A day had passed since Elsa had displayed her powers to everyone and all it did was bring questions into Anna's mind. The odd part was that Artyom had his own little secret as well and it was time finally address this matter once and for all. She walked into her father's study, just to find them standing and waiting for her. There was a moment of awkward silence between them and she could not blame them either. Surely, they had an explanation for the latest events. "So, we have a lot to talk about. Well, both of you have a lot to say about what just happened yesterday."

Artyom and Elsa stole a quick glance from each other before he made a slight nod and gestured his head towards her. "Let's begin with the blizzard in the room. Elsa, I think you need to tell her." What did he mean by that? Did he know something that she did not?

Elsa reluctantly stepped forward as she fiddled around with her gloves. "I know it is quite obvious, but I think I need to tell you in person. Anna, I have ice powers."

She widened her eyes at the news. "You had ice powers for all of this time and you did not think to tell me?"

"I could not because the last time I was careless… I hurt you."

Anna paused for a moment.

"Our family was lucky enough to find someone who could help us and they recommended me to hide my powers. That is why we had to spend so much of our lives away from each other because I could not risk hurting you again."

The princess was distraught at the news that her sister would hide this from her after all of this time. "So you couldn't even try to talk to me about? I could have tried to help you."

"I know," Elsa replied, "It's just… I was scared and I thought hiding my powers forever would keep you safe," She slowly turned her gaze towards the man wearing his strange black armor and his foreign fatigues, "Then Artyom came along and accidentally discovered my powers the moment we found our parent's library. He encouraged me to try and tell you at some point until yesterday happened."

She considered berating her sister, but it wouldn't really help in this situation. Then she turned towards the Russian who remained silent for the time being. "So how long did you know about my sister's powers?"

Artyom slipped his hands into his pockets. "Not long enough. After I read your parent's journal, I went to find these creatures called trolls and sought them out for answers. They told me everything and I confronted Elsa a while ago. There was a point that I would have considered telling you as well, but your sister was not too keen on the idea. So I convinced her to tell you that she had powers."

"Well, it explains why a decade of my life is a mess," Anna commented before she turned her full attention onto him, "Now onto you. No offense, but that is one odd uniform I have never seen before. Do you mind explaining your backstory?"

"No, I do not mind. I told your sister, but that was merely an exchange of secrets between both of us," He answered before he let out a sigh of nervousness, "I do not know how you will take it, but here we go. I am not from this world."

She raised her eyebrow out of surprise. The princess expected him to be a soldier of sorts, not some otherworldly individual who just so happened to be a stable boy. "Wait, what? You're from another world?"

Artyom nodded his head. "It's hard to believe, yes? I would not blame you."

Anna smiled and stole a glance from her sister. "I don't know. After my sister's display of magic, I'll believe anything."

"There isn't really a way to describe how I got here, only that I angered some powerful mutants that tossed me here."

She noted one of his words. "What is a mutant?"

He paused for a while. "It is a creature that is affected by radiation and often gets transformed into a monster of sorts. I thought that living in this world, I would be free of dealing with them for a while until I had to rescue Anders' pig."

"Wait, one of them came into our world?" Anna asked, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was thinking about expressing my background very slowly. Then I considered telling you about the watchman; however, those bandits and their slaves showed up."

"What do you know about them?"

Artyom took a seat on the couch and grasped his chin. "Somehow, I think they and the mutant are somehow connected. I don't know how and I don't know if that is true, but there is plenty I need to investigate."

"So what do you plan to do since the cat is out of the bag?" The princess pondered, "Surely, you can't go back to being a stableboy and try to help us out like you used to."

"There is plenty I need to tackle. First, I am going to try and make sure that there are no more of those guys threatening Arendelle. Second, if there is a slight chance of that happening… I think I'll be heading home."

There was a foreign screeching sound that was echoing into the room. Someone was trying to talk, but it felt like something was keeping it from having the entire message from being stated. Anna felt more confused the longer she heard it. "Hey, does anyone hear that?"

Elsa looked around and began to reveal her curiosity as well. "Yes, it's coming from somewhere."

Then Artyom reached into his shirt and pulled a strange black device out in his hand. "I think this is what you two were looking for."

