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bigfrozenfan-fanfics · 2 years

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Chapter 56 - Ominous Wake up

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: each Friday at 6:00 pm CEST dst/UTC +2:00 on (link)

Remarks: all my chapters contain carefully selected music tracks (try to use headphones). It’s your own decision if you want to use them or not while reading. The purpose is to musically support the respective mood of the plot. If you can please use a browser for reading (not the Tumblr app) due to the text formatting and music.

Important note for my readers: In this chapter, I have pictured a royal letter for the first time. However, this image is so small on the blog page that reading it is very difficult because of the small font. However, if you right click on it and open the image in a new tab, the original size is displayed and reading is then much more comfortable! If you started the music track at the beginning of the paragraph, you simply switch back to the previous tab at the end of the letter and can continue reading with music.

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It was Friday in Arendelle, the day when the annual Harvest Festival would take place, and everyone in town was looking forward to it. There would be celebrations, feast, drinks and dancing into the weekend. Every citizen would start preparations in a few hours and decorate the streets. The fishermen would choose their best fish for the feast and the farmers would bring down the harvest to Arendelle. The most beautiful and largest pumpkins would be awarded prizes and Arendelle's flag would be raised in the presence of everyone. A day to celebrate.

It was still the middle of the night, about two hours before dawn, when the first citizens went to work, especially the bakers and the fishermen. A few citizens had already celebrated a bit in advance and were just shooed out of the tavern by the innkeeper. And it was those who first noticed that something was very wrong, that this day was not supposed to be what it usually promised to be.

It was unmistakable that high above the rock face behind Arendelle's waterfall stood a reddish flickering cloud and a moon that shone blood red above it. These citizens now happened to gather in the marketplace at the harbor and stared upward. The two bakers, Mrs. Blodget and Tilda, as well as Mrs. Olsen, the fisherwoman, were discussing what it could be, when shouts were heard and a family with two children, no doubt farmers from the farmlands above Arendelle, stumbled breathlessly into the square calling for help.

They told completely excitedly what had happened to them a few hours ago, that now everything was in flames and many people had died or been kidnapped. The man breathlessly reported that the crops had been destroyed and they now had nothing except the clothes on their bodies. The children were crying and clinging to their tearful mother.

It was Baker Blodget who was the first to catch herself after the shock, put her arm around the shoulders of the farmer and spoke.

“This is terrible! Come, I'll lead you to the castle, the queen must hear about this.” They followed her with relief as she continued to speak, “Who were these attackers? Were you able to recognize anything?”

Holding his wife by the hand, the peasant sniffled, “Exactly I couldn't tell at first. I was getting my wife and children out of bed when the shouting started outside and I looked out the window to see the neighbor's barn on fire. All I could think of was getting out of here before the fire spread to our house. When I got downstairs with them and stepped out the door, I saw men with long sticks, torches and knives in their hands going after my neighbors. They just set everything on fire and beat down anyone who tried to stand in their way.”

Anger and faintness brought tears to the farmer's eyes and he began to sob. His wife continued to speak for him, “In the light of the flames, those men looked like Northuldra, they had those strange clothes and shoes on and the headgear looked like them too. We ran away as fast as we could and managed to hide behind some trees. Then when it was all over, we just took off running, wanting only one thing, to get to Arendelle.”

“What did we do to them?” sobbed the farmer, “We are just harmless peasants!”

Mrs. Blodget was speechless and could say nothing more. When they arrived at the palace’s closed gates, she hammered on the door with all her might and loudly demanded help and admission. Behind them, other citizens were already on the streets, now loudly shouting 'Fire, fire!” and they lured even more people out of their houses. The news that the farmland was on fire was now spreading like wildfire throughout the city and behind every window it was getting bright.

Finally, a gate in front of them opened a crack and one of the guards stuck his head through. “What do you want?” he asked, somewhat indignantly, but then snapped his eyes open when he saw the commotion in the city and even further when his gaze fell on the cloud and the moon above. He disappeared briefly without waiting for the answer and called for more guards behind it. Then the castle gate was fully opened and he drew in Baker Blodget and her companion apologetically and with sympathetic words, while three of his colleagues took up positions on the bridge for safety.

Captain Einar came rushing up to them and had the same story told to him again. While he then instructed some guards to lead the refugees to a shelter and take care of them, he entered the castle to wake Kai. Kai was still asleep when there was an audible knock at his door. He startled, quickly slipped into his robe and opened. Minutes later, he was wide awake and knocking on the queen's bedchamber next door.

“Kai, what's the matter? It's still the middle of the night,” Anna asked as she opened the door a crack in her night robe and rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her hair was in typical disarray and behind her Kristoff was now stirring as well, startled by the sounds.

“The town is in a frenzy, Your Majesty, and I'm really sorry to have to wake you so rudely,” Kai explained excitedly, “Apparently the whole farmland is on fire!”

“What?” exclaimed Anna loudly, her eyes widening in shock. Then she hurried past Kai to wake Elsa, not bothering to fully dress first.

Shortly after, both sisters rushed into the castle courtyard in their night attire to see for themselves.

“Anna ... look, the last sign ... the blood moon,” Elsa stammered, pointing to the sky.

Anna could say nothing, instead tears ran down her face as she saw the sight and imagined what it must look like up there in the fields right now. Both of them were paralyzed and just stood there in complete shock for the first minute. When Kristoff joined in behind them and also stared upward, his mouth remained open. But before he could say anything, Anna had caught herself a bit and was already giving orders to the captain, who stood waiting not far away from them, alternately looking back and forth between the reddish cloud and the royal sisters.

“Captain Einar, please assemble a force to ride out to the farm country and see how bad it is. Round up firefighting crews, medical personnel, and any helpers that are handy. Wake everyone up if necessary! Deploy the young recruits as guards, have them secure the town. And someone should wake up Mattias in his city apartment immediately! Now everything must happen very quickly!” Einar bowed briefly in acknowledgement and immediately began to carry out the queen's orders.

“Anna, we should dress and ride up ourselves,” Elsa suggested as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder.

Anna nodded and they both headed back inside, where by now all the candles had been lit and the staff was wearily but frantically getting to work. Neither had noticed Kristoff behind them, who now ran with determination to the stables, woke Sven, and prepared the cart for departure. He was deeply concerned.

Within the next half hour, all the castle guards had been mobilized and were riding across the castle bridge one by one at Einar's command. All were armed because they did not know what awaited them up there. Mattias was already riding to meet them and joined the captain's side to find out the state of affairs.

When Kristoff finally drove out of the stable, Anna and Elsa were already running past him to saddle their horses. There was no time for greetings, everyone knew what to do now.

All the lanterns were now lit in town and a large crowd gathered in the marketplace. A few castle guards went from door to door to carry out Einar's orders. Half an hour later, everyone who had been called to help was on their way. Anna, Elsa and Kristoff silently followed the long procession, but their looks said more than a thousand words.

~~~

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When everyone finally arrived on the countryside a little later, they were confronted with a picture of a nightmare. Houses, barns, silos and wagons were still ablaze and had been for several hours. Extinguishing the fire was out of the question, it was too late. Some dead people were lying around with pitchforks and other tools in their hands. None of the remaining farmers and their families could be seen, nor any farm animals, but one of the scouts from the castle reported to Mattias and the captain after the initial reconnaissance that many tracks led into the woods around.

Anna, Elsa and Kristoff were stunned, their faces showing tears in the firelight, and the citizens behind them who wanted to help were now also bursting into tears. No one could comprehend what had happened here.

“Men, look for survivors and lead them here. You two, find out what happened here and if there are any clear tracks leading north from the fields,” Mattias ordered. He had grim anger written all over his face and could barely contain his rage.

“I need twenty men to gather all the wagons that are still usable, from all over the farmlands. Search the area and report survivors, intact food supplies, and anything else that didn't fall victim to the flames,” Einar ordered and movement came to the troops as they spread out over the large area with torches and began the search.

Mattias and Einar, as well as another experienced man, stayed by the side of the majesties as protection, keeping watchful eyes open on all sides. Movement now also came to the ranks of the helpers who had come along, and they informed the captain and the general that they were going into the woods to search for survivors, as there was nothing else they could do at the moment. After Mattias nodded to them, they ran off and spread out.

“We know so many of the farming families up here, Elsa. I can only hope they are not among the dead,” Anna said quietly, her voice broken. “Engwald Mullener's house and wheat silo are just smoking rubble.”

“Yes, I'm afraid you're right, sis. SoYun's house back there is no longer standing either. Her cattle apparently broke through the fence in panic and ran away. But most of the families were surely able to escape into the forest in time, Anna, I firmly believe that. It just has to be that way!” Elsa grabbed Anna's hand, “I just can't believe what happened here, Anna. How can Kolgrimr do such a terrible act to innocent peasants with their wives and children. He is a cold blood murderer!” cried Elsa with increasing anger in her voice. “We will make him and his henchmen pay for this atrocity!”

“Let's ride back, Elsa, there is nothing more we can do here, but I can and must set some things in motion in the castle now to save us all from further harm,” Anna replied, squeezing her sister's hand briefly. Then she turned to Kristoff, “Are you coming, dear?”

“I've decided to wait here with Sven and hope to bring some of the refugees to Arendelle. You all ride ahead,” he replied. His face showed a deeply concerned as well as very determined expression in the glow of his lantern.

Anna rode to his side and bent down to him. Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you, you are absolutely right, and I love you for it, my hero.”

He grinned a little wryly and watched them ride back to Arendelle, accompanied by two guards, after briefly informing Mattias and Einar of their decision.

