Buried Anger-Repost

by skyjadeprincess

Just to gather all chapters into one story.

35. Chapter 35

AN: Sorry it took so long to update Unfortunately, life got in the way.
There was some turmoil and a heavy dose of writer's block.
Hope this chapter, not to mention its length makes up for it.

Hope my readers are enjoying a Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year!

While Grand Pabbie's body was frozen solid, his mind was not.

He cursed the fact that Elsa was able to catch him off guard.

But there was an advantage to his current predicament. Yes, it rankled that he couldn't move or blink, but the connection to a certain tree was finally cut off.

Grand Pabbie wanted to vomit.

All of the old folk tales were TRUE.

Even worse, he was fool enough to confront Ginnarr on his own in Forbudte. It had taken vast armies, disparate species and the combined spells of humans and various creatures and beings to confine Ginnarr to that tree.

Grand Pabbie knew he had allowed his pride and arrogance to get the better of him.

At first, he felt elated.

He assumed that it was due to Ginnarr's influence that he turned Elsa and Anna into his pawns, to keep the former's powers from developing and becoming a threat to the world.

Then he came to bitter realizations.

He had acted of his own free will.

While Ginnarr had turned him into a puppet and sleeper agent, the demon left it up to Grand Pabbie as to how he would proceed when it came to confining Elsa and her growing abilities.

It was HIS decision to turn Anna into a pawn.

To keep her away from Elsa so she wouldn't encourage her sister to explore her powers.

But he severely damaged Anna's mind and made her life even more miserable in the process. Grand Pabbie did nothing to intervene when Agnarr and Iduna acted against her.

Especially the former.

Grand Pabbie suppressed a mental rude snort.

While Agnarr would have liked to believe he was being controlled or manipulated in some way, he didn't have such an excuse. No, his anger and resentment towards Anna was genuine. He never realized how much of a cruel bastard he had been until he died.

Even then, it took Ahtohallan for Iduna to learn the truth.

If Agnarr had his way, his wife NEVER would have found out.

But like Grand Pabbie, Agnarr had to take full responsibility for his actions. You could only lie to yourself for so long. Grand Pabbie didn't want to join those ranks.

Not anymore.

He had done tremendous damage to the sisters.

No thanks to him, Elsa was imprisoned and isolated while Anna herself was neglected, somewhat abused and ignored. But Agnarr played his own role in what happened. So did Iduna, come to think of it. Agnarr was the one to come up with the plan to isolate Elsa and separate her from her sister. It was his own anger and resentment towards Anna that drove him to mistreat her as he did. Iduna sat back and did nothing as Agnarr enacted his (admittedly) foolish plans.

Grand Pabbie was equally guilty of doing nothing.

In fact, he carefully sprinkled the seeds into Agnarr's mind.

In a nutshell, all three of them were guilty for what happened Elsa and Anna as they grew. Grand Pabbie cursed himself for being stupid enough to take on Ginnarr alone.

Due to his reckless stupidity, he became Ginnarr's puppet.

He knew that he had to atone for his sins.

As Agnarr and Iduna would have to make amends for theirs.

Now that he was no longer blinded by Ginnarr, he could see clearly.

For the first time in years.

Shocked, Grand Pabbie looked again at the timestream to make sure he wasn't imagining things. He couldn't believe that Anna had powers of her own. Or that she and Elsa had the ability to wield magic like their great-grandmother, Hefnd.

As if to confirm his thoughts, the Avatar of Ahtohallan shimmered into view.

"Jord." Grand Pabbie gave a respectful nod with his head.

"Grand Pabbie." Jord said coldly. He flinched at the iciness judgmental condemnation in her voice. Of course, he couldn't necessarily deny that he deserved aforementioned contempt either.

"I suppose I deserve that." Grand Pabbie admitted.

"You stupid, pathetic fool." Jord spat. "Do you have any idea what you have done?"

"Now that I can see clearly for the first time in decades, yes." Grand Pabbie said.

"I hope you don't think it means you have no culpability in this mess." Jord said.

"Believe me, my lady, I know I acted of my own accord." Grand Pabbie said.

"You have done tremendous damage to Elsa and Anna." Jord said.

"I know." Grand Pabbie couldn't, wouldn't, dispute it.

"As if your actions weren't bad enough, you had the pride and arrogance to assume that you could handle Ginnarr in your own!" Jord exclaimed furiously. "It took everyone working together to power that spell and confine Ginnarr to that tree. But you believed you could defeat him alone. Then, you not only became his agent, you caused great pain for the princesses of Arendelle. It was a foolish move on your part. Much depends upon the strength of their bond."

"I know, I have no excuse." Grand Pabbie said.

"Are you aware that Anna herself has powers?" Jord asked.

"Since my vision isn't clouded for once, yes." Grand Pabbie said.

"She is important in the war to come." Jord said.

"You don't mean for her to fight in this war!" Grand Pabbie said.

"Ugh, it sickens me that it took you this long to have any concern for her and her sister." Jord's upper lip curled in disgust. Grand Pabbie flinched at this. "But Anna's destiny, much like Elsa's, was decided for her long before she was even conceived."

"Her destiny is tied to Ginnarr's?" Grand Pabbie asked.

"Yes." Jord nodded. "And you played right into his hands."

"I weakened her, which is precisely what he wanted." Grand Pabbie said.

"No, it's not what you think." Jord replied.

"I don't understand." Grand Pabbie frowned.

"Ginnarr's plans backfired when he turned you into a sleeper agent." Jord explained. "Your sole purpose was to weaken ELSA, not her sister. But even he was shocked when you decided to turn Anna into a pawn to fulfill his plans."

"But why the interest in Anna?" Grand Pabbie asked.

"Ginnarr wants to turn her into his queen." Jord said.

"WHAT!" Grand Pabbie exclaimed.

"In fact, it was because of him that she is still alive." Jord said.

"Ooh." Grand Pabbie grimaced. He examined the timestream and if he were human, he would have paled at the sight of a crazed Agnarr trying to smother his own infant daughter.

"Indeed." Jord said coldly, her eyes darkening at the thought of THAT mortal.

"If Ginnarr desires her as his queen, why did he allow me to hurt her?" Grand Pabbie asked. Jord glanced at him as if he were either stupid or possessed three heads.

"Don't you recall what you have learned?" Jord said. "Ginnarr may have turned you into a puppet and sleeper agent, but you were still in control over your actions. You and you alone, made the decision to turn Anna into a puppet, as a pawn against her sister."

"Why didn't Ginnarr interfere then?" Grand Pabbie asked.

"He couldn't." Jord admitted.

"What?" Grand Pabbie asked.

"He could only do so much as he was trapped in the tree." Jord said.

"And Ahtohallan was unbalanced due to Runeard's actions." Grand Pabbie realized.

"You need to atone for your sins, Grand Pabbie." Jord said. "Both Anna and Elsa have suffered due to your actions. Like Agnarr, you have no excuse. Both of you acted against the poor girls of your own free will. Agnarr would need to make amends as well."

"How could I make amends?" Grand Pabbie asked.

"You will start with King Hans and the Southern Isles." Jord replied.

---

Goði slowly lowered the telescope, smirking in satisfaction.

As usual, his lord and master never led him astray.

There were isolated villages that existed on the very borders of Arendelle and other countries. All of them were filled with content, simple people that minded their own business. They had no interest in the outside world and were content to go about their daily and rather pathetic lives. Which made them perfect for Goði's plans.

It wasn't enough, sacrificing virgins in order to free his master.

A contemptuous sneer twisted his features.

While he didn't want to sully himself with mere peasants, he couldn't disobey his master either. At least he wouldn't have to dirty his hands by touching them. He suppressed a shudder at the mere thought of it.

That was what his minions were for.

He got the layout of the land with his telescope one more time.

It never hurt to be careful. Fortunately, the small village of Tapt was extremely isolated and surrounded by woods and mountains. The population was small enough for his men to capture. Even better, they preferred not to interact with any "outsiders".

In other words, there wasn't any way for word to reach the palace.

His master's orders were clear: it wasn't yet time for people to know about them.

Goði didn't care as he was a patient, cautious man by nature. You didn't rise to prominence by being arrogant and stupid, unless you were born to a really wealthy family.

He WAS part of a wealthy family, but he didn't want to advertise it.

It wasn't due to any humbleness on his part.

No, it was more that his family were a bunch of blasphemers and weaklings as far as he was concerned. If asked, he would gladly sacrifice them all to show his lord his devotion.

Even his wife and children.

After making sure the coast was clear, he motioned for his men to attack.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Modig was grumbling as she entered the nearby woods. Once again, she was dispatched by her widowed mother, Krevende, to fetch water from the well.

The only well was located deep within the woods.

Modig was annoyed as she felt she had better things to do with her time.

Unfortunately, the small village of Tapt was very traditional and patriarchal. There were defined roles for each gender and Modig's fate was to be married off and churn out sons for her unwanted betrothed, Stolt. He was the arrogant, haughty and spoiled son of the wealthiest man in town, Hovmodige.

Who ran the butcher's shop.

Her mother couldn't understand what she had against her engagement.

Her protests that he was self abosrbed, overly indulged and wouldn't keep to her bed fell on deaf ears. As far as Krevende was concerned, her daughter was ungrateful for what she arranged.

They barely managed to ekk out a living on their small, rather pathetic farm.

Modig was dreading the wedding as it would take place next month.

In the meantime, she was stuck doing chores for her mother. When she was younger, her father Snill was killed whilst out hunting with his brothers. Krevende was still bitter over it as she had to struggle to make ends meet. No other man in town would marry her either.

They didn't want to get saddled with eight children.

Or put up with her harsh, abrasive personality.

The well was deep within the woods. It was far enough away that Modig didn't hear the screams and shouts from the other villagers. She continued to grumble as she finally reached her destination and lowered the bucket into the well. She didn't want to be a wife and mother.

People in the village thought her strange.

They constantly told her that her only saving grace was her beauty.

Modig scowled as she used the rope to raise the bucket. Unlike her mother, Snill understood her as they were very similar. Both of them loved to read and exchanged books.

He nurtured her love of learning.

In secret, he taught her how to hunt and fight.

Modig didn't like the attention when puberty kicked in. She not only shot up like a weed, she developed curves and an unwanted bust as well. When you combine that with her silky blonde hair and forest-green eyes, you get attention from the opposite sex.

Now, she had to put up with an arrogant beast of a fiancé.

Who definitely would never let her continue reading books.

Modig carefully filled the bucket with water and walked away from the well. She had no idea that her mother unwittingly saved her life. When she was within walking distance of Tapt, she could hear the sounds of panicked screams and fighting.

Concerned, her heart pounding a mile a minute, Modig put down the bucket.

She tiptoed closer and carefully hid behind the tree closest to the village.

