Bog was no stranger to questionable missions. He and his unit have been deployed in them more times than he'd care to count. Burn down entire hives, squash frogs that forgot their place, eliminate Newtopian nobles that thought they knew better; you name it. The things he had done under Captain Grime's command would turn a lesser toad's stomach. And he'd do them all again, a thousand times over, if the captain decreed it. His obedience to the cause was absolute.

This mission, however, was the first to give him pause.

The blood moon was high. The night was late, and most of the troops had already gone to rest in the barracks. But not Bog's unit. He, along with Fens and Mire, marched down the torchlit halls of the Tower without a hint of hesitance in their step. Rounding a corner, they were quick to spot the familiar visage of Captain Grime. He stood by a set of wooden double doors, waiting, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction upon noticing them.

"Right on schedule," he said as Bog's unit came closer, careful to keep his voice low. "Your unit is truly the best among us, Bog."

"Heh. We try, Captain." Bog grinned. Beside him, Fens chuckled, and Mire let out a grunt.

But Bog's grin faded, as his eyes drifted towards the double wooden door, his mind towards the person slumbering beyond.

"Captain, if I may," Bog started, "I fail to see how this would benefit us. The Commander is adored by the troops and has been-"

"You may not."

Bog blinked. The captain's visage darkened.

"If you are asking for permission to express disobedience, Bog," the captain stepped closer, his words shaper than a polished blade, "then you may not."

Both Fens and Mire squirmed under the captain's glare like newborn tadpoles. Bog did his damn best to stand still, if only to preserve his unit's pride.

"You do not question, soldier," the captain snarled, only inches away from his face. "You follow. You destroy. You kill."

Bog averted his eyes, backing away. It was foolish of him to speak out of turn. His obedience to the cause must be absolute. "Apologies, Captain."

Captain Grime leaned away, his normal scowl returning. "You know your mission," he decreed. "Make me proud, soldier."

Bog shared a look with his unit, and nodded. At least now he could add a human to his kill count.

The double doors swung open without as much as a whisper. The room inside would be pitch black if not for the window left ajar across from the door. The moon outside bathed the room in a dim red glow. From where he stood, Bog could already see, on the bed in the middle of the room, the crimson outline of a human's prone, vulnerable, sleeping form.

Bog was the first to enter; Fens and Mire following closely behind. Their steps were practiced, calculated, making as little noise as toadly possible. The sleeping commander showed no signs of stirring. So far, so good. Without a word, Bog gave the signal to his unit on where to move; Fens to the right side of the bed, Mire to the left.

They did so without question, and without fail. Bog approached as well, placing himself at the foot of the bed. Commander Sasha continued to sleep undisturbed. Not for long.

Bog shared one last glance with his unit - a conversation without words. They each knew their role well.

He reared back. And leapt.

Bog landed atop the commander's sleeping form. The impact woke her, obviously, but those precious few moments where she was too stunned for coherent thought, blearily scrambling for a grip on the waking world, was all the time they needed. Fens and Mire dove in from the sides, grabbing each of her arms, preventing her from flailing about. More thought, more coherence, returned to her as her eyes fluttered open. She realized now something was holding her down. She tried to buck, kick, do anything, to no avail, her body and legs trapped underneath Bog. Her eyes finally came into focus, realizing far too late what's happening and who her assailants were. She opened her mouth, to scream no doubt. A dirty rag shoved down her throat put a stop to that, and Bog's hand over her mouth made sure it stayed that way.

"Nothing personal, Commander." Bog reached to his belt, sliding a dagger out from its sheath. "Captain's orders."

Bog raised the dagger above his head. The blade gleamed red in the moonlight. His intent was clear as crystal. The commander's eyes bulged out of their sockets, pupils darting from corner to corner, brows stitched to a glare. Bog had seen that look dozens and dozens of times before - the look of someone meeting their end. Whether it was a frog, toad, or human, they look the same. Flashes of shock, denial, fear, desperation, anger, and-

Purple.