Anna became curious and was the first to approach him. "What is that?"

"It's a radio - a device to allow one person to talk to another person from long distances," He answered as he became puzzled at the sound it was making.

"That is neat," Then she considered what Artyom said about the device it said, "If that is supposed to be a communication between people, who is calling you?"

"I have no idea."

The voice spoke in a foreign language and neither Anna nor Elsa could make any of it, but Artyom seemed to understand what they were saying. "Do you understand what they are saying?"

He nodded his head. "Da, there is some kind of interference that is keeping me from hearing the whole thing. It shouldn't be doing that at all."

"You own this thing and you don't know how it works?"

"I am sure of it," He replied as he pointed at the speaker, "This radio was locked onto a secure channel and it shouldn't be making any of this… racket," There was a realization in his voice, "Chyort!" He rose from his couch and stormed out of the room.

The lack of an explanation from the Russian only confused her even further as she followed after him. Elsa came along as he strode through the hallways. "Artyom, what's going on? Do you mind explaining to us what just happened back there?"

He did not look over his shoulder to talk to them, but he certainly brought answers. "The last time I used this was on a secure channel and only a select few know about it."

"So what does that mean for us?" Elsa asked, "Is it dangerous?"

Artyom was a moment way from entering the courtyard as he stopped and turned around with elation. "Princess Elsa, Princess Anna, this means that my comrades were around and maybe… I have a chance to go home if I find them."

Colonel Klebnikov was accompanied by several men of the Order and dozens of his soldiers from OSKOM. The exploration of the ancient Soviet facility was doing well after they had captured the bandits from the Caspian Sea, there were a lot of places he was looking forward to being in and a lot of enemies to shoot at. They walked out of the cave to find snow-covered remains of a campsite. This was the one the bandits were talking about before they were taken by surprise. The first thing on his mind was the safety of these men and their health. "I am not hearing my Geiger counter click. What is the quality of the air?"

He turned around to find a Polis Ranger standing in front of him, the man slowly raised his gas mask above his head and began to breathe it all in. "God-damn does it feel good to smell fresh air again. This is beyond incredible."

"Uhlman, is it that good?"

His head nodded. "Take off your gas mask, you would want to appreciate this."

The colonel slipped his helmet off and slowly pulled his gas mask away from his face. It had been twenty years since he had last had some kind of clean air to breathe in. The moment he felt the cold air around him, the freshness of the air-filled his nostrils with comfort as it should always be. "You are definitely right about this. I certainly do not want to miss out on this."

Uhlman had a radio on his shoulder that began to startle and then stop for a moment. "Okay, this is getting really annoying that this is happening."

He glanced towards the man. "What's wrong?"

"My radio is acting weird ever since I arrived in this place. I want it to shut up."

The first thought on his mind was a reasonable possibility as he looked in his surroundings. "Maybe it's the interference. After all, we are in a forest."

"Interference, my ass. This has been plaguing me when we were back in the facility," He stated, "Perhaps this is just some joke the others are playing on me."

"A joke, do you really think that is why you've been getting that?" Colonel Klebnikov wondered.

"Probably, I have a tendency to make jokes and I think someone is pulling one on me out of spite."

The officer smiled. "I wonder how Colonel Miller puts up with you."

"I say the same thing," Uhlman's radio repeated itself again and the man's patience was wearing thin. He grabbed his radio while those around him took notice, "Hey, whoever is calling me, quit it!"

There was a response. "Uhlman, is that you?"

Colonel Klebnikov focused his attention on the radio. "Who is that?"

The Polis Ranger's face looked pale. He expressed a slight horror on his face as if a ghost had come to haunt him. "That can't be… I thought he was dead."

"Can you read me?" The voice asked.

"Yes, I can read you loud and clearly."

"Where are you exactly?"

Uhlman was quick to reply. "I am at this old campsite in the middle of a forest. Where are you?"

"Go to the southern side of the camp and find a high vantage point."

The colonel became concerned about the situation. "Mind explaining who that is?"

The Ranger looked at him. "He's someone I know. Part of me wants to think he's dead, but he might still be around. I don't know."

"Do not compromise the objective of our portal coordinates."

