My Fanfiction Dump

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[snowfall-fanfictions]

Beware The Frozen Heart Masterlist

Plot Summary: An assassin has been hired to kill the Queen of Arendelle.

He was expecting an easy job… but he wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

This post will be updated periodically!

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[snowfall-fanfictions]

UPDATE 4/13: Added Chapters 11-15

[snowfall-fanfictions]

A Long Time Ago...

Ao3 Link FFN Link

After making a dangerous and impromptu maneuver, Luke finds himself embroiled in a conflict that ended twenty years ago, with people who were supposed to be long dead. 

Set between ANH and ESB.

Okay, time to blow the dust off of this account and start posting again. My life’s been getting a hell of a lot more hectic in the past five months, which kinda killed my drive to write. But rest assured, I’m still writing and will continue to write, it’s just going to take a little longer between chapters. Also, this is my first non-Frozen piece that I’ve uploaded to FFN and Ao3! Hope you enjoy!

Luke sat in silence as his X-wing blazed through hyperspace. He’d hoped the coordinates that the Rebel Alliance had acquired were legitimate and not some Imperial trap. For the past few months since Luke destroyed the Death Star, the Alliance had been living by the seat of its pants, jumping from system to system, desperately avoiding being captured by the Empire. It was certainly the excitement and adventure he’d been longing for since he was a young boy, longing to finally leave Tatooine to explore the wider galaxy, though he wasn’t expecting to do so under such circumstances.

The thought of Tatooine brought Luke’s memories back to that day when Ben, or Obi-wan, saved him from the Tusken Raiders. He moved his eyes from the streaking blues and whites of hyperspace to his immediate right. There, nestled between him and the cockpit, laid his lightsaber, worn and battered from the years of action it saw. Luke immediately thought back on Ben’s words to him as he placed it in his hands that day.

“I was once a Jedi Knight, same as your father… He was the best starfighter pilot in the galaxy… and he was a good friend…”

The thought of his father being a Jedi mesmerized Luke. All his life he had believed he had come from some spice trader in the Outer Rim, now he knew the truth. Well, most of the truth. Luke thought back to the daring rescue of Leia on the Death Star, how Ben sacrificed himself to Vader to let them escape. Now, in the entirety of the galaxy, there was only one man who knew his father.

And it was the man who killed him. 

Luke encountered Vader only once after destroying the Death Star, on Cymoon 1. In hindsight, Luke considered it foolish for a farm boy from Tatooine to challenge a powerful Force wielder such as Vader. The Dark Force Weilder’s words rang in his mind, “You, boy, are no Jedi…”

And he was right. As much as it stung like the twin suns, it was the truth. Now, with the only Jedi he’d known dead, all Luke could do is hope that he’d find another Jedi somewhere in the galaxy. Luke scoffed at this. He’d have a better time finding a fish in the Dune Sea than a Jedi.

As he was lost in thought, the chirps and whistles of Artoo brought him back to the present. “We’re arriving at the coordinates,” The Aurebesh on the navigation computer said, translating the astromech’s various sounds, “Pulling us out of lightspeed now.”

“Alright, thanks Artoo,” Luke replied, flipping a series of switches and buttons. In an instant, the vortex of blue before him returned to the vast blackness of space, with countless stars glistening ahead of him. Luke scanned the area as best he could from his cockpit, only to be met with the vast infinity of space on all sides.

“Something’s wrong,” Luke said, “You sure these are the right coordinates?” Artoo whistled and chirped as the navigational computer quickly translated for him, “Positive. Looks like there’s nothing here, unless the Alliance was looking for a nice chunk of dead space.”

Luke let out a distressed groan allowing his head to slump back, “Well, beats running into a Star Destroyer, right?”

Before Artoo could reply, the X-wing jolted with tremendous force. Luke frantically scanned around as far as his cockpit allowed in an attempt to see what caused his ship to buck like that. Maybe this was a trap after all and the Imperials had finally caught up to them. The fact that nothing was in his immediate view did nothing to ease his panic. That’s when he saw it: space itself distorting, the stars disappearing into an inky nothingness just barely in eyesight of his cockpit.

“Kriff!” Luke barked, gripping the throttle with haste. With as much strength as he could muster, he thrusted the stick, causing the engines to roar. The X-wing groaned and cracked under the pressure of the black hole as Artoo let out a screech. Slowly, the ship was pulled backwards, chunks of metal could be heard being torn off. Luke’s heart raced as sweat formed underneath his helmet. “Artoo! Get ready to jump to lightspeed!” he shouted, frantically flipping switches and mashing buttons.

“Not advised,” the navigational computer translated, “could lead to serious issues.”

“We don’t have an option, Artoo! Get us out of here, now!” “To where?”

“Anywhere!”

Artoo said nothing more as he quickly calculated their jump to lightspeed. All the while, Luke multitasked between keeping the ship out of the hole as long as possible and locking the s-foils, both in preparation for the jump and to prevent the loss of a wing. After what felt like several eternities, Artoo let out a whistle of cautious triumph, announcing that they were ready for the jump. With no hesitation, Luke gave the throttle one last push as the familiar blue of hyperspace filled his vision before he slumped back into his seat. His heart raced like a skittish womp rat as he sighed in relief. “Th-thanks, Artoo,” he gasped.

After a long winded series of chirps and whistles, the navigational computer read, “We’re lucky to have survived that, you know…” “Yeah, I know. Where are we headed, anyway?”

“Chandar’s Folly. Just picked a random planet from my memory banks.”

Artoo flashed a picture of a brownish green planet on the navigation computer. It appeared to be uninhabited, yet should be in the range of the Alliance fleet. Luke scanned over the information thoroughly. “How long till we get there?” he asked.

“Now,” the computer screen read.

Luke slowly brought the ship out of hyperspace as he was met by a grey overcast. It was unorthodox to land so close to the planet’s atmosphere, but he couldn’t risk being out in open space while the Empire was still searching for him. Mountains rose high above the planet’s surface, with small clusters of trees dotting the landscape. There didn’t appear to be any signs of sentient life, no cities or encampments, which made this a perfect place to hide until the Alliance came.

As Luke scanned for a perfect place to land, a warning flashed on his short range scanner. Before he had time to process it, a loud explosion shook his X-wing. Luke could see his engines smoking as he quickly began losing altitude. Did the Empire find out where he was going? Bounty hunters? It didn’t matter much at the moment. Luke had to focus on not crashing into a mountain side.

He gripped the throttle as he jerked the snub fighter left and right, avoiding the large mountains while still finding a place to land. Eventually, Luke noticed a small valley, long enough to make an emergency landing. With careful positioning, he managed to angle his fighter into the valley. Luke didn’t even have time to activate his landing gears before the nose of his X-wing buried itself into the ground, creating a large streak of churned soil.

Luke groaned as he unstrapped himself from his seat. His arms felt like jelly and every muscle in his back screamed in pain. As he pushed the cockpit open, his nostrils were immediately filled with the smell of sulfur and fresh dirt as his eyes readjusted to the planet’s sun. He appeared to be in some sort of valley, with mountains towering over him on either side. Two sparsely clustered groups of fungus like trees lined the massive skid made by his X-wing.

“You okay, Artoo?” Luke asked, scanning the horizon. Artoo let out a series of beeps and whistles as he struggled to get out of his socket. Luke climbed over and, with a little help from Artoo, lifted the astromech out and onto the ground. Artoo let out a happy chirp as he rocked from side to side, causing the sides of Luke’s mouth to lift up. The young pilot scanned the horizon, listening for any local wildlife, only to be met by an eerie silence.

“So, this is Chandar’s Folly?” Luke asked Artoo. The droid beeped and chirped in confirmation. “Well, you weren’t kidding about it being abandoned. C’mon, let’s see if we can fix the X-wi-”

Luke… a faint voice called out, causing Luke to jump. He instantly recognized the voice.

“Ben?” he responded almost hopefully.

You are not where you’re supposed to be, Luke. There is a great disturbance in the Force… Ben’s voice became fainter with each passing word

“What do you mean?”

Be careful around those you meet, that is all I can say… Ben’s voice trailed off into silence.

What did he mean by that? Luke thought.

A low thumping sound coming from the edge of the valley interrupted Luke’s thought. Artoo let out a concerned moan as he whirled behind the X-wing. Luke jumped into the cockpit, grabbing his lightsaber before joining Artoo. So much for this place being abandoned. The thumping grew louder, becoming clearer and more intense. Stormtroopers, without a doubt. Luke gripped his lightsaber tighter as the thumping stopped. A few seconds passed, yet they felt like an eternity. One of the soldiers stepped forward, which caused some confusion to Luke. The footsteps sounded… mechanical, almost like it was a droid.

“Well, this looks like the crash site,” one of the troops said. The voice was robotic, sounding almost timid and nasally. The familiar sound of a comm unit powering on filled Luke’s ears.

“Corporal, status report,” the voice on the other end ordered. Even through the static of the comms, the voice on the other end sounded monotone, revealing no emotion.

“We’ve managed to find the ship, commander. It’s nothing like we’ve seen before.”

“Is it Republic made?”

“Uhhhhh, looks like it.”

“And what of the pilot?”

“Uhhhhhh… nowhere to be seen.”

“Find the pilot and either secure or eliminate them. We have begun our offensive on the Republic’s defenses, and I cannot have a random variable jeopardize my strategy.”

“Roger roger.” The soldier shut off the comms unit. “You heard the commander, find the pilot, stat!”

Luke’s heart pounded in his chest. He slowly crept his head around the wreckage like a timid Loth-cat. As the soldiers came into view, his eyes widened. Eleven tan battle droids stood rigid, with one standing in front of them with yellow markings on its head and torso. Luke couldn’t understand the sight before him. Battle droids hadn’t been used in combat since the early days of the Empire, at least that’s what Uncle Owen used to say. Did the Empire reactivate the droids? Luke lingered on the droids, trying to piece together what was going on. Then, one of the droids looked him square in the eyes, causing it to jump.

“Look!” the droid shouted, pointing at Luke, “There’s the pilot!”

The droids snapped their heads at the location their comrade pointed to. Luke shrank back, gripping his lightsaber tightly. At this point, his heart threatened to burst out of his chest.

“You are under arrest in the name of the Seperatist Alliance,” the commander announced, at least that’s what Luke assumed, “Step out from behind the wreckage with your hands up.”

Artoo let out a worried whimper. Luke’s mind raced with questions. This had to be one of the seperatist holdouts the Empire dealt with in the early years, during the Reconquest of the Rim. Maybe this was all that was left of the holdout. If so, he could probably take them. Even then, Luke still practiced a bit of caution. He fastened the lightsaber to his side and slowly made his way out to face the droids with raised hands. All eleven of them had their blasters at the ready, tracking Luke’s every move.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Luke announced, “I’m just like you, hiding from the Empire. We don’t have to-”

“Empire?” one of the droids interjected, “What’s an Empire?”

“Wait a minute, this isn’t a clone,” another droid commented, stepping forward. A clone? Luke thought. Clones haven’t been seen since the days of the Clone Wars. Perhaps these droids never had their memory wiped, so they still think the Clone Wars are still raging.

“You’re coming with u-” the commander looked down at the lightsaber resting beside Luke’s hip. “HE’S A JEDI!”

The droids stepped back in shock as the commander snatched the lightsaber from Luke, inspecting it thoroughly.

“We found a jedi? And we’re still operational?” one of them asked.

“That’s impossible!” Another said, “He hasn’t done those weird hand motions yet!”

“Have you tried to fight a Jedi? The only one who has one that isn’t a Jedi is the General!”

“I sense promotions!” the commander waved the lightsaber in the air triumphantly.

All the droids cheered at the commander’s announcement. Just then, the commander began levitating in the air. The other droids stared in amazement, only to have their awe cut short by the sound of blasters. One by one, each droid received an azure bolt to the head, collapsing to the floor. The commanding droid yelled in horror as an invisible force crushed it like a canister in the vacuum of space before falling to the ground with a loud thud. Luke’s lightsaber tumbled out of the droid’s hand directly in front of him. He stared in amazement at the heaps of scrap before him, all sputtering sparks while twitching faintly, before scanning the immediate area for whoever saved him. Artoo slowly crept out from behind the wreckage with a low whistle.

“That… wasn’t you, right, Artoo?” Luke asked half-jokingly, lowering his now tired arms.. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted faint rustling from the clusters of trees. Must be the ones who did all this Luke thought as he carefully stepped over the metallic corpses. He fastened his lightsaber back onto his side before waving in the direction of the trees. “Thanks, whoever you are,” Luke shouted, “Guess this planet isn’t as abandoned as I thought it… was?”

Luke’s approach slowed to a halt as a figure emerged from the tree line. His apparent savior wore bone white armor, accented by black around the joints. The face was obscured by a helmet, and in their hands rested a small black rifle. Artoo screeched as Luke’s heart skipped a beat. Without hesitation, Luke tore the lightsaber off his side and immediately ignited it. The blue blade jettisoned out of the hilt with a screech as Luke pointed the tip towards the trooper.

“I thought the Empire didn’t operate on Chandar’s Folly,” Luke said, “What are you doing on this planet?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the trooper said, raising his hands carefully over his head, “You’re a Jedi, right? Part of this military campaign?” Luke eased a bit of tension in his body.

“Military campaign?”

Just then, another trooper, similarly outfitted, made his way out of the thick cluster. Then another. And another. In total, about ten stormtroopers stood before him, all with weapons pointed at Luke. Artoo began panicking beside Luke as another trooper came out of the brush. His armor was similar to those around him, but instead of bone white, it was accented with dark blues and sported a worn gray kama wrapped around his waist. Luke deduced that it was some kind of elite trooper the Empire was keeping a secret. If he got out of this alive, that would be invaluable information to relay to the alliance.

“Well,” the blue trooper said, “no wonder the clankers were so eager to find this wreck.” Luke cocked his head as he raised an eyebrow. The trooper’s voice was identical to the first soldier who emerged out of the trees. Luke swung the lightsaber towards the elite soldier.

“Who are you?” he demanded. Luke was taken aback when the trooper stood at attention and saluted him.

“Captain Rex, designation CT-7567 of the 501st Legion, sir.” he announced. Clones! Luke thought. There were a few clones in the rebellion, but they were all incredibly old and rarely if ever took active combat roles because of it. The clone’s name rang a bell, almost as if Luke had heard that name before.

“I thought the Empire discontinued the use of clones,” Luke said, “Or are you with the Rebellion?”

The trooper took off his helmet, revealing a man with light brown skin and eyes and blond hair cut so close it appeared as part of his skin. “Empire? Rebellion?” Rex asked, “Sounds like that crash might’ve scrambled your brains.”

“Hey!” Luke blurted out as Artoo whirled behind him. Before Luke could chastise his astromech, another figure stepped out of the farthest tree cluster. Unlike the clones, this man was adorned in blue and maroon robes, with a light gray armor piece around his neck. A faint scar draped itself over his right eye and, on his side, rested a lightsaber, almost similar to the one Luke held in his hand.

“Well, this is… unusual,” the man said, hands clasped behind his back. Luke disabled his lightsaber and approached the man.

“Thanks for the save,” Luke sighed, “Never thought I’d see battle droids in action.” 

The man cocked an eyebrow. “Are you part of the Agricultural Corps?”

Luke looked at the man as if his head was floating off his shoulders. “The what?”

“I assume you’re a Jedi with that lightsaber.”

Luke stared down at his lightsaber before letting out a sigh. “I mean, I thought I was a Jedi…”

“I sense some power inside you… it’s low, but it’s there. When did you discover this power?”

“A few months ago…”

The man’s face reeled in shock. “You have to be at least as old as me!”

“Y-yeah…”

The man rubbed his chin. “Perhaps Master Yoda and the council would know more about this…”

“The council?”

“The Jedi Council… you’ve had to have heard of them, right?”

Luke opened his mouth to speak, but then thought of Ben’s words crept into his brain. Maybe this was what he was talking about.

“Yeah,” Luke lied, “I-I’ve heard of them.”

“Good.” the man extended one of his hands, “Why don’t you come with us? Our forward camp isn’t too far from here.”

Luke clasped his hand and shook it firmly. “Well, we don’t have much of a choice. Name’s Luke.”

“Anakin,” the man replied, “Anakin Skywalker.”

Luke’s eyes went wide as his body stiffened. His mind raced, connecting all the information he had. Jedi Council, Anakin Skywalker, clones and droids… did we…?

“C’mon, Obi-wan will want to talk to you as well,” Anakin turned and made his way out of the valley as the clones followed suit. Luke and Artoo exchanged concerned looks, as if they both came to the same conclusions. 

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Artoo…” Luke said as he followed his father out of the valley.

XXXXXX

The bridge of the Executor was draped in the light blue of hyperspace. The sounds of computers and low murmur of the crew were completely drowned out by the deep and chilling breathing of Darth Vader. The Dark Lord stood silently as he peered out of the Super Star Destroyer’s viewports. Probe droids mentioned a lone X-wing that exited hyperspace from these coordinates. The markings the ship was described with matched up with the one that destroyed the Death Star. The one piloted by Luke Skywalker.

Vader’s own son.

Upon discovering that Padmè had given birth before she died, rage consumed Vader’s every being. Not only had the Emperor attempted to replace him with subpar weaklings, he lied about the death of his child. The Emperor needed to be eliminated, that much was certain. And Luke was the key to his downfall. Once Luke was in his grasp, they would rule the galaxy as father and son.

“Lord Vader,” Admiral Ozzel announced, strolling up to the towering cyborg, “We’ll be exiting hyperspace shortly, but our scanners have picked up something… unusual…”

Vader turned to the admiral, who shrank back in response. “Does it pose immediate threat to the ship, admiral?” Vader interrogated.

“Well, we are unsure, m’lord, but I felt it wise to inform y-”

“If it poses no threat, then we shall proceed as planned. I will not allow this… Jedi, to slip through our hands once again.”

“Yes, Lord Vader…”

As the Executor left hyperspace, Vader was met by a mixture of confusion and shock. Instead of the vast expanse of space, the ship was met with a series of jagged red energy bolts cutting through the stars. Vader felt the Force shaking and bending, as if it were a tortured animal. The bridge was filled with shocked gasps and hushed murmurs from petty officers and stormtroopers. Admiral Ozzel stood with his mouth agape, trying to make sense of what he was looking at.

“What are your orders, sir?” he said after a moment.

“Prepare my ship at once,” Vader decreed, turning to leave the bridge, “And ready a detachment of fighters. I shall investigate this myself.” Vader didn’t stop to hear Ozzel’s reply as the massive doors sealed shut behind him.

XXXXXXX

From the cockpit of Vader’s TIE Advanced, the damage appeared to be much worse. It appeared as if space were a large pane of shattered glass, with pure nothingness hiding behind it. Only a fool would dare venture out here alone. Three TIEs split off from Vader as he scoured for the source of this damage. As they dispersed, a streak of red energy jutted out in front of them. Two managed to alter their course with a deafening roar, but one flew directly through it, incinerating it completely. Fool, Vader thought, These are supposed to be the Empire’s greatest pilots?

Vader’s thoughts were disturbed by the fervent beeping of his comm unit. Upon activation, he was greeted by Ozzel, hands clasped behind his back.

“M’lord,” Ozzel began, “It appears we’re the only ones in this sector, perhaps we should-”

“No,” Vader abruptly interrupted, “Skywalker is here, he must be. Send another detachment of fighters. I want every inch of this sector swept.”

“As you w-”

Before Ozzel could finish his thought, the comm unit abruptly shut off as Vader’s ship rocked violently. The cyborg attempted to restabilize his ship, but only seemed to jostle it even further. Out of the corners of the cockpit, Vader saw the inky nothingness creep into view.

“Admiral!” Vader said, activating the comms link, “Activate the tractor beam, and target myself.” the Sith lord was met with static. “Admiral, respond!” Again, static. Seeing no other option, Vader began calculating a desperate jump to hyperspace. As soon as coordinates were set, he launched himself out of the nothingness and into hyperspace. The tension receded from his body as he attempted to contact the Executor once again.

“Admiral Ozzel!” Vader said, anger rising in his voice, “Do I need to remind you of the Emperor’s decree? I am not to be ignored!” Vader was once again met with static and no admiral. He slammed his metallic fist onto the unit, causing a small dent. He would deal with Ozzel in the future. For now, Vader needed to refocus on getting back to the fleet and refocus his efforts on finding Skywalker.

Vader quickly disabled his hyperdrive as he took in his surroundings. While he was still in dead space, the damage he witnessed was completely absent. While it appeared the damage to space itself was contained, Vader couldn’t help but feel a disturbance in the Force, as if catastrophe struck on a galactic scale. The Sith lord pushed this thought to the side for the time being. His priority was to return to the Executor. Vader activated his sensor array, broadcasting his location to every sector in range.

“This is a distress call from Lord Vader,” he decreed, “All Imperial naval units converge on my position.”

Just as he finished his message, Vader’s TIE shook abruptly once again. Again?! He thought as he was thrown around in his own cockpit. Perhaps it was a rebel ship attacking him. Vader activated his scanner, and his suspicions were confirmed almost immediately. A large frigate had entered the sector not too long after he arrived, with armaments similar to those used by rebels. If they wished for a fight, then so be it, he thought. Vader maneuvered his ship into attack mode, but hesitated once his target came into view. Instead of a Mon Calamari cruiser, he was met by the long and thin outline of a Munificent-Class frigate. He hadn’t seen one of them since the Clone Wars, and no separatist holdout could house one of them discreetly.

Vader’s comm unit lit up with hailing frequencies, no doubt from the frigate. Upon answering the call, he was met by a Neimoidian, his bony fingers steepling as he glared.

“This is General Uurd Mak of the Confederacy of Independent Systems!” he announced, “You are in a military zone, leave now or be destroyed!”

“The Confederacy has been disbanded for nearly twenty years,” Vader replied, “You are in direct violation of Imperial law. It would be wise to surrender now, or the consequences will be dire.” “I assure you, the Sepratist Alliance is active and strong. Allow me to demonstrate…”

Vader felt his TIE jolt as he was dragged towards the frigate. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop from approaching the ship. Rage began boiling within the Sith lord. First Ozzel refused to acknowledge him, now he had this worm disrespecting him. “If it is a fight you wish for,” Vader said, “Then you shall get one.” And with that, Vader cut the communication just as he was pulled into the frigate’s hangar.

Out of his viewing port, Vader saw hundreds of battle droids, with blasters pointing at him. Vulture droids were perched throughout the hangar, with various tubes and supplies strewn about. Once his TIE landed, a commander droid stepped forward and knocked on the glass.

“Alright,” it said, “Come out with your hands up and you won’t be shot!”

With the press of a button, the top of the TIE opened with a hiss, followed by an eruption of steam. Vader then leaped out of the opening, igniting his lightsaber and cutting down the commander with the crimson blade.

“JEDI! OPEN FIRE!” one of the droids shouted. Every droid around Vader unleashed a torrent of blaster fire, which the sith managed to either deflect or dodge. Vader managed to cut down a few more before the remaining droids ran, leaving him alone with the sound of his lightsaber humming. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but what Vader did know was that no one would be leaving this ship alive.

XXXXXX

The Millennium Falcon dropped out of hyperspace with immense speed. Han and Chewbacca scanned the vastness of space before them in horror. Blood red cracks streaked across the expanse like magma flowing from a volcano. Chewie let out a worried roar, not tearing his eyes from the scene.

