October 3

"What did you think of our excursion?" Evangeline asked the young maid beside her.

Kayla frowned. It was the second time she'd accompanied the spymaster on a journey to the prison, and while she'd enjoyed the experience, there hadn't been much Kayla had been able to contribute. Now that they were both back at the Palace and seated in the spymaster's chambers, she felt no compunction about letting that opinion be known.

"I...it was nice. I always like seeing you work. But I don't understand why you wanted me to go with you; there's not much I can do to help interrogate someone. You didn't need me at all," she answered honestly.

Evangeline looked at her curiously. "Come," she beckoned. "Sit with me," the older woman commanded as she lowered herself onto the room's large sofa. Confused but obedient, Kayla nodded and quickly sat on a chair across from her superior.

"I do not take you on these trips because I need your assistance," Evangeline began, lighting a candle on the table beside her as she spoke. "Now, answer me this question: what determines whether one is right or one is wrong? What makes the Goddess Elsa the rightful ruler of this planet?"

The young maid's eyes widened. She had no idea where that question had some from; what did it have to do with their visit to the prison? Still, the answer was obvious. It had been drilled into her since the day she was born...almost thirteen years ago.

"Magical power," Kayla answered automatically. "That is why the Queen deserves to rule everything. And why the Faithful are destined to be her lieutenants in the new world...high above every Ungifted mortal. It's our power that gives us the right to rule."

Evangeline's lips pursed. "Yes. That is what we would expect you to say; it's the lesson we teach to every child born into our ranks. I cannot fault you for taking our teachings to heart. And to a certain extent, you are correct. But there is another factor that is also important, without which innate magical power means nothing at all. Can you tell me what that is?"

Kayla found her eyes drawn to the burning light of the candle. She stared into the flame, allowing the soft glow to comfort her. Evangeline's words were nothing short of stunning. Magic was what determined one's worth; that was the truth of the world. To hear anything different from the woman who had mentored her for years...Kayla wondered if she had somehow misheard.

An audible sigh brought her gaze back to the spymaster. "Power is essential, but it is not enough," Evangeline lectured. "All of the magic in the world means nothing if one is not willing to use it. To rule over others, you must be capable of using your gifts whenever necessary. Willing to use them whenever necessary. If you allow the morals of the Ungifted to restrain your actions, then you are no better than they are."

For a moment, the spymaster paused, allowing Kayla to digest her words. Willingness to use her powers? There was no problem there. Suddenly, Evangeline's earlier pronouncement did not seem so shocking.

"During her first life, the Goddess was not the only one with immense magical abilities on this earth," Evangeline continued. "Thanks to her experiments into the deepest depths of magic, there were few who rivaled her. But the King was one of them. A contest between the two of them could have gone either way. Why then was she justified in overthrowing his rule when their magic was equal?"

Kayla frowned, thinking for a few seconds. "Because he was not willing to use his powers. Not fully," she answered. "He hesitated to enforce his rule over the mortals whenever they rebelled. His interference with the laws of magic created profanities...allowing similarly weak gods and goddesses to make their mortal consorts immortal and award them magic they did not deserve. It was his weakness that made her actions justified."

"Exactly," Evangeline agreed, nodding in approval. "She will rule this world forever as its rightful Empress. Not only because she is the most powerful being on the planet, but also because she is willing to use her power whenever necessary."

The maid nodded. "I understand. Still...what does this have to do with me?"

Evangeline smiled. "The Winter Solstice is approaching. When the power of the goddess has returned, the Faithful will reveal themselves openly and take our places as her lieutenants. Elsa will need our assistance to contain the chaos as she establishes her authority over the planet; even the Goddess will not be all-powerful or all knowing. When that day comes, you must be ready to assume your place. There is much more to your destiny than the life of a maid. I need to know that you're ready to assume a role at my side."

"Oh..." Kayla just managed to hide the enormous grin threatening to stretch across her cheeks. She'd known she was going to cease to be a maid following Elsa's ritual, but to hear just what she was being groomed for...it was a tremendous honor.

Evangeline smiled. "And you did very well. Throughout all of his suffering, you never once flinched. I'm happy to say that I believe you capable of assuming a prominent role. When the time comes and you must strike down the mortals who oppose you, there will be no hesitation."