She pulled up the folds of her skirts and withdrew her dagger, a gift she inherited from her father. Carefully, she peered around the tree and released her skirts.

Her eyes widened.

Cloaked men were raiding her village!

They were rounding up the villagers and dragging them to nearby wagons for transport. All of them were bound and gagged, including her mother and her siblings.

Modig had to force herself to remain still.

While she had fighting skills, she was no match for the marauders.

At first, she thought they were either thieves or slave traders. But the bastards didn't take anything of value. For them, the only prize in the village were the people.

Resolute, Modig snuck away from the area.

The palace had to know about this!

---

Vǫrðr closed his eyes.

Enjoying the sensation of the wind blowing in his face.

The crew of his personal ship, the Sea Serpent, were making good time as the ship caught a swath through the seas on their way to Arendelle. They were busier than a bunch of bees in a hive or ants in a hill. The sun was shining and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Nearby, he could hear the hurling that came from his second-in-command, Bein.

Unfortunately for the prim and proper man, he always got seasick.

Even as he faithfully followed Vǫrðr anywhere.

Right now, the poor man was leaning over the railing, emptying the contents of his stomach. Vǫrðr smirked in amusement and shook his head over his friend's predicament.

Truthfully, Vǫrðr was grateful to get away from his responsibilities as crown prince.

Ruling over a growing empire like Galdr wasn't easy.

With his father Herlov constantly on the move, conquering and expanding Galdr, it fell to Vǫrðr to rule in his father's place as regent. Fortunately, his father knew how important his journey to Arendelle was and let Galia take his place as regent.

Being Emperor wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

If he wasn't putting up with the whining of the nobles, he had to hear from his future subjects. Now granted, he knew that it was his duty to listen to their grievances.

But it felt like they were repeating themselves with their problems.

It was like a broken loop that he couldn't escape.

Vǫrðr was relieved when he received permission from Father to travel to Arendelle. The chest he intended to gift to his soulmate was carefully hidden in his assigned quarters.

His enemies and thieves everywhere would pay a king's ransom for it.

It was THAT rare and valuable.

Of course, the chest wasn't his only gift to her. According to Galdr custom, if it were a husband seeking out his bride, he was to present many gifts to her to start the courting process. Only it was doubly so for Vǫrðr, as he was the crown prince.

The Sea Serpent was at the head of what he considered be to a small armada.

Twenty ships followed in its wake.

Each ship was carefully armed to the teeth in case of pirates. He personally handpicked the crew himself as he wanted to make sure they were experienced and could fight.

All it took was one wet-behind-the-ears whelp to ruin everything.

Vǫrðr knew he had to be careful.

Each ship had gifts for the Queen of Arendelle. All of that gold and treasure would make for a tempting prize. He didn't mean to sound arrogant, but he would be the most valuable prize of all. He was his father's only son and heir.

Herlov would be willing to do anything to get him back.

Vǫrðr knew his freedom wouldn't last long.

War was around the corner. Like his father, he had a gift for smelling it. He would do his part to help his soulmate prepare for her destiny. It wouldn't necessarily be easy.

But Queen Anna wasn't some delicate flower.

She had courage, raw determination and feistiness in spades.

Most men would be turned off by her strong and stubborn personality. They would seek a gentle, delicate maiden they could easily protect and control. But that wasn't the queen.

It didn't fit her personality.

She was a breath of fresh air.

While he didn't know her personally, he had glimpses of her life via his dreams. He liked that she was so different from the spoiled, insipid debutantes and nobles that infested the imperial court. He could have his pick of any Galdr woman if he wanted.

But he ignored them.

In fact, he never even took a mistress or went to a brothel.

Vǫrðr was as pure as the driven snow, in other words. He wanted to remain true to his soulmate, who carried the burden that was heavier than the biggest boulder on her shoulders.

Her life hasn't been an easy one.

Yes, she was a princess, but her family neglected, ignored and somewhat abused her.

Not to mention that Ginnarr coveted her as his queen. Vǫrðr shuddered. The battle for the future of Earth was going to be a long and bloody conflict.

His visions confirmed it.

In the end, it would be up to Anna and her sister to defeat Ginnarr.

He glanced at the armada surrounding him and winced. He knew it was overkill to send so many ships with such gifts for Anna, but his father had insisted.

Galdr was an extremely wealthy empire.

Even the commoners were well-off.

As a result, spending lavishly and maintaining a wealthy lifestyle was a custom for every citizen of the empire. It was doubly so for the Emperor and the royal family.

Herlov was eager for an alliance with Arendelle.

The queen already got things started with their new trade agreement.

It didn't hurt that Arendelle had untapped resources they didn't even know about. But Vǫrðr didn't want to marry her for mercenary reasons. Anna was his soulmate.

He could feel it.

---

"Did you have to choose such a...dirty establishment?"

As usual, Lord Geri did not deign to give a verbal reply.

Instead, he gave Lord Soema a cold, warning glare. And as per usual, Soema gulped and lowered his head, submitting to Geri's dominance. The former came from an extremely wealthy, powerful and influential family among Arendelle's aristocracy. Geri took after his ambitious father, Freki. He knew very well that what they were planning was dangerous.

But if their plans succeeded, the potential rewards were worth the risk.

Neither of them could be seen meeting each other.

However, just to be doubly sure, they were hoods and cloaks over their clothing. If anyone got a peek of aforementioned clothing, they would see ordinary shirts and trousers.

Nothing that would hint at their noble heritage.

Even in a peaceful country such as Arendelle, it was quite common for anyone worth their salt to have spies of their own. Geri didn't trust anyone and was quite careful in everything he did. He was quick to burn any correspondence that was mailed to him.

He never left anything of note in his personal study.

Even his own wife Viska was kept under close scrutiny.

While theirs was an arranged marriage, Geri was quite possessive over anything he perceived to be his property. All of their arguments were done in private.

They had a contentious marriage, to say the least.

But his wife was smart enough to maintain a strong front for the unwashed masses.

Geri motioned for his associate to follow with an imperious nod of his head. He was glad he was wearing gloves as he was equally disgusted with the loud tavern they were entering. But the location was perfect as the small village of Gripa was in the middle of nowhere. One of his subjects owned the very pub they were entering.

He was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

Especially when Geri gave him enough gold to feed his pathetic family for a year.

Geri bemoaned the fact that he didn't have a more competent associate to conspire with. Unfortunately, Soema was the pick of the litter and wasn't THAT saying something.

Both Geri and his father were holdovers from Brynjar's reign.

Oh, how they missed the olden days.

Freki would often complain bitterly to his son how Arendelle was a shadow of her former self. The warlike days were over and Brynjar's ambitions of expansion died before they could truly begin. It didn't help that Brynjar grew mad with rage after Queen Asta died.

Runeard wasn't any better.

His hatred for the Northuldra consumed him.

Then, to put it crudely, things REALLY went to shit once that sniveling brat Agnarr assumed the throne. As if that wasn't bad enough, he went on to marry that Northuldran savage Iduna. From their union sprouted two pathetic, sheltered little princesses.

Agnarr had no sons or male relatives to succeed him.

At first, Geri was considering plans for a possible coup de tat.

Then he grew wary of such measures after Queen Elsa publicly demonstrated her powers over ice and snow. Then the stupid bitch left Arendelle in a seemingly permanent freeze after fleeing in her panic. After that there was that stupid debacle with the scheming Prince Hans.

Princess Anna proved she was just as foolish as her sister.

Chasing after her with nothing more than a cloak and a horse.

After the Great Thaw, Geri returned to the drawing board. Queen Elsa was still ruling at the time and he was wary of revealing his true nature while a magic user was on the throne.

His caution bore fruit due to the sudden assault of Arendelle from the elementals.

Things changed after Queen Elsa and Princess Anna's adventures in the Enchanted Forest. The now former queen abdicated and left Arendelle to stupidly frolic among the elemental spirits and the savages that occupied the Enchanted Forest.

Queen Anna was left to assume the throne.

She surprised him.

The new queen quickly proved she wasn't nearly as naïve, simpering and stupid as he assumed her to be. She had a natural instinct for rule. Unlike Queen Elsa, Anna knew that Arendelle needed allies as they were surrounded by enemies. She didn't waste a single second from the moment of her coronation. She reached out for potential alliances and trade agreements. In secret, she had General Matthias recruit new soldiers and have them trained.

She knew they had to prepare in case a war or invasion occurred.

The queen had potential.

Unfortunately, she was also distracted by her infatuation with an unwashed commoner, some ice harvester named Kristoff. It was unbecoming of the queen to marry below herself.

It also didn't help that the royal wedding was coming in a matter of weeks.

It was all the peasants could talk about.

For them, it was the ultimate love story. It gave the unwashed masses hope that they could rise above their so-called humble origins. The ice harvester and the queen would be a tale told time and again for generations to come...unless Geri did something about it.

He had a narrow window of opportunity.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get rid of Kristoff the traditional way.

Kristoff was too well known and Queen Anna would be suspicious if anything...untoward happened to him. She was no longer naïve and trusting after Prince Hans deceived her.

She learned her lessons well.

Geri would give her that much.

But if those two got married, then Arendelle would never return to her roots. Like Brynjar, he had grand ambitions for Arendelle to conquer and expand. He wanted the queen to marry his own son and heir, Freki, who was obviously named after his grandfather.

Geri hid under a carefully civilized veneer.

It was ironic that Elsa was the one with snow and ice powers.

Geri was well aware of the whispers that followed him. His so-called peers would whisper that he had ice flowing through his veins. He didn't mind the comparison.

Like his father, he didn't believe in allowing his baser emotions to get the better of him...unless he was in battle. In his family, they let out their rage and frustrations in battle. But it was tempered by their icy control over their emotions, to ensure it didn't get out of control. Or they could end up like Geri's namesake, an ancestor who got into a berserker rage during a tussle with the Northuldra in the not too distant past.

Control was paramount.

The comparison to ice was apt.

Geri's eyes were a dark green, with ice-blue flicks that would send a chill up and down someone's spine. His hair was so platinum blond, it looked white and silver underneath a certain light. His mind was racing as he and Soema climbed the stairs to a private room.

The noise from the rabble downstairs would drown out their conversation.

Even so, he would carefully search for potential spies.

Soema wasn't as complicated. Despite his snobbish tendencies, Soema's parents were little more than up-jumped merchants. They were awarded a lordship from King Agnarr.

His parents knew about struggle and hard work.

Soema and his siblings didn't and were spoiled rotten to the core. For God's sake, Soema's hands were perfectly clean, free of any callouses and his fingernails were more dainty and delicate than a woman's.

The ladies would sigh and coo over Soema's windswept black hair that fell to his shoulders and his "mesmerizing" sky-blue eyes. The man was quite vain, Geri had to admit.

But he had a hunger and ambition that matched Geri's.

