Edward could hear faint voices going in and out around him but he couldn't make out any of them. He was dipping in and out of consciousness with the world feeling so very far away. The only clear thing he remembered was Walter, the man that had tormented him all these months had finally returned to stab him in the chest.

He honestly wasn't that surprised by that, Walter had tried killing him before, it wasn't too far of a stretch to see him do so again. Hell, if Edward was completely honest, he deserved it. Everything that had happened around him was a result of his actions in one way or another. If it wasn't for him, Rahim wouldn't have been an avenger, which resulted in Wrath taking him over, then arriving in Arendelle, before putting Walter in a position to sacrifice his life here to become Wrath.

He wasn't sure who he was anymore, Edward was the only name that he possessed and even that was fake. A name based on some fairy tale that people now think he's a real life hero, but he's just a fraud. Walter was a much better hero than he was, better than him in every way and he meant it when he thought that Walter should be here and not him.

Truly, perhaps dying to Walter wasn't the worst thing in the world, maybe it was just karma catching up to him. Maybe he should enjoy the sweet release of death and finally be at peace.

Maybe this time, when someone told him to wake up he wouldn't…

Maybe…

"ED!"

The young man's eyes shot open and a familiar wooden ceiling came into view. His eyes quickly darted around the room and recognized that he was in the infirmary with a familiar redhead sitting next to him. It's honestly been a while since he had seen Anna, her initial attempts to cheer him up had ended in failure and she would've continued to try if not for her current condition.

Her plump belly had been coming along very well and had forced the epic force of nature that was Anna of Arendelle to stay in one place and take everything slow. His job sites were no place for a pregnant woman and her husband had been glued to her side every step of the way so he was spared their attempts. Despite his attempts at pushing them away and the circumstances that made that physically possible, seeing her now, he couldn't deny the weight on his shoulders getting lighter.

"I'm glad you're awake, I was so worried about you. When Klein brought you in, you were breathing fast and clutching your chest and we thought you might be having a heart attack. We rushed you to doctor Steward and he said you were just having a panic attack and that you needed to calm down but you passed out before we could do anything. He checked you over and said that you would be fine when you woke up, but I thought that maybe a part of you could still hear us even though you're sleeping so I decided to yell and here you are!"

Edward found that her fast pace rambling was far less annoying than the tourist seeking him out and he twitched in her direction when he noticed that she was a bit out of breath. When he regained her breath, he realized that his muscles were relaxing after being tense. Peeling away his focus from the redhead, the young man had considered her words and thought back to his supposed 'panic attack'.

He was sure he remembered Walter stabbing him in the chest after that tourist had said some vague words. His hand slid up his chest to feel where the wound was but could find no such damage. It was as if he had healed himself but he was sure that he had no such ability. Because of losing Wrath, he was basically just a human now and had no power on his own.

Had he imagined it, was this just the result of his head first diving into copious alcohol? A dream of him working and being killed by Walter before finally waking up in a hospital bed? The thought had the dead expression return to his face as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Thanks for watching over me but I need to get back to work."

Anna looked ready to jump to her feet and say something when the door opened, drawing both of their attention. Klein had poked his head in and upon seeing that Edward was awake instantly rushed to his side.

"You're awake! We were worried about you." The weight on his shoulders once again grew lighter but he maintained that dead expression on his face as he regarded Klein for a moment before getting to his feet. His boots were at the foot of the bed with his hat being on a nearby table so he went after his boots first. Turning to reach for them with his one arm, he was caught by his shirt being pulled by his left sleeve. He didn't have to turn to know that Anna had grabbed and was aiming an upset look toward him.

"Didn't you hear what I said? You had a panic attack, that doesn't mean you can just get up and walk it off. As much as I hate hearing this, you need to rest. Even though the doctor said you'd be fine, if Klein hadn't brought you to him, you might've been worse off. For all we know, you working all the time is what caused you to have this attack!"

Edward turned back to her and lightly put his remaining hand on both of hers but did not push them away. "I appreciate your concern for me but I'm fine and need to work. There's still much to be done and I can't just be sitting around doing nothing."

He had hoped that his dismissal would be enough to get her to let go but she didn't, it only got her to tighten her grip.