"No," Kayla agreed. She'd already used her magic to kill. Well, almost. The wolves she'd controlled and sent after Anna had failed, but Kayla had possessed every intention of using her magic to murder the other woman. When Evangeline had told her to send out the beasts against the former thief, Kayla had not hesitated. To please her mentor and serve her goddess, she would do whatever was necessary. She would kill without hesitation.

Kayla just hoped her powers were up to the task.

Her fear must have shown itself, for the spymaster placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry. I have every confidence in your abilities. All you must do now is wait until Elsa has accumulated enough magic for her ritual. We've been careful this year and will continue to be so during the goddess's temporary weakening, but there is no doubt that Elsa willsucceed. It was ordained two thousand years ago, and no prophecy has ever been wrong. Once her divinity returns, your days as a maid will be over forever."

Kayla grinned, but the mention of the ritual awakened another concern deep within her. "The ritual...I've heard, well I know it's going to turn the entire world into ice statues. Is that...going to include us? I know we'd be released, but..."

The spymaster confirmed her words with a nod. "Yes. The day of the winter solstice, Elsa's magic will spread out from this Castle like a wave; turning everyone it touches into ice. I don't know if it will be pleasant," she answered honestly, "But the transformation will only be temporary. The same won't be said for everyone, of course. The goddess intends to punish the human race for destroying her. They forced the most powerful being in existence to wander the earth as a fractured spirit for thousands of years until reincarnating as a mortal queen...the price for that will be heavy. Many humans will remain frozen forever, including every royal and noble on earth. Even her relatives in Corona will not be spared. It will be both a punishment and a fitting reminder that..."

Evangeline suddenly stopped, her eyes frozen in fear. Kayla followed her gaze...and immediately drew in a sharp intake of breath. Made visible by the dim candlelight was the edge of a human shadow, stretching into the spymaster's chambers thanks to the small crack beneath the bedroom door.

They had been overheard.

\

Kale had decided to take a chance. All of his intuition had implicated Evangeline as the culprit behind Anna's unthinkable arrest. He didn't know why the spymaster would have chosen to turn the Queen and her protector against one another; a plot to murder the Queen was not the answer. Evangeline had taken part in Elsa's defense for years, and there had certainly been opportunities for her to strike against the monarch over the past twenty years. Still, his gut had told him that she was up to something. It was, apparently, her agents that had uncovered Anna's treachery. The general had never liked the girl, but he had immediately known that the story of her supposed betrayal was a lie. Those agents only answered to one person: Evangeline. If they were deliberately falsifying the story of Anna's treachery, then the spymaster was almost certainly the mastermind.

He'd been cautious. Over the past several months, he'd kept a close eye on the spymaster's activities. The process had been frustratingly slow. Evangeline was perhaps the most reclusive woman in the Castle, and she was more skilled in espionage than Kale would ever be. Any investigations on his part had to be utterly discreet. Still, as the months went by, the coincidences began to add up. Evangeline was spending more time than ever by the Queen's side, while focusing less of her efforts on international affairs. Her attitude towards her usual duties had noticeably changed; she performed them with less zeal. It was almost as if Evangeline was under the impression that they would soon become irrelevant.

The most apparent change, however, was in her mood. Formerly, she had always been the epitome of stoicism. Only Vlora's death had cracked her emotional mask. But in recent months there was almost a glow of satisfaction that seemed to constantly resonate from her very being. Evangeline now acted as if she had fulfilled her life's goal...or that she was on the cusp of doing so. There was an eagerness about her that Kale quickly noticed. Something had changed. He just didn't know what.

Adding to his suspicions were the new guards that had been added to the Palace's forces. Although he was the highest-ranking military officer within the Castle, Kale had little direct oversight on the Palace's employment of guards. At first glance there was nothing strange about them, but careful observation had determined that they were of a different breed than the Castle's usual defenders. They were discernibly less adroit in some of their day-to-day duties, and the only people they socialized with were one another. Casual inquiries to the more experienced guards confirmed that the odd dozen new appointees spoke with their longer serving counterparts only when it was necessary.

When the general had brought up the subject of the new guards at a Council meeting, his concerns had been immediately dismissed. Evangeline in particular argued that there was no cause for worry; her agents conducted extensive background checks on all appointees to the Castle's armed forces, and nothing about the new recruits suggested that they were a threat.