Not to mention his parents had connections all over the world.

At least Soema knew his place. He would always submit to Geri every time. He would have preferred to marry the queen himself. But he knew Geri would never let that happen.

It was...unhealthy to get on his bad side.

Soema still shuddered every time he thought about the last nobleman who crossed him.

While both liked to pretend they were different, in some ways, they were very much the same. Both of them glanced about contemptuously at the private room the innkeeper provided.

It was very basic.

Geri would have given sufficient redress for this insult.

There wasn't much to the room. Other than trophies littering the wall, a blazing fireplace and a small table with two chairs, it was practically bare and rather insulting.

But it was sufficient for their needs.

Both were also thankful they wore gloves.

Before he sat down, Geri carefully searched the room. Soema followed his lead and they examined every nook and cranny. As the innkeeper promised, there was no way for someone to overhear. Even better, two menacing looking men were standing guard outside.

As usual, Geri's subject was very thorough.

Satisfied, they sat down.

"We don't have much time." Soema said.

"Thank you very much for stating the obvious." Geri said dryly. Soema flushed.

"I beg pardon, my lord." Soema said.

"Never mind the pleasantries. Just help me plan." Geri said coldly.

"What did you have in mind?" Soema asked.

"I don't know." Geri admitted. "We cannot hire an assassin."

"Why not? He's just a filthy peasant. Who would miss him?" Soema shrugged.

"You stupid fool!" Geri hissed. "The QUEEN would miss him!"

"Yes, well." Soema flushed, coughing. There was little he could say to that.

"We cannot kill him, as much as it pains me to admit." Geri said with a grimace.

"What of the council? Surely they don't approve of this farce." Soema said.

"Unfortunately, they have been won over by the queen's peace-loving ways." Geri said.

"So...how could your son and heir woo her?" Soema asked.

"That I don't know." Geri said. "The queen isn't so trusting after what Hans did."

"Well, we'll need more time, for certain." Soema said.

"Kristoff is an ice harvester, correct?" Geri's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Yes, what of it?" Soema asked.

"Before the wedding, we should contact other countries and kingdoms." Geri said.

"To what end, my lord?" Soema asked.

"In many countries and tropical regions, ice would be a valuable asset." Geri said.

"And Kristoff could be sent on these expeditions to sell the ice." Soema realized.

"Precisely." Geri said. "Not only would it put Arendelle in a better light, paving the way for future trade agreements and alliances, it would get Kristoff out of our hair for awhile. No one would think anything of it, as this is all part of his so-called official duties. This would give us more time to plan out my heir's strategy to seduce the queen."

"Brilliant, my lord." Soema said.

"I know." Geri said smugly.

"But that brings us back to our original problem." Soema said.

"I know." Geri said. "The queen isn't so trusting nowadays, no thanks to Hans."

"And what of her sister?" Soema said.

"You're right, we shouldn't dismiss her." Geri's eyes narrowed dangerously. While Elsa spent most of her time frivolously playing with the Elemental Spirits, she still visited Arendelle once a week to spend time with her family. "We'll have to be doubly careful, then."

"So, how can your son seduce the queen, my lord?" Soema asked.

"I don't know." Geri said, absently drumming the table with his fingers.

"I'm afraid you'll have to come up with a plan quickly, my lord." Soema said.

"Why?" Geri said. How DARE Soema presume to give HIM orders!

"I've been hearing rumors about Lord Slægr." Soema grimaced.

"Slægr?" Geri's mind began racing, even as his anger and irritation at Soema's seeming arrogance and presumptuousness faded. Lord Slægr was not only his rival, he was just as cunning and ambitious. It also didn't help that he was heir to a powerful dukedom and a cousin to the royal family of a neighboring kingdom. It also didn't help that Slægr's son-who was named for his father-was just as intelligent and ruthless. While Geri's son, no matter how much he trained, couldn't hold a candle to Slægr Jr. "What rumors have you heard?"

"Lord Slægr is also plotting for his son to marry the queen." Soema said.

"Why didn't you inform me about this sooner?" Geri demanded.

"My contacts had to be more circumspect than usual." Soema said. "It was a miracle that they learned this much. Lord Slægr has really kept his cards close to the vest. He has trusted no one with this information. While he has plans for Queen Anna, he hasn't divulged them to anyone. Even his own son is oblivious. But there have been foul rumors, my lord."

"What kind? What do you mean?" Geri said.

"That he has been seeking an alliance with THEM!" Soema hissed.

Geri stiffened.

Now he understood why Soema was so cautious.

Before he uttered his latest sentence, he carefully glanced both ways before leaning forwards to whisper into Geri's ear. Normally, Geri would have been furious that Soema dared to lean so close. As usual, his breath smelled foul since he never brushed his teeth.

Or at least, not as often as he should.

But Geri's family was old enough to have connections to the Cult of Ginnarr.

Soema only knew about Ginnarr's existence due to his affiliation with Geri himself. If Slægr was willing to stoop that low in order for his son to marry the queen, then he was a bigger fool than Geri thought. No one bargained with Ginnarr and walked away unscathed.

One of his uncles learned that lesson the hard way.

"Is your contact...reliable?" Geri asked finally.

"Is the former queen of Arendelle capable of wielding ice and snow powers?" Soema asked rhetorically. Normally, Geri would punish Soema for his insolence. But he could understand Soema's wariness and reluctance of tangling with the likes of Slægr.

"All right." Geri said. "We'll have to push up our timetable, then."

"What do you wish to do, my lord?" Soema asked.

They carefully hashed out their plans in hushed whispers. Despite their previous concern, both were still wary of possible spies. Especially with a man like Slægr involved.

If he could even be called that.

There were some lines that Geri would never cross.

Yes, he was a warmonger and damn proud of it. But he didn't want to be king of the ashes either. Slægr wouldn't care if the entire world burned, just as long as he managed to fulfill his goals. He wasn't above mingling with the criminal underworld either.

It would be disastrous if his son ever became king.

Finally, they managed to flesh out a plan.

Both stood up to leave. They had tarried here too long and they were wary of attracting attention. Geri and Soema received their first inkling that something was wrong.

The moment they opened the door, they were met with the sight of two bodies.

Both were the thugs who were SUPPOSED to be guarding the door.

Geri stiffened and automatically withdrew his dagger from the folds of his cloak. Soema followed suit and they (reluctantly) exited the room, ever watchful and alert.

Their hearts were pounding.

The only sounds they could hear in the eerie silence.

Which should be impossible, especially as the men below got steadily drunker and the liquor kept pouring. Geri pushed Soema ahead of him. As useful as the arrogant bastard was, he was still expendable in Geri's eyes. He could always train a new minion, if need be.

Warily, they descended the steps that led to the tavern below.

Their eyes widened from beneath the folds of their hoods.

It was an absolute mess. Numerous bodies were slumped over tables or had fallen to the wooden floor. Liquor continued to pour from various mugs. Geri got over the shock of the massacre and carefully examined the bodies. Their throats were slit.

But there was no blood.

Blood should be littering the walls, tables and floors.

There was no blood to speak of. Geri's quick, analytical mind was racing. Only one being would need to collect the blood of his victims. And this same being would be capable of killing a bunch of people in a matter of minutes...without Geri and Soema noticing a thing.

"We need to get out of here." Geri said finally.

"Is it...HIM?" Well, it looks like Soema wasn't completely incompetent after all.

"Let's get going." Which told Soema all he needed to hear.

He nodded and carefully led the way, his dagger at the ready.

They were able to leave the tavern without incident. But they knew they weren't out of the woods yet, literally and metaphorically. Just as Geri suspected, the few villagers out and about were dead. He had no inkling to search their primitive dwellings.

But he had a grim feeling that the people in their pathetic hovels were dead too.

No one was spared.

Unfortunately, there was something that could overwhelm a person's sense of self preservation: curiosity. Both knew they should be making for their horses and trying to get away. But they could make out horrific, pain-filled screams in the distance.

The sounds were coming from the town square.

Unable to help themselves, they headed for the square.

The screams got louder as they got closer. When they reached the village square, Geri felt his eyes widen in an emotion he hadn't felt in decades: fear.

Slægr and his son were stark naked.

They were secured to odd, X-shaped structures as they were tortured.

But the beings doing the torturing weren't human. Geri gulped as he would recognize Ginnarr's minions anywhere. There was no worldly description he would give to the demons.

And he didn't want to try.

They tried to leave as stealthily as possible.

Unfortunately, the demons knew they were there. The conspirators were the reason that Ginnarr targeted the unfortunate village of Gripa in the first place.

Normally, Ginnarr would have targeted them for sacrifice.

But he wanted to make an example out of the fools that would use HIS Anna as a pawn.

Geri screamed and struggled as two of the demons grabbed his arms. He was reduced to panic, his baser emotions, ironically enough, getting the better of him. His cool, analytical mind was overwhelmed by his fear and anger. He didn't even think about fighting back.

Soema cursed, kicked, punched and struggled.

All to no avail.

Their swords, daggers and hidden weapons were quickly removed from their persons. Geri struggled as best he could. He tried to dig in his heels, but the demons were stronger.

They only laughed and mocked his pathetic efforts to escape his fate.

Soon, he and Soema were secured to similar X-shaped structures.

---

She was about to press the pillow to the queen's face, a cruel, manic and somewhat bloodthirsty grin on her face, when she was suddenly hurled backwards.

Luckily for her, the floor was carpeted.

But she felt a throbbing pain in her face from where she impacted against something rather hard. Absently, she dropped the pillow and rubbed her face. Gingerly, she touched her nose to make sure it wasn't bleeding.

Then she lowered her fingers.

She was relieved to see that there wasn't any blood.

She glanced up, trying to determine what the hell just happened. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the rocky wall that had formed between her and the queen's bed.

What the-

She didn't have long to contemplate the strange phenomenon.

She didn't even have time to cry out as a dark vortex opened up and swallowed her whole. She didn't see an unseen force returning the pillow to its original place on Anna's bed. She didn't see two thin, snakelike tendrils touching Elsa and Kristoff's forehead.

Their memories were being altered.

She didn't see other tendrils cleaning up the spilled tea and snacks.

The tray was returned to its original place on the nightstand by Anna's bed. The teapot, teacups and plate were carefully righted and arranged so that nothing was out of place. With the threat gone, the rocky wall disappeared back into the ground.

No one (awake) was around to see what happened next.

The brown streak in Anna's hair stopped glowing.

Nor did she see what happened in the forest. The same unseen force shoved the satchel into the hole. Then it grabbed the shovel and continued to dig until the grave was completely covered.

No one would ever think that something unfortunate happened to the maid.

The room where she was killed was quickly cleaned up.

