The monastery wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep, but it was the safest option they had. The bitter cold couldn't reach them from the outside and it kept them away from where animals might want to rob their food supply. Guards were still standing at the edges of the building for extra protection.

Jack didn't understand how anyone could sleep in this place, but he presumed he'd have to acclimate. Besides, this wasn't the worst place he'd slept before. Next to him, Elsa was sleeping soundly, finally free of the seasickness. He didn't want to worry her, but he had been thinking about the children non-stop on their walk. Even now, he was hoping that they didn't miss them too much—soon they would get to sing Agnes and Nicholas their lullabies and tuck them in again.

Though it was strange, Jack found himself silently asking the guardians to keep an eye on them. He hadn't seen or heard a single peep out of any of them since dealing with Amelia, yet he felt like they were always watching... Even more so since they had their first child. Surely the Man in the Moon would keep watch of his beloved children, and the Sandman.

As he should, for he was Agnes' favorite.

Give her sweet dreams for me, Sandy... Her and Nicholas.

Jack was about to close his eyes when he heard a peculiar sound. Two murmuring voices, one sounded particularly agitated. It was coming from around one of the corners that led to a long corridor. Normally, he wouldn't care enough to investigate, but with what he already knew about Hans and his father, he wouldn't allow himself to possibly miss hearing any vital information.

Careful not to make a sound and wake the others sleeping close by, Jack tip-toed down the long hall that was once occupied by visiting pilgrims.

"I came here to be alone." Anna's voice whined.

"You know I can't leave you alone when you're troubled." That was Hans. His tone was rather... mocking. It certainly wasn't one of concern.

"Hans. Go. Away." Anna warned. Jack peered around the corner, too nervous he might reveal himself if he got any closer.

Hans was tangling his arms around Anna, who was flinching this way and that to buck him off. Almost like he was trying to force affection onto her in a way that gave her no escape.

"Come on, Sis." Hans was chuckling and squeezing her tight. "For old time's sake!"

"I said get off!" Anna broke free and gave him the most hateful glare she could muster. Jack wasn't sure what he just witnessed, but he couldn't look away. "You and Father's little games were never fun for me." There was almost an element of sarcasm in her voice; this was her family's sick joke.

Hans sighed, "All right, all right. You've just been uptight ever since we got here."

"I am uptight. I'm stuck here in a frozen sprawl I didn't want to go to with two weirdos that could freeze me in the blink of an eye if they wanted to! And now I have to deal with you!"

"You mean we're the ones that have to deal with you." His voice was full of ridicule. "I'll admit, I wanted you to come along so you could be witness to this majestic being, but it seems you've been forgetting your place."

"Don't talk to me like Father's around to hear you. Remember this: we're the youngest of twelve. You're eleventh in line. You're as useless as I am in this family." Anna growled.

All that did was annoy Hans, but he knew her one weakness. "And you remember this: you were a mistake. Only one of us was supposed to be born, and we know which one of us was the... Ahem, 'surprise.'" He air-quoted.

Anna got up in his face, "If I'd been born a man, would you feel the same way? Or did Father poison your brain like he did all of our other brothers?"

"If you'd been born a man," he took her chin between his fingers, "I don't think we could've played the same games we did growing up."

Anna pulled away; she'd had enough. She started to settle back down on her lone bedroll she'd made far away from the group. "Just keep those creeps away from me tomorrow. I don't want to get cursed by it like the Princess was."

"Believe me, they'll be the least of your worries tomorrow... And don't lump the Princess in with that creature. Unlike him, she was born normal. She's no spawn of the unholy—" Hans heard something from around the corner. Were they being watched? Cautiously, he peered around... And no one was there.

...

Lying awake on his bedroll, Jack tried to process what he saw. The way Hans was grabbing Anna, the way he spoke to her...

What in God's name was with this family?

What if Sophie was right? Maybe he should warn Agnarr. They were already so far along on their journey, would it even make a difference? Elsa was the only one who'd believe him, but even she seemed to agree that he was overanalyzing everything.

