Calm
A long-haired man stood amidst the debris, silently observing the resting place of what had been described to him as a wonder among wonders.
Shit.
The target had escaped. Her abomination of a castle laid in shambles before him, yet the target had escaped. Knuckles clenched from the anger that pulsed inside him, he slowly let all his frustration escape out through deep breaths from his lungs. He faced his sponsor with a glare that could have dug holes into the ground.
"What are you looking at me for? I expected you to get rid of her!" the pathetic little man shouted, his poorly attached wig jumping up with each of his childish hops. "You didn't! I paid you to bring me her head on a spike and she's still alive!"
"We agreed that no one else would die."
"Do I look like I give two shits about who dies? As long as she's one of them you can kill EVERYONE in that wretched kingdom for all I care!"
The dark-haired stranger sighed and flicked off a spit that had landed on his cheek with a gloved hand. "Calm down, you'll make that mustache fall off." He adjusted his long white coat over his shoulders, letting the golden symbol he was so proud of shine on his chest with a fiery glow. "I want her dead as much as you do. I want to see her burn. But no one else dies. Those were the terms." He lifted his eyes to the skies, where he was told the ice castle once stood. "This was a mistake; you shouldn't have fired. You're lucky that no one else died." He lowered his head, throwing a poised yet wrathful glance to the gunners fidgeting in the back of the glade. "Next time you fire without my permission—and I emphasize, my permission—we're using your heads as bait for the wolves."
The men all gulped as they took a step back, cautiously creating as much space between him and them.
Good reflex.
"What–" The bald cock-man annoyingly started grumbling, taking quick steps to come face to face with the man he had commissioned, staring up into his single dark-blue eye. "I did what you didn't have the guts to do! I made the right choice!"
Shoving away the nuisance with a push of a finger on his forehead, the one-eyed man spoke with an irked voice. "All you did was warn them that we were after them and waste nearly all of our heavy ammunition. We couldn't catch them on the road, so now they're probably going to hole her up in that highly defensible castle of theirs. Thank you very much. I wouldn't call that the 'right' choice. Calling it the 'moronic' choice would be an insult to all stupid people."
The former Duke of Weselton stepped back, his expression a mixture of shock and outrage. "How dare you—I'm the one giving orders here! I'm the one paying you!"
I've had enough of this.
He let the small man continue with his rambling rant alone and turned his gaze to the messy ground beneath him. A glimmer flickering in the middle of the pile of glass-cutting ice caught his eye.
What is this?
Ignoring the insufferable gawking at his back, he stepped forward and cleared the debris, slowly unveiling a fine dagger with a familiar seal etched onto its grip which he recognized with a wide eye. He lightly grabbed it while dusting its edges, carefully turning it around a few times in his hands. The man closely examined the blade, looking for a particular engraving near the tip.
"… the humiliation–Hey! Are you listening to me?" the duke squeaked from behind him.
"No, I'm not," he answered in his croaky deep voice. The duke's angry words turned to gibberish as he shunned him out once again, letting his mind focus on what he was hoping to find.
There it is.
AoL. The small letters were traced with as much elegance as the engraving tools had allowed, their curves following the dagger's refined blade like foam traveling with the tide.
Three letters that meant this particular contract had just gone from the second to first most interesting he'd ever had the chance to accept. A large smile found its way to his lips while his fingers slowly grazed the eyepatch that covered the left side of his face.
Two for the price of one? This is my lucky day.
"What the hell are you looking at, Roger?" his lieutenant asked as he came close.
Roger proudly stood up in his Maker's light and sighed in contentment, rejoicing in a euphoric moment of gratefulness. "An opportunity from the Lord to correct a mistake."
"We'll take it from here, Your Majesty!"
Arendelle Castle's nurses took Garret's sleeping body from the sleigh, transferring it into a simple wool stretcher to get him into the building's main hall as quickly as possible.
"Be careful!" Anna called, though the nurses had already started striding in the red-draped corridors, heading toward the guest room they'd have to furnish for medical care with trained and fast steps.