Then, a note was left behind in her tiny room. The maid supposedly wrote that she had enough of being a lowly, underappreciated servant. That she was quitting and ran off to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Anna's would-be assailant was crying out for help. She clawed frantically at the ground and nearby walls for purchase. But the glowing black hand with clawed fingers had too strong a grip on her ankle. It felt like she was being dragged through one of the tunnels of Hell itself. The voices of the damned cried out.

Their whimpers and pleas for help would forever go unanswered.

Only suffering and eternal damnation awaited the evil, greedy fools.

Finally, her painful journey was over. She tried to rise to her feet. But she didn't even have time to cry out before she was lifted into the air by an unseen force.

Black, snake-like roots ensnared her wrists and ankles.

So that she was caught in a vertical yet spreadeagle position.

Her eyes widened in fear as she faced a pair of angry, glowing gold eyes in a sea of black, shadowy and wispy fog. She didn't need to be told that this was her lord and master.

The only entity she would ever love.

The same being she had hoped would make her, his Queen someday.

---

Anna was sitting on the floor, her eyes closed as she concentrated.

Volva was patiently guiding her through yet another lesson.

Even though Anna didn't see it, she was making amazing progress. Volva was surprised at how powerful a Seeress Anna truly was. The same could be said for her gift as an empath.

Even when her gifts were fractured and out of control, Anna would receive visions.

Albeit in the form of nightmares.

But for all the training a Seer could receive, their control wasn't absolute. In other words, there were times when a vision was far too powerful despite one's best efforts.

Poor Anna was dragged against her will to a nightmare that haunted her for years.

Volva, alarmed, tried to snap her granddaughter out of it.

But Anna felt her very consciousness whisked away. One moment, she was sitting on an icy floor, receiving lessons from her grandmother. The next, she found herself as a helpless little girl once again. She was around five years old. Judging from her small size and the length of her pigtails, the nightmare took place just after the accident.

Little Anna was panting for breath.

Every so often, she would glance fearfully over her shoulder.

She was racing down a dark corridor with scary, wispy black fog on either side of her. Every so often, she would hear a giant roar as something scary and demonic chased after her.

She couldn't afford to stop.

Her instincts were screaming that it would be curtains for her if she were caught.

Anna whimpered as an angry, clawed hand would reach out. She barely avoided the pointy nails and she felt some of her red locks get torn away. But she didn't dare stop.

Finally, she reached the end of the corridor.

Too late, did she see an opening at the end of the hall...that led to nowhere.

Sinister laughter filled the air as Anna desperately tried to stop her momentum. She grasped at the edges of either side of the opening to stop herself. Then she felt a large hand push her forward. Anna screamed as she fell into the shadowy fathoms of an abyss.

She couldn't see anything.

She tried to grab anything for purchase to stop her fall.

Then she let out a startled grunt as she impacted against something hard. The room was dark and cold. She tried to open her eyes. But she found that she couldn't.

She tried to get up or rub at her eyes, but something was stopping her.

With an effort, she managed to open her eyes.

To her annoyance, her eyesight was blurry. But there was something...familiar about her surroundings nevertheless. It took all of her concentration to move her eyes.

To scan the room.

But she couldn't make out anything of note.

Sinister laughter filled the room. She stiffened, her eyes widening in fear. Adrenalin coursed through her veins as she frantically scanned the room.

IT was back.

The same thing that haunted her nightmares for as long as she could remember.

It was large and huge. It was a large, shadowy and hulking mass with massive arms and legs. It was clutching a pillow with its equally large hands. She tried to struggle, but she couldn't move. All she could do was whimper and cry as it gave her a huge, scary grin.

With teeth not unlike a shark.

Its eyes were glowing with a dark, hellish red. It approached her with no hurry in its gait, as if determined to prolong her torment. Its scary grin widened.

As it slowly lowered the pillow to her face.

With desperation, Anna let out a shrill scream of alarm.

She closed her eyes as tightly as she could, not wanting to see the monster snuff out her tiny life. She didn't notice as a certain streak in her hair started to glow.

The monster let out an angry scream full of rage and denied satisfaction.

It was hurled back by a familiar rocky wall and straight into the shadows.

When nothing happened, she tentatively opened her eyes as human curiosity got the better of her. She was unaware that just before she did so, the glow in her hair faded and the rocky wall disappeared back into the ground. She didn't see any scary shadow demon.

Nor was she in the strangely familiar room.

In fact, she could move again.

Anna got straight to her feet. She was relieved to find herself back in one of the icy chambers in Ahtohallan. But she couldn't find Volva or Laeknir.

She looked around wildly.

But there was no sign of them.

Unfortunately, there WAS something all too familiar. Anna paled, her freckles standing out more prominently as she took in the unconscious, shadow demon lying in the corner. Feeling drawn to the demon against her will, Anna found herself approaching it.

She couldn't help it.

As she got closer, the demon started to...shrink?

Not only was it shrinking in mass and size, it started to acquire a more human color in regards to skin. Anna could feel her heart pounding as she continued to get closer.

The demon continued to shrink.

Its features took on a more human-esque appearance.

In fact, it was starting to form clothes. Anna felt her eyes widen as the monster took on an all too familiar form. It was someone that she loathed and loved at the same time:

Father.

Before she could reflect over what this could mean, more images appeared on the wall.

With a start, Anna realized she was witnessing the night of her birth. Her parents never explained what happened that fateful June 21. She quickly learned to change the subject. Let's just say her father's reaction to aforementioned subject wasn't...pretty, to say the least.

Anna pressed a hand to her stomach.

She never realized that her mother nearly DIED giving birth to her.

Watching as her father only bonded with her for all of two seconds was bad enough. But the coldhearted bastard banished her to an icy nursery with no lit fireplace to speak of.

It was heartbreaking, watching as her mother suffered.

But it was equally distressing as Father ignored her.

Her mother's condition was touch and go. Father became unhinged as it looked like Mother might expire at any moment. It all came to a head one night only weeks after she was born. Agnarr had a crazed look of vengeance in his eyes as he marched into her nursery.

He grabbed the pillow from a nearby chair and nearly smothered her.

It was only due to Kai's (unwitting) intervention that she was still alive.

Anna never noticed as her consciousness was returned to her dream self. Volva looked relieved that she was "awake", so to speak. But Anna never registered her grandmother's words. Nor did she register the alarm in Volva and Laeknir's voices.

She started shaking as she hugged her knees to her chest.

She couldn't believe it. Her own father tried to kill her!

Even before she learned of Grand Pabbie's damage to her mind, Anna always knew that Father loathed her for some reason. She would always try-and fail-to gain his love and affection. No one would give her a proper reason why he despised her so much.

But never did she imagine that he would try to kill her!

Did Mother know?

Kai?

Gerda?

Elsa?

Eventually, Anna would regain her rational mind and realize that no one else could possibly have known about Agnarr's murder attempt as they were the only ones in the nursery.

For now, her mind was lost to her fears...

...and growing anger.

---

"When you saved Agnarr from the curse that effected me and the Enchanted Forest, I thought you were different, Iduna." Jord said coldly. "I thought you were selfless and kind. It's why I sent you two gifts in the form of your daughters."

Iduna flinched in guilt, lowering her eyes in shame.

"Agnarr, I thought you would be different from your scapegrace, murdering father." Jord went on. "When you tolerated Iduna despite her background, I thought you would be accepting of magic despite what happened in the Enchanted Forest."

This time, it was Agnarr's turn to wince in guilt as he stared at the floor.

"So, I gifted Elsa with powers as soon as she was conceived." Jord said. "It's not a coincidence that Elsa was born on the Winter Solstice. I thought that if anyone could guide her through controlling her powers, it would be a member of the Northuldran tribe."

Iduna barely suppressed a whimper.

"But I was wrong." Jord said. Then she shifted her gaze to Agnarr, who flinched under the weight of her glare. "BOTH of you feared her powers, especially you, Agnarr. It only got worse after the so-called accident. You imprisoned your own daughter and isolated her from other people, including the only person who provided a calming influence: Anna."

There was little they could say to that.

"As a result, Elsa grew afraid of herself and her powers." Jord said. "You claim to love her, but I find that hard to believe. Then there's the matter of your OTHER daughter."

Agnarr looked ready to vomit.

"Despite what you think, Agnarr, Anna was NOT created to annoy you and make your lives miserable." Jord snarled. "You had no right to neglect her and ignore her, especially after the accident. You had no right to hit her, try to kill her when she was only a helpless infant and separate her from her sister." Iduna did a double take.

No.

That couldn't be right.

Surely Jord was wrong.

Agnarr couldn't have tried to kill their daughter.

Right?

But if THAT was true, why was he avoiding her gaze?

"Oh yes, Iduna." Jord said. "Your so-called HUSBAND tried to smother Anna with a pillow when she was only a baby. It was the night you nearly lost your life until a certain entity intervened." This time, it was Iduna's turn to avoid her husband's sharp gaze. "Not that you were much better as far as Anna was concerned. Oh yes, you DO love her. But she always came a far distant second place to Elsa, especially after the accident. BOTH of you used the incident as an excuse to push Anna to the side and focus on your research."

Both of them lowered their gazes in shame once more.

"As if that wasn't bad enough." Jord continued. "You tried to sell her off to a dangerous entity to suit your purposes." Their eyes widened in shock at this revelation. "Iduna sold Anna in order to save her life. He was right, you know. You WERE destined to die from childbed fever. But he knew that Anna would suffer a horrible life due to Agnarr's twisted desires for vengeance. As for you Agnarr, you wanted to get rid of her in order to find a solution for Elsa's powers. Both of you were horrible parents to your own children.

"You kept Elsa a prisoner in her own room, while you either neglected and ignored Anna or abused her to some degree." Jord said. "Or, you tried to sell her for your own selfish purposes. Elsa and Anna were gifts. Gifts that you both stupidly and selfishly squandered."

They flinched in response.

"Well, I'll leave you two here." Jord ignored their protests. "You won't be harmed, but I cannot having you two interfere while Anna learns to control her powers."

Then she disappeared before they could say anything else.

For awhile, both were silent.

Agnarr was sickened, his stomach twisting in anxiety. He never wanted to reveal to Iduna that he tried to kill Anna when she was a helpless baby. His first instinct was to deny it ever happened. But he belatedly realized it would be a stupid, futile endeavor.

The walls of Ahtohallan would only display what truly happened in response.

He was also sickened to learn that Iduna tried to sell their daughter out as well.

Agnarr wouldn't judge his wife. He couldn't, as it would only make him a hypocrite of the highest order. Besides, he still had to explain himself as to what happened that night.

For her part, Iduna was wondering the same thing.

Her first instinct was to deny what Jord was saying.

But she knew it would be an exercise in futility. Ahtohallan would only show images of the past. Everything came rushing back. It wasn't just her guilt of betraying her husband to a certain degree. She felt more shame from blindly promising Anna to a powerful, mysterious entity just to save her worthless hide.