"Work huh, is that what you're calling it? Why not be honest and just say what you mean, you're avoiding us. Ever since the invasion, you've pushed all your friends and the people who care about you away. You quit your job and left all the guards to fend for themselves when they've lost a lot of their friends. You've never visited me or Kristoff once since it became too hard for me to get around."

Anna's face actually took on a very disappointed look as she spoke the next few words.

"You left Elsa alone with all the broken pieces around her and watched her dive head first into her work to pick up all the pieces by herself."

A quick pang struck a chord in his heart but Edward quickly squashed it. He did do all those things, which should've made it abundantly clear that he wasn't worth the effort. All he was good for was just working and he would do his part, even if it barely made a difference.

He was about to respond when the door once again opened and an older man with gray messy hair with an easy sickly smile walked in and upon seeing the young man up and on the edge of the bed raised a thin veiny hand and waved to him.

"Why hello! It's nice to see you again!"

Edward's dead expression was wiped off his face when he recognized the older man. His previously guilt ridden mind instantly started thinking back to the words the man had spoken.

"...as for Edward being dead…well that's a matter of perspective."

He hadn't cared back then but something inside him screamed that there was something about this guy and instantly a surge of protective instinct had him quickly step in between Anna and the man.

The older man apparently found this amusing because he chuckled a bit more before raising his hands in a calming gesture. "There's no need to be so hostile, you can ask this fine young man here," he gestured to Klein "that I'm the one who said that you required help." Edward's eyes shifted over to Klein looking for confirmation, who looked like a deer blinded by a bright light but he didn't deny it.

But he was there when Walter-

"That wasn't the runt."

All three of them turned toward the older man who still had that sickly smile on his face. His cheeks were sunken in with his eyes having heavy bags under them. His back was hunched over and judging from his neck he was a thin man under his brown jacket and black knitted shirt and pants with loafers on his feet.

Anna and Klein looked at him and their first thought was that he looked like a sickly grandparent. The only thing steady and strong about him was his voice that had been light so far. He seemed like a pleasant enough guy but the fact he mentioned Walter meant that he was someone special.

Edward on the other hand looked downright disturbed, the older man had spoken as if he could read his mind. There was only one person he had that experience with and if Father had found some way to-

"I'm also not Abraham. Frankly, that's a little insulting seeing as you were the one who decided to ignore me when I just wanted to meet you."

The young man unconsciously took a step back. The disturbed feeling he had just skyrocketed, it was obvious that this man could read his mind. He didn't know how, but his responses were too exacting to be coincidences. Perhaps he had read his mind and knew who Walter was from accessing his memories which meant that he-

"Actually I knew the runt quite well before he ever-"

"WILL YOU STOP TALKING?!"

Anna and Klein jumped at Edward's shouting. It had been a long time since either of them had heard the young man raise his voice. That being said, it was a little freaky that the older man had been talking like he was having a back and forth conversation when it's only been him talking. The older man only chuckled before raising his hands again in a surrendering fashion.

"I'm sorry, it's been a long time since I've actually talked to someone and it's easy to forget that most people would find my…" he wringed his hand a bit trying to think of the word. "..habit, unsettling. How about this, I'll let you verbally speak to me before I respond to you, just so they…'' he gestured to Anna and Klein. "...can keep up with the conversation."

Edward felt anger prickling at the back of his mind. The way the man spoke was if he was toying or entertaining a child. He actually looked like he had something to say on the tip of his tongue but quickly stopped himself, letting the young man speak first. Choking back the myriad of insults and rude things to say, he instead asked,

"Who are you?"

The older man opened his mouth to speak but thought better of what he had to say and closed it. It didn't take a mind reader to see that he was struggling to figure out what exactly to say. Finally he shrugged,

"My name is Ledgar Haytham, and I've come a long way to meet you and if I'm being completely honest, I'm disappointed and can't see what the runt saw in you."

Anna chose that time to speak up as she used the chair she was at to wobble to her feet. Edward instantly came to her aid but her weakness didn't extend to her voice at all. "Hey! That's a rude thing to say! You don't know what he's been through or have any right to criticize the relationship between him and Walter!"

