The Baron enjoyed his stay at the castle. Fine food and drink to fill his stomach, actual clothes, and the occasional cute girl that found his fancy. He rested quietly in his bathtub as the warm water soaked him of his filth at the Caspian Sea. In the days before the war, he would have been a nobody in charge of a gang making sure the ship captains paid their 'fees' at the docks. Now he got to live like a king; however, he needed to make sure he finished his end of the deal with that prince. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, not having to worry about assassinations or dumbasses fucking up his hard work.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door as he continued his relaxation. "What do you want?"

A local servant yelled loud enough from the other side. "His highness, Prince Hans, has a letter for you."

"Alright, come in and hand it over to me."

It creaked open as the young man walked over to him with a letter in hand. The Baron's shoulders shivered since he would expect some upstart to try and take his place. Fortunately, the people here had some honor in serving him during his stay instead of some backstabbing trickery. When the letter was passed over to him, he gestured his hand for the servant to leave as he began to open the letter. After the door was closed shut, he began reading in peace.

Prince Hans had just paid for a fleet full of mercenaries to work for six months. Once they were done making their preparations in Germany, they would arrive at the royal castle to pick him and his men up before setting off to Arendelle to settle this once and for all. This force intended to catch the Arendelle royals off-guard during their expedition in a land called Northuldra. The Russian soldiers that they were acquainted with wouldn't be there to protect them and there was only a token force against this combined might. Most importantly, one that impressed the Baron the most was to force Queen Elsa to take the boy's hand or her family would be harmed. That degree of ruthlessness behind that facade of goodness was a skill that few people ever obtained. Fewer would truly see through that.

He tossed the letter to the floor as he returned to his bath. The future was looking good for him, but then he thought about his subordinate, Saul. Hopefully, he and the boys haven't gotten so far as to loot and pillage his host's home. As time passed, the old gangster felt that someone was watching over him. The Baron took the time to look around and see if anyone had snuck in and around the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a shadow move.

Civilization was behind Queen Elsa as she journeyed north. It was a surreal experience to have the North Mountain behind her back, a sign that she is no longer in her realm anymore. Traveling would be an arduous experience, especially for her. After all, it was to help her discover the truth behind her magical power. She placed those thoughts to rest as she leaned forward to pet the mane of her horse. The ride with Alastor was calm and it seemed like the creature was comfortable in her care.

The baggage train continued to press onward with the parents remembering old trails that led them there in the first place. Yet, in their search for this foreign and magical land, the young queen could not help herself from looking over her shoulder and watching the Russians march in formation. The synchronization of boots moving in lockstep was something to behold despite those very soldiers not having a parade to show off to or an audience, except for the camp followers and servants accompanying them. What was truly bizarre about this sight was that the Russians somehow left an impressed Snowball speechless as her snow creature watched entire units of troops move past.

Her sister had ridden up beside her and started to guide the queen to the front. "Sis, look around. This place looks beautiful."

It took Elsa a moment to admire the beauty of the trees at this time of the year. The leaves were red and orange, the life fading away with a hint of winter on the horizon. "Honestly, I could forget that we have a reason for being here."

"The sunset makes the mood quite enjoyable. Don't you think?"

"Yeah," She answered while admiring what the wildlife had in store for her. Then the queen had a sudden realization that the weather would soon get worse, "I pray that nature is not in the mood to ruin moments like these."

A pair of footsteps ran came from the front as Arendellian and Russian soldiers made way for Gerda to come through. "Your parents need you at the front. It's urgent."

The two girls ended the luxury of time they had to themselves, now riding forward to the front of the baggage train. Their horses thundered with each step as the convoy of people made way for the royals and the wind flowing past their braided hairs. They maneuvered over hills and navigated their beasts past dozens of trees that had dotted the landscape; however, this nearly endless feature was coming to an end when they skirted near the edge of the treeline. By the time Elsa and Anna were out of the woodwork and the ground was more flat, the girls were met by an open field that separated them from their parents and Sukhoi, who was on the other side. Yet, it was not they who drew their attention, but the incredibly massive fog past them. The magical barrier glittered before them as the baggage train pressed forward.

Anna could not help herself from remarking. "Mother said that Northuldra was a magical place, but I didn't think it would do something like this. How do you think we will get in?"

"I don't know," It was an honest answer that Elsa could bring as she tightened her grip over the reins. Everything about this journey was a mystery for her and all it did was provide more questions that needed an answer. She looked ahead and saw Sukhoi speaking with her parents, "Let's see what they have to say."

"Hey, wait for me!"

Queen Elsa took off, riding her horse, faster than ever, and took the lead in front of her sister. When the gap was closing, she slowed down Alastor's pace and stopped before the trio of people in front of her.

Sukhoi looked over his shoulder and turned his horse towards her with a smile. "You're majesty, you have arrived just in time."

"In time for what?" She wondered while looking up at the immense border separating Northuldra from the Arendelle-Russian group, "I just got here."

Her mother spoke up. "We were all talking about the possibility of getting into Northuldra through your powers. They might be able to solve that problem."

"Is it even possible that it will work?"

"We won't know until we try," Answered the former queen, "Magic is an unusual thing to deal with."

Elsa's father looked up at the barrier and let out a comment. "We should set up camp until we open this. It will take time to learn of this land's secrets."