She had forgotten the harsh lessons about magic she learned from her family.

In a bid for self-preservation, she blindly offered Ginnarr whatever he wanted.

Of course, her self loathing wasn't the only emotion filling her. She turned to glare at her husband, unable to believe what Jord had revealed.

How could Agnarr want to kill their own daughter?

Iduna knew that Agnarr didn't love Anna as much as he should.

Elsa had always been the apple of his eye. But for him to go so far as to try and smother her in her sleep when she was a baby? Jord even implied that Anna would have lived a horrible life if she did succumb to childbed fever.

The fact that Agnarr didn't even deny such horrific claims was telling.

Needless to say, the couple was overdue for a LONG discussion.

---

Every country had its fair share of deities.

Most believed that the deities were mythological, such as the Greek Pantheon.

While it was true that God existed, it also meant that the other polytheistic orders existed as well.

It was also true that each pantheon was governed by Elder Gods.

The old tales about Odin were true.

He was in charge of the Norse pantheon, but he wasn't the ultimate authority. The Elder Gods have existed for untold eons. They didn't dwell on Earth.

But each order of the Elder Gods occupied a realm that allowed them to observe the comings and goings of the mortal realm. For the gods, the humans had about as much importance as a colony of ants.

Due to their age, they were older and wiser.

Yes, the Elder gods were extremely mature and all-knowing.

"I say we leave it to the mortals."

"You fool! Ginnarr's going to be released in a matter of months!"

"The mortals cannot handle this alone!"

"Why should we care about lowly humans?"

"Because he's going to destroy us all!"

"Leave the affairs of the mortals to the mortals!"

"Do you really think Ginnarr's going to be satisfied with weakling humans?"

"He's going to want revenge."

"He's not powerful enough to reach the gap that would lead back to our dimension."

"You're an idiot if you think Ginnarr isn't powerful enough."

"Remember what Syn said!"

"It has been foretold."

"Agreed. We need to prepare."

"But I don't want to aid those pathetic mortals."

"You don't have a choice."

"Yes, remember the prophecies."

"We don't need the mortals."

"Ginnarr is no match for us."

"Idiot. We took him by surprise last time."

"He has never been fooled by the same trick twice."

"Of course he will!"

"Agreed. The fact that he was captured proves how weak he is in the first place."

"He was defeated before. We'll succeed again."

"He is no match for our power."

"Who cares about Ginnarr? He'll never escape that tree."

Evighet slowly opened his eyes.

So, he thought grimly, it has begun.

As usual, the other gods were bickering like children. In fact, they were too busy squabbling to take note of the contemptuous disgust on his face. No one was fool enough not to believe Syn, the Goddess of Sight. Well, most of them, he amended, taking note of the few stragglers who wanted to deny everything and bury their heads in the sand like ostriches. In fact, one goddess looked extremely bored as she focused on filing her nails and examining them for any imperfections. According to Syn's vision, Ginnarr would be released from his imprisonment in a matter of months. But the gods were debating whether or not they should even get involved in the first place. Many of his brethren were indifferent to the plight of "mere mortals".

So sure that Ginnarr wouldn't bother them if they maintained a neutral distance.

But they were fools if they thought Ginnarr would leave them alone.

Evighet knew his brother all too well.

If there was one thing Ginnarr excelled at, it was holding a grudge.

Ginnarr would do everything and anything to get his vengeance. He would know that Evighet and the other Elder Gods were responsible for his confinement to that tree.

Nothing would be safe from his wrath.

He would also seek to conquer Earth.

Unfortunately, the mortals would have to come up with another way to deal with his brother. Ginnarr wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Nor would his brother be content with Earth as his kingdom. He was a warrior and conqueror through and through.

There was no way Ginnarr would stop with only Earth.

In fact, he was the reason Earth was the only source of life in that solar system.

Ginnarr had always been greedy, even by their standards. Before his imprisonment, Ginnarr raided the other worlds and moons of the solar system. He destroyed entire civilizations, enslaved many alien races and drained the moons and planets of their precious metals and natural resources. Evighet felt responsible for what had happened.

He never thought to wonder what would happen to his brother after he was banished.

When Ginnarr was finally gone, Evighet thought it was over.

It was a classic case of out of sight, out of mind. Of course, Syn was all too quick to throw a spanner in the works. The Elder Gods only made things WORSE with their methods.

But many of his brethren were too prideful and arrogant to realize their plight.

The danger they were in.

It was their fault that the mortals of Earth suffered so much from Ginnarr's bloodlust, greed and twisted machinations. Evighet couldn't help pitying Elsa and Anna.

Especially the latter.

She had a heavy burden placed upon her shoulders.

Evighet tried not to blush as he thought about the mortal queen of Arendelle. She was so beautiful and pure. Her very innocence and purity radiated from within.

She was life itself.

Both the summer and the spring.

It wasn't a coincidence that she was born on the Summer Solstice. Even though she has known pain and suffering, it has not stopped her from helping others. From putting other people before herself. It was easy to see why Ginnarr was drawn to her like a moth to the flame...

Even Evighet wasn't immune to her charms.

It was ironic.

Evighet was the ruler and leader of the Elder Gods. He had a beautiful empress and was extremely ancient. In fact, he was as old as the universe itself. He was tall, well muscled and handsome. He had golden curls lighter than the sun and electric blue eyes.

Like Zeus, there were many females that caught his fancy.

Whether they were mortal, demi or immortal.

But his interest never lasted long. Even his children didn't manage to garner his admittedly flighty interest and short attention span. He had immortality, wealth, gold, power and everything he wanted or needed at his very fingertips.

It wasn't until he saw Anna that he realized his life was lacking.

Evighet was drawn to her from the moment she was born.

He was ever thankful to his brother Lys, the God of the Sun, for creating her. It wasn't a coincidence that Anna represents the summer and the sun. Whereas Elsa represented their counterparts: the Winter and the Moon.

Måne, the God of the Moon, was responsible for Elsa's creation.

He had worked together with Ahtohallan to give her snow and ice powers.

Evighet knew his brother was drawn to Elsa. Well, let him have her. While Elsa was an admittedly beautiful woman, there was something too...cold, remote and removed about her.

Anna was the epitome of warmth.

Of life.

Evighet would intervene in Anna's life when Ginnarr's limitations were too much for him. Agnarr was an absolute bastard and wasn't a proper father to his daughters at all.

Especially Anna.

The poor girl had no idea how many times she nearly died due to Agnarr's machinations.

Evighet was all too happy to save her life. He had never felt like this before. She was beautiful and unique. He had never seen anyone, mortal or immortal, quite like her.

Without even noticing, a smile formed on his lips.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Evighet never felt this way about anyone before. It was odd for a deity whose very age could no longer be quantified. But this mortal, who never should have registered on his radar, had caught his eye from the moment she was born.

Ofund, Evighet's wife, couldn't help it as a scowl marred her lovely features.

She knew her so-called husband was thinking about HER again.

It didn't make any sense to Ofund, the Goddess of the Skies. She was the epitome of beauty and perfection. Her features were flawless, her body was slender and she had long, silky dark red hair and emerald-green eyes. Every God wanted to earn her favors.

It was an insult of the highest order that Evighet would prefer a mortal whore.

Unfortunately, Ofund was forbidden from acting against her directly.

She hid her smug smirk beneath her goblet of wine as she took a sip. Well, her so-called husband said nothing about getting her revenge in more oblique ways.

Still, Ofund knew she had to be careful and circumspect about this.

Like it or not, the little mortal was crucial in the war against Ginnarr.

Well, she vowed, as soon as the mortal strumpet wasn't important anymore, she would send her agents to do away with the whore once and for all.

She could only hope her next attempt was better than the first.

The pathetic mortal she dispatched to kill the queen failed miserably.

Well, at least it proved her suspicions that Ginnarr was watching. Ofund never left anything to chance. She was quick to get rid of any and all evidence that she turned that stupid mortal into a sleeper agent. Ginnarr couldn't suspect her involvement.

It would be disastrous.

As his ways of getting even were...ruthless.

---

The woman's mind was little more than a mindless void at this point.

Ginnarr shook his head, not surprised in the slightest.

So, he thought, even now, Ofund was up to her old tricks. Despite what she thought, she wasn't nearly as clever as she imagined herself to be. His sister-in-law was the epitome of spiteful jealousy. Even though the couple wasn't exactly loyal to each other, Ofund had a pathological jealousy and possessiveness as far as her husband was concerned.

She loathed Evighet to the very fiber of her being.

But she refused to let anyone else have him either.

As soon as another female caught Evighet's fancy, Ofund would use any and all methods to get rid of her. Normally, this wouldn't present a challenge for the Goddess of Skies.

Evighet's interest would wain as soon as it formed.

But it was different this time around.

Ginnarr felt his eyes narrow until they were mere slits. He was furious that his brother was falling in love with HIS future queen. But he felt a curious sense of smug satisfaction and pride at the same time. It was just like Anna to attract males right and left, albeit unknowingly.

Of course, it didn't mean he was about to let his own brother steal her away.

Nor would he allow Ofund's sins to go unpunished.

The jealous shrew really should know better by now, Ginnarr fumed to himself. But the stupid bitch always let her own pride and arrogance get the better of her.

It corrupted her judgment.

Normally, Ofund's petty jealousy would amuse him.

Anything that made life difficult for his traitorous brother was a win in his book. But it wasn't amusing, not anymore. Ofund was plotting to get rid of his future bride.

Something he refused to let happen.

Her pathetic attempts to get rid of any evidence of her involvement were laughable at best. Ginnarr tossed the pathetic woman to his minions. At least she was a virgin.

She would prove useful for once in her miserable life.

---

Matthias was grateful to be alone after he received Lieutenant Eamon's report.

He thought that things would settle down once the curse from the forest was lifted.

He suppressed a rude snort as he rose smoothly to his feet and walked over to the window of his office, clasping his hands behind his back without really registering the scenery below. Really, one would have thought he learned his lesson in the Enchanted Forest.

Battle was in the air.

War was on the horizon.

Matthias could no longer pretend that the dreams that haunted him for decades were just that, dreams. His own father made sure to warn him about Forbudte.

It ashamed him to think about it.

But members of his own family had ties to that accursed tree.

He had gotten a reprieve of sorts while he was trapped in the forest. But his dreams still haunted him, giving him no surcease whatsoever. Power ran in his family.

Even though his own powers were minor, he never dared mention it to anyone.

He served King Runeard, whose hatred of magic ran deep.

Matthias had a touch of Sight, but his visions were never complete or concrete. He would only get the bigger picture, so to speak, AFTER the event in question took place.

But one vision was crystal clear:

The tree.

Another vision that kept tormenting him lately were flashes and snippets of a small village. At least this particular village was familiar to him.

In other words, he didn't need an interpretation.

