Courageous Journey
Chapter One
Arendelle...
The sun had risen, dispelling the early morning mist. The citizens of Arendelle were up and about, going about their business. Vendors had their stalls set up and their wares on display, ready for purchase. The air was filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread, and shops were opening their doors. Down by the docks, ships were preparing to set out to sea, some to fish, others to transport cargo and people to various locations. Anyone who witnessed this cheerful atmosphere would hardly believe that, months ago, the kingdom had been in the grips of a massive blizzard that had frozen everything in sight. The blizzard had been unintentionally caused by the current Queen of Arendelle, but, with the unwavering love of her sister, the spell had been broken and the blizzard had subsided and the land thawed out. Afterwards, everyone had gone about their lives and the two sisters now lived happily within the castle.
While all of the citizenry were up and about, the ruler of the kingdom had yet to rise from her bed. Sleeping soundly, Elsa, the current Queen of Arendelle, stirred slightly, snuggling with her pillow. Unbeknownst to her, the door leading into her chamber opened slightly and a small figure crept in quietly. The figure walked over towards the bed and stood right by the slumbering Ice Queen, leaning in close. Elsa murmured and slowly her eyes opened...only to see a blurry white form with a spot of orange. Elsa sat up abruptly, letting out a startled yelp.
"Morning, Elsa!"
"Olaf," Elsa gasped, trying to steady her beating heart. "You startled me!"
Standing by Elsa's bed was Olaf, a snowman she had brought to life with her magic. The friendly little snowman smiled at the Queen.
"The sun's up, Elsa," Olaf said, motioning towards the curtains, highlighted by sunlight. "You can't sleep all day."
"As the Queen I'm sure I can if I want to," Elsa replied drily, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "But you're right. I have my royal duties to attend to."
She climbed out of bed, stretching as she did. The Queen of Arendelle then went over to her wardrobe and opened it up. Her blue eyes wandered over the different dresses and gowns. Somedays she wished she could just dress casually like her sister. But, such was the life of a Queen. Reaching in she pulled out her favorite blue dress. Several moments later, she was dressed and ready for the day.
"So, what are we going to do first," Olaf asked as they exited Elsa's room.
"Before anything else, I'm having breakfast first," Elsa replied.
They arrived at the dining room and saw that food had been set out. A maid standing near the table bowed to Elsa.
"Good morning, your majesty," she greeted. "Breakfast is served."
"Thank you," Elsa said. Then she noticed something. "Hm. Anna isn't here yet." She chuckled. "She's probably still sleeping."
"Shall I go and rouse her, your majesty," the maid asked.
"No need," Elsa replied. "I'll go wake her up personally."
A moment later, Elsa stood before Anna's bedroom door.
"Anna, time to wake up," Elsa called out, knocking on the door. She waited for a moment but heard nothing. "C'mon, sleepy-head, wake up!" Then a mischievous smile came across her face. "Anna, do you want to build a snowman?"
Elsa frowned. There was still no reply from within. She thought for sure her sister would have reacted to that. She must have been in a deep sleep.
"Alright, Anna, I'm coming in," Elsa announced. "And if you're not awake when I get in there, I'm dropping ice cubes down the back of your gown!"
Elsa grabbed the knob and opened the door. She stepped inside, expecting to see her sister sound asleep in her bed...only to find her gone and her room disheveled!
"Anna," Elsa called out. "Anna, where are you?"
Elsa dashed about the room, searching everywhere. Surely her sister wasn't playing some kind of joke on her. If she was, then it was in bad taste.
"Anna, stop fooling around," Elsa yelled, hoping it was just a joke.
But the more she looked around, the more she began to fear it wasn't a joke. Elsa rushed out of the room, calling for the guards. Immediately, they responded to their Queen's summons.
"You called, your majesty," the head guard asked, bowing.
"Has anyone seen my sister," Elsa asked.
"I'm afraid not, my Queen," the guard replied. "She hasn't been by any of our posts this morning. I assumed she was still asleep."
"I just came from her room," Elsa explained. "And she's not there! What's more, it looks as if there was a struggle in there!"
The head guard motioned his troops towards Anna's room. They entered and began searching. The head guard glanced around, noting just how right Elsa was.