~~~

In the meantime, all the Northuldra in the castle had also awakened and asked Kai what had happened as they gradually descended into the small hall. Kai told them everything they needed to know. When he mentioned the blood moon, there was an instant silence among them.

“What's wrong with you all of a sudden?” he asked.

“It is an evil omen with us and is usually accompanied by a terrible act of blood,” Yelana clarified. “I have seen such a moon only once before and that was when a bloody fight broke out between different families of our people. It was at the time when Iduna's parents died.”

Kai nodded sadly, he was not superstitious, but he believed Yelana and slowly began to fear bad things as well. Such a big fire up there on the farmland didn't just happen by itself.

“Do you think that ...,” he left the sentence unfinished.

“That Kolgrimr is behind it? Yes, without any doubt!” replied Yelana. “The last sign of the prophecy has now shown itself, and we must expect death and great suffering.”

However, before they could delve into the subject, new noise could be heard from outside. Everyone hurried out into the castle courtyard, but most of them stopped at the entrance so as not to be exposed to the moon with its terrible light.

About twelve strangers were standing in the square, excitedly discussing what had happened to them last night and that there had been many deaths.

Kai, Yelana, Myrtha and Linnea joined them to learn more and Kai asked what was going on, but they were all held back by a few of the older guardsmen. They got the impression that this was obviously just about something that wasn't for everyone's ears.

Kai was a bit confused, so he turned to Yelana. “You are a council member now, Lady Yelana maybe they will tell you more about what happened?”

She nodded and again stepped closer to the group. “My name is Yelana, former elder and leader of the Northuldra and I was recently appointed to the Royal Council by Queen Anna herself. I have a right to know what is going on here.”

The men and guards stared at her, then one of the strangers pointed excitedly at her clothing.

“That's one of them, there is no doubt about that, her men attacked us!”

“Northuldra here in the castle? And supposedly a council member as well? Now that's an outrage!”

“Look, there are more of them standing back there! What's going on here? Surely this can only be a conspiracy! How else could men from Arendelle attack us along with the Northuldra?”

Extremely strange accusations were made here by these men and one or the other already wanted to get physical and rushed forward. But at the last moment they were held back by the castle guards before they could reach Yelana.

She backed away in fright. Myrtha and Linnea stood protectively at her side. Kai, full of courage, now also went between them and tried to calm everyone down and explain. But tempers were just too heated and the guards struggled to keep the little commotion under control.

“What did he mean?” asked Myrtha with a hand on Yelana's forearm as they backed slowly toward the castle entrance, “An attack by Northuldra along with men from Arendelle? On what?”

“I haven't the faintest idea,” Yelana murmured quietly with her eyebrows drawn together, not taking her eyes off those men. “At least not yet ...”

~~~

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As soon as Anna and Elsa were back in the castle, there was no sign of the commotion. They both immediately sat down in the royal study, discussed all the necessary measures, and Anna began to draft a general announcement and some written directives for the following pressing steps to take. Shortly after sunrise, Anna was able to hand the bunch of paperwork to Kai for the printing at the royal printing bureau. Kai seemed a bit out of sorts today, was Anna's impression, but didn't wonder about it in the least, given all that had happened.

Both were leaning back in their chairs, exhausted, when there was a knock. Anna and Elsa both had not had enough sleep last night, rolling their eyes in anticipation of more bad news, and indeed it was not good news that Kai, with Yelana and Myrtha in tow, reported to them just a few minutes later.

“My apologies, Your Majesty, Your Highness. There have been two incidents in your absence that I'm afraid I completely forgot to mention in the general excitement.”

The sisters looked at each other briefly. “Please come in, you three, and tell us all about it,” Anna said with a welcoming gesture, but without rising.

Over the next half hour, the sisters learned both the story of the first refugee family and the disturbing incident between Yelana, her Northuldra friends, and the men in the castle courtyard.

“What was the meaning of this, Your Majesty?” asked Yelana in conclusion. “What were these men not telling me?”

Anna and Elsa sighed almost simultaneously, both knowing of course about this secret place where these men came from.

Anna cleared her throat before beginning an explanation with a sideways glance at her sister, “Yelena, this conversation and the following information you shall learn must remain classified. Some kilometers before you reach the capital, there is a factory and warehouse for crossbows, swords, and the like. It is used for defense and to supply our soldiers and actually this place is top secret. These men must be the armorers,” Anna finally concluded, because now it made no longer sense to withhold this knowledge.

“But how could Kolgrimr know about it?” interjected Elsa before Yelana could say anything back, and got up to walk around brooding.

Anna slumped back in her chair. “I can't explain it either. Coincidence, perhaps?”

Elsa shook her head. “Not likely. This place is too remote and too well camouflaged for that. No ordinary citizen knows about it, Anna. Do we have a spy in our own ranks, perhaps? And how can it be that these survivors also mentioned people from Arendelle who were supposedly involved in Kolgrimr's attack on the factory ... and it was certainly him who planned it.”

“Who says it was people from Arendelle?” replied Anna, “That's completely impossible. Maybe it was just a ruse and they were only dressed that way?”

Elsa shook her head doubtfully. “Or maybe now there is a new ally who is supporting Kolgrimr, someone in the shadows, people who are not on the side of the royal house,” she said, and Anna's eyebrows furrowed.

“But who?” she asked. Elsa shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway ... this accusation that the attackers were Northuldra must definitely be put to rest. Our people are peaceful folks and that now even the simple peasants of Arendelle believe such lies, this calumny can only lead to one thing ... hatred and retaliation against them!” stated Yelana angrily. “I don't want to see another war against our people. You know what that led to in the end.”

Anna nodded, “We will make sure that does not happen, Yelana. You should also make your position clear at today's emergency council meeting. I suspect their tempers may be quite heated as well and we need to remind them that we are at peace with your people,” Anna stated.

“Yelana, can you interrogate the spy in the dungeon again? Perhaps, as he hinted last time, he has changed his mind in the meantime and now trusts you and wants to tell us more about Kolgrimr's motives and intentions? Maybe it's also a good idea to take Ryder with you this time, he might be of a similar age to the spy and who knows ...,” Elsa asked, leaving the conclusion open.

Yelana looked at her and nodded after a while.

~~~

This time Wael was awakened quite early and Thord's servant also seemed to have developed a little more respect for his privacy. Wael smiled as the door closed again and he was able to wash his face and armpits unobserved and dress in peace. Then he went down the stairs to make his way to the dining room. But a call from Thord made him pause.

“Good morning, my dear Mr. Wael. Please come into the fireplace room, there is something we need to discuss.”

Wael turned aside and saw Thord sitting comfortably in the armchair with his index fingers together on his chin, facing him. On the table in front of him were sheets of parchment, ink and quill. But not on his side, but in front of the empty seat opposite, in Wael's place.

The reporter entered the room a little unsteadily, nodded to Thord and then dropped into the wide armchair. “Good morning to you, too ... Prince Thord.”

Thord grinned at him appreciatively and nodded. “We can have breakfast later, Mr. Wael, don't worry. Before that, I have a task for you as a skilled writer.”

“A task? What exactly do you want me to write, Your Highness?” he asked, playfully sliding one of the still blank pages back and forth with one finger.

“An ultimatum!”

Wael's jaw dropped in surprise, and the image of last night, when Thord and Kolgrimr were talking conspiratorially and kept looking over at him, was suddenly clear before his eyes. He snapped his mouth shut again and swallowed. What had he gotten himself into here? Wasn't it enough what he had already done so far, and now he was supposed to write an ultimatum to the royal house of Arendelle as well?

