JQ: Hey!

So sorry that I haven't been around, but a bunch of life changing things happened. I'm sorry about that, but I can't really say anything else. Also I managed to get a new job. Anyway, I've had some ideas floating around and here's one of them. I made the cover image (good ol' microsoft paint and the copy + paste). Happy reading friends!

Twenty-One Years Ago…

The Kingdom of Arendelle was rather alive, this evening. Taverns were opening up now, which typically meant that most of the working population would be making their way over to one of them. In particular, The Skogsrå Tavern & Inn tended to be a favourite among the Royal Guard. Right at the front of the tavern were Lieutenant Jorgen, Lieutenant Jurek and Commander Selmann, having a drink or two after a long day of work.

Commander Selmann was a rather large man, roughly six foot six. He was dressed in the usual Arendellian Royal Guard attire; long green jacket with black trim, white gloves, and a tall green hat. He obviously wasn't wearing the hat right now, exposing his blonde hair with streaks of white. As he sipped on his whiskey, some of it would drip down his beard and he would absentmindedly wipe it with the sleeve of his jacket.

Lieutenants Jorgen and Jurek were wearing the same outfit, only theirs didn't bear as many badges and medals as the superior adjacent to him. Both young men had short dirty blonde hair and bright green eyes. The only difference was their height and build; Jorgen appeared to be more muscular while Jurek was long and lean. The young soldiers observed the Commander as he remained relatively quiet, gazing into the fire beside their seating arrangements. Several moments passed before Jurek decided that he'd break the silence.

"Something on your mind, Commander?" The old man promptly looked up from the fire and into the curious eyes of his two companions. Selmann sighed heavily and let out a coarse, but short, laugh.

"This place is beginning to lull me to sleep," the Commander told them. Jurek and Jorgen looked at one another; both sported puzzled expressions. Sensing their confusion, Selmann continued, "Arendelle has become too neutral; barely anything goes on anymore." Jorgen shook his head and Jurek laughed. This was not an uncommon utterance, especially when it came from older guards. Arendelle has gotten rather boring in the eyes of the militants; no wars, no invasions...absolutely nothing.

Although Arendelle was quite peaceful, the townsfolk enjoyed the freedom and quaintness of it. The kingdom had become a safe haven, where the people could flourish and socialize without fear. Jorgen shook his head once more, taking a swig of his beer.

"Be careful what you wish for, Commander." Jurek responded, sipping on his own drink. Before the Commander could retort, there was a loud thud, against the entrance of the tavern. The entire establishment halted their activities, so that everyone could eavesdrop on the commotion.

More loud bangs were heard, along with a woman's cries and a man's angry tone. Every other guest in the room looked to the three guards. Immediately the three men got up and rushed to the tavern's entrance.

"This is more like it!" Selmann exclaimed while Jurek and Jorgen rolled their eyes. The three large men burst through the doors of the tavern and began to scan the scene in front of them.

A young woman, probably about the age of fifteen, was in a fight for her life with a large bandit. She was clothed in a red nightgown that halted just over her knees. Her long black hair cascaded down her back and the rest of her features were unrecognizable because of the fight she was in. The bandit was fully clothed in heavy clothing. He appeared to be an ice harvester, upon closer examination. He had a dark brown beard and his facial expression was aggravated.

Jorgen began to piece the puzzle together; the woman must have been from the nearby brothel and this ice bandit must not have paid her properly. Therefore, the two were now in a fist fight.

"You owe me three hundred!" the young woman cried, swinging her fist into the man's jaw. The man obviously did not like that. He grabbed the woman by her shoulders and held her up. She tried to wiggle herself out of his grasp, but escape appeared futile. "ARGH!" the woman continued, "Let me go!" The man smirked.

"As you wish." with one swift movement, the large man tossed the woman, head first, into the stone path below them. Jurek and Selmann immediately pulled out their swords as the woman's cries mixed with the sounds of cracked bones. The bandit, realizing he was in trouble, began to run away from the guards.

"STOP, FIEND!" Selmann shouted after him. Jurek began to charge after the man with Selmann close behind him. Jorgen, however, dropped all of his weapons and went to the woman's side.

Much to his dismay, the woman had suffered greatly, with an open head wound on the top of her skull that was too damaged to repair. She also had some bruising and a broken wrist. Jorgen held the woman in his arms in a poor effort to comfort her. They sat while onlookers were scrambling about and watching. Jorgen didn't care for the audience and neither did she.

