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 27

Edmund, Lucas, Stephen, and Kristoff were making their way to the Great Hall for dinner. They were all talking about what they did for the day.

"You and Anna went out into the town to have a snowball fight? How did that go?" Edmund asked the ice harvester.

"Yeah. We went right outside of town, but not too far into the forest. I won the snowball fight. Still, it was a great time out there with my girlfriend. Anna and I then went to get some hot chocolate from the café and then we came back here to the castle," Kristoff elaborated.

"I am glad to hear you and Anna had a good time," the English prince said with a smile.

"Thank you, Ed," Kristoff replied with a grin of his own. "What did you do today?"

"I played chess and read some books with Elsa," Edmund responded.

Kristoff nodded and then thought of something. "Do you like Elsa, Edmund?"

The black-haired man hesitated before speaking. "Well, I guess I do at this point. However, I have been letting Lucas get his chance to spend time with her as well these last several days. I feel like either myself or Luc could be the right man for her. Whether it is true or not is entirely up to Elsa. It is her choice in the end, after all."

"Yes. Everyone must find love in their own time. It comes when it comes, and Elsa is no exception. We will also respect her decision even if Elsa does not choose either myself or Edmund. Only Elsa herself can determine who is her true love," the Belgian prince added.

The ice harvester nodded in agreement at the two young princes. "I'm not going to lie, you two are very handsome fellows. Both of you should not have any problems trying to charm Elsa."

Edmund and Lucas smiled at the encouragement Kristoff was giving them.

"I thank you for the compliment, Kristoff. While I have no doubt that I am trying my best to charm Elsa the correct way, I completely understand there is the possibility Lucas and I are only meant to be friends with her. As I said before, I will be happy with whatever Elsa chooses to do," the English prince replied.

"I agree with Edmund. Everyone has choices to make in life, and Elsa is no exception. I am more than happy to just be friends with her if that is what happens," Lucas said before adding, "You are a handsome man yourself, Kristoff."

The ice harvester beamed at the compliment. "Thank you, Lucas." He then wanted to know what Lucas and Stephen were up to that day. "What were you and Stephen doing?"

"Master Stephen continued with helping me become a great fighter like Edmund. He talked to me about every fighting style there is, such as kung fu and karate," Lucas said.

"That's interesting. I assume it went well?" Kristoff wondered.

Stephen nodded. "It did. Edmund and Lucas are very bright young men. As are you, Kristoff. I was going to ask whether you would like me to train you as well. However, it is up to you. I will respect your decision, either way."

The ice harvester pondered this. He had never been taught how to fight before. With his strength, however, perhaps he could become at least a decent fighter. Kristoff doubted, however, that he would ever be as adept as Edmund, Lucas, or Stephen.

"I appreciate your offer, Master Stephen. However, I am unsure as to whether I would be a good student or not. Not once have I had any teachings on how to fight or use a weapon to defend myself. Therefore, I will have to think about this," Kristoff explained.

"Please take all the time you need, Kristoff. To reiterate, I will support your decision no matter what you choose to do," Stephen replied before adding, "Just so you three know, you do not have to call me Master Stephen. I do not mind one bit with all of you calling me Stephen, or just Steph."

"That is certainly something I can do," Kristoff replied with a smile.

"Same here," Lucas added, grinning.

Edmund, however, was hesitant about just calling his mentor Stephen or Steph. The English prince was so used to calling him "master" he felt like he would be insulting his instructor if he did not do that. "Are you sure about this, Master? Would you get offended if I only called you Stephen or just Steph?"

Stephen shook his head with a smile. "I would not be offended at all. In fact, I wish you had begun to call me Stephen or Steph a long time ago. You have been like a son to me, Edmund. I think we are close enough for you to not call me "master" every time we speak to each other."

"If that is how you would like it to be, then I will oblige, Stephen," Edmund replied with a grin, which made his mentor beam fondly.

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The four men soon reached the Great Hall and entered. To their surprise, Elsa and Anna were not there.

"That is weird. Elsa and Anna are normally the first of us here during meals," Edmund said.

Lucas nodded in agreement. "Where could they be right now?"

"Maybe they are in their rooms, just taking longer than usual to get ready. Still, I am beginning to suspect something is up with them taking this long," Stephen replied. "When did you last see Anna, Kristoff?"

"I last saw Anna in her bedroom when we returned to the palace from our snowball fight. Should we maybe check there, and Elsa's room as well?" Kristoff asked.