“Come, take up your quill and write what I dictate to you. You are at liberty to put everything in order later, as far as style and neatness of writing are concerned. After all, it is to be a highly official document and you can already guess who the recipient will be.”

~~~

Honeymaren woke up with the first rays of the sun tickling her nose. She yawned contentedly and stretched her limbs. Birds chirped in the nearby treetops, and a sidelong glance at the reindeer in her fenced-off area told her they were content, too.

She got up, grabbed the pot she'd found in one of the tents, and headed for the nearby creek. On this occasion, she plucked leaves here and there from certain bushes inside the pot. A little later, a small campfire was burning and she was able to prepare a real herbal tea for the first time in a long time. She skewered a piece of meat on a sharpened stick and heated it near the flames.

She smiled as she took the first bite and drank a sip of tea with it. It promised to be a glorious day. She wondered what she could possibly do today to put a spoke in Kolgrimr’s wheel when she remembered Gyda's bag. She stood up, grabbed it from the pile of things she had captured, and took a peek inside. What she then pulled out surprised her beyond measure. It was Gyda's scarf, no doubt given to her as a child by her own mother.

Honeymaren was almost speechless, but then muttered to herself, “What a valuable piece!” as she held it up and looked at it closely. It was very old, but still in good condition. However, the patterns on it were unlike anything Honeymaren had ever seen. They were not from her own people.

Honeymaren carefully folded the shawl again and stowed it in her own backpack. Then she packed and prepared everything for the relocation of the camp. She had to find another safe place for herself when Kolgrimr returned. As high up as possible.

~~~

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The printing of the leaflets and the announcement was done faster than usual in this exceptional situation and after the citizens had read the notices all over the city, work was immediately started on the implementation of the orders. Messengers rode off, craftsmen and canvas makers set to work, and the first tents along the mountain road were ready by mid-morning.

But something else was stirring among the citizens of Arendelle. Uncertainty, resentment and great outrage, even against their own queen. Especially the older citizens, who still had memories of the past, expressed their misgivings, sometimes stirring up new hatred towards a people they did not believe could do anything about it.

More and more citizens formed smaller groups and had heated and loud discussions in the streets. Slowly the negative mood took hold and the armed patrols of the castle sometimes had to intervene for de-escalation. Also, the fear of not having enough food tempted many citizens to oppose the orders after all, and merchants reacted almost automatically by raising prices. Therefore it was not long before news of the current situation reached the castle.

About this time Kristoff's wagon bumped down the mountain road, followed by three others that were still in intact condition. All were full of refugees, whom the wagon drivers could now hand over to the helpers at the newly erected tents. Kristoff wanted to go to the castle first to give Sven a break, get an update on the current situation, and then go up to the farmland again. He was sure there had to be many more families hidden in the woods. But shortly afterwards, the bad mood in the town did not escape his notice either.

“Sven, come on, let's speed up a bit. There's something going on here and Anna needs me!” he called ahead and Sven trotted off snorting.

Just before the clock tower he saw a man staggering exhaustedly ahead and as he got closer he saw the torn peasant clothes and traces of blood on them. Kristoff immediately had Sven stop beside him.

“Good man, did you walk all the way here from the farmland? Are you hurt?” The man's tired look and bloody forehead as he looked up at Kristoff told him a lot, and he helped the man onto his cart without further delay to drive him straight to the castle for medical attention.

~~~

Myrtha had already been helping Dr. Magnus prepare wound ointments for hours and was able to put her knowledge as a healer to good use. What was lacking in herbs was quickly procured by servants in the city and even the castle kitchen offered a surprising number of possibilities that were still completely new to the cooking team. Myrtha wanted to help as best she could, and also with the refugees up on the hillside, but Kai stopped her before she could leave the castle.

“I'm sorry, Lady Myrtha, but I have royal orders not to allow any Northuldra into the city for security reasons. Please understand that,” he said regretfully.

After tonight's incident, she quickly realized what that meant and nodded in understanding.

“I get it, Kai, but please let me know as soon as my help is needed. I want to help.”

~~~

Yelana found Ryder in the kitchen asking for some snacks for himself and his friends who were already hungry before lunch. He held a tray in his hands and Olina put one sandwich after another on it when she was done with it.

“So there you are. I've been looking for you all over the castle, Ryder,” Yelana said with a somewhat reproving look when she saw what he was doing.

He startled a bit and almost let a sandwich slide down, but caught it in time and pushed it back.

“Um, yeah ... I'm just getting something for Joná, Ikka and my mom. We're a little hungry after the long night.”

“Let the servants bring it upstairs for you, I need you.”

“Me? For what?” he asked, completely surprised that Yelana, of all people, should need him.

“Just come with me, I'll explain on the way.”

Ryder put the tray back down and started gesturing to Olina to please take it upstairs, but she was already nodding with a grin. However, before hurrying after Yelana, he quickly turned around and grabbed one of the sandwiches for himself. He grinned and bit into it heartily.

“Elsa has suggested that you accompany me to the captured spy and that we question him again.”

Ryder nearly choked. “Me? To the spy?” he finally managed to retort.

Yelana explained her idea in a little more detail and he nodded slowly as he understood the plan behind it. “Sounds reasonable to me. The only question is whether he has changed his convictions or not.”

“We will know very soon,” she said, already beckoning Captain Einar to join her.

~~~

Sorenson lolls comfortably in the soft guest bed and squints into the sunlight streaming in through the window. In contrast to his sleeping quarters in the tower of Miner's Mountain, this was pure bliss, and he wasn't worried at all about having slept so long. Shortly after, as he slowly descended the stairs, he became annoyed with himself. It was inevitable that the scraps of words from the people he passed would form a picture of doom and gloom in his mind. He asked questions here and there, and the scientist in him was already mulling over solutions.

Actually he wanted to look for utensils for his studies in the city today, before he went home again. And actually, after deciphering the prophecy, he could not be of any more help here. But now he learned about the last sign that had appeared last night and about the brutal attack. It was a pity that all his books were not available to him here, but who knows, maybe the city library here offered a way out; he thought and made his way to Mr. Oddvar's bookstore.

~~~

In the meantime, Yelana and Ryder were escorted down to the spy's cell. This time Captain Einar was there in person, but remained unseen by the detainee at the entrance and followed the conversation from there. The spy looked up as they entered and rose. Even now he had been tied up as a precaution, so that he would not get up to any foolishness.

“I was already going to send word to a guard today to send for you, Yelana ... that was your name, wasn't it?” he asked and she confirmed. He now also noticed her young companion and nodded briefly to him.

“So you've made a decision?” she asked and he nodded slowly to her a few times, with a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face.

“Yes. What you told me makes sense and honestly I don't know what to say or how to apologize. I realize my mistake, please believe me. I've had a lot of time to think and in hindsight I realize I was blinded and let others carry me away.”

“I'm glad to hear that,” Yelana said with a cautious smile, “and I hope you're now ready to tell us everything you know. May I also introduce you to my young companion? You should already know his name, because he is also a Nattura. His name is Ryder.”

Ryder nodded to him briefly and both looked at each other curiously. Then the spy sat down again and Yelana signaled to the guard at the door to bring them two stools, because she suspected that this was going to be a long conversation.

~~~

Shortly after noon, Anna and Elsa went down to the guard rooms. The armorers from tonight had been temporarily housed there and the sisters wanted to ask them personally what had happened. Everyone looked up and rose from the tables to greet the majesties when they entered the large room. After they bowed, Anna made a gesture to sit back down.

“It has come to our attention that there have been accusations against our Northuldra guests and that the term conspiracy has been mentioned.” Anna stood tall with her hands clasped in front of them, looking each of the twelve directly in the face. “Where did you come up with this absurd claim? We'd like to know the exact sequence of events of the robbery, every little detail, and also the exact timing.”

The men looked at each other uncertainly and disagreed about who should start the report. In the meantime, two guardsmen arrived with chairs for the majesties so that Anna and Elsa could sit down. Both were aware that the conversation might take a little longer and thanked them for their attention.

“Well?” asked Anna impatiently.

One of the men finally started and narrated from the beginning before the doors suddenly flew open and the carnage began. It was supposed to be a cozy evening and many had already had a beer or two. Everything happened completely by surprise and very purposefully. The soldiers barely had time to draw their weapons or cock their crossbows. All but the civilian armorers died that night. Quick as a flash and without mercy.

“We were finally led out and only then did we see how many attacked us. There were at least a hundred men! Northuldra and Arendellians together.”

“Wait ... Arendellians?” - “They weren't Northuldra!” said Anna and Elsa almost simultaneously, looking at each other briefly. Anna indicated to her sister that she wanted to take this task on herself, and Elsa nodded in understanding.

“My sister is right about the Northuldra, it just seemed that way to you, and ...,” Anna began, but was rudely interrupted.

“No, certainly not, we know what the Northuldra look like,” one of the men called out in between, others murmured and nodded in response. He was about to continue speaking when Anna stood up and glared at him.

“You dare to interrupt your queen in mid-sentence?” she asked dangerously quietly.

There was an instant silence and the man from a moment ago rose with a bow. “I apologize, Your Majesty, it was not intentional, please believe me.” He stood with his head bowed, expecting a reprimand, but Anna, after a few well-considered seconds, said only that he should sit down again.

From then on, the men behaved more respectfully and not as upset as before. One by one, they told of their personal views, relaying what they had heard and what happened next. They, as survivors, were left tied up and watched as the covered wagon drove away full of their weapons. Three men in particular caught their eye and it was quickly apparent to them that they must be the leaders.

Anna and Elsa occasionally had followed up and asked questions about the attackers' pronunciation, clothing details, and weaponry. Slowly a clear picture formed in their minds and at some point Elsa whispered something into her sister's ear with her hand held out. Anna began to smile and nodded happily, “Very good idea, sis.”

“If you would all be so kind as to wait here for us for a while? We hope to prove something to you in a moment,” Anna said and stood up at the same time as Elsa. Then, whispering animatedly, they left the room.

The men looked after them in amazement and many could only shrug their shoulders in response to the astonished questions.

