Hello people, and welcome back to Frozen: Lords of Storm and Stone. I promised I would be on top of this story from then on, and I intend to keep it, so...let's see what's new shall we?
In the training grounds of Castle Absalom at dusk, Adrianna looked upon Dietrich as he knelt in the middle of the arena...then she smiled.
"You are ready..." She said causally, then she circled Dietrich, and looked him over. His hair was now long enough to extend past his shoulders, to the top of his chest, and his suit now had black, segmented plated on the shoulders, legs, arms, and chest. He also wore a dark red leather mask that covered his entire face, including his forehead.
"I've been down in the dungeon training like you instructed ever since Lord Absalom left, I damn well better be ready." Dietrich said seriously as Adrianna continued to walk around him, and look him over..
"Judging from your muscles, and the...exquisite work the artisans did on your suit, you've gotten quite a bit out of your training." Adrianna said, then Dietrich punched the ground.
"And I'm going to continue doing so until we are ready to strike back at Sigmund!" He growled.
"Relax Red Wolf...I've gotten a letter from Lord Absalom earlier today. He should return within the hour." Adrianna said, then Dietrich took off his mask, and glared at Adrianna.
"And why didn't you tell me this sooner!?" He asked seriously.
"Be happy I told you at all." Adrianna said simply, then Dietrich narrowed his eyes, and ignited his fist.
"Adrianna!" He exclaimed, then Adrianna smirked.
"If you want to demonstrate your new powers, wait until he returns." She said.
"Oh...I will..." Dietrich breathed out, then he put his mask back on...then a guard approached the two.
"My lady, Lord Absalom has arrived." The guard said, then Dietrich stood up.
"Take us to him now." He said, then the guard took a step back.
"He's on his way to the throne room..." He said, then he walked away.
"Come Red Wolf." Adrianna said, then Dietrich followed her and the guard out of the arena.
When the trio reached the throne room, the guard stayed by the door, and Dietrich, and Adrianna stayed at a distance as two sets of guards lined the path toward the throne. Eventually, Absalom entered the room, and walked toward the throne between the lines of guard, none of whom moved in any way as Absalom marched. Adrianna and Dietrich simply watched as their lord and leader took his place on the throne, and looked upon the dozens of soldiers under his command.
Adrianna and Dietrich approached the throne, and Adrianna knelt before Dietrich did.
"Dietrich...I can see you were quite busy in my absence." Absalom, then Dietrich removed his mask.
"Yes...I was..." He trailed off.
"I look forward to seeing how so, but first, I am certain you are both curious as to what I was doing in Finland. I will have answers for you in due time, but for now, I want to know what happened here in my absence." Absalom said.
"Then let us waste no time." Adrianna said, then Absalom stood up...and so did Dietrich, and Adrianna stood as well.
Absalom followed Adrianna and Dietrich as they walked down a corridor past some of the guards, and they eventually reached a large chamber with a small staircase that led to the bottom...and Absalom looked at the iron bars, and stone blocks around the room.
"Judging from the...lack of organization in this place, you've gotten quite a bit out of your time down here." Absalom said.
"How observant." Dietrich groaned.
"It most certainly explains how you became more robust, impressively so." Absalom said.
"Would you like me to demonstrate?" Dietrich asked.
"Unnecessary...but on a more important note, do you remember when I first brought you here?" Absalom asked...then Dietrich recalled the time he wore Absalom's armor.
"It is impossible not to." Dietrich said seriously.
"Do you still feel the effects to this day?" Absalom asked.
"Yes." Dietrich said, then Absalom looked at Dietrich.
"I can feel it...your power rivals the Snow Queen's as much as before, but...there's also a change somehow." Absalom said.
"How so?" Dietrich asked.
"The strength of your flames not only rivals that of the Snow Queen, but the nature of your fire is more similar to Adrianna's." Absalom said.
"You flatter him father." Adrianna said casually.
