Alternative titles:
- Pirate Knight and Training
- Lord Pirate and Training
- Pirate Noble and Training
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[The next day]
[3rd POV]
The morning sun filtered softly through the royal curtains of Camden's guest room, casting a warm, golden hue on the polished wooden floor. Camden lay sprawled on the enormous bed, the silk sheets tangled around his legs, his dark hair tousled from sleep.
He barely stirred when the first knock came at the door. It was soft at first, polite even. Then it became more insistent, followed by the sound of a key turning and the slow creak of the door opening.
"Good morning, my lord," came a chorus of voices, far too chipper for this hour.
Camden groaned.
A procession of neatly dressed maids and uniformed butlers stepped in with graceful efficiency, like a royal army of refinement. One carried a tray of breakfast, another a fresh outfit, and a third opened the tall window drapes, letting the morning light pour in like divine judgment.
"Ugh," Camden muttered, shielding his eyes.
"King Agnarr and Queen Iduna wish to see you at once, my lord," a stern but kind-eyed butler announced with a bow.
"Right now?" Camden sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Can I at least eat first or... y'know... breathe?"
"They said it's quite important," another maid added, setting down a fine velvet coat.
Grumbling under his breath, Camden stumbled out of bed. The maids helped tidy his hair while a pair of attendants fetched his boots.
Someone even tried to powder his face before he waved them away.
"You people do realize I'm a pirate, not a prince, right?" he asked dryly.
"Then perhaps it is time you dressed like a lord," one maid smiled with a teasing wink.
With some effort, they managed to wrangle Camden into a beautifully embroidered navy coat with golden trim, a crisp white shirt, black trousers that actually fit, and polished boots. He looked into the mirror.
What looked back was not the tousled, beach-sunned youth from the high seas—but a nobleman fit to walk among kings.
He exhaled.
"Let's get this over with."
—
The halls of the palace were unusually bustling. Servants flitted about carrying scrolls, trays, and linens, and guards stood taller than usual, as if some great occasion was underway.
Camden was led by a long procession of butlers through high-arched doorways and down marbled corridors toward the grand throne room.
And then the doors opened.
Camden blinked in surprise.
Lining either side of the throne room were nobles—dozens of them. Dukes, earls, knights, ambassadors from nearby lands, all dressed in their most regal attire. The stained-glass windows high above spilled dappled colours on the red carpet that led to the twin thrones where King Agnarr and Queen Iduna sat in their ceremonial garb.
Camden slowed to a stop just inside the doors.
"What… is this?"
His voice was low, not meant for anyone but himself. He glanced around at the nobles whispering and staring. Some seemed curious. Others cautious. One particularly mustached duke gave him a disapproving sniff.
"Camden of the High Seas," King Agnarr's voice rang out clearly, echoing through the vaulted chamber.
Camden's spine straightened instinctively.
"Step forward."
The room fell to an eerie, expectant silence as Camden began walking. The sound of his boots echoed with every step on the pristine marble floor. Eyes followed him from all corners—some familiar, like Iduna's warm gaze, and some completely foreign.
The golden lion crest on his coat caught the light as he walked, drawing more whispers from the audience.
He stopped before the thrones, unsure whether to bow, kneel, or salute. He gave a light half-bow that felt casual enough to be him, yet polite enough not to offend.
Agnarr stood.
The king's voice rang deep and calm.
"Lords and ladies of Arendelle. Noble guests. Today, we gather not in celebration of a birth or a coronation, but in gratitude. We owe our lives to a young man who had no allegiance to our kingdom, no duty to our people, and yet, when the sea turned against us, it was he who calmed the waves."
Camden's brows furrowed. Wait. Was this…?
The king continued.
"It was Camden who answered the flare we launched in desperation. It was he who braved the wrath of a raging storm, standing between our ship and destruction, wielding a power few understand—and fewer still can command. Through his courage, Queen Iduna and I were returned safely to our daughters. To our home."
The nobles murmured, some eyes widening in realization, others nodding thoughtfully. Iduna stood beside her husband now, her smile radiant with pride.
"And so," Agnarr said, drawing a sword from his royal squire, "on behalf of the royal family of Arendelle and by the authority of the crown, I hereby bestow upon you, Camden of the High seas, the title of Lord Knight of the Northern Reach."
Camden's jaw dropped slightly.
"Wait, what?"
The sword was laid flat against his shoulders in the ceremonial gesture of knighthood—first the left, then the right.
"May you wear this title with honour, and continue to carry the flame of justice, wherever the winds may take you."
There was a pause.
Then a slow, dignified clap came from the queen's advisor. Then another from a knight. Then several nobles began applauding as well. Camden stood there, dumbfounded, as the room filled with rising applause.
He turned to Agnarr.
"You know I didn't ask for this, right?"