~~~

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Honeymaren rode past Kolgrimr's tent camp with the reindeer and the luggage, looking contentedly at the two completely burned down tents she had torched the previous night. The two men she lured here had done a good job, the fire completely extinguished and stamped out, nothing smoking anymore. She looked around and considered. It was unlikely that these men would come here again anytime soon, as they were likely to still have quite a buzzing head and were probably ruminating on the night's events as well. She laughed softly at the idea, but was still very cautious as she descended and walked toward the remaining five tents.

Now in the daylight, perhaps she could find something useful in them after all. But what she then found in the smallest tent still surprised her very much. She had not immediately recognized it last night, but now it fell like scales from her eyes. In front of her, in a corner, lay Kolgrimr's reindeer antlers, worked into a fur hat. Honeymaren's grin widened as a crazy idea came to her mind.

Under constant sideways glances and frequent pauses to hear approaching footsteps on the forest floor, she set to work. Finally, after three quarters of an hour, she stood in front of the result and could hardly hold back a loud laugh. From thick branches, some rope, a bale of moss, Kolgrimr's antlers, and the dark fur she had worn the previous night, she had fashioned a life-size puppet and placed it directly in front of the tents. When Kolgrimr and his men were expected to return that evening, they would make eyes. This figure unmistakably meant himself and everyone would recognize it immediately.

But some statement was still missing. Then Honeymaren grinned as she pulled one of the captured knives from Gyda's pocket and plunged it into the doll's fur at about the heart area. If that wasn't a clear signature and warning, she didn't know what was. Honeymaren got back on her reindeer in great satisfaction and was about to ride on when she noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. She wheeled around and was absolutely speechless.

In front of her, just a stone's throw away, two people were sitting on reindeer and looking at her. It was an elderly woman who alternately looked from her to the furry doll and back again. Next to her was a boy of perhaps fourteen, grinning amusedly at her. The two were able to approach her silently on the soft grassy ground and Honeymaren was startled by this. A few seconds passed before someone broke the awkward silence.

“Who are you two?” asked Honeymaren.

“My name is Alena and the boy here is my apprentice Árnason. We are from the north, have been on the road for almost two days, and are heading to the sieidi,” the old woman replied. “Why did you build a figure there and stick a knife in it?”

“Uh ... it's just to give a little warning to someone. Is something personal,” Honeymaren replied, “What did you mean by sieidi? What is that?”

“I am a noaidi and during my trance journey I saw a place with four large rock pillars that have great magic emanating from them. On them are the symbols of the elements. Do you perhaps know where this place is?”

Honeymaren was speechless for a moment. No one had ever named these monoliths and called them sieidi, whatever that word might mean.

“Yes, I know where that is and it also happens to be in my direction.” Could she trust these people; Honeymaren wondered. They certainly didn't look dangerous. “Alright, I'll lead you there,” she finally said and trotted her reindeer.

~~~

“She doesn't know what a sieidi is? Judging by her attire, she must be a Northuldra,” Árnason said quietly.

Alena nodded, “She's still quite young and maybe just doesn't know the meaning of that word. But I'm sure she must know the road to that place. Come, let's ride after her.”

“That figure she made is odd. What do you think it means, Alena?”

“The knife in it tells me that she must abysmally hate the person it refers to. The reindeer antlers on it are very unusual, though, and somehow it reminds me of something, but I can't think of what at the moment.”

“She seems to be on her way somewhere. I wonder if she'll give us a chance to get to know her better before then. She's quite pretty.”

Alena gave the boy a smirking look. He was getting to be the right age for girls; she thought. “We'll see ...”

After half an hour they rode onto a barren steppe, behind it a large expanse of water could be seen in the distance. It had to be the dark sea. And then the four high monoliths came into view, which Alena had already seen in her mind. To see them now with her own eyes took her breath away. She would never have believed that the four pillars were so tall. It was a truly unique magical place. She could almost feel it.

The young woman in front of them stopped right in front of it, dismounted and pointed up. Alena and the boy also got off their mounts when they reached her. Alena stared up in awe as she placed her hands on one of them, feeling the texture of the stone with her fingertips. She could almost feel a millennia-old power in it, very faint but clearly present. Who could have built this? This was the most powerful place the noaidi had ever been allowed to visit in her long life, and a tear rolled down her face in joy as she pressed her forehead to the cold stone.

“Yes,” she breathed, “this is the place I was looking for.”

“These are the symbols of our four nature spirits,” said Honeymaren, who was somewhat taken aback by the woman's behavior. She had never paid much attention to these stones before, they had just stood there as long as her people existed. No one knew who had erected them, but most believed it was Ahtohallan itself. “They have always helped our people, but they can also get really outraged and then they make us feel their power,” she added. “But for some time now they have disappeared and Ahtohallan is trapped under a magical mist.”

“Ahtohallan? You know this deity and the four nature spirits are living beings of flesh and blood?” asked Alena breathlessly, walking up to Honeymaren to look deeply into her eyes.

“Except for the fire spirit, probably not. The earth giants are made of rock, Gale, the wind spirit is invisible, at least as long as it doesn't move, and Nokk, the stallion is made of water.”

“There is an important reason I am here, and all of our lives may depend on it. What am I supposed to call you?”

“Honeymaren.”

“All right, Honeymaren. I was called here ... by Ahtohallan itself, or rather a spirit that resides there. Unfortunately, I could not sustain our conversation long enough in my deep trance, and I hope to have more success here.”

Honeymaren's jaw dropped. “You were talking to someone there? Like we're talking to each other right now? I only know one person who could do that, our fifth Spirit, a human with ice magic. She tamed our nature spirits and freed us from decades of captivity, along with her sister, the current queen of Arendelle.”

“Well, not face to face, but in clear understandable terms ... up here,” Alena said, tapping her temple. “I want to know more about what you know, Honeymaren. You've really got me curious, and this might help us all very soon!”

“Then come with me. I'm looking for a new shelter to hide in right now.”

“Why is that?”

“That, Alena, is a long story.”

~~~

---

Remark: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment if you liked the story, I would be pleased to read your opinions, even criticisms. If you want to be tagged as soon I publish the next chapter please let me know, except you are already tagged :-)

Tagging: @karma26 @true--north @annaofthenorthernlights @the-fifth-spirit-elsa

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Chapter 10 - Skalastet

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: each Friday at 6:00 pm CEST dst/UTC +2:00 on (link)

Remarks: all my chapters contain carefully selected music tracks. It’s your own decision if you want to use them or not while reading. The purpose is to musically support the respective mood of the plot. If you can please use a browser for reading (not the Tumblr app) due to the text formatting and music.

Ryder stood there with arms crossed, leaning against a kota and watched their friends from Arendelle talking to Elsa. The wrong moment to disturb Kristoff for a serious talk; he thought. But maybe that was just as well. He pondered and weighed his options, but he just couldn't decide what to do.

