I would like to thank roxygoth, BurningFox6, krystal lazuli, and LukeJames for beta reading and helping me improve!

Feedback is always appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen. Frozen is owned by Disney. I only lay claim to Prince Edmund, Prince Lucas, Master Stephen, and anyone else you do not recognize from Frozen.

Chapter 25

The figure was looking at the Arendelle castle from afar, grinning maliciously. He and his twenty men had camp set up on top of the mountain they had been on since arriving in the outskirts of Arendelle. He was planning his next attack on the palace after having gotten a look at the castle overnight without anyone noticing him. The figure noticed more guests coming to the kingdom in the last few days. Much to his delight, no one was staying in the northwestern wing of the castle. Thus, an idea came to his mind.

With Brutality Gaziniblade in his grasp and Eztli Deathbow on his back, he turned around and looked at his men. They were all gathered around a campfire, eating their breakfast.

Once the men were done eating, the figure approached his men. "Men, I have been planning our next attack on the Arendelle castle."

All twenty men listened attentively to their master as he discussed his plans. One of the men, presumably the second-in-command, rose to his feet. "What do you have in mind, Boss?"

"I will tell you in a moment," the figure responded. "What I would like to do before I say anything else, is reveal to you guys who I really am, and why I have a grudge against Edmund."

The figure took off his hood to reveal a blonde-haired man with orange eyes. "My name is Richard. I was once best friends with Edmund. He and I were very happy together. That is until Lucas came along!" Richard clenched his fists in frustration and rage.

Richard's men made no attempt to interrupt as the blonde-haired man continued, "After Edmund's betrayal, I was determined to make him suffer. I decided to live a life of crime like you guys. Stealing stuff and committing numerous other crimes. Two years ago, I decided to really make him feel pain by targeting those he is closest to. That is when I abducted his little prize Jane from her house and ensured her slow and agonizing death before the scoundrel could get to her in time." Richard let out an evil laugh.

Having taken a liking to crime, the men either smirked or chuckled along with their master.

"Now that Edmund seems to be falling for the Snow Queen, I would like to make sure he is in as much pain as possible. When I am through with him, you men are free to do whatever you wish with Lucas and Stephen," the blonde-haired man said.

"As you wish, Boss," the men replied.

"Excellent. Alright men, it is time to gear up and get ready for our next attack on the palace. We will find ourselves in the highest room of the northwestern wing of the castle this afternoon," Richard stated.

"What if we get caught, Boss?" one of the men asked.

"We will not have to worry about that. Besides, the royals have not even seen what I can do yet," Richard responded.

The blonde-haired man placed his hood back over his head. "Check this out men."

Richard's men obeyed as they watched their master transform until he looked exactly like Elsa.

The men's eyes widened. They never saw their leader do something like that before.

"Does my voice sound like the Snow Queen?" the disguised Richard asked in a voice sounding identical to the real Ice Queen.

His men nodded in confirmation.

"I never thought I would have any use for this, but now I realize disguising myself could really help us succeed," Richard said with an evil smirk as he transformed back into his black hooded jacket self. "Prepare yourselves men. Brotherhood of Darkness will take over Arendelle soon, and you guys will have anything you want."

The men cheered at the last statement. Getting to do whatever they wanted sounded so pleasing to them. They had to defeat the royals in the castle first. Only then could they celebrate and do whatever they wished.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Edmund and Lucas had agreed they would begin to take turns spending time with Elsa. Both princes had now spent three days with the Snow Queen each. The two princes decided they should spend about the same amount of time with her.

Edmund and Elsa were in the castle library, sitting at a chess table.

"Do you play?" Edmund asked.

"Yes. Playing chess was one of the few things I did while being locked up in my room for thirteen years," Elsa said.

"What else did you do during the unfortunate isolation?" Edmund wondered.

"I also enjoyed reading, practicing my powers, and I learned how to draw a little bit as well," the Ice Queen responded.

"I am glad you had something to do during that hard time," the black-haired man stated.

"Me too. Otherwise, the enforced isolation might have been worse than it already was," the Snow Queen replied.

Edmund nodded in understanding. "Shall we begin our chess match? I can assure you I will take it easy on you."

Elsa giggled. "Okay."

To her surprise, Edmund won the match quickly even though he did take it easy on her. "Wow. You are much better at chess than I thought you were. Stephen has taught you well in a lot of things."

Edmund shrugged. "He just tries to be the best mentor he can be. Since he taught me tactics and strategies in chess, I have never been able to defeat him. Master Stephen does know every move I make since he has figured out my tactics over the years."

"That does make sense," Elsa replied.

"I do apologize if I embarrassed you with this," Edmund said with remorse as he gestured at the chess table.