"I think we should. If they are not in their rooms, we should look around the castle and ask everyone in here if they have seen either Elsa or Anna," Stephen suggested.

Before the four men could leave, the head chef came out of the kitchen. "What is happening here? Is everything alright, gentlemen?"

"Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are not here with us, and we are wondering what is going on. Have you seen them here lately?" Edmund asked.

The head chef shook his head. "I have not seen either Queen Elsa or Princess Anna since lunch."

The English prince then thought of something. He was beginning to feel like there really was something going on. "I think it would be a good idea for you and the rest of the cooks to stay inside the kitchen and barricade the door, in case there is something wrong. If not, I will knock on the door and tell you everything is okay."

The head chef nodded. "It shall be done, Your Highness. I hope nothing bad happens to any of you." He then went back into the kitchen and promptly locked the door as Edmund, Lucas, Stephen, and Kristoff left the Great Hall, shutting the doors behind them.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The four men searched around the palace for Elsa and Anna. They asked everyone they encountered, including Gerda, Kai, and Olaf, if they had seen the two sisters. When they replied they had not, the four men suggested they find a place to hide in case something suspicious was taking place. The couple and the snowman obeyed without question, trusting that the four men knew what they were doing.

Soon they searched everywhere in the castle, except for the northwestern wing.

"Well, we only have the northwestern wing left to search for them," Edmund replied. "I was informed there are no guests staying in this particular area of the palace."

"I was notified of that as well. Maybe we should get our weapons and shields just in case. I sense an intense battle may be waiting for us," Lucas suggested.

"I think that is a good idea. It surprises me no one is staying in the northwestern wing of the castle. Do any of you gentlemen know the reason why?" Stephen wondered.

"Perhaps we wanted to fill every room in the other wings before we got to the northwestern wing. At this point, it does not look like we will have any more guests coming to the ball," the ice harvester said.

"Do you have any weapons, Kristoff?" the English prince asked.

Kristoff shook his head. "All I have is my pickaxe and other tools for ice harvesting. I have never used them for battling anyone as they were not designed that way."

"Then maybe we should ask Captain William where the castle armory is so you can get a weapon," Edmund suggested.

The ice harvester nodded in agreement. "Let's go."

When the four men reached the doctor's office, the castle doctor let them in. Captain William was lying on a bed inside, a brace around his injured left knee.

"Captain, could you please tell us where the armory is located?" Stephen asked.

The captain gave directions to where the armory could be found and handed them a key to have access to it. "Why do you ask about where the armory is? Is everything alright?"

Stephen shook his head. "Elsa and Anna did not show up at dinner tonight, and we think they might be in trouble. We ask you about the armory so Kristoff can have a weapon and shield to defend himself with."

Captain William nodded in understanding. "If there are any intruders inside the castle, I hope you gentlemen will stop them before they cause any havoc. Good luck to you four."

"Thank you, Captain. I will return the key once Kristoff has a weapon," the brown-haired man said as the group made their way to the armory.

Upon arriving at the armory, they opened the door and saw a lot of weapons, armor, and shields inside. Since the ice harvester was accustomed to using pickaxes, he decided to use an axe that he could use with one hand and a shield with the other.

After Stephen gave the key back to the captain, Edmund, Lucas, and Stephen went to their guest rooms to retrieve their weapons and shields.

Soon all four men were at the entrance to the northwestern wing, weapons and shields ready.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go," Stephen said.

Edmund, Lucas, and Kristoff nodded as the four men made their way up the stairs.

They carefully inspected every single guestroom in the wing, making sure to look everywhere possible for any signs of Elsa and Anna.

Once the four men had searched almost every room, they arrived at the top of the stairs. The group was standing at the door of the finest suite in the northwestern wing.

Edmund peeked through the keyhole in the door. He saw the hooded figure inside with twenty men standing in front of him. All of them were in a fighting stance, the ten men in the front armed with swords, and the ten men in the back armed with crossbows. The English prince then looked upwards and saw Elsa and Anna inside magical black cages. Both sisters were bound with rope and had thick white cloths tightly tied around their mouths. Edmund also noticed the Ice Queen seemed to have some magical chains binding her wrists together. His eyes widened when he saw huge black spikes right below the sisters.

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"What is in there, Edmund? Any sign of Elsa and Anna?" Kristoff asked quietly.

Edmund nodded as he held a finger to his lips, indicating for the ice harvester and the other two men to keep their voices down.

"Anything?" the ice harvester whispered.