Agnarr leaned in with a smirk. "And that's exactly why you deserve it."
Camden laughed under his breath, scratching his head awkwardly. He turned and gave a small bow to the crowd, mostly just to end the awkwardness, but it was met with louder cheers.
From the corner of the room, Camden caught Anna waving excitedly, giving him two thumbs up with a huge grin. Elsa stood beside her, calm and poised, but her soft smile was unmistakable.
He shook his head in disbelief. "This is wild."
After the ceremony, the nobles dispersed into smaller circles of discussion and chatter. Some came forward to shake Camden's hand, ask questions about his life, or more specifically, to interrogate him
One duke whispered, "A pirate prince. How delightfully scandalous."
Another knight said, "We could use someone like you in our cavalry."
Camden just laughed it off, taking it all in stride. Eventually, he found himself walking beside Agnarr again as the two stepped onto a balcony overlooking the city.
"You didn't have to do all this," Camden said, resting his arms on the marble railing.
"I didn't," Agnarr agreed. "But I wanted to. Arendelle honours those who help its people."
Camden glanced at him, then back at the city. "Just so you know, I'm not exactly a perfect fit for court life."
"Oh, we noticed," the king chuckled. "That's what makes it more fun."
Camden smiled.
"Still don't know what I'm supposed to do with a title like this."
"Live up to it in your own way," Agnarr said simply. "That's all anyone can ask."
Back in his room, Camden finally pulled off the coat and sank into a cushioned chair. A knock came, but this time it was Anna and Elsa, both entering without waiting.
"You were amazing!" Anna practically shouted, spinning around. "Did you see everyone's faces when you got knighted?"
"I'm going to start calling you Sir Camden," Anna teased.
Elsa stepped closer, her voice softer. "It was well-deserved."
Camden looked at her. "Thanks, Ice Queen."
She rolled her eyes but didn't seem to mind the nickname. He stood, stretched, and looked between the two sisters.
"Well, now that I'm a Lord Knight or whatever... how about we do something fun?"
"Like what?" Anna said eagerly. Camden smiled and wiggled his eyebrows, "Like go into the wood and build a snow man. Do you wanna build a snow man?"
Anna gasped. "You read my mind!" Elsa sighed, but the smile tugging at her lips gave her away. "You never change Anna"
***
[Somewhere in the woods]
[Camden POV]
Anna dragged me by the wrist shouting excitedly, "Come on! Come on, come on, come on!"
I groaned softly, dragging my feet in the shallow snow. It seems winter was coming close to an end for Arrendelle.
Anna was practically bouncing on her heels with excitement. Elsa walked quietly and gracefully beside her, hands gloved, posture perfectly straight, her eyes glancing at the frosted trees that marked the edge of the forest.
She didn't say much, but I noticed her eyes drifting skyward occasionally. The early afternoon was bright, the sky was clear, and the snow had that crisp,
crunching sound underfoot that always made me feel like something exciting was about to happen.
Anna led us with a kind of reckless abandon, humming songs and hopping across icy patches with far more energy than I thought was healthy for this hour of the day.
Meanwhile, I was walking beside Elsa, hands in my pockets. "She always like this in the morning?"
"She's always like this," Elsa said with a small smile.
We stopped near a clearing—tall trees surrounding us like guardians, a little patch of untouched snow in the middle.
Anna flopped back onto the snow with a sigh. "Finally."
I took that as the cue to start.
"All right," I said, glancing at Elsa. "We're not out here just for Anna's snowmen and snow angels. I figured I'd show you how to let loose without... y'know, freezing everything in sight. Or at least learn how to freeze stuff on purpose."
Elsa raised an eyebrow unease creeping in on her. "Let loose?"
Camden stepped closer, his expression shifting from playful to serious. "You wanna try something?"
She glanced at him, wary. "Try what?"
"Magic."
Elsa took a small step back. "I—no. I shouldn't. What if I—?"
"You're not going to hurt anyone," Camden interrupted gently. "Look around. This is the middle of nowhere. It's just us, and I came prepared."
He lifted his hand, murmuring something under his breath. Magic surged from his palm in the form of deep red runes that flared and expanded outward in a wide dome of crimson light.
It stretched 400 meters in every direction, humming as it anchored itself to the surrounding trees and ground.
"A barrier?" Elsa asked, blinking.
"A magic containment field. Even if you accidentally summon an ice dragon or explode a glacier, no one outside this dome will notice," he said casually, brushing his black bangs from his eyes. "Now… go wild."
Elsa hesitated. Anna sat up and grinned. "Do it, Elsa! Come on, this is the perfect time."
"But I… I can't just…" Elsa looked down at her gloved hands.
Camden crossed his arms. "You can't what? Be yourself?"
Her mouth opened, but she didn't answer.
