Having noticed that the hologram of the 2nd Prince was a recording and hearing the reason from the mysteriously cloaked man who referred to himself as Darkness Frost gestured for him to continue, keen to hear what sort of deal the mighty 2nd Prince of Northrend wanted to make with little old him.

Click.

There was a slight delay before the image of Sedrick started talking again, likely expecting a moment of explanation.

"Before I get down to the details I’d like to set the record straight. Previously you got in the way of my plans, plans that you may perceive as cruel, maybe even evil but from my point of view necessary for levelling the playing field against my elder brother." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

His words were met with a sharp tongued click and a narrowing of the eyes from Frost. Nanna and Loki’s circumstances were not only 100% illegal by Northrend law but predatory and cruel, definitely not something a prospective leader of a nation should be doing but at the same time he could understand the logic behind such actions.

Randolph at the time had the full support of his father, mother, the empire’s populace as well as more than half the nobles whereas he was shunned, pressured and forced to rely on the old noble families in contention with the Emperor and Empress. Having two phoenix kin by his side, descendants of the Empire’s divine guardian, the Ice phoenix would grant him a strong legitimacy for the throne. Providence and fate being hard to ignore in a world teeming with Gods and magic.

Sedrick wanted Nanna and Loki by his side, serving him with loyalty and supporting a claim orchestrated by fate at least to the eyes and ears of the masses.

But why should Frost give a shit about the man’s ambitions, because of him Nanna and Loki lost their home, their family and were forced into enslavement, abused, beaten and malnourished to the point that their eyes had lost all sense of hope.

Such cruelty towards his kin would never be forgiven regardless of the intentions behind it. So he snorted in disdain, his eyes radiating bloodlust towards the holographic image. However since this was merely a recording Sedrick did not respond in the slightest, carrying on with his explanation.

"Because of that I arranged a subordinate to take you out, to remove an obstruction to my plan and thus restore order but as you are well aware that did not end well for me." There was a strange look in Sedrick’s eyes as he spoke of his failure, annoyance, frustration, interest and maybe even something playful but not anger or hatred, like a pleasant surprise.

"Hmph." Frost loudly hmphed with pride, because of that assassination attempt Sedrick lost an A-rank subordinate, a deadly wound even for someone as influential as him.

"I was unaware of your background, of your strength and thus paid dearly for it but that was my mistake, so I do not hold a grudge. In fact since that point I have never acted against you, overtly or covertly....bar a little scouting of course."

Frost visibly frowned, raising his right hand for Darkness to pause the recording. "Is this the truth?" He asked finding it hard to believe. Although he was pretty certain the previous attack involving Kalia and her group originated from Randolph he couldn’t be sure.

"Yes, the instant it was revealed that you had an S-rank protector my Master put a stop to all activities involving you and your territory bar the usual surveillance. He also stressed that the old noble families following him should do the same, but they may have acted out of their own self-interests." It was impossible for Sedrick to completely control the old noble families; their power and influence ran deep after all. They wouldn’t openly act against his orders, but they may have arranged probes and pressure from hidden sources.

"..." Frost stroked his chin in thought, re-examining any issues that occurred during his territory’s establishment until now.

There were a few, well more than a few probes in the early days, movements from bandits, merchants, some underworld powers and even the occasional minor noble but hardly impactful in the grand scheme of things thus he didn’t hold grievance towards them believing that a new power would inevitably encounter such things.

’Perhaps some of the probes were orchestrated by these old noble families.’ Regardless this didn’t change anything, maybe making him more aware of their influence but nothing more.

He jerked his head upwards signalling Darkness to continue the recording.

"Given Northrend’s current political climate to act against someone like you would be akin kicking an iron board, offering no benefit." Frost was not just an individual with an unclear but powerful background but also a valiant hero of the recent monster stampede and a generous and capable territory lord. Alone he may not have much power but with his connection to Furano he could be a rallying point for the neutral nobles, forcing him to face off against not just his depraved elder brother but also pretty much everyone else in the Empire. He was already the underdog in this fight, best not to make additional enemies.

Frost slightly tilted his head when he heard the word ’benefit’. Despite the risk of antagonizing an S-rank individual and whatever background force Frost originated from he still had the phoenix kin in his hands, entities that could still provide Sedrick with the legitimacy he desired.

