A/N – Glad to hear from some of you again. Thanks for the good reviews; it's a huge relief to hear that the first chapter is ok. Well, except for that last part, which confused people way too much. Lesson learned, don't worry.

Sorry about the break between updates. Hitting a bit of a wall. Bear with me

-TheStanfordExperiment

I do not own Frozen.

Chapter Two – A Red Carpet

Ignus had been to Corona a few times in his life. He liked the town well enough, as most of its citizens were kind and respectful. It had always been a sort of safe haven for him, a place where he could rest himself and stock up without worrying, and maybe if he was lucky catch the flying lanterns festival.

And yet, as Ignus entered the lovely kingdom, he knew something was wrong.

The city was on edge. Citizens spoke tightly, like they were pretending to be social. There was no life in the streets.

It was like they were expecting company they didn't want. Ignus' face darkened.

Elsa noticed his face, but not the crowd. "Ignus? Something the matter?"

"I guess we'll find out when we get there." Ignus answered, darkly.

Elsa gripped her reigns a little tighter. She had always been nervous around new people, especially crowds, and Ignus' foreboding tone was not helping.

"Sorry." Ignus said, as if he could read her mind. "I don't mean to set you on edge. It's fine."

"It doesn't sound fine."

Ignus said nothing.

Their horses slowly trotted towards the majestic castle in the middle of the city. It was as beautiful as the Arendellian castle, though Ignus decided to keep that to himself.

Ignus saw movement on rooftops. Fire lit in his eyes.

"Stay close to me, Elsa."

Elsa looked at him fearfully. "…Alright."

They entered the courtyard of the Coronian Castle. Two guards stood waiting.

"Queen Elsa and Lord Ignus?"

Ignus was jolted out of his caution. Lord?

He was about to respond when Elsa cut him off. "Yes. We are here to speak with the King."

One of the guards looked around. "We thought you'd bring men. For protection."

"Well…I didn't see it necessary for what I expect to be a friendly visit."

"And should she need it…" Ignus said, intimidatingly, "I'm her protection."

The guards gulped.

"The uh…throne room is in the first hall, straight ahead."

"Thank you."

Elsa and Ignus dismounted (Ignus stretched his legs) and entered the castle.

Ignus kept looking around him, like he was searching the castle.

"What?" Elsa asked, concerned.

"I don't see many guards."

"Well, why would we? We came here to speak."

"Exactly. There are normally guards here. I've seen them patrolling here when I used to visit Corona. So why would the guards not be here?"

Elsa bit her lip.

"Because they're hiding? Waiting?"

Ignus kept walking, his silence confirming Elsa's suspicions. She put a hand on his arm.

They entered the throne room. It was a large, decorated hall, with four seats on the far wall. Sitting in them was who Ignus presumed to be the royal family. The fellow with the facial hair must be King, and he certainly did not look happy to see them. The woman next to him was most likely Queen, though she looked quite young.

There was a rather cute brunette sitting next to them, probably the Princess, and she looked both nervous and ashamed. A handsome man sat next to her, trying to reassure her of something.

Ignus wanted this all to be some very big misunderstanding on his part, and that there was no reason to fret.

But he had never been wrong in the past about this sort of thing.

The king stood up. "Queen Elsa. Welcome to Corona."

Elsa curtsied. "An honor, your majesty. You have a lovely kingdom."

"And you must be Lord Ignus."

Ignus looked at the man cautiously. "I usually answer to 'Ignus', but if you insist, then yes."

"Thank you for coming so quickly. I hoped to discuss some rather…puzzling events that you two may have knowledge of."

Ignus took a step forward. "I'm happy to hear that, because coincidentally, I'd like to discuss some puzzling things with you that you may have knowledge of."

Elsa reached out to him nervously. "Ignus…"

"Don't worry, Elsa. So, your majesty," Ignus spoke nonchalantly. "What's strange to me is that I visit this lovely little kingdom and I find that nearly every guard in the city is gone. Not on patrol, not out front, not even eating pastries outside on a bench. Why is that?"

The King said nothing. The Queen looked frightened. The Princess looked like she could cry.

