Shall we get started?

Just the Beginning

A cool breeze tousled yellow brown and red colored leaves, or at least the handful that remained stubbornly attached to the trees. Bare branches click and clattered together among the rustling, the fading notes of an autumn symphony.

Winter was fast approaching the kingdom of Arendelle, no more than a few days at the most and snow would be pouring from the sky, already cloudy breaths were visible, such as the large billowing ones streaming from Anna's mouth.

She took a moment to catch her breath. Cold air burned her lungs as she gulped it down greedily. The hot sweat breaking out across her brow quickly turning cold.

Anna launched forward swinging at the straw dummy, hacking and slashing with all the might she could muster, the blade bit deep, but never as deeply as she needed it to. She stepped back panting, still unable to cut a chunk off in one sweep of her blade.

It was frustrating to say the least, absolutely infuriating at the most. She glared at the training dummy with a crudely painted face, bits missing here and there where the blade had bit.

It was mocking her, she could feel it. She screeched in frustration, running headlong toward it, sword raised high.

Thunk

The blade stuck deep into the compact straw, but did not cut through. Anan groaned loudly.

"Come on girl, give it your all! You're trying to hack off a limb, not cut his hair!" She looked up at the tall figure that was now blotting out the sun above her. Her shoulders slumped.

"Sorry papa…" She huffed. A large calloused hand roughly patted her head.

"Don't apologize, girl. Try again. If you can hack off an arm or a leg the fight is as good as over! If they get back up, well…" He chuckled "You'd best take his head on the next swing." Lucian grinned down at the redhead, crooked teeth on full display through his short black beard, green eyes peeking out between his shaggy mop of black curls. The 9 year old red head gave a grunt and nodded hefting the blade up again and with a squealing battle cry made another run at the straw dummy.

"A real beast I'm raisin." The knight chuckled to himself as he watched Anna swing at the dummy with reckless abandon, clearly frustrated with her inability to hack the dummy to pieces. The breeze picked up, ruffling the bear fur cloak that hung from his shoulders over his armor.

"Ey! Form, girl. Don't be forgetting your form!" He scolded when she degenerated into angry hacking. She nodded straightening back into stance, swinging. It didn't take long before she was staggering, leaning on the sword to hold herself up.

"Alright, I think that's enough for one day, girl, the sun will set soon. Let's go back to the trading post." He took the blade from her and slid it back into its sheath at his hip, turning and walking from the clearing they were in. Anna trotted along behind him.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was looking at her palms and frowning.

"They sore?" She looked up at him surprised, hiding her hands behind her back.

"N-no" She grumbled. He smirked.

"Oh, Of course not. I was going to tell you if they did hurt, to soak 'em in cold water, but you're made of tougher stuff then that, eh?" He turned to look down at her, a dirty blue tunic a few sizes too large hung on her, emphasizing her small form but she puffed up, nodding vigorously.

"I thought as much." He nodded with a chuckle. "We should reach Arendelle castle by late afternoon tomorrow." He thought aloud, scratching where the scar across his cheek kept his beard from growing.

"Will I get to see the castle too?" She trotted up to walk beside him. He hummed thoughtfully.

"I suppose so...perhaps i could do you one better and you can come inside with me." She looked up at him hopefully.

"Really?" He gave a nod and she grinned broadly highlighting the gap in her smile where a tooth had come loose a few days prior. The corners of her mouth drooped. "Will Markus be there?" She asked curiously. Lucien frowned.

"I doubt it very much. I dunno where that boy is these days. Wherever he damn well pleases I'd wager." He grunted out the last bit.

Before anything more could be said they were now standing just outside a decent sized log building.

A sign hung over the front door.

'Wandering Oakens trading post.' A tiny sign hung below that one 'and Sauna'

Anna bound up the steps and into the warm building, a gust of chilled wind signaling her entrance. She didn't realize how cold she'd been until the warm air inside hit her, making her skin flush, Lucian stepped in behind her, closing the door on the cold late fall air.