Elsa giggled. "Do not worry about it, Edmund. It is perfectly fine. I am impressed by how skilled you are at chess."

Edmund smiled. "Thank you. Chess is one of my favorite games to play when I am not reading or playing the piano."

That made the Snow Queen think of something. "When we are done here, would you like to play another piano piece for me?"

The black-haired man nodded at the suggestion with a smile. "I would love to."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Stephen continued to train Lucas. Both men were in Edmund's and Stephen's guestroom. The Belgian prince remembered the day he spent training with Master Stephen while Edmund spent time with the Ice Queen. Thus, Lucas decided continuing to sharpen his skills would be a great idea to pass time.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Stephen observed Lucas as he was trying to perform kicks and punches while being on only one leg. The Belgian prince was perfectly balanced, not for one second looking unsteady as he continued to practice kicks, punches, and ways to block other's attacks.

Once the brown-haired man had decided Lucas spent enough time on one leg, he said, "Alright, Lucas. Time to switch legs."

"Yes, Master Stephen," the dirty-blonde-haired man replied as he switched legs.

After a while, Stephen decided with how great a job Lucas did, they would continue with their training tomorrow.

"Great job, Lucas. I think you are ready for the next phase of your training," Stephen said.

"What is the next phase?" Lucas asked.

"I know you might not want to do this, but I would like you and Edmund to duel with each other. That way we can see how far you have come," Stephen replied.

"Well, I am not sure about that. Edmund is my best friend. What if I hurt him on accident, or he injures me?" the Belgian prince asked with concern.

Stephen placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder to reassure him. "I can assure you that neither of you will hurt each other. When I tested Edmund on seeing if he had truly mastered every fighting style, he and I took it seriously while making sure neither of us got seriously injured."

"Now that you have told me about how it went with you and Edmund dueling, I think Edmund and I will ensure neither of us suffer any injuries," Lucas said. He then thought of something. "If I may ask, what is the first fighting style you learned about?"

"The first thing Noah taught me was karate. Karate is a martial art from Japan whose physical aspects seek the development of defensive and counterattacking body movements. It means empty hand in Japanese. This is because karate normally focuses on defense without any weapons. There are, however, some karate styles that practice traditional weapons. Karate was developed under the influence of kung fu from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts," Stephen elaborated.

"Were the Ryukyuan martial arts initially called te, which means hand?" Lucas asked.

Stephen nodded in confirmation. "Exactly. After I had mastered karate, I then began to train in kung fu. Kung fu has been around much longer than karate. It originated in China well over one thousand years ago."

"What is the difference between the two?" the Belgian prince wondered.

"That is a question I asked when I began my training. The differences between the two starts from their roots to their philosophies. Upon watching somebody doing martial arts, the untrained eye will find it difficult to tell whether that person is doing karate or kung fu. Even those who are beginning martial arts may sometimes get confused about the different styles until further exposure to them will reveal just how different they truly are. Both use different motions: kung fu tends to be circular, while karate is more linear. What this means is when you are practicing kung fu the movements will shift your weight laterally that you will depend more on responding to attacks your opponent throws at you. With karate, however, the movements will take you forward with a thrust towards your opponent. Regardless of the differences in the motions, both styles make the two forms of martial arts useful on different occasions. Kung fu will help you in circumstances where you might be grappling with your target, whereas karate tends to be more violent. In short, you can use karate when you want to harm your opponent and use kung fu when you simply want to stop the opponent. One thing they do have in common, however, is they can both be used in self-defense," Stephen elaborated.

"Interesting. When I was younger, there were some residents and guards in Ostenda that practiced karate, kung fu, or even both. I have heard mastering both is a daunting task and takes a lot of work," Lucas stated.

"Considering the styles are fundamentally different from one another, it is a hard feat that takes time to accomplish. It took me many years to master both, as I began kung fu not long after I had started with karate," Stephen explained.

"Sounds like Noah knew fighting styles very well despite how harshly he trained you," the Belgian prince said.

Stephen nodded in agreement. "He knew everything about fighting even with how grumpy he was on the outside. When training me, though, he did point out one key thing: kung fu may have more variety of techniques, styles, weapons. However, that is not to say one system or style of martial art is superior to the other. They are just different and to the observer, it could come down to personal preference. Some prefer kung fu and some prefer karate. There are some ambitious martial artists who desire a full well-rounded education; they practice both kung fu and karate. Practicing both is what Noah wanted me to do. I doubted I could do it considering how few that try are successful. Nevertheless, I chose to at least try to do so."

"Seems that you succeeded," Lucas said with a grin.

"Yes," Stephen confirmed. "It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but I was able to master everything he taught me."