"He's going to be okay," Elsa said, her eyes following the injured soldier's convoy until they disappeared behind a corner. The sentence had been intended for Anna, yet she strangely had felt the need to hear it too.
Anna's tight and anxious gaze softened a tiny bit. "He'd better be. He's not going anywhere before I give him an earful as big as the one you're about to get."
Elsa sighed. "I don't see how that's going to help…"
Her sister crossed her arms, very clearly displeased. "It helps my nerves and that's all that matters."
Jürden appeared on the right side of the courtyard, climbing the last stairs that led up from the Guard's barracks. "Honor to you, Your Majesty," he greeted in his usual proud and relaxing tone. "I am glad you were able to make it here. Captain Einar already reported everything to me."
Elsa slightly tilted her head in a returned greeting as the synchronal noise of clicking heels indicated that the troops behind her had saluted. "Sir Jürden. I must thank you for being so swift. Without your warning, we would have found ourselves in a predicament worse than the already worrisome one we have to deal with."
The counselor bowed. "I simply did my job, excellency. Might I request a quick audience? It is of the utmost importance."
"Please proceed," Elsa invited with a nod. He stepped to the side, allowing the royal family inside and sending the troops back to the barracks with a motion of his hand.
The gentle flicker of the torches around them drew dancing shadows over the gloomy portraits in the corners of the immense room.
"We managed to scare the intruders away," he explained while they walked into the decorated interior. "Some of my scouts will come back with a detailed report later on, but it seems we're dealing with an organized group. They were wearing specific armorial bearings which one of my men could scrutinize in relative detail. He's transcribing it as we speak and I'll help identify it personally."
Elsa brought her left hand to her temple, letting her elbow rest on top of her right arm. She was doing her best to follow his train of thought. "So, the duke has acquired the services of another mercenary group?"
"That is what we're led to believe for now. Though this one appears to be better equipped and have larger numbers."
Kristoff stepped forward with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. Elsa had not seen him wear an expression so serious since the whole Hans debacle. "What about the cannons they used on the castle? That stuff only comes from the south, doesn't it? Only armies pack things like that."
Einar was the one to respond. "I'm not really sure… Even the best cannons available now do not exceed the 1500-yard range." He shook his head. "The most logical conclusion is that they weren't fired from a ship but on land."
"Since they're so close, why not just track them down?" Anna asked, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline.
It's not always so simple.
"We got our bearings too late, and the priority was to ensure Arendelle's close perimeter was safe. They had enough time to scrap everything and disappear."
Nevermind that. We have to keep our priorities straight, Elsa thought.
"With that kind of weaponry, wouldn't it be safer to evacuate the city?" she asked with her best attempt at an authoritative voice. Her tiredness was starting to chip away at her ability to focus.
"Actually, quite the contrary, my queen," Jürden answered. "Arendelle's situation within the fjord opens little possibility for land artillery to position itself in a truly menacing manner. Since the ground around us only goes up, they'd need a ship, which we would see coming long before they entered shooting range. It would be better to keep everyone within the ramparts."
"Very well. And I assume we're not to leave the castle for the time being?"
"That is correct. For the moment, I must encourage you to stay inside these walls. The entire city will receive a note explaining the situation."
Elsa and Anna simultaneously sighed.
The princess ran her hands through her crimson locks while clenching her jaw. "So, for now, we're running on the hope that someone recognizes a symbol scribbled down from memory and nothing else?" Both Einar and Jürden nodded. "Great," she huffed.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness."
"Oh no! I didn't… I mean, it's not your fault. This is incredibly frustrating."
"It is indeed, ma'am. On another topic, majesty, I would like to come back to the personal guard issue..."
Not surprising. And not wrong…
"I was anticipating it, Sir Jürden. I'll… agree to whomever you choose," Elsa conceded. Her counselor's eyes perked up with relief. She answered with a small smile of her own.
"Thank you, majesty."
Both Jürden and Einar bowed, excusing themselves as they retreated to their quarters downstairs, their capes leaving a trail of gold and red behind them.
Elsa watched them disappear down the staircase. She stood in the middle of the hall, silently processing the day's events. Hugging herself tightly, she shuddered.