He softened. "Look, you've been suppressing your powers for years. That's like clamping a lid on boiling water. Eventually, it's going to explode."
"I know that," she muttered.
"So don't explode," he said. "Let it out, safely. Right here."
Elsa looked at her sister, who nodded encouragingly, then at Camden's barrier. She could feel the pressure of her own magic under her skin, constantly humming, always restrained. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Okay," she whispered.
She took off one glove. Then the other.
Taking a deep breath, Elsa held her hands out and summoned the ice.
BOOM!!!
A shockwave of raw frost exploded from her chest. Snow and ice shot in all directions like jagged spears. The ground was suddenly locked in permafrost.
Trees within two hundred meters were coated in crystal-white rime. Anna yelped and ran behind me.
I stood there, watching with a slow nod.
"...Okay," I said. "You've got way more juice than I expected."
Elsa stared in horror at what she'd done. "I... I didn't mean to—" She backed away, fear in her eyes. "Elsa," I said, stepping carefully across the frost.
She held up a hand. "Stay back! I'll freeze you!"
"No, you won't."
She gritted her teeth. Her voice broke. "Yes, I will! I hurt Anna before, and I'll do it again!" I stepped right up to her, the ice crunching under his boots.
"You won't hurt me," I said gently. "You're not the kind of person who uses their power to hurt. You're scared, that's all."
Elsa trembled. She looked up into my eyes. I smiled. "Besides, if you were going to freeze me, it would've happened already."
Elsa blinked. "You're strong," I continued, "Like… spirit-level strong. You could probably out-freeze a mountain. But strength doesn't mean control. Let me help you with that."
She stared at me in silence. Then, slowly… she nodded. "Okay. What do I do?"
"Watch closely," I said.
I inhaled deeply. The world went quiet. Water splooshed around my feet—not in jets or streams, but in flowing, graceful liquidy spirals. Each movement I made was deliberate. A sweep of the arm sent water arching like a wave.
A pivot of the heel spun a wet ring of water around me. My body flowed like water, but the energy that danced with me was torrential.
Anna clapped from the sidelines, grinning like a child watching waterworks. Elsa's eyes were locked on every motion.
I danced the water across my shoulders, twirled a small stream between my palms, then swept a leg through the air, sending a crescent of cold wetness rolling across the frost.
"This," I said as I moved, "is control. I do not fear drowning in my own magic, I don't fear the cold that comes with it. I embrace it"
I lifted a foot, spun on my heel, and sent a jet of water shooting into the sky. It crashed into the barrier above, sprinkling us in its cold brilliance.
When I stopped, the clearing fell into silence.
Anna broke it first. "That... was... SO COOL! Do it again!"
Elsa stepped forward slowly, her breath visible in the chill. "How... how can you be so calm with it? Aren't you ever afraid of losing control?"
I turned to her and shook my head. "Not anymore. I used to be. But I realized something important a long time ago—magic isn't some curse or monster. It's a part of me. Fighting it is like trying to hold your breath forever. It'll break you."
I took a few steps closer to her.
"You're not a danger, Elsa. You're just powerful. And power needs patience, not punishment."
She looked down at her hands again. Then, slowly, she pulled her gloves off. Her fingers trembled slightly in the cold, but she didn't look away from them this time.
"You said to dance with it," she murmured.
I nodded.
Elsa stepped forward. Her arms moved slowly, uncertainly at first, trying to mimic the same flowing motion I'd done. She lifted her hand, curling her fingers as if shaping a snowflake. I guided her gently, correcting the angle of her wrist, the arc of her elbow.
And then—it happened.
A thin stream of ice trailed from her fingertips, not wildly bursting but swirling gently like a ribbon in the wind. It shimmered with beauty, not fear.
Anna gasped. "Elsa!"
Elsa stared at the snow ribbon she'd just created. For once, she didn't look horrified.
"I... I did that?" she whispered.
"Yeah," I said with a grin. "You did it."
She smiled—truly smiled—and it felt like the whole forest warmed up, just a little.
We stayed out there a while longer. Elsa kept practicing, this time without freezing entire landscapes. Anna jumped up and down whenever her sister made something small and beautiful—an ice flower, a snowflake that sparkled like a prism, a tiny skating path for her boots.
Now that she'd gotten a feel for it—and proven she could use her magic without triggering a storm—it was the perfect time to really start guiding her.
I could still see that tension in her shoulders, though. Her breathing was shallow, her fingers twitching with nerves.
I gave her a soft smile and stepped into the center of the clearing. "All right, let's take it from the top. This time, no giant spikes of doom."
She laughed once—barely—but it was real. And I'd take that.
"Watch carefully and try to do as I do," I said.
I stood tall and grounded my feet, then moved slowly. I let my arms drift like gentle currents. Each step was light, precise. My hands pushed outward as if guiding invisible water. The movement wasn't flashy—it was quiet and hypnotic.
