Hans wiped the sweat from his forehead.
There was a lot of clean-up involved, he mused grimly.
However, the survivors were grateful that he was taking such an active role in getting rid of debris and helping to dig mass graves for the bodies. A passing servant gave him a goblet of water. Hans nodded his thanks and thirstily gulped down its contents.
He was clad simply in a white shirt with rolled up sleeves and black pants.
For once, he didn't care how he looked.
Absently, Hans put down the goblet and rolled up the ends of his pants. He still couldn't believe his brothers would do such a thing. Granted, they treated him like garbage.
But they were close with each other.
Hǫrgr already explained what happened.
Krig was having a celebratory feast being hosted in his honor. Hans was horrified to learn that Krig was planning on invading Arendelle. Their father was pleased with the information Krig learned from his secret expedition. Krig received a loving embrace from their mother. Not surprising, Hans mused bitterly. Krig was always their favorite.
A regular chip off the old block.
Krig then embraced her from behind...before slitting her throat.
Father jumped up to defend her, when Krig stabbed him in the stomach. He collapsed, falling dead instantly with a look of shock and horror forever etched on his normally stoic features. From that moment on, it was open season for the throne.
People took sides.
His brothers were quick to raise armies and gather opportunistic allies.
Normally, it would take months or years for so much bloodshed and damage to take place. But when you had twelve brothers fighting each other, it was no wonder the Southern Isles quickly became a floating series of desolate wastelands.
It would take years, decades even, to repair the damage.
Hans resumed working.
He had a bad feeling that Krig ran into Grand Pabbie when he went to Arendelle. For all of Krig's faults and flaws, no one would ever doubt his love for the Southern Isles.
And he would NEVER kill their parents of his own free will.
Hans scowled.
When Grand Pabbie held him under his thrall, the accursed troll dug around in his mind and unearthed his secret desires and resentments. Given how he was abused and neglected, no one should be surprised that Hans held some anger towards his family.
But Grand Pabbie magnified those feelings a thousand-fold.
Deep down, Hans wanted to become the future ruler of his homeland.
But he was realistic. He knew that would never happen as A) his parents loathed him and B) he had twelve brothers ahead of him in the line of succession. Grand Pabbie found and twisted his desires so that he would appear to do anything to have a kingdom for his very own.
Even if it meant killing an unarmed, defenseless young woman.
Even if it meant treating the woman he might love in the future as a pawn.
Hans didn't bear Elsa or Anna any ill will. They weren't responsible for those spells or the destruction to his homeland. But he DID plan on visiting Arendelle in the future.
Grand Pabbie NEEDED to answer for his crimes.
He knew it would be an uphill battle.
Not only did he have no proof that Grand Pabbie was behind this, NO ONE would believe him unless they knew that magic existed. His brother couldn't testify. As they say, dead men tell no tales. Hans barely suppressed a rude snort.
Even if Krig was still alive, he couldn't confirm Hans' suspicions.
Grand Pabbie would have made him forget it ever happened.
Still, Hans knew he had to at least try. The people who suffered and died because of his machinations cried out for justice. Innocent blood was spilled upon the sands of the Southern Isles. Thousands of soldiers fought and died for nothing.
His ancestral lands would need lots of time to recover.
Grand Pabbie WOULD answer for his crimes. He swore it.
Volva and Laeknir settled down to wait.
They knew it would take time for Anna to recover from the ritual.
Like any seer or seeress, Volva could foresee the moment of her demise. It was why she made no move to defend herself when the two of them were ambushed by members of a rival tribe. Despite Runeard's best efforts, Volva knew he was behind her assassination.
He acted through intermediaries.
But her blood was on his hands nevertheless. The same could be said for her poor apprentice, for that matter.
To make sure there was no one alive to tell the tale, Runeard arranged for the killers to suffer an "accident". He wasn't the type to leave any loose ends behind if he could help it.
Runeard was careful to make sure there was no evidence of his involvement.
He didn't want a war with the Northuldra or for Arendelle to suffer another curse.