They got to them… because of me.
The feeling of a tiny hand on her shoulder jerked her up. "Hey there…" Anna called with a warm smile. "We're going to check on Garret. Wanna come?"
Elsa played with her fingers for a bit. "I would like a word in private before that, Anna," she said with one of her characteristic quick shrugs.
Anna didn't drop her smile. She gave Elsa a short nod, turning around to face Kristoff. "We'll be with you in a bit." The man acquiesced without another word, grinning in acknowledgment.
"No, actually. He can stay too…" Elsa corrected, her stance tensed and her traits uneasy.
"Okay," Kristoff responded as he closed the distance with the siblings and put his hand over Anna's shoulder with an anxious gaze.
Elsa shuffled on her spot, her eyes darting from one to the other. "Anna, I… Well, this isn't easy to say… I was thinking about–" She stopped. Her racing heart felt like a madman was hammering a drum in the middle of her chest. Not able to keep her gaze focused on the two most important people in her life, she looked away.
Anna patted Kristoff's hand with her own, tilting her head to the side to get a better look at her sister's face. "You can talk to us, you know that. Just pour it out."
Say it once. Just once. It'll be nice and smooth.
"I… I want you to–If it ever comes down to–" Elsa drew a long breath, lifting her eyes up to meet her family's. "If we're ever in an ambush, or in a place where we have to fight or die… I want you to run away. Both of you."
Anna dropped her hand from where it had been resting. She looked like she had just been slapped across the face. "What–"
Elsa cleared her throat, straightening her back in hopes that she would appear more assertive. "I want you to run away and never look back. I can handle myself with my powers."
Her sister's eyes substantially widened, her cheeks reddening in disbelief. "No, no, no, no, no… You're not pulling that one on me again!" She took a few steps back, her brows furrowing progressively as she moved.
Elsa had to make a point. She brought her hands in front of her chest, her knuckles white from how much she was squeezing them. "I'm serious, Anna!"
Anna blinked rapidly as if refusing to believe a single word that reached her ear. She straightened her position with a clutch of her fists, her face looking like a storm cloud ready to explode. "Because I look like I'm joking, is that it? And your little stunt at your castle? That wasn't a joke?"
Never had her tone been so aggressive, but Elsa stood her ground. "That's not fair! I wanted to save you!"
Why doesn't she understand?
"And what do you make of what I want? Huh?" Anna answered while throwing her hands at her sides. "Do you think I wanted to see my sister fall off a cliff in front of me while I'm screaming her name? Do you think I wanted her to come back to me with a look of death on her face while I learn that the guy who was with her the whole time almost died from injury?"
Her angry eruption got Elsa to slightly back down. "Anna, I–"
Anna quickly closed in, firmly putting her hands on her sister's shoulders. "If we're ever in an ambush, you give us a sword or a snowball or whatever-the-schnot and we fight together! I don't care if I don't know how to, if it's fight or die, it's fight with you, or die with you," she affirmed, a fire burning in her glare like Elsa had never seen before.
She brought her own eyes to the side to see Kristoff nodding in agreement. "Kristoff, please…" she pleaded, praying that he would knock some sense into her sister.
The man shrugged, his trademark cocky half-grin proudly displayed on his face. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I'm going with the whatever-the-schnot too," he said.
Anna suddenly clutched Elsa into a fierce hug, the older sister releasing a breath as quickly as her crushed ribs allowed her to.
"You're my sister and I just got you back a year ago. I'm not going anywhere and you're not either. I know–today, you had to make a choice. I understand that. Of course, I'm grateful. To both you and Garret. It's just–" She stepped back again, the corner of her eyes twinkling with newfound tears. "You're asking me to give up on you. I can't do that. I could never do that. So, never talk about this again, okay?" she finished with a quivering voice and a sniffle.
Elsa pursed her lips as she scanned Anna's flushed visage. Her freckles almost seemed to disappear from the amount of red that had climbed up to her face.
So much for going nice and smooth.
The lack of response apparently made for an acceptable answer in her sister's eyes, as she quickly dried her cheeks with another choke. "All right, now that that's settled, we're off to see Garret."