[Reference here]-->
I demonstrated a few martial arts moves, each movement resembling the flow of water. Elsa nodded silently, eyes locked on my hands.
"All right," I said, stepping back. "Your turn."
Elsa inhaled softly, shut her eyes, and slowly mimicked my stance. Her feet planted in the snow, her fingers spreading just a bit, her arms rising and lowering in a sweeping curve.
At first, there was nothing. But then, like a gentle breath of wind across a frozen lake, a thin layer of frost began to curl along the ground beneath her toes.
She twirled one hand slowly outward, and a looping arc of snow crystals spun around her wrist like a bracelet made of ice.
"Again," I said. "Let's run it through a few more times." We repeated the sequence again, and again, and again.
And gradually, Elsa's movements began to match the rhythm. She found her own version of the flow. Her own voicee in the motion. The frost followed her like a shadow now—not wild and bursting—but gliding and swirling like a painter's brush across a white canvas.
She moved in circles, hands slicing gently through the air. She pushed a palm forward, and a clean, perfect stream of snow shot out, forming a tight arc before breaking into sparkles.
"Nice!" I grinned. "Try breathing deeper when you turn. It'll help you stay steady."
She nodded and adjusted. Another spin. Another ribbon of ice.
Anna clapped again, now sitting cross-legged and cheering between bites of a snow apple she conjured for herself. "You're like... a snow queen ninja!"
Elsa blushed, looking down with a small smirk. "I'm just copying Camden."
"You're not copying anymore," I said. "You're making it your own. That's the point."
She didn't answer, but her cheeks glowed just a little redder.
We kept going. The sun fell lower overhead, casting golden light through the branches above. I broke down a few more patterns for her—turns, footwork, breathing techniques. All rooted in fluidity.
Each time Elsa tried it, I saw something change.
By the tenth cycle, she didn't even flinch when snow began to gather around her. She didn't stop when a gust of wind picked up and scattered her snowflakes.
I stepped back and crossed my arms as she spun into a final pose—hands out, eyes closed, a swirl of snow dancing in a halo around her shoulders.
The wind slowed. The snow settled. And Elsa exhaled.
"...How was that?" she asked quietly, opening her eyes.
"Elsa," I said. "You just did something amazing."
"Really?" she asked, blinking.
She looked around, taking in the gentle frost still lingering in her trail. There were no icicles this time. No frozen spikes. Just... snow. White, fluffy snow.
Anna ran up to her and hugged her tightly. "You're were awesome!"
Elsa laughed softly and hugged her back. Then she turned to me. "I didn't think I could ever do this," she said. "It always felt like my powers were... too much."
***
[After Sunset]
I watched Elsa reach out with both hands, slowly shaping the air in front of her. It was different this time. Her posture was calm, but her fingers moved with purpose, her breath steady, the motion slow and thoughtful.
Frost began to rise off the snow in front of her.
At first, it was just a little swirl. Then it thickened into a bulbous shape. I stepped back slightly, letting her focus. She hadn't even noticed me move.
The shape took on the form of a rounded snowball. Then another, smaller one atop it. Then an even smaller one. A snowman.
She blinked.
I narrowed my eyes, watching it. "Elsa…"
"I didn't mean to make that," she whispered.
The snowman… moved.
Its tiny, twig arms gave a little stretch. It blinked. Then… smiled.
Elsa stepped back.
"Camden," she whispered again, eyes wide.
I held up a hand instinctively, but not out of fear—just caution. "Okay. Let's just… wait a second."
The snowman took a step forward, a little bounce in its walk. Its nose was a crooked bit of bark, and its eyes were small pieces of polished stone—probably formed from minerals in the snow itself.
"Hi!" it chirped.
Elsa gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
"Oh. Okay," I muttered, now genuinely surprised. "You… made a living snowman."
"I didn't mean to!" she said, spinning toward me. "I was just practicing! I didn't think—I didn't even try to—"
"It's fine," I said quickly. "It's not like he's throwing icicles or breathing fire."
"Not yet!" the snowman called out cheerfully.
I looked at him. He waved both twig arms enthusiastically.
Elsa stood frozen in place—pun not intended—her face a cocktail of shock, confusion, and the tiniest hint of wonder.
"Okay," I said slowly, turning back to her. "Let's just take a deep breath. He doesn't seem evil."
"He's… alive," she whispered. "I didn't even think that was possible."
"Well," I said, scratching the back of my head, "that makes two of us."
Anna's voice came floating through the trees before I could say anything else. "Hey! What are you guys doing? I saw a family of deer and—WHOA!"
She skidded to a stop beside us and stared at the snowman. "Oh my gosh. Did you make that?"
Elsa blinked. "I… I guess I did."
The snowman beamed and waddled over to Anna. "Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!!"
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