"No...the magic I wield is nothing but honest. It has even shown me how the Snow Queen defeated you during your battle with her." Absalom said.
"How is that possible?" Dietrich asked seriously.
"There is much about magic you fail to understand. Anyway, during that time, the Snow Queen could release as much power as you wield for much longer than you could. Now...your endurance is far superior to what it was back then, impressively so." Absalom said.
"Am I a match for her and Sigmund?" Dietrich asked.
"That remains to be seen..." Absalom said simply.
"But once it is..." Dietrich trailed off.
"Have you trained with weapons?" Absalom asked.
"Axes mostly." Dietrich said, then Absalom sighed.
"Unimpressive." He said seriously.
"I will not waste my time on such methods when I have...others means to cause destruction." Dietrich said, then Absalom pointed at him.
"I hope for your sake that you're 'other methods' do not fail you, and you are forced to use conventional methods." Absalom said casually.
"I will adapt at that time." Dietrich said, then Adrianna looked back at forth between the two men as they watched other in silence.
"How much has your body improved?" Absalom asked.
"Considerably." Dietrich said.
"And I am sure that it will serve you as much as the strength you had before had before. Now...I must wonder how you are with your fire." Absalom said.
"Take me to the training ground, and I'll show you..." Dietrich breathed out, then Adrianna stopped walking, and smirked.
"You may come to regret that request...Red Wolf..." She said casually.
When they reached the arena, the soldiers training with the dummies, and each other stopped what they were doing, and watched the two fire magic users. When they walked down the stairs, past the weapons racks, and soldiers, they each took a position on either side of the arena. Absalom remained at the top of the stone staircase, and sat down as the soldiers encircled the arena.
Dietrich and Adrianna stared each other down for the better part of a minute, and only Dietrich's body showed signs of tension...
"Let us see what you were up to..." Absalom breathed out, then Dietrich ignited his fists, and Adrianna smirked and did the same. Dietrich then conjured a fire whip, swung it over his head, and lashed at Adrianna...then she backhanded the whip to the side, and she formed her flames around her fingers. Her flames then extended to three times the length of her fingers, and when Dietrich lashed at her with the fire whip in his other hand, Adrianna used her fire claws to shred the whip.
Dietrich then snarled, reformed the whip, and he lashed at Adrianna with full speed, and without relenting, even though Adrianna deflected each of Dietrich's whips. The soldiers could barely keep track of the lashes, as Adrianna defended herself two or three times each second. Dietrich however was not deterred, nor was Adrianna intimidated by Dietrich's onslaught. Adrianna even tried to approach Dietrich, but each time she did, Dietrich lashed at her at an angle from which she was not prepared to defend herself.
Adrianna once deflected a lash to her head, only for the same whip to be used to lash at her feet, which left her no choice but to back away from Dietrich. The Red Wolf even pressed the assault, and moved toward Adrianna, and she finally showed worry on her face. She then intensified the flames coating her fingers, and she swiped in Dietrich's direction, and released four waves of fire at the same time. Dietrich then put his hands together, conjured a fireball between them, and released it at Adrianna.
The two spells cancelled one another out, then Dietrich ignited his fists, and he shouted as the flames coated his forearms. He then charged at Adrianna, and she charged at him in kind, and when they got close enough, Dietrich pulled his fist back for a punch. Adrianna moved to the side immediately and braced to swipe at Dietrich with her fire claws, but Dietrich used his other hand to grab Adrianna's forearm, which surprised her greatly.
Dietrich then used the fist his braced to throw a punch at Adrianna's face, but she moved her head out of the way at the last moment. Dietrich repeatedly tried to punch her several times, but his fist never connected. Adrianna then twisted her forearm out of Dietrich's grasp, and she swiped at his abdomen with the claws on her other hand. When Adrianna's claws connected, it heated the plating on Dietrich's abdomen, and staggered him slightly, and he looked at Adrianna was even more intensity.