The nurses had chosen the largest room on the ground floor. Two guards were posted at its door, their posture alert and rigid.
"Hello Gustav, hello Alfonse," Anna greeted as soon as the three of them had reached the chamber's embrasure.
"Your Highness. Your Majesty," they curtly answered with a salute.
She remembers all of their names…
While definitely not forgetful, Elsa had never found the time nor the brain capacity to memorize all of the castle's staff's names. It amazed her all the more that Anna managed to be on friendly terms with absolutely everyone too.
Once inside, Elsa slightly squinted to adapt her pupils to the dim bedside lamp. Two nurses were busying themselves with putting all their instruments aside, the metallic tings of the clashing needles and stitches ringing in a soft timbre reminiscent of the bell tower at the top of Arendelle. Kai was standing to their side, his large body casting an even bigger shadow over Garret.
"Your Excellency!" he blurted out in surprise with a quick bow when he heard the door's handle lock into place. "I heard that–I was worried–" He paused, letting his unspoken emotions flash away. "I am relieved beyond words to see you safe," he finished as he stood back up. The chamberlain, of two royal generations' the tacit guardian, seemed on the verge of crying.
"Thank you, Kai," Elsa mumbled with a tender smile.
"Milady," the oldest of the two nurses said. "We performed a physical examination and it seems he's going to be all right. You said the blade reached deep, but it looks like the frost kept him from bleeding out. I don't know by what miracle, but everything had almost fully healed by the time we could intervene. With appropriate care and rest, it'll be a scar in a matter of days. He'll take two or three weeks to recover fully." She suddenly dropped her voice to a whisper. "However, Your Majesty, there's… something else… that is very concerning."
Elsa's heart skipped a few beats. They must have seen his leg.
She tried as much as she could to keep her composure intact. "Yes, I'm aware… It's a long story. Few people know of it, and I would like it to remain that way, please," she murmured back.
The nurse nodded, but Elsa could still discern a strange haze in her eyes. "Your wish is our command."
"Thank you, Greta," Anna uttered from the room's left corner. The two women and the castle's overseer exited the room in a hustled hurry, the door clicking after them as Kai's silhouette disappeared behind its wooden panels.
Garret's body was almost entirely covered by a light blanket, his long and deep breaths waving the fabric of the sheets with a gentle undulation.
Kristoff, who had been wearing a sympathetic wince until then, brought a hand to his chin. "They were talking about his powers? How did they figure it out?"
"I don't think they did," Elsa answered as she put back a strand of her platinum-blonde hair behind her ear.
"What were you talking about then?"
Elsa strolled to the bed's left side, slowly drinking into the moonlight that traversed the brittle curtains like a thousand rays of pure white sunshine. She drew a heavy breath, brought her hand to the closest corner of the blankets and gently lifted it, stepping aside to reveal a part of the crystal-clear ice that constituted Garret's left foot. "I believe it was about this."
"Spirits above," Anna gasped as her hands shot to her mouth. She took a step closer to examine the pale blue ice block that laid on the mattress. "Did you do this?"
Elsa immediately covered the prosthesis under the warm cloth and shook her head. "No, he had it when I first discovered he could use magic too." A long sigh escaped from her chest.
"He looks like he's been through a lot. I wonder if he has stories to tell," Anna said as she gently rubbed her hands on her arms, her eyes turning back to their usual size.
There she goes again, telling whatever's on her mind.
"I guess we could ask him when he wakes up," Kristoff reasoned.
I don't think he'd agree to that… Elsa answered internally as she recalled their quick trek amidst the woods.
Arendelle's ice harvester let out a deep chuckle, ruffling his own hair with his hand. "This guy basically punched his way into our lives four days ago, and here we are standing at his bed like he's our sick cousin."
Anna shrugged. "To be fair, we did drag him into a mess he had nothing to do with in the first place. Twice. And twice he stood by us with a smile. I say he earned it."
Elsa kept her eyes locked on Garret's face, slightly dazed by how different it looked than its awake counterpart. It reminded her of the aspect it took whenever he laughed. "He seems peaceful," she softly stated.