"I won't, but this is just as important."

The sunlight was helpful in this situation as Klebnikov accompanied him to the southern side of the half-constructed camp to find out that there was more to this place than he expected. "Incredible, I didn't think I would find something like this in my entire life." He looked further and could see a building in the distance.

Uhlman activated his radio and spoke to the person he knew. "Okay, I found a vantage point on the south side. I think we're on the side of a mountain and there is a strange port-town further ahead. Are you in there?"

He waited for a response, but there was none. Was this a ruse of sorts? The colonel grabbed his rifle until he noticed something flickering in the distance. "What the hell? Uhlman, do you see something flashing down there?"

"Yeah, I do. Holy shit, I think that is a stalker SOS. He's using his flashlight to message us."

Colonel Klebnikov wondered if the stalkers of Novosibirsk ever had the same idea on the surface of the city? "Don't worry, I got a pair of binoculars." He reached for the one hanging below his neck and brought the lens to his eyes. "Let's see what we got here."

His eyes gazed down upon the port settlement and began to focus as much as he could to get the details in. Then he noticed the large building that surpassed the others. Was that a castle? A flickering light caught his attention as he slowly looked at one of the towers of the castle to find someone standing with his flashlight flickering.

"I see someone. He might be the man you were talking to earlier."

Uhlman's radio crackled and the man's voice returned. "Do see me?"

The Polis Ranger replied in confirmation. "I see you. Artyom, is that you down there?"

Relief came in his tone. "Yes, I'm currently staying in the big shiny castle. Uhlman, you have no idea how hearing your voice is relieving to hear. It's been a long time since we last saw each other."

"Indeed it has. Okay, I'll be down there soon. Is it safe down there?" He asked.

"Definitely. We were attacked by bandits so the locals are a bit on edge. Over and out."

"Understood, over and out," He quickly turned his attention towards the colonel, "Klebnikov, fetch Miller. He would want to be here for this."

The officer of OSKOM was confused by what was going on. "Is there something important going on here?"

"Yeah, Artyom came from our Metro, and then he disappeared. We don't know what happened for a long time. The question that is going to be on our minds is how did he get here in the first place."

Martin was busy hammering away a metal rod to build some nails. The local bakery needed some to fix some floorboards. As he busied himself in his work, he was reminded of yesterday when the princess put out a fire with her flames. The blacksmith did not want to admit it, but he was glad that her highness put it out. He lived a simple life and it would be a disaster if he turned into a refugee.

When he finished his first batch of nails, he stopped and looked ahead to see his son playing around with his pig by chasing it. It was a godsend that Alex returned with the family pet, alive and well. Martin wanted to talk to him, but the young man seemed busy with his duties at the castle that it seemed impossible to repay him.

Anders ran up to him with his pig at his side with a sudden change on his face. "Father, it's Alex. He's here."

Martin paused his work as he wiped the black soot onto his apron and stepped out of his workspace just to walk to the front of the door. Instead of a nervous young man who seemed too scared of the world, he found him standing tall as he took off his Arendellian hat. "Alex, it's good to see you. How has it been?"

Alex smiled. "I've recovered my memories, including my name."

He was surprised by the recovery. "Really? What is your name?"

"Artyom," The young man replied, "My name is Artyom."

"So what brings you on this auspicious day?" Martin wondered.

"Kai told me that you told him about a gift in return for saving Anders' pig. I came to pass by and see how you've been doing since then."

The older man nodded his head in approval. "The pig makes my son happy so I am glad for that. I would appreciate a helping hand by the anvil, but it seems you're too busy for that."

"Sadly, you are correct," Stated Artyom, "There are a lot of things that have been going on in the castle that has… caught my attention."

"It's okay. I'm glad things have changed in the castle," The mood for the princesses had been the same ever since the king and queen died at sea, "Elsa and Anna hadn't left those gates for a very long time until now."

Artyom nodded his head. "Yes, some of that was my doing."

He was taken aback by his honesty. "Really, is that so?"

"It's a bit complicated and Princess Elsa prefers her privacy. That is as much as I want to talk about it."

Martin thought about his relations with the tremendously nice trader he knew. "Business is going to boom now that Oaken lost his home in the fire. I heard you had something to do with rescuing him."