One of his cousins, Bein, came from the small village of Tapt. Their mothers were sisters and the cousins were closer than brothers. The denizens of Tapt were untrusting of outsiders. Even the royal family would have been approached with caution.

Matthias was barely tolerated as he had family in Tapt.

But why he would be seeing visions of the village was beyond him.

It didn't make any sense. They were simple villagers who were content to go about their mundane lives and mind their own business. They didn't interact with the outside world.

At least, not that much.

But he had a grim feeling that Tapt was connected with the tree somehow.

"General Matthias!" A random sergeant burst into his office without warning.

"Sergeant Gorva-" Matthias looked ready to rip him a new one for the lapse in decorum, especially when addressing a superior officer. Then he got a good look at his face.

"General, it's the village of Tapt." Everyone knew the general had family there.

"What happened?" Matthias demanded, his lecture forgotten.

"Miss Modig, please come in." Gorva said kindly to the frightened, shaking woman who was clutching her blanket like a lifeline. Modig looked relieved as she recognized Matthias.

"General, thank God." Modig said. She looked exhausted. She was red-faced and panting, as if she had run a great distance. Judging how far Tapt was from the palace, it was clear that his assumptions weren't off the mark. It didn't hurt that Modig was Bein's next door neighbor. "Gorva, get her a chair and some water, immediately."

"Yes, sir." Gorva escorted her to a nearby chair and poured her a goblet of water.

"Thank you." Modig's throat was so parched, she consumed the water in a single gulp.

"What happened, Modig?" Matthias asked gently as he poured her some more water.

"My village was attacked." Modig said flatly.

"Attacked?" Matthias was shocked.

"How? Why? When?" Gorva couldn't help but add. Matthias gave the sergeant a dirty look, as if to remind Gorva who was in charge. Fortunately, Gorva was smart enough to get the hint. He nodded and stepped back. Satisfied, Matthias turned back to his traumatized guest.

"Modig, who attacked the village?" Matthias asked.

"I don't know." Modig admitted. "They were wearing strange uniforms. I couldn't even see their faces. All of them were wearing hoods and masks that obscured their features."

"Was it a massacre?" Matthias was afraid for his cousin's life.

"No." Modig said bitterly. "They were kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Matthias didn't like the implications. As he mentioned before, his family had connections to that tree. He knew more than most about its dark and bloody history. He was a young man during King Stoiske's reign, but he grew up hearing the stories about the tree. Stoiske did whatever he could to erase any and all evidence of its existence.
But the older generations knew the truth. "Are you absolutely sure it wasn't brigands?"

"Do I look that stupid, General?" Modig chuckled bitterly. "Tapt is a very small and isolated village. We are poor, simple farmers with nothing of real value. Our wealthiest citizen is the local butcher. No, those bastards had a different agenda entirely."

"Slavers?" Matthias wondered, clearly grasping at straws.

"No General, they weren't slavers." Modig was certain. "The queen must know."

"I agree." While Matthias feared his secrets getting out and seeing the light of day, the health and safety of the villagers were far more important. What made this even sicker was the fact that if it wasn't for Modig, the fate of Tapt would continue to remain unknown.

"I also doubt that Tapt was the only target." Modig said.

"No, I think other villages are being targeted." Matthias' quick, analytical mind was racing. It would make sense. If the Cult of Ginnarr was making its move, capturing villagers from isolated, practically backwater locations would be perfect. There was a lesser chance of people taking notice, especially aloof aristocrats. The ruling aristocrat of the land, Stjórnsamr, cared little for the commoners under his command. No, the "good" duke was more focused on his ambitions and securing his legacy. He would be indifferent once he found out the villagers have been kidnapped. To him, it meant less peasants to feed and worry about.

"Will you investigate, General?" Modig asked. "Can you rescue them?"

"We will." While Matthias didn't want to give her false hope, he owed it to her and his family to find out what happened to Tapt. If he was lucky, mayhaps the kidnappers left behind a clue that only he could interpret. Modig was invited to stay in the female barracks for the guards. The poor young woman looked ready to collapse from exhaustion now that the adrenalin that kept her going drained from her. Matthias left his second-in-command in charge. Then he led a small contingent to the village. On horseback, it took only an hour.

A feeling of unease gripped the general as they approached the outskirts of Tapt.

He pursed his lips grimly. Even now, the foul stench of Ginnarr's presence lingered.

The other guards were uneasy, automatically reaching for the hilt of their swords. The horses were whinnying their discomfort and pacing restlessly back and forth, clearly reluctant to enter the village. Stifling a curse, Matthias brought his horse to a nearby set of trees. His soldiers followed his lead and they secured their horses' reins to the trees.

Matthias withdrew his sword and cautiously entered the village.

His guards were right behind him.

While several hours have passed since the alleged abductions, the kidnappers didn't believe in cleaning things up. There was evidence of a scuffle everywhere you looked.

While he could see some droplets of blood here and there, it didn't mean the villagers were killed. Obviously, they received some minor injuries due to their struggling. The kidnappers were more interested in taking them alive. One glance confirmed it wasn't thieves.

Nothing of value was taken.

While slavers were another possibility, Matthias had a feeling Modig was right.

They searched the entire village. Sadly, it was a search that only took ten minutes as Tapt was rather small. Matthias searched Bein's house first. There were signs of a scuffle: broken glass, overturned furniture, muddied footprints on the floor.

But no signs of Bein and his family.

The entire village was in disarray.

Other than Modig, it was clear the kidnappers didn't miss anyone. Matthias briefly considered contacting Constable Ibrahim. But he decided against the notion just as quickly.

He wouldn't trust that arrogant, strutting peacock to handle street traffic.

Much less with the rescue of the villagers.

Matthias and his soldiers searched for clues. Not surprisingly, he didn't find any. The bastards didn't even leave behind any tracks for them to follow.

Of course, he thought bitterly. That would be too easy.

Matthias searched for any survivors one more time.

Unfortunately, the entire village was picked clean-at least as far as the people were concerned. Reluctantly, Matthias led the way back to the horses outside the village.

The queen had to be informed about this.

Immediately.

---

"What is wrong with her, my lady?"

"She has discovered something devastating, Laeknir."

Volva removed her hand from Anna's forehead. Her expression was grim as she took in her granddaughter's traumatized state. Anna was still staring at nothing in particular, muttering under her breath as she rocked back and forth, hugging her knees to her chest.

She would have preferred to give Anna the truth in a far more gentle manner.

To ease her into it.

Unfortunately, Anna's visions destroyed her plans and now Anna knew her own father had tried to kill her. Volva couldn't exactly fault her for losing herself to her shock.

She would have reacted the same way if she were in Anna's position.

Once again, Volva cursed the day that Iduna chose to marry Agnarr.

The only good things to come out of that accursed marriage were Anna and Elsa. Now Anna had to live with the knowledge that her own father hated her enough to murder her.

If it wasn't for Kai, she would have died.

No one would have found out the truth.

Agnarr would have been clever enough to spin a believable yarn about Anna dying from some illness that effected infants. He would have bribed the doctors to corroborate his claims. Volva shuddered. She nearly lost her second granddaughter to his misplaced hate.

What was even MORE sickening is that Agnarr would have used Iduna as justification.

In fact, he DID use her daughter to justify his actions towards Anna.

Agnarr was just like his father: arrogant, prideful, spiteful and petty. He just did a better job of hiding his darker traits. At least the truth was finally coming out.

She just wished that Anna didn't find out the hard way.

Of course, Agnarr and Iduna were guilty of more sins.

For example, BOTH of them tried to sell her to Ginnarr to either save their lives or fulfill their petty, selfish desires. In a way, what Agnarr did was far worse.

Iduna blindly promising Ginnarr anything he wanted was a moment of carelessness.

In Agnarr's case, it was more deliberate.

To him, getting rid of Anna was an opportunity he craved for a long time. Even worse, he used his older daughter as justification, an excuse he gave himself to sooth his conscience. Volva suppressed a rude snort. As if that bastard HAD a conscience to begin with...

He convinced himself that he was doing all this for Elsa's sake.

In reality, he was doing it for himself.

Volva knew that Anna's reaction wouldn't be pretty once she learned THAT piece of news. Anna had quite the volatile temper. Only it would be worse since she was no longer the forgive-and-forget type. Too much had happened for Anna to remain her happy-go-lucky self.

"What did she see, my lady?" Laeknir asked carefully.

"Her own father tried to kill her." Volva said bluntly.

"What?" Laeknir gasped in shock.

"It happened when Anna was a baby." Volva said.

"He tried to kill her when she was only a baby?" Laeknir was horrified.

"Yes." Quickly, Volva explained that nearly losing Iduna made Agnarr snap and he wanted to kill the entity he assumed to be responsible: Anna herself. "If it wasn't for Kai's unwitting intervention, my second granddaughter would have died that night."

"By the gods." Laeknir had to sit down as she felt her legs buckle.

"I'm afraid it gets worse." Volva said grimly.

"What do you mean, my lady?" Laeknir asked.

"The demon bound to the tree saved her the night she was born." Volva said.

"What?" Laeknir said.

"I'm afraid it's true." Volva said. "Agnarr didn't even have a fire lit in her nursery. She was left unattended and alone, cold, hungry and confused while everyone was preoccupied with trying to save Iduna's life and calming Elsa down, who was only three years old at the time. If it wasn't for the demon's intervention, Anna wouldn't have lasted long."

"Oh no." Laeknir closed her eyes in sorrow.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Volva glanced down at her granddaughter.

"My lady?" Laeknir asked.

"Who is the true monster." Volva said. "My son-in-law, or the demon in the tree."

---

"Ofund."

Ofund briefly closed her eyes in annoyance.

Reluctantly, she turned around to face her sister-in-law. Syn was a cold, impassive woman that every Elder God was wary of. It didn't help that her expression remained stoic twenty-four/seven. Or that she had long white hair and black voids serving as eyes.

"What do you want, Syn?" Ofund had no time for pleasantries.

She had to carefully plan the demise of the mortal strumpet her husband coveted.

"You must cease and desist your ridiculous plans for Queen Anna."

Ofund groaned. She should have known that Syn would figure it out.

"That mortal WHORE needs to learn her place." Ofund growled. "Admittedly, I don't care for my husband. He has more bastards than any other deity in existence. But that doesn't mean I'm going to sit idly by and let him humiliate me by cavorting with some mortal!"

"She is not some mere mortal." Syn said. "There is a reason that Ginnarr and other males are drawn to her like moths to the flame. Do not pursue this, Ofund. You will lose."

"Do NOT presume to give ME orders, Syn!" Ofund snarled. "I am Queen of the Gods!"

"And do not forget what I can do." Syn warned. Ofund paused, gazing at her warily even as she took a step back instinctively. Syn was dangerous in many ways, as the Power of Sight wasn't her only ability. If she wanted to, she could easily take the throne from her brother. Every Elder God knew that Evighet was only in charge because Syn let him rule.