"He does," Anna's voice answered. She paused for a few moments, the crackle of the lamp and Garret's slow and steady breathing the only sounds breaking the night's complete silence. "It was a bit mean."
Elsa's tiredness didn't refrain her from feeling puzzled at that statement. "When I said he looked peaceful?" she asked as she eyed her sister with a lifted eyebrow.
"Earlier. It was mean of me to yell. I shouldn't have." Anna's smile was not her usual. This one was forced, almost broody, reminding Elsa of what she had had to display herself before the day of her coronation.
She lightly chuckled as she brought her eyes back to the sleeping soldier before her. "It's okay, I can handle a bit of tough love from time to time."
It was Anna's turn to snicker. "You should go to sleep. Pardon my honesty, but you look absolutely terrible."
Elsa clicked her tongue at her sister's playful jab, rolling her eyes as she responded. "Speaking of tough love…"
"Well, I do love you, don't I? Just promise you won't stay up too late like you do all the time." She lifted her finger as if expecting her sister to disagree with her – which wasn't entirely untrue. "Don't try to argue. That's a guilty look if I ever saw one."
"Okay. I promise," Elsa concluded with a smile. She accepted Anna's offered hug, slowly rubbing her back with her hands as they embraced, her cape ruffling smoothly with every stroke.
"Good night, Elsa. And I know I didn't do my best to show it, but I'm thankful," Anna confided.
"I know, Anna."
"Doesn't hurt to be sure." She planted a kiss on Elsa's forehead and stepped away, taking Kristoff's hand into her own. The couple waved on their way out. "Good night."
The door closed with a snap. Elsa was now alone in the room.
She turned her gaze to the sky through the window. The full moon's brilliance reverberated in her navy-blue eyes like a cobalt halo that insolently sparkled on the thick glass. Stars flickering above, Elsa noticed the surprising absence of clouds—there would usually be a lot more of them, wrapped and twisted around each other like playing children. A younger Elsa had always imagined they'd have light-hearted banter along for their world-traversing rides, but for the night, the sky was as clear as the water under it. She closed her eyelids for a minute, appreciating the silence and the brisk air that played and rolled with the thin drapes around the bed, swinging in a long and sassy motion like a dancer's veil.
Releasing yet another sigh, she neared the comfortable mattress quietly, careful not to wake her guest by accidentally clapping a loud heel on the old but sturdy parquet floor.
His memories. They're woven into the fabric of his ice. If an arrow can give access to so much, his leg will probably show a lot more, won't it?
The gateway to all of his remembrance lied in front of her, concealed under a blanket a simple tug would remove. Elsa's curiosity was gradually taking the control of her hand away from her.
He hates himself…
She slowly grazed the red and golden cloth with the tips of her fingers, feeling the little imperfections the prosthesis was creating from under the fabric, exploring the valleys and hills of what she understood was a manifestation of Garret's most vivid past. The light barrier was enough to cut any contact, however; she'd have to touch the ice directly.
I don't really know him. And he's already killed… I need to see them.
The conflicting assessments twirled in Elsa's head like a turbulent tornado. Lightly raising the blanket's corner with shaking hands, she eyed the slumbering man's face with caution, ready to yank them back at the faintest movement.
However, the quick peep she gave him made her stop immediately. Judging from the mild snoring and the long rises and falls of his chest, he was still completely and utterly asleep. Despite that, a smile had appeared on his face, small yet as radiant as the one he had displayed earlier in the afternoon. His head was slightly tilted to the side, just like how Anna did when she slept. Elsa couldn't repress her own mouth corners from slightly lifting up as a sensation of singular heat crept up her chest. While not completely hitherto unprecedented for the young woman, the feeling wasn't unpleasant.
I at least owe it to him to do this with his consent, she told herself as she slowly backed her hands from the sheets. Anna was right, we dragged him into this nonsense without even asking and he still helped.
At her own astonishment, her traits softened, and her shoulders relaxed—when had she become so tense?