Bog choked on air. His grip on the dagger slipped.

What followed was chaos.

A blast of wind. Fens and Mire were thrown, crashing against the wall on opposite sides of the room. The temperature dropped. The air became abnormally freezing cold. Sasha's hands were free. Her open palms were aimed directly against Bog's chest. Her glare was one of cold, deadly fury.

Freezing wind struck Bog's abdomen, sending him flying, crashing against the ceiling, before gravity brought him plummeting to the floor. He grunted, struggling to rise. He clutched his chest by instinct, and immediately pulled his hand away, feeling the numbing cold. He looked down to his chest, and saw ice, crystalline and purplish-white, spreading across his armor.

Fear gripped Bog's heart, in a way it seldom did. What sorcery is this? Is this what humans are truly capable of?

Bog's gaze drifted up. Commander Sasha had stood up on her bed, her eyes still glowing a brilliant purple. She's looking down at her hands, at the purplish-white mist drifting off from her open palms. In the dim red glow, despite what happened, Bog could still clearly see her face. She looked… shocked. Bewildered. Just as much as he was.

Groans, and the clunking of metal, came from Fens and Mire as they struggled to their feet. The commander heard. Her eyes regained that dangerous edge.

She aimed a palm at each of them. Freezing winds burst forth. Neither Fens nor Mire stood a chance. They had barely gotten their bearings when the wind struck them, pinning them against the wall. Purplish-white sheets of ice slowly began to form, enveloping their legs, their arms, their bodies, but sparing their heads. Sasha closed her palms, and the winds ceased. Fens and Mire were left frozen in place, in every sense of the word.

Sasha breathed. Spat out the dirty rag in her mouth. Locked eyes with Bog, still kneeling on the floor.

Bog cursed. Only a tadpole would sit there, staring slack-jawed, like an idiot.

He rushed forward, dagger in hand. But it was already too late.

Sasha opened her hands. Bog was no match for the force of the wind. It slammed him against the wall, trapping him there as frozen crystals covered his chest, his arms and legs. The cold quickly sapped away all of his strength. Any attempt to resist, to break free, was futile. He let his head hang low. Within seconds, he, along with the rest of his unit, had been defeated, left completely under the commander's mercy.

Sasha climbed off of the bed. The deep purple glow of her eyes against the blood red light of the moon was a sight Bog wouldn't soon forget.

Those eyes came within inches of his own, piercing and powerful. "Captain's orders?"

Clapping. Her words were answered by the sound of clapping.

Heads turned. The double doors had been thrown open, and Captain Grime stood in the threshold, lips quirked into an amused smirk, slowly clapping his hands.

"Indeed," he said. "I was the one who ordered this operation."

Sasha bared her teeth. The purplish-white mist snaking from her palms thickened. "Then give me one good reason why I shouldn't end your backstabbing ass right now."

"It would be amusing to see you try." The captain grinned. Rows upon rows of sharpened teeth looked even more fearsome in the red moonlight.

Try as she might to hide it, it was enough to make Sasha flinch. "So you're here to finish the job?" she hissed.

"The job is already finished."

Bog raised his head. What?

Sasha took one glance around the room, at the three toads frozen and pinned against the wall, and scoffed. "You gone blind?"

"You think slaying you is the objective of the mission?" Captain Grime gestured towards Sasha's hands. "No. I have forced you to pull your last card out of your sleeve."

Sasha looked down at her hands. Bog did the same. The mist trailing from them grew thinner by the second, until eventually, it all evaporated. The purple glow disappeared from her eyes, and with it, the bewildered confusion.

"Now, you have no more secrets."

Sasha fixed the captain with a sour look, crossing her arms. "Congrats."

"You certainly didn't make it easy. You guard this secret extremely well," Captain Grime said. "At times, I'm convinced even you didn't know you possess this power."

"I'm amazing like that." Sasha's expression didn't change.