"No answer? I'll tell you what I think, then. I think that you have asked your guards to closely but inconspicuously monitor us. And I also guess that there are about…twenty crossbows trained on us right now."

The King looked shaken, but stood strong. Elsa looked around in alarm.

Ignus exhaled. "Your Majesty, I'm not one to shoot first. But you pointing weapons at the Queen makes me question that policy of mine. So, let me ask now. Why are you planning on hurting us?"

Elsa stood very close to Ignus. Frost had begun to fall lightly from her hands.

Ignus' eyes caught fire. "And do not lie to me."

The King closed his eyes and breathed. "These events…many believe them to be caused by you two."

Ignus' eyes widened.

"There have been extreme heat waves in several extremely enclosed locations. They have come and gone in the matter of hours. And there have been inexplicable blizzards in certain areas as well. Fire and Ice…we became worried."

Elsa's eyes shook. She looked mortified.

"That is why I had men follow you. I was afraid you came here to bring another calamity to our kingdom." The King stood tall. "And I will not let that happen."

Ignus felt extreme resentment. He had, of course, not caused any of the strange weather, and he knew Elsa had not either.

But…then again, if these events were, in fact, true, then they were something else. They sounded almost magical. And he and Elsa were pretty much the only well-known magic folk in the country.

So Ignus took a breath. He looked at the King.

"Your majesty, I respect your care for your kingdom and your decision to prepare for our coming. But I swear to you by the flames that burn within me, neither Elsa nor I had any part in the strange events of which you speak."

The King blinked. He looked into Ignus' amber eyes, trying to figure him out.

"You speak the truth?"

"Yes."

The King stood looking at them for a few moments longer.

Then he lifted his hand. Twenty crossbows were sheathed.

He stepped towards the two. "Please, accept my humblest apologies. I was afraid for my kingdom, for my-"

"Your majesty, please." Elsa interrupted. "I do not blame you in the least. I'd have been just as precautious."

The King looked up, relieved. He bowed to the duo.

Ignus breathed again, thought he was still a bit angry with the King.

"Now please, tell us about these calamities." Elsa said.

On to business, as usual with her.

The King walked over to a map on the table. The Princess bobbed over behind him, looking like she had just gotten something huge off her chest.

"I've received word from each of these places that inexplicable waves of heat and cold have passed over them. Gerson, Hullencoop, even the mountainous village of Werenheid."

"Can you explain these occurrences a bit more? Detail-wise?" Ignus inquired.

"Yes. None of them have lasted more than a day, but they have left utter destruction in their wake. They're completely inexplicable…which is why some have written them off as magic." He looked a bit timid saying this.

Ignus looked at the map. The towns were marked on it with small X's.

Elsa frowned at the map in concentration. "What could have caused this?"

Ignus put a hand on his chin, in thought. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it seems like it's linked to our powers."

Elsa looked pained. She hated the thought that her powers may be hurting people.

Ignus, once again, read her face. "I said linked to us. Not caused by. You and I have control, Els. Don't blame yourself."

Elsa, after a moment, nodded, grateful for Ignus' reassurance.

Ignus suddenly leaned in over the map. "Wait a sec…"

He looked up. "Can I draw on the paper?"

The King looked confused, but said, "By all means."

Ignus took out a quill. He then drew lines between all the towns that had been struck across the map, like a big connect-the-dots.

When he finished, he stood back. The lines had created a meaningless symbol. It looked like a trapezoid with several ovals inside of it, with random dots scattered throughout it.

Ignus felt foolish. "Uh…sorry. Worth a try."

"Hold on…" Elsa said, walking up to the map. She stared hard at the outline.

"This…this looks like something I've seen before…"

She traced the outline with her finger. "It resembles an ancient symbol I read in Arendelle's book of Semiotics. These strange dots and circles…there's no mistaking it. It's form the Primordial Language. Only…" Elsa bit her lip. "It's meaning has long since been lost."

Ignus' jaw nearly dropped. It still amazed him how intelligent Elsa was.

The King looked very impressed. "If you say so. We have interpreters here in Corona, but none of them have knowledge of the primordial symbols."