Thinking about it all over again, a surge of anger went through Jack. Their prejudice against him was tolerable, but to imply that his parents were as 'evil' as he was for birthing him, was despicable. It was unforgivable. But why all the vitriol for him? Why was Hans so forgiving of Elsa having abilities?

They just want to see their dumb fossil, as Anna said. They take them there, they go home, they never see each other again. It's that easy. Jack tried to tell himself. Just a few more days.

Only one thing was clear, that he wasn't going to let Elsa out of his sight until the Westergaards were gone.

...

From the monastery, the path was much more precarious and slippery. The old steps that were made to journey up to the top were either destroyed or covered in snow. Elsa and Jack could easily remove them and make the trail path to follow. The entire way up, amongst all the chatter, Jack didn't take his eyes off of Hans.

He watched him like a hawk, unblinking. If he even got as close as an inch near Elsa, there'd be Hell to pay.

"What a joy it is to behold the divine." Harald was saying. "What a pleasure. Us mortals are treading a measure with the Gods!"

"It'll be a joy once we don't have to walk up this mountain anymore," Agnarr commented. "I fear going back down the mountain will be even trickier."

"Find your old childhood wonder!" Harald laughed. He went on babbling about how close they were, but it went unnoticed by Jack. He was so exhausted—his lack of sleep was catching up to him, and all the exertion he was putting himself through only added more weight on his shoulders.

Every few seconds he was yawning. The curiosity he once had for this creature had dwindled out of existence and all he cared about was getting home. On the way up, he would occasionally cast a glance at Anna as well. She had her arms folded around her the entire time, only letting herself go to readjust her face mask. Jack looked at Hans from behind again, remembering their exchange from last night, the disdain in his tone for his own sister. It didn't seem that Anna was too fond of him either.

What went on in their private lives was none of his business. Just as his life wasn't theirs to judge. Not like they cared anyway.

He was so tired that he couldn't think. He wasn't watching where he stepped and twice he slid in the snow and one of the guards grabbed him to keep him from going down the ravine.

It took both of those situations for Elsa to ask, "What's with you today?"

"Nothing. I'm tired, that's all."

"Well, you were sound asleep when I woke up this morning."

"I kept waking up all night. You know how that is."

"I think our internal clocks are screwed up since we became parents." She snickered. "I can't lie, I'm kind of excited to see this thing!"

"Let's just hope it's as impressive as we've been told it is." He found himself sneering at Hans from behind, his memory replaying what he saw all over again.

"Stop!" Harald shouted and sent everyone in a state of alertness. "Hans, come look here!" For a king of such an impressive stature, his eyes had all the wonder and curiosity of a young boy. He and Hans deliberated for a moment, making marks on the map.

"My Lord, my Lady!" Hans called to Elsa and Jack, "Come. We'll need your help up ahead."

"Elsa," Jack whispered as they began to depart from the rest of the group, "stay close to me."

"You're so cute." She smirked. Why wouldn't she just take him seriously? Maybe he was paranoid. He should've told her what he saw and heard, but again, what if it was all a big misunderstanding? He didn't have any time to mull over these questions as they were led to a small rise at the edge of the path.

A glacier that stood like a wall across the pass blocked their way. The hazy mist along with the driving wind and snow made it look all the more mystical, yet foreboding. Like it was there to keep anyone from venturing farther on.

"This wasn't here years ago," Hans explained, "before this glacier was here, this path would take us straight to the Angel's resting spot. Years and years of neglect have led this trail to be blocked off." He was shouting over the wind.

"So what are you getting at?" Elsa asked. She wasn't all too interested in the history lessons when her head was spinning. Were they really about to see a fallen God?

"We'll turn this wall into a gate... With your help."

At that, Elsa seemed to jerk back to reality. Like sharing one mind, she and Jack looked at each other in total astonishment. "Come again?" Jack said.

"Simple," Hans answered, "to get to the Angel, we need this roadblock out of the way."

"That's..." Elsa scrutinized the mass of ice again, "That's a tall order."

"We thought we were just gonna be clearing away snow piles." Jack added to try and humor them.

From under his hood and behind his facemask, Harald had one eyebrow raised. "We assumed this wouldn't be asking much."

