1. Frozen: Of Frost and Flame

CHAPTER IV

Norway. April 13, 1842. Firemonger Settlement, North Mountain. Start of the fifth hour.

A hand roughly shoved T'chetri's shoulder, breaking into his dream of returning from the shores of Misthaven, a hero of Firemonger yore in the eyes of younglings for generations to come. Instead of the awestruck exclamations of Firemonger children, he heard a familiar voice scolding, "Not so hard, Ruben!"

"Sorry," came the muttered reply.

T'chetri moaned and covered his face with his blankets.

"For the love of..." the second voice said in exasperation. T'chetri felt the covers get pulled off his body, and instantly he was sitting up and snapping, "Hey!"

Then he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and realized that Ruben and Dala were standing next to his bed. "Uh... sorry," he apologized with a sheepish smile.

"You will be if you don't get up and get ready," Ruben stated, crossing his arms. "We've got to leave now, or we'll be late."

T'chetri took a few seconds to process what Ruben was saying. Then it clicked: the mission.

"Smokes above, what time is it?" T'chetri cried, leaping off his bed.

"Almost dawn," Dala replied. "You're a little behind schedule."

T'chetri groaned and ran behind the curtain in the back of his tent, quickly putting on his Firemonger garb and light armor since, evidently, he had no time to put on his real battle armor. He came out a few minutes later and asked Ruben breathlessly, "When are we leaving?"

"Now, if you don't mind," Ruben replied with more than a little irritation.

"Right." T'chetri bent down and gave Dala a kiss. "I'll be back," he whispered.

"I know you will." Dala touched his face gently, then clasped her hands together as T'chetri and Ruben dashed out of the tent.

Chief Gharin stepped out of the War Tent and watched with his hand on his hip as T'chetri and Ruben sprinted towards the camp's western boundary. "Fly with fire, my brother and my son," he said quietly.

"So you've never really left camp, huh?" Ruben asked as he effortlessly made his way across the snowy, rocky terrain.

"Only a few times, since I'm not really a hunter," T'chetri admitted, already short of breath. "I took Dala outside sometimes, but I stopped after the castle went up." He paused before asking, "That's why we're going around this side, right? Because there's less frost?"

"Exactly," Ruben confirmed. "I can't go around the other side anymore—that would be close to suicide."

"Smokes, I hope Gharin burns that thing down," T'chetri growled.

"So does every other Firemonger in camp." Ruben slowed to a jog and said, "Hold on, T'chetri. We've reached the chasm."
Both Firemongers came to a halt a few meters away from the chasm that separated North Mountain from the mainland that led to Arendelle.

"Shouldn't we have kept running?" T'chetri asked, confused. "Our momentum would have carried us across."

"Patience, T'chetri," Ruben told him in a low voice. "See those woods on the other side?"

"Yeah," T'chetri replied.

"There are wolves in there," Ruben explained. "They are violent—ravenous—always hungry. They chase me every now and then, so I always make sure to scan the surroundings on the other side before I jump." He narrowed his eyes for a few seconds, then nodded and added, "Looks clear today, though. Let's back up so the jump will be easier."