He was constantly thinking about what he had learned at the Norting, and he was now very worried about all of them, but especially about Kristoff and his great love, Anna. If this son of Gyda, what did Yelana call him ... ah yes, Kolgrimr, was capable of all these things then ...; Ryder could not and didn't want to imagine what could happen then. His father had patted him on the shoulder and congratulated him on his first Norting in adulthood and that he was proud of him. But he almost wished now that he hadn't known about any of this. What was he going to do? Should he just ignore Yelana's warning and warn Kristoff and the others anyway, or wait and see? What if they stayed here in the camp a little longer? They would perhaps unknowingly find themselves in great danger. Would they even believe this story and warning?

Behind him he heard soft footsteps rustling in the grass and turned around. In front of him stood his sister with her battlestick in her hand.

“Fancy a little Skalastet?” Honeymaren asked cheerfully and grinned broadly, “You need some practice“. But her grin quickly evaporated when she noticed his depressed mood. She came closer and put one hand on Ryder's shoulder. “What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“Me? No, there's no ... everything's fine. But stick fighting? Now?” Ryder warped the corners of his mouth.

Of course, it had been a long time since they competed, Ryder knew that and he also realized his sister was right about it. Since the forest had been liberated there was no reason to defend their home against soldiers from Arendelle, they had already returned to their home. But he could still remember too well the bruises Honeymaren's battlestaff had inflicted on him often. She was just one of the best fighters among them, fast and agile. Most of the time he had no chance against her, even though he wasn't so bad himself as he thought. Honeymaren nudged him in the side with the end of the stick and grinned mischievously.

“Oh come on, do we have to do this?” he asked.

“It keeps us fit,” she replied, grinning a little wider. It had been too long since she had shown him which of them had the say in the duel. But of all of them he was still one of the best training partners, she had to admit. She took two steps back, whirled her stick over her head and looked at him challengingly. “Go on, get your staff.”

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And Ryder sighed, “All right. But let's not overdo it like we did last time.” He walked the few steps to their kota and grabbed his long polished birch stick.

They walked a little way until the trees were a little closer together and started to tactilely stalk each other. “Come on Ryder, try to hit me!” She took her staff in her left hand, turned it casually around her wrist, and then went into a defensive stance.

Ryder dared a lunge and tried to hit her, but was too slow. His staff missed Honeymaren by far, she only had to take a step to the side and in one flowing movement effortlessly gave him a slap on his wrist. He cried out briefly in pain.

She laughed. “Come on. You can do better than that.” She bounced on the ball of her foot and made the stick spin around her waist.

Ryder looked at her grimly. “Whatever you say.”

Then he grabbed his battlestaff in the middle and struck with the ends of the sticks in quick succession, alternately, sometimes above, sometimes below. And each time, she parried his strokes, but moved further back. They danced around each other and the sequence of strikes accelerated. Sometimes he struck, sometimes she did. They jumped and ducked to avoid the opponent's strokes. Of course, both of them took light hits every now and then, that could not be avoided, but that was the purpose of the exercise, to be faster and more accurate.

The forest echoed back from the clacking sounds when their sticks met. They circled each other while searching for a gap in the other's defense, skillfully avoiding the surrounding trees. It was a constant back and forth, neither of them slowed down noticeably.

“Slowly I'm getting the hang of it again,” Ryder pressed out at some point, coughing but triumphant.

Meanwhile a few Northuldra, attracted by the sounds of the fight, had gathered nearby and watched their dance from a proper distance. Most of them cheered on Honeymaren, but there were also some voices shouting the same to Ryder.

Honeymaren slowly but surely gained the upper hand and pushed her brother back. In a desperate stroke, he raised his stick and swung it against her shoulder. But his sister was able to duck in time and in the same movement pushed her battlestick with force against his stomach area. However, he pulled his belly in just in time and made a leap backwards, directly between two trees standing relatively close together.

Honeymaren had intended exactly that, and with quick short strokes drove him back even a little further behind the two birches and then jumped forward. But not directly towards him, instead to the trunk of one of the two trees. She pushed off there, repeated it on the other tree trunk and in this way was six feet high in no time. Only now she jumped directly towards Ryder, the battlestick raised high above her head. This was a dangerous situation for any opponent.

Ryder followed her movements with his eyes and showed himself surprised. But in reality he had foreseen her move, timed the right moment and then whirled his staff around behind his back. He took advantage of the momentum, let it slide through in his palm on the other side, held the end in time and pushed the staff upwards. He hit Honeymaren at the thigh with force, causing her to groan in pain, and therefore took her out of her balance. Her intended strike missed its target and she hit the ground behind him and rolled to the side. Ryder, standing with his back to her, laughed out loud and raised his battlestick with both hands triumphantly over his head.

He was about to turn to her with a grin when a forceful strike against his feet took him off his legs and he crashed hard to the ground. His staff slipped out of his hands and rolled towards Honeymaren. She cleverly caught it with her tip of her foot and delivered it into her free hand with momentum. Ryder stared at her speechlessly.

“Well, little brother, you'd better watch your guard,” Honeymaren said, grinning but out of breath, and with these words held the ends of both sticks to his throat.

In the background, loud howling and the clapping of their audience could be heard. She finally took both sticks in one hand and with the other grabbed his arm to help him up on his feet.

Ryder rumbled softly, “Next time it will be different, for sure.”

They reached out conciliatory hands to eachother, but Honeymaren didn't let it be taken on whispering in his ear, “Dream on, little brother ...” when she pulled him to her.

One moment later, they both had to laugh loudly about it and walked exhausted and satisfied between the still clapping Northuldra. Some patted Ryder on the shoulder and one even gave him the compliment that he was getting better and better and it had been a great fight.

~~~

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Arriving at the camp, they first laid back their battlestaves, then Honeymaren looked at him with a serious expression while she rubbed her thigh where he had hit her. “You can't hide anything from me, Ryder, you know that. I know you too well for this. There's something important on your mind today. Please tell me.”

Ryder put his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he looked at her with a forceful look. “All right, but you have to promise me it's just gonna be between us, okay?” His sister pulled her eyebrows together and then nodded.

“I promise. So ... shoot. I suppose it has something to do with the disappearance of the men this morning, doesn't it?”

“How do you know?” Ryder asked and looked at her in amazement.

Honeymaren tilted her head and looked at him reproachfully. “I'm not naive. I overslept today and father woke me very late. If he had been in the camp, he would not have hesitated so long, as angry as he was at me. So what happened?”

Ryder sighed and nodded. “Yes, you're right. There's been a meeting, a Norting. My first, as you can imagine. Yelana called it out and told us something I can't handle.”

“So that's it, a Norting.” She lowered her eyes and had a bad premonition. She felt her stomach begin to contract and said in a low voice, “Tell me.”

“Not here. Let's go somewhere quiet and unobserved.”

“Let's go into our kota,” Honeymaren suggested. He nodded and as they sat inside, Ryder told her in a low voice everything he now knew. Honeymaren listened very attentively and her face became visibly gloomier.

~~~

“Hello, Kristoff. Do you know where Elsa is? I was going to check on her, but she's not in her kota and I haven't seen her anywhere else,” Myrtha asked, who just stepped next to him. Kristoff looked up and rose. He now noticed another woman standing behind her.

“Hello, Myrtha. She's with Anna right now and hasn't been gone long.” He pointed in a direction where the four monoliths stood at the edge of the forest. “They were going to the waterfall to have an undisturbed private conversation. Sisterly conversations, I guess.”

His eyes fell on the small wicker basket she was holding in front of her. It was full of little birch wood boxes of various sizes, some of them open and filled with all kinds of pastes in greenish colours, next to them were various small bundles of herbs and a small mortar with a wooden pestle. The woman behind her carried a small bucket of water, and also some cloths and leather straps over her arm. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Myrtha noticed his looks and smiled at him. “Oh, that's not all for Elsa. I'm just making my morning rounds. There are always minor injuries and it is my job as healer to make sure everyone is comfortable. This is Ikka, my young assistant, by the way. I teach her everything.” Ikka gave Kristoff a shy nod. “Is everything all right with Elsa? What is your impression?” Myrtha then asked.

“Everything seems to be fine again, as far as I can tell. At least physically.”

“That's good. Some exercise will certainly do her some good. I'll come by again this evening, but I must be going now.” She nodded at Kristoff and left.

When Ikka passed Kristoff, she hesitated briefly and smiled shyly at him, but said nothing and then quickly scurried after the healer. Kristoff looked after them, thought for a moment and then shook his head before he sat down again.

“She likes you,” Olaf said after a few moments and smiled at him.

“Who?” asked Kristoff, who was already thinking about something completely different.

“Well, Ikka of course. Didn't you notice her looks when you talked to Myrtha?”

Kristoff laughed. “Yes, I noticed. But she's still young, and I'm obviously very attractive to her. She also doesn't know that I'm already engaged.”