“Yeah, I hear ya, pal,” Han said worryingly, “Let’s hope Luke didn’t get too close to those things…” The smuggler and Luke grew close over the past few months, whether it be from sharing their experiences with flying to taking the Empire head on. To Han, Luke was the brother he never had. Well, the second brother, behind Chewie of course, but still like family nonetheless. The two pilots flew cautiously around the damage and chaos, trying to figure out the point of origin. As they were scanning the expanse, C-3PO trotted into the cabin.

“By the Maker!” Threepio blurted, causing Han to jump slightly, “The damage is much worse than Alliance intel relayed!”

“Thanks for the insight, goldie,” Han said sarcastically, “now unless you can tell me how space itself can bleed, I need you to make yourself useful and get Leia up here.”

“At once, Captain Solo, but Alliance Command will be requesting an update on the situation.” “Tell them things have gone to hell, but no Imperials so far. Now get Leia.”

“Yes, sir.” Threepeeo waddled back out of the cabin, leaving Han and Chewie to themselves once more. Chewie let out a concerning wimper directed to Han.

“What?” The smuggler asked, “I know that droid’s a pain to you as much as he is to me.”

Chewie let out a quick bark in defiance. 

“I know he means a lot to Leia and that clone, but they could’ve at least changed his vocal patterns. And who programs a droid to feel fear?”

The wookie simply roared, seemingly scolding his friend.

“You’re right, we need to get back to this. If the Empire has a new weapon that can do this, we’re all in danger…”

XXXXXX

“Thank you for joining us, Commander Rex,” Leia said, “I know it must be difficult with your age to come on these missions.” The two of them sat around the holochess table, which was in desperate need of repair. Upon the table sat Rex’s ARC helmet, greyed by years of use with tally marks on the temples. The clone simply laughed as he calibrated his blaster pistols.

“Never liked sitting around,” Rex chortled, “We clones were bred to fight.”

“I remember the stories my father used to tell me about the wars. Is it true you were under the command of Luke’s father?”

“Sure was. Few Jedi cared about their clones as much as General Skywalker. He and I led the 501st through thick and thin, come hell or high water.” The smile on Rex’s face dissipated as he stared at his helmet. “I just can’t believe he’s really… dead, y’know.”

Leia placed a hand on Rex’s shoulder, “I’m sorry. With all the loss you’ve probably seen, that must’ve been hard.”

“Indeed, but their deaths are what keep me fighting. So that his, and the sacrifices my brothers made, aren’t in vain.”

Leia thanked the aging clone once more before excusing herself to find Threepio. She held a deep respect for the old clone, even before General Syndulla’s recommendation for this mission. Leia remembered hearing that he was one of the five clones that held off an entire invasion force on the moon of Rishi. If the Alliance could get a hold of the cloning technology used for him, the war would be a hell of a lot shorter. Though with these rumors of a new Imperial superweapon, one that rivaled the destructive power of the Death Star, it would take much more than just manpower to deal with the Empire.

Leia managed to find Threepio coming from the cockpit, muttering to himself as usual. “Everything alright, Threepio?” Leia asked.

“Oh, Princess Leia!” Threepio responded, attempting to mask the annoyance in his vocal programming, “Captain Solo is requesting your presence, albeit rather rudely.”

“Has he found the weapon?” “No, but… it’s hard to explain, but it’s almost as if space has been… shattered. Like glass.”

“Bah!” Rex said peering out of the access door, “Space warps, not breaks. With as long as you’ve been around, droid, I’d thought you’d know that too.”

“My visual receptors don’t lie. Also, how would you know how long I’ve been around?”

Rex turned his attention to Leia. “Guess they weren’t kidding about a memory wipe…”

The ship suddenly jolted, nearly knocking everyone onto the floor. As the three of them scrambled back onto their feet, an alarm began blaring throughout the ship. Leia dashed past Threepio towards the cockpit, followed by Rex, then the protocol droid. Han and Chewie were frantically flipping switches and pressing buttons, their eyes wildly darting all across the dashboard.

“What the hell’s going on?” Leia demanded before turning her gaze out to the expanse of space. It was just as Threepio described; space itself seemed to have shattered like glass.

“Looks like we’re caught in a black hole,” Han said, trying to keep his voice calm, “That might be what caused all this.” “How?” Rex interrogated, “Black holes warp space, not shatter it!” “Well, there’s no superweapon out here, so if you’ve got a better explanation, old man, I’d love to hear them!”

The ship bucked again, forcing Leia and Rex to grip the passenger seats to remain standing. Threepio was not so lucky, falling to the ground with a yelp.

“I hope you have a solution to this, otherwise we’re done for!” Leia yelled over the blaring alarm.

“Don’t get your shorts in a knot, Princess! I always have a solution. Chewie, prepare to jump to lightspeed.”

“What?!” Rex and Leia said in unison.

“You two got any better ideas?”

“But sir!” Threepio said as he stood back up, “There is a 99.9 percent chance that the ship will be torn asunder if we attempt a jump to hyperspace!” “Never tell me the odds. Chewie, you got the coordinates?” The wookie let out a bellowing roar. “Then punch it!”

In an instant, the stars became streaks of light as the Falcon launched forward into the emptiness of space.

[snowfall-in-summer]

Of all the times to start When All Is Lost, it’s just before I start my first NaNoWriMo...

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Saturday Mornings- A Kristelsa Smut One-Shot

Ao3 link

FFN link

Elsa and Kristoff love Saturday mornings... for good reasons.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted some smut. And I noticed that Kristelsa smut was severely lacking. Enjoy ;)

The first rays of the morning sun warmed Kristoff’s face as he stirred awake. His arm was draped over Elsa, his wife of three years, who was sleeping peacefully. Kristoff brought his lips to her neck, giving her feathery kisses as she hummed awake.

“Good morning,” she murmured, bringing her hand to his face. She could feel the sharp bristles of his beard as she placed her hand on his cheek.

“Hey,” he replied groggily, “Happy Saturday.” Saturdays were one of the few days the two of them were both off. Elsa’s architecture company and Kristoff’s woodworking business kept them separated for most of the week, so the two of them having Saturdays off was a blessing.

Elsa broke from Kristoff’s embrace and sat up on their bed. She stretched out the sleepiness from her muscles as she grunted happily. Kristoff propped himself on his elbows, absolutely enthralled at what he was witnessing.

“I can feel you staring, you know.”

“I’m just… in awe, is all.”

“Oh? How so?”

“That I have a woman as beautiful as you to call my wife.”

Elsa’s face flared up as her cheeks burned bright red. Even after three years of being married to this wonderful man, she still became weak hearing things like that. It was those wonderful comments that reminded her how much Kristoff loved her. She heard the bed squeak as Kristoff hurled himself over the edge.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, stretching out his limbs before reaching over for his slippers, “I’ve gotta go get Sven his food.”

“Alright,” Elsa replied in a seductive tone, “don’t take too long, I’ll be waiting for you in the shower.”

Kristoff’s face reddened at the thought as he felt his sleep pants tighten. “S-sure thing, baby,” he stammered before walking out of the room.

XXXXXX

Kristoff grabbed his light gray jacket he threw on the chair in the dining room and pulled it over his head as he took the massive bag of dog food out of the closet and stepped outside into their backyard. The yard itself was covered in a thin layer of frost, as was common in Connecticut at this time of year.  Breathing in the crisp autumn air, Kristoff quickly walked over to Sven’s doghouse, only to be nearly knocked over when the German Shepard bolted towards him.

“Morning, buddy!” Kristoff chuckled as Sven licked his face, “you hungry?”

Sven bounced eagerly as Kristoff poured out his dog food into his bowl. In an instant, Sven lunged at his food, devouring it happily. Kristoff smiled as he watched Sven eat. He really had it all: a loving wife, a house to call his own in a beautiful town, a loyal companion. Thinking about this made his heart swell with elation.

Speaking of wife…

Kristoff patted Sven’s back as he headed back inside. He knew it was rude to keep Elsa waiting.

XXXXXX

Water erupted from the shower nozzle as Elsa turned the knob. She held her hand under the cascade, checking to see if it was warm enough. Once the water reached the right temperature, Elsa stripped out of her nightie and stepped in. It took a few tries to get the water just right before she let it cascade down her platinum locks. The warmth of the water eased the tension in her muscles and wiped the sleep from her body. Cupping her hands together, she gathered some water in her palms and splashed it in her face. She reached over to her shampoo before she heard the bathroom door creak open. After hearing what she knew was the sound of clothes hitting the laundry bin, she was greeted by Kristoff sliding the shower curtain back.

“Hey,” Kristoff said with a boyish grin as he eyed his nude wife.

“Hey yourself,” Elsa replied, giving him the same look over. There were many favorable aspects of Kristoff; he was kind, honest, and altogether a sweet and caring man.

It also helped that he had a massive cock.

Kristoff stepped into the shower as Elsa stepped aside for Kristoff to feel the warmth of the water. He wrapped his rough calloused hands around Elsa’s midsection as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Elsa could feel Kristoff’s shaft nestle into the small of her back.

“How was your day yesterday?” Kristoff asked, “You came home and went to bed almost immediately.”

“Ugh,” Elsa groaned, “Just that bastard at work again.” “Hans?”

“Yep. Asshole forgot that I’m married again. I asked him to run the numbers on a potential project and he slips me his phone number!”

“What?!”

“I’ve told him no multiple times! I ended up firing his ass. Now we’re behind on several projects since I had to scramble people around, all because he refused to take no for an answer!”

Kristoff tightened his grip on her, “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine. This coming week I’ll be looking at some new replacements. At least one of them seems like a good fit just from her resume.”

“Well that’s good to hear.”

Elsa reached over for the shampoo while stroking Kristoff’s cheek, “what about you?”

“Same as usual. Finally wrapped up that bench for Mr. Banks, he seemed pretty happy about it too.”

Elsa hummed as she worked the shampoo into her hair, intently listening to Kristoff. “I’m surprised, that man is almost never happy.”

Kristoff let go of Elsa for a second as she held out the shampoo bottle for him. As he went to grab it, the bottle slipped out of their hands and fell to the bottom with a deafening thud.

“Sorry,” Kristoff said.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Elsa replied. She bent over to grab the bottle off the shower floor. Kristoff let out an audible gasp as she reached down. She felt his shaft twitch against her rear. “Hmm, a little excited, are we?”

Kristoff kneaded her ass with his hands as she stood up. His mouth went directly to her neck as she reached down for his dick. She gave it a few pumps, relishing the feeling of the hot water and Kristoff’s mouth. Kristoff moved his hands to cup her breasts as he began biting Elsa’s ear.

“You’re so fucking hot, you know that?” Kristoff growled, pinching her nipple between his fingers. Elsa mewled as she turned around and crashed her lips against his. Kristoff pinned her to the wall, moving his mouth back to her neck. Elsa let out a throaty moan as Kristoff’s left hand reached between her silky thighs and traced her folds. With no hesitation, he slowly inserted two of his fingers into her heat. Elsa absentmindedly fondled her breasts as he began thrusting his fingers in and out of her.

“I need you inside me!” She managed to gasp.

“I already am,” Kristoff sarcastically replied before removing his hand from her sex. He gripped his shaft and gave himself a few quick pumps. “How bad do you want it, baby?”

“If you don’t fuck me in the next five seconds I swear I will-”

Before Elsa had a chance to finish her sentence, Kristoff slid himself into her tight heat. Elsa clenched her fingers onto his shoulders as they both grunted. After what felt like an eternity, Kristoff slowly pulled himself out to the tip before thrusting sharp and quick into Elsa’s heat. Elsa could only respond with mewls and soft gasps as she felt his cock stretch her in the best ways. The sound of wet flesh slapping against wet flesh drowned out the sound of the cascading water from the shower as Kristoff moved his hands to Elsa’s breasts. Elsa managed a small gasp before being silenced by Kristoff’s lips against her own, both lost in the heat of passion.

Elsa felt her release fast approaching as she dipped her hand between the two of them, rubbing her clit vigorously. As Kristoff broke their kiss, he placed his mouth on her neck, suckling hard on the spot where her pulse was. In an instant, Elsa reached her peak, moaning out Kristoff’s name as she came undone around him. Her nails dug into his broad shoulders as his thrusts slowed down to a stop. The two of them panted as he slowly pulled out.

“H-holy shit,” Kristoff gasped, “I love watching you cum like that!”

Elsa felt her face go red as she smiled at him. “D-did you…?” She asked, looking down at his still hard member.

“It’s fine. As long as you—”

“That doesn’t seem fair to you, though…” Elsa reached down and started stroking him, staring at him lustfully.

“I appreciate it, but we should probably do this out of the shower. Water’s running cold.” Kristoff reached one hand behind him and switched the shower off. Elsa released her grip on Kristoff’s cock as she stepped out of the shower.

“Follow me,” she purred as she walked out of the bathroom with as much hip swaying as possible. Kristoff absentmindedly followed like an eager puppy.

The things this woman did to him…

XXXXXX

“Mmmmmmm, yes, just like that!~” Elsa moaned, gripping the sheets tightly as Kristoff pounded into her with force. It was a miracle that he waited until they were back in their bedroom to ravage her. It was also a miracle none of the neighbors could hear some of the scandalous things coming from her mouth. She always loved this position,  both for being able to see Kristoff’s face as they made love and for allowing Kristoff to go deeper inside her. 

Kristoff’s eyes wandered all over Elsa’s body, from her perky breasts that bounced with each thrust, to her deep sapphire eyes that he found himself getting lost in when they fucked. He spread her legs out to plunge himself deeper, eliciting a throaty moan from his wife. The blond man dipped his head down and crashed his lips with hers.

“K-Kristof… I-fuck!” Elsa gasped, wrapping her legs around Kristoff’s waist, “I’m close!”

“M-me to!” Kristoff grunted, “where do you-?”

“Inside, Kris! Please!”

Kristoff hastened his pace, shaking the whole bed. He felt Elsa come undone around him as his thrusts became more sporadic. With one final thrust, Kristoff reached his own peak, pumping rope after rope of his seed into Elsa with a loud grunt. The two of them rested motionless for a few moments, breathing heavily before pressing their lips together. Kristoff slowly pulled himself out of Elsa and rested beside her as he pulled Elsa close to his chest.

“Did I ever mention that I love you?” Kristoff panted.

“Once or twice,” Elsa said, “Of course, we’ll need to take another shower after this.”

“If it means more time with you, I’m all for it,” Kristoff placed a kiss on Elsa’s forehead as they both slowly rose from the bed and made their way back to the bathroom.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

When All Is Lost, All Is Found Ch.1- The Sailor

Ao3 Link

FFN Link

No one was to set foot on the island, that was the decree from King Runeard. And for over 40 years, that decree was followed. Now, when a stranded sailor washes up on Arendelle's shores, claiming he survived the Island, that decree is about to be broken.

Sequel to "Beware the Frozen Heart"

I’m BACK BABEY!!!!!

The waters of Corona Bay glistened under the full moon. Few people were still out and about at this ungodly hour: drunkards stumbling out of pubs to return to their wives, women of the evening strutting about offering their services, and a few homeless children scurrying the empty streets like the rats they slept with. Down by the docks, several shady and hooded figures darted from shadow to shadow, avoiding the numerous guard patrols along the way. One by one, they slid silently into one of the warehouses on the north side. Closing the door behind them, they each removed their hoods and breathed a sigh of relief. One of the men, a thin bald man with cold silver eyes, walked forward to inspect the large crates before him while a still hooded man walked up beside him.

“You two,” he called out, pointing to two men, “get these things open!” The men walked forward as they brandished crowbars. With a loud *clunk*, the two men sank their crowbars in between the wood covering and yanked with all of their might, producing a loud squeaking sound as the nails were pulled out of the wood.

“This’d better be worth it,” he mumbled to the man beside him.

“Yesss, much worth here,” the hooded figure said in a thick Eastern European accent, “I’ve been watching this place for weeks, these crates are full of Chinese jade. Worth millions.”

“Let’s just hope you're right…”

As he finished talking, the crate opened with the loud clattering of wood on stone. All of the men gathered around the opening, ready to collect the precious materials inside, only to be surprised when the crate was empty. Frustrated murmurs filled the warehouse.

“What the-!?” The bald man shouted, turning to the hooded figure, “you said it’d be here!”

His anger was cut short by the sound of guns cocking from behind the crate. Several guards filed out to meet the group with pistols raised. One of them, a young man with a thick red hair and mustache, approached the bald man with a fearful scowl.

“Johann Üstag,” he announced, raising his pistol to his chest, “you’re under arrest in the name of Arendelle and Corona!”

“What?! But how?!”

“Me, you old dumbass!” The hooded figure shouted, dropping his accent. He pulled his hood back to reveal his gaunt face, jet black hair, and scar traveling down the left side of his face. His brown eyes met the man’s silver ones.

“ERYN?!”

“Hello, Johann,” Eryn sneered, “miss me?”

“I-I thought you were in Istanbul, looking for-”

“- for Liam? He’s long gone, I’m afraid. Leapt off the Hagia Sophia rather than come quietly.”

Johann’s body shook at Eryn’s words, “You bastard! Turning on your own friends like this!”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t turn on me, Johann! I still remember when you ruined damn near a month of prep with a bomb.”

“That was Alius, and from what I’ve heard you already got him back.”

“Your right, I did,” Eryn pulled out a revolver from his cloak and aimed it at Johann’s head, “but you didn’t do shit to stop him, so I’m considering this ‘tying up loose ends.’ Now, hands where I can see them, will you?”

Johann glared at him as he raised his hands.

“He’s all yours, Lenny,” Eryn said. Linaeus walked up to Johann and slapped a pair of shackles around the old man’s wrists. One by one, the guards moved through the mob of criminals, restraining them in a similar fashion. Eryn and Linaeus walked through the crowd until they passed through the doors of the warehouse.

“Well,” Linaeus said, “that should be the last of them, right Eryn?”

“Yep,” Eryn sighed, “He’s all that was left.”

“Then why so grim looking? You should be glad this is over now.”

“I still think that I could’ve taken care of it mys-”

Eryn’s sentence was interrupted by a series of rough, dry coughs. He brought his hand up to his face as he tried to force whatever was in his lungs out. Linaeus leaped as Eryn’s coughing fit started up.

“Eryn, are you alright?!” Linaeus said startled.

“I-I’m fine,” Eryn panted as he recomposed himself, “nothing to worry about.”

“Those coughs have been plaguing you for the last two years! There has to be something wrong.”

“It’s. Nothing. Lenny. We need to focus on the job at hand and get these bastards back to Arendelle.”

“Eryn…”

“Trust me, Lenny,” Eryn placed his hand on Linaeus’s shoulder, giving him a half smile, “I’m fine.” Linaeus gave Eryn a worried expression, “Can you at least promise me you’ll get it checked out when we get back?”

“Fine. Now, shall we get going?”

“I have to sort this out with Captain Fitzherbert first. These criminals are also Corona’s problem.”

“Rrright…” Eryn rolled his eyes. He’d grown a rather serious distaste for the husband of the Princess of Corona. At times, the man gave off this air of arrogance and romanticism, something that grated Eryn’s nerves only slightly. It was when Linaeus introduced him to Captain Fitzherbert that their relationship soured.

“I still don’t understand how you two don’t get along. You two are almost identical.”

“We would’ve gotten along if someone didn’t mention the whole ‘pledged my life to an ancient evil to be an assassin’ bit.”

Linaeus cringed at Eryn’s retort, “Look, I said I was sorry.” “It was the first thing you said when introducing m-” a rapid series of coughs interrupted Eryn as he doubled over.

“Why don’t you just… head back to the ship. I’ll talk with Eugune myself.”

“F-fine,” Eryn sputtered, regaining his composure. He hobbled past Linaeus, trying to stifle any remaining coughs.

Linaeus did nothing but shake his head as he watched Eryn slowly return to the ship. Ever since Skyne’s death, Eryn had been acting… strange. When he wasn’t chasing down a lead on one of his former colleagues, he was distancing himself from everyone. He would eat by himself, deliberately avoid the guards assigned to him, and, strangest of all, would take long lonely walks in the dead of night. Any attempt to find out what was wrong was met with a grumbled “nothing” followed by a mild to severe coughing fit. Linaeus couldn’t help but feel worried for his old friend. He let out a sigh, turning back to the warehouse to discuss the transfer of prisoners with Captain Fitzherbert.

He was concerned for Eryn, but Arendelle always had to come first.

XXXXXX

Eryn slumped against the door to his cabin before letting out another coughing fit. It felt as if he gargled seawater and chased it down with wood shavings. All he wanted to do at this point was rip his throat out and toss it into the ocean. Two godforsaken years had these coughs been plaguing him. Eryn lost count of how many sleepless nights he endured, jolted awake by the intrusion in his throat and lungs. As the coughing passed, he let out an exasperated groan. In a way, he felt like this was some kind of cosmic punishment for thinking he could face Skyne alone. Linaeus told him the whole ordeal a few days after apprehending Markus, how Skyne struck him down and how the queen managed to intervene and kill the monster. The one chance he had to prove himself and he blew it.

You really are an ass, aren’t you? He thought to himself, the whole world could’ve ended because of you, and you’re sitting here pissed because you didn’t get the fame for saving it. How the hell did you convince Elsa to spare you…

Eryn let loose a loud sigh. In his mind, Elsa was being far too kind to him. The two of them met all because of a few sacks of gold and the request of her head on a silver platter. Secretly, he’d been dreading the day the final member of the old gang was in chains. That meant he’d have to return to Arendelle and face her again. Eryn wasn’t sure what would await him upon the delivery of Johann. He fully expected to be thrown in the dungeons once again, or even put on the gallows immediately.

Mustering the little strength he had gathered in the past few minutes, Eryn lifted himself off of the floor and fumbled over to his hammock. Perhaps some sleep would clear his mind and conscience. He flopped onto the hammock as he let his eyelids go heavy before drifting to sleep… 

He was back on the North Mountain, his hands covered in blood. Elsa laid before him, her throat slit and her eyes still and glassy. Anna sobbed loudly as she cradled her elder sister in her arms. Linaeus approached him with his sword drawn, pointing it towards Eryn.

“ERYN!” Linaeus shouted, “WHY?!”

Before he had a chance to respond, an inky black tentacle pierced Linaeus’s chest. Eryn could feel the blood splatter onto his face as his friend slumped to the floor with a loud gurgling noise. Looking up, Eryn saw… him. The crimson eyes that pierced his soul. The inky black skin that blotted out the night sky behind him. The serpentine head, a maniacal grin overtaking it. The antlers, now stained with blood. The canine-like legs sinking into the snow. The wretched smell of death and decay. Skyne lifted Anna into the air, who was begging to stay with her sister. In an instant, Anna was enveloped in an orb of darkness. All Eryn could hear was the shrill shrieking of the princess followed by the sound of crunching bones. Skyne let out a wicked chortle as he lifted Eryn off of the ground and brought him to face level.

Come now, Odrikson, the monster growled, Isn’t this what you wanted?

“N-no!” Eryn gasped, clawing at the beast’s grasp, “I want out!”

I’m afraid that’s no longer an option. You’ve signed away your freedom the second you swore allegiance to me!

“Let. Me. GO!” Eryn’s heart raced as he felt Skyne tighten his grip around him.