Ledgar actually looked surprised and uncomfortable at her scolding, as he leaned away from her despite having half the room separate the two of them. Klein's response to his words died in the guard's throat as the redhead essentially stole the words right out of his mouth. Edward on the other hand wasn't insulted, in fact what he truly cared about was the fact that he knew Walter and had come a long way which meant the two of them must've been in contact for some time.

"When was the last time you saw Walter?"

The older man's eyes shifted to Edward as he once again debated on how to respond to the question. Once again he shrugged and just said, "Doesn't matter, you're clearly not ready for anything I have to say." He then pointed to Anna with a thin shaky finger. "You, on the other hand, have caught my attention. If you want I can tell you the gender of your baby."

The redhead looked a little confused at the statement. There was no way of knowing if you'll have a boy or girl until they're born, how would he know their gender? Moreover, she didn't know this guy and did he really think she'd let him anywhere near her child? Her facial expression must've tipped him off because his smile became the same as that of a preoccupied child as he pointed at her.

"You're gonna have a boy."

Anna unconsciously put her hand on her stomach. "How could you possibly know that?" Ledgar didn't pause or even think about what he should say.

"He told me."

He then walked out of the room as if there was nothing left there to entertain him. Klein finally found his voice as he called out to him to wait but the door was already closed behind him before the guard turned to the other two occupants in the room.

"What just happened? Did I go crazy, or was that guy off his rocker?"

Anna stared at the door for a little longer before looking up at Edward as she gripped him for support. "Maybe he's just confused and met Walter a long time ago." The young man frowned and shook his head.

"No, the way he spoke showed that he knew more than he let on. Plus I know it sounded like he was just saying random things but I know he was responding to my thoughts." Klein pointed toward the infirmary door.

"So you're saying that guy had read your mind and was verbally answering your thoughts?" The way Klein phrased it sounded ridiculous but having a Snow Queen redefined most people's definitions of words like 'impossible' or 'ridiculous'. Hell, Edward used to be a ridiculous a year ago but now he was a normal part of Arendelle.

"Klein, get over here and help Anna, I need to talk to that guy again." Neither Cameron or Anna could argue before the princess was in his arms and Edward had rushed out the room.

The young man took quick strides down the hallway before coming to the first intersection at the stairs before two separate hallways. He strained his ears to listen for Ledgar's footsteps but when he thought of it, he hadn't been able to hear the older man's footsteps before. Choosing to go toward the nearest set of footsteps, he rushed down the stairs before turning the corner at the base of them and seeing a patrolling guard. Upon seeing his face, Edward vaguely remembered his name was Garen and strode up to him.

"Hey, have you seen an old guy just walk past? Sickly, gray hair, hunched over?" Garen shook his head and was about to ask why but Edward had already sped away questioning the very next person he came across.

Tucked away in the living quarters of the royal family was Gerda, outfitting a new nursery. After learning that Anna was pregnant, the servant couldn't stop crying tears of joy. Even now when she thought of the incoming gift that would sleep in the bed she was assembling, she'd tear up.

Due to recent events, the nursery had taken much longer than she would've liked seeing as she did it all on her own. It wasn't meant to be a secret nor was she hiding it, but it was advantageous being a servant. Even if she was one of the oldest staff members in the castle and she had enough influence over Elsa to make her listen, most didn't pay attention to her.

She would give the other servants their assignments while Kai would coordinate the staff and deal with matters of the court. It was a well tuned system that made it possible for tasks being completed even if she wasn't personally there. Which allowed her to go about her business in recreating the nursery.

Gerda had been the one to do so for the late Queen when she was pregnant with both Elsa and Anna. Everything in the room had been made by her by hand, from the bed, rocker, crib, everything. People underestimated the experience that came with a lifetime of service to someone they cared for.

"I must say you are right, the skills you've acquired over the years have served you very well. I'm sure the princess will love your surprise." The older woman didn't recognize the voice and turned around to see a sickly old man smiling at her. She hadn't heard him come in but it wasn't that out of the ordinary that she would get so sucked into something the world around her faded away.

What somewhat bothered her was the fact that this was the royal quarters which was generally off limits for the public and Kai hadn't told her of any visiting dignitaries. "Thank you for saying so, but is there something I can help you with Mr…"

"Haytham, Ledgar Haytham at your service." Ledgar shook a little bit as he bent over to bow his head and his hand gently grasped hers which also shook in frailty as he kissed the back of it. Gerda chuckled a little uncomfortably as she pulled her hand away.