Elsa gingerly put the blanket back into place and brought her hands together behind her. She didn't know whether she trusted him yet—Gran Pabbie's words still rung in the back of her mind and her trust was hard to gain to begin with; she knew that better than anyone else. But while this man had barged into her life and her kingdom like a boulder in the middle of a snowstorm, he had thus far only shown support and good-will, and had suffered the most terrible wound she had ever seen to save her sister—that made him at least worthy of the benefit of the doubt.
"He hates himself," she repeated. Now that she had time to calmly assess his company during the last days–all the small sighs, the tired looks, and the self-deprecation–the fact made a surprising amount of sense.
He isn't home. I can't believe it has nothing to do with that.
A yawn suddenly forced her jaw wide open—she covered her mouth in reflex.
I'm falling asleep on my spot, Elsa told herself.
She quietly extinguished the lamp at Garret's right and with a final smile neared the chamber's exit and stepped outside the room, suppressing another yawn. She threw a quick glance to her hands; no steam to be seen this time.
"Rest well," were her last words before she closed the heavy door behind her.
When Elsa awoke, the pain told her that she was still down from the steaming ruin of her castle. Why? Why would anyone destroy it? Why would anyone target her? But the pain seemed too weak for that. She moaned softly.
He's injured…
No. She had already awoken in her snow. She had already taken the ice blade out. She had already gone to see the trolls. She was already back in Arendelle. It had been quite a while after the attack.
She coughed lightly and opened her eyes. Reddish sunlight was showering over the room, shining through her window. Gradually adjusting to it, she got up from her ample and braided mattress on one arm, using the other to massage her temples.
What hour is it?
She wiped the crumbs from her eyes and crawled out of the giant bed to stand on her feet, lifting her groggy gaze to the pendulum that swung tirelessly in the room since decades before she was born. Her shocked gasp was perfectly synchronized with the third and final bell ring.
It's already this late? I slept well into the afternoon!
She hurriedly cleaned herself and stepped out of her room. A small company of guards was standing behind it, saluting as soon as they noticed her presence. Elsa greeted them back and slowly walked, taking the time to check on her sister. She carefully opened the door half a corridor away from hers and let a single eye poke out from the frame, throwing a discreet peep inside. However, Elsa immediately retreated back with reddening cheeks when she caught the sight of two pairs of naked legs intertwined. She closed the door a bit too loudly in an embarrassed rush.
Why didn't they lock it? she mentally scolded. Elsa took a second to shake what she had just seen off her mind and lightly tapped her jowls to drain them of their faint rose color. Releasing a sigh, she headed towards the library with her new personal troop on her tail, still upset that she'd have to work twice as hard to compensate for her oversleeping. The attempt on her life was still vividly occupying a part of her mind, but the kingdom would still have to run whether she felt like it or not. As she pushed the doors to her own private temple, Kai's unmistakable reverend tone emerged from the other end of the corridor.
"Your Majesty," he greeted from afar, walking towards her as soon as he caught sight of her. "You're awake. I hope you've had a good day's sleep," he said with a mischievous smile. Elsa couldn't tell whether he was teasing her or just stating the plain courtesies his position inferred –he had become a master at driving her crazy with his quick wits and friendly yet sarcastic innuendos.
Elsa tried to apply her own sister's quote: When in doubt, play dumb.
"I'm sorry–I wasn't–I had–I woke up early, and then–the bed was huge–"
She wasn't good at playing dumb.
Kai lightly laughed. Elsa sighed, a small pout forming on her face. "I was merely jesting, my queen. I certainly hope you've had enough rest. Had it been up to me, you wouldn't have been allowed out of your bed all day."
"But, today I had to–"
"Arrange for the transfer of property between the Rögarrs and the Trogsons by initiating the administrative work. Which I think you'll be happy to hear I completely filled out myself. Only your sigil is missing."
"And what about–"
"The Marquis of Pherae sends you his most esteemed salutations. He's taken his vessel back to his country by now and he'll patiently wait until our situation has resolved."
"But the–?"
"Sir Armand's letter was sent. His Minister assured he hopes he can be of any help concerning our predicament. His best men are at the ready should you demand their presence."