"You're..." the woman struggled to speak, "...you don't have to...to hold..." without finishing her sentence, Jorgen hushed her.

"It's alright, don't say anything." he instructed. Without warning, the woman grabbed his collar, with her free hand, and pulled him closer.

"In my cabin..." she sighed, "She's in my...cab..." suddenly aware of the woman's instructions, Jorgen's eyes widened and he tried to listen.

"Yes?! Who's she?"

"My...baby…Please…" after all that she'd been through, the woman began to sob, "get...her..." and with a final breath, the woman succumbed to her injuries. She quickly turned colder than the evening air and Jorgen felt his heart sink. He carefully placed her on the ground and asked some townsfolk to help him move the body.

Sadly, this wasn't the only tragedy that Jorgen had witnessed in the passing months. Not too long ago, there was an accident near the blacksmith's shed on the eastern side of the kingdom. It burst into flames, setting that portion of the city ablaze. Unfortunately, Jorgen's home was in that district; his wife, Magnotta, and his son, Denison, couldn't escape the smoke and flames. While the fire was going on, he was at the castle, training. Jorgen knew, deep down, that there was nothing that he could've done differently; the accident was unpredictable.

As a few other townsfolk helped Jorgen move the young woman's body out of the open, Selmann rushed over to his side. He quickly acknowledged the Commander's presence.

"Did you get him?" Jorgen asked. Selmann sighed.

"He evaded capture by scaling the houses." Selmann said in exhausted disbelief, "Who knew someone that size could climb like a squirrel?" before Selmann could ask about the woman, he saw the blood on the stone path before approaching Jorgen. Selmann shook his head. "Jurek has gone to alert King Agnarr of the tragedy." Selmann made an effort to leave the scene, but Jorgen stopped him.

"Commander, I have reason to believe this woman has left behind a child." that was the only thing to stop the large soldier in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder at the lieutenant. His eyes were wide and full of concern.

"What are we doing, standing around then?!"

Three hours later at Arendelle Castle…

"That's horrible..." Queen Iduna gasped, holding a sleeping infant closer to her chest. Princess Elsa had just been put to sleep when Lieutenant Jurek had interrupted, alerting them of the crime that was committed. Jurek nodded sadly, agreeing with the queen.

"Aye," he was holding his hat in his hands, as a sign of his disdain, "she was a very young woman."

"Any clue what started the argument?" King Agnarr inquired, placing a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder pulling her closer to him. Jurek shrugged in response to the question.

"Not sure, but due to the clothing she was wearing and the location and time of incidence, we believe she worked at a brothel." Agnarr nodded in consideration.

"Very well," he said, "there shall be a reward for the fiend and also a public statement issued." The queen and king dismissed Jurek, but before he could leave, a handful of royal guards came bounding into the throne room with Jorgen in the center. Agnarr and Iduna were very puzzled. The guards looked panicked and concerned.

"Please gentlemen," Iduna said, gently bouncing in place to soothe the tiny princess in her arms, "I had just gotten Elsa to sleep. This can wait until dawn." before anything else could be said, an infant began to cry. Agnarr and Iduna looked down at Elsa, but the princess was sound asleep. Confusion laced their features and Jorgen stepped forward with a small bundle in his grasp. Swaddled in old blankets was a tiny baby, probably just a month old. Iduna and Agnarr looked to the lieutenant for an answer and he replied,

"May I keep her in the castle, where it is safe?" before the king or queen could respond, the head maid, Gerda, came rushing through the small group, took a look at the tiny infant and gasped.

"The poor creature!" she exclaimed worriedly, "She needs nourishment!" before anything else could be said, Gerda took the baby and rushed to the nursery. Iduna followed, slowly.

"I'm going to see if she needs assistance." the queen announced. Before departing, she looked down at her own sleeping infant, "Let's go help our guest, Elsa."

Agnarr sighed, when Gerda and Iduna left, and looked to Jorgen.

"You will be her new parent?" he asked and Jorgen nodded.

"This is my second chance," he stated, "I wasn't there for my family, but I can be there for her." Agnarr smiled and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder; he respected Jorgen's kindness.

"That is honourable, my friend." Agnarr said, "What's the child's name to be?"

"Her name is Magnotta." the rest of the guards, in the room, gasped. He had chosen to name the baby after his deceased wife. Agnarr pulled Jorgen into a tight embrace.

"A beautiful name, indeed."