Dietrich then tried to kick Adrianna, but she moved away from him, and Dietrich jumped at her, and braced his fist for another punch, with his elbow emitting a jet of fire. His punch connected with the side of Adrianna's head, and she collapsed to the ground as Dietrich caught his footing. He then tried to kick Adrianna again, but she stopped his strike by putting both of her hands on Dietrich's shin. She then pushed his leg to the side, and Dietrich fell the ground, then Adrianna mounted Dietrich with her knees on either side of his waist, and she rapidly swiped at Dietrich with her claws.
He put both of his forearms in the way of Adrianna's claws, and none of her strikes bypassed Dietrich's flame-coated arms. Eventually, he grabbed one of her forearms just before Adrianna could strike him across his masked face, then Dietrich punched Adrianna in the abdomen with his other hand, and flipped them over. Adrianna then kicked Dietrich in the abdomen with both of her feet, and Dietrich rolled backward, took a moment to compose himself, then he struggled to his feet.
He then snarled, conjured his fire whips, and lashed at Adrianna again, and she rolled to the side each time Dietrich tried to strike her. When Dietrich swept one of his whips across the ground, Adrianna rolled backwards, and threw fireballs at him. Dietrich lashed each fireball in half, and continued to engage her in the process...until Adrianna threw a smaller fireball to the side, and it grew several times its original size.
It then released streams of fire that went in all directions, and they all curved toward Dietrich, and he protected himself with a barrier of fire as the streams struck him. He then held his ground as Adrianna stood by and watched Dietrich protected himself from the unconventional assault. Almost a minute later, the streams ceased, and the fireball from which they originated disappeared, and Dietrich lowered his barrier afterwards.
"When did you learn that?" Dietrich asked seriously.
"There are many tactics I haven't used in your presence...unlike this one." Adrianna said, then she conjured a fire whip, and lashed as Dietrich, and he caught the fire whip without igniting his hand.
"You didn't teach me everything I know anymore than you taught me everything you know." Dietrich said.
"Says the puppy that didn't use any techniques I haven't taught him." Adrianna said casually, then Dietrich glared at her, and used a vertical knifehand strike to sever the whip binding his other arm. Adrianna then caught her footing, sucked in the deepest breath she could, and spewed a torrent of fire at Dietrich from her mouth. Dietrich then removed his mask, and breathed fire at Adrianna in kind, and the surrounding soldiers retreated from the explosion, and intense heat that resulted from the two fiery attacks colliding.
When the two fire stream died down, then arena was blackened in the middle.
"Enough!" Absalom yelled, then Adrianna and Dietrich looked at him, and he slowly flew toward the arena as the soldiers made space for him.
"Have I proven my power?" Dietrich asked seriously.
"That, and more, Red Wolf." Absalom said, then Dietrich put his mask back on.
"Now, what did you do over in Finland?" Adrianna asked, then Absalom looked at the soldiers, and they went back to their training further away from the trio.
"Come." Absalom said, then Adrianna and Dietrich followed him into the castle.
The trio went up multiple flights of stairs on the different levels, and they eventually reached the throne room.
"There's nothing here." Dietrich said simply.
"In due time Dietrich..." Absalom said casually, then he sat on his throne.
"You had a meeting in Finland didn't you?" Adrianna asked.
"In a manner of speaking...have you heard of the Lodge of Sacred Stars?" Absalom asked.
"Those monks that supposedly went around chasing legends? What about them?" Dietrich asked.
"There are some former members of their brotherhood that are loyal to me, and they have sworn a fair amount of support for our war against the Lord of Stone." Absalom said.
"You cannot be serious." Dietrich said.
"Adrianna can tell you about their reality as well as I can, but more importantly...I did not return alone. On the edge of our territory, there is a troop of berserkers on their way to join our ranks." Absalom said, then Adrianna widened her eyes, and rested one hand on her hip.