It was that quick dismissal, more than anything else, that aroused Kale's suspicions. Evangeline had always been both thorough and paranoid. It went with her job as spymaster, and had aided in the defense of the Royal Family more than once. It went against her very nature to ignore a potential threat to the Queen, even if her agents had conducted background checks. At the very least, she would have opened up a second round of investigation. The behavior of the new guards was certainly suspicious enough to warrant further inquiries into their pasts.

One thing that had eventually come to his attention was that whenever Evangeline left the Castle, the young maid known as Kayla was nowhere to be found. It had not taken more than a small amount of investigating to determine that the two women were traveling together. And that did not make the slightest amount of sense. It also did not escape his notice that Kayla (when not traveling with Evangeline), spent far more time than any other maid attending to the Queen.

It had still been possible that there was an innocuous explanation. Perhaps Kayla was one of Evangeline's agents and they were working on a project to protect the Queen. Unlikely, but possible. His manner of investigation was thus simple but crude. As commander of the Royal Army, Kale had easy access to the patrol schedules of the Palace's numerous guards. It had taken him mere minutes to discover who would be on duty in the Castle's Second Wing (the location of the spymaster's chambers.) As part of him had expected, they were two of the new guards. In fact, at least one of the guards assigned to the Second Wing had been one of the new breed...every night for the past several months, apparently upon Evangeline's request. The archives of past schedules had revealed as much.

Upon learning of the spymaster's imminent return, he'd decided that it was time to make his move. If Evangeline was indeed up to something and collaborating with allies inside the Castle, they would doubtlessly be discussing their plans upon her return to the Castle. A few quick alterations to the patrol schedule (as a friend of the ranking officer in the guard, it was easy for the general to gain access and make a few changes with no one the wiser) ensured that only one guard would be stationed in the Second Wing that night. And it was one of Kale's friends.

It had been easy for the general to convince the guard to take a brief leave of absence from his post. A few quick excuses and assurances had been all that was necessary to send him to another Wing for twenty minutes. Normally, guards would be too disciplined to abandon their posts, but few men in the military were willing to refuse an order from a general.

If Kale was wrong about Evangeline, then there would be no harm done. Life in the Castle would go on. But if his spying on any conference she might be having with her conspirators revealed that his suspicions were correct, he'd be able to slip away and warn the Queen before Evangeline even knew he was there. And if such a conference were taking place, it would almost certainly be within the spymaster's chambers. Confident that one of her allies was guarding the door, she would be confident that soft-spoken words would not be overheard.

The words he had heard tonight had completely shattered his plans. Elsa was not the target of this conspiracy; she was its leader. Drell, whose words Kale had dismissed as nonsense from a raving lunatic, had been right after all. The Queen was a reincarnation of a goddess thousands of years old, and intent on using her powers to subjugate every human on earth to her twisted whims. Many would be condemned to spend eternity as statues of ice.

Even as his world was reeling from these revelations, a sharp gasp from inside the bedroom informed Kale that he had erred greatly. Although the general had been intelligent enough to plan his espionage effectively, his lack of experience on the actual act of spying had exposed him. As his shock had mounted as the conversation on the other side of the door had continued, Kale had unconsciously drifted closer to the wooden barrier...until his shadow had become visible to those on the other side.

The door swung open, revealing him fully to the room's occupants. Kale had been more than ready to attack, but the sight of a thirteen year old child smiling at him innocently took the general off his guard. By the time he had raised his sword, a smirking Evangeline had vanished from view.

Out of the corner of his eye, he perceived a swirl of black mist behind him.

\

Kristoff took a large swig of his ale, allowing the warmth of the alcohol to sweep through him. An early winter was once again upon Arendelle, and even someone as accustomed to the cold as an ice-harvester was relieved to be indoors.

He was sitting in a pub near the edge of the Royal City. Its somewhat rundown state and mediocre quality of food made it one of the less popular taverns in the capital, but that was exactly why Kristoff had chosen it. During his excursions into the Royal City, he preferred not to make himself visible. The guards might not be actively hunting for him, but he had a feeling that Elsa would be glad to lock him up if she got the chance.

Should be safe here. No one from the Castle would lower themselves by coming to this slum.

His mind, as it often did, went to Anna. He couldn't imagine anyone living out in this cold. Hopefully she'd managed to find a steady job in the Southern Isles, but having forgotten all of her swordplay, the odds of that were not likely.