"How odd," he commented. "Surely Princess Anna must be around here somewhere. Don't worry, majesty. I'll have every available guard search the castle grounds. We'll find her."
Elsa nodded. She had confidence in her soldiers, and yet, she felt worried.
Outside in the royal stables, Kristoff was in the midst of feeding his reindeer, Sven, unaware of what was happening inside the castle. He had spent the night outside, preferring the comfort of hay and fresh air, as opposed to the ritzy indoors of the castle. Though he supposed someday that might change when he married Anna.
"There ya go, buddy," he said, feeding the reindeer some carrots. "I suppose I'd better get inside and get some breakfast of my own. See you later."
Sven snorted, munching on the carrots as Kristoff took his leave.
As he entered the castle, Kristoff noticed the castle was in an uproar. Guards were rushing all over the place and seemed to be searching for something.
"Wonder what's going on," he muttered.
"Kristoff!"
Kristoff looked up to see Elsa coming down the stairs and she seemed distraught.
"Hey, morning, Elsa," he greeted. "What's all the fuss about?"
"Have you seen Anna," Elsa asked.
"Anna? No, I haven't," Kristoff replied. "Not since yesterday. Elsa, what happened?"
"Anna is missing," Elsa said. "I went to go wake her up and she wasn't in her room. And it was in shambles. Kristoff, I think something has happened to her!"
"Alright, alright,," Kristoff said. "Just calm down. You know what happens when you get stressed out."
Elsa glanced back the way she had come and saw that the hallway behind her was covered in a thin layer of frost. She took a deep breath, striving to calm herself.
"You're right," she said. "Getting upset won't help anything. It's just..."
"I know," Kristoff said. "Look, let's just help the guards search. I'm sure Anna will turn up."
However, Kristoff's words proved wrong. Hours passed and the search had yielded no sign of Anna anywhere. The entire castle was searched, inside and out. Following that, several guards moved out into the town itself and began questioning the citizens. Sadly, no one had seen Anna.
It was late afternoon and both Elsa and Kristoff were back in the castle, standing within the doorway of Anna's room. The guards were still searching, though by now, it was pretty much pointless. Anna was gone without a trace.
"It's hopeless," Elsa sighed. "We've searched everywhere and found nothing. Oh, Anna, where are you?"
"What I can't understand, is what exactly happened," Kristoff mused. "We know Anna didn't leave here on her own, especially without telling us where she was going. Which means, someone took her."
"But how," Elsa asked. "The guards would have noticed. And who would take Anna in the first place?"
"I can think of one person who might," Kristoff said.
"You mean Hans," Elsa said. "I had considered him as well. But, I highly doubt he could have snuck in here so easily. And given the state of Anna's room, she didn't go quietly. She must have put up a struggle."
"But surely someone would have heard something if that were the case," Kristoff replied.
"There must be a way to get some answers," Elsa said.
"Maybe there is," Kristoff said. "The mountain trolls."
"Of course," Elsa said. "Grand Pabbi would be able to give us some answers."
"C'mon, let's go," Kristoff said. "Hopefully he can help us."
The Highlands-Castle DunBroch...
"Easy now...Steady..."
TWANG! The arrow flew through the air, the wind whistling with it's passing. After sailing several feet the projectile hit the target with a solid thunk. Merida frowned.
"A fine shot, lass," her father, King Fergus spoke up.
"I don't know, da," she replied. "I think it was a wee bit off the mark."
Fergus made his way over to inspect the target. After a moment, he turned back to his daughter.
"Eh, close enough," Fergus said. "It was still a fine shot."
"Well, it might be good enough for a practice target, but in a real battle, a few inches from the mark can make all the difference between life and death," Merida replied.
Fergus chuckled. "You're wiser in the ways of battle than I was at your age, my dear. You'll be a fine Queen someday."
Merida smiled, warmed by her father's words.
"Now, let's go," Fergus said. "Your mother's waiting for you. It's time for your etiquette lessons."
Merida cringed. "Of course. We can't forget those."
"I know you don't care for them that much, lass," Fergus said. "But a ruler needs some etiquette in their life as well as archery lessons. Besides, your mother agreed to let you live as you see fit on the condition you at least take a few lessons with her. I'd say that's a fair trade."
"I suppose I can't argue with that," Merida admitted.
As they made their way back to the castle, they heard a commotion.