T̷̬̍H̷̺̓Ë̵͓́R̵̥̓È̵̬'̵̩͐S̸͖̍ ̵̜͐N̵̤͆O̸̦͘ ̷͔͝T̶̻͗U̷͛͜Ř̵͈N̸͈̎I̷͈͒N̶̦̋G̷͗ͅ ̶̢͐B̷̭͐A̵̯̽C̶̭̏K̴͚͊ ̶͇͒N̶̤͌Ő̴͓W̶̝͐!̷̘̑

Skyne’s grip became tighter and tighter. Eryn struggled to free himself, only enticing the spirit to squeeze harder until he could hear his bones crack under the immense pressure…

“Eryn! Wake up!”

Eryn bolted upright in his bed, panting as if he ran a marathon. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead as his heart raced. Eryn snapped his head to the left, only to be greeted by a concerned Linaeus kneeling by his bedside. 

“L-Lenny!” Eryn gasped, “Wh-what happened?”

“What happened?” Linaeus gawked, “I overheard you shouting in your sleep, that’s what happened. Something about ‘wanting out.’”

Eryn buried his face in his hand as his panting subsided. It was just a nightmare, he thought, Everyone is-

As soon as his breathing stabilized, Eryn was greeted by another bout of coughing. This time felt much harder and more fierce than any before. It felt as if his throat was on fire.

“Here, drink some of this,” Linaeus said as he handed Eryn a small flask. Without hesitation, Eryn grabbed the drink and eagerly gulped it down. As he drank, he could feel Linaeus’s gaze boring a hole into him.

“Th-thank you,” Eryn said, returning the flask to Linaeus. The general’s look of concern didn’t change as he took the container from Eryn’s hand.

“You know what I’m going to ask, right?” Linaeus asked.

“It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Eryn quickly responded as he attempted to get out of bed.

“You had that nightmare again, didn’t you? With… him?”

Eryn winced at Linaeus’s question. “Y-yeah…”

“Eryn, this isn’t ‘nothing.’ You’ve been having those nightmares since--” “I can deal with them myself,” Eryn snapped, “A few bad dreams haven’t hurt anyone.”

“But if it’s the same bad dream for two years? That’s not normal, Eryn.”

“We work for a woman who controls ice and snow, what do we know about ‘normal?’” 

“Even Elsa’s magic can’t manipulate dreams, Eryn,” Linaeus folded his arms as he rose from the floor, “You shouldn’t be ignoring this, you know…”

Eryn flopped his head back onto his pillow. “Ugh, fine,” he groaned, “I’ll see what help I can get once we get back to Arendelle.”

“We are back in Arendelle.”

Eryn shot back up from the bed, “What?! A nonstop trip from Corona to Arendelle takes at least two days! Are you telling me that I slept the entire trip?”

“Indeed you did. Had to fight to keep the captain from tossing you overboard.”

Eryn could overhear the crew shouting and moving objects above. His heart sank as he realized that Linaeus wasn’t joking.

“Er, thanks, I guess?” Eryn let out a weak chuckle.

“Wouldn’t want to miss out on your audience with the queen, now would you?” A small smile formed on Linaeus’s face. Eryn returned the smile, but could feel his anxiety creep through his body. 

“What’s got you so worried?” Linaeus chuckled, “She’s not going to bite, y’know?”

As far as you know, Eryn thought, but resisted the urge to say anything. He knew of Linaeus’s feelings towards the queen (well, everyone knew except for Elsa) so Eryn wished to avoid insulting her in front of him.

“I’ll leave you be so you can ready yourself,” Linaeus walked over to the door and swung it open before turning back to Eryn and adding, “And don’t forget about… well, you know.”

“R-right. Thanks, Lenny.”

Linaeus nodded and closed the door behind him. Eryn let out an audible gulp. This was it: the day he both awaited and dreaded. Once he left this boat, his fate was up to the queen. Might as well get this over with, he thought to himself as he got out of bed.

XXXXXX

“Wait,” Olaf said, scanning the large map of North America laid out on the desk. He stood next to Anna upon Elsa’s chair as he smoothed out the map with his twig hands. “They want to take all that land?”

“Yep,” Anna said, looking over the map, “Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. From what I’ve heard Elsa talk about, Texas wants to be a part of America but some Americans don’t want it.”

“But it’s so big! You could fit like... a hundred Arendelles in it!” Think of all the snowmen you could make in there.”

“Ehhhh, seeing how it’s mostly desert, you won’t get a lot of snowmen out there.”

“Then why take so much?”

Anna quickly rolled up the map before saying, “How about we take a break for now? I’ll go check on Elsa if you can go down to the docks to wait for Linaeus and Eryn. I promise that we’ll keep talking about this later.”

“Oooh! I can do that! I missed Derri-- I mean Eryn.” With that, Olaf hopped off the chair and scurried out of the room. Anna placed the map under her arm as she walked out with him, only to be immediately greeted by Kristoff, her fiancé, leaning against the wall in his normal fur outfit. Anna ran towards him as he caught her in a warm embrace.

“Hey,” she said against his shirt, “I missed you.”

“Hey yourself,” he replied, “How’s the current events lesson going?”

“I’m not sure how to describe slavery to a snowman,” Anna detached herself from Kristoff, “Wow, that’s an odd sentence.”

“Odder than ‘My sister can sneeze life?’”

“Okay, that’s valid. Speaking of which, have you seen Elsa?”

“Heard some of the staff say she was in the library. Not sure what she’s doing there, though.”

Anna pursed her lips. Ever since Elsa came back from the North Mountain, she started getting borderline obsessed with ancient myths and legends. Anna always found her curled up on a  chair somewhere with a massive book of mythology either resting on her lap or collapsed on the floor. Anna couldn’t get any answers out of her, all she would get was an “I’m fine, Anna,” or “Don’t worry, Anna.” But that’s all she could do. She worried that her sister was falling back into her old habits. Worried that she was going to lose Elsa again. How could she do anything but worry when she didn’t have the whole story?

“Hey,” Kristoff placed a loving hand on her shoulder, “You wanna go check on her?” 

Anna gave him a warm smile, “Yeah, thanks.”

The two of them made their way down the hall when Anna jerked to a stop. She knelt down and began hiking up her dress when Kristoff came and knelt beside her.

“Is your leg acting up again?” He asked as she hiked up enough of her dress to reveal her wooden prosthetic. He was still impressed as to how fast that came in after the attack. What impressed him further is that, rather than just a pegleg, it closely resembled an actual human leg and foot, even matching Anna’s creamy skin color.

“Yes,” Anna groaned, “Can you… uh… push that in?” Anna pointed to a small metal piece jutting out of where the artificial ankle was. Without hesitation, Kristoff shoved the protruding piece back into place.

“I thought this thing was ‘state of the art,’ why does it feel like it breaks every other day?” Kristoff asked, standing up while helping Anna off of the floor.

“Well, the doctors did say that I shouldn’t do too much ‘strenuous activity’ with it, but you know me, Miss Strenuous Activity herself.”

Kristoff lightly chuckled, “Heh, you’re right on that. Let’s just get to the library before that thing breaks again.”

“I’ll race ya.” Anna gave him a cheeky wink.

“I’m not sure if that leg of yours is gonna--” before Kristoff could finish his sentence, Anna flew down the corridor and off to the left. Kristoff simply sighed as he bolted down the corridor in a vain attempt to catch up to his beloved.

XXXXXX

“Alright, let’s look through this again,” Elsa told herself, dipping her quil in the inkwell. Before her on the mahogany desk laid out some parchment paper, a book that translates from Latin to English, and a worn old book she found on accident two years ago, hidden behind one of the bookshelves. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she read through the passages. An authentic skald poem, thought to be lost hundreds of years ago, about magic! After months of fruitless searching about Skyne, Ahtohallan, or even Aren the First, this writing was a godsend. What wasn’t a godsend, however, was attempting to translate the illegible writings. She’d lost track of how many nights she spent trying to decipher the ancient texts. To her left, a small piece of parchment where she wrote down some translations of the text into something more legible. Relaying her sight between the book of translations and the skald poem, Elsa diligently printed line after line onto the parchment paper, careful as to not misspell or miss any words. Once she fully translated the passage, Elsa placed the quill back into the inkwell and began to read over the passage:

A thousand years ago,

When magic roamed these lands,

Man and myth together

Lived in fair harmony

From Ahtohallan’s shores

To southern lands most far

The four masters roamed wide

Where North Wind met the sea

Elsa paused at the last phrase. She heard it before, in her mother’s lullaby about the source of all magic. Elsa absentmindedly bounced her foot as she contemplated this information. It’s a start, at least, she thought to herself before retrieving her quill and starting again. Perhaps the rest of the poem would have more informa-

“ELSA!”

Elsa jumped at the shouting of her name, encasing her quill in ice. She quickly around, her blue eyes narrowed in anger, to find Anna and Kristoff standing before her.

“Please just knock next time, Anna,” Elsa sighed as she tried prying the quill out of her hand.

“I did,” her sister replied, “you were just so busy with… whatever it is you’re doing, you just didn’t hear.” As Elsa listened to Anna’s explanation, she waved her open hand over the icy quill, vanishing the cold before setting it back into her inkwell

“Is everything alright? Is it your leg again?”

“No, no. It’s just…”

“We were a little concerned about you,” Kristoff interjected.

“There’s nothing to be concerned about. I’m perfectly— ANNA!”

Anna held Elsa’s work in her hands, reading it silently to herself. Once she was done, Anna looked up to Elsa with a look of confusion.

“Elsa, what is this?”

Elsa sighed in defeat. “I-”

Before she could explain, Elsa was interrupted by a knock on the door. Gerda meekly entered the room, giving the queen a small curtsey.

“Sorry to interrupt, your majesty, but General Torvond and Mr. Odrikson have arrived from Corona.”

“O-oh,” Elsa felt a wave of both relief and anxiety rush over her. Even two years later, she was still kicking herself for letting her guard down and allowing an assassin so close to her, let alone growing attracted to him. Ever since the day she found out the truth, Elsa swore she’d never be duped like that again. For her sake, and for Anna’s.

Elsa shook off the feeling as she regained her composure. “Good,” she said, “do they have Mr.  Üstag with them?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They’re on their way to the castle now.”

Elsa nodded, “Very well, I’ll meet them in the courtyard in a bit. Thank you, Gerda.”

As Gerda left the room, Elsa turned to face a slightly annoyed Anna, pouting disapprovingly. 

“So are you going to tell us what’s with the books?” Anna asked.

“I’ll… tell you after we deal with Eryn and Linaeus.”

“Promise?”

“Super sister promise. Now, let’s head to the courtyard.” Elsa briskly walked out of the library as Anna and Kristoff exchanged worried looks.

“She’s doing it again,” Anna said.

“But she at least promised to tell you,” Kristoff replied, “that’s more than any other time.”

“But is she serious about it or is she just saying that?”

“Only one way to find out.” Kristoff gestured to the hallway as the two of them casually walked down to the courtyard.

XXXXXX

“All this for what, Eryn? To become some royal’s pet?” Johann sneered.

“Oh, shut it, you old bastard,” Eryn grunted as he shoved him through the streets. Throughout the city, people stared quizzically at the three men as they made their way towards the castle. Just a few steps ahead of them, Olaf was skipping merrily across the cobblestones prattling on about whatever was on his mind. All of them were flanked by stone faced guards, brandishing their rifles like a living set of tin soldiers. While Linaeus humored the snowman, Eryn fixated his attention on the castle looming in the distance. He knew what was to happen to Johann, a night in the dungeons before he hung, but it was his own fate Eryn wasn’t sure of. Anxiety shot through his body with every step towards the castle. Eryn shook off these feelings as he tightened his grip on the man in his grasp, who struggled with each step.

“So she really let you off after you swore to bring us all in? I knew she was a whore, but not a stupid wh-”

Eryn struck Johann in his stomach, who fell to the ground whimpering like a dog. With no hesitation, Eryn hoisted the man off the ground and brought him to eye level.

“You’re lucky I don’t have a sword on me,” he growled, “because if I did, I’d cut that tongue out of your damn head!”

Johann formed a weak smile, “Seems I’ve struck a raw nerve, eh, Ery-”

Johann was silenced by yet another strike to his stomach.

“I just got tired of hearing you speak, you-” Before Eryn could finish his insult, he was cut off by a series of sharp, dry coughs.

“And here I thought I’d be the one to die first, but judging by that cough, you just might drop before me.” Johann gave Eryn a sly grin before Eryn hooked his right hand into the old man’s face. The sudden blow forced the man onto the ground as Eryn hoisted him back onto his feet.

“Any more out of you and I’ll knock the rest of your teeth out, now move!” Eryn roared, shoving Johann towards the castle. The two of them managed to catch up with both Linaeus and Olaf as they passed through the castle gates.

”...and I said ‘you can eat as much as you want but you’ll never get enough Vitamin D,” Olaf said, “Oh! We’re here!”

Before the men stood Elsa, flanked by two emerald clad guards, her expression regal and poised. Eryn steeled himself as he shoved Johann through the courtyard. Linaeus greeted the Üqueen with a quick salute as Eryn followed behind.

“Your Majesty,” Linaeus said, “It’s good to see you again.” “You as well, Linaeus,” Elsa replied, “I assume your mission in Corona was a success?”

“I’d say it was,” Eryn chimed in, shoving Johann up to the two of them, “May I present Johann Üstag, anarchist, traitor, and would be assassin.”

“Well isn’t that pot calling the kettle black?” Johann mumbled. Eryn was half tempted to give him another blow to the stomach, but resisted the urge in front of the queen.

Elsa strode up to the man as her expression soon turned to an icy glare, “You have a lot to answer for, Mr. Üstag.”

“Well, it looks like all I have to do is say I’m sorry and all is forgiven. I mean, that’s what you did with the mastermind behind all this.” “He’s done more than enough to repay his debt. Unlike you, who shows no remorse.”

“Why would I show remorse for a loathsome whore like y-”

Eryn quickly interrupted his sentence with a jab to the man’s jaw.

“Christ, could any of you come up with anything original?” Eryn groaned, “I’ve heard more ‘whore’ from you lot than a brothel can carry. Er- pardon the analogy, your majesty.”

Elsa waved her hand, “It’s fine, Eryn.” She then turned to Linaeus, “Escort Mr. Üstag to the dungeons. We’ll arrange for his execution later.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Linaeus said as he took Johann from Eryn and dragged him through the castle doors. Eryn attempted to follow his friend, but was immediately stopped by the queen.

“I would like to speak to you personally, Mr. Odrikson,” She said. Eryn could feel his anxiety flare up throughout his entire body. 

“O-of course, your majesty,” Eryn replied, masking his nervousness. Elsa’s icy glare faded to a warm smile.

“I’d first like to thank you personally. For doing this.”

“Ah, well, it was nothing. Didn’t like half of them anyway.”

“And the other half?”

“The other half didn’t like me.”

Elsa stifled a giggle, easing Eryn’s nerves a bit.

“I was surprised you even came back at all. Everyone in the council thought you’d disappear after I sent you off. Even Anna and Kristoff.” “Well, what can I say? I’m full of surprises.” The two of them started chuckling amongst each other. Eryn cringed internally. That’s what you say? He thought to himself, of course she knows you’re full of surprises, you ‘surprised’ her by trying to kill her! Their laughter soon died out, bringing about an awkward silence only broken by the sound of birds and the waves of the Arenfjord.

“Anyway…” Elsa continued, “With Mr. Üstag in custody now, I guess that means you’re debt free.”

“Indeed.”

“Did you… have any plans now?”

Eryn thought long and hard, “I had a… vague idea. Probably live out my days back in Karnisvarne. Become a farmer or something…”

This couldn’t have been farther from the truth. He’d actually planned to catch the next boat to Romania or something, far away from Arendelle, where he’d hopefully die a nobody. It’s what he deserved after fucking up as horribly as he did.

“Well, I’d like to make you a job offer, one that might sound better than being a farmer.”

Eryn cocked an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“I’d like to give you your old job back. Well, Derrick’s job, that is.”

Eryn’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Surely she wasn’t serious, right?

“Wait, what?”

“You’ve not only proven that you're loyal to Arendelle, but also worthy enough to stand as my bodyguard. So, do you accept?”

Before Eryn had a chance to answer, Anna and Kristoff barreled through the front gates towards them.

“How are you so fast?” Anna panted before turning her attention to Eryn, “Oh, hello Eryn!”

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Eryn gave the princess a small bow, careful to avoid staring at the false leg his old colleagues gave her, “And you too, Mr. Bjorgman.”

“Right,” Kristoff said coldly, “So, I’m guessing that was the last of them being hauled to the dungeons?”

“Yes,” Elsa interjected, “We can all rest a little easier now, thanks to Eryn.”

“Well, it’s because of Eryn all this happened,” Kristoff grumbled under his breath, earning a slap on the shoulder from Anna.

“It doesn’t matter who caused it, it’s all in the past now. Now, Eryn, what do you think?”

“Well-”

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sa-” Eryn turned sharply to see what else was interrupting them. A young guard came bolting across the bridge, panting like a dog. He nearly tripped over his own feet as he tried to stop and catch his breath.

“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” Elsa asked, visibly concerned about the young man’s safety.

“A- a body… washed in from the fjord…” he panted.

Elsa’s jaw fell open, with Eryn’s following suit. “Where is it?” Elsa asked

“On the docks… one of the fisherman found him…”

“Alright, I’ll see to it. Thank you.” With no hesitation, Elsa made her way towards the docks.

“She really needs to learn to delegate,” Eryn said as he followed after her, followed by Anna, Kristoff and Olaf.

XXXXXX

Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf tore through the massive crowd as if they were traversing through thick grass. When they reached the center of the mass of people, they saw a few doctors huddled around what appeared to be a rather muscular man, clothed in a white and blue striped shirt and navy blue pants. He was visibly breathing, though it was shallow and sporadic. As Elsa approached, Eryn made his way behind her.

“Oh, God,” Elsa said under her breath, “I-is he okay?”

“He appears to be alive, that’s the good news,” one of the doctors piped up, pumping a large pair of furnace bellows in the man’s throat. In an instant, a geyser of water erupted from the unconscious man’s mouth, causing the whole crowd to gasp in surprise.

“Оstrov Smerti! Ostrov Smerti!” he gasped between coughing bouts.

“He’s Russian?!” Eryn said, “What are the Russians doing here?”

“Who’s ‘Austin Smitty?’” Olaf asked, “Is that his name?”

“No,” Eryn replied, “He’s saying ‘Isle of Death…’” Eryn knelt down beside the man and began speaking to him.

“Chto s toboy sluchilos'?” he asked, “What happened?”

“Sh-shipwreck…” the man gasped, “w-we got stranded on some island… They… they slaughtered us like animals.”

“Who? What island?”

The man said nothing as he weakly raised his hand to point out towards the Arenfjord. His finger landed on the massive island just beyond the waters of Arendelle, thick with trees and mist.

“You were on Jӧrmundskala Island??!” Eryn and Elsa shouted. A murmur erupted from the crowd as the man was lifted off the ground by a few guards and doctors.

“Jӧrmundskala Island?” Anna said, “No one’s been on that island for years! Who would even think about going there?!” “I don’t know, but it’s something I need to look into,” Elsa said, not taking her eyes off of the island.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Kristoff said, “‘I?’”

“The island is Arendellian, inhabited or not. And I’d rather not get involved in an international incident with the Russian Empire.”

“I don’t think that’s what he meant,” Eryn interjected, “You made it sound like you were going there personally…”

“I am.”

“What?!” Anna blurted out, “You are not doing this alone.”

“Anna, no. I have my powers to protect me, plus I can’t have you injured again on my behalf…”

“I’ll manage. I’ve been through hell and back at least twice and without powers, so, y’know, I’m coming.”

“Me too,” Kristoff added.

“Jӧrmundskala?!” a voice shouted from the crowd. The four of them turned their attention to see Linaeus making his way through the crowd. “You can’t be serious, Elsa!”

“I am, Linaeus.”

“You aren’t going without me, or a proper military detachment.”

Elsa was taken aback by Linaeus’s demand before nodding. “Alright. Whatever guarantees a safe and quick procedure.”

“I’m going too,” Eryn said as he looked on towards the island, stifling a cough. All that were present stared at him confused as they all gave a synchronized “What?”

Eryn let his gaze linger on the island before turning to the group, “If I’m to take up a job as royal bodyguard, I should accompany you on this journey, shouldn’t I?”

Elsa smiled weakly as Kristoff, Anna, and Linaeus stared on in disbelief. As they talked amongst themselves, Eryn stared back at the island. He couldn’t describe what it was, but something inside of him was goading him there, drawing him to the island. Whether it was good or bad, he couldn’t tell yet.

All he knew was that he needed to go to that island.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Beware The Frozen Heart Masterlist

Plot Summary: An assassin has been hired to kill the Queen of Arendelle.

He was expecting an easy job… but he wasn’t expecting to fall in love.

This post will be updated periodically!

Keep reading

[snowfall-fanfictions]

UPDATE 4/13: Added Chapters 11-15

[snowfall-fanfictions]

UPDATE 6/15: Added Chapters 16-19

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Beware the Frozen Heart Ch. 19- The Finale

Previous Chapter

Ao3 Link

FFN Link

And here we are, the finale of BtFH! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this, it means a lot to me!

Eryn’s eyes slowly fluttered open as he stirred from his state of unconsciousness. He lifted his head, racking his brain to remember what happened last night. All he could remember was Elsa and Skyne and…

ELSA!

Eryn shot up before gingerly laying back down. His chest ached like it was on fire. The bullet he took felt like a tender massage compared to this. As his eyes adjusted from his slumber, he soon realized he wasn’t back in the infirmary. Eryn slowly sat up and let out a sigh. He was in a small room of stone, with a wooden door to his left and  the only light coming from a barred window at the very end. Eryn slumped his shoulders as he laid back down. He knew exactly where he was: the dungeons. How long had he been knocked out? Judging by the sunlight beaming from the window, a few hours at most. Eryn fell back onto the stone surface he laid upon. He knew that his time was limited here. There was only once place left for someone like him after the dungeons. Eryn wondered what was in store for him. Would he swing from the gallows? Beheaded? At this point Eryn didn’t care. He simply accepted his fate, whatever that would be. Skyne was right: he was born a nobody and now, he’ll die one too.

As Eryn thought about the end, all of his thoughts came back to his father. For the past three years, Eryn dragged his father’s name through the mud and for what? The promise of fame and notoriety? Guess it was all for nothing, then.

Suddenly, he heard a loud jangling noise coming from the door. Eryn carefully sat up to see who was coming to visit. Elsa stepped through the door, her hands folded in front of her, bearing a look of seriousness upon her face.

“Leave us,” she said to what he assumed to be a guard just out of his periphery. The door slammed behind her, leaving the two of them alone.

“El- I mean, your majesty,” Eryn said, “This is, uh, unexpected.”

Elsa took a seat on the stone slab opposite of him. Her face turned into an icy glare. Eryn could feel his spine shiver as her eyes pierced his soul.

“Well,” Elsa said with as much venom as she could muster, “You certainly have a lot to explain, Mr. Odrikson…”

Eryn cringed as she said his actual name. “Y-yes, your majesty.”

“You lied to me, made several attempts on my life, endangered my family, conspired with an enemy of Arendelle, twice, and murdered the highest ranking general in Arendellian history!”

Each deed Elsa listed off felt like a stab in the chest by an icy knife.

“You best have an explanation for your actions, Mr. Odrikson, because what you say will determine your fate.”

Eryn thought long and hard as to what he would say. He felt like nothing he could say would save him from death, so the only option was to be as honest as possible.

