So this has been sitting in my files for forever and I just now had the confidence to try and post it here on FF. My more avid readers will notice that this isn't Teen Titans, but includes some background into the OC I have used for some time, so it'll be worth their while to read up.
For those of you Frozen Fans, I hope you enjoy my take on this.
A HUGE! Thank you to loubuggins who helped write some of this chapter. I'm not that great with describing things and she was happy to lend a hand. Thank you so much!
Read and review and I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: Kuarlong, Land of the Dragon Knights.
The young princess of Arendelle peered out the window of the carriage, being careful to split the velvet curtain just a crack so as to draw as little attention to herself as possible. So the Ice blue eye of the princess strained to see something of interest in this new land. She couldn't see what all the fuss was about, she couldn't see anything mystical or unusual. The way her parents described it, she was expecting to see witches offering sacrifices in the streets or something of that nature.
"Elsa shut the curtain."
She jumped, startled, and shut the curtain and returned to her seat on the other side of her father.
"Vernon, she's just curious about the land you used to tell her about. She's doing no harm."
The king of Arendelle sighed, his breath pushing against the whiskers of his graying mustache. "I know Gerda, I'm just trying to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible. I'm sorry Elsa, I didn't mean to snap." His little girl gave a sharp nod of her head, her eyes downcast and hands in her lap. His wife scowled at him as she put her arm around her daughter's shoulders.
Slowly the carriage came to a stop, the began to rock as the driver dismounted.
"We're here." The gruff voice of their driver called from outside.
Vernon furrowed his brow in confusion, drawing the hood of his cloak over his head before stepping out of the carriage. Elsa leaned towards the open door, fighting to hear what her father and the driver were discussing, her mother letting her satisfy her curiosity.
"I thought you said you'd take us to Kuarlong?" Her father demanded.
"This is Kuarlong," the driver responded matter-of-factly, "Now if you had said the Dragon Castle, sorry, but the only way your getting there is this gondola car, or sprout wings."
What's a gondola? Elsa thought to herself. After a few moments of tense silence, her father returned. "Come. the first part of our journey is over."
"Papa what's a gondola?"
A knowing smile crept under his mustache, "Your about to find out."
He helped pull the hood of her dark blue cloak over her head and helped her out of the carriage, then assisted his wife.
Elsa let out a small gasp as soon as her feet hit the ground, her hands pulling her hood back just a little for her eyes to take in the majesty before her. Behind her was the town, not to much different from her own kingdom at first glance, but in front of her were the mountains; oh those glorious mountains. Taller then any she had ever seen in her life, decorated with majestic waterfalls, mossy green patches and thick forest vines. Thick fog weaved in between the trees that covered the slopes, giving the mountain range a mysterious mood, which only helped fan the flame of her curiosity. Birds flew just over the horizon, looking so small in comparison to the mighty terrain behind them. The mist from the waterfalls mixed with the bright sunlight produced a stunning array of colors that shimmered against the marvelous backdrop. The princess took in a deep breath, the fresh and moist air filling her lungs and adding new life into her tired body.
The carriage had stopped in front of a small wooden shack, seeming out of place compared to the natural beauty that surrounded it. The shack itself seemed like such an eye sore, but she kept her opinion to herself. Behind it was a large car of some sort, much bigger then the carriage they had arrived in. On top of the car was a thick metal rope, and following to line with her eyes, it lead high up into the canopy of the mountains, but vanished out of sight when the line turned the corner.
Are we going on that? she wondered. A tinge of excitement in her chest.
Her father paid the man for the trip, then he and his family entered the small building. Two men, sitting lazily about, got to their feet just as the royal family entered.
"Welcome my friends," the rounder man addressed, "Whom, may I ask, is requesting entrance to the third temple of the Dragon Knights?" The king of Arendelle stepped forward and handed them an envolope. The round man excepted the letter and unfolded it giving the paper a good read, before folding it back up. "Very well." He nodded to the younger, thinner man who opened the back door leading to the gondola car. "Have a safe trip."
Elsa's eight year old mind was spinning with questions. What was in the envolope? What was this car for? Where were they going? But she kept silent, and followed into the car, the thinner man leading the way.
"This gondola is going to take about an hour to get to our destination. It'll be a bit of a bumpy start, but once I give the all clear you'll be able to move about the car freely. Any questions?" The family remained quiet, "Then we will begin our acsent." After a quick jerk, the car began sliding up the line into the mountains.
About twenty minutes later, once the car had stabalized, the young princess inched her way to a nearby window. She would peer over her shoulder periodically as if seeking permission from her parents, and though her father was slightly scowling, her mother was silently encouraging her, while elbowing her husband to stop scowling. Elsa continued to the window, her breath leaving her longs when she saw the granduer in front of her. It was one thing to see the mountains from below, being being this close was breath taking. They passed by one of the waterfalls that sprayed the window with mist, if she wanted she could have reached out and touched the loose hanging vines or moss, but then was shocked to see a nest of some sort that they slowly passed by.
As soon as they passed, she saw some lizard creature with feathers on it's face, pop up from the nest and watch them as they passed.