"Yeah, bandits caused the fire." He stated.

The blacksmith nodded his head in approval. "Since you're here, I have something special for you," He walked into his house and pushed the door open as he searched for a weapon that was on display. It had been a long time since he crafted a blade in someone's honor."

Artyom seemed surprised when Martin turned around and presented the saber to him.

"Here is a master-crafted cavalry saber. I wanted to make this design to replace the old swords the Arendellian guards used, but they were fine with theirs. I certainly don't like to use swords so here is my gift to you for saving the family pig," He passed the blade over to the young man, who was speechless in its design and the silver handle that caught his attention, "Do you like it?"

"In all of my life, I have never seen anything so beautiful. I know nothing about swords, but I will definitely keep this with me.'

"I am honored."

Martin heard a strange noise coming from underneath Artyom's shirt. There were voices of men who were talking, but he could not understand them. "Who is talking?"

The young man kept his sheathed sword at his side and took a step back. "Personal matters, I have to leave before people get the wrong idea."

"Is there something going on?"

"Yes, my friends are coming over."

The edge of the settlement was being cleared up as Elsa walked back and forth from one side of the street over to the next. At the same time, Anna, Kai, and Prince Vaska were present for this particular moment. The Russian prince voiced his concern. "Your highness, are we sure that this is Artyom's people and not those bandits again?"

The princess was busy at her pace as she became steadily nervous of what was to come. "I don't know. He said something about his radio acting up. I'm not sure how to explain it."

Kai joined the conversation with curiosity. "What is a radio?"

Her sister was quick to reply. "Artyom said that it was some sort of communication device. Then he mentioned that he had a 'secure channel,' but he was very vague about it."

"Where is he? Couldn't he be here to tell us?" He wondered.

"He's currently messaging his friends from the top of the castle."

Dolokhov remained unsure of this situation. "I've kept my skirmishers on the flanks in case they come in from the small trail, but I am reluctant to share Artyom's… optimism."

A rider galloped from the outskirts of the outlying treeline and shouted towards the prince. "Prince Dolokhov, they are coming!"

Elsa stopped and turned towards the rider who heeded his horse to stop in front of Vaska. The Russian prince sought out his report. "Hussar, did you meet them in person? What did they look like?"

"I don't know, but one of our men noticed they looked similar to that young man working for princess Elsa. These men seem to be wearing similar equipment. They are just coming down this path as we speak."

"Very good, go rejoin the rest of your regiment."

"Yes sir." Without question, the hussar saluted his commander and then the princesses before he left.

The princesses glanced in the distance to see several dozens of armed men approaching Arendelle with arms. Elsa did her best to not tremble before their terrifying sight. Some of the men wore masks while others wore simple helmets, but their armor was intimidating, to say the least as there were some scars from claws that would have done more than killed a person. They slowly strolled towards them in silence as the armed strangers stopped in front of the royals and their.

Anna gently waved her hand in their direction. One of the men took notice with a smile before returning the same hand gesture. Among them, someone spoke in their mother language and Prince Dolokhov stepped forward to converse with them. It seemed like they were speaking the same language and Vaska could understand them while the princesses and their head servant remained silent throughout the discussion.

The prince turned around and glanced towards the girls. "These men apologize for leaving a scary impression on both of you."

Elsa could not help but ask as a question. "Did you ask who these men were?"

He nodded his head. "Yes, some of these men came from an organization called the Spartan Order while there are some soldiers here who are not from their ranks. I have to talk to them further."

The presence of these men made the streets fall silent as even the local citizens of Arendelle were both in awe and shock at the new arrivals. A pair of loud clicks of boots smacking against the cobblestone road had forced her to turn around to find Artyom making a stride towards the large group with a sword in hand. He spoke and mentioned of an 'Uhlman,' but the rest of his words were in pure Russian. She glanced to find who that man was, only to see one of the older men take off his helmet and laugh. These two have certainly met each other in the past.

Artyom turned away from the stranger with the mustache and walked towards her. "Elsa, this is Uhlman, he's someone I've met in the past."

The princess looked at the older man and made a reluctant greeting. "Hi."