“Your right, I did lie. I’m not the son of a noble or anything like that. I’m not even from Weselton. I’m just a nobody from the town of Karnisvarne. My father was a soldier in the Arendellian army when he died in an avalanche, with my mother following soon after. They died without anyone caring about their passing, save for me. I wanted to avoid that fate no matter what.”

“And that meant becoming a killer?”

“At first, that meant becoming a soldier. I enlisted at 18, a few months after Linaeus. I had hoped that military life would get me the notoriety I was after. That was, until I saw General Garrigheim… defile a young woman. After I killed him, I wanted nothing to do with Arendelle.”

“And is that where you encountered Arendolk?” “Yes, the general had it. Skyne promised me that he would make me famous if I helped him. He didn’t say how, just that he needed to find something. I did that for three years before I was contacted to return to Arendelle.”

“By who?”

“According to that letter I gave you, the Duke of Weselton. I had no idea he was the one who hired me, nor did I know about the Westergaard or the governor.”

“You tried to get me alone in Fjellby so you could kill me. You had multiple chances to do so, so why didn’t you?” “At first, I thought you royals were all the same, lethargic snobs who didn’t care about who they stepped on. But now, after getting to know you, I can see that I was wrong.”

Elsa pursed her lips as she processed this information. Eryn could feel his heart race in his chest. It felt like it was ready to burst out of his chest.

“Alight,” Elsa said after what felt like an eternity, “I can believe you were ignorant of the conspiracy at large, and your ignorance of Skyne’s true plans, but accusing General Garrigheim of rape? That’s a serious charge to make against a hero of Arendelle.”

Just then, a knock came upon the large wooden door. Elsa started to say something, but the door swung open, revealing Linaeus holding a strange book.

“Forgive the interruption, your majesty,” he began, “but-”

“Linaeus, can’t this wait?”

“I’m afraid not, Elsa. I… made a trip down to the military archives to verify Eryn’s claims about General Garrigheim and… he was right.”

Eryn and Elsa looked at him with surprise. “Excuse me?” they both said in unison. Linaeus said nothing as he handed Elsa a small black leather book.

“This was the general’s personal diary… you might want to look at some of these entries.”

Elsa flipped open the book and began reading. Her jaw dropped as she flipped through the pages. She slammed the book shut, her face paler than normal, before handing it back to Linaeus. Eryn could only imagine what was written in that journal, causing his stomach to churn.

“I’ve seen enough!” she spat, “Thank you, captain. I’ll deal with this later.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Linaeus bowed and left the two of them alone once again. Elsa returned her attention to Eryn, her scowl returning to her face.

“You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Odrikson,” she said, “It seems that you were indeed correct about the General.” Eryn could feel his heart rapidly beating in his chest. It almost felt like it would break his ribs with how fast it was beating. “I believe this, along with your sacrifice and willingness to face Skyne alone, should acquit you of all crimes.”

“I underst- wait, what?!” Eryn gawked, expecting her to sentence him to death. Elsa’s scowl turned into a warm smile.

“Anna and Linaeus put in some good words for you. That may have also swayed me a bit.”

Eryn was at a loss for words. He couldn’t understand how he got this lucky in his entire life. His face lit up as a grin overtook his face.

“Th-thank you, Elsa!” he exclaimed, his heartbeat easing up.

“However, there is one thing you still need to do...”

Eryn’s face went pale as she spoke again.

“What would that be?”

“You need to regain my trust, Mr. Odrikson. I didn’t exactly forget that you lied to me for an entire month.”

Eryn felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach as he went pale.

“How can I do that, Your Majesty?” “I want you to hunt down all of your former allies who had a hand in this assassination attempt. Do this, and you’ll have regained my faith in you.”

Eryn thought about Elsa’s words for a moment. “Alright, it shall be done.” He sat up again, but the pain in his chest forced him back down once more.

“The doctors say you can’t move on your own for a while. I’ll have some guards down here to escort you to your room.” Elsa stood up and walked over to the door. She knocked on the door as it flew open. As she stepped through to the other side, Elsa turned back to Eryn and said, “Arendelle thanks you… Eryn.” With that, the door closed behind her, leaving Eryn all alone.

A thousand thoughts surged through Eryn’s mind at that point. Even after all of this, she was still showing him mercy. He couldn’t remember the last time that happened. Eryn placed his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

I guess you are looking out for me up there, dad. Eryn thought.

A few months later…

Rolond pulled out the bar of heated iron from the furnace. Carefully, he walked it over to the anvil and placed it on the flat surface. Once it was secure, the small man wasted no time hammering the orange molten metal into shape. Rolond was slightly baffled at how three farmers broke all of their plows at the same time, but he wasn’t about to turn down some extra coin. Jobs like this made the day go by that much faster. As he hammered away at the iron, he could overhear his wife, Astrid, shouting.

“ROLOND!”

Rolond groaned as he placed his hammer down. “What is it, ya daft woman?!” he shouted, walking towards the house. Astrid met him at the door, her snow white hair draped over her stout shoulders.

“Ya won’t believe who’s here!” she yelled, her voice weathered by the years. Rolond gave her a confused look as she led him inside. His eyes went wide as he saw Linaeus sitting in his living room.

“Linaeus, lad, is that you?!” he gawked. He walked over and shook the man’s hand, “And here I thought ya went and forgot about us!”

“Hard to forget someone like you, Rolond,” Linnaeus chuckled, “How have things been?”

“Eh, aside from the usual shit we’ve been dealin’ with, not much has changed around here.”

“Any word on Malia? I was told she was here too.”

Rolond shot a look over to Astrid, “I, uh, had no idea ya knew her. The only person who knew her was-”

“-Eryn?” a mysterious voice said behind them. Rolond and Astrid turned around quickly. The queen stood at the entrance of their house. Rolond’s face went stone cold as he eyed her.

“Ah, Yer Majesty…” he said hesitantly, “To what do we owe the… pleasure?”

“I’m here on behalf of both Eryn and General Torvond,” Elsa gestured to Linaeus.

“Wait, if you know Eryn… then does that mean…?” Rolond’s body tensed up.

“Don’t worry, he’s still alive.”

Roland let out a short sigh as he eased the tension out of his body, “What happened to him, then?”

“Official Arendelle business, I’m afraid,” Linnaeus replied.

“Heh, didn’t expect him to turn like that.”

“Well… he’s turned a new leaf, as it were.”

“Alright, but why is the queen here? Didn’t think you’d give ol’ Karnisvarne a visit.”

“I’m here to right some wrongs, Mr. Abhramson. Starting with what happened to you.”

Rolond was stunned into silence by the queen's words. He was unsure if she was telling the truth or not.

“I-I beg yer pardon?”

“I understand you never received the proper compensation for your service to Arendelle under my grandfather.”

The sound of something jingling behind him grabbed Rolond’s attention. Snapping his neck around, he saw Linaeus place a few large bags on the floor. Astrid walked up to one, undid the string, and let out a sharp gasp. She pulled out several gold coins, glistening in the sunlight. Rolond fought back tears as he walked over to the bags. He knelt down to take a fistfull of coins and brought them to his face. A single tear rolled down his face as he faced the queen again.

“Th-thank ye, yer majesty,” he choked, “y’ve done me and m’ wife a great service.”

“It should be me who’s thanking you, Mr. Abhramson. Your duty to Arendelle should be recognized.”

“I’ve been waitn’ near ten years fer this! I had te slave over the anvil te make by!” “Consider this your retirement fund,” Linaeus lifted himself off of the couch as he stepped toward and placed a hand on Rolond’s shoulder, “We’re sorry this took so long, Rolond.”

“Thank ye, lad. And Yer Majesty. Tell Eryn I said thanks as well.”

“We will,” Elsa replied, “And thank you once again for your service.”

Linaeus walked over to Elsa as Rolond and Astrid embraced, both sobbing wildly. The general and queen made their way out the door and back onto the street. Few people stopped to look at them, and those that did either gawked or scoffed at them.

“That was incredibly kind, Elsa,” Linaeus said as they walked down the street, “that man means a lot to me and Eryn.”

“It was the right thing to do,” Elsa replied, focusing on the road ahead of her, “it hurts to see this place in a state like this.”

“At least these issues are being addressed now, that’s all that matters.”

“Well, now that we’re not forced to keep so many soldiers in the north, Søderlund can get some long overdue attention. Now, where to next?” “Ms. Malia, Your Majesty. But, um, if I may, I wish to talk to her alone.”

“Oh?” Elsa raised her eyebrow.

“I feel like I need to apologize to her directly. I denied what happened to her for years and I need to make it right.”

Elsa pondered his request for a moment before saying, “Very well, Linaeus. Send her my regards if you will.”

“Yes ma’am!” Linaeus made his way down the street until he was out of Elsa’s sight. As she wandered through the village, Elsa made several mental notes about what needed to be done. She’d need to discuss things with the governor, some city planners, and quite possibly some engineers. Of course, this also meant more and more meetings and massive amounts of paperwork. Elsa’s head began to hurt simply thinking about the bureaucracy that she’ll be subjected to over the next few months.

Her mind wandered over to Eryn. Part of her felt sympathetic to him, having to grow up in such a dreary and desolate place. The other part of her questioned if pardoning him was the right move. Regardless, she knew that he needed to be under strict supervision if he was to continue working with her.

Then there was what Skyne said all those months ago. What did he mean by a child of Ahtohallan? Was it a real place? Did it have to do with her powers? These questions raced around her head like a swarm of insects. This would require much more research and investigation on her end.

One thing at a time, Elsa, she thought to herself as she walked down the road.

XXXXXX

“YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!” Markus screamed, squirming around as Eryn led him to the soldiers out front of the tavern. His hands were bound behind him with iron shackles as several patrons looked on in horror. Markus’s face was beet red, matching the color of his hair and beard. Eryn simply rolled his eyes and shoved Markus along.

“Oh wow, how original…” Eryn muttered as he kicked the door open. Two fucking weeks he’d been chasing down Markus. Jormund and Fili were easy to grab, but Markus was the problem child as always. Ever since Maldonia, Markus was the biggest pain in the ass, challenging Eryn every step of the way. In a way, Eryn was glad to put this asshole in his place.

“I heard how you killed Twiggy, bastard! And the blood pact you made with that knife of yours. You really think you’re better than us?!”

“It’s called turning a new leaf, smartass. You should’ve tried it.”

“Don’t give me that shit, I know why you're doing this, Odrikson!”

“Don’t even think about it you-” “All of this because you want to fuck the qu-”

Eryn drove his fist into Markus’s face. Markus’s nose let out a loud crack as Eryn’s knuckles stung. When he approached the guards, Eryn threw Markus to them, who fell onto the dirt before them.

“Here’s another bastard.” Eryn spat, “Careful, he’s a bit bitey.”

“FUG YOU,” Markus spat through his broken nose. The guards hoisted him off of the ground and dragged him over to the prison wagon. One of them flew the door open while the other threw Markus in. Markus screamed aloud as the guards slammed the door shut, muffling his screams.

Eryn watched the display with his arms crossed. He was one step closer to his true freedom. Just five more ringleaders and he’d be a free man in Elsa’s eyes. In a way, he should at least be happy about that, so why wasn’t he? His thoughts dwelt on her remarkable kindness. It almost felt like she was setting him up for when he returned with the last man. She didn’t seem like the person to betray him like that. Then again, he would deserve it, given the situation that caused them to meet. 

That’s when he felt it again, the congestion clogging his chest. It felt like there was a swarm of bees lodged where his heart should be. Eryn raised his fist to his mouth as he coughed furiously. Whatever it was, Eryn made a mental note to visit some kind of physician about this.

Stay on task, Eryn, he thought as he joined the guards back on the wagon. With the crack of the reigns, the wagon darted down the dirt road as the tavern disappeared out of sight.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Lost in the Woods Chapter 7

Previous chapter

Ao3 Link

FFN Link

So here we are, the final chapter! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this!

“Alright, can you just show me what it is?” Kristoff asked. Elsa put a blindfold around his eyes as she led him… somewhere. It was difficult to know with the large cloth tied around his head that blocked his vision.

“Okay, you can take it off now.”

Kristoff reached behind him and undid the knot holding the blindfold on his head. As it fell, Kristoff’s jaw dropped. Before him was a beautiful looking sled, made of a dark wood with white trimming and accents.

“What is this for?” He sputtered.

“For your service to me and Anna,” Elsa replied, “you saved our lives, and that is something I wouldn’t forget.”

“I-”

Elsa giggled, “It’s also a symbol for your appointment of Royal Ice Master and Deliverer.”

“That’s not a real position!”

“It wasn’t. Until I made it, that is. Queen, remember?”

Kristoff’s shock soon faded to elation. This woman was something else.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know?”

“Of course I did! You risked your life for me and my sister without question. You deserved some kind of reward. Do you… like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” Kristoff spun her around, earning a sudden gasp from the queen followed by a slight giggle. Kristoff stopped spinning her as his heart leaped in his chest. He was certain this was the first time she laughed in front of him, and it was like no other sound he heard in his life. What he wouldn’t give to hear her laugh more often.

Kristoff quickly looked around, noticing the rather sizable crowd they attracted. He quickly but gently set her back down on the ground before noticing the red tint in her face.

“T-thank you!” Kristoff stuttered, massaging the back of his neck.

“Y-you’re more than welcome,” Elsa replied meekly. Just then, a group of well dressed elderly men surrounded the queen, each vying for her attention. Elsa struggled to talk to Kristoff as they whisked her away.

“Hey-” Kristoff said. But it was too late, Elsa was already out of earshot. Kristoff couldn’t help but feel… empty. Like something was missing from his soul when she wasn’t around.

Kristoff let out a sigh and walked over to his new sled. Maybe a few days on the ice will help ease his thoughts.

Later that evening...

“You have that look again.” Anna said.

“What look?” Elsa replied. The two of them cuddled close on the couch in the study together, a large comforter wrapped around them as they discussed the day’s events. Olaf was on the floor in front of them, watching the roaring fire with amazement.

“Like you just stepped into a warm bath. I mean, all I did was mention Kristoff and…” Anna’s eyes went wide, “Ohhhhh, I see what’s going on.”

“What’s going on?” Olaf said, turning his head to the sisters.

Anna dramatically brought her hand up to her head, “Love! Just like in Mother’s romance novels!”

Elsa’s face went bright red, “I-it’s not like that! He’s just nice and kind and…” The queen looked down in shock. A small layer of frost covered the blanket and crept onto the floor.

“So does that happen often?” Anna asked, pointing to the frost.

“N-no…”

Anna chuckled, “Have you thought about bringing him here?”

“Anna! What would people say?!”

“What would they do? Tell the queen?”

Elsa opened her mouth to say something, but remained silent. It was a few seconds before Elsa responded.

“What if he doesn’t like me?”

“Leave that to me.”

“I don’t like the sound of that…”

The Next Day…

“Kristoff- er, sir…” Freya said as she walked up to Kristoff. He and Sven were currently assisting the others in loading up the day’s harvest of ice onto their sleds. As the last sled pulled away, Kristoff and Sven turned to face Freya.

“You can just call me Kristoff, you know,” Kristoff smirked, “is something wrong?”

“Well, uh, s-someone’s here to see you…” Freya gestured behind her. Anna was standing there, grinning like a fool.

“O-oh… Princess Anna,” Kristoff slightly bowed, “this is, uh, unexpected…”

“After what we’ve been through, you can just call me Anna. But that’s beside the point, I actually came here to ask you something.”

Kristoff and Sven looked at her with puzzled looks. Anna turned to Freya and said, “Um, could you excuse us for a moment? Kinda a personal conversation here.”

“Uh, y-yes your highness…” Freya scurried away to her own sled and flew off.

“Ssssoooo…” Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck, “What did you ne-”

“What do you think of Elsa?”

Kristoff’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

“I just… wanted to know what you thought about her, is all.”

Kristoff felt his face flare up. He may or may not have been thinking about Elsa ever since yesterday. Well, it was more about him and Elsa… together, but he quickly shook those ideas from his head.

“She’s… nice…”

“‘Nice?’ is that all?”

“Well, what did you want me to say? She’s nice and kind and beautif- uh.”

Anna’s face lit up, “You like her, don’t you?”

Sven nudged Kristoff’s side with his antlers. Kristoff’s face went bright red as he fumbled around with his words.

“Well- you see- I- uh…”

“It’s alright, Kristoff, you can be honest with me.”

Kristoff folded his arms as he averted his gaze from Anna. He’d never revealed his feelings in front of anyone before, save Sven and the trolls.

“Y-yes…” he murmured. He nearly jumped out of skin when Anna squealed like a newborn piglet.

“THAT’S PERFECT!”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, she’s been talking about how she likes you and she wasn’t sure if you felt the same way and-”

“Wait, what?” Kristoff felt his heartbeat pick up significantly.

“I need you to come with me!” Anna gripped his arms and began dragging him. Kristoff planted his feet to the ground, causing Anna to jerk forward. “Hey! Don’t be shy!”

“It’s not that! It’s just… she’s the queen! And I’m… just Kristoff…”

“You saved us! You're more than ‘just Kristoff’ to us!”

“But wouldn’t people… y’know, talk?”

“Well, they sorta think you two already have something going on after what happened the other day with the sled.”

Kristoff thought about Anna’s words for a moment. He was replaying that scene in his head all day, remembering how happy the two of them were. 

“Are you sure she likes me?” “Absolutely! If you still don’t believe me, why don’t you come to the castle and see for yourself?”

Kristoff chewed on his lower lip for a second as he turned to Sven. The reindeer began nodding furiously, grinning like a fool. Kristoff returned the grin and said, “Alright, I’ll come along.”

“YES!” Anna bolted back to her horse as Sven walked up to Kristoff’s side.

“At LeAsT yOu’Re FaCiNg ThIs HeAd On,” Kristoff said in Sven’s voice.

“Yeah, I-I guess,” he said in his own voice, “But I’m still not sure…”

“DoN’t Be SiLlY, yOu CaN’t RuN fRoM yOuR fEeLiNgS.”

“I know! I just… you know…”

“YoU fEeL wHaT yOu FeEl AnD yOuR fEelInGs ArE rEaL!”

Kristoff let out a slight chuckle, “Okay, Mr. Poet, let’s just get to the castle.” Kristoff hopped onto Sven’s back as the reindeer bolted towards Anna.

XXXXXX “You did what?!” Elsa barked at her sister. Anna had shared the news of a certain ice harvester coming to the castle and Elsa was… less than pleased to hear that.

“Oh, come on, Elsa!” Anna said, “You can’t just ignore your feelings like this!”

“It’s not that, Anna. It’s just… we just rekindled our relationship, I shouldn’t throw that out the window.” “What? Don’t be ridiculous! You can have both, you know.”

Elsa began rubbing her hands together before Anna took them in her own. 

“You shouldn’t feel that you need to sacrifice your happiness for me. Not again.”

Elsa stared at their hands for a second before returning to Anna’s eyes with a warm smile.

“And you’re sure you won’t get jealous?”

“Not a chance! I think I’ll wait a bit before getting involved with stuff like that,” Anna gave her sister a wink, “Doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, though.”

Elsa stifled a giggle when she heard hooves clacking on the stones behind her. Turning around, her face turned bright red as Kristoff walked up to them. As he approached, she could tell his face was as red as hers. 

“H-hi…” Kristoff said sheepishly. His hand instinctively went to the back of his neck as he averted his gaze.

“Hi…” Elsa replied, staring at the floor. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife

“Well,” Anna said, breaking the silence, “I’m just gonna go get Olaf, you two sit tight!” With that, Anna darted off into the castle.

“So…” Kristoff started, “Anna, um, said there was something you wanted to talk about?”

“Yyyyyyes,” Elsa hesitated, “But first, would you like to come in?”

Kristoff opened his mouth to say something when Sven nudged him forward. The ice harvester let out a nervous chuckle as he walked in the direction Sven was egging him in. He relented, moving through the castle doors on his own accord while Elsa followed. 

Elsa felt her heart race. She had no idea what to do or say to him? Should she be upfront about it? Pretend to not be interested until he showed some sign of attraction? Her mind raced so fast that she nearly ran into a table at least twice.

Kristoff wasn’t faring well, either. He kept his hands firmly at his sides, careful not to touch anything. His mind kept insisting that he was mistaken and that he was in the wrong place. But he was with Elsa, which eased his mind a smidgen. Even then, doubt and worry still clouded his mind.

The two of them said nothing as they meandered through the castle, eventually ending up in the castle garden. It was completely empty, void of any prying eyes of the castle staff and guards. Elsa and Kristoff made their way to a small bench placed just along the edge of a small lake. The two of them sat down next to each other, their faces bright red. Neither of them said anything for several minutes as they watched the ducks swimming through the water. Elsa was the first to break the silence.

“Kristoff…” she said, “I… I’m sorry about leaving without a proper goodbye yesterday.”

“It’s fine,” Kristoff replied, twiddling his thumbs, “I mean, you are the queen and those guys looked important and-”

“But you’re important as well!” Elsa reached over and placed her hand on his. She had no idea how massive his hands were compared to her own, “You did more for me and Anna than anyone else. And without even knowing who we were!”

“But even then, I’m just… me. Nothing really special, just Kristoff.”

Elsa traced his knuckles with her fingers as she locked eyes with him. “Well, you’re a lot more than just Kristoff to me.” She said softly. The two of them slowly inched their faces together until they were almost bumping noses. Elsa’s breath hitched her face flared up as the temperature dropped around them. Her heartbeat raced with her mind as she thought about what to do next. Kristoff cupped her cheek in his hand and finally, finally, closed the gap between them with a kiss. His lips were surprisingly soft against hers as she closed her eyes and relished this wondrous feeling. After a few brief moments, they drew away from each other, warm smiles plastered on their faces. Elsa absentmindedly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear that wasn’t there as she started giggling nervously.

“S-sorry.” Kristoff murmured, “It’s just that… I’ve kinda wanted to do that for a while.”

“Don’t apologize,” Elsa replied, “I’ve wanted that too…”

“I guess we should talk about this a little more, then?”

“Y-yeah…” Elsa leaned over to him and pressed her lips against his once again.

XXXXXXX

“Oh, wow!” Olaf said, peering into the garden, “I guess you were right, Anna!”

Anna peered into the garden as well with a massive smile on her face. She let out a sigh and said, “C’mon, Olaf. We should probably leave them alone for now.”

“Aw, but I wanna go and congratulate them! They look so happy together!”

Anna looked back at her sister and Kristoff. The two sat together, hand in hand, talking while the ducks swam by on the lake.

“They’ve got some things to work out for now. You can congratulate them in a bit once they’re done.”

Anna shooed him away before taking one more look at Kristoff and her sister. She could see how happy Elsa was as she leaned against him. Seeing Elsa this happy made Anna’s heart swell with joy.

Enjoy it, Elsa, she thought, You deserve it. With that, Anna darted off to catch up with Olaf, who was eager to get started on his special surprise for Elsa and Kristoff.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Beware the Frozen Heart Ch. 18- The Son of the Blood Moon

Previous Chapter

Ao3 link

FFN link

How about that last chapter, though?

Quick heads up, next chapter is going to be the last one for BtFH. I’d like to thank everyone who reblogged and liked this so far! It means a lot to me as a first time writer!

“I-I can’t believe it,” Eryn stuttered, “I thought the legends said he couldn’t get out.”