"Yes. The figure and his men are in there, and it seems like they have captured Elsa and Anna. It appears the figure has trapped them in cages so they cannot escape," Edmund whispered back.

"Well, I'm going in to save my girlfriend," Kristoff replied determinedly as he prepared to open the door.

Just as he was about to grab the door handle, the English prince stopped him, grabbing his hand. "Kristoff, wait! Hold on just a minute!"

"Don't you tell me to hold on just a minute! That figure has Anna and Elsa!" the ice harvester responded as he tried to break free from the English prince's grip.

Lucas and Stephen joined in on holding Kristoff back, all but ensuring he could not reach the door handle.

"There is most likely a reason why the figure is doing this, Kristoff. Edmund is right. We cannot just barge in there. The figure might have the door booby trapped or is using Elsa and Anna as bait to lure us into a trap," Lucas explained.

"Therefore, we must find some other way to get inside without them noticing us," Stephen added quietly.

Kristoff glared at the three guests holding him back. However, the ice harvester realized they were right. Thus, Kristoff ceased struggling.

The ice harvester peeked through the keyhole and gasped silently when he saw the predicament Elsa and Anna were in. He realized that with one wrong move, the figure would kill the sisters.

"Okay, so what do we do now? Do any of you three have any bright ideas?" Kristoff asked.

The three guests thought for a moment before something came to Stephen's mind. "Does the palace happen to have any secret passageways?"

"None that I know of," the ice harvester responded. "I have never bothered to see if there were any secret hallways inside the castle. With Elsa and Anna's lives at stake, it may be our best option."

"Yes. There are secret passageways in the London palace for the royal family to escape in case of an emergency. Hopefully, there is one inside the Arendelle castle that can lead us to the finest suite in the northwestern wing," Stephen elaborated.

"Yeah. Well then, let's get to searching. The sooner we save Elsa and Anna, the better," the ice harvester said.

The three guests nodded as they began their search for potential secret passageways.

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Elsa and Anna did not bother struggling against their bonds anymore. It was useless with Richard and his men guarding them, and the ropes were tied too tight for their strength. In addition to that, the magical chains stifled any attempt the Snow Queen made to use her powers.

How were they going to get out of this? Getting out of the ropes binding them was out of the question, as their captors had done a very good job making sure they could not escape. Calling for help would not do them any good either, as the white cloths gagging the sisters were too tight for them to get them off their mouths. Any sound they made through their gags only came out as muffled noise. Both sisters knew the large black spikes below would instantly kill them upon contact. They hoped the guests could outsmart Richard somehow, or else he could simply let them fall to their deaths.

Richard turned around and smiled evilly at the bound and gagged women. "How are you doing up there, ladies?"

The two sisters made annoyed sounds through their gags, indicating they hated being held captive by this devilish man. Elsa and Anna hoped Edmund, Lucas, Stephen, and Kristoff would free them soon.

The hooded blonde-haired man chuckled. "You will find out soon enough why no one should mess with me. Edmund, Lucas, and Stephen asked for it. They will be here anytime, now."

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Edmund, Lucas, Stephen, and Kristoff searched every single room in the castle for secret hallways. The four men did their best to keep calm despite how afraid they were with the two sisters being held captive.

Once they had searched every room in the castle, the four men realized there was still one area they had not checked yet: the attic.

Inside the attic, the four men looked through the room for anything that could be of use to them or could reveal a secret passageway. They came across some old trunks containing items from the sisters' childhoods. Upon discovering the containers, the four men closed them again, not wanting to touch anything not belonging to them.

Edmund looked carefully at a certain part of the wall inside the attic, clutching a lit lantern. He thought he saw the tiniest outline of a door. The English prince carefully knocked on the outline and heard a sound indicating the outline was hollow.

"Hey, gentlemen? I think I may have found something," Edmund informed the three men as he carefully pushed on the outline of the wall, which to their surprise opened just like a door to reveal a dark hallway.

"Way to go, Edmund. You're a genius," Kristoff praised the English prince.

Edmund shrugged. "I was just trying to think of any way we can catch the figure off-guard. Hopefully, this passageway leads to the finest suite of the northwestern wing."

"Only one way to find out," Lucas said.

Stephen approached the three young men with two long coils of rope. "I think these might come in handy."

The three young men nodded in agreement before the group started walking down the dark hallway, making sure to be as quiet as possible. If they got discovered, it could be the end of not only them, but Elsa and Anna as well.

As the four men walked, they encountered stairs of varying steps. Regardless, they did their best not to make too much noise. Sometimes stealth was smarter to do than attack outright.