"It better not be those brothers of yours again," Fergus said, rushing towards the castle.
However upon arriving, they saw that the guards were fortifying the gates. Standing nearby was Queen Elinor, who was overseeing the activities.
"Elinor! What's going on," Fergus called out as they neared.
"We have invaders at the gate," the Queen explained. "I don't know who they are, but I never saw a wilder looking bunch in all my days."
"Invaders," Fergus bellowed. "Not at my castle! I'll deal with this!"
He marched up the steps leading onto the battlements, Merida and the Queen following him. Down below, standing in front of the gates, was a large group of armored men, brandishing swords and spears. Standing in front of the group was a young man with red hair and and short beard. Three blue stripes resembling claw marks were streaked across his face, covering his left eye. He gazed up at Fergus, Elinor and Merida, smiling in a disarming, yet somewhat, insane grin.
"Good morning," he yelled up at them.
"Who are ye," Fergus called down. "State your name and why you're here! And be quick about it, lad!"
"Whoa! No need to be so hostile," the stranger replied. "I was getting to the intros. The name's Dagur. And these are my men. We've come from across the sea to your lovely country on a little errand."
"And that would be," Fergus asked.
"Well, see, here's where we enter a gray area," Dagur replied. "We're after a particular little trinket that's supposed to be here in your castle. It's very important that we have said trinket. We'd be willing to pay for it, of course. So, if you'll let me in to have a look see..."
Dagur got no further. Fergus had commandeered Merida's bow and arrows and fired one off. The arrow thudded into the ground right at Dagur's feet. Fergus already had another one aimed and ready to fire.
"That was just a warning shot," Fergus said. "The next one goes right between your eyes! Now listen well, lad, you or any of your scruffy bunch will not set foot within my castle! I don't know what it is you're seeking, but you won't be having it! Now, shift yourselves before I have my guards turn you all into pincushions!"
Dagur's earlier smile had vanished. Now he looked dead serious. "You're making a big mistake, old man."
"You're the one making the mistake, laddie," Fergus replied. "You don't want to mess with Clan DunBroch! Now, last chance! Leave!"
"Fine," Dagur said, signaling his men. "We're going. But you haven't seen the last of us. We'll be back." He leered up at Merida and winked at her. Then he turned and marched off, his men following him.
Merida shivered. "You sure we should just let them leave, da? What if they do come back? That Dagur looked dangerous."
"I'm no shrinking violet myself," Fergus replied, watching Dagur depart. "If they're smart, they'll leave. But, if they're foolish enough to come back, it will be the last mistake they'll ever make, I can promise you that."
Fergus turned and made his way down the steps, barking out orders to his men to double the guard and keep watch at all times. Merida gazed back in the direction Dagur and his soldiers had gone. Somehow, she knew Dagur's parting words weren't an empty threat. Still, what had they come for? What did Clan DunBroch have that would bring people from across the sea?
Dragon's Edge...
Hiccup stood at the edge of the shore, listening to the crash of the waves at his feet. Despite the calm scenery, Hiccup felt far from relaxed. It had been weeks now since he had last seen or heard anything regarding Dagur. For some reason Dagur had been quiet, too quiet for his liking. He couldn't explain it, but he had a bad feeling that something just wasn't right. Of course, given it was Dagur, it stood to reason he should feel uneasy.
Beside him was his constant companion and dragon, Toothless. The Night Fury could sense his rider's worry and like him shared it. Toothless was all too familiar with Dagur and his obsession to capture the rare Night Fury. And given his insane determination, it was likely they had not seen the last of him. Toothless growled softly, nudging at Hiccup.
"I hear ya, buddy," Hiccup responded, stroking the dragon's snout. "All this quiet is making me nervous, too. Dagur's out there and there's no telling what he's up to."
"Hey, you keep standing there and the tide'll carry you out!"
Hiccup rolled his eyes. He turned to find his friends approaching from the air via their dragons. As soon as they were on the ground, Snotlout, the one who had called out just a moment ago, approached Hiccup.
"So, fearless leader, why the doom and gloom," he asked.
"Isn't it obvious," Hiccup replied. "I'm worried. The fact we haven't heard anything about Dagur lately has me concerned."
"Maybe he gave up because we're too awesome for him to handle," Tuffnut bragged.