"I won't stop." Ofund said. "That bitch needs to die!"

"You will try and you will fail." Syn said.

"Do not underestimate me." Ofund said.

"Ginnar knows." Syn said.

"What?" Ofund paled.

"He knows about your first assassination attempt." Syn explained. "All of your attempts to get rid any evidence of your involvement with the mortal woman have failed."

"Dammit." Ofund cursed.

"Evighet also knows." Syn warned.

"Did you tell him?" Ofund demanded.

"He keeps tabs on you." Syn said.

"Fuck." Normally, it would be beneath her station to utter such crude vulgarities. But it rankled that all of her efforts to distance herself from the assassination attempt have failed. She was equally wary of her husband's wrath. Not to mention her brother-in-law.

"You must stop trying to kill her, Ofund." Syn insisted.

"What makes her so special? So important!" Ofund snapped.

"She has been marked by the Winter's Moon." Syn said.

"It's her?" Ofund gasped. She thought it was only a legend!

"There's a reason she is destined to take on Ginnarr." Syn said. "Both she and her sister are Children of Prophecy. If you succeed in killing her, you'll only doom us all."

"But she's just a mortal!" Ofund protested.

"If she and her sister were mere mortals, the gods wouldn't be drawn to them." Syn replied. "I have foreseen your demise, Ofund. Do not try to kill her. It would lead to your doom." As much as Ofund wanted to dismiss Syn's words, she couldn't. Syn was NEVER wrong.

"I won't try to order you around, Ofund." Syn said. "But you would only start the countdown to your destruction if you continue to pursue this pointless vendetta against her."

"I can't leave this alone, Syn." Ofund shook her head. "I cannot lose my husband to some pathetic human weakling. Don't get me wrong. I don't love him and loathe my parents for forcing me to marry him in the first place. But it would insult my pride as a goddess if I lost my husband to a human, the equivalent of a speck of dust from my fingernails!"

"Ofund please, I implore you." Syn said. "Leave her alone."

"I can't."

Before Syn could stop her, Ofund whirled around and left. She was bound and determined to continue her reckless plans and ignore Syn's warnings completely.

Syn shook her head sadly.

Her sister-in-law had always been a proud, vain and narcissistic deity.

She knew that she would fail to change Ofund's mind. But she had to at least try as she was reasonably fond of her brother's wife. Ofund could actually be nice and pleasant if someone didn't insult her pride. The whole thing was insane as far as Syn was concerned.

It was no secret that Evighet and Ofund despised each other.

Both would even let the other know about their countless affairs.

They ignored the bastard children they sired. Hell, they didn't even pay attention to their trueborn children. They were too busy trying to hurt the other throughout their union.

Evighet only married her to lay claim to the throne of the Elder Gods.

In reality, Ofund was the heiress.

But her parents were traditional and insisted that only a male could rule the Elder Gods. Evighet ruled their realm, which was called Ginnungagap.

It had no boundaries to speak of.

Each god had their respective domain and vast empires under their command.

Naturally, the god who had the final say and complete ownership of each empire and domain was Evighet. Ofund never made it secret that she wanted the throne for herself.

Unfortunately for her, she was shortsighted and unwary of the consequences.

Her schemes kept on backfiring in her face.

Now, her position as Queen of the Elder Gods was being threatened. Evighet never made it secret that he despised his wife and would be more than happy to replace her.

Syn knew he wanted Queen Anna to serve as Ofund's replacement.

Syn couldn't help pitying her.

Not only did the young mortal queen have a horrible life, she had a terrible destiny falling on her shoulders. Both Anna and Elsa were destined to lead eventful lives.

As being a Child of Prophecy was not easy.

It was rife with strife, pain and suffering.

Both sisters knew pain. Their childhoods weren't easy, despite the fact that they were princesses. But they didn't realize their pain and suffering have just begun.

They would know the true meaning of those words when Ginnarr was freed.

So would Ofund...

---

He got off his horse, Isaz and approached the riverbank.

His (temporary) companion, the wolf Snaer, whined from her place at Isaz's side.

He ignored Snaer's petulant complaints and knelt by the river to fill his waterskin. Overhead, he could hear the defiant roars of the mighty dragon, Fáfnir, he was following.

His father, Fyr, called him a fool.

But he remembered the prophecies of old.

His grandmother, Surtr, would entertain him with stories she had learned from her own parents. His mother died giving birth to him, so it fell to Surtr to provide him with maternal care, so to speak.

They were part of a Northuldran tribe that ran far away from the Enchanted Forest after Hefnd's Folly. Fyr wanted nothing to do with either Arendelle or the forest.

Magic ran in his family line, but they were careful to hide it.

As most humans had fear and hatred when it came to magic.

Surtr taught him in secret, as she recognized that her grandson had powers that weren't like the others. In fact, he had powers similar to hers.

She would always claim their abilities were a gift from Ahtohallan.

Fyr would scoff and insist that Ahtohallan wasn't real.

Unfortunately, it was a growing belief that infected their tribe as more and more children were born far away from their ancestral lands. But he knew Ahtohallan was real.

Like his grandmother, he was a Dreamwalker.

In his dreams, he would witness events in the past, present and future.

He could also walk the dreams of other people. But it took him years to train his ability. He couldn't control it before and he would find himself invading the dreams of his family and fellow tribe members without their knowledge. He didn't like it.

He was a firm believer in respecting someone's privacy.

It also wasn't a coincidence that most of his family had names in regards to fire.

Generations ago, his ancestor was blessed by Bruni the fire lizard. As a result, the ability to wield fire clung to the family line. His brothers and sisters had such powers.

Not that they believed it came from Bruni.

His father's brainwashing tactics were (unfortunately) working.

Instead, Fyr's ego was so massive, he made up a deity for their village to worship and claim their powers were a result of their worship to some nonexistent fire god. Every year during the Fire Festival, they would approach the temple of this god, offering gifts and tribute. No one knew that his greedy father would sneak to the temple after the festival.

And take everything for himself.

But he himself didn't have fire powers.

His grandmother sensed it the moment he was born.

It was just another reason for his father to reject him.

He glanced at the sky and decided to camp for the night. He carefully tethered Isaz to a nearby tree and built a fire and set up his tent. Snaer went off to hunt.

While his father was somewhat distant with him, he did make sure his sons and daughters knew how to live off the land if they were on their own. It didn't take him long to find some game. In a matter of an hour, he was slowly rotating some rabbits over a spit.

Just as his grandmother warned, Fáfnir was on the move.

She emerged from her cave after centuries of slumber.

His grandmother also warned that Snaer would accompany him. Barely two days into his journey, he encountered her after killing a deer that would serve as his dinner.

She was magnificent.

Her fur was as white as snow and her eyes a chilling ice-blue.

There was an intelligence to those eyes that showed she was very special. But she wasn't meant for him, even if their powers have aligned. No, she was meant for someone else.

It wasn't easy, having powers different to everyone else's.

He always felt like an outsider as a result.

But he couldn't help smiling as he sensed it was time for dinner. At last, he thought, he was going to a place where he WOULD be accepted. He wouldn't be an outsider.

It was written, as Surtr would say.

With a smile, Nepja used his own frost powers to cool his dinner...

---

Gabor slowly lowered his telescope.

As usual, Gaius was correct.

In the distance, he could see a man using powers similar to Princess Elsa's to cool the rabbits he was roasting over a fire. It looked like Fate and Destiny was knocking on his door, just as Gaius had foretold. It also didn't hurt that this unknown male had platinum-blond hair with silver highlights and ice-blue eyes. Gabor packed his meager belongings and went to the river several hours earlier.

His brother told him he would meet his future companion there.

If seeing a man who had powers just like Elsa's wasn't a sign, then he would eat his worn boots. Gabor's ultimate destination would be the Arendellian palace.

Queen Anna would go on her journey in a matter of weeks.

He was destined to prepare her by teaching her how to hunt and live off the land.

Granted, Kristoff could have taught her. But he was an ice harvester by trade. He has long since forgotten the lessons he learned as a child. Kristoff was rather rusty.

So, it was up to Gabor to help her.

But another person would be teaching her how to fight.

Just as she would require another teacher to help her learn magic spells. While she was the granddaughter of the infamous Hefnd, the ability to wield magic proved rather useful for her line. Anna and Elsa would need all the help they could get, he thought grimly.

Especially Anna.

While Elsa would aid her in the war to come, it was primarily Anna's destiny.

Gabor would do everything in his power to help her defeat Ginnarr. There were many possible futures surrounding the young queen of Arendelle. Not all of them were good.

It was why Anna had as many supporters as she did enemies.

The latter fearing what she MIGHT become in the future.

Gabor scowled as he raised the telescope once more. Gaius was never wrong with his visions. He already explained to his brother what the sisters endured growing up.

Agnarr had been a fool.

So cold and cruel to his own children.

Isolating Elsa, keeping her locked in her chambers, was a cruel decision. But he was even worse towards Anna. The few times he DID pay her any attention, it came in the form of emotional and mental abuse. Sometimes, on the rare occasion, the abuse became physical.

He was always disgusted at the very sight of her.

Courtesy of Iduna's difficult birth that nearly claimed her life.

If Anna and Elsa didn't have such strong wills, those terrible, possible futures would have been inevitable. Agnarr mistreated both of his daughters. What if they had snapped?

No one would have been safe.

The blocks holding Anna's powers at bay would have snapped.

But that wouldn't have been a good thing as Anna's psyche was still fractured and damaged. She would have gone on a vicious rampage and not even Elsa could have stopped her.

This future could still come true.

But if Anna maintained strong bonds with her friends and family, it won't happen.

Gabor shifted the telescope and nearly dropped it in his shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Normal wolves were common, especially in the Arendellian woods.

But no one has seen an actual DIREWOLF for centuries.

He thought they were mere myth and legend.

Gaius warned him he would be seeing things that would contradict everything he thought he knew about the world at large. Seeing a direwolf that was the size of a horse only confirmed Gaius' warnings. He was then distracted by a giant roar from the sky.

Automatically, he raised the telescope to get a better view.

His eyes widened in disbelief. It was a dragon!

---

Dimly, Anna was aware that Volva and Laeknir were at her side.

She ignored their concerned calls and gentle shaking of her shoulders.

To her, it was a shock that the monster haunting her nightmares for years turned out to be her own father. Oh, Anna always knew that her father never cared for her.

In fact, he barely tolerated her.

But again, learning that he tried to MURDER her was a complete shock.

Anna dared anyone that found themselves in a similar position to react differently. Now that her anger and resentment were no longer buried, she felt like her darker emotions were choking her again. Only, this time felt WORSE when she realized her rage at her sister.

What happened with Elsa paled in comparison.