“That's true,” Olaf confirmed, and fell into Kristoff's laughter.

“Which part of it do you mean? That I'm so attractive?”

Both snorted with laughter.

~~~

---

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment if you liked the story, I would be pleased to read your opinions, even criticisms. If you want to be tagged as soon I publish the next chapter please let me know.

Remarks: For the training scene with Honeymaren and Ryder my beta reader and I would have liked to have a fanart of HARU (@ xlayers), but since Ryder is not yet available as a model I took the liberty to make a small edit based on Jin Kim's concept art. It's just a pity that Ryder was apparently not intended to be handled with a fighting staff.

Tagging: @karma26 @whether-near-to-me-or-far @annaofthenorthernlights @igotelsapregnanthelp

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bigfrozenfan-fanfics · 3 years

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Chapter 07 - Mattias and Halima

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: each Friday on (link)

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It was just before sunset when they reached Arendelle. Mattias' timing had been correct. They rode right through the upper rock gate and all the splendour of their homeland opened before them. When they left two days ago they still had the journey ahead of them and did not look back. But now they had Arendelle in front of them and the view from up here was overwhelming. The fields on the mountain slopes glowed in intense colours, from the gold of the wheat, through rich green and yellow of different crops for humans and animals, to a bright mixture of colours from the many fields of flowers used for decoration and for sale in shops and at the market. In the harbour the ships and boats rocked in the soft, warm breeze and behind the majestic castle of the royal family, bathed in the orange light of the setting sun, the calm waters of the Arenfjord glittered.

Mattias could not tear himself away from the sight and gently brought his horse to a halt. Halima did the same and looked over to him. He had a dreamy expression on his face and she had to smile. She could understand his feelings, as harvest time was approaching and his homeland showed itself to him in all its beauty and fertility. She was looking forward to the harvest festival. This time they would celebrate it together.

Finally they rode up slowly and they heard the bell at the clock tower in the distance strike seven times. On the way down they passed Halima's cozy little cottage and they reined the horses. Mattias jumped boldly out of the saddle and walked around the horse to help Halima get off.

“Mattias! You jump off your horse as if you were still the lieutenant from back then. Remember that you are not young anymore. You could easily sprain your ankle,” she said laughing and shook her head over his exuberance.

He grinned and helped her dismount. “Don't worry, dearest, I'm not that old.” They held each other in their arms and looked at one another in love. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Then he kissed her tenderly and she lifted one foot in rapture.

When they separated again he gave her a last short kiss on her cheek as a farewell. “I have to ride to the castle now to take care of everything before nightfall. I will see you later. I'll pick you up for dinner.”

“All right, darling. I'll just go down to the library and drop off some books. I'd forgotten to bring them back before we left. I hope it's still open. I'll see you later.”

He got back on his horse, put the other one on a leash and waved to her as he rode off. She waved back and gazed after him till he vanished behind the next corner of the houses. Then she went inside to get the books.

~~~

As he had passed through the castle gate, he handed the horses over to a stable boy who was just passing by, and was about to go through the front door of the castle when the captain of the guard approached him.

“General Mattias. May I have a word, please?” He saluted him and Mattias nodded.

“What's it, Captain Einar?”

“Well, I ... am a little confused. I see you, but where are the queen and her fiancé? Has something happened?” His gaze showed a mixture of amazement and concern, but Mattias also noticed a slight hint of anger on his face.

“You have nothing to worry about. She is well and she is still with her sister, Elsa. She'll be back in two days.”

“With all due respect, Sir, but you left without any protection from her guards and now you're returning alone? That's-“

“Irresponsible, you mean?” Mattias gruffly interrupted the young, overzealous captain of the royal guard. But he looked at him favorably. “She is in the best of hands with Elsa, no bodyguard in the world could protect her better than she. Have you forgotten what she did last autumn to save us all from the flood? Well ...?” He looked at him, waiting.

The captain became a little pale around the nose and stuttered, unsure what to answer, “Um ... yes, well ... in that sense, of course, you're right, Sir, I just thought I ... I mean ...”

“That's all right, Captain Einar. You're just doing your duty and being very observant, that's fine. Keep up the good work. But if you'll excuse me now, I have important business to attend to.” Mattias turned and left the captain stood speechless.

~~~

Of course, it had only been half the truth and he had to lie partly; Mattias thought, but in this situation it was necessary not to tell the captain everything.

In the following hour he called together some of the older councillors who were still faithfully carrying out their duties in Queen Elsa's time and informed them of the precarious situation. He instructed everyone to keep it under wraps and to treat the matter as confidential. Everyone agreed without reservation. On most faces there was great concern and some asked about the condition of their Queen Anna. He answered their questions in concise words, but made it clear to them that a lengthy discussion would have to wait until their return.

He then went to the royal physician and asked him to prepare everything necessary and to look for answers for Elsa's condition. He did not need to tell a doctor about his duty of confidentiality. The physician nodded and hurried away to look for precedents in his textbooks.

Finally, only one thing remained to be done. He had to find two reliable people to accompany him and he already knew who.

When he stepped outside again it had already become dark and the courtyard was bathed in the flickering light of the fire bowls and some big torches. He had fresh horses brought and rode to his home. However, on the way he stopped briefly to visit two of his old comrades who were locked up with him in the Enchanted Forest. He could trust them absolutely. Among them was a woman who was supposed to take care of suitable camouflage clothes for Elsa. He gave the man the order to get an inconspicuous wagon, some ranged weapons, food and everything else for such an action. Both of them did not ask any questions and immediately took care of this responsible task, with the intention not to arouse any suspicion.

Arriving at home, he threw on fresh clothes suitable for a dinner. After his return last autumn he had to take care of a completely new wardrobe, because he simply did not fit into the old clothes anymore. He always took care of a tidy appearance, especially now, because of Halima. He took one last look in the mirror before leaving the house again.

~~~

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The host cleared away the leftovers of their dinner while they leaned back contentedly. He enquired how it had tasted to them.

“That was delicious,” enthused Halima, smiling at the host and wiped the corner of her mouth with the tip of a napkin. “Compliments to the cook,” she added as he left. Her eyes lit up at Mattias, who rubbed his belly with satiation.

“I must have overdone it a bit with the portion,” he giggled and reached for his glass of red wine. “To your health, Halima.”

“To us, Mattias,” she said as she lifted her glass, toasting with him, while they looked each other in the eyes.

A short time later, they went for their walk, as previously planned. It was a starry night and Arenfjord glittered silvery in the bright moonlight. Down in the village all the lanterns were lit and from up here you could see that the taverns were very busy, now and then even the laughter of some guests came up here.

“How did it go at the castle?” Halima asked abruptly.

“Good. Everything is arranged and prepared. All is according to plan.”

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Before sunrise. On the one hand, we gain some time, because of the vehicle and on the other hand, there is hardly anyone on the streets and we will probably come out unnoticed.” He paused. “How was it with you? Was the library still open?”

“Yes, barely. Mr. Oddvar was just about to close, but I was able to return the books.”

They sat down in the grass and Mattias put an arm around her. Halima looked at him and then rested her head on his shoulder. They both remained silent and enjoyed their romantic evening on the hill above Arendelle for a long time.

~~~

Kristoff had woken up in the middle of the night because Anna was snoring loudly. It was still dark so he closed his eyes again. How would it be once they were married and he would have to sleep in their bed from now on; he thought. Then he grinned. He hadn't known that about Anna yet.

He recalled last night before his inner eyes. They had talked for a long time about what Anna had seen, and he had tried to convince her that what she had observed did not necessarily have to be true. Perhaps this impression was troubling. At some point she had calmed down again and he went out to get them both a warm dinner, which they then consumed silently inside the hut.

Afterwards she had prepared herself for the night while he turned his back on her for decency. She did not want to sleep alone and asked him to lie beside her. Inside the kota it was quite warm and so he asked if she would mind if he took off his thick leather tunic. She grinned at him and shook her head. It hadn't taken long then and she snuggled up comfortably against him. Through her thin nightdress he felt her warmth on his naked upper body, his hand lay light and tenderly above her waist. He enjoyed feeling her closeness in this way. Her slender, warm body seemed so fragile at this moment, but he knew that it was not so. If she wanted to, she could unleash an unimagined strength, not to mention her willpower and her sometimes almost unbearable pig-headedness. But at the moment all he felt was her softness and warm breath on his chest, her gentle hand on his back and her hair tickling his cheek. Sometimes she hummed softly and contentedly when she moved.

Finally her breath became more regular and she fell asleep. This night could last forever if he had his way; he thought, if only there wasn't this little thing that she snores such like she does now. But at some point he got so tired that it didn't bother him anymore and he fell back asleep with a broad smile on his face.