"Berserkers you say?" She said casually.
"The most dreaded warriors of the Viking Age...they are still around to this day, and even though they're more..dubious than they were back then, they are no less fearsome." Absalom said.
"Can we trust them?" Dietrich asked seriously, then Absalom stared at him.
"More than we can trust you..." He breathed out, then Dietrich clenched his fists.
"When are they supposed to be here?" Adrianna asked.
"Some of them accompanied me here, but there are many more on the way." Absalom said.
"You said they are more dubious than before." Dietrich said.
"That only applies to how they fight, and how they treat their foes when the battle is won. As for their loyalty...I have my ways to keep him under control." Absalom said.
"For the sake of your army, I hope so." Dietrich said, then Absalom surged lightning into his hand...and a pair of men larger than Kristoff, both of whom wore the skins of bears over armor composed of chain, scales, and some minor plating on their arms and legs. They each wore Gjermundbu helmets with veils composed of chain armor, and they had shields on their backs, as well as axes, swords, and dagger on their waists. Adrianna looked over the two men with keen interest and Dietrich looked back and forth between them.
"These are the forces at our disposal in our next campaign." Absalom said seriously
"They'll do..." Adrianna breathed out.
Back in the Valley of Stone, the aftermath of Sigmund and Siegfried's birthday was fresh in the minds of the citizens. From the children playing, to the adults working tirelessly in the fields, with the livestock, in the forest, and in their homes, to the soldiers training, and the officers scheming. Morale was at its zenith for the rest of over a week after that special occasion...and the royal family of Arendelle was no exception.
When they took Lisa to the grasslands with Sven, they sat around the rocks from where they typically watched Sven.
"It won't be long until I'll be able to take on Lord Sigmund for real." Lisa said casually.
"I don't know about that, even without his magic, he's one tough cookie." Kristoff said.
"I wasn't being serious, but..." Lisa trailed off.
"It would be quite a feat." Elsa said.
"Especially if he actually used his magic against me." Lisa said.
"O.k. now that is probably impossible. You saw how much stronger he got when he fought Elsa." Anna said.
"Yeah...if he fought like that, the fight would start, then end." Lisa said.
"Just like it would if I had been this tough, back when I last saw Hans." Anna said.
"Hey, imagine if Sigmund fought Hans. Who do you think would win?" Kristoff asked.
"That has to be the most insane question I've ever heard." Anna said casually.
"Me too..." Lisa said.
"Sigmund has earth magic, he wears plate armor, his muscles are bigger, he's got a heavier sword, and he's faster. Hans wouldn't stand a chance.." Anna said.
"What did Hans have?" Lisa asked.
"I've only ever seen him use an arming sword, just before he tried to cut off Elsa's head." Anna said.
"Yikes..." Lisa said.
"'Yikes' is right...I wanted to kick his butt for it, but Anna insisted on doing it herself." Kristoff said.
"Technically I punched him off the side of the ship we were on." Anna said.
"Talk about being 'in your face'." Lisa said casually.
"He made me think he loved me, tried to kill Elsa, and tried to steal the throne, all while making himself look like a hero. He got what was coming to him." Anna said seriously.
"Let's see him try a stunt like that around here. Oh wait, Sigmund wouldn't let it come to that..." Lisa said.
"Yeah, Sigmund's anything but stupid...I mean, he's not easy to trick, nor would Hans get a chance to trick him." Kristoff said, and Anna deadpanned at him as he spoke.
"We get the point..." She groaned, then Lisa looked back and forth between the married pair, and cleared her throat.
"Anywho..." She trailed off.
"Is there any more training you want to do with Sigmund?" Elsa asked.
"I don't know...but when we get back, I'm going to ask him." Lisa said.
"We can do that once Sven gets it out of his system." Kristoff said.
"Naturally..." Lisa said, then the group looked at Sven as he raced through the grasslands without a care in the world.
