The Love That Bonds Us

Chapter 48 : The Mystery Solved

"I'm surprised it took you this long." a voice suddenly broke the silence. It was calculative, powerful, and unsettlingly calm.

I looked around for it's owner.

It was Colden.

Agnarr and I could only stare at him in shock.

Colden.

As much as I was surprised that he was the one behind everything, I couldn't help but feel it wasn't that unexpected at all. It actually made an awful lot of sense! The inexplicable unease I felt around him, his entire nature actually ...

"You've been behind everything this whole time?" Agnarr eventually managed to ask, admittedly a little weakly, though I couldn't blame him considering he had trusted this man so much.

Colden seemed rather proud of himself for having outsmarted us all.

"Yes." he said, pushing back his chair and getting to his feet. He walked towards the window in the boardroom, trying to assert some kind of dominance as he explained himself, "When your father died, I knew I would have to take some responsibility for your future actions as the Arendellian Monarch. King Runeard was a great leader. He was powerful, noble, and wasn't afraid to do what was right for Arendelle. But you," Colden laughed coldly, "you were not worthy of being King. You were weak, niave, all the things a King should never be. So I did what I needed to do. I offered you my guidance. Just as I'd suspected, you were all too willing to accept my help. And once you did, I could not only maintain your trust, but start my manipulation of you as well, moulding you into the right kind of King."

Agnarr screwed up his face in rage, "You mean like my father? My father was not as great a King as you shape him up to be."

Colden turned around with a frown, "How dare you. King Runeard was a great King. You're niavity doesn't let you see that." he turned away again and began slowly moving about the room, "It took me a great deal of patience and time to get through to you. But, with the help of my fellow Council, I finally made you believe that sending Guards to Lyone was you're decision."

That struck a nerve in me, "Lyone? So I was -"

"Right all along?" Colden finished for me, "Yes. You're a very smart girl Iduna. But not quite smart enough. You knew those reports were fake, yet you never said a word."

"The reports were forged after all?" Agnarr was mortified, "You mean to tell me that there's nothing going on over there?"

"Well, Royal Guards from Lyone never stole any information, they never struck Buri across the face - he got that scar in a training exercise - and Lyone isn't trying to become independent -"

"Why you -"

"But how else could I get you to send troops over there?" Colden asked, his eyes flashing angrily for the first time.

Agnarr and I exchanged glances of shared rage before glaring back at Colden, silently demanding more answers.

"I was born in Lyone!" he exclaimed suddenly, "You've heard me say before that the Queen I were close. We were, for a time. Very close. But when my parents decided to move to wretched Arendelle, Adeline wouldn't talk to me. I tried to send her letters, keep our relationship alive, but she never responded to me." a dark shadow cast across his face, a dangerous glint was in his eyes, reflecting the hate, anger and resentment that had welled inside him for so long.

"And that's why you wanted to invade Lyone? You wanted to get revenge on the Queen for not answering some letter?" Agnarr was rightfully incredulous that this was why Lyone was apparently a threat.