~~~

It was already after midnight when Honeymaren stepped out of Elsa's kota and almost silently closed the flap behind her. Elsa had fallen asleep at some point and she didn't want to wake her up.

She looked up and watched the twinkling stars in the cloudless night sky. The moon had already set and so she was now standing there in deep black darkness. “Crap,” she whispered softly to herself and turned towards her own kota by feeling. She knew that she would also find the way blindly and it was not far away. Nevertheless, she moved forward very carefully, one arm stretched out in front of her, to notice trees or a hut in time.

She finally reached the kota and listened. An unmistakable snoring told her that she was standing in front of the right hut. Her parents had certainly wondered where she was again, but it was extremely rare that she was so late. Silently she opened the flap and crept in. She groped her way to her sleeping place, unbuckled her belt and pulled the tunic over her head. Then she lay down, sighed quietly and soon fell into sleep like a rock.

~~~

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At sunrise Yelana left the camp and made a long walk to a kota far away. She hadn't been here for a long time and when she finally stood in front of the hut, it immediately struck her that it had seen better days before. The wood was heavily weathered and there were open gaps between the boards in some places. Nobody had repaired or renewed anything here for a long time. She opened the flap and stepped in. In the middle of the kota sat an elderly woman who was busy with a handicraft.

“Hello, Gyda.”

“Don't call me that, Yelana. You know very well I hate that nickname.” She did not even look up when she answered in a dark and powerful voice, but continued to care for her traditional duodji. She just made one of the belts as they all wore it over the tunic here in camp. However, certain details onto it told Yelana that this belt was meant for an unmarried Northuldra.

“Well, Gyríðr, but don't you think we're both a bit old for this kind of subtlety?”

Gyda looked up briefly, swung her head back and forth in a judgmental manner and then continued with the work indifferent. Yelana took a look around the dwelling. It was full of old traditional items, including a richly decorated rare gievriej, a very old sacred shaman drum, as the noaidi used to use it for their rituals. This was long before the People of the Sun moved here near by Ahtohallan and the fifth Spirit was chosen among them. All that remained of the old tradition was the soul song of her tribe. But this one here must have been made by Gyda.

Yelana looked at her again. She had become a very old woman, the deep wrinkles in her face showed her long life experience as wife of the fifth spirit. But it was also evident that she was still troubled by the fact that he had rejected her at that time and that she was losing her high position in the tribe on those days. At some point she retreated to this place and since then she had lived as a hermit. Afterwards she only had contact to the tribe through the few Northuldra that brought her food to survive. In return, she voluntarily made traditional clothing and therefore was provided with leather, fabric and all the other things that were necessary.

Yelana didn't know everything that was going on that time then, but she needed to know if Gyda had a child with him and could somehow hide it. She cleared her throat distinctly. “There have been disturbing events and I have an important inquiry.”

Gyda didn't respond.

“Please!”

The elder woman paused and finally put her tools aside.

“Ask.”

“Had the fifth spirit begotten a progeny with you?”

Gyda gave a short, dry laugh. “Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten what happened back then?”

Yelana tightened her eyebrows. “No, of course not. But you've been living so far out here for so long that nobody notices anything, even if you're pregnant, if you know how to hide it. I need to know, and also who helped you.”

“Even if it were, what do you care?” Gyda picked up her tools again.

“Wait. Please listen to me.” Yelana sat down and told her everything, including her suspicion that Gyda's child might be responsible. Gyda listened to her attentively and asked no questions, only her gaze grew increasingly darkened. At the end she nodded and after a little while of consideration she finally answered quietly.

“Yes, I had a child with him, a boy. I gave him the name Kolgrimr.” She hesitated, but then continued, “I was already pregnant when he abandoned me because I was no longer good enough for him and could no longer perform my duties as he expected of me to. You surely remember what he was like, how ruthless and pressing. But I wanted to protect my unborn child.” She interrupted herself and took a deep breath. “I gave birth to the child some time later and Jonna helped me with. Then this king came from the south and all these strangers started to build this dam and ...,” she faltered and looked sadly to the ground. “Sometime after the completion of this stony monster, he finally came back to me and told me something about a fraud and that the land was dying and the reindeer were suffering. He was so excited and angry, I can still remember it like it was yesterday.”

“What happened next?” asked Yelana when Gyda lost herself in memories and did not continue speaking immediately.

“He took Kolgrimr from me. Said he had to make sure that his descendant would take over when he himself was no longer around. I didn't know what he meant then and I tried to stop him, but without success. I never saw him again and later heard that he was killed in his human form. Shortly afterwards the sun darkened and this fog came. You know the rest of the story.”

“Yes, and Jonna also died fighting with the men of this dreadful king. I knew her quite well. I just don't understand why she never told me about it.”

“Because she had to promise to me not to tell anybody.”

Yelana understood and nodded. She felt pity for her, grabbed Gyda by the arm and said, “I'm very sorry for you, Gy- ... Gyríðr. No one knew about your child, and none of us wanted you living here alone. None of us ever really got it right.”

“It's not our folks' fault, I know. It was my own decision and I had my reasons.”

“Have you ever seen your son again?”

Gyda looked up. Then she slowly and sadly shook her head, “No. He's probably long dead, too.”

When Yelana later returned to the camp, she first went to her kota and thought things over thoroughly. One thing led to another and slowly a picture formed itself in her mind. It was time to make a decision, one that was very tough for her. And so she got up and walked out.

~~~

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Text

Chapter 13 - Kolgrimr’s Fury

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: each Friday at 6:00 pm CEST dst/UTC +2:00 on (link)

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At some point his mother had stopped beating the drum and after a few minutes he returned from his trance state to reality. His gaze cleared up and he saw Gyda sitting right in front of him. She looked at him relaxed and with a satisfied expression on her face. He listened into himself and felt a previously unknown power within him, it was almost tangible. He smiled at her and nodded impressed. “It worked. I can feel it. Thank you, Mother.”

She briefly stretched out both arms, palms up and said, “What did you expect? It always helped your father up until that day and now it will help you.”

“Yes, indeed. It will help me to get my ...,” he broke off in the middle of the sentence and his face took on a look that was at first astonished, then annoyed. Quite automatically he had let his mind wander and realized that the Arendellians had disappeared from the camp. They had been warned!

“What have you done ...,” he gasped and pulled himself up. He stared at his mother.

“What is it, Kolgrimr? What did you see?”

“They are all gone! Fled because someone warned them! The ritual prevented me from noticing in time. I ...” He clenched his fists and looked at her fiercely, his lips trembled.

She gasped and clapped her hands in front of her mouth. Then she stood up and looked at him sadly, almost pleading. “Kolgrimr, please ... I didn't mean it. Who could have guessed it!”

For seconds they just stood facing them and stared at each other. Then he seemed to have made a decision. One could clearly see it working in his head. “Well, let's do it the other way. It will take longer and have consequences for someone, but I have no choice now. You can prepare yourself for big changes, Mother.”

He angrily grabbed his things and stormed out of the hut. His mother stood there helpless and with her mouth open, staring at the spot where he had just slammed the kota's lid behind him.

~~~

He was furious and roared as he walked through the camp, holding his deadly modified battlestick in front of him. He simply pushed the nearest Northuldra out of the way and moved towards the camp centre.

Many more men and women were already gathering there, startled by Kolgrimr's cries of rage and warning shouts echoing through the camp. Everyone stood there waiting and nervous with their birch wood sticks in their hands and those who didn't have one hurried as fast as they could to their kotas and took it.

Yelana ran up gesticulating and tried to calm her people down. “Stand back! Stay calm, folks.”

Then Kolgrimr stepped onto the small clearing, his burning gaze directed at the leader. The people groaned when they saw him for the first time. So this was Gyda's son and some of the elders here had a deja vu moment as they remembered his father's appearance. Wrapped in his almost black fur coat, he wore a hood with reindeer antlers on his head, and his huge-looking figure loomed threateningly before them.

He pointed angrily at Yelana. “You! You drew everyone's attention and warned them about me. Not only that; you have allowed this brood from Arendelle to enter into our land again and you have also have taken care of them, and treated them as if they were our own people. And then you just let them go!”

“Kolgrimr, calm down, you're making a big mess of things here. They have proved to us that they are our friends and they amended the mistakes of the past. They ...”

“Shut up!” he yelled at her and cut off her word. “They lulled you in, wrapped you around their finger and repeating to you what they did to our old leader. What they did must be avenged!”

“Kolgrimr ...,” she began, but was interrupted by him again.

“You are unworthy to rule us, an illegitimate leader of the People of the Sun and have simply usurped that position. You have betrayed our people and now you will be replaced! My mother will take her rightful position in your place and you will be banished for your deeds.”

Yelana gasped for breath and the mood of the Northuldra tipped behind her. One of the men rumbled, finally becoming enraged, ran angrily towards Kolgrimr with his battlestaff raised against him. But the latter only grinned, and then something began that hadn't happened for ages, a deadly serious battle of the Northuldra against one of their own.