"That's the Archeopteryx, or the Teryx for short." The thin man who had joined them was by her side, pointing to the creature. "They live in these mountains in large nests, but there not the only flying critters up here."
"They wont attack this car will they?" The king asked nervously.
Their guide chuckled, "No, no. Like most animals if you don't bother them they won't bother you and we're far away from their nests that they wont harm us." Elsa was already wondering to the other side of the car looking at the far wall of the mountains. Looking downwards she could see a large flowing river with other species of animals, but couldn't tell what they were from this height.
Suddenly something caught her attention at the conrner of her eye. She could swear on her life she saw the very mountain itself move and shift.
"Elsa is something wrong?" Her mother asked.
"I, uh, I don't know. I think I saw-" Then she gasped when she saw an enormous emerald eye lazily blink at her before dropping shut, "Th-The mountain, I-I-It just blinked at me!" Elsa was pointing at the mountains on the other side of them, but her mother and father urged her that she was just seeing things.
"That's right," their guide said, "It's not like we have huge stone dragons resting here or anything." Elsa looked out the window again, but the mountain was motionless, making her wonder if she really did see what she thought she saw.
Besides something ELSE caught her attention as soon as the trip was coming to a close.
There, built into the mountain face, was their destination.
As the fog cleared, the ancient stone walls of the dragon knight castle appeared before her. The car passed by randomly fallen stones of times past, before passing by more formidable structures, until finally the castle itself could be seen. The mountains had a natural beauty, but the castle was admirable in its own right. Towers stood protectively around the main structure, and Elsa could just make out the faint outline of knights standing guard, but she was unable to see ACTUAL dragons. The young royal adored the carved stone statues of either strong men or powerful dragons that decorated the castle lands. It was strange to be visiting a castle so intimidating as this one. She had grown up her whole life in a castle, and have never once felt so fearful and out of place.
Ironic, coming from a princess. As the car came to a sudden stop, it jerked the group back and Elsa was sent rocking into their guide. "Woah there, princess! Wouldn't want ya to bonk yer head before you get to meet the Dragon master, Master Tharog." he said grabbing her shoulders with strong hands to steady her. She thanked him kindly as he moved to the front of the car to open the door. "You're majesties of Arendalle, welcome to the Dragon Castle of Kuarlong."
Though the lower half of the castle was built into the rocky mountain, the area which they were headed was placed on the mountains peak, soaring high above the lower levels that Elsa assumed was for training purposes. The car came to a stop by enormous stone pillars, decorated with images of dragons wrapping their long, scaly bodies around the old stones. She was startled to hear the echoing sounds of roaring, metal clashing, and further into the mountain they would go, she could see an odd red and orange glow illuminating the darkness. The stench of smoke and ash filled her senses, making her lungs burn and eyes water. To her relief, her and her family quickly headed for the upper levels, away from the ruckus below.
This was something she was more accustomed to. Elegant furniture were placed along the walls, and luxurious curtains hung against the decorative window. Sacred suits of armor stood protectively at every turn. Old paintings depicting what could only be assumed as famous ancestors or replicas of past battles, lined the walls of the castle. However, it was the enormous study where her and her family were led that truly took their breath away. The room had to have been at least three times the size of her bedroom back home. The stone walls were covered with either paintings or bookcases. The wooden bookcases being filled with a variety of worn books, and few antique pieces that were scattered in between the shelves of books. Once their escort they left the family alone, Elsa began to wonder the study, perplexed by the odd objects and mysterious books. Her mother silently urging her along, just as long as she could keep her powers restrained.
As she wondered around the room, she began to examine the books, her gloved hands running across the spines as her parents sat on one of the couches, and spoke to each other in hushed tones. She paid no heed to their conversation, and instead kept her interest on the decorative edges of the books. Her covered fingers brushed against the sparkling colors, her glove catching the dust that stuck to the weathered leatherbacks. As her crystal blue eyes drifted between the rows of books, one particular book caught her eyes. She walked up to it, and ran a hand over the golden sketch of a dragons eye. Their was no title etched in the spine, and the longer she admired the beauty of the black book with the golden eye, the more she felt called to it. She turned away only for a second as she threw her gaze over her shoulder, making sure her parents were distracted, before reaching for the top of the spine and sliding it forward. Suddenly the large doors to the study creaked open, and the young princess hastily shoved the book back in its place.
A young boy, with dark brown messy hair, about Elsa's age scurried up to her parents. He cleared his throat, making sure to straighten himself out in front of the visiting royalty. "Um, Master Tharog was wondering if you'd like some tea?" He asked, somewhat nervously.
Elsa joined her parents on the large couch, meeting the gaze of the young, round faced boy, whose bright hazel eyes were warm and kind.
"Yes, we would love some tea," said Gerda with a smile, "Elsa, dear, would you like some tea?"
The young princess pulled herself from the boy's eyes. "U-Uh, yes I would love some. Thank you."
He gave a wide toothy smile, and scuttled out of the study. Her parents continued to chat with each other, but the young princess kept staring at the door that had closed behind him, his eyes burned into her mind, and a few moments later the doors opened again. But other then the boy, it was a much older man with long silver hair tied back in a ponytail, warm brown eyes smiling from behind a pair of glasses, and dressed in long black and emerald trimmed robes. This must have been the man they had come all of this way to meet.