Ignus looked at the map more. "Elsa, you said it only resembles it. Maybe it's not the symbol you're thinking of?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, it's definitely it, it's just that…it looks incomplete. Like it's not been completely drawn yet."

Ignus' mind clicked. "Then…these weird events…they're appearing in the shape of this symbol?"

Elsa shrugged. "It's certainly an odd theory, but it's the only one we have right now."

The King seemed to agree. "Nothing about the circumstances has been normal. At this point, I'm ready to believe the odd."

Ignus clapped his hands. "Then we need to figure out what this symbol means. But…" He seemed to remember. "The people who knew how to speak it are long gone."

The King's eyes were thoughtful. Then he spoke.

"I have heard of a strange man in the woods who has ancient knowledge of languages and civilizations. He never leaves his home, finding the house itself is a hassle, and he usually turns away all who approach him. But at this point, he may be our only option."

Elsa looked skeptical. "A hermit? I don't know…"

Ignus stepped forward. "You'd be surprised how much hermits know. Sometimes it's because they know so much that they want to be left alone. People ask too many questions."

Elsa exhaled. "Alright then. Does anyone know where to find this hermit?"

"That would be where I come in." said a new voice.

The handsome fellow next to the Princess had walked over.

"Prince Eugene of Corona, at your service." He gave them a roguish smile.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance." Elsa said, extending her hand.

"Pleasure is all mine, your majesty. Though I must say, the reports of your beauty are greatly understated." He continued.

Elsa blushed a tinge. Ignus felt an irk of annoyance.

The King looked somewhat bemused by Eugene's attitude. "This is my son-in-law Prince Eugene. And this…" he held a hand out to the Princess who had walked over. "…Is my daughter, Princess Rapunzel."

The Princess curtsied shyly. "Honor to meet you, Queen Elsa."

Elsa smiled back. "The honor is mine, Princess."

"If I can continue…" Eugene interrupted, earning himself a look from Rapunzel, "I know the path that leads to this oddball in the forest. I can take you both there."

"I shall be accompanying you as well." Rapunzel added.

The King and Eugene both turned simultaneously to say something, but Rapunzel gave them both a determined look.

They cowed and said nothing.

Elsa was impressed. She was starting to like this girl.

The King cleared his throat. "Well then…Rapunzel and Eugene will escort you to the Obscuring Forest. But please," He looked earnestly at Rapunzel. "Be careful."

Rapunzel smiled and hugged him. "Don't worry. I'll be okay."

Ignus lit his hand. "I won't let anything harm either of them, your majesty."

Elsa gave him a sideways glance. "You're acting noble."

"I can be noble!"

"When you're not exploding in and out of rooms." Elsa said, slyly.

"Y-you…ugh…." Ignus groaned while Elsa giggled into her arm. Teasing Ignus had become a new hobby of hers.

"Ahem."

The pair looked up to see Eugene giving them an impatient look. "If you two lovebirds are quite finished…"

"Eugene!"

"Alright, sorry. Just thought time was of the essence here."

Elsa drew herself up. "You are right. We shouldn't delay."

The King nodded. Then his face fell a bit.

"Queen Elsa….Ignus….I am truly sorry for my paranoia…I judged too soon…"

"Don't be." Ignus said. "The only thing that matters is that you were thinking of loved ones. And we both can understand that."

Elsa smiled in agreement.

The King gave a small smile. The Queen joined him at his side.

"Take care, all of you."

"We will, Mom." Rapunzel said, simply radiating excitement.

"Stables are out this way." Eugene said, walking towards the exit.

Ignus, Elsa and Rapunzel followed him.

Ignus then looked out a window to his right. He saw a figure standing on a rooftop, cloaked. His face was blurred through the window.

As soon as Ignus saw him, he ran off.

Ignus groaned. He had hoped he was done with being watched.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

As the four entered the stables (Ignus required some motivation), they were greeted by a rather proud-looking white bronco.

Eugene gave it a sarcastic look. "Trying to show off again?"

The horse snorted in an indignant way, as if to say, "I have no idea what you mean…"

Ignus and Elsa were a bit confused.