~~~

Honeymaren was already halfway back to the camp when she heard excited voices from there. “What's wrong now?” she muttered and started to run.

Even before she passed the first kotas she heard the roar of an unknown person. She soon realized that this could be only one person. “Kolgrimr!” she exclaimed in horror and stopped so abruptly that she almost tripped over. Her heart began to accelerate and a deep fear seized her suddenly.

What am I going to do; she thought and crept forward carefully, far enough so that she now saw almost all of her people standing together in the clearing, with Yelana at the head. And then she saw Kolgrimr himself and her heart almost stopped at the sight of him.

She had to stand by her people now. Wasn't she the best Skalastet fighter among them? But that also meant that she might very soon find herself in a serious situation between life and death for the first time in her life. She was very afraid and just stood there like paralyzed for seconds. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly to calm down again. Then her decision was made and she crept unnoticed around the crowd and Kolgrimr, towards her kota. Once there she took out her battlestick and moved silently to the hut that was right behind Kolgrimr.

Arriving there, she ducked on the ground and peeked around the corner. A soft noise made her look to the side, startled and she recognized her brother, who moved one hut away towards her, with his battlestick in the crook of his arm. She put a finger in front of her lips. Ryder nodded and now also looked forward to the clearing. Then he looked at her questioningly and she waved him over. When he was with her he whispered, “You're not planning on attacking him from behind all by yourself, are you?”

“What else can I do, little brother, I must stand by them all. But you can be sure that I'm very scared too. This looks like a real fight and it may end badly.”

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“Please be careful, sister, and don't do any of those jumping-up-the-tree-and-hit-up experiments like you did with me. We don't know how good he is with the stick.”

Honeymaren nodded and looked forward again carefully, every tendon in her tensed to breaking.

And then suddenly everything went haywire without any warning.

~~~

Yelana just yelled out loud, “Don't attack him ... stop!” and spread her arms wide to hold her people back, but it was already too late.

Kolgrimr levered up his attacker's battlestick and kicked him so hard against his chest with his foot that he sailed backwards in a high arc and then lay motionless.

Now there was no holding back anymore and many Northuldra stormed him all at once. The first three did not know what happened to them when their battlestaves were knocked from their hands with such force that they themselves were torn around and hurled to the ground. At the next man Kolgrimr cut the staff in half with the blade of his hunting tip in one mighty blow, and in the same movement he struck the other end of the staff with force against his neck. The Northuldra crashed to the ground like a felled tree.

The wave of the attack came to a halt and the Northuldra became more careful now. With eyes widened in fear they looked back and forth between the men lying on the ground and Kolgrimr. Only a few seconds had passed and already five of them were out of action, two of them unconscious and three rubbed their aching arms.

They slowly moved further apart and tried to encircle him now with sticks held out in front of them. Kolgrimr smiled and let his battlestick whirl before him, so that the blades of the hunting tips flashed in the light of the low-lying sun and created a trail of light in front of him. The men hesitated.

Honeymaren still waited. He was yet a bit too far away from her and her steps would surely reveal her in the attack. She hoped that the next attack would bring him closer to her. She slightly corrected her foot position and the grip on her staff. She was ready for the jump.

And indeed, Kolgrimr retreated slightly at the next attack. Two of the more experienced fighters exchanged fierce blows with Kolgrimr at the same time. But he had no problems at all to parry the strokes. With playful ease he casually hit them against arms, legs and scored body hits. He obviously played with them and was unnaturally fast. It was almost as if he knew exactly in advance where the two men were going to strike.

“Yet a little bit closer ...,” Honeymaren whispered to herself without a sound and gripped her staff tighter.

Now the third attacker joined in, a wirily built younger Northuldra woman. She let her battlestaff slowly spin in front of her, waiting for the ideal moment to attack as she moved in a semicircle closer to the fighters. Then the moment was there, she jumped into the gap and thrust with all her might. Kolgrimr made a leap backwards.

That was the moment Honeymaren had been waiting for and left her guard. One leap, another, and her toes barely touched the ground as she jumped up behind him with her battlestaff raised and delivered a precise, powerful blow to the only exposed spot. His carotid artery. She knew it wouldn't kill him, but it would certainly incapacitate him.

She also knew at this crucial moment that her stroke was perfectly executed and would find its target. Then the unthinkable happened. Only a fraction of a second before that, Kolgrimr crouched down in a flash, spun around and looked her straight in the eyes with a terrifying, mad grin, as her strike went nowhere and she went down uncontrolled. Immediately he was above her, put his foot on her chest and pressed his hunting tip against her neck. Honeymaren was stunned and let her staff roll out of her hand.

“You!” he rumbled over her and slightly increased the pressure with his battlestick. Honeymaren groaned and a thin blood thread ran from the light cut.

“Let go of my sister at once, you monster!”

Kolgrimr slowly turned around and saw Ryder standing behind him in attack position two steps away. He raised an eyebrow in surprise and said, “Interesting. I didn't see you coming.”

“How could you, I was standing right behind you, in your blind spot. Let her go now ... please. She was just trying to defend us. We haven't done anything to you!”

Kolgrimr pondered, looked down at Ryder's sister again and then raised his eyes to look into the faces of the surrounding ones who were frozen in their movement.

One of the men whispered in the ear of the equally shocked Yelana. “How can a man be so fast. It's supernatural.”

Yelana shook her head slightly and muttered just two words, “Berserker juice.” He looked after her uncomprehendingly as she took two steps towards Kolgrimr, threw her staff from her and spread her arms wide.

“Kolgrimr. Enough! Hear me ... I beg you. I will grant your request and go into exile willingly if you release Honeymaren. You don't want to kill one of our people, do you? You are one of us, and it is not us you hate.”

Kolgrimr's attitude relaxed a little and Honeymaren dared to breathe a sigh of relief. At least she hoped fervently that he would accept Yelana's offer.

“Why not right away so? That's I wanted to hear since the beginning. Drop all your staffs and step back,” he ordered in a loud voice, turned back to Ryder and said, “You too!” He made a nodding head movement towards the ground and fixed Ryder with a piercing look.

Ryder hesitated and gave Yelana a questioning look. She nodded and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally dropped his staff.

Kolgrimr took the spearhead from Honeymaren's neck and said to Yelana in a commanding tone, “Get your belongings and get out of here! Hurry up, go on!” Yelana gave him an angry look, picked up her staff again, took a quick step to her kota and disappeared into it.

Shortly after, she came out again, with a bag over her shoulder. She took one last look around and walked with measured steps towards lichen meadows. When she was out of sight Kolgrimr also took the foot from Honeymaren's chest and pulled her up by her collar. He stood behind her in a flash and suddenly she had his long knife at her throat.

The Northuldra groaned loudly and Ryder sank to his knees in desperation. “I have no intention of killing her,” Kolgrimr shouted to the Northuldra gathered around him. “But for now, I'll keep her as hostage, you hear? Don't get any stupid ideas or you will bitterly regret it!”

Then he lowered his head to her left ear grinning and whispered in low voice, “You won't die, dearie, not yet. You will help me to bring the Arendellian royalty back to me, specially your beloved snow queen.”

All her hope seemed lost now; she thought. She realized, that she was helplessly at his mercy now. She felt his hard grip pressing her against his chest and the deadly sharp knife at her throat. Tears began to flow down her cheeks and she trembled in fear.

When Kolgrimr finally started to move and to direct her into the woods she throwed to her brother a last glance. He still kneeled on the floor, staring at her desparately. Maybe this was the last goodbye.

Her lips silently formed her last words to him, “I love you, little brother.”

~~~

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Announcement : Tomorrow a little surprise is waiting for you, so don't forget to check my blog. By the way, I plan this also for the change to the future parts, always one day later than usual. Just now part two has started... At this point I would also like to thank all those readers who have liked my story so far without comments, but are still there and also my new blog followers. THANK YOU guys!

Tagging: @karma26 @whether-near-to-me-or-far @annaofthenorthernlights @igotelsapregnanthelp

#frozen #frozen2 #frozen3 #fanfic #epic novel #the broken bridge #part two #chapter 13 #bigfrozenfan

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