When they returned to the valley, they went to the barracks, and looked around...then they saw Sigmund with Captain Lars.
"The miners in the northern mine are coming across fewer veins of precious metals." Lars said.
"Then remove them and send them elsewhere. It's not worth risking their lives just for some additional wealth." Sigmund said.
"My thoughts exactly my liege." Lars said, then he and Sigmund saw the approaching group.
"By your leave captain." Sigmund said casually, then he and Lars smirked, and Sigmund approached the group.
"You look well." Elsa said softly.
"I feel as lively as I did on me and Siegfried's birthday." Sigmund said.
"Glad to hear it." Anna said, then Lisa stepped forward and Sigmund looked at her.
"Is there more training I can do?" Lisa asked.
"That depends, how familiar are you with the use of a dagger?" Sigmund asked, then Lisa took a moment to think.
"Not that much...but how different could it be from a knife?" She asked.
"In some cases, quite." Sigmund said seriously, then Lisa sighed deeply.
"Alright, the more skills I get the better." She said.
"And the rest of you?" Sigmund asked.
"We're good." Anna said, then Sigmund smirked.
"Then let's go." He said, then he led Lisa into the barracks, and the family followed from a distance.
When they entered, Sigmund took one of the daggers on a rack, held it with the blade facing the floor, then he gave his sword to Lisa...and shrunk it to the size of a dagger as Lisa gasped and widened her eyes.
"You did not just do that...!" She exclaimed.
"Now you know why I don't keep a dagger on my person." Sigmund said simply, then Lisa stood there with her utter disbelief still present on her face.
"I'm not just holding the sword belonging to the Lord of Stone, but I just watched you turn this sword into a dagger...if I didn't know better, I'd say I was dreaming." Lisa said seriously.
"Then I don't need to tell you that you're awake." Sigmund said casually, then Lisa giggled.
"Let's do this." She said, then she held the dagger a reverse grip like Sigmund was...but he put his hand between them.
"Not so fast, you should know that daggers are mostly for emergencies, like when you're within grappling distance, or if you're going for the weak spot in someone's armor. Or of course if you need a shorter blade for...well, whatever you would need a knife for." Sigmund said.
"What's the difference between a dagger and a knife?" Lisa asked.
"A knife is typically a tool first and a weapon second. With a dagger, it's the other way around." Sigmund said.
"Alright...so now what?" Lisa asked.
"Well, I doubt I have to tell you that more often than not, a dagger stands little chance against a weapon with superior reach. Although a spear is a debatable exception given that...once you get past the tip of a spear, it's almost useless." Sigmund said.
"And then the person with the dagger can just go to town on the guy with a spear." Lisa said.
"Exactly, but a dagger is, for the most part, a backup weapon, not a main one." Sigmund said.
"I'll keep that in mind...although..." Lisa trailed off as she looked away.
"I'm training you like this so you can defend yourself, or someone else if the need arises. I don't expect you to be a soldier anymore than I did in the past." Sigmund said, then Lisa sighed.
"Right..." She whispered.
"Be that as it may...I'm both impressed with the progress you made since you started, but I also expected it given how driven you were." Sigmund said.
"That drive is still there...my lord." Lisa said softly.
"No doubt...although, I would like my sword back." Sigmund said as he extended his hand, and Lisa looked at the dagger she held, sighed deeply, gave it back to Sigmund, and he turned it back into a sword, and sheathed it.
"I still have yet to get any serious training with a dagger." Lisa said, then Sigmund gave the dagger her held to her.
"Do you know how to use a knife?" Sigmund asked.
"I've used a knife plenty of times over the years." Lisa said.
"Then you already know the basics." Sigmund said.
"Well...good for me then." Lisa said, then Sigmund approached the royal family.
"Where's Olaf?" Sigmund asked.
"Oh, he's wandering the town, and probably entertaining a few people here and there." Anna said casually, then Sigmund smirked.