A familiar sensation of guilt washed over him. Kristoff had done everything in his power to convince the former Knight to stay with the trolls, even if she still planned to lose her memory, but Anna had refused to be swayed. She wasn't willing to make them a target by remaining in their camp, even though it was possible that they would eventually come under attack regardless. Even at her lowest point, Anna had put others before herself.

Unfortunately, a good heart didn't help a young woman make the money she needed to survive. And since Anna wasn't skilled at...almost anything besides climbing, it was doubtful that she had secured a steady job for herself.

I tried to stop her, he reminded himself. It didn't help.

The former ice-harvester was jolted out of his thoughts by a loud creak. Chatter between the tavern's dozen patrons suddenly ceased as a tall, broad man walked through the door. All eyes were instantly drawn to the new arrival. Arendelle was currently experiencing one of its first snowfalls of the year, yet he was dressed in nothing but a light military uniform and a heavy scowl. A hastily made bandage covered a large portion of his left forearm.

Kristoff was seated at the far end of the room, but his heart immediately began to pound. He knew this man all too well. They'd been prisoners together! Although he had no idea why a high-ranking officer had come to one of Arendelle's seediest pubs, the ice-harvester knew that it was time to go.

"Coffee," Kale said gruffly as he sat down on a barstool. As the bartender began to heat the water and the patrons wearily allowed their attentions to divert from the wounded military man, Kristoff quietly rose from his seat. Although he was usually adamant about leaving a tip, Kristoff decided that tonight was the perfect time to make an exception.

Unfortunately, he forgot to count on a warrior's honed awareness. Kristoff was only halfway to the door when Kale's gaze landed on him. Hurriedly looking down at the floor, the former ice-harvester pretended to not notice the older man and walked quickly to the door. Within moments, he was outside.

Kristoff briskly walked off into the night, taking a few hurried steps down the street before turning sharply into a narrow alley. For a moment, the ice-harvester thought he was in the clear. Then, the sound of heavy boots crunching into the snow appeared behind him.

Shit. Tensing his legs, Kristoff prepared to run.

"I need your help," Kale said calmly.

Shocked, Kristoff turned around to face the older man. Ten feet was all that separated them. For a moment they stood facing each other, alone in the narrow alley save for the soft snowfall that whirled around them.

"What are you talking about?" Kristoff demanded. "Don't come any closer!" he added as Kale took a step forward. With hot adrenaline racing through his freezing fingers, the ice-harvester was barely able to extract the short heavy knife he kept holstered in his belt.

The general let out a single, contemptuous laugh. "Put that away, boy. You're strong, but you're no warrior. If I was here to kill you, your blood would already be spilling out onto the snow." Pausing, he let out a long sigh. "Elsa would like you in chains, true, but I'll never do a damn thing for her again. She's not who I thought she was."

Kristoff didn't lower the knife. "Is that so? Looking for a new job? That's why you need my help, I suppose. Want some tips on ice-harvesting?"

The general's lips morphed into a heavy scowl. "We don't have time for this crap. You were there, with me, that night. Remember what Drell said? Every word out of his traitorous mouth was true. Elsa is a goddess reincarnated, and she intends on reclaiming her power and using it to punish humanity."

What?! Kristen's mouth gaped open. He'd long since learned that Elsa was not the benevolent Queen she presented herself as, but a goddess reincarnated? It couldn't be possible. The trolls weren't even sure that gods had ever existed.

"I don't believe you," Kristoff replied.

Kale shook his head angrily. "Then you'd better start. Is it really so surprising that the Queen who betrayed your friend turned out to be a monster?" Suddenly, the general's eyes lit up. "I'm sure you're the one who smuggled her out of the city. But you never would have had the chance if I hadn't released her from that dungeon. Did Anna tell you that? No, I don't think she was even smart enough to figure it out for herself."

"That's bull," Kristoff shot back. "Anna told me all about you, Kale. You hated her from the very beginning. Why the hell would you ever help her escape?" he demanded. "You would never risk your life for hers."

"I never liked her," Kale agreed. "But she saved my life; I owed her a debt. And no one who was there that night would ever believe that Anna was a traitor to Arendelle. If she was really a spy for the Isles, she'd have killed me then and there. I knew she was innocent."

It made terrible sense, Kristoff realized. Anna had told him that her rescuer had claimed to be fulfilling a debt. How could Kale know that unless he had been the rescuer?