Volva sighed. Runeard was lucky in that she only had the power to see the past, present and future. Her mother was disappointed when she didn't develop any other abilities.
Power ran in the family.
But some family members, such as Iduna, didn't inherit anything.
Volva was sorry that she left Iduna at such a young age. But it didn't matter what you did or what steps you took. You were going to meet your predestined end that Fate ordained for you whether you liked it or not.
Laeknir understood.
But their deaths were far from easy or instantaneous.
Instead, their killers had "fun" with both women before they were put out of their misery. Volva shuddered. Even now, she felt dirty and polluted. Laeknir felt the same.
If they were still alive, they would take dozens of baths.
And still feel dirty, no doubt.
When they died, their souls weren't sent to heaven, hell or limbo. Instead, they were sent to Ahtohallan. Volva knew it would happen because her granddaughters needed her.
Iduna didn't know this.
But Volva helped her in her quest to guide Elsa to her destiny as the Fifth Spirit, albeit indirectly.
Now, Elsa was whole. She fulfilled the prophecy and remembered everything that Grand Pabbie did to her. Now, it was time to help Anna.
Volva knelt by her granddaughter's head and placed a hand on her forehead.
Slowly, gradually, her powers were awakening.
Volva scowled. Even though Anna's powers were partially suppressed, she did demonstrate a portion of them as she grew. But her parents and the servants insisted she was making it all up in a desperate, pathetic bid to get the slightest crumbs of attention. Or they chalked it up to an overactive imagination. No one would take her seriously, much less spend any time with her.
But Anna inherited multiple abilities.
Like her grandmother, she had visions of the past, present and future.
But her gift was erratic as it was suppressed and untrained. It was why she would only see things in her dreams. If Grand Pabbie didn't remove her memories of Els's magic, her powers would have manifested sooner. But that blasted troll kept on interfering.
Damaging her mind and her bond with Elsa.
Another ability was the talent to sense the emotion of others.
It, too, was erratic or she would have been able to sense that something was off with Hans when she re-met him at the Coronation Ball. It was also how Anna was far more perceptive than people thought. She was initially sheltered and naïve from years of isolation at the palace. But Anna had a gift for befriending people and sensing who was trustworthy.
Especially after she grew up.
It was difficult for her to control her abilities as her mind was fractured.
Grand Pabbie did more harm than good when he enchanted both sisters. Elsa's powers shielded her instinctively, which was why her psyche wasn't damaged. But she was still emotionally and mentally scarred from years of being trapped in her room.
Volva rubbed her forehead.
Fortunately, they were at Ahtohallan.
In the land of dreams, time had no meaning. They would have time to talk with Anna and train her properly in regards to her abilities. She hoped and prayed that Ahtohallan would be able to stall her parents. Anna wasn't ready to confront them yet.
Eventually, she would be.
And (unknowingly) start the journey that would lead to her destiny.
Kristoff didn't want to leave Anna alone.
But he was feeling antsy.
He wanted to confront Elsa and Grand Pabbie. He needed answers as to why they did what they did. Anna deserved better than what she got. He also wanted to confirm whether or not that Anna was correct about her suspicions regarding the rock trolls.
Kristoff hoped against hope that she was wrong.
When he lost his parents, Kristoff was so alone in the world.
All he had was Sven. The rock trolls came along at just the right time to give him what he desperately needed: food, clothing, shelter, love and most important of all, a family.
He didn't feel so alone anymore.
Kristoff felt so blessed, so wanted, he never questioned WHY they took him in.
He didn't like that he was second-guessing everything he took for granted. But the timing of his adoption was suspicious, now that he thought about it. After all, it was taking place at the same time Anna was losing her memories of Elsa's powers.
When dawn finally arose, Kristoff couldn't wait anymore.
He carefully lifted Anna, bridal-style and carried over her to the palace.
Kai was quick to intercept Kristoff. He appeared relieved that the queen was all right and gladly took her off his hands. Both winced as Anna continued to mutter under her breath, tossing and turning in Kai's embrace. Thanks to the rising sun, they were able to make out her reddened cheeks and the stains from her dried tears.