"Well, I strongly advise you retrieve him, and soon." He said.
"Why?" Elsa asked.
"I got a message a few hours ago...we're about to have a visitor." Sigmund said.
"Who?" Anna asked.
"Saint William." Sigmund said seriously, then everyone widened their eyes.
"You mean that priest from the Lodge of Sacred Stars?" Anna asked.
"The same one." Sigmund said.
"Why is he coming here?" Elsa asked.
"He says he wants to pay his respects, and that he has information for us. Other than that...he didn't say." Sigmund said.
"Strange..." Kristoff trailed off.
"Quite, which is why I for one am more than alittle interested in what he has to say." Sigmund said.
"Me too." Anna said.
"Then we should go find Olaf as soon as possible, and get back to the fortress, now." Elsa said.
"Alright, let's go find us a snowman." Lisa said.
"I will see you at the fortress." Sigmund said as he walked off, then the others went in another direction.
In the marketplace, Olaf waddled through the area while humming to himself, and the customers simply went about their business and ignored Olaf.
"There he is." Anna said, then the group approached Olaf, and he immediately saw them.
"Oh, hello." He said simply.
"Hello." Lisa said.
"Guess what? We're getting a visitor at the fortress." Elsa said.
"A visitor? Oh, I love visitors..." Olaf said.
"Well, you're really going to love this one." Anna said.
"I hope so..." Olaf said, then he followed the group back to the fortress.
When they reached the fortress, Sigmund was there on his throne, and the group approached him with the same steady they always used before him.
"Is he here?" Lisa asked.
"Not yet, but I have sent Ingmar out to receive him should he arrive soon." Sigmund said.
"Alright, any idea for what to do in the meantime?" Anna asked as she looked at everyone else.
"I wouldn't advise planning anything time-consuming; Saint William could arrive any minute." Sigmund said seriously.
"Of course not, I was just saying..." Anna said.
"Well...does anyone have anything to talk about?" Kristoff asked.
"How about the idea of having knights around here?" Anna asked.
"I'm sorry, but my thoughts on that notion have not changed." Sigmund said.
"Why not my liege?" Lisa asked.
"Mostly because it would serve no purpose, but also...well, let's just say my thoughts on their legends have been soured." Sigmund said.
"How so?" Lisa asked.
"Let me ask you something first...what comes to mind when you think of knights?" Sigmund asked, then Lisa looked him over.
"The same look you have for one thing..." Lisa trailed off.
"Which is somewhat ironic given that I was trained in the same ways the knights were trained back in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries." Sigmund said.
"How is that ironic?" Lisa asked.
"Because...well, look at the romantic version of a knight. They were seen as heroes, and defenders of justice, and righteousness...what an amazing lie that was. A shocking number of knights were no better than the peasants they frowned upon, and in some cases, they were worse." Sigmund said seriously, then Lisa looked around.
"So...they were revered, but also hated..." She trailed off.
"Yes, and rightly so." Sigmund said, then Lisa sighed deeply.
"Funny enough...when you knelt before Father Leonid, you did so in the way you'd expect a knight to." She said.
"There is some truth to the legends surrounding them, hence why I am not against looking like one. Just like there were exceptions to the fear and hate the common people had for them." Sigmund said as the door behind the family opened.
"And some knights were true holy warriors." William said, then the group turned around to see him.
"Saint William!" Anna yelled, then William smiled.
"Hello again." He said, then he approached the throne.
"Welcome to the Valley of Stone Saint William." Sigmund said, then William knelt before Sigmund.
"Lord of Stone...it is a magnanimous honor to be in your presence..." William said seriously.
And look who's back in town, and he likely has quite a few stories to tell if he's showing up like this. That, or he's really keen on making a social call to the one and only Lord of Stone. Interesting timing in either case, but I'll leave the speculation to my readers. Until the questions get answered, please continue to Rate, Review, and Share...and stay tuned.