Light soon appeared before the end of the hallway. Based on what the light looked like, it seemed it was getting dark outside the castle and the candles inside a room had been lit. Once the four men reached the end of the hallway, they saw they were in the same room where the figure and his men were holding Elsa and Anna hostage.

The group was gazing down on the figure and his men from above, as well as the two sisters inside the black cages. All four men presumed the cages were created by the figure himself with his dark magic.

Edmund brought the lantern deeper inside to avoid him and the others being spotted.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Kristoff asked as quietly as he could.

The three guests surveyed their surroundings. Where Elsa and Anna were positioned, the figure and his men were watching both sisters as well as the entrance to the suite. Therefore, rescuing them stealthily was not an option. The four men would have to defeat the figure and his men before making any rescue attempts. Fortunately, there were no booby traps on the door, which helped Stephen think of a plan of attack.

"I knew these ropes would come in handy," Stephen remarked quietly. "Gentlemen, I have an idea. Since there are no booby traps on the entrance to the room, Edmund and Lucas will enter the suite through the door, while Kristoff and I use these ropes to attack the figure and his men from behind."

"That sounds like a good idea. We will not let you down, Steph," Edmund responded.

"Will you two be alright?" Kristoff asked. While he had no doubt about the abilities of Edmund and Lucas, the ice harvester knew that despite their fighting mastery, they were still heavily outnumbered. It meant each member of the group would have to take out at least five men each.

"Edmund and Lucas will be just fine, Kristoff. I can assure you we will succeed in defeating the figure and his men as well as saving Elsa and Anna. You will have me by your side should you need any assistance while we fight," Stephen assured the ice harvester. "When we are ready to attack, I would advise you not to look down as we climb down the ropes."

Kristoff nodded as he and Stephen tied the ropes to places that would hold their weight as they climbed down. They would not lower the ropes until the figure and his men were distracted by the two princes. Since they were watching, they needed to time it right.

"Okay. Lucas and I will head back to the entrance of the suite. As soon as we have their attention, you guys jump in and attack," Edmund said.

"Will do," Kristoff replied with a nod as the two princes went back down the hallway.

As soon as the two princes were out of sight, Stephen placed a hand on the ice harvester's shoulder. "Elsa and Anna will be alright, Kristoff. We will stop the figure and his men before anything happens to them."

"I hope so," Kristoff responded as he and the brown-haired man prepared themselves for lowering themselves into battle.

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Edmund and Lucas arrived at the entrance to the suite where the sisters were being held by the figure. They exchanged a look, mentally preparing for the battle.

"You ready, Lucas?" Edmund asked.

"Ready. Now we must defeat that scoundrel and his men, then rescue Elsa and Anna," Lucas replied with a nod.

With that, the two princes opened the door and were greeted by the figure and his twenty men as Edmund and Lucas stood defiantly before their enemies. Above them were Anna and Elsa, still bound and gagged in their cages.

"Elsa! Anna!" the black-haired prince called up to the two sisters.

"Are you two alright?" the dirty-blonde-haired man asked anxiously.

Both sisters nodded. The two princes were relieved the two sisters were still alive and well. Edmund and Lucas knew they had to rescue them as soon as possible, or that would not be the case for too much longer. With the huge black spikes below the two sisters, the two princes knew they had to act fast before anything bad happened to Elsa and Anna.

The figure grinned evilly as the two princes turned their attention to him. "Good evening, gentlemen. I knew you would come once you knew of Elsa and Anna being in danger."

Edmund glared venomously at the figure. "You are going to regret ever touching them."

"Let me tell you something, Edmund. You are going to regret ever betraying me!" the figure responded ruthlessly.

"What are you talking about?" Edmund wondered, confused. Who on Earth did the English prince betray? He never recalled doing such a thing to anyone.

"You will find out soon enough. Men, attack!" the figure ordered as his men charged towards the two princes.

Edmund and Lucas used their shields to protect themselves from the arrows fired at them from the crossbows the figure's men were armed with. Once the arrows ceased raining upon them, the two princes prepared to use their shields to knock the figure's men aside.

Stephen and Kristoff saw their chance and lowered the ropes while the figure and his men had their attention drawn to the two princes.

"Are you ready, Kristoff?" Stephen asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," the ice harvester responded as the two men climbed down the ropes, which stopped only inches from the ground considering their length.