“Hmm? So that’s what Aren told everyone when he stuffed me in that blade?” Skyne let out a small laugh, “It is as they say, history is written by the victors.” The shade looked up to the full moon in disgust, “Isn’t that right, father? No matter, once I’m through with this, you and the rest of the Aesir are next…”

Linaeus gripped his sword tightly, “Whatever it is you’re planning, I won’t let you!” he shouted as he lunged at Skyne. The shadow being casually swatted him away as if he were a fly. Linaeus flew back into a massive heap of snow, dangerously close to the cliff’s edge.

“These are the descendants of Aren the Red? A bunch of headstrong immature runts? Hmph, I wouldn’t expect anything else…” Skyne walked over to Eryn and placed one of his shadowy claws on his shoulder. The shade smelled of death and burning flesh. Eryn fought the urge to vomit as Skyne spoke, “You should be proud, Odrikson. Some of the brightest minds and strongest warriors failed to release me over the course of a thousand years, yet you were able to do it in only three…”

Eryn struggled against Skyne’s grip, which only encouraged the beast to tighten his hold, nearly crushing Eryn’s shoulder.

“Needless to say, Odrikson, I am a being of my word,” Skyne released his grip on Eryn’s shoulder as he stepped back, “I will make your name known… as the man who plunged the world into darkness!”

Skyne held his claws out as tendrils emerged from his forearms as they converged into his open palms like writhing worms. As darkness swirled around him, the tendrils gave way to a massive black two handed battleaxe, with an ebony handle and ancient runes decorating the blade. Skyne lifted the weapon over his head and brought it down to the ground with all his might, cracking the earth beneath it. The crack began emitting a stream of inky nothingness as small shadowy beings began climbing out of the newly formed crevice. The aurora disappeared from the night sky, followed by the stars, until the moon was the last light in the night sky. Eryn, Elsa, and Linaeus looked on in horror as the moon turned from its usual soft white to a blood red hue.

“Go to Aren’s Dell, kill all in your path!” Skyne roared as he held his battleaxe aloft. Eryn silently panicked, looking around for a solution. He noticed Linaeus’s sword on the ground just a few inches from him and instantly knew what had to be done. With no hesitation, Eryn grabbed the sword and leaped at the shade. Skyne stepped to the side, causing Eryn to swing at the air.

“Come now, Odrikson, did you really think that would work?”

“Eryn! What’re you doing?!” Linaeus shouted.

“Get Elsa out of here! I’ll hold him off!”

“You’ll die!”

“This is my mistake! One I intend to fix!”

“But-”

“Arendelle needs you now more than ever, Lenny! Go, NOW!”

Linaeus hesitated before grabbing Elsa’s arm, “Your Majesty, we need to go!”

Elsa looked at Eryn one last time and said, “Agreed.”

Linaeus helped Elsa up onto Magni’s back before hoisting himself on the saddle. With the snap of the reins, Magni bolted out of sight, leaving Eryn and Skyne alone on the mountain.

XXXXXX

“Somethings not right,” Anna said, looking out the window, “The aurora, the stars, everything, is just… gone.”

“Oooooh!” Olaf exclaimed, “The moon is such a pretty color too!”

As the two of them were looking out the window, Kristoff bolted into the room, panting heavily.

“Kristoff! What’s going on?” Anna leaned on Olaf as she wobbled over to her fiance.

“Skyne’s what’s going on! That assassin was using him and now he’s free!” Kristoff gasped. Anna’s eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

“Y-you mean, from the legends and stuff. The one who almost brought about the end of the world. That Skyne?”

“Yes!”

“Where’s Elsa?”

Kristoff hesitated for an answer as he looked to the floor.

“Kristoff, where is she?”

“...She’s-”

“ANNA!”

Kristoff turned around to see Elsa standing in the doorway, “Right there!” he exclaimed as she ran in and embraced Anna.

“Elsa, what happened to your arm?!” Anna asked, pointing to the gash on Elsa’s forearm.

“The legends weren’t complete. Skyne used me to get out of the knife! The assassin’s stalling him now.”

“What?!”

“None of that matters now! We need to get everyone out of here now! Skyne-”

“Well hi there, little guy,” Olaf cooed, “What’s your name?”

Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff looked over to the snowman. Next to Olaf, a small black shadow goblin with beady red eyes and razor sharp teeth stood, muttering something incoherent. In an instant, the creature leaped at Elsa, screeching maniacally. Olaf let out a terrified scream as he ran behind Anna. Elsa shot icy magic from her fingertips at the creature. The shadow monster flew back as it let out a blood curdling screech. As it slammed into the wall, it dissipated into dark wisps as its screams faded away.

“What the hell was that?” Kristoff gasped.

“One of Skyne’s creations,” Elsa panted, “We need to get everyone out of Arendelle, there’s more coming!”

Anna and Kristoff nodded as Anna leaned against her fiance and ran out of the room. The hallways were eerily quiet, as most of the castle staff was gone for the evening. In an instant, three more of the shadow demons appeared from inky black pools on the floor. Two guards ran up behind them and slashed at them with their swords, killing two of the beasts. The third leaped up to one of them and sunk its teeth into his jugular. The other guard struggled to pry the being off his comrade as Elsa blasted it with her magic. The man who was attacked fell to the floor motionless as blood trickled onto the floor. Elsa’s eyes went wide at the sight before her. That man had a family, a happy and long life ahead of him, and now it was gone. Something inside her boiled as she snapped her head to the other guard.

“What’s the situation out there?” She asked. “Those… things started appearing in masses! Captain Torvond is organizing a defense now, but we don’t have enough men to properly defend the town.”

Elsa pursed her lips at this information, “I’ll take care of the monsters, you make sure Anna and everyone else get out safely.”

“What?!” Anna exclaimed, “You can’t--”

“My powers might be able to stall them long enough for you to get out.”

“I’m staying with you!”

“Anna, you’re in no shape to fight!” “But-” “She’s right, Anna,” Kristoff interrupted. Anna looked at him in shock.

“What?” the two sisters said simultaneously. Rarely did Kristoff ever take Elsa’s side in arguments.

“Elsa’s magic is the best thing we have to fight these things. Grandpabbie said only magic can destroy magic.”

Elsa pursed her lips at the thought. It would mean discarding her principles to never use her magic as a weapon. But in this situation, like any other, the people of Arendelle come first.

“Get to Linaeus, organize an evacuation of the city. I’ll see what I can do.”

Anna and Kristoff nodded as they proceeded down the hallway.

“Bye guys!” Olaf said as he waved at them. Elsa crouched down to meet Olaf at eye level.

“Olaf, I need you to go with them,” she said sternly.

“Wait, what?”

“This is something I need to do on my own,” Elsa’s eyes lit up as she came up with an idea, “But I know how you could help.”

“Oh! I love helping!” Olaf bounced around like a small child. Elsa swirled her hands around as she summoned her magic. With severe concentration, she forged the magic into a crystalline blue sword, with the crocus of Arendelle adorning the blade and hilt.

“Give this to Anna,” She said, presenting the sword to Olaf, “It’ll be her best form of defense while I’m not here.” Olaf eagerly grabbed the sword. “Yes ma’am!” he gave her a salute as he ran down the hall to catch up to Anna and Kristoff.

“Don’t run with that!” Elsa yelled after him. Behind her, she could hear the incoherent growls and mutterings of shadow beings. As she turned to face them, two of them leaped at her with primal fury. Elsa raised her hands and summoned forth her magic. Icy bolts erupted out of her hands, hitting them as they dissolved into nothingness. She ran past where they stood in a desperate attempt to get to the stables. She needed to get back up to the North Mountain and face Skyne herself. Her thoughts went back to Eryn. A part of her felt bad for him, having to face such evil by himself. The other part of her knew that, at the end of the day, he was still a criminal and a traitor to Arendelle. She shook that idea out of her mind. Such things didn’t matter if there wasn’t an Arendelle for him to stand trial against.

She needed to face Skyne first, then worry about Eryn later.

XXXXXX

“You really want to fight me?!” Skyne roared, “Do you honestly think you have any sort of chance against me?”

Eryn pointed the sword in his hand at Skyne. His eyes narrowed at the shadow being as he gripped the handle firmly. Three years he put up with this monster. Now, it was his time to end it. “If it means you won’t hurt anyone else, then it’s a risk worth taking.”

“There is that compassion of yours again! Do you not see how blind it makes you? Lay your weapon down, submit to me once more, and I-”

“I am done letting you use me!”

Skyne gripped his battleaxe firmly. “S̟̘̥̣̱ͅO̠̞̪̪͢ͅ ͎͔̗͚͈B̸̟̫̞͈̲E ̭̰̣̕I̥̣̠͙T̬̭̳̯̯!̡̤̳͔”

The shadow being swung the war axe over his head and brought it down with all his might. Eryn narrowly dodged out of the way as he darted towards Skyne’s legs. He clashed his sword against Skyne’s leg, receiving a howl of pain from the monster. Skyne returned the action by kicking Eryn away from him. Eryn flew back until his body met a rather large rock. Pain coarsed throughout his body upon the impact. Skyne flew forward with his axe at the ready, his crimson red eyes filled with rage. Eryn raised his sword and barely deflected the onslaught.

“You ingrate!” Skyne spat as they clashed blades, “I gave you what you wanted, to be known throughout the lands, and you repay me with treachery? What do you gain from defeating me?!”

“It isn’t about what I get, it’s about what you lose!”

“WITHOUT ME, YOU ARE NOTHING! You were born a nothing, and now you will die a nothing!”

“I’d rather die a nobody than live as some eldritch’s pawn!”

“And what happens if you beat me? What awaits you then? The gallows? The guillotine? No matter what, Odrikson, your hands are forever stained in blood! And you will face the consequences!”

“Which is why I’m here!”

Skyne and Eryn shot their gazes behind them. Elsa stood there with a menacing glare, her arms crossed across her chest. Skyne grinned as he began to chortle. “Ah, the sorceress. I should thank you for releasing me.”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly on purpose.”

“Elsa, what are you doing here?” Eryn shouted, “I thought-”

Elsa raised her hand to silence Eryn, “As the queen of Arendelle, I demand that you release that man.”

“Demand?” Skyne howled in laughter, “You? Demanding that I release this… worthless street rat? Do you have any idea what I am capable of?”

“Do you have any idea what I’m capable of?” Elsa replied as icy as the palace before her.

“I have observed your magic, sorceress. I know you won’t use it to harm another being.”

“With you I’ll make an exception. Now, release him.”

“Very well,” Skyne grabbed Eryn by the shirt and threw him towards Elsa, “Here is your traitor!” As Eryn staggered to his feet, Skyne emitted a shadowy tendril from his torso. In an instant, the inky black tentacle rammed itself through Eryn’s chest, causing his eyes to widen in pain. Eryn had only a second to look down at the impalement before it retreated back to its owner. Elsa gasped as Eryn collapsed onto the snowy mountainside, motionless. Elsa mustered up all of her strength to not scream at the sight. Instead, she returned her glare to the shadow being as anger boiled inside of her.

“You will regret that!” Elsa raised her hands as she summoned forth magic in her palms.

“You have no experience in combat, child. What hope do you have of beating me?”

Elsa shot a surge of magic directly at Skyne’s face. The shadow monster raised his axe to deflect the bolt, only to be taken aback when the axe head became encased in ice. Skyne studied the ice for a second, almost entranced by what he had witnessed. As he touched it, he recoiled in what appeared to be pain.

“It can’t be… another child of Athohallan?”

“Athohallan?” Elsa asked. She had only heard that name once before, from a lullaby her mother used to sing to her. “What do you mean?”

Skyne narrowed his eyes at the queen, “No matter! I was looking forward to an actual challenge!” The shadow being threw his weapon aside and lunged at the queen. Elsa quickly conjured up a wall of ice around herself. Skyne collided head first with the wall, shattering his antlers into small black fragments as he roared in pain. Elsa dissolved the wall and summoned a massive snowball above the monstrous being. Skyne had only a few seconds to look up before he was buried in a massive snowheap. Elsa made a mad dash for the ice palace before a black tentacle slithered out of the snow mound and wrapped itself around Elsa’s leg. The shadow monster erupted from the mound as he drew Elsa in, bringing her to eye level.

“No wonder Odrikson fancied you,” he snarled, “He would have been just as dumb!”

Elsa raised her hands and summoned forth her magic once more. Suddenly a loud roar erupted from the ice palace.

“WE ARE SLEEPING!”

The doors flung open, revealing Marshmallow, still wearing Elsa’s old tiara, and several snowgies, all of which looked furious. Marshmallow narrowed his gaze onto an entangled Elsa.

“A frost giant?! I thought they were all killed!”

“Elsa!?” He groaned, “ELSA!” Marshmallow bolted towards Skyne as icy spikes grew out of his body, tackling him to the ground. The tendril dissipated as Elsa fell to the ground. Marshmallow socked Skyne in the jaw, sending him reeling back down the mountain. Skyne regained his footing and slashed at Marshmallow with fury. The frost giant howled as inky blackness dripped from where the claws made contact. In an instant, Marshmallow grabbed Skyne’s claw and hoisted him over his head, slamming him into the snow with an icy explosion.Elsa ran towards where Skyne was, readying her magic as Marshmallow leaped onto the shadow being. Marshmallow wasted no time delivering blow after blow into Skyne’s face.

“E̗̖̪ͤ̈́̿N̖̗̙̞͚̏̈́̽̑ͫO̺̪̪U̠̗GH͕͎̹̥̟!̯͇̂͑”

Multiple black tendrils erupted from the crater Skyne made, launching Marshmallow off of him and next to Elsa. Skyne emerged from the crater with one of his eyes swollen and black liquid dripping from his  mouth.

“CHILD OF ATHOHALLAN OR NOT, Ỷ̰͙̭̠̯͖̭̃̑͐ͪ̅ͬO̤̦͖̫̙ͪ͑̎̚̚Ü͇͎͍͉̤̣͂ͮ͋͛̿ ̺̳̺̯̥͗̌̔ͮͯW̌́I͕̫LL̗̬̟̰͉̃̀̈͒̆ ͍̝̥͚̟͍̞̔̈̊̎̐͐̎Ṕ̺A̖̦͍͎̗͗͛̈̓ͥ͆ͅY!̙̘͙̹̺̼̇ͣ͛̽ͬ̍” Hundreds of tendrils made their way towards Elsa

“No,” Elsa said as she summoned forth her magic, “You will pay!”  With all her strength, Elsa launched a wave of icy blue magic at Skyne, cutting through the tendrils like they were nothing. Elsa fell to one knee as she felt the magic sap her strength. Skyne reeled back, bracing himself as the wave hit him in the chest. The monster slowly let his guard down as he checked for where the magic had struck him.

“HA! Your magic did nothing to… WHAT?!”

Skyne brought his hand to his face. What was once a dark black claw was now encased in crystal blue ice. Elsa watched as Skyne’s body slowly changed to a stark white, just as Anna did when the same thing happened to her.

“No… NO̜͚͔̱͓ͧ͆̊͂̄̍ͅ!ͥͩ̏” Skyne pounced towards Elsa with as much fury as he could muster. As the seconds passed, Skyne slowed down to a crawl as he shouted in an indecipherable language.

“Y͕̭̯̟̠͔̺ͥͭ͊̽ͭ͑̚O̙͉̼̹͕͎ͧ͂̾̒͛ͦU ̣͕̩̟͗ͤ͒̍W̘̤Ï̮̭̼͉̫̉̽ͬͫLL̖͙͓̞̘͓ ̼̃N̬̩̳̙͔̹ͥͩͬ́͛͑EV̤̜̣̏̉̚E̟͉͑̆R̘̬͂̆ ̺͂BEͭͤͤͧͤ Ṟ̫̣̯͈̺ID̒̏͊̌ͮ̄̃ ͧͫ̽͛ͩO̯̝̥͖̮̒ͥ̈́ͭͯF̮͕͖͕̏͋́ͨ ME̪!”was the last thing he said before his head became replaced by ice. Elsa watched as the last breath of Skyne left his accursed mouth. She walked up to him and, with a snap of her fingers, crumbled the ice figure before her. Elsa breathed a sigh of relief as she collapsed to the ground. She never used her powers so much before, or in such a way. A part of her felt terrified that she was capable of doing such things. But for now, she was just glad it was over.

She crawled over to where Eryn laid in the snow. Elsa flipped him over so his face was out of the cold. She was taken aback when she saw that Skyne hadn’t pierced his chest. She couldn’t see any kind of wound or anything. Bringing her ear to where his heart was, she was also surprised to find that it was still beating. What happened?

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

Elsa shot up as she snapped her head around to face who was shouting. Linaeus rushed over to her, his sword at the ready.

“Elsa, are you alright?” He asked exasperatedly, “we heard some kind of roar across the mountains and assumed the worst.”

“I’m fine,” Elsa panted, “can’t say much about Skyne, though.” She gestured to the pile of ice just beside her. Linaeus’s eyes went wide.

“H-he’s dead?”

“Yes. You missed quite a show, Linaeus.”

Linaeus couldn’t help but crack a smile before turning his gaze to Eryn. His smile soon turned into a look of worry. “Is he-?”

“He’s still alive. We need to get him back to Arendelle, and fast.”

“Yes ma’am!” Linaeus scooped Eryn into his arms as he took Elsa onto his shoulder, slowly making his way back to his horse.

XXXXXX

“One on your left!” Kristoff exclaimed. Anna swung the ice sword Elsa gave her down at the imp beside her leg, cleaving it in two. Her, Kristoff, and Olaf were in the middle of getting the people of Arendelle to the cliffs when they were jumped by the shadow goblins. Anna, despite her current handicap, was holding her own as she leaned onto her fiance, swiping at them whenever she could.

“Thanks, honey,” Anna said, “Any more?” Olaf looked around, lifting his head off his body. “Nope!” the snowman shouted, “they’re all gone!”

“Woah!” one of the townspeople gasped “Look! The sky!”

Everyone looked up to see what they were talking about. The moon returned to its regular color as the stars returned to the sky one by one. The aurora returned as well, blanketing the night sky in vivid colors. The townspeople began cheering as the lights returned to the night sky.

“Elsa did it!”  Olaf declared, “She woke up the sky!”

“In a way I did, I guess.”

Anna and Kristoff snapped their heads to the north. Elsa and Linaeus rode in, both looking exhausted from the events of the night. Elsa slid off of the back of Linaeus’s horse and ran towards Anna. The queen tackled her sister into a gentle embrace, careful not to topple her over.

“I’m glad you’re alright!” Anna murmured into Elsa’s neck.

“You too,” Elsa replied, “You wouldn’t believe what happened.”

“What about Der-- I mean, Eryn?”

Linaeus dismounted as he hoisted Eryn over his shoulder. “He’s breathing, that’s the good news,” the captain explained, “but he’ll need some medical attention.”

“We’ll get him some when we get back to the castle,” Elsa said, “for now, we need to sort this mess Skyne made out.”

“Yes, ma’am.” “Oh, and captain? You will be explaining to me how you knew who he was and didn’t bother to tell me.”

Linaeus’s face went bright red as his Adam's apple bobbed in his throat.

“Y-yes ma’am…”

A/N: The chapter after this one is going to be the last one of Beware the Frozen Heart. I'd like to thank everyone who liked and/or commented on this fic! 

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Lost in the Woods Ch. 6

Previous chapter

Ao3 link

FFN link

things go down on the fjord, and someone turns out to be a damned liar

Quick heads up, next chapter is the last chapter for Lost in the Woods. You don’t want to miss it ;)

Elsa didn’t know how long she sat in her cell. Was it hours? Minutes? It was hard to tell with the sun blotted out by grey clouds. She stared at the floor to pass the time, carefully studying the cracks on the floor. All the while, she was left alone with her thoughts. Where was Anna? Would she have any compassion left for her? Twice now, Anna was hurt because she let her emotions run wild. Not only that, but her actions caused the whole country to be frozen over. Guilt pooled in the bottom of her stomach, churning it like she had eaten some bad food. Her mind wandered over to Kristoff. Her selfishness cost him his life, something she would never be able to live down. If she was able to live. The guilt inside her spiked thinking about how he died trying to protect her for a second time.

 It was then when she heard some commotion outside her cell door. Several guards, from the sound of it.

 “Careful… she’s dangerous…”

 Guilt soon turned to panic as the cell became covered in frost. Ice trailed through the stone and up her restraints as she struggled against the metal shackles. As the door opened, she released a burst of icy energy, shattering the restraints and blasting the wall behind her. Seeing no other choice, Elsa bolted out of the room and onto the fjord itself.

 XXXXXX “C’mon… Just. A little. More!” Kristoff grunted as he smashed his ankle restraint against the stone bench. Motivated by panic, he had been trying for what felt like hours to free himself, with little progress to show. He needed to get out of here, find Elsa, and make sure she’s safe. Someone with that much hate for themself should never be left alone. Hopefully he wasn’t too late to help her.

 After a few more strikes, Kristoff heard a soft *chink* from the restraint as it fell in two pieces onto the floor. “Thank God,” Kristoff said, grabbing the small broken fragment. He went up to the door as he flaked a piece of metal off the shackle. Once he had a piece big enough to wedge into the lock, he began jimmying the piece in the door’s contraptions. Years as an orphan taught him a few niche skills, one of which included basic lockpicking. Of course, his time working as an ice harvester caused him to get a bit rusty at lockpicking, but it was still worth a try. As he jostled the fragment inside the lock, he huffed as it snapped in two, dropping a metal shard at his feet. Dammit, he thought, Guess my hands aren’t as nimble as they used to be… He returned to the broken shackle to get another piece of metal, he overheard some guards talking amongst themselves.

“Careful… she’s dangerous…”

The guards’ words puzzled Kristoff. There was someone else down here? Who? And how dangerous are they? Just then, Kristoff heard a strange crackling sound from above him. He looked up and couldn’t believe what he was seeing. A layer of frost crept its way across the ceiling and down the walls. He shuddered at the sudden drop in temperature, rubbing his arms for warmth. How was this happening? Suddenly, the walls burst in a sheet of ice and frost. Kristoff crouched down and put his hands over his head, expecting a shower of stone to fall on him, but none came. Peering out, Kristoff could fully see the gray expanse of the fjord. Amongst the gray and browns of the frozen water and wrecked ships, Kristoff noticed a light shade of sapphire quickly darting across the ice. His face lit up in excitement.

“E-Elsa? ELSA!” Kristoff shouted, darting towards her. She hadn’t run off to the north?! They brought her here? Kristoff could feel his rage building. That bastard lied to him! But why? What did he have to gain for lying to him about Elsa? That was the furthest thing from Kristoff’s mind at the moment. As he ran out onto the fjord, the snowfall soon picked up in speed and ferocity, to the point where he couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of him. It didn’t matter to him, though. He just needed to get to Elsa.

 Kristoff trudged  through the snow and sleet, trying to find Elsa again. Perhaps it was simply a trick his mind played on him. His heart grew heavy at the idea, but still he maintained his course. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. Well, it was more like a familiar grunt, followed by the sound of hooves click-clacking on the ice. Kristoff turned to see Sven bolting at him with a large grin on his face. The reindeer tackled him as he stroked the beast’s fur.

 “I missed you too, buddy,” Kristoff said, “What happened to Anna? Is she alright?”

 “I can answer that!” 

 Kristoff turned to face where the sound was coming from. Olaf’s body swirled around him, followed by his head and stick hands. Kristoff jumped up and grabbed the snowman’s head, bringing him to eye level.