"We don't want to start an avalanche," Elsa exclaimed. "One wrong move and this entire thing might come falling apart."

"Then we'd have to walk all the way back up." Jack grinned impishly.

"You have our full trust." Harald replied, voice muffled by the thick fabric. "Take as much time as you need."

They had come all this way... With another knowing glance at each other, Elsa and Jack walked past the Westergaard men, who gave them as much room as they needed.

They didn't want to shift the ice to the left or right, and chipping off chunks of the wall felt redundant since they'd still have large pieces of ice in the way. What if they didn't pry it apart at all? What if they simply went through it?

"I'm thinking a tunnel." Jack thought aloud.

"You read my mind."

The Westergaards and their soldiers watched in awe as the ice began to recede into a small opening, swirling particles of ice swimming all around the two mages.

"Stand back!" Called General Mattias, knowing it was best to stay clear of any possible fallout with their magic. All waited until the blue lights stopped before coming forward. They now had a deep tunnel they could safely pass through. None of the guards could hide their amazed looks.

"Well done." Hans nodded. He turned to Anna. Though she wouldn't speak, he could see in her eyes that she was impressed.

The Westergaards led the Arendellians, none of them knowing what to expect. Would they be greeted to an empty field of snow, some sort of graveyard of old worshippers, or the creature itself?

Emerging on the other side, the party had their answer. Everyone stopped and stared.

...

Locked in a permanent praying position, the Angel levitated in her frozen prison. Still as a statue.

The would-be Valkyrie looked nothing like any 'Angel' anyone had heard of before. It was tree-like, its head like a peach seed. The limbs were long and gangly and the bark peeled off from the torso like the skirt of a dress.

The only thing angel-like about it was its wings, spreading ten yards both ways, adding magnificence to this already-enormous creature.

Rejoice filled the crowd. Their efforts had been worth it!

There were relieved sighs, oohs and ahs of wonder, and laughter.

Jack stared in shock and silence. The creature looked mournful and pained, like the realization of what had happened to her lived forever on her gnarled face.

"I can't believe it." Agnarr said, breathless. He took both Elsa and Jack by the shoulder. "Isn't it marvelous?"

"It's something," Elsa agreed; she couldn't fathom she was looking at proof that the Gods were real. Granted, having magic powers and interacting with immortal spirits should've been a hint.

Among them, Anna gazed in silence, cold chills forgotten at the sight of the Angel. She felt something crunch underneath her boot and thought it was only snow, but she felt something much more solid and looked down.

"AHH!" She cried and jumped back ten feet. All eyes turned to her as the bronze-haired Princess realized she'd stepped on human remains. Long, long decayed and buried beneath the snow. She was still wriggling like she could feel it all over her.

Harald just laughed, "Old pilgrims that died to get here. Some simply remained here until they died. They think of it as a way of being closer to Odin." Hans, too, seemed to be enjoying Anna's fright.

Elsa squirmed a bit. Were they all standing on dead bodies? She felt tempted to check beneath her feet now.

"I didn't think this would be so morbid," Bemoaned Agnarr.

"Let me tell you what we need next," Harald brought Agnarr aside while Hans took Anna's wrist and ushered her into a more private spot. Jack saw, but he had no inclination to follow them.

Elsa took Jack's arm. "I bet no one at home's gonna believe it when we tell them."

"Heh, I'm sure they will."

"...Can you imagine it? It's been up here for who knows how long and only just now we find it. Makes me wonder what else is out there we don't know about."

"Faithful mages!" Harald summoned, "Your assistance is needed once more."

"Yes?" Jack answered, still unnerved by this whole experience.

"I know it's no small task what I'm about to ask you, but you see, I didn't intend to come all this way just to go home empty-handed."

Jack's eyes bulged and Elsa barked back, "Hang on, you want us to unfreeze it?"

"I know it sounds absurd, but my subjects would lose their respect if I returned with nothing in hand after such an arduous journey."

"Apologies," Agnarr interrupted, "but how do you intend on transporting it? Are we going to drag it all the way downhill then just throw it on deck?" He snorted.