Winter was here, but everyone could make it. Although the valley geography made itself susceptible to allowing the cold winds to linger, the locals and the train people had pooled their resources together to ensure that everyone had warm clothes to keep themselves from freezing. What had surprised Artyom was that the Children of the Forest had their own makeshift medicine to help the sick whereas his people were relying on pre-war knowledge and old emergency stockpiles. The young man visited the hospital where the sick were taken care of, but most importantly, he wanted to check on Roman's well-being. His belt clinked with each step, but there was a reason for this.

Upon arriving through the doorway, Artyom was met with organized rows of hospital beds from one side of the room to the other. A majority of them remained empty with a few occupied by those whose health was in question. It didn't take him long to find the local on the far left side in the third bed.

Roman sat up, with a lit lantern on his bedside, reading a book before he turned his head and his facial expression animated from his boredom. "Artyom?! Hey man, I was hoping you would check on me. Come and sit."

He walked over and sat across from him by sitting in an empty bed as the local closed his book and gently placed it on his sheets.

"I heard from the others that you charged your way to rescue me and that I would be much worse if not for you."

"How is the arm?" Asked the concerned Polis Ranger, "Grenades are not something to laugh off."

The patient looked at his arm and the bandages around it. "I'll live. The head healer and one of your doctors had managed to remove the shrapnel. So I wouldn't have to lose an arm."

"That is good to hear. I was worried there for a second."

"Any reason for you to visit me while I lay here and die from nothing interesting?" Roman wondered as he began to lay down on his bed and shift his head towards Artyom, "There has to be something interesting than to keep me company."

He was right. The poor man was going through surgery and he didn't get the time to celebrate the post-victory after-party. His hands reached for his belt behind his back and pulled out two metal cups and a glass of beer. "It would be a shame for you to miss what happened awhile back so I saved this for the both of us."

The cups were passed between the two before Artyom began to remove the bottlecap and pour its contents out. Then he placed the black bottle on the bedside before the duo was ready to drink.

"To kicking bandit ass."

Before they could properly drink to their toast, Roman quickly spoke up. "Hey, you have a watch. What time is it?"

His eyes trailed towards the left wrist to see the numbers ticking to the next hour. "Almost six, why?"

"I'm about to get my dinner and this drink would fit nicely with a meal," He answered as he placed his cup on the bedside and rested his head, "Want a meal?"

Artyom shook his head to refuse the offer. He had no desire to eat, but to make sure that morale during the winter would be improved at the smallest level. After all, it was always the small things that made up humanity. He had seen those moments in his life, from the humble life at Exhibition or at Colonel Mel'nikov's watching helplessly from the sidelines as the Polis Council argued against any help of his home station.

There was a sudden tapping that echoed throughout the hospital, earning the patient's ire. "God damn it. I've been hearing that tapping all night. Mind checking it out?"

It was a minor issue, but he was willing to look into it for his sake. "Sure, but it's probably your ears hearing things."

The tapping continued to get louder as Artyom looked around for the origins of the noise. However, it echoed from the back rooms, furthest from the hospital entrance. As the Polis Ranger approached the area, he could hear scratching in a dark-lit room in front of him, but then he noticed something move in the shadows before freezing. A pair of beady eyes stared into his soul as he silently took one step forward. When his boot met the ground, the creature growled at him for a few seconds before pausing and angling its head sideways. Artyom took the opportunity to get better lighting and turned on his flashlight, revealing a wolf hiding out among some boxes.

"Roman, a wolf is hanging out here."

"Oh," The man was taken aback as he rose from his bed, "Mind killing the damn thing, then? We don't want some poor guy getting his throat chewed out."

"I don't know," From what it looked like, the wolf was merely resting and wasn't bothering anyone, "It looks like it's not hurting anyone."

"It's safer than sorry."

Someone entered the hospital entrance as he looked back to find a doctor with a few plates with meat on them. "Roman, I got your meal. What's going on?"

"A wolf is hiding in the back of your room," He answered, "Did you know that?"

"What? Shit, I thought we just had a bunch of rats running around."

An idea bore into Artyom's mind as he noticed the aroma of the cooked meal seeping into the air and the wolf letting out its tongue. Was it hungry? The young man turned around as he walked over to the doctor with the food and stole one of the plates off of him. "I'll be needing this."

"Hey," The patient cried out, "You're taking my food."

"Sorry!"

When he returned to the doorway, the creature stood up and composed itself as he quietly reached out to the wolf inside. Its silence made him reluctant, but he went out of his way to earn the trust of the creature. A few steps forward and then the canine began to growl as another step found itself caught mid-air. Rather than pressing onward, he knelt and placed the plate down, and pushed it closer. Then he moved back, giving it enough personal space and safely out of the wolf's reach.

Minutes passed as the tension in the small room seemed to have calmed down. Its head began to sniff into the meal for a moment before opening its mouth and chewing onto the meat Artyom had offered. Content with the food, it seemed to ignore the human intruding into its territory as he walked away and returned to the others.

Roman expressed a disapproving shake of his head. "You should have shot the damn thing. Why the hell are you going through the effort to feed a wolf?"

"Why not?" Artyom replied since his reasoning was much more innocent. All it did was take refuge in the back of the room, "It's not like it tried to kill any of you."

"Still, it is a wild animal."

He realized the serious tone in his voice and had to face the reality that sometimes people won't see his view. Rather than insulting the man, he decided to compromise the issue between himself and the locals. "I'll take full responsibility if it does bring someone to harm."