Kai promised that he would look after her.
Gerda would prepare her a bath once she woke up.
Kai called off the search for the queen as he returned her to her quarters. With Anna taken care of for the time being, Kristoff was quick to call for Sven.
"Kristoff, what's going on?" Olaf asked.
"I don't know." Kristoff admitted as he mounted Sven. "But I'm going to find out."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Olaf asked.
"No, stay here and keep Anna company if she needs it." Kristoff said.
"Okay." Olaf turned and waddled to the palace.
Kristoff turned in the opposite direction. He and Sven could ride to the valley of the trolls blindfolded. But he was determined to find out if Anna was correct about Grand Pabbie and the trolls.
She had to be wrong.
She just HAD to be.
The duo reached the valley without incident. You didn't need to be a detective or genius to realize that Elsa was present. Nearly all of the trolls were frozen solid, with shock and fear written all over their features.
Stealthily, they made their way further into the valley.
Ironically enough, Kristoff found himself heading for another oak tree to hide behind.
He could hear Grand Pabbie and Elsa's muffled voices getting louder as he got closer. Eventually, he could make out what they were saying as he carefully remained hidden.
"...about Kristoff?" Elsa was saying. "How come you didn't save his parents?"
"Kristoff will understand." Grand Pabbie said with insufferable smugness.
"How?" Elsa threw up her hands.
"Why do you think?" Grand Pabbie said as if he were talking to a slowwitted child in a tone of voice that was guaranteed to make her bristle. "I raised him. We trolls gave him love, clothing, shelter and affection. I taught him how to rule with compassion, diplomacy and decency. Besides, who is he going to believe? The father who raised him, or the former queen of Arendelle who abandoned her home and family so that she could frolic in the Forest?"
Kristoff wanted to vomit.
Grand Pabbie KNEW his parents were going to die...and did nothing to stop it?
"Want to bet?" Kristoff emerged from his hiding place before he could stop himself. He was angry with both of them. But he would deal with Grand Pabbie first.
"You knew." Kristoff went on. "You knew when and how my parents would die?"
He was hoping against hope that Grand Pabbie would say no.
After all, Grand Pabbie was his father figure, the "man" who raised him after his parents died. The being who taught him about life, who raised him with love and affection.
The entity that took him in when no one else would.
All of the trolls were so nice and loving towards him and-
"I did." Grand Pabbie admitted.
Kristoff staggered backwards in shock. He lost his balance and landed on his butt. The sight would have been comedic if the circumstances that caused it weren't so shocking, tragic and horrific in every sense of the word.
"What?" Kristoff managed around the lump that was forming in his throat.
"I knew when it would happen." Grand Pabbie said sadly.
"Why didn't you stop it?" Kristoff was glad that he was sitting as he felt the strength leaving his legs, he was so shocked. The blood was draining from his face as he gaped at Grand Pabbie, unable to help himself. He wanted so desperately to deny what he was hearing. It was a dream, he thought wildly. Nothing but a sick, vile dream.
A nightmare.
A figment of his imagination...it had to be!
"I couldn't interfere with the timestream and-" Grand Pabbie tried.
"Bullshit." Kristoff could feel the shock and horror fading as a growing rage filled the void. "It never stopped you from interfering before. Anna told me you didn't have to remove her memories of Elsa's powers. Tell me the truth. You owe me that much."
So, Grand Pabbie explained.
Even now, he was trying to justify his actions.
Arendelle, in his opinion, had a history of tyrannical or weak, ineffectual rulers. So, Grand Pabbie tried a different approach with the next king. Grand Pabbie didn't see it as brainwashing. He saw it as providing a positive influence on the future ruler of Arendelle.
Kristoff felt his heart shatter in a million pieces.
Meanwhile, in a faraway and rather desolate land, a sinister voice was chuckling.
Yes, it thought, everything was going according to plan.
"Come." It said. "Come to my web, said the spider to the fly..."