 “What happened? Where’s Anna?” “Oh,” Olaf said enthusiastically, “Well her fiance, Hans, was actually just using her to get to Elsa so he could kill her and become king and left Anna to die until I came and found her. Then she felt bad for not knowing true love and then I said ‘love is putting others before yourself, like how Elsa put your safety before her happiness’ and she-”

“Wait, back up! Hans did what?!”

 “Please let me finish. So now, Anna’s running around trying to find Elsa before she completely freezes over because-” Kristoff placed his hand over Olaf’s mouth.

 “We need to find Elsa and Anna, and fast!” Kristoff said, hopping onto Sven’s back, “Let’s go, buddy!” Sven bolted across the ice and into the vast grey of the storm.

 XXXXXX

Elsa ran. That’s all she could do, run for the rest of her life. Anna and Arendelle would be safe, and she’d be as far away as possible, so that she wouldn’t be a threat to anyone. No more had to die because of her. She attempted to run north, far beyond the mountains, where she wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone, but the storm obstructed her vision so much that it was impossible to tell north from south. Suddenly, from behind her, she heard footsteps approaching, crunching the snow and ice beneath her. She turned around to find Hans amidst the blizzard. Panic jolted through her body as she turned to run.

 “Elsa,” Hans shouted above the winds, “You can’t run away from this!”

 She turned around to face Hans. All she wanted to do was shout “Stay back,” but the words were lost in her throat.

 “Just take care of my sister!” She yelled.

 “Anna? She came back to me ice cold. Her heart was frozen solid! She said there was ice in her heart, put there by you!”

 Elsa’s face turned pale as she processed the news. Anna couldn’t be…

 “Your sister is dead. Because of you.”

 The words pierced her heart like an ice pick. Elsa turned to run, but her legs wouldn’t move. Every part of her screamed out in agony as she collapsed to the ground. All the while, Hans’s words rang out in her head. She didn’t notice the storm subsiding around her, suspending snowflakes in the air. She didn’t notice that Hans had drawn his sword as he slowly approached her. None of that mattered to her.

 Anna was dead. Kristoff was dead. And it was all Elsa’s fault.

XXXXXX “Oooh!” Olaf said looking all around him, “Looks like it stopped snowing!”

 Kristoff reached out and touched one of the suspended snowflakes. As soon as his finger touched the icy particle, it fell to the ground and dissipated. He looked around as he tried to find the reason behind the sudden shift in weather. That’s when he saw her, just a few feet away. Elsa knelt on the ground, her back turned to him while she brought a hand to her head. Just behind her, Hans stood there, slowly approaching with a sword drawn. Panic overtook Kristoff’s senses as he dashed towards the two of them. The cold and ice didn’t slow him down as he and Sven bolted across the frozen fjord. Out of nowhere, just as Hans brought the sword down, Anna stepped in between them, her skin half blue and her hair completely white. As the sword touched her skin, the blade exploded with a fantastic light, blasting Hans out of the way like a ragdoll. Kristoff could only watch as Anna’s skin turned to ice as she breathed her last breath before turning into an ice statue.

 XXXXXX Elsa slowly turned her head. She was expecting to meet her end by a sword, but here she still was. When she saw what had stepped in to save her, her heart stopped. Anna stood over her, her skin made of ice and frost. Every inch of her was completely frozen over, like a statue

 “ANNA!” She yelled, leaping up to meet Anna’s face. Her eyes were still and lifeless, staring off into the sky. “No, please no,” Elsa pleaded as she cupped Anna’s face in her hands. Elsa felt tears fall down her face as she gazed at Anna’s lifeless statue. She broke down, embracing what used to be her sister and sobbed heavily. 

 Now, she was truly alone in the world. That was, at least, until she felt the statue melt away. No longer did she feel ice and cold. Instead, she felt the soft fabric of clothing. She looked up and her heart was instantly filled with gratitude. Anna was smiling back at her!

 “Anna!”

Elsa shot up from the ground and embraced her sister. Anna did the same, relishing in Elsa’s warmth. Tears pricked the corners of their eyes as they looked at each other.

 “I-I’m so sorry,” Elsa choked, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, ever. I-”

“It should be me who’s apologizing,” Anna interrupted, similarly on the verge of tears, “I said some awful things up at the mountain that I shouldn’t have. I was just so frustrated after all these years and-” Elsa gripped Anna tighter than before. Her sister’s warmth was something she could get used to. Tears fell down her cheeks in small streams, not of sorrow, but of joy.

 “After what I did, you still risked your life for me?”

“I love you.”

 Olaf let out a surprised gasp, “‘An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart!’”

 Elsa pondered the snowman’s words. Love… thaw… “That’s it!”

 Elsa threw her hands to the ground as the suspended snowflakes began disappearing one by one. Soon the ice started to fade away as a submerged ship rose from the ice, conveniently where they stood. The sky went from the dreary grey to a beautiful shade of blue as Elsa condensed the storm into a massive snowflake before it vanished in a spectacle of light.

 “I knew you could do it!” Anna placed her hand on Elsa’s shoulder.

 “Elsa?” A strange but familiar voice said.

 Elsa looked over to her right as her jaw dropped. Kristoff stood there, smiling like a fool with Olaf and Sven. He was alive?

 He was alive!

 “Kristoff!” Elsa ran over to him eagerly as he enveloped her in his arms. It was strange at first, but Elsa thought that this felt… right. Like she could spend forever in his arms. A bright red overtook her face from the thought as she broke from his embrace.

 “Hans told me you died!” She sputtered.

 “He told me you ran after the chandelier fell!” Kristoff responded.

 A long drawn out groan interrupted their conversation. Hans was also on the ship, currently getting the shit kicked out of him by Anna.

 “We should probably stop her,” Elsa said.

 “Yeah… in a minute,” Kristoff added, seemingly enjoying the display before him with a smile on his face.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Beware the Frozen Heart Ch. 17- The Truth Revealed

Previous Chapter

Ao3 Link

FFN link

Good golly gosh, I wonder what happens in this chapter based on this title?

(I know, but that’s because I wrote it >:))

You mean to tell me you were going to withdraw from the contract?!

That isn’t what’s important now!

Never have I seen you back out of a job like this, especially with the price at hand!

Why the sudden interest? You’ve never cared this much about a target before.

Neither have you. And that is why you fail… 

This conversation is over.

For now, boy, for now…

Eryn soared overhead of Elsa in a shadowy blob, the mountains and ravines whizzing past like a blur. She had been barreling through the jagged mountains for the past few hours in a blind panic. Worry worked its way into Eryn’s heart and mind as they edged closer to Arendelle. If Anna wasn’t actually injured, he worried that this was a trap. If she was injured, he had no idea what it could mean. Who could’ve attacked the castle while he was away? Surely none of his contacts would be so stupid enough to stage an attack out of nowhere. Maybe Twiggy would, but he was smarter than that. That was the whole reason he hired him on.

Why are you so concerned about this princess? She isn’t the intended target, so she-

It’s because she’s not the intended target that I’m worried.

Hmph, compassion is cowardice, Odrikson. Three years of our partnership should’ve taught you that…

Enough, we’re approaching Arendelle. 

Eryn landed in the stables, just out of sight of anyone passing by. Elsa arrived soon after, leaping off her horse and rushing inside. The two guards saluted her as she whizzed past them, a trail of frost following her. Eryn ran up to the two guards and asked, “Is it true, is Princess Anna…” “Unfortunately yes,” one of the guards said, “Fortunately, the princess is expected to make a recovery.” “Any lead on who did this?”

“We have one of the perpetrators in custody, sir. We’re combing the city for any more.”

“Take me to him, then…”

XXXXXX

Elsa ran faster than she ever did before in her life. Every step she took felt like it was in slow motion. Her whole body trembled as she neared Anna’s room. Please be wrong, please be wrong, Elsa silently prayed. As she rounded the corner to her sister’s room, she saw Kristoff standing outside the door, his arms crossed and a scowl plastered on his face. “Kristoff,” Elsa shouted, running up towards him, “is she…?”

“She’s… fine,” Kristoff said, “The doctors just finished up with her.” Elsa approached the door as she grabbed the doorknob. Slowly twisting it open, the queen’s face went pale. Anna was laying atop her bed, sound asleep and snoring lightly. Elsa reeled in horror as she noticed Anna’s right leg, which was now reduced to a stump. Elsa’s heart sank as she approached Anna’s bedside, kneeling beside her sister.

“Anna…” Elsa choked up as she stroked Anna’s cheek. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as guilt settled in the bottom of her heart. The room dropped in temperature as frost began to creep out from where she knelt. Kristoff approached her from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It should’ve been me,” She whimpered, “She’s been hurt enough on my behal-” “Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Kristoff reassured, “This was out of your control.” “I should’ve stayed. If I had been here, maybe they would’ve-” “And what about Anna, then? If you got hurt, or worse, what would she do?” A single tear rolled down Elsa’s face as she gripped Anna’s hand. She imagined herself in Anna’s place as Anna wept over her. It pained Elsa to imagine that scenario.

“...Who did this?” She asked.

Kristoff pursed his lips as he stared at the floor. Elsa stood up, glaring at the ice harvester.

“Who. Did. This?” She punctuated each word with a drop in the room temperature. Kristoff stood up and took her hands in his.

“You might not like what I have to say…”

XXXXXX

Eryn followed the guards down into the dungeon. It was dank, cold, and rife with mold, just as he expected. The guards led him to a series of wooden doors, identical in size and shape. One of the guards began fumbling with a series of keys and proceeded to shove one into the door, the jangling piercing the quiet norm of the dungeons. Once it swung open, Eryn marched through the door, silently cursing. Sure enough, Twiggy stood in the middle, chained down and grinning maliciously.

“Could you excuse us for a moment?” Eryn asked the guards. They silently nodded and walked away, leaving the two of them alone. Eryn glared at Alius with solemn fury as he took a few more steps into the cell.

“What in the fuck did you do, Twiggy?” Eryn demanded.

“What you failed to do, Eryn,” Alius chortled, “Unlike you, who liked to play make believe, I wanted results, as does our contractor.” “I told you to let me handle the contractor. Your job was to provide intel for this operation.” “And your job was to kill the queen! Now, we’re a month into this operation and she’s still alive!”

“I save you from the gallows and this is how you repay me?!”

“You should be thanking me for my intuition. Unlike these other assholes you brought on, I took the initiative.”

“THINGS WERE GOING FINE UNTIL YOU DECIDED TO FUCK IT UP!”

“WERE THEY?! EITHER YOU WENT SOFT OR-“

“WATCH. YOUR. TONGUE!” Eryn could feel the numbness penetrate his muscles.

“It’s just one woman! How hard could it be to kill a simple woman. Especially one as volatile and fragile as that bi-”

Eryn lunged forward as he plunged the dagger into Alius’s windpipe. Rage boiled his blood as he dragged him to the ground and repeatedly stabbed the short man, plugging him full of bloody holes. Alius flailed his arms, struggling to get Eryn off of him. Eyrn planted the dagger one last time in Alius’s working eye as he got up off of the floor, panting heavily. Alius was left a bloody mess on the floor, barely recognizable as a human being. 

“Guess you weren’t as smart as I thought, Twiggy,” Eryn spat.

As Eryn turned to leave, his face went pale. Elsa stood before him, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Her hands were balled up in tight fists as she shook. In one of her fists, she held what he recognized as his schematics for the castle he placed under his bed.

“Y-you?!” She said, “This was all your idea?” “Elsa, wait-” Eryn began. He was met with a sharp stinging on his face as she dragged her palm against it in a violent slap. He could feel tiny shards of ice dig into his skin.

“My sister nearly died. Because of you!” Venom filled her words as she spoke. “Elsa, I wasn’t expecting this to happen!” “What were you expecting to happen?!”

Eryn tried to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat. What could he say that wouldn’t already piss her off even more? Elsa glared at him, awaiting his answer.

“This is why I didn’t want you to return. They-”

“So you could kill me? So that Anna would die?!”

“Because I knew they’d be waiting for you when you came back!”

“What else did you do?! It was you who poisoned my wine, wasn’t it? And that time in the tailor shop, that wasn’t an accident, was it?!”

Eryn’s heart grew heavy as he started to choke up, “Please, Elsa, I-” “I have had enough of your lies… ” Elsa’s words were filled with venom as a few guards rallied behind her, “Arrest this man.”

The guards clamored into the room with weapons drawn. As they started swinging at him, Eryn faded into the floor and through the iron bars of the window.

XXXXXX “Take it easy, feistypants,” Kristoff said, “Elsa should be back soon.”

“I’m not worried about her,” Anna growled, “you should be worried about the bastard who did this when I get to him.” She hoisted herself out of the bed, nearly toppling over before grabbing her dresser.

“Maybe you should wait until you get that replacement leg. The doctor’s said it should be here in a couple of da-”

“A couple of days is too long. No one gets away with trying to kill my sister.”

“You really need to start thinking about… yourself?”

Elsa appeared at the doorway, looking solemnly. She forced a smile on her face as she saw Anna.

“Elsa!” Anna hopped towards her sister, helped along by Kristoff before collapsing into Elsa’s arms.

“You have no idea how much I missed you!”

“Thank God you’re alright! I shouldn’t have-” “Oh, no you don’t! You’ve beaten yourself up enough. Once Derrik gets back here, we can-”

“There is no Derrik.”

Anna and Kristoff’s eyes went wide, “Wait, what?”

Tears began to stream down Elsa’s face, “He… he was the assassin trying to kill me. He lied to us every single time,” She turned to Kristoff, “You were right. He was a snake. I shouldn’t have trusted him…”

Kristoff extended his free hand and placed it on Elsa’s shoulder, “Don’t beat yourself up over this. You did what you thought was necessary for Arendelle. None of us could’ve predicted… this.”

Elsa smiled warmly as a soldier came into the room, saluting the queen.

“Ma’am, we have confirmation of the true identity of Mr. Ormeister,” he said, handing her a slip of paper. Elsa opened it up to see an old wanted poster with “Derrik’s” face on it. Underneath the image, the poster announced:

WANTED

For the Murder of Gen. Urlaf Garrigheim & desertion of the Arendellian military

Eryn Odrikson

Male

18 Years of Age

Last seen: Karnisvarne, Søderlund

Reward: 500 crowns

 Elsa read over the paper multiple times before looking back up to the guard, “Have there been any sightings of him?” “Not yet, ma’am. The whole city’s on lockdown. It won’t be long until we catch him.”

“Take caution. He has magic now, we don’t know the extent of his power.”

The guard simply saluted and ran off to spread the word.

Elsa turned to Anna and Kristoff, tears once again swelling in her eyes. Three times now, Anna nearly died because of her in some way, shape, or form. It was a miracle that Anna didn’t resent her for it.  Kristoff and Anna extended their arms out, inviting Elsa in. Elsa smiled weakly as she walked into their arms, humming contently as they embraced her.

XXXXXX Eryn stopped for a rest next to a rather large boulder overlooking the fjord. Behind him was a vast forest that stretched for miles on end. He was a few miles out from the city, though he could still see the lights of Arendelle clearly. The sounds of panicked guards carried over the water as they attempted to look for him. Eryn slammed his fist into the rock, not caring about the stinging pain. What he did care about was that his lies finally caught up to him. Here was a woman that trusted him with her life and what does he do? He breaks all the trust she had in him and nearly kills her sister! He collapsed on the ground, dragging his fingers through his hair. For the first time in his life, he felt like a piece of shit. What was he going to do now? His mind was flooded with a thousand thoughts, screaming at him simultaneously. Unfortunately, one thought was much louder than all the others.

What are you doing?! Get back up and get back to the castle!

What’s the point? Eryn shot up and began walking into the forest, hoping to put some distance between him and Arendelle.

The point?! The point is that you need to fulfill your end of the bargain! 

If we go back, we die.

YOU might die, but I will endure.

The whole. Damn. Town. Is looking for me! If I go back, I’ll-

AND IF YOU DON’T, I SAID IT WOULD BE THE LAST THING YOU DID! Do you not remember that?!

Why do you need Elsa’s blood that badly?! You told me as long as the lifeforce of a human ran through you, you had enough to grant me powers. “Destroy the man, preserve the legend” and all that nonsense. What’s so special about her blood?

Magic is a fickle thing. I wouldn’t expect some fool like you to understand.

Well, it looks like we’ll need to look somewhere else for magic blood, then. I can’t-

Y̵̩̳͚̬͉O̸̷̦̤̗̖U̟̜̭̬̮̺͍͝ ̸̮̭̕Ẃ̴̧̪͈̮̖ͅͅI̞̟̤L̴̵̯̖L̩̺̬!̱̜̲̟͙̰̀ 

Skyne’s voice stung at Eryn’s brain like a hive of angry wasps. Eryn collapsed to the floor, clutching his head.

We’ve caused enough damage! Anything else-

THIS IS WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT! Your compassion is what makes you weak! Tell me boy, did compassion save your father from the avalanche? Did compassion cure your mother of Yellow Fever? Did compassion return Malia’s virtue after Urlaf stole it by force?! OF COURSE NOT! 

Leave them out of thi-

A thousand years I have waited for this day! Eryn began to slip in and out of consciousness, And I will NOT let some poor nobody deprive me of my freedom!

I-I won’t let y-you!

Ý̠̮̺͙̜̼O̷̙Ų̯̻̭ ̴̢̜̗N̠̬̮̗̟̳ͅÓ̖̙̭̦͡ ̧̺̫̟͎̠̻̜͎L̵̳̻͔̪͟͢ͅO̤̜͜͜N̸̞͓͜͡G̗̩͉̳͔͙͜E͏̦̯̮͚́ͅR̗̙̫̱͙̺̜̦̰͡͞ ͇̘͜͡H̵̰͔͓̟̦̗͢Á̞̫̠͘ͅV̸̬̯̥̻̯͟E̶͚̫̥̝̖͘͠ ̸̥͖̯͓͕͇͔̜́͡À̶͈͍̠̬̮ ̴̭̻̱̫͈͎̀͠S̯̫͎̮͟A͢҉̵̥͇̙̫Y̴̵̯̻̰͉͓̦,̸̸͙̝̦̫̻̪͟ ̨̮̝̩͔͚̻̮͠B̷̷̩̜̘̩̻O̢̪͇̘̠͚Y̛̪͡!͖͚̱͍̳̗͢

Eryn felt the numbness envelop him as he finally faded out of consciousness.

XXXXXX

“Has there been any luck?”

“No, Ma’am. We’ve got every guard on high alert. It should be a matter of time before we catch him.” Elsa sighed, “Thank you, please continue your search.”

The guard saluted her and resumed his patrol. The nighttime air blew into Elsa’s face as she turned back to the castle. Only a matter of time… she thought to herself. How could she have been so blind, trusting a man she just met? What else was she wrong about? A trail of ice followed her as she thought these thoughts. She looked back on every decision she made up to this point. How many of those were the wrong choice, much like trusting Eryn? She shook the idea from her mind. Now wasn’t the time to feel sorry for herself. What mattered now was that Eryn was caught and brought to justice.

As she entered the castle, she was stopped by Kristoff.

“Elsa, we need to talk,” Kristoff said.

“You are most certainly right,” Elsa replied, “I need you to stay here and look after Anna, I’m going out to join the search.”

“You’re what?! Elsa-” “I need to make up for allowing myself to be duped by this… assassin. I’d rather be out there than cowering in he-”

“But he has magic! What if he-” Elsa held her hand up as blue light emitted from her palm, “Don’t forget, I do too.” “I-it’s not that! He has Arendolk!”

“I know that!” “But he’s using Skyne’s magic!”

“What’s the big deal, Kristoff? The legends say Skyne is trapped in the blade for eternity.” “The legend was censored! If Skyne gets magic blood, he’s free! Grandpabbie told me everything about it!”

Elsa’s eyes went wide as she dissipated her magic. Who would omit such important information about such an evil being?  Why was it removed? Before she was able to get any answers, a rather strange noise came from behind her. Snapping her head around, she saw a massive black blob amassing in the center of the courtyard. It slowly disappeared, scattering into the far corners of the castle. In its place stood Eryn, his eyes glowing crimson and his face gaunt and withering.

“You…” he hissed, pointing Arendolk at Elsa, “You are coming with me.” His voice sounded warped, as if there were two people talking. Kristoff lunged at Eryn, who effortlessly picked him up with one hand and tossed him to the side. Eryn raised his hand as inky black tendrils slithered out from his palm, wrapping themselves around Elsa. A few guards came rushing out to stop him with swords drawn. Eryn summoned shadowy tendrils from his back to meet them. One by one, the guards fell, impaled by the inky nothingness as Eryn laughed hysterically. Elsa tried to cry out, but was silenced as darkness filled her mouth.

Then, everything went black.

XXXXXX “Sir Bjorgman! Kristoff! Can you hear me?!”

Kristoff’s vision slowly came back to him as he stirred. He’d hit the stables rather hard, causing him to black out for a second. When he woke, he was surprised to find Captain Torvond hovering over him with worry on his face. Just behind him, Eryn saw a large black horse standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by bodies of guards.

“L-Linaeus? What’s going on?”

“I came back as soon as I heard about the explosion. Where’s Elsa?”

Kristoff rubbed his forehead, trying to remember what had happened. The stinging pain was making it hard to concentrate. Piece by piece he remembered what had happened. He let out a sharp gasp.

“Eryn! Sh-she found out who he was and chased him out. But then he came back, with these red eyes. He took her… somewhere!”

Linaeus’s eyes went wide as he noticed something in the distance. A large blob of… something strange was heading north. He was certain that was Eryn and Elsa. His look of worry faded into one of seriousness.

“Go to Anna, I’ll handle this,” Linaeus began walking back to the black horse. “What? You wouldn’t last a second against-” “It’s not Eryn that’s doing this. I know it’s not.”

“All the more reason that it’s too dangerous for y-”

“I made an oath to protect the queen, no matter the cost. If that means facing Skyne himself, so be it,” with that, Linaeus snapped the reins and, with the shout of “Magni, bevege seg!” The horse darted out of the courtyard and towards the north.

“Eryn,” Linaeus whispered to himself, “What’ve you gotten yourself into this time?”

XXXXXX

Skyne flew as far as he could, dragging the queen behind him. At long last, his freedom was so tantalizingly close. He could feel his connection to Odrikson wavering, but it didn’t matter. Once he was free, he’d never have to worry about such trivial issues any longer.

As his magic weakened, Skyne was forced to make an abrupt landing. He landed on a rather large mountain, covered in snow and ice. Just ahead of him laid a massive palace of what appeared to be ice. He marveled at it for a second before dispersing the shadows enveloping the queen. 

“Impressive…” he said as she stood up, “I am to assume you made this?”

“Why did you come back?” The queen demanded, “Did you feel like you didn’t twist the knife enough?”

Skyne simply laughed, “I’m afraid Odrikson isn’t in at the moment. I will be happy to take a message… once I have what I came here for.” Skyne lifted the knife in his hand as he walked over to the queen. Sweet freedom was finally here. With no hesitation he-

“Stop right there!”

Skyne snapped Odrikson’s head to see who interrupted him. The commander from the mountain village ran up to them, sword in hand.

“Linaeus?” The queen blurted out, “What’re you-”

“It’s my duty ma’am,” he said, turning to face Skyne, “So, I take it you’re not Eryn?”

“I’m afraid Odrikson is paying the price for his disobedience.”