"Well Mr. Haytham, was there something I could help you with?"

"Oh, it's fine, I don't want to interrupt your work. There were a few people I was hoping to meet, but with everyone so busy bustling around I found myself lost and followed the path I thought best." Gerda supposed that was an acceptable excuse but with everything that had happened, she found herself remaining suspicious. His sickly, polite, and charming personality made her want to believe he was just a senior citizen touring the castle but in the back of her mind, he bothered her.

Perhaps Walter rubbed off on me a little.

"If you're lost, I sure wouldn't mind helping you. Who was it that you were looking for?" She knew that Elsa had left with Hector for a meeting in the city and that she would be back any minute now so she could get back to work. As loath as Gerda was to put Elsa in harm's way, she knew that it would be smarter if Elsa was aware of a possible security risk.

Ledger wheezily chuckled which made her even more uncomfortable because she hadn't said anything funny. "I was hoping to meet with someone called Kai. An acquaintance of mine had said that Kai had made a lasting impression on him as one of the best men he'd ever met. Such praise is very rare from that particular associate, and while I was down here for other concerns, I thought I'd meet the man myself."

"What's your associate's name? I've known Kai for many years so it's possible that I would've known him."

The old man only smiled, he wanted to say it, but thought better of it.

"I highly doubt you've met the man I'm thinking about. All the same though, he doesn't know I'm here, call me superstitious but I rather not say his name." That set off a yellow flag in her mind as she was about to try and ferret out some more information before he gestured to the pink decorations and elements in the room behind her.

"You should consider going for blue and not pink. At the very least be gender neutral so you don't have to redo a lot of this work."

Gerda briefly turned and looked at the room and found that he was right and that she had unconsciously prepared a baby girl's nursery with pink pillows, blankets, and other items. Her mind took a step in addressing it before it reminded her of the more pressing concern. She turned around to focus on the other occupant in the room but found that he had completely disappeared. She quickly dropped what she was doing before hurrying to the door, opening it and looking down the hallways to find him.

The hallways were empty, save her. If this had happened thirty years ago, she would've chalked it up to her imagination, but she was already running toward where she thought Kai would be.

Asger was laying on his back with his arms spread out breathing heavily and having no more strength in his body. He was currently laying down on some mountain face, an upturned trail of snow and a crater was where he ended up. The warmonger watched the bleak overcast of clouds above go by, his mind was at lull.

The sound of boots crunching through snow had his eyes turn to his side to see Alrick limping in his direction. The spear that had crackled with the dominating thunder was reduced to a walking stick as the King made it to the crater before falling to his knees. The two of them didn't need to exchange any words to have an understanding of what had just happened.

"So that's what he's up against."

Alrick turned his head while Asger craned his neck as they both looked a little ways down the slope to see another man sitting looking off in the distance. Once, the very sight of the man had sparked so much hate and chaos in Alrick's being, but now there was nothing but grim understanding.

He had thought he'd free himself from being someone else's tool when he took the throne.

He never once considered that the man he took the throne from had been a tool as well.

Rakat Veera sat up with his legs stretched out in the snow, not as exhausted as the two of them but still very drained. He looked out to the destroyed town that was at the base of the mountain they were on and the destruction that had scarred the trail leading up to where they were. The snow that had previously covered the trail was thrown up with craters and shredded trees and upturned earth, as if a cataclysmic war had just been waged.

He had grown tired of waiting for the two of them so Rakat decided to meet them halfway and stumbled into a furious battle. The two of them were fighting someone he had never met before but he could already tell that it was no normal opponent. Anyone who could bring so much joy out of Asger and withstand Alrick with an Elemental powered weapon was not someone to be underestimated.

Still though…

The battle took far longer than it should've, the three of them weren't expecting the type of opponent they just faced. However, they emerged victorious. They had been forced to use everything at their disposal to fight and they were sure that their enemy had given them all he had as well.

Even though he escaped, it was clear that he was outmatched.

Typically, one would be happy that they won or at least forced their enemy to leave. Rakat knew better, he knew the moment he was close enough to strike at his King so long ago.

They had just beaten the only threat that Father had.