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Edmund, armed with his sword and shield, blocked a man's attempt to strike him with his sword. The English prince then countered with a swing of his sword, which the man ducked under. Four other men rushed at Edmund to corner him. The black-haired man was ready, however. Edmund shield bashed two of the men with his shield, knocking them out cold. He then leaped into the air and knocked the remaining men he fought unconscious with powerful kicks to the sides of their heads.

Lucas traded blows with his saber against five men who were doing everything they could to disarm the Belgian prince. With Stephen's teachings, however, Lucas was a much more dangerous fighter. Therefore, the men's attempts to disarm Lucas failed, which frustrated them. All five men simultaneously swung their swords at Lucas, who ducked and rolled out of the way of the blades. The dirty-blonde-haired man charged at the men and managed to punch one of them unconscious before they could all recover. Once the other four men recovered, they swung their swords at Lucas' feet. He jumped and the swords went harmlessly under his feet. Lucas then ran at two of the men, grabbing their shirts before he made them headbutt each other and knock themselves out. The Belgian prince then knocked the last two men out with swift, powerful punches.

As the two princes continued to fight with the remaining men, they caught sight of Stephen and Kristoff lowering themselves down from rafters in the ceiling to the suite to join the fight.

There were now ten men remaining, along with the figure.

Stephen and Kristoff immediately went to work with helping Edmund and Lucas defeat the remainder of the figure's men. The brown-haired man saw four men approaching him. They charged at Stephen. Stephen, using his incredibly strong legs, managed to jump over them before landing on his feet in a fighting stance behind them. The four men seemed astonished Stephen could jump as high as he did. Taking advantage of their distractions, Stephen disarmed one of the men before grabbing him. The man attempted to throw a punch at Stephen who dodged it and redirected the blow, so it hit one of the other men instead, knocking him to the ground. Stephen then threw the man at the other two men, who were unable to avoid him and were sent to the ground along with the man thrown at them. Due to the state the four men were in, they were too slow to recover and were swiftly knocked out with powerful punches from the brown-haired man.

Kristoff, however, was not as experienced as the three guests with fighting.

"I am going to beat you guys up for touching my girlfriend!" Kristoff exclaimed.

Six men surrounded the ice harvester. They all smirked at the threat Kristoff made at them. One of the men charged at Kristoff, who swung his axe at him. The man dodged the attack and swung his sword at the ice harvester. Kristoff raised his shield to block the blow. The sword collided with the ice harvester's shield as Kristoff shoved the sword away with his shield. Kristoff then leapt at one of the men, who dodged and stuck one of his feet out. The ice harvester landed awkwardly and ended up collapsing onto the ground, clutching his right ankle.

"Kristoff!" Edmund exclaimed worriedly as he saw the men approaching the injured ice harvester.

Elsa and Anna tried to shout Kristoff's name through their gags, to no avail.

Thankfully for the ice harvester, Edmund, Stephen, and Lucas had subdued the men they were fighting and managed to do the same with the men cornering Kristoff.

All twenty men were knocked unconscious as the group went to check on the ice harvester. "Kristoff! Are you okay?" the English prince asked with concern.

"I can't fight anymore. My ankle hurts badly. You guys must stop the figure without me," Kristoff said as he still held onto his right ankle.

The three guests turned their attention to the figure, standing defiantly before the evil hooded man and protecting the injured ice harvester.

"First, you hurt Captain William, and now, you hurt Kristoff. We will make you pay for what you did to them!" Lucas exclaimed with a deathly glare at the figure.

"Haha! Seeing others suffer makes me happy," the figure replied sadistically. "Since you all managed to defeat my twenty men, I will deal with you guys myself."

"We defeated all twenty of your men. How can you expect to stand a chance against all of us together?" Stephen asked defiantly.

"Silence! You and Lucas are not worth my time, Stephen. Therefore, I suggest you sit this one out," the figure replied as he raised his hands, dark magic erupting from the castle floor until it spiraled around everyone in the shape of cages around everyone except for Edmund.

The two sisters screamed through their gags at the horrific turn of events as they struggled through their bonds.

"Guys!" Edmund exclaimed with wide eyes as he tried breaking the magical black bars with his sword, to no avail.

"Edmund! Do not worry about us! You must defeat the figure!" Lucas encouraged.

"We will be fine, Edmund. For now, you must focus on defeating that evil scoundrel," Stephen added.

The English prince entered a fighting stance, ready to battle the hooded figure.

"Before we begin our final battle, there is something I would like to show you, Edmund," the figure replied as he removed his hood to reveal himself to the English prince.

Edmund stood there in shock as to whom he was standing before.