“Why did he make a deal with you? What did he have to gain?”

“The poor bastard wanted recognition, so that he didn’t die a nobody, like his worthless father. Now, if you’ll excuse me-”

“Don’t take one more step, demon!” The captain raised his sword, “Let my friend go or else!”

“Do you really think you can take on the Son of the Blood Moon?”

“No, but Eryn can. Eryn, if you can hear me, you need to fight this!”

“Linaeus, what are you-?” Elsa said

“Just trust me, Elsa,” Linaeus cut her off, “I know my friend.”

Skyne chortled at the captain’s words. Surely he knew this wouldn’t w-

That’s when he felt it. The pang of resistance deep in Odrikson’s heart. He really was fighting back?! How?! Skyne watched as the blade quivered in his hand.

“WHAT?!”

“C’mon Eryn, I know you’re in there! You’re above this monster! Don’t let him win!”

Skyne felt Odrikson’s mind returning, shouting with a furious force.

GET! OUT!

Skyne let out a furious cry as he was forced to retreat back to the knife. Eryn turned around and hurled the blade into the night sky.

“I knew you had it in you,” Linaeus placed a hand on Eryn’s shoulder.

“I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Eryn panted, “Felt like I was trapped in a box.”

“All of this, just so you wouldn’t be forgotten? What were you thinking?!”

“Not like I could’ve stayed in the military after-”

“Um, gentlemen?” Elsa interjected, pointing up to the sky.

 Eryn, Elsa and Linaeus looked on in shock and confusion as the blade suspended itself in thin air.

Foolish mistake, WORM!

Skyne flipped the blade around and lunged towards the group. Eryn swiftly dodged out of the way and into a snowbank when he heard a small whimper. When he unburied himself, his heartbeat stopped. Elsa clutched her arm as small streams of crimson fell over fingers with the dagger on the ground next to her. Eryn watched in horror as her blood filled the runes, turning them a bright purple. Darkness swirled around the blade as it broke in half with an ear shattering crack. Dark energy dripped out of the pieces and formed a large pool of blackness as large as an elephant. Out of the nothingness, a large black claw emerged, followed by another. Slowly, a massive figure, with the head of a serpent with two sharp and jagged cervine antlers, the body of a man, and the legs of a wolf, emerged, cackling maniacally. Its entire body was as black as a bottomless pit, blotting out the aurora behind it.

“You impress me, Odrikson,”  it said as it stretched its arms and legs out, “Even with your insubordination, you managed to do what others have failed to do…”

After a thousand years of confinement and isolation, Skyne, Son of the Blood Moon and Lord of the Shadows, was free at last.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Beware the Frozen Heart Ch. 16- The Incident Part 2

Previous Chapter

Ao3 link

FFN link

A continuation of the plot in Fjellby.

This was initially supposed to be part of the previous chapter, but due to its sheer length I cut it in half.

Enjoy!

Earlier that evening… 

“Why in the hell are we fishing at this time of day?”

“Shut the fuck up and help me with this net.”

As the sun began to dip behind the mountains overlooking Arendelle, two fishermen made their way out into the Arenfjord on a small rickety boat. Each man took a side of a large fishing net and, with all their combined might, tossed it into the water. They waited a few moments before  tugging on individual ropes. As they pulled it back onto the boat, the men let out a small groan. Different sized rocks were piled up on the floor of the ship, with not a single fish to be found.

“God dammit!” the older one said, throwing his hat onto the bottom of the boat, exposing his bald head to the twilight air, “Not even a minnow!” he grabbed the net, balling it up in his hands, “Let’s try again.”

His friend noticed something amongst the rocks. It wasn’t a fish, yet it wasn’t a rock either. Pushing some of them aside, the man pulled out something oddly peculiar. A knife from the looks of it, its hilt made of some black wood and its blade of strange metal. Some gibberish was written into the side of the blade, but he couldn’t make out what it said. He held the weapon aloft to his companion, “What do you suppose this is?”

The old man took a closer look at it, “Hmmm, looks like a murder weapon,” he took the blade out of his friend’s hand, “By God, it looks old. And that’s by my standards.”

“Should we take it to the guardhouse? Could be worth something to them.” Before the elder man said anything, a loud explosion caught them off guard. The old man’s hands jolted, causing the sharp end of the blade to drag across his hand. He dropped it with a loud “FUCK!” as it clattered at the bottom of the boat. Neither of them noticed the man’s blood seeping into the runes on the dagger, nor did they notice them glow a bright red.

Skyne groaned as if he had woken up. It was about time Odrikson did something with the queen… wait, this wasn’t the queen’s blood. It was much older. And more importantly not magic. The shade sensed his surroundings for answers.

Wh- Where am I? Odrikson, where are you?! No response. All he could sense were two men, neither of them being Odrikson. After a moment, Skyne located where Odrikson was, and it puzzled him. He was north, far north. What in the name of the shadows was he doing up there? Skyne could also tell that he was in a boat, but why? The last thing he remembered was Odrikson… Skyne put two and two together, letting out an ear piercing roar.

YOU. B̨̯̣̞̠̹̝͕ͯ̏͊̌̿̒ͭA͉̞ͫͬ̎S̳̦͉̥̰͙̄̅͂̍̄T̤̟͔̭͍͖̺̀A͔̙̱͉̟͑̋̂̇Ṛ̲̱͖͉̐̄ͧͪ̾ͬ̇D͈ͮ̿̈! 

Skyne sank into the shadows, fixated on Odrikson’s position. That runt actually abandoned him! Tried to sink him in the fjord and leave him there! He was so close to getting out of this infernal device, and Odrikson chickened out?! He refused to let this opportunity slip away.

He was getting out of this dagger, one way or another. If it means damning Odrikson, so be it. 

What’s another soul to his freedom, anyway?

XXXXXX

“Well, you took your time getting here.”

Do I sound like I have time for this foolishness, Odrikson? I am INFURIATED right now!

“Can you be pissed some other time? Kinda in the middle of something, here,” Eryn gestured to Hans, who still held the revolver up to Eryn’s chest. Hans’s mouth was agape at the sight before him. Shadowy tendrils still held the bullet he had just fired in the air, as the assassin argued with his weapon.

YOU. ABANDONED. ME! Do you honestly think that I would ignore that?!

“It wasn’t me! The ice boy nicked you when I wasn’t looking!”

And you didn’t feel him take me?! How have you lived this long as an “assassin” with such atrocious awareness of your surroundings?!

“Um…” Hans spoke up, “What in the hell is going on here?!”

“Do you mind? Having a bit of an argument here,” Eryn pointed to the knife as Hans threw the gun on the floor.

“Ah, to hell with this,” Hans drew his sword, tossing the revolver onto the floor,  “I’ll just kill you the old fashioned way,” He swung the sword overhead. Eryn raised the dagger to block it as the tendrils disappeared, the sound of clanging metal resonating in the room.

“The magic, I need the magic!”

Why should I?

“You need me!”

And what makes you think that? Surely this gentleman would be a substantial replacemen-

“As if he’d actually do anything with you. He’d probably hang you in his study!” Eryn pushed back on Hans’s blade, staggering the red haired man. Hans went back in for another overhead strike as Eryn narrowly dodged to the side.

There is one way you can make up for this…betrayal…

“And what’s that?!”

The queen… wet my blade with her blood and I shall consider the abandonment water under the bridge…

“Who are you talking to?!” Hans demanded, confused at the sight before him.

“Fuck you, that’s who!” Eryn darted towards Hans, dagger raised in his hand. Eryn swiped at Hans’s neck, who deflected the blade with his own.

I will give you this one last chance, Odrikson. Disappoint me again, and it’s the last thing you will ever do. Do we have a deal?

“Yes, yes! Just- the magic!” Eryn planted his foot on Hans’s chest, pushing him out into the hall.

Very well… Eryn could feel the cold and numbness coarse through his veins. Hans charged towards him, thrusting his sword at Eryn’s chest. Eryn sank into the floor as a shadowy mass, slinking behind Hans like a snake. Eryn emerged and brought the dagger down on Hans’s shoulder, only to be blocked again by Hans’s sword. Hans swept Eryn’s legs out from underneath him as Eryn dragged him down to the floor with him. The two began rolling around the hallway to gain an advantage on one another, tumbling down the stairs. Hans kicked Eryn off of him, knocking him into a suit of armor. Hans darted forward thrusting the sword at the assassin. Eryn summoned inky black tendrils to bring up the chestplate of the armor to block the attack. Hans reeled back as his sword met the metal plate. Eryn transformed into a shadowy blob and tackled Hans to the ground with a loud thud. The assassin thrusted the dagger towards Hans’s chest, only for the exiled prince to push his arm away. The two men struggled for some time, trying to overcome the other in a desperate tug of war. A loud gunshot at the base of the stairs forced them to stop.

“Now, now, gentlemen, we mustn’t resort to such savagery.”

Governor Haadrikson held a revolver in the air. Linaeus knelt beside him, hands bound behind his back and flanked by two guards.

“Eryn Odrikson,” the governor chortled, pointing his gun at Eryn, “and the Arendolk. How did a street rat like you get in possession of such a powerful artifact?” “Picked it up at here in town,” Eryn retorted as he rose from the ground, “A small shop called ‘Go Fuck Yourself.’”

“I don’t have the patience for this, rat. Hans, my boy, why are you tampering with such an… important cog in this scheme of yours?” “Odrikson’s backing out,” Hans spat, “He knew too much, I couldn’t risk him getting away.”

Haadrikson waddled over to Eryn, “Is that so? It appears you’re still the same coward that deserted all those years ago, then.” Outside a large window, the sun had finished setting as the moon slowly peeked out from the mountains.

 Odrikson, get him to monologue, at least for the next few minutes.

Why?

JUST DO IT!

“Why go to all this trouble? Why lie to the queen’s face and side with this bastard?”

“Simply put, I refuse to take orders from a witch. Who’s to say she won’t turn on us all, with power such as that? So, I was contacted by Mr. Westergard here to play a role in his plot. Frankly, I don’t give a fuck who’s on the throne, but a monster like that is simply unacceptable.”

“How far up your own ass do you have to be to think she’s a threat? She wouldn’t hurt a fly!” “Then explain to me how even after a month you haven’t been able to kill her!”

“I was told she was a monster. I now see that's a boldfaced lie!”

“Ah, I see what’s going on here. You got tricked by a pretty face and a kind facade. Maybe if you thought with your head instead of your dick, you would’ve had results.”

Eryn gritted his teeth as he gripped the dagger tightly. He’d never experienced this level of raw anger before in his life. Every part of him screamed for him to claw the governor’s throat out.

“Now, Mr. Odrikson,” Haadrikson placed the muzzle of the revolver on Linaeus’s head, “I’m afraid this little game of yours is over.” He placed his finger on the trigger as the moon rose over the mountain. The second the moonbeams hit Eryn’s skin through a nearby window, he could feel his anger raise to new levels.  Before Haadrikson squeezed the trigger, Eryn’s eyes went pitch black as he shot a wave of dark energy out of his hand, severing the governor’s hand from his arm. The fat man let out a blood curdling cry as massive shadowy tentacles erupted out of Eryn’s back, converging onto the governor. Eryn threw him aside like a limp chew toy as some of the tentacles slashed at Linaeus’s bonds. Linaeus sweeped one of the guard’s legs out from underneath them, quickly grabbing a sword and hacking at the leg of the other.

What the hell is this power? 

The children of Máni are all given special gifts whenever the moon shines down on them. Even the ones he… refuses to acknowledge.

When were you planning on telling me this?!

I’ve never told a soul before. They’ve never gotten this close to aiding me…

Aiding you in what?

Best you worry about them rather than me, Odrikson.

“GET HIM YOU FOOLS!” Haadrikson shouted, clutching the stump where his hand used to be. Guards poured into the room, brandishing swords and poleaxes. Eryn darted over to Linaeus’s side with the dagger in hand.

“Is that really Arendolk?” Linaeus asked.

“Not the time, Lenny,” Eryn retorted, “let’s discuss this when we’re out of here.”

Linaeus simply nodded as two guards came up to him with overhead swings. The captain narrowly dodged one while parrying the other. Eryn summoned an orb of darkness in his palm and launched it at a group of four guards. As soon as it hit them, the shadow grew in size, swallowing them whole. All that anyone could hear was the sounds of screaming and gurgling. When the darkness dissipated, all four laid on the ground, motionless with blackened eyes. Linaeus kicked one of the guards into another separate group.

“I thought you were captain of the guard! Why are they after you?!” Eryn shouted as he deflected a sword swing with the dagger.

“Haadrikson paid them off! How did you get the Arendolk?!” Linaeus responded, swinging his sword at a large group of guards.

“Urlaf had it the night I killed him! Is that answer sufficient?!”

“For now, yes. We need to talk about this shadow magic business later! Make sure Hans doesn’t escape!”

“Fine by me!” Was all that Eryn said as he rushed towards Hans.

XXXXXX

Elsa paced around her room impatiently. Derrik and Linaeus left hours ago, how were they still not back? She held herself in her arms as her mind wandered to the worst possible scenario. Perhaps they were caught and were doomed to be hanged unless she revealed herself. Elsa shook the notion out of her head. Surely they wouldn’t be that careless to get caught, right?

Elsa stopped pacing momentarily when she heard some kind of commotion from outside her room. Lacing her bonnet around her head, she darted out of the room, hoping to find some answers. At the bottom of the staircase, several people were gathered around the window, observing something out of Elsa’s sight. She hurried down to join the sudden throng, standing next to a young boy about five or six years old.

“What’s going on?” She asked him, crouching down to his eye level.

“Someone’s twying to kill Mr. Haadwikson,” the youth replied, pointing out towards the governor’s mansion. Elsa looked where the boy was pointing, and couldn’t believe her eyes. Derrik and Linaeus were currently clashing swords with several guards and… Hans?

“Dammit!” Elsa shouted, running out the door. She hated being right.

XXXXXX

“Sir Bjorgman,” the doctor said, placing a hand on Kristoff’s shoulder. Kristoff sat himself in a chair beside Anna’s bed, gripping her hand tightly in his. The mountain man said nothing as he watched Anna’s unconscious body. Most of her clothing had to be removed, as to make sure some shrapnel didn’t strike somewhere important, leaving her with a small modesty wrap around her chest and pelvic region.

“Sir Bjorgman,” the doctor repeated, “I-I have good news and bad news…” Kristoff looked up to the man with shock and grief in his eyes, “The good news is that she should recover… but… it’s her leg…”

Kristoff stared down to where Anna’s legs were. While her left leg looked completely fine, her right leg was a different story. Kristoff hadn’t noticed how gnarled and bent it was when he picked her up. Parts of her bone stuck out of the flesh all the way up to her thigh. Her foot was dangling off her leg by a few tendons.

“What’s going to happen to her?” Kristoff asked, his voice coarse

“We’ll just need to cut the leg off. It’s damaged beyond repair and will do her more harm than good.”

“Then how will she-” “Don’t worry, son. She’ll be able to walk again.” Kristoff sighed in relief. Finally, some good news out of all of this. He gripped Anna’s hand tighter than usual. “When will she wake up?”

“That… I’m not sure about. But that’ll just make the procedure go that much quicker for her.” Kristoff opened his mouth to say something when a guard entered the room.

“Sir Bjorgman,” she said, saluting him, “We’ve managed to capture one of the terrorists responsible for the explosion.”

Kristoff shot up from his chair, “Where is he?” He demanded.” “The dungeons, sir.”

“Any others?” “They’re either dead or fled into the sewer system underground. We’ve got some patrols down there looking, but so far he’s the only one we’ve caught.”

Anger settled in the bottom of Kristoff’s heart, “Take me to him.”

The guard simply nodded and walked out the door with Kristoff following. The mountain man clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms. These monsters nearly took his Anna. The one thing he had in his life, the one that turned him around for the better, came within an inch of her life once again because of these animals. What did she do to deserve this?! Can’t she be at peace for once in her life?

When they arrived in the dungeons, Kristoff was met with the familiar stench of misery and mold. The guard took a torch from one of the sconces as she fumbled with the keys to the left most door. Kristoff pushed it open and quickly went inside. He was greeted by a strange looking man, thin and brittle looking. It looked like it took a simple breeze to break every bone in his body. Over his left eye rested an eyepatch, with the other eye a brilliant blue. His hair was as white as Elsa’s, but he looked to be only a few years older than Kristoff. The man was currently chained to a point in the middle of the floor.

“Does he have a name?” Kristoff asked.

“Alius ‘The Stick’ Hoffermire, sir,” The guard said, “He comes from the kingdom of Snoob. He’s a criminal mastermind responsible for several revolts around the world.”

Kristoff eyed the captive man, “Leave us.”

“Sir?”

“I want to talk to him personally. And with no interruptions…”

“Y-yes sir!” The guard quickly backed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Kristoff trudged towards Alius, who was smirking wildly.

“You have a lot to answer to,” Kristoff growled, narrowing his eyes.

“Oh, do I now?” Alius responded sarcastically, his voice high pitched and nasally, “Where do you want to start?”

“How about with the fact that your little stunt hurt an innocent person today!?”

“She’s a politician, none of them are innocent! Rats, the lot of ‘em!”

The anger in his heart boiled over at that point. Kristoff lunged towards Alius, knocking him to the ground and wrapping his hands around his throat, “Don’t. You. Dare. Talk about my fiance like that you weasel!”

“W-Wait!” Alius said, “The queen isn’t supposed to be courting anyone, let alone be affianced.” “YOUR BOMB HIT THE PRINCESS!”

“The Princess?! Where’s the queen, then?!”

“That isn’t what we’re talking about, now is it?!”

“Goddammit, Eryn,” the man muttered, “ what’ve you done with her now?”

Kristoff brought Alius to his face, “Who?!”

XXXXXX

Eryn darted towards Hans, readying the dagger for a strike. Hans deflected it with his sword as he prepared his own attack. The two men clashed blades, bringing their faces within inches of each other.

“All this and for what?” Hans said, “So you’re no longer some nobody? So people would be forced to remember you?” “What’s your excuse, then?” Eryn retorted, “Couldn’t let them beat your ass once, so you came back to get it kicked again?”

“At least I’m not some forgotten orphan who wasted his days playing killer!”

“Nah, you’re just some rich pompous asshole who wasted his days playing killer!” “Do you really think she’ll care for you once she knows the truth? How you came here to kill her for money and fame? You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t wedge an icicle in your heart! She’s killed before and she’ll do it aga-”

Before Hans had a chance to finish his sentence, Eryn pushed him back.

“I’ve had enough of your lies!” Eryn growled, his voice layered with that of Skyne’s, as if they were both talking simultaneously. His arm became enveloped in shadows as he punched Hans square in the chest, sending him flying into the statue. Eyrn watched as Hans was impaled on the massive sword the statue was holding, gasping and choking on his own blood. In a matter of seconds, Hans went limp and his gurgling stopped. Eryn turned around to face the rest of the guards, all of whom had the same expression of horror on their faces.

“It would be wise of you to surrender, now…” he suggested. One by one, the guards threw their weapons onto the ground without question as a few street guards came to arrest them. Linaeus walked up to Eryn with the Governor in a set of chains behind him.

“Jesus, Eryn,” Linaeus said, looking at Hans’s corpse, “Was that really necessary?”

Eryn looked back up to Hans, “Eh, maybe not. But it’s one less thing we need to worry about.”

“So that is the Arendolk. So the legends are true,” The governor spat, “You’re worse than a rat, boy. You’re a… warlock.”

“And you're a traitor to Arendelle,” Linaeus retorted, “Once we get you back to Arendelle proper, the queen will decide your fate.” “You have no proof! When the queen finds out that you’ve attacked me, she’ll-”

“I’ve seen enough, governor!” a mysterious voice shouted.

Haadrikson’s face went pale as Eryn and Linaeus snapped their heads towards the direction of the voice. Elsa removed the bonnet from her head, allowing her platinum braid to cascade down her shoulder. Elsa looked up to Hans’s lifeless body before returning her icy gaze to the three men.

“May I ask why the corpse of one of  Arendelle’s most infamous criminals is skewered on the sword of my grandfather?”

Eryn stepped forward, drawing a letter out of his pocket, “I believe this will tell you everything you need to know.”

Elsa took the note from his hand and began scanning it. When she finished, she glared at the governor with fury.

“Sidgir Haadrikson, as Queen of Arendelle, I find you guilty of high treason, and sentence you to death by hanging.”

“Not sure if the rope will hold him, to be honest,” Eryn mumbled. Elsa glared at him before returning to face the now former governor. Haadrikson began shaking like an earthquake.

“Y-you can’t do this!” he shouted, “I won’t be killed by some- some WITCH and a pawn of Skyne!” “One more word out of you and I’ll freeze your tongue off! Captain Torvond, please escort him to the holding cells until we can arrange a date of execution.”

“Yes ma’am!” Linaeus gripped Haadrikson’s arm and dragged him back to the barracks.

“HE’S SENT HERE TO KILL YOU, DUMB WHORE!” Haadrikson roared, “YOU’RE GOING TO ALLOW SKYNE’S BITCH TO WALK FREE?!”

Eryn felt Elsa stare daggers into his back. Turning around, he could see that Elsa had a bit of an irritated look on her face.

That’s three powerful and important people you’ve enraged today, Odrikson.

Not now!

“How did you get in possession of Arendolk?” She demanded, “I thought it was lost to the ages.”

“Well, uh, th-that’s a funny story…”

Before Eryn could finish, a throng of townsfolk came out into the square to investigate the commotion. A few shrieked in horror as they saw the former prince of the Southern Isles impaled on the statue, many others gawked at the sight of the queen in such common clothing, whispering amongst themselves.

“What’s the queen doing here?”

“Arendolk? Like the legends and myths?”

“The Governor’s a traitor? Who’s gonna replace him?”

Elsa stepped forward, “Everyone, listen please. There’s been a bit of a situation concerning the governor. Effective immediately, he will be removed from power. Until a replacement is found, a few detachments of soldiers will remain, but the majority will be demobilized.”

Elsa’s announcement produced a few murmurs from the crowd.

“And that also means less taxes will be imposed.” All at once the crowd erupted in joyous celebration. Eryn discreetly conjured up several shadowy tendrils to remove Hans from the sword.

“Alright, now will you explain yourself to me, Mr. Ormeister? Your real name is ‘Eryn,’ you possess an ancient artifact belonging to Arendelle, you have magic, are you even from Weselton?”

Eryn winced at her words. He knew the time had come to come clean to her. His heart ached at the notion, but he fought it back.

“Elsa,” he said, taking her hands in his, “There’s something you should know…” “YOUR MAJESTY!”

“God fucking dammit!” Eryn rolled his eyes, “What now?!”

A soldier came riding along from the entrance of the town, with a horse in tow. He hopped off of his own horse and bolted to the two of them, panting heavily.

“Wait, I recognize you,” Elsa said, “You’re from the castle guard. Why are you up here?” “There… was an explosion…” The guard panted heavily,  “terrorist attack… at the castle… Princess Anna’s in critical condition. Sir Bjorgman sent me for you.”

Elsa’s skin went pale as her eyes went wide. Eryn couldn’t help but let his jaw go slack as well. Another attempt? By whom?

“Get me home, then,” she said breathlessly running up to the horses.

“Elsa, wait!” Eryn yelled, “It could be a trick to get you back!”

“I can’t risk Anna like that! If she might be in danger, I need to treat it like she is!” With that, Elsa snapped the reins of her horse and bolted out of Fjellby.