Her eyes widened a bit when she saw the black cane in his right hand that assisted him as he walked with a heavy limp. She tore her eyes away from the cane and stood up along with her parents, remembering her etiqute as a princess.
Her father stepped forward with his hand extended. "You must be Master Tharog?"
A smile stretched across his aged face, "That I am," He had to shift the cane in his right hand to his left to shake their hand, but as he did Elsa caught sight of the handle atop the cane. A silver dragon's head with a large emerald ruby in it's mouth, "And who might this be?"
Apparently the introductions had already happened while she was dazzing out, and now it was her turn. She cleared her throat, giving a small curtsy with her dress in the tips of her fingers. "Elsa, sir."
Tharog gave a small bow then quickly took a seat. "Forgive me, but it's tough being on my leg for too long." Once the royal family took a seat the doors opened again. Elsa feeling an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach when she noticed it was the boy again with a tray of tea and cookies. "Ah, and what tea have you brought for our guests today?"
The boy suddenly went wide-eyed. "Uh, theeeeeee good kind?" Tharog laughed, while the queen and Elsa giggled, the king raising a brow unamused. "But I brought the cookies. Best cookies you'll ever eat in your life." He grabbed one with a napkin and handed it to the young princess. She eyed the cookie, keeping them away from his hazel-green pools, and gratefully accepted and took a small bite.
Her eyes shot open when the warm, sweet taste hit her tongue. Excitedly she mumbled an, "Mmmmm", it wasn't the "proper" thing for a princess to do, but she didn't care. The simple pastry was delicious. Looking up at the boy again, he had a smile on his face as if relieved that she liked her treat.
"Drake, I do believe our other guests would enjoy a cookie." The boy, named Drake, snapped out of his odd smiling, and hurried to offer the king and queen a treat. "Everything tastes better after spending some time in our dragon fire heated oven's."
"These are wonderful," Gerda exclaimed, and though he was silent, the King had a approved look as he ate. "Aren't they wonderful Elsa."
Elsa was already brushing the remaining cookie crumbs off of her cheeks, "Mm yes, mama." Once again, Drake had a relieved smile, on his round face boyish face.
"Drake would you mind giving us some privacy for a moment or so?" He gave a nod and once again scurried out of the study, an unusual spring in his step.
"He's seems nice, huh Elsa?" Elsa blushed at her mothers comment, looking down at the floor as she nibbled on another cookie.
"I suppose we should get to the reason as to why we are here." Vernon stated earnestly.
Tharog chuckled, "There's no need to get to business so soon. You've had a long journey and it is late. You should rest for the evening, take in the sights of the mountains."
"I apologize Master Tharog, but we came all this way for your help and I would like to get to that business as soon as possible." Vernon ignored the sigh his wife let out.
"I understand your highness, but in order to comply with your request I'll need to take some time with you and your wife, and your daughter as well, but neither of you are up for that at this moment." He motioned to Elsa, whose head was slowly drooping from exhaustion. Vernon was about to protest, but his wife placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him and let him know they were going to take Tharog up on his offer and wait for the next day.
Drake Daniels hadn't grown into his powers yet, but his sense of smell and hearing was better then most, and he was able to hear that the meeting was over and his uncle was coming for the doors.
"Crap."
His eight year old legs began to sprint down the carpeted halls in the hopes of avoiding-
"I suppose you think that was very clever?" He stopped in his tracks. How in the HELL did his uncle get around so fast on a LIMP?! He slowly turned around to face his uncle Tharog leaning against the door, glaring down at his nephew. "Acting as if I had instructed you to fetch them tea, just so you," Tharog took his cane and tapped a portion of the wall closest to the floor. A loose piece of wood came apart dumping a girl, about a year older then Drake and strawberry blonde hair, onto the floor, "And your sister can get a sneak peak at our guests."
The girl stumbled to her feet beside her brother. "Come on Uncle Tharog. When we heard you say-"
"-OVERheard." He corrected.
She waved him off, "Anyways, when you said the king and queen of Arendelle were coming, we had to see them. It's not like we get many guests up here."
Tharog narrowed his eyes at his niece and nephew, but mostly at Drake. "Well the least YOU could have done is introduced yourself to the young lady. And don't let me catch either of you sneaking around again. Until your father gets back, your in my charge so mind what I say."
Tharog turned away, but Drake's sister caught his attention. "Hold on, how are we supposed to know what goes on here if we can't sneak around?"
Tharog sighed in frustration, glancing over his shoulder at them "I believe I said 'Don't let me CATCH you sneaking around again'." With that he limped off leaving the puzzled children to their thoughts.
Drake shrugged before turning down the hall to his chambers, his sister hot on his heels. "So, was she as cute close up then when we saw her from above the gondola?"
He brushed her away. "Shut up Cynthia." But as his older sister it was her perogative to pester him about the pretty princess he couldn't take his mind off of.
So here was chapter one. Once again I hope you enjoyed and look forward to next time.