For the first time, the ice-harvester looked upon the older man with a degree of belief. "Is that why you're here?" he asked, all sarcasm gone from his voice. "She found out that you're the one who released her? Let me guess, you escaped and went to the most out of the way place you could think of to recover?" he gestured to Kale's wounded arm.

"You're missing the bigger picture," Kale corrected impatiently. "Ever since Anna's so-called betrayal, I've been trying to find out who framed her. I thought that whoever got rid of Anna would be targeting the Queen." He paused, letting out a sardonic chuckle. "To my surprise, it was the Queen. I thought it was Evangeline, but spying on her told me that she's only serving Elsa. The conversation I witnessed went beyond anything I imagined. Elsa is the reincarnation of the goddess, and on the winter solstice, she will initiate a ritual that will fulfill the prophecy Drell spoke of. Her divinity will return, and she will cast aside her benevolent facade and oppress humanity for eternity. No one without magic will be spared…not even her own family."

Could it really be possible? Kale's knowledge of Anna's rescue proved that they were on the same side, but even still...a goddess? It seemed incredibly outlandish, even for someone who had grown up surrounded by magic.

And yet...that would answer countless questions. Why Elsa's magic was far more powerful than any other mage's. Why she could use more than one ability. How she had seen through the trolls' magical shield. And why Drell, Anna's honorable teacher, had been so convinced that she needed to be destroyed.

He'd have to talk with Pabbie to be sure, but Kale's words had convinced him for the moment. Accepting that fact, of course, came with the realization that a wicked Goddess was months away from becoming all-powerful and subjugating the entire world. Fuck.

All that time, Anna had been dating an evil ice goddess. Everything she did for her...Elsa was only using her as a tool. The bitch was just manipulating Anna to protect herself while trying to gather power from her ritual. That's probably why she sent Anna away when she did; once Drell's conspiracy was dealt with, it wasn't worth the risk of keeping another powerful magical user around. If Anna had found out what Elsa was up to...

"What do we do?" Kristoff sighed. The knife went back into his belt.

He'd been expecting a smile in acknowledgment of his acceptance of Kale's words, but the general only nodded grimly. "We have no proof. No army would ever follow us into attacking that Castle, and going there alone would be suicide. Elsa's not alone. She's been somewhat weakened by storing her magic for the ritual, but Evangeline is supporting her with a powerful group of mages. They'd kill us in an instant."

"How did you escape?" Kristoff couldn't help but ask.

"Evangeline caught me spying on her. She can teleport, as it turns out. Bitch distracted me with her little accomplice and materialized right behind my back. But she didn't count on my reflexes. Before she could pull out her dagger, I wheeled around and smashed my elbow into her face. She blacked out immediately."

A teleporter? Great. "Did you kill her?" he asked. That would be one less thing to worry about.

Kale frowned ruefully. "I was about to. But Kayla, was still standing there. She has some kind of magic...Evangeline had mentioned it during their conversation...but that wasn't what she used on me. Turns out, she doesn't look so innocent after she pulls out a knife, and she carries a few of them hidden in her sleeves. I dodged the first. The second took me here," he gestured to his bandage. "I took off running, and she barely missed her next throw. I got out of the Castle easily enough, but by now I'm sure the girl has told them what I overheard."

Kristoff suppressed a shiver as he glanced at the covered wound.

"The point is, they know I'm onto them. They'll kill me before I got within a hundred feet of Elsa. A sneak attack won't work, and the Queen hasn't left the Castle in months. As much as I hate to say it, we need your friend. Where is she?"

Anna. Pabbie would be able to find her with a locator spell. His magic protected her from the locator spells of others, but he himself could still use his abilities to find her. But what good would that do? It wasn't even certain that she had survived the winter. Even if she had, her memories and powers were both gone. There was nothing she could do for them.

Wait...locator spells. His eyes drifted to Kale, and a spike of dread embedded itself in his heart.

Pabbie's magic protected Anna from locator spells, and the troll had given the same protection to Kristoff himself long ago. Kale was not so lucky. If Evangeline had an entire Order of magic users under her command, it was likely that at least one of them was capable of that spell.

"We need to leave, now," Kristoff breathed.

Kale held up a hand. "We have time. They won't search this part of the city for hours, and we need supplies for wherever we're going. And I need to find a sturdy bandage if I'm going to move across the country with this arm."