The Belgian prince nodded. "I know it might take a little time for me to master every fighting style you teach me. However, I am willing to put the work in to ensure I complete my training sooner rather than later."

Stephen smiled. He was happy Lucas was willing to work hard just like Edmund always did. The brown-haired man would always ponder why Lucas did not have an instructor like him when he was younger. Regardless, Lucas was catching on very quickly. Thus, it was only a matter of time before the Belgian prince was as great a fighter as himself and Edmund.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Anna and Kristoff were just outside of town, having an intense snowball fight. Since Elsa and the guests were preoccupied, the couple decided to have some time to themselves outside the palace.

"You've got to do better than that Kristoff!" the princess exclaimed as she hit her boyfriend in the face with a snowball from behind a snowy pine tree.

The ice harvester wiped the snow off his face, shaking his head with a grin. "Oh, I'll show you better Anna!" Kristoff called back as he formed a huge snowball in his large hands. He waited patiently for Anna to get out from behind her cover to make his move.

Anna then darted out from the snow-covered tree as fast as she could. Kristoff then seized his chance as he threw the snowball at her. The snowball hit the princess square in the chest, and she fell backwards into the snow. "Okay! You got me!" she exclaimed, admitting defeat.

Kristoff walked up to his girlfriend to make sure she was okay. He really hoped he did not injure her. The last time something cold hit her in the chest, it froze her heart. "You alright, Anna? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

The princess shook her head and smiled. "I'm just fine, Kristoff. It's just that I am so jealous of you for being able to create such big snowballs. You're so much stronger than me!"

The ice harvester shrugged. "Ice harvesting takes a lot of strength to do properly, and I have been doing it for over a decade now. I guess that might have something to do with me being as strong as I am?"

Anna laughed. "I know, Kristoff. Regardless, I still love you for the good man you are." She then brushed the snow off herself and stood up.

"I love you too, Anna. For being the feisty, spunky, yet sweet girl that brightened up my life when we met," Kristoff stated with a smile.

Anna grinned back. "You did the same thing when we met five months ago. It feels like only yesterday both of us unknowingly knew we were meant to be together."

The ice harvester nodded in agreement. He then smirked. Anna noticed the look on his face. "What's with that smirk on your face?"

"Come here you!" Kristoff exclaimed as he began to chase after her.

Anna shrieked with delight as she took off running. "Catch me if you can, Kristoff!"

The ice harvester chuckled as he soon caught up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Gotcha!" he exclaimed as he picked her up and twirled her around.

Anna yelped as she laughed before Kristoff set her back down on her feet. "That was fun, huh?"

"It sure was," Kristoff stated with a grin. "What do you say you and I get something hot to drink? Hot chocolate, perhaps?"

"Yes please!" the princess said excitedly as the couple made their way back into town to get hot chocolate.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Richard and his twenty men, now invisible, floated stealthily towards the castle without a sound. Once they reached the window of the finest suite in the northwestern wing, Richard teleported inside. Unlocking the window from the inside, he opened the window and guided his twenty men into the large suite. After every man was inside the room, he removed the invisibility power from himself and his men.

The blonde-haired man swiftly scanned the entire suite to make sure no one was in there. He was relieved there was no one in the suite. Otherwise, he would be unable to move forward with his plans.

"Well done, men. We have succeeded with the first step of my plan. Now we move on to step two," Richard said.

"What will step two be?" one of the men asked.

"Step two is to capture the two sisters. With my shapeshifting ability, we will capture the queen and princess one by one," Richard explained with an evil grin.

"Who do we capture first?" the same man wondered.

"I was thinking the princess, then the queen. My Snow Queen disguise will surely fool the princess into thinking I am really her sister. I will lead her up here to this room, and you guys then seize her and make sure she cannot escape or warn anyone. Then I will disguise myself as the princess and get the queen up here to join her sister. Once we take them hostage, Edmund and the other guests will suspect something is not right. We then lure Edmund, Lucas, and Stephen into a trap so that you guys can deal with Lucas and Stephen. Then I will personally deal with Edmund and make sure he endures as much pain as possible," Richard elaborated to his men.

"I see no flaws in your plan, Boss," the second-in-command stated.

"Yes. This is a perfect opportunity to get my revenge on Edmund by targeting those he cares about most," the blonde-haired man replied.

Richard then twirled his hands, and magical chains formed in midair before he took the chains in his hands. "These chains will render the queen's powers useless. When she has these on, she will not be able to summon as much as a single snowflake."

"We will make certain your plans are successful, Boss," the second-in-command said.

"I know all twenty of you will not fail me. After we have completed my plan, the kingdom of Arendelle will bow before us. We will bring everyone here to their knees," Richard said with an evil laugh as his men joined in with the malicious laughter at the prospect of taking over Arendelle.