grandfather was alive. It's both fascinating and interesting at the same time."
"What do you mean by that? Is it something there that we can look at or need to seek someone out?"
"I believe so," Vaska answered, "Some of the words in these documents are covered in black ink, as if it was designed that way to prevent people from knowing something, but at the same time it keeps referencing information from a building that does not exist in Moscow."
The girls raised their eyebrows as Elsa took her turn to ask. "What about the relations with our parents? Is there something to know about them?"
He smiled. "Yes, it turns out the leader of this diplomatic force was good friends with your father. Then something happened about personal and security matters that forced him and his wife to return back to their world. I think it was your father or mother who made a little note at the end about when they were coming back."
"Is that all you can do to learn about?"
"Sadly, yes. I apologize if there is not much more I could do."
The princess nodded her head. "It is okay that you did the best you could. This was more than enough for us."
One of the prince's soldiers entered the room. "Sire, the man we have been looking for has returned with the princess's horse."
Elsa turned her head. "Artyom is back?"
He nodded his head as he left the room. Not a moment too soon, Artyom returned in his Arendellian uniform as he lowered his head at the presence of the princesses. "Your highness… I apologize for using your horse without your permission… there seemed like an important matter pertaining to the books you have found. At the cost of this endeavor, I had to neglect my duties at the stable."
Prince Vaska spoke up and voiced his opinion. "So you are the Russian the princesses have been talking about. There is something I want to talk about, particularly the creature you slayed in the forests nearby. You might have some information about that."
"Yes, but after a long journey, I wish to retire and recover from my exhaustion." Artyom replied.
"That is quite understandable. We can talk about this in the morning." He glanced at the princess, "Your majesty, I suppose Kai has managed to set up our quarters."
She nodded her head. "Yes, he should have them prepared."
"Thank you." He rose up from the couch and walked out of the room.
When the room was filled with the three individuals, Artyom broke the silence with his voice. "I managed to get my memories back, all of them."
Anna was quick to talk. "You did? That is absolutely wonderful. How did you do it? Was traveling the one that managed to bring it back."
He nodded his head. "Yes. In fact, it did."
"That's good, I should fetch you some chocolates."
Elsa smiled at this warm attitude. "Anna, the servants are not going to like you running into the kitchen to steal chocolate."
"Don't worry. As long as I am sneaky, they will never know." Then she immediately left the library, leaving the two alone.
"So, what did you find out while away?"
His expression did not give her any comfort as the princess noted his reluctance to speak. "Is there a place we can privately talk?"
There was such a place, but Elsa rarely allowed people inside, except for her parents. "Yes, follow me."
The two closed the door in the bedroom as Elsa walked to the window while Artyom remained at the door. "What is it that you have to tell me in private?" Her eyes looked outside to see the world as the Russian regimental soldiers began to make the courtyard their sleeping quarters as she waited for what he had to say.
"I know you have ice powers."
The princess froze in horror as she did much to hide her expression from him. She glanced at the reflection in the glass to see that the stable boy was lowering his head from the reveal. How could he know? What did she do to reveal the truth to him? Did she fail her father's request in hiding her powers? "What ice powers?"
Artyom raised his head in the reflection as she turned around to confront him. "You don't have to lie, your majesty. I know why you keep to yourself and try to avoid everyone as much as you can."
She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, I do." Came his firm response.
She hoped she could get him off her trail. He should not have been able to know. Then the princess watched as he reached into his coat. "Are you trying to show me evidence that I have powers?"
He paused before he pulled out a book. "Elsa, you can drop the act. Your parents wrote about your powers in this journal."
Elsa didn't like where this was going as he walked towards her with the book in hand. "No, it's just something you wrote up."
Then he opened the book and presented one of the pages to her and as she looked, the princess could not believe what she was seeing. It was a detailed drawing of her as a child with a playful mood with her powers. "Do not take this the wrong way, but I am here to help."
She snatched the book from his hands and began to inspect the pages. "What do you know about ice powers?"
"I… I don't, but I have been in your position and it is not an easy one at that," He answered, "A friend once told me to try to have a better understanding of things before you make your judgement. I made the mistake of ignoring that advice and paid the price and that experience is the reason I am talking to you right now."
It was an odd moment for the princess. A part of her wanted to shut him out and tell him to leave, but at the same time, Artyom was offering his help. So many years had passed since her father's comforting gaze was in this room and that ghostly euphoria was difficult to accept. "What can you offer when my parents couldn't even help me? Since you got your memory back, what could you possibly do that will change my situation?"
"Experience, your highness. I think you should tell your sister about your powers. If there is one thing I have learned, a family member will always be understanding and willing to back you up. You have Anna and what I've learned from her is that she still cares about you despite your years of separation."
"Are you sure it is a good idea? How can you be sure that I won't become a monster and become the very thing people are afraid of? What guarantee that my own sister won't turn on me?" She asked him, "I cannot tell her, no matter what. It is a safe lie that I must burden myself with."
He lowered his head as if his words were not enough to convince her. "A safe lie. That makes two of us."
Elsa was taken aback by his words. It shouldn't be possible that she had something he could relate to, no one should. Yet, he was living proof that she was not the only person who had to endure this problem. "Why do you say that? It's not possible that you would understand."
"When I was young, my friends and I explored places to our hearts content as all children do, but curiosity got the better of us. We tried to close the very door that we looked into, but it would never close and so we ran back home. My childhood friends and I made a vow to never tell anyone the truth. As we grew up, my home was attacked by monsters and one-by-one, my people would die horribly against them because of my safe lie. Every death was one I was responsible for and I could not live with that mistake. Then someone chose to defend my home against such monsters, someone I admired and looked up to, he was killed by my actions."
His story struck a chord with her and when he finished, his eyes left a soulless expression. The serious matter seemed to have an effect on him and Elsa kept silent about it. She recalled the small scenes that played out in this very room. The princess finally knew his story and could not help, but secretly empathize with him. It reminded her of the days when she lost her parents, but Artyom didn't even know that it was his own father who fought for him. Perhaps she could tell him the truth in exchange for helping her with her powers. "I… I will try, but understand that I am very reluctant to tell anyone about my powers. It's just…"
"Out of your comfort space?"
She was caught off-guard on how accurate that was? "How did you know?"
Artyom's eyes were filled with life once more as he tried to change the mood of the conversation. "I'm a quiet bookworm who was given a quest to go through nests full of monsters, bandits, and brigands just to complete it."
At that moment, the princess of Arendelle found herself wondering what kind of person he was to even go through all of those things.
Author's Note: I kinda went overboard with this one. Originally, I wanted to just stop at around three thousand words, but I got a bit too focused on this one.