"Yoo-hoo" She looked up and grinned at the large mustached man behind the counter. "All done with your training, eh?" She nodded, just tall enough to set her chin on the rough counter.

"I appreciate you letting us stay in the room, Oaken. This is the nearest rest stop between the northern Mountain range and Arendelle." Lucien set a bag dried salt meat on the counter before wandering back to the aisles, looking over the provisions for sale.

"You saved my life once, Lucian, the room is a minor thing." He glanced down at the redhead who was eyeing a jar or rock candy on the counter with vicious hunger. Teal eyes flicked up at him before going back to the jar.

He leaned down to the girls' level.

"You want some candy, ya?"

She perked up grinning.

"Ya!" He popped the lid off the jar and grabbed a couple of the clear crystal treats.

"No, Anna." Lucien called from somewhere in the store. "You don't need any candy. Go up to the room." She frowned, looking up sadly at the giant store owner. Oaken glanced in the direction of the bodiless voice.

"You heard your papa, Anna." He said, sliding the candies across the counter where they quickly disappeared inside the girls open maw. "Run along upstairs now." He winked and Anna smiled around her treat before running up the stairs past Lucian as he set a roll of rope on the counter.

Emerald eyes watched her go before sliding back to the mountain man behind the counter, a thick black brow quirked.

"Don't think I don't know what you just did." Oaken blinked innocently.

"I don't know what you mean…this all, ya?" He grunted an affirmative as he handed over a handful of gold coins 'Your usually back in town much earlier in the season than this, did something keep you in the north?" The Knight nodded leaning in across the counter.

"aye, i was following a lead for a quest I was sent on. Took a bit longer than I anticipated is all." He gathered up his things and headed for the stairs. "The girl and I will be gone by sunrise, I'll leave some coin on the counter." He threw over his shoulder.

"I've told you before you don't have to pay for the room, Lucian." The door shut. Oaken sighed.

Anna looked up from her place sprawled out on the bed when the knight walked in and deposited his things on the floor.

"Why are we going to the castle?" He glanced down at her curious face than smiled.

"I'll show you, but you have to keep it a secret, aye?" She bolted up into a sitting position nodding.

"I swear." She bounced around, gnawing her lip between her teeth.

Lucien chuckled as he shrugged off his cloak, tossing it on the redhead who squeaked in surprise in the warm fur flopped over her head.

"Papa!" She giggled pulling it off her head. He grinned and plopped onto the bed beside her. He pulled a bag off his belt and held it up for her to see.

"This, is what we're heading to the castle for." She blinked.

"A bag?" He flicked her forehead. She squeaked, holding a hand to the spot.

"No girl! What's in the bag." He pulled the tie loosening the opening and reaching inside, a few clinks and he was holding the bags contents out in front of her.

"A bracelet?" She asked disappointed by the trinket He held in front of her. It was metal, a dark silvery gray, with strange carvings all around the band. A large icy blue stone at its center winked at her in the light.

"Not just a bracelet, Anna. This little thing is called Skjule. It's a magical artifact." She blinked at him before looking back to the artifact in question. "Tomorrow I'll be presenting it to the King."

"What's he need it for?" She wondered. Lucien smirked.

"That..." He leaned forward "Is a secret." He grinned. Anna groaned, flopping back onto the bed. He always said that when he didn't feel like explaining things to her.

"Now get under the sheets and go to sleep. We leave at dawn." She grunted but said nothing as she climbed under the heavy woolen sheets till only the top of her copper head was visible.

A muffled 'night, papa' reached his ears he ruffled her hair. And blew out the bedside candle before going to slip skjule back into the bag. He paused.

The light had been extinguished, but still the gem seemed to shine and glitter. He dropped it unceremoniously back into the bag and tied it shut.

So long as it did what they claimed it did it mattered little to him. This was what the king wanted and as a knight his job was to serve his king.

A little short but it does the job for an introduction to theses oneshots. Enjoy

Skjule is Norwegian for 'conceal'

~ Malthazar LOS