Elsa sighed again at Kai's proud expression. "You really did take care of everything I had to do…"
"That would be my primary occupation. Although most of those were actually carried out by your advisors," he answered with a sincere smile. "I do try to make your life as easy as it can be." He slightly lowered his head, a light frown appearing on his face. "You went through events that would have crushed most people's morale, Your Majesty. I can only hope you would take today as a form of rest," he softly added. Elsa's heart fluttered at his worried but caring tone.
Kai had been the closest she and Anna had ever had to an uncle figure. He had always been sweet and protective with the two sisters, yet a prime example of devotion to his position as main overseer.
"Is that an order?" she teased in turn, slowly lifting an eyebrow.
"I would never dare to imply it was."
He has a point, Elsa thought as they shared a quick laugh.
"Thank you, Kai. I think… I think I'm going to listen to your advice."
"And you honor me with those words, my queen," he said with another smile, a lot less roguish this time. "One last matter. It seems our guest—Carrot, I believe he said his name was—is awake. I took the liberty of having a meal delivered to him."
Elsa lightly giggled. I can go say hello to this Carrot.
"I would be lost without you," she cheerfully commented.
"Wouldn't the world?" Kai concluded with a chuckle as he bowed low.
Elsa took the last step from the staircase that led to the ground floor, her heel echoing within the walls with a succinct click. The palace was as empty as usual in the middle of an unceremonious day.
She neared the chamber Garret had been transported to, slowly pushing the door open. The vast room was well-lit this time, the decorative fractals on the walls finally shining like they always have. She hadn't noticed it the first time she'd been inside, but just like in her own room, a portrait of her parents hung on the wall opposite from her, regal and formal as all their portraits were. To her surprise, Olaf and Sven had taken a seat right under it, the former over the latter, facing the bed in which Garret was sitting with his torso enveloped in tight white gauze, only exposing his upper chest and his shoulders. Feeling the same odd warmth as the day before spread on her cheeks, Elsa quickly averted her eyes, letting him cover himself.
"Hi, Elsa!" Olaf chirped, Sven's bellow joining his greeting soon after.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," Garret bowed in the best manner he could, struggling to lean over his bandages. "It's good to see you rested and well."
"As it is you, Garret," she responded. The soldier lifted his eyebrows. "Mostly," she apologetically corrected, quickly eyeing the approximate location of his injury. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, I was having a conversation with a sentient snowman standing on a reindeer—that I'm sure can understand me—while lying in bed because an ancient talking rock healed the injury I gave myself when I fell from a destructed ice castle," he deadpanned with a shrug. "All in all, pretty good," he concluded with a clearly forced grin.
Elsa couldn't help but notice the bitterness behind it, even though she responded to his smile with one of her own.
Garret didn't seem to pay much attention to the intense scrutiny he was undergoing, though. "And I really started to like these guys, too." He turned his head to the side. "Hey, Olaf! Say something funny."
"Something funny!" the snowman enthusiastically exclaimed.
Garret blinked a few times. "I gave him the stick on that one. Also," He resumed speaking to Elsa. "I had this lovely warm meal on the side of my bed when I woke up and it was really good. So, that helps too. Was it you, Olaf?"
The snowman snorted. "No, I'm not a warm meal." He turned his head to the woman who had created him with a sympathetic—and just a bit patronizing—expression. "He wasn't the brightest of the bunch, was he?"
Garret lightly laughed. "Yup, I deserved that one too. Anyway, majesty, do we have anything on the absolute butth—the bad guys who attacked yesterday?"
Elsa noted the retracted swear word with a quick raise of her eyebrows—he had had the decency to refrain himself from fully saying it, at least.
And of course he'd ask.
"We're still scrambling to find anything, really. I was told we managed to catch a glimpse of their crest. The Royal Guard is examining it and has forbidden us from leaving the castle."
Garret nodded in approval. "Good idea. Your castle is pretty much impenetrable via conventional means. As long as you're dealing with small numbers, it's pretty much the ideal fortress." His face fell a bit as he finished.
Again with the tired look.