There was no need to pause the recording this time as he immediately moved on to explain why.

"If you’re thinking of the two phoenix kin then don’t, my brother has already revealed his fangs, slaughtered our parents and removed the mask he always wore. The situation has changed, I don’t need them to support my claim anymore in fact right now it’s far more beneficial to me for them to remain under your care, safe and protected." If they were taken or killed at this point he would be the prime suspect thus earning ire from the public, nobles as well as Frost himself, someone he really didn’t want to antagonise.

"....." Frost leaned forward, analysing the expression donning Sedrick’s face as he spoke.

’It doesn’t sound like he’s lying.’ Logically it made sense but given the lines the 2nd Prince was notorious for crossing he wasn’t fully convinced but at least he was certain now that the attack by Kalia was ordered by Randolph.

"Alright now that we’ve cleared that up let’s get down to business shall we?" His earlier explanation was to certify his intentions and make Frost more willing to agree to the upcoming negotiations.

"You recently agreed to help support Viscount Furano and his allied nobles in their efforts to reinforce Icethorne, efforts that are diametrically opposed to my brother’s orders."

Frost nodded his head in agreement even though Sedrick couldn’t see or hear him, a natural reaction.

"I wish to be a part of that movement, to support Icethorne in its time of need."

"...Wait what?"

"I won’t go into deep detail since it doesn’t really concern you but basically for the continued strength of Northrend, Icethorne cannot fall. Even if he does not align with me politically Duke Runak is integral to the Empire, his fortress an economic gold mine and his legendary strength as well as the strength of the War Ursa Battalion key pillars that support our nation’s might....the war must end with his victory or else all will be lost." Sedrick’s tone and demeanour shifted, far more serious and with greater gravitas than before.

"To ensure this I’ll be sending soldiers, resources, weapons and logistical personnel in the coming days. You can discuss the particulars with Darkness here and feel free to inform Viscount Furano of my intentions, just make sure your discreet, farewell Lord Frost."

The recording ended there, the pillar of light vanishing alongside the image of Prince Sedrick leaving Frost shocked and confused.

"....Start talking." Eventually after wrapping his head around this bombshell Frost ordered Darkness to start explaining the particulars as he rubbed his temples feeling the onset of a migraine.

This 2nd Prince was difficult to read, direct and decisive but at the same time elusive and dangerous. What was supposed to be a deal agreed upon by both parties now felt like a rude notification, it’s happening so deal with it basically.

"Yes of course." Darkness wiped his brow not expecting his master to be so forthright, leaving him to clear up the mess.

Darkness thus did as instructed, answering any and all of Frost’s questions and giving him all the information he was cleared to pass on.

The deal was as follows:

Sedrick would be discreetly sending his forces along with a bevy of military supplies within the next several days. They would congregate in Niflheim with whatever Viscount Furano managed to scrounge up and then under the guise of several caravans make their way into the Glacial mountains to reinforce Icethorne.

Frost would have to help facilitate this and offer accommodations as they sporadically arrived in smaller groups so as to avoid detection from Randolph’s forces.

The intention behind it being Sedrick’s belief that the fall of Icethorne and Duke Runak would inevitably destroy Northrend, inviting wolfs from outside their borders to pick at their rotting carcass.

Randolph after his desperate gambit to seize the throne had effectively fallen to madness, caring not a single iota about the prosperity of Northrend, willing to resort to self-harm if it solidified his position. Duke Runak was clearly someone who couldn’t be brought to his side, so he had to go, if Icethorne was the price then so be it.

Sedrick however despite his nefarious machinations would rather see himself fail than watch the Empire crumble away thus despite knowing that Duke Runak would never support his claim to the throne and that by sending a portion of his forces that were already stretched thin he’d be opening himself up to an attack he didn’t hesitate, offering whatever aid he could....at least that’s how Darkness presented the two sides.

His bias was not subtle, and Frost was unmoved by his attempts to portray Sedrick as an unlikely hero in times of turmoil, but he did believe in his desire to see Duke Runak victorious in this war.

"Given the urgency and gravity of the situation I’m sure the Viscount will agree to this partnership but that doesn’t address my needs....why should I offer my help."