"All right, we won't bring all of it... Just a piece of it. Its head should do."

The request sounded innocuous, but something didn't sit right with the three of them. This historical creature, perfectly preserved for centuries that possibly preceded mankind itself was to be torn apart and brought back as a trophy?

"My son Lars would be beside himself to see it, and who knows? We could make fantastic discoveries from it."

They thought it over again. If it was for research...

Elsa nodded, "We'll see what we can do." Then they dispersed. Agnarr went to speak with Mattias, while Elsa and Jack went off to the side and said in whispers, "It doesn't feel right."

"I know."

"It feels like we're—I dunno—defacing something. People died just to see her."

Jack folded his arms. "It has a history, that's for sure."

"What do you think?"

"I have no idea. I know it feels wrong, but at this point, I'm willing to do anything he says just to get us home."

Elsa sighed, "Tell me about it." Elsa turned back to the frozen grave. "It's terrifying... But it's still so beautiful. I can't explain it." She had so many questions now. "Do you think it could speak if it were alive? Imagine all of the things we could learn! Do you think she'd tell us about Asgard and Odin and—?"

"Okay, okay." Jack calmed her down. Funny how Elsa wondered where Agnes got her sense of wonder from. "If you want, you can have a chat with it once we get it out."

"Elsa, a word with you?" Agnarr called her over.

Jack was about to scan the giant being again and figure out how he'd safely thaw it, but he heard a blur of shouting voices. Thanks to the night prior, he knew who they belonged to... But this conversation was much more heated.

"I don't understand you!" Anna was yelling.

"I couldn't tell you because I knew you'd get upset—"

"Of course I'm upset! You're insane!" It sounded like she was fighting to keep him from touching her. "I can't believe you would do this! You're crazy to think it'll work!"

Think what would work?

"Jack!" Elsa startled him. "Come on." Her tone had a hint of 'let's get this over with.' Trying to forget the scuffle nearby, Jack approached and stood before the Angel with Elsa. Anna came storming out from behind a rock pile with Hans in tow. Then all watched as the two methodically and carefully began to melt the ice away, starting from the top. It flurried into the darkening sky as glittering snowflakes.

Unlike before with the glacier, their movements were more tense and reluctant.

From the corner of Mattias' eye, he noticed something odd. The Westergaard soldiers were in a stance that indicated they were prepared for an attack, Harald himself was unfolding something from the cloth inside of his coat.

The Angel had been freed from a layer of ice. One more and its bare skin (or whatever it was) would be touched by the wind for the first time. Mattias couldn't wait any longer. "Your Highness!" He beckoned. It was so startling that even Jack and Elsa stopped what they were doing.

"What is it?" Agnarr inquired, remembering the promise he'd made.

"I was wondering about the weather conditions." That had been their 'secret phrase.' "It's getting dark and it may storm."

Agnarr nodded, knowing exactly what that meant.

The couple was clueless. "Should we wait until the morning, then?" Elsa asked.

It was Hans who butted in this time, "Oh please, the thing's dead. What harm could finishing now to save us time tomorrow hurt?"

"Son," Harald chided, "let the King decide."

Agnarr knew they were on to him now. He had to go about this carefully. What did they want in getting them all the way up here? Did they truly expect to find the creature? Was he reading too far into his motives?

While this was happening, Jack happened to pass a glance at the Angel... and he did a double-take.

Did its finger just... move?

I'm really not getting enough sleep. He thought bitterly, yet he stared and saw its other four fingers slowly open from their clasped position. Impossible. It was a fossil! It was dark and he was seeing things from exhaustion.

Then the beam of light appeared.

A dim, white hue that appeared to be cast from its wings faded into existence as the opposing parties all turned to face the same direction.

Elsa's heart began to race; she thought she was saying Jack's name, but no noise passed her lips. Jack squeezed her hand and moved in front of her. His breath quickened and his eyes filled with terror.

The fact that the monster was motionless before had made the soldiers bold, but now they were as unstable as the snow beneath them.

From what sounded like the depths, a retched, croaking moan left the creature's lungs. It sounded like it was in pain.

None of them could make themselves face the truth: the Angel was alive.