There goes our deal, Odrikson!

I’ll catch up to her, no worries.

Eryn disappeared into a shadowy blob and slinked away, out of the city.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Lost in the Woods Ch. 5

Previous Chapter

Ao3 Link

FFN Link

Anna gets some help and Hans does Hans things. Enjoy!

Anna gripped Sven’s fur for dear life as he entered a rather large valley. Her hair still faded from its natural red to a snowy white with each step. Olaf was behind her on the reindeer’s back, looking up at the aurora in the night sky.

“Look, Anna,” he said, mesmerized by the dancing colorful lights above, “the sky’s awake…”

Anna didn’t say anything as she shivered sofly. Every part of her felt numb and cold. She lost all feeling in her toes and legs. The only thing keeping her warm was the anger and frustration boiling inside her. I can’t believe Elsa would do something like that! Anna thought, Even after I did all this, she still shut me out! Does she even care about me anymore? Anna let out an audible sigh, How could she do that when Arendelle- Anna’s eyes went wide, GAH! I forgot to tell her! Maybe Kristoff c-c-could… Anna shivered fiercely as an icy chill ran up her spine. Sven turned his head to look at her, concern covering his face.

“I’m f-fine,” She said as she stroked the reindeer’s fur. Sven then abruptly stopped in front of a large gathering of mossy boulders. The area they were in looked like some kind of ancient pit, with small round boulders dotting the stonework as far as the eye could see. Before Anna could ask why they were here, Sven knocked on the closest boulder with his hoof. The rocks began shaking fiercely, as if there was a nearby avalanche. One by one, the boulders popped, each revealing a tiny humanoid of stony skin, wearing moss clothing and crystals. One of them, a woman by the looks of it, approached the three of them and took a close look at them.

“SVEN’S HOME!”

The rock woman was met with joyous applause and some confused muttering from the others as they crowded around the three of them.

“Where’s Kristoff?”

“A girl? Did Kristoff find her?”

“Sven and Kristoff never leave each other alone. Where is he?”

“T-trolls…” Anna murmured, slowly sliding off of Sven’s back. The troll woman came up to her, placing a gravelly hand on Anna’s cheek.

“She’s ice cold! Someone get Pabbie over here!”

The trolls parted to the side as another, somewhat larger, rock came tumbling towards them. As it popped out, Anna was greeted by a much older looking troll, with a tuft of moss for hair and a necklace of multicolored crystals around his neck. He approached Anna, taking her cheek in his rocky hand.

“Anna,” he said, his voice coarse and rough like his stony skin, “your skin is like ice! What happened, child?”

“I-I tried to get m-my sister to c-c-come back to Arendelle and f-fix the weather,” Anna shuddered, “b-but sh-she wouldn’t come with me. W-we got into an argument and she- she struck me. K-Kristoff said you would know w-what to do, he s-stayed back to try and get her home.”

Grandpabbie shook his head, “Did she hit your heart?”

“I-I think?”

The troll let out a remorseful sigh, “I’m sorry, Anna. Even my magic won’t be able to help you.”

Anna’s eyes went wide, “W-what?!”

“If it had struck your head, I could’ve done something. But the heart is too complex to fix through normal means.”

“What’s gonna happen to her?” Olaf asked somberly.

“The ice in her heart will cause her body to freeze over.” Anna let out an exasperated sigh, “Maybe Elsa does hate m-”

“Hold on a sec, hon,” the troll woman interjected, “You said you two had a fight. That doesn’t mean she hates you. People just… make bad choices when they’re upset.”

Anna pondered the troll woman’s words. She thought back to how she reacted to Elsa, and how she said some awful things. Maybe she should’ve… Anna shivered once again,causing the thought to leave her mind.

“I-Is there a way to fix this?” She muttered.

“Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart, child.”

“Like true love’s kiss!” the troll woman said. The other trolls yelled in agreement.

“H-Hans…” Anna muttered, shivering violently, “S-Sven, get me back to Arendelle. I-I need to get to m-my fiance.”

Sven nodded and bolted back the way they came.

“YES! LET’S GO KISS HANS!” Olaf announced triumphantly, “WHO IS THIS HANS?”

XXXXXX Kristoff stirred awake, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. He tried to remember the events that transpired earlier. He faintly remembered Hans, the palace, and Elsa. As soon as he remembered Elsa, his eyes snapped open. When he opened his eyes, he was incredibly puzzled. He was no longer in the ice palace, but instead a stone room with a wooden door at the other end. Kristoff turned around to see a window with bars over it. Looking down, Kristoff realized he was laying on a stone slab. He shot up, trying to get a better look out of the window, only to be jerked back slightly. Looking back, Kristoff noticed that his ankle was chained to the bed. He stretched as far as he could, straining his neck to get a better look out the window. A thick sheet of ice stretched out as far as he could see, with ships dotting the landscape. Overhead, the sky was a dreary grey, dispensing globs of snow at a frequent pace.

“My God,” Kristoff breathed, “It’s worse than I imagined…” His mind came back to Elsa. He couldn’t remember if Anna told her about this. It pained him to imagine how she’d react if she saw this. As if she didn’t blame herself enough…

The sound of footsteps caused Kristoff to snap his neck to the door. The door creaked open, revealing Hans on the other side with a lantern in his hand. He placed the lantern on the stone bench as he entered the room, a fierce scowl on his face. Kristoff returned the scowl, fully remembering what Hans did. If he weren’t restrained at the moment, he’d pummel this pretentious ass to a bloody pulp.

“Alright,” Hans said, taking a seat opposite of Kristoff, “I won’t ask this again. Where. Is. Anna?”

“What do you plan on doing with her?” Kristoff asked.

“That isn’t any of your concern. I just want to know what you did to my fi-

“How can you even say that with a straight face? You two barely know each other from what she was saying.” “Like you know what love is like, mountain man! Either you tell me where she is or I torture it out of you.” “You don’t have the power to do that!” “Unfortunately, I do. Anna left me in charge before she left. Now tell me where she is or-”

“If you tell me what you did with Elsa, I’ll tell you where Anna is.”

Hans let out an exasperated sigh, “She ran after you pushed her out of the way. She went north, past the mountains, possibly never to be seen again. Does that answer your question?”

Kristoff let his mouth hang agape as his heart skipped a beat. She really ran away? After that heart to heart they had, she just left? Kristoff let out a deep sigh, “Anna went to the Valley of the Living Rock. Something happened at the ice palace and I sent her there for some help.”

Hans simply nodded, “See? That wasn’t so hard, wasn’t it? Even for someone of little intelligence like yourself.”

Kristoff ignored the insult and said, “So will you let me go?”

“Not yet,” Hans stood up from the bench, gripping his lantern, “I’m going to see if your story is true. If it is, you’re free to go. If not, you’ll be hanged as a traitor.” Kristoff watched as Hans marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kristoff flopped down onto the stone bench. How was he going to explain this to Anna? Would she forgive him? What about the others, what would they do now? How would they fix the weather now? Kristoff ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a frustrated groan.

Oddly enough, his thoughts dwelt on Elsa. It pained him to think how she’d be alone in the mountains, full of hatred for herself. And all because she was born with ice magic? He wished he could just make her see that she wasn’t the awful monster she thinks she is.

But for now, Kristoff could only pray that she was safe, wherever she was.

XXXXXX

Elsa lightly stirred from her slumber. As her eyes slowly fluttered open, she quickly took in her surroundings. She was back in Arendelle, specifically the dungeons. Looking down at her body, she noticed someone had placed a crude looking blanket over her at some point. Elsa sat up, letting the blanket fall to the stone floor in a disheveled lump as her eyes readjusted to the lighting. The only source of brightness came from the window above her. She bolted towards the window, only to be met with resistance. Looking down, Elsa’s hands were encased in metal compartments, both of which were chained to a point in the center of the room. Elsa struggled to look out the window to see what was going on. When she got sight of the fjord, she wished she hadn’t. 

The entire fjord was a thick sheet of ice, with the wreckage of ships jutting out everywhere. The sky was a large grey expanse of nothingness, dispersing snow at a frequent pace. Why would it be snowing? Elsa thought, It’s July. The only way it would be snowing is if- Elsa’s eyes went wide as her heart stopped beating. Was she the one responsible for this? Elsa thought back to that first night when she fled, running across the fjord. She could feel the air get colder, she could see the snow around her, but she thought it was just in her immediate area. Now, she knew that she was horribly wrong.

“What have I done?” she said aloud to no one in particular. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as her heart rate increased. Why was she brought back? Did she not cause enough destruction here? This curse did more harm to everyone. It was better for her to stay in the mountains… 

Just then, the door behind her creaked open. Anna’s fiance, Hans if Elsa remembered correctly, peeked in at her, a lantern in his hand. His face bore a look of concern as he stepped into the room.

“Why did you bring me here?” She asked, trying to mask the cracking in her voice.

“I needed to make sure you were safe from those men,” Hans replied as he sat down on the stone bench.

“But I’m a danger to Arendelle,” Elsa held up her cuffed hands, “Please, get Anna.”

“Anna hasn’t returned…” Elsa stood in shock. Anna had to have left hours ago, how was she not back? Did something happen to her?

“What about the ice harvester that was up there? What happened to him?”

Hans let out a long sigh, “I’m sorry. When the chandelier fell, he knocked you out of the way. It fell on him, we couldn’t get him out… I’m afraid he’s dead.”

Elsa looked away from Hans. She couldn’t believe it. Kristoff was dead because of her, Anna’s gone missing, and the country is frozen over, all because Elsa was so… selfish. Elsa bit back tears when Hans spoke up again.

“We need your help, Your Majesty. Just, cast away the winter. Bring back summer, please…”

“Can’t you see,” Elsa sniffled, “I can’t…”

Hans looked to be taken aback at Elsa’s answer. He stared at a fixed point onto the floor for a second before standing up.

“When Anna gets back,” he said, placing a hand on her bare shoulder, “I’ll have her brought down here as soon as possible. I-I’m sorry, I truly am.” Hans proceeded out of the door, gently closing it behind him.

Elsa stared down at the floor. All of this was her fault. Kristoff, Anna, Arendelle, everything was ruined all because of her and this… this curse! How many more needed to suffer because of her?

Her thoughts lingered on Kristoff. Here was a man, who didn’t even know who she was at first, who helped her without question, who tried to protect her multiple times, who was dead because of her magic. She didn’t even get to tell him how much it meant to her.

But for now, all she could do is pray that Anna returns safely and quickly… 

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Tangled in Frozen Week day 5- Life After Happily Ever After

My final submission for @showurselfelsa‘s Tangled in Frozen Week! Big thanks to her for the inspiration this week! This one’s a tear jerker, folks. Fair warning

She could feel it everywhere; her bones ached, her pace slowed, her face showing the effects of age. She knew her time was short. Anna had seen one too many funerals in her life. Elsa’s was the first, followed shortly by Kristoff’s. Freya was still there, looking much like her mother all those years ago, along with her husband Jakob and their son Alec. Markus, the crown prince, was home from his studies to help take care of his mother. The boy reminded Anna of her Kristoff, his warm brown eyes filling her heart with love. But even then, everything still ached.

It was a bright and sunny day in March, like those long past. Anna looked out of the window of her study with a kind grin on her face. In the castle courtyard, children were whooping and playing to their hearts’ content. It reminded her of the days Freya and Jakob would do the same thing with the village children all those years ago. A rapid and light knock stirred her from her memories.

“Come in,” she said weakly. Freya emerged from behind the door, dressed in a flowing green dress and hair in a copper bun. “Oh, sunflower! What brings you here?”

“Everything’s ready, mama,” Freya said, “Ready to go?”

Anna let out a small sigh, “I was born ready.” Freya let out a small chuckle as she walked over to her mother, taking her hands in hers. Anna followed Freya through the castle, taking it all in one last time. For years she had only seen this place as a prison, and her its only inmate. After the Great Thaw, the return of the Fifth Spirit, her marriage to Kristoff and the wonderful family they raised together, the castle felt like a true home. And now, Anna was leaving it once and for all.

At the stables, Jakob, Alec, and Markus were readying a small wagon, big enough to fit all five of them comfortably. Jakob helped his mother in law into the passenger’s side as he took up the reins of the white horse in the lead. As soon as they were all situated in the wagon, Jakob snapped the reins and the horse trotted forward. All throughout the streets, people applauded as the wagon passed by, saying their final goodbyes to the elderly queen. Everyone knew that once Anna went up North, she would never return.

With the industrialization of Arendelle, roads became more modern, allowing a trip to the Northuldra to take mere hours, rather than a few days. The family reached the edge of the enchanted forest by nightfall, as they were greeted by an elderly Honeymaren, now chief of the People of the Sun. In her advanced years, she came to resemble Yelena, with her once brown hair turned snowy white and her skin wrinkled from the erosion of time. Anna greeted her old friend with a warm hug.

“So, it’s finally time,” the Northuldran woman said, “The Spirits were eagerly awaiting this day, you know.”

“I bet they were,” Anna chuckled, “It’s not everyday they get someone new into their circle.”

Just then, a small purple fire danced atop one of the trees before landing on top of Markus’s head. Bruni quickly doused his fire, patting his small feet in the man’s blonde hair. Markus delicately raised his hand up to his head as Bruni leaped into his open palm. Ever since Markus was first brought here as an infant, he and Bruni shared a deep connection with one another, and the two became the best of friends. Elsa would even bring Bruni whenever she visited, allowing the two of them to cause a heap of mischief together.

“I missed you too, Bruni,” Markus said as he rubbed his finger on the salamander’s back. Bruni let out a pleased squeak as Jakob and Alec were greeted by swirling leaves all around them.

“Hi, Gale!” Alec said as she playfully puffed out his shirt. Alec loved the forest as much as his uncle, asking to go whenever the opportunity arose. There was something about magic that intrigued the boy from a young age. The same couldn’t be said about his father, Jakob. Ever since he started courting Freya, he had only met Elsa on the occasion that she visited the castle, and each time was… awkward, to say the least. It wasn’t outright mistrust, but something about her magic powers didn’t sit right with him.

“Uh, y-yes. Hello, mysterious sentient gust of wind…” Jakob said as she swirled around him. 

“It’s alright, Jakob, she won’t bite you,” Honeymaren reassured, “She doesn’t even have teeth.”

Jakob nervously giggled at the Northuldran’s joke as Gale moved onto Freya and Anna. 

“Where’s the Nokk?” Freya asked as she looked over to the stream.

“The North Sea, where else would he be?” Honeymaren let out an incredibly loud whistle as a reindeer approached her. It knelt down low as Honeymaren climbed on its back, “I’ll take you to him.” The five Arendellians returned to their wagon and proceeded to follow the Northuldran leader through the forests and streams until they were on the black seashores of the North Sea. From the foamy waves crashing on the shore, the Nokk appeared before them, trotting over to Anna. The queen placed a wrinkled hand on the Water Spirit’s head as she climbed out of the wagon. Off in the distance, the faint glow of Atohallan was visible, moved closer by Elsa after she took up residence there. Anna walked up to the shore, followed by her family.

“So,” Freya said as tears pricked the corners of her eyes, “I guess this is it, then…”

Anna gave her daughter a great squeeze as Freya lightly sobbed, “It’s alright, baby. I know it hurts, but remember, love is forever.”

Markus, Alec, and Jakob came over to say their goodbyes, tears flowing down their faces. Anna hugged each one of them before climbing onto the Nokk’s back. The water horse galloped across the sea towards the glacier, leaving Anna’s family a small speck on the shoreline. Upon reaching Atohallan, the Nokk dissipated into the waves, leaving Anna alone.

“Okay, Elsa,” Anna said, taking a few steps forward, “Past the symbols, down the ramp, and into the chamber, just like you said.” With that, Anna proceeded through the small entryway into the glacier.

In the years since Elsa moved up here, she had taken great lengths to turn Atohallan into a proper living space. She used her magic to build familiar sights; her old bedroom, the dining hall, she even made a replica of her study. All of this she even made accessible to Anna and her family. Elsa was Ahtohallan incarnate, so it made sense that she could do all of this. Anna slowly walked through Atohallan’s halls, down a rather large ramp, only to be greeted by a room of pure darkness. Stepping into it, vivid lights began dancing around her, taking the various shapes of the Spirits. The lights convened in the middle of the room, forming a massive snowflake on the ground. As Anna stepped towards it, the lights jumped again, this time forming into the shape of Elsa in her younger years.

“Anna!” Elsa’s spirit exclaimed, extending her arms out.

“Elsa…” Anna muttered, dashing forward before her old age forced her to casually trot.

“Not as athletic as you used to be, hm?”

“I’m old! What did you expect, you dork?” The two of them began laughing as Elsa’s spirit stepped forward, taking Anna’s hands in her own.

“How did Freya take the news?”

“There were some tears shed, but she understood. It was explaining it to Alec that was the difficult part.”

“Well, it’s not everyday someone’s grandmother becomes an honorary spirit, now is it?”

Anna grinned at her sister’s apparition, “Right as always, dear sister.”

Elsa let go of her sister’s hands as she conjured up some magic. “Ready for life after happily ever after?”

“More than ever! Now, do the magic.” Elsa shot a blast of magic up to the ceiling, surrounding Anna in a shroud of light. In a matter of seconds, Anna felt lighter as the breath left her body. Once the lights had vanished, the room lit up with various memories of events long past. Looking down at the floor, Anna was taken aback. It appeared as if she hadn’t aged since she destroyed the dam! She shot a look up to Elsa, only to be surprised yet again. Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf were standing right next to her, each with the biggest grins on their faces. Anna felt tears stream down her face as she ran to them, arms extended as they embraced each other.

Life may be short, but love is forever.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Tangled in Frozen Week day 4- Everything I Ever Thought I Knew

here’s my next submission for @showurselfelsa‘s Tangled in Frozen week. This time it’s Snow Sisters (with some implied Elsamaren)!

We bring Arendelle’s full guard.

But sir, the Northuldran appear to be peaceful. Why would we-

The Northuldra follow magic, which means they can’t be trusted. Magic makes people feel entitled, that they can defy the will… of a ki-

Before the snowy apparition of King Runeard had a chance to finish its speech, it was shattered into a pile of snow onto the floor of Atohallan by a rock the size of a fist.

“Anna,” Elsa scolded, “You can’t just tamper with memories like that!”

“Are you kidding?!” Anna retorted, “Did you hear the awful things he said?! How are we even related to that… that…. JERK!” Anna kicked the snowpile in frustration. Elsa promised to bring Anna to Atohallan when she became the Fifth Spirit, so she could properly see her childhood before the incident. The two of them shared many laughs and sentimental moments, including sneering at the facades of the now former prince of the Southern Isles. However, Anna made a rather odd request at some point: to see the truth behind the dam and their grandfather. Elsa reluctantly agreed to do so, calling on the glacier to replay the event. She wasn’t that surprised at how Anna reacted… at first. Anna stared at the snow pile for some time, chewing her bottom lip and letting out a long sigh.

“Anna, is something wrong?” Elsa placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“For the longest time, we were taught about how great he was, how he brought peace to Arendelle,” Anna started to choke up as tears pricked the corners of her eyes, “Now that everything I ever thought I knew was wrong… how can our family still hold the crown? After what he did, are we, am I, worthy of  being quee-”

“Stop right there! You are doing such a good job, Anna. People love you, regardless of what Grandfather did.”

“It’s just that… I just feel dirty calling myself queen knowing what came before me.”

“Hey!” Elsa said sarcastically. The two of them began giggling like schoolgirls before Elsa began again, “You aren’t Grandfather, Anna. You’ve already made the right steps in distancing yourself from him with the dam and the relations with the Northuldra. If you feel dirty, the best way to fix that is to do some cleaning, and I think those were perfect places to start.”

Anna smiled warmly at her sister before enveloping her in a massive hug. “Thanks, Elsa,” She murmured, “That means a lot to me.”

“It’s what I’m here for.”

The two of them were silent for a moment, relishing in their bond. That was, until Anna looked past Elsa’s shoulder.

“Um, Elsa…”

“Yes?”

“What are you and Honeymaren doing in that memory?”

A deep blush overtook Elsa’s face, and for the first time in her life, the Snow Queen felt the warmth of embarrassment all throughout her body.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Tangled in Frozen Week Day 3- With You By My Side

Here’s my entry for @showurselfelsa‘s third Tangled in Frozen Week prompt, featuring more Kristelsa!

Enjoy!

The evening sky couldn’t be any more beautiful. The stars twinkled in the night sky wrapped in the calming lights of the aurora. But Kristoff wasn’t paying much attention to the night sky as he rested on the grassy hillside. Instead, his eyes were affixed onto the platinum blond beside him. Elsa had asked him to accompany her out here after her duties were fulfilled for the day. She stretched her arms out and laid back on the soft grass, watching the aurora dance above them.

“Thank you, Kristoff,” Elsa said, “for coming out here with me. It means a lot.”

“Anytime,” he replied nervously. For a while, he had been trying to find a way to explain his feelings to the queen, but he had no idea how to go about it. He even tried going to Anna for some advice, who only offered him the usual “just be yourself around her” phrase. Kristoff’s breath hitched when Elsa edged closer to his side.

“T-there is a reason I wanted you to be here with me…” Elsa placed her hand atop of his as her face went bright red. With a deep breath, she began, “I-I feel like I can be myself with you by my side. And I just wanted to tell you how much that means to me.” Their faces inched closer, Kristoff could see the want in her eyes. With no hesitation, he closed the gap between them, crashing his lips onto hers. She tasted of mint and sugar, causing him to deepen the kiss. It was a few blissful seconds Kristoff wished would last an eternity. He broke the kiss, reveling in the sensation still on his lips.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” Kristoff admitted. Elsa let out a small giggle that caused Kristoff’s heart to leap in his chest.

“Me too,” she responded, “I guess we should discuss this further, then?”

“Y-yeah, but first…” Kristoff leaned back in, recapturing her lips with his.

[snowfall-fanfictions]

Tangled in Frozen Week Day 2- Waiting in the Wings

Here’s my next submission for @showurselfelsa’s “Tangled in Frozen Week.” This time it’s Post-Frozen 2 (or at least my interpretation).

Enjoy!

Her body trembled as the choir sang its melodious tune above her in the chapel. Behind her, every dignitary from over a hundred nations sat shoulder to shoulder in uncomfortable wooden pews, eyes fixed onto her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her fiance, Kristoff, standing beside Olaf and Sven, eyes moist with tears. Elsa stood beside her, looking as radiant as she did when she was in Anna’s position years ago. The bishop held a small tiara in his hands, elegantly crafted with silver and emeralds, per Anna’s request. She bent over as the elderly man of God placed the small crown on her auburn hair. As she raised her head, another church member came up, holding a small purple pillow on which laid a gold sceptre and orb. Anna’s hands trembled slightly as she reached for the sacred objects, placing one in each hand. As she turned to face the crowd, the bishop’s voice echoed throughout the chapel,

“Sem hón heldr inum helgum eignum ok krýnd í þessum helga stað ek té fram fyrir yðr… Queen Anna of Arendelle!”

The room erupted into a thunderous applause as Anna placed the relics back onto the pillow. Elsa put a loving hand on her shoulder as Anna faced the standing ovation. She couldn’t help but tear up at the notion of it all. For years, she had waited in the wings for an opportunity like this. No more was she considered a spare. She was Princess Anna no more.

She was now Anna, Queen of Arendelle.