Kristoff clenched his teeth, trying to rein in his mounting panic. "Kale, I grew up surrounded by magic users; it's how I met Anna in the first place. There's a spell that mages can use to find people; all they need is something that belongs to them. Anna and I received protection from it, but they can still target you. If they use something you left behind at the Castle..." He stopped. Growing steadily louder over the night air was the sound of a group of galloping horses, racing through the streets.

The ice-harvester expected Kale to panic. But the general only drew his sword and stared at him intently.

"We have to go, now!" Kristoff repeated.

Kale shook his head. "Too late for me. You're a different story. Get out of here! Now, before they know I told you! Go find Anna and whatever other help you can get. Hurry! I'll stay behind and hold them off."

"You can't win!" Kristoff protested desperately. By the growing sound of the horses, they had thirty seconds at most before Elsa's forces were upon them. "They'll have mages...you're wounded. Let's go!"

The general stepped forward furiously. "You're not a soldier; I wouldn't expect you to understand sacrifice," he growled. "They need to think that knowledge of the truth died with me; it's the only way that you'll be able to get out of the city. Now, run!" Kristoff stood frozen as Kale lunged forward. Strong hands roughly grabbed him by the shoulders before shoving him towards the entrance of the alley.

"We can't them see you with me. Go!"

Kristoff's brain desperately tried to find a way out, but deep down he knew that there was none. Kale was going to die tonight; nothing could change that. But if Kristoff escaped, then the general's last hours might end up meaning something.

He thought about yelling back some last words of encouragement, but his mouth refused to work. There was nothing he could say. Frustration clawing at his heart, Kristoff started running.

\

It wasn't long before he heard the sounds of battle breaking out behind him. Kristoff tried to discern what was happening through the noise, but the wind rushing by his ears made such a task impossible. All the ice-harvester knew was that he was far enough away to be confident that none of Elsa's forces had seen him. And in the end, that was all that mattered.

Reponses:

WinterWolfDragon: You're definitely supposed to hate her.

DarthCaedus58: I aim to please!

DimmensionalLover: It won't be easy.

Guest 1: There is certainly some Tempest influence in this fic.

: Sorry for the wait!

ClaireCooper: Hope is on the way!

Shtoops: Elsa had a spike of ice leveled at her throat. Lunging forward wasn't an option.

Vidgamelords: Evil? No. Hard-hearted? Yes.

Lovelive: Agreed.

Guest 2: I thought it was pretty clear.

Arekanderu: Nope, sorry. Gerda had no way of knowing about the goddess before that night.

HistoryMan14: I don't think they'll be enough.

Gwiley16199: Not that time.

Jydr: She doesn't.

Kyoko-nyaa: She certainly is. I wasn't trying to make her a sympathetic villain.

LightningDragon: Yes.

BreeBear98: Everything is relevant.

Technicalitiesshizfallacies: Only that devastating?

PascalDragon: I always appreciate help if I mix things up.

Coincidencless: I can see where you're coming from, but that's not how it would work. Real-Elsa's essence is still there, just dormant. The ritual wouldn't help bring her back in any way. I definitely wouldn't do that. Nothing peeves me more than a villain's plan being self-defeating. It takes out all the tension.

ObsessiveImaginings: She deserves to die. Thanks for the help, btw!

DVINM: At least a dozen. Evangeline usually has a vague sense of who is around an area before she teleports; she wouldn't do it if Elsa was with anyone who wasn't Faithful.

Sephyxia: Nope. Kale and Rapunzel suspected someone was targeting the Queen. Not that the Queen herself was the enemy.

Star: We'll see!

TheChronicle: Thank you! You're on point about a lot of things. One thing I think you're wrong about is Anna's willingness to fight the Faithful. It's in her character to fight a hopeless battle even if she's depressed; that's what's remarkable about her. And if she found out about Elsa's real situation, she'd go to any length to fix it.

Don't worry, this story won't end with luck or ignorance. I've had the conclusion planned since the beginning, and it's something I constantly think about. So many great Elsanna fics stumble at the end and have an unsatisfactory finale; that's a trend I want to break. However it ends, no one will be winning or losing because of luck or random chance. And yes, the hemlock thing was a mistake on my part.

M.D.: I do. The goddess doesn't.