"Yeah," Ruffnut agreed. "I'll bet he's halfway across the world by now trying to put as much distance between us and him."
"You two are deluded if you think that," Astrid said. "I'll bet he's planning something even as we speak."
"Maybe we should just go look for him," Fishlegs suggested.
"With no clue where to even start," Snotlout said. "Forget that. Besides, shouldn't we be out there searching for more dragons?"
Hiccup reached into his satchel and pulled out the Dragon's Eye. The mysterious item had been found a while back and could reveal the whereabouts of dragons yet to be discovered. They had already discovered several new dragons already and who knew what others might be out there. He was tempted to continue their search, and yet the shadow of Dagur hung over him.
"Maybe if we resume the search, we might just run into Dagur along the way," Astrid suggested. "Or maybe hear something about him."
"Better than nothing, I guess," Hiccup replied. "What do you say, buddy?"
Toothless growled happily at the notion to be doing something.
Several moments later, the Dragon Riders were airborne and making their way across the vast ocean. The sun was out and the skies were clear, making it perfect for flying. After checking the Dragon's Eye, the five riders were inbound for an island that was supposed to be inhabited by a dragon. Despite his earlier misgivings, Hiccup was glad to be out and about. Besides, Astrid might be right. They could possibly come across Dagur along the way.
"How much further to this island," Tuffnut called out.
"Yeah, my butt's falling asleep," Ruffnut added. "We really should think about getting more comfortable saddles."
"We should be there soon enough," Fishlegs replied. "I can't wait to see what dragon lives there."
Hiccup nodded. He was actually pretty excited himself. Though, more than likely, whatever dragon they found would probably give them trouble, which was how it always went.
"Hey, Hiccup," Astrid called to him. "Isn't that Trader Johann's ship down below?"
Hiccup glanced down. Sure enough it was Johann. And his ship seemed to be foundering.
"Looks like he's having some problems," Hiccup commented.
"When isn't he having problems," Snotlout quipped.
The Dragon Riders swooped down towards the ship. As they got closer, Hiccup could see that the ship was slowly being flooded.
"Johann," he yelled. "Need a hand?"
Johann looked up and a look of relief crossed his face.
"Hiccup! Thank Odin you're here," he said. "Yes, I could use some help!"
A few moments later, they had towed Johann's ship to a nearby island and had it beached. As they helped to repair the ship and bail out the water, Johann spoke with Hiccup.
"I was actually on my way to see you," Johann explained. "I have some news you might be interested in. It's about Dagur."
That got Hiccup's attention.
"What about Dagur," he asked. "We haven't heard anything from him for a while now. Anything you can tell us would be helpful."
"Mind you, I haven't seen him personally," Johann said. "What I tell you I heard from other traders. It seems Dagur and his Beserkers have been seen in a far off land called Scotland. One trader heard mention of something called Clan DunBroch. I don't know why Dagur went there, but, I thought you should know."
"Scotland," Hiccup mused. "I think I've heard of that place. It's pretty far away from here."
"We're not really going to fly all the way to Scotland, are we," Snotlout asked.
"If Dagur's there, then, yes, we are," Hiccup replied.
"Are you crazy," Snotlout exclaimed. "Do you realize how far that is? It'll take us days to get there! And what about the dragon we were going to look for?"
"That'll have to wait," Hiccup said. "Dagur takes top priority."
"But that's all the way in Scotland," Snotlout persisted. "That's way beyond our jurisdiction! I'm sure the Scots can handle him."
"First of all, they're called Highlanders," Astrid corrected him. "Secondly, Hiccup's right. Dagur is our responsibility and we're not going to just ignore this. After all, nobody knows Dagur better than us."
"Argh! Fine, let's get going then," Snotlout said. "I can't believe we're going all the way to Scotland on such short notice!"
After the Riders had mounted their dragons, they towed Johann's ship back out into the water, allowing him to continue on his way. Johann waved to Hiccup and his friends.
"Thanks again, everyone," he called out to them. "Hiccup, I'll get word to your father where you're going! Good luck and safe journey!"
Waving goodbye to the old trader, Hiccup and his friends set out across the sea towards their destination. Dagur was waiting for them in Scotland and they would stop him. What the Dragon Riders didn't know, was that they would also encounter other enemies and allies...
End of Chapter One...