Anna felt any remaining love for her father melting like ice under a summer sun.

She had a feeling that she would need to confront his spirit sooner or later. If Mother's spirit could appear at Ahtohallan, Agnarr's wretched ghost could as well.

Anna clenched her teeth.

She had a feeling that Father would have preferred no one realizing the truth.

But Ahtohallan was not a place for buried secrets. Eventually, the truth would out. Anna knew there were other things that Father was guilty of. She dreaded to find out.

She had to, however.

She was sick and tired of being left in the dark.

Anna was always the last to find out about things. True, there were times she DID discover her sister's secret. But that accursed Grand Pabbie would always interfere.

True, he was someone's puppet.

But something told her he acted entirely of his own free will.

Elsa had her powers to protect her mind. Anna's powers never got a chance to manifest because when Grand Pabbie removed her memories after the accident, he inadvertently buried her own abilities. The repeated attacks on her mind over the years caused significant damage.

Not only was her mind fractured, it effected her ability to investigate and reason.

It was why she was so seemingly oblivious to what her sister could do.

It was why she was so quick to forgive and forget, which wasn't just due to her fear of inciting Father's wrath. It was why she refused to give up on her sister, trying to get Elsa to come out of her chambers. It was why she ignored her own hurt, pain and confusion when Elsa coldly rejected her time and time again, shutting doors in her face and telling her to go away. It was why Anna was so trusting of strangers like Hans at first glance.

You couldn't repeatedly attack someone's mind and expect for there to be no damage.

It made her bitter that it took a dream trip to Ahtohallan to repair her mind.

But Anna could be a realist, even though she had once thought that life was a fairy tale. She did learn her lessons, however harsh they could be. She learned to be wary of strangers after a (mentally controlled) Hans tried to kill her sister and seize the throne.

She learned to let Elsa have her own journey and destiny in the Enchanted Forest.

She learned to let go.

Anna wasn't a saint. She knew she wasn't perfect as she told Elsa during their argument. She flinched as she thought about her bitter spat with her sister.

She wished that she didn't lose her temper.

She also regretted hurting Elsa the way she did, what she had said.

But she was so sick and tired of holding back, of being the better person, of standing aside when she should fight back. When she should stand up for herself and make her feelings known. Years of living under the thumb of her tyrant father have left their mark.

The same could be said of living with years of psychological damage.

No thanks to Grand Pabbie.

Anna knew she had to make peace with her sister. Elsa was the only family member she had left. She wasn't yet married to Kristoff and she would like to have children someday.

Until then, she would make amends with Elsa.

At the same time, she would make it clear that she wouldn't be the same doormat.

Anna didn't want to fight an emotional war with Elsa. But she wanted to start a different relationship with Elsa on a new footing. One where they both stood as equals.

She didn't want the weight tipping to Elsa's side of the bridge anymore.

Anna's eyes narrowed dangerously.

While she would clear the air with Elsa, Father was a different story entirely. For fifteen years, Anna lived in fear. No one could see her cheerful facade was just a mask.

A way of masking her pain.

Father had her crushed under his elegant boot for the bulk of her life.

And why?

So he could punish her for events beyond her control.

The fact that he tried to kill her was the last straw. Now that she was calmed down, Anna knew there was no way that Mother and Elsa knew about the murder attempt. While Mother paid more attention to Elsa, she DID love her, at least somewhat.

Elsa would never keep such a dark secret.

At the very least, she would have told her after the Great Thaw.

Anna knew her confrontation with Father was inevitable. But she wouldn't be the scared, pathetic weakling that cowered under Father's glare when Mother wasn't looking.

She would show Father she had grown stronger.

She would show that she had matured and that she had a right to some answers.

Anna had a feeling that Father acted entirely of his own free will. While Grand Pabbie at least had a ghost of an excuse of dancing to someone else's tune, Father didn't have that luxury. He loathed her from the moment she was conceived. Anna remembered what Ahtohallan showed her earlier. Father never stated it outright. Mother interrupted him.

But that didn't stop the bastard from implying that Mother should get an abortion.

Then Father had the nerve to use Mother's condition as an excuse to try and kill her.

It was only due a stroke of luck that Father failed in his murder attempt. But that didn't stop Father from treating her like garbage as she grew. He never tried to bond with her. Father never made it secret that he preferred Elsa out of the both of them.

Anna wasn't petty or spiteful enough to take it out on Elsa.

It wasn't her fault and she loved her sister.

But that only made Father's actions even more heinous and disgusting. He used both Mother AND Elsa as excuses to justify his hateful actions towards his second daughter.

The accident when Anna was five only gave him more freedom and leeway.

Anna clenched and unclenched her fists.

Now that her emotions were no longer suppressed, Anna could give free reign to the anger and resentment she felt towards Father. She despised how he treated her and her sister over the years. She resented Mother for not doing more to protect both sisters from Father.

She also resented Mother for not even trying to convince Agnarr not to enact his plans.

To just stand by as he isolated the sisters and Arendelle as a whole.

It wasn't just the royal family who felt the toll. Arendelle suffered financially due to Father's isolationist policies. Thanks to her visions, she knew it was only due to Grand Pabbie's ruthless intervention that Arendelle wasn't attacked by numerous enemies.

Human nature would have reared its ugly head.

Despite being a tiny country, Arendelle was rich in precious metals and natural resources. She wouldn't have put it past other greedy, unscrupulous leaders to invade.

And they nearly did.

Until Grand Pabbie stopped them.

Anna shuddered. She hated having to owe Grand Pabbie of all beings, considering what he inflicted upon Elsa and herself. But Mother and Father were so consumed with their research for Elsa's magic, they ignored the enemies that surrounded them at all sides.

Even though she disagreed with Grand Pabbie's methods, the outcome WAS necessary.

Well, first things first, she reflected grimly.

Anna knew that she had to continue her training. She decided to write down a list of what she needed to do. Through her visions, she knew that Grand Pabbie was in the dungeons.

While he was a puppet of that tree, he was ultimately responsible for his crimes.

Like she stated before, she would make amends with Elsa.

Then she would start her martial training and learn how to hunt and live off the land. The time was coming for her to start her own journey. However, she had to finalize her new alliances and trade agreements first. She couldn't afford to repeat Father's mistakes.

Arendelle required insurance against her enemies.

They had too many of them to count.

Then Anna would convince Elsa to take over temporarily as queen while she went on her journey. Elsa would protest, of course. She had her duties as the Fifth Spirit.

But Anna needed to discover her purpose, her destiny.

To discover who she was.

For too long, as she mentioned previously, she put others before herself. Their previous adventures were all about helping Elsa in some way, relegating Anna to the shadows.

No, she thought determinedly, it was HER turn.

First things first, she thought. When shew as ready, she would confront Father.

---

A scowl marred her features.

So far, there was no luck in contacting Elsa.

She had a feeling the Fifth Spirit was at the palace, visiting her sister. If that was the case, it meant she failed her mission. Their success was dependent on keeping the sisters estranged. They couldn't afford for the powerful sisters to repair their bond.

Both of them were enough of a threat on their own.

But they were a superpower when they worked together.

It seemed like everything was going according to plan when Elsa moved to the Enchanted Forest permanently. Even Iduna (unwittingly) did her part by luring Elsa to Ahtohallan.

After Elsa stopped the rushing waters from destroying Arendelle, she seemed even further removed from her homeland. There wasn't any visible reaction in the face of her sister's tears upon their reunion. It gave her hope that their plans have succeeded.

Even then, Anna remained unaware of her powers.

Much less her destiny.

If she remained damaged and scarred from Grand Pabbie's machinations, if she continued to remain convinced she was destined to remain in Elsa's shadow, she wouldn't be able to fulfill her destiny. She couldn't be allowed to participate in the battle against Ginnarr.

Even Ginnarr remained unaware of how dangerous Anna truly was.

He was drawn to her like a moth to the flame.

But if you got too close to her, you would get burned. Who would have thought that a stray comment from that insipid snowman, Olaf, would have put a wrench in her machinations?

All of her efforts to distract Elsa from her sister have failed.

This was bad. This was VERY bad.

Everything depended upon Ginnarr's victory. She was promised a huge reward if she was able to widen the gap between the sisters. For all of Elsa's powers, she was still somewhat naïve and in a highly suggestible state. The lure of the Enchanted Forest was too strong.

Unfortunately, the bond was starting to heal.

Even their argument didn't do as much damage as she hoped.

She shuddered. Even now, her nightmares of a possible future haunted her. Anna had good reason to resent Grand Pabbie and her family for what she endured growing up.

But Grand Pabbie didn't come up with the idea on his own.

For all of his powers, Grand Pabbie wasn't infallible.

The ultimate goal wasn't to weaken Elsa, but her sister. The seeds of doubt and paranoia were carefully sprinkled into Grand Pabbie's head from afar while Ginnarr him in his custody. Her relatives had to work quickly or Ginnarr would have sensed their presence.

Anna couldn't be allowed to come to power.

No one wanted to resort to assassination.

So, another plan was hatched instead. Anna would be kept isolated and confined in her own way. The damage to her mind and self esteem would be so tremendous, she would never realize her own potential. She would have eventually ruled Arendelle, but she wouldn't have her powers aid her. Of course, she wasn't the only agent in this carefully orchestrated plan.

When she was old enough to participate, she knew it was her turn.

Anna had the potential to become highly dangerous as her bitterness consumed her.

Too late, she and her fellow agents were learning the dangers of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Their seeds of doubt bloomed into a wild, raging forest and their plans backfired.

Grand Pabbie took it further than they wanted.

It was because of THEIR actions that Anna could become an evil queen in the future.

If Anna was raised with love and care, if she was allowed to explore her powers at will and develop a bond with her sister naturally, she wouldn't have so much potential for anger and destruction. For pain, bloodshed and conquest.

It was due to them that Anna was so vulnerable to her darker emotions.

In an effort to prevent such a fate, they ended up creating the possibility for it.

She pursed her lips grimly. It was clear another plan was needed. While she regretted the pain the sisters suffered growing up, her and her fellow agents feared the damage they could do. Especially if Anna influenced and corrupted her older sister.

She shuddered at the damage that ELSA could do as well.

After all, she was the Fifth Spirit.

Decision made, she rose to her feet and motioned for Gale. It was time yet again to summon Elsa from the palace. It wasn't just the plan to lure her to the Enchanted Forest to live for all time. Well, as the rest of her natural life, anyway.

Elsa still had her duties as the Fifth Spirit.

She handed her note to Gale, who whistled away in a swirl of leaves.

Briefly, another scowl formed on her face when her grandmother called for her as there were more chores to be done. She raised her eyes to the skies in acute annoyance.

Then, she smoothed her face over and plastered a kind smile on her face.

"Coming, Grandmother." Honeymaren said in reply.