Bog opened his mouth to speak, but the frost stole the breath from his lungs.

"Yes. Even when it would benefit you to use this power, such as when we captured you, or when you were imprisoned, you still hide it." The captain's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Yeah, well, you pulled this, instead of asking me about it like any sane person would." Sasha averted her eyes for a split second, almost unnoticeable. "I'd say I'm in the right hiding it as long as I did."

"If I had asked, would you have divulged the answer willingly?"

"Hell no."

Captain Grime chortled.

"Then you understand why I resorted to this."

Sasha's eye twitched. "Cool. Then you understand why I'm bailing. Out of the way."

Bog managed a weak grunt. The troops wouldn't like that one bit. Loyal they might be to the captain, the commander's influence over them was undeniable.

"And miss out on your rewards?"

Sasha blinked. A twinkle of intrigue appeared in her eyes.

"Perhaps reward isn't the correct word. Compensation." The captain nodded. "I am prepared to compensate you for the… inconvenience."

Sasha narrowed her eyes, sharp with suspicion, but slowly, a realization dawned. "You're… being serious."

"With your silver tongue and your winter sorcery, you are a formidable and valuable ally. One worth any price." The captain raised a closed fist, grinning. "I need you by my side, Sasha, as the commander of this army."

Sasha rolled her eyes, but the contemplation in them seemed real enough. "Depends on what this compensation is," she said.

"It can be whatever you want," the captain replied, without missing a beat.

An almost-laugh left Sasha's lips. A smile of greed quickly crept across her face. She glanced around her room, now an ice-covered mess. "Let's start with a new room."

Her gaze drifted down towards her fingers. A twinkle of confusion, worry, and even fear passed across her visage, seemingly unnoticed by Captain Grime. He did perk up when Sasha blew a long sigh.

"And some goddamn fresh air."

Sasha moved to leave the room, slowly, shoulders low as if suddenly weighed down by a heavy burden. Captain Grime did not move from where he stood.

"What? I'm not bailing. Promise."

"The toads?" the captain gestured around the room.

The commander spared a spiteful, disdainful glance back, before fixing the captain with a glare. For a brief second, those eyes flashed purple.

"Get your bitches out yourself."

Sasha all but shoved Captain Grime aside, and left the room. The sound of her bare footsteps echoed in the silent night, growing more and more distant by the moment. Despite the flagrant display of disrespect, the captain seemed pleased with himself. Enough to crack a smile. A genuine smile.

Bog was not prepared for tonight at all.

They were released eventually. The captain dragged a few toads out of their beds to hack away at the ice until Bog and his unit was free, shaken and shivering but alive. The captain gave no explanation to the toads for why Bog's team came to be encased in ice, and in the commander's quarters no less, and a stern look from him was enough warning for Bog and his unit to do the same.

The toads were promptly dismissed once their duty was fulfilled. All who remained in the room was Bog and his unit, and Captain Grime.

The captain patted Bog's shoulder, and he nearly jumped from it. "You did well tonight, soldier. Excellent work," he said, as he made his way to the door.

"Captain," Bog forced himself to his feet. He needed to know, "what the hell is going on?"

The captain didn't stop. Didn't bother himself with turning around.

"Soldiers do not question."

Hi. Been a while, huh?

Full disclosure, I fell off of Amphibia. Has been for a while now. The hiatus really got to me. But, with season 2 finally around the corner, my interest is renewed, so I thought it's damn time to pull this story from WIP hell and work on it again. Really, I just wanted to get this out there before the new season completely destroys all of my theories.

Another unusual perspective for me to work with. Not as weird as Percy's though. I get Bog more than I get Percy. And the secret's out now! Of course, Sasha is rolling with Grime's assumption, because she'd be six feet under before anyone sees her being in over her head. Let us see what that gets her, shall we?

Like with Anne, there's one last chapter where Sasha really gets to shine. Look forward to that.