Olaf silently observed them exchange words that seemed to sound like blabbering twaddle to his non-existent ears. Shrugging to himself like he didn't want to give up on them, he still walked out of the room, Sven following in his trail.
Elsa waited until the heavy sound of a locked bolt sprang from behind her. "That is very true, I'm trusting my advisors on that. Although I still cannot wrap my head around the duke employing such drastic means. I knew he didn't hold me in his heart, but this seems a little… over the top, even for him."
"Your Majesty, he has accused you of sorcery and was demoted from his position of power because he was there last year. I've seen people do way worse for way less." Garret heavily exhaled, lightly massaging his left side. "I wouldn't underestimate him. Death is not a lesson you want to learn the hard way. But I could take a look at that symbol if you want, see if I can recognize something? Though I can't promise anything. I'm far from being an expert about them but patterns are usually very common among mercenary groups that are large enough to have crests."
Elsa smiled gratefully. "That is kind of you."
A thought popped in her mind. I have to talk to him about his memories.
As soon as she opened her mouth to speak again, Einar's voice called her from outside the room.
"Milady!"
She excused herself with a slight bob of her head and stepped out, closing the door again.
"Yes, Captain. What is it?"
Einar's eyes were wide: not quite panicked, but his pupils were dilated–he was excited. "I think we have an acceptable final draft for that symbol. Crossing it with different sources gathered by Mrs. Loeanken allowed us to reach this first real result."
So, our historian was involved after all...
Einar pulled out a drawn golden emblem that represented ten rings billowed around a hand, with a birthmark clearly visible on the limb. Studying it closely, Elsa took in every single detail. At the bottom, a sentence brought her eyes to the largest radius they could reach. Her heart beating fast, Elsa gasped and slammed the door behind her open. Garret seemed slightly startled at her sudden reappearance. Einar followed his queen with a curious frown as she hurriedly came to Garret's bedside.
"Garret, the phrase you pronounced at the end of the oath you made. Was it your knighthood order's motto?" He nodded at that. "Can you please tell me what it means?"
Taking a few blinks to get his bearings, the man answered matter-of-factly. "Auspicium Melioris Aevi? They said it basically means 'Token of hope for a better age' or something like that. But I recall it's not exclusive to the Order of the Bath. It's actually pretty common. Some big schools in the colonies, literature societies, even sports clubs–"
"Did you ever see this?" she asked directly, lightly putting the emblem in front of his nose.
Garret's face followed the exact same pattern Elsa's did a few seconds before. He delicately took the paper from her hands and Elsa noticed a certain shaking in both his arms and his fingers as he thoroughly examined it. And there it was, under the crest, traced in golden letters.
Auspicium Melioris Aevi.
"I did, actually. Though never with this motto attached to it." He took a long breath. "This is the symbol for Hopkin's Blessed."
"Who are they? How do you know them?" Einar demanded with a vigorous tone, his expression hard like steel.
Garret met Elsa's blue with his own green, his gaze fearful. However, this fear wasn't the same as the day before this one seemed visceral, poignant, bitter. A fear that could hold dreams back. He shook his head a bit, letting her understand that he had bad news to deliver. "They are witch hunters. In the sense that they claim to be the inheritors of the witch purges that were happening up until a century ago. And I know them because they have already hunted me down before."
A.N: I hope you enjoyed this one.
As I said, reviews are welcome should you have anything you want to share with me. I now have a couple of Betas on board with me and I think their input is going to considerably enhance the story for what comes next. Kudos to you, Grand Paladin-go check out their story, it's called Andraste's Chevalier-and Loderell!
Another shout out goes to my friend Hydroxide; The White Hun is an absolutely incredible story-in the same vein as this one, it explores the darker side of the Frozen universe. Go give it a try, I'm sure you'll like it!
On an unrelated note, I think I'm going to start teasing chapters with music that represents their general tone. If you want to put yourself in the mood for the next chapter, check out Thomas Bergersen's Little Star on YouTube-which I also think can be considered the main theme for the entire fic.
Otherwise, that's it. See you next time.
Peace,
CalAm.