"Ignus, Queen Elsa, this is Maximus." Rapunzel said affectionately, hugging the horse's snout. "He's a friend."

Ignus blinked. "And here I thought we had the only guy that could speak to animals."

"What?"

"Nothing."

The horse, or rather Max, snorted at Ignus.

"Max, be nice. This is the Queen and Lord Ignus." Rapunzel said.

Ignus really didn't like this 'Lord' thing.

"Ignus. Just Ignus is fine. Drawback of being with the Queen, no one knows what to call you." Ignus said.

"Ignus." Rapunzel breathed. "Ok, so they're royalty. So be nice alright?"

Elsa then let out a small yelp.

"What?" Ignus looked at her in alarm.

"P-Princess, I think you have a lizard on your shoulder!"

She pointed at a small purple creature, which was blending very well with Rapunzel's dress.

Rapunzel gasped. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't introduce Pascal!" She held out her hand, and the small lizard jumped into it, turning green. It was a chameleon.

"This is Pascal." Rapunzel said proudly. The little green lizard made an odd noise, but it sounded friendly enough.

"Uh..." Elsa took a minute to compose herself. "Hello, Pascal." She said kindly.

The chameleon smiled.

Eugene had come over with another horse. "Not a fan of reptiles, your majesty?"

Elsa seemed a bit abashed. "Well…no, I mean I like them well enough…I was just surprised."

Eugene chuckled. "It's alright, trust me the worst thing this little thing can do to you is give you a wet willy. Although actually…" Eugene grimaced and rubbed his ear. "That is pretty bad."

Pascal gave Eugene a smug look.

Ignus was getting a bit weirded out.

"So…" He tried to change the subject. "The Obscuring Forest was the title?"

"Yes." Rapunzel said as she climbed onto her horse. "It's about a day's journey north of here, if I remember. It's called that because sometimes it can trick people into going the wrong way…" She made spooky noises, then giggled in excitement.

Ignus was reminded heavily of a certain redhead he knew.

"Well…what's not to look forward to?" Ignus said as he climbed aboard the horse. He extended a hand and helped Elsa on.

Elsa looked at Ignus' expression. Her eyes narrowed a bit in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

Dang.

"I think someone else wants to find out what this symbol is too. I saw someone on the rooftop."

Elsa clenched her fists. "You don't think it's…?"

"No. No, this guy wasn't dressed like a Riverman. He looked….well he looked like I used too. Raggedy, dirty, unbound. A vagabond, like how I was before I met you."

"Sounds like he swept you right off your feet, highness. A wandering vagabond? What's not romantic about that?" Eugene said, overhearing. He had a teasing smile on his face.

"Eugene…" Rapunzel was getting exasperated.

"Okay, okay, sorry. Just having a little fun."

Elsa put a hand on Ignus', smiling. "Well, whoever it was, I'm sure we'll be able to handle it." She had a fierce look in her eye. It made her look quite attractive.

"Yeah. I know." Ignus replied, his amber eyes twinkling.

"All set to go?" Eugene said, turning to them.

"Whenever you are." Ignus replied.

"Let's go, Max!"

The horses kicked off and galloped out of the Kingdom.

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The man in the helmet was getting impatient.

He had been gone for too long.

Right as he was about to get up, he heard a rustling, and turned to see Fenrir coming out of a bush.

"Told you I'd be back in a dash." Fenrir said, his eyes glinting smugly.

"You are late." Snarled the man in the mask.

"Says you." Fenrir yawned.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Where are they going?!" The man in the helmet said, infuriated. "You did manage to gather some shred of information, didn't you?!"

"Geez, calm down, what, a guy can't make a joke?" Fenrir said, maddeningly. He let out a raspy laugh. "They want to see the old forest hermit."

The man in the helmet stood up. "Then that's where we'll go."

"I just got back!"

"Only because you took so long to do it!" The man shouted. "In the future, don't waste my time!"

And he stalked off.

Fenrir exhaled.

"Yeesh, you try to get a guy to lighten up…" He got up and walked after him, laughing to himself as he did.

The sun began to set in the distance, giving the landscape a reddish-orange glow, like it was ablaze.

End Chapter 2