"You should have stayed in Arendelle, you know that right?" Kristoff said sarcastically, Anna giggling as the sleigh glides across the ground. "I didn't want you and Sven getting eaten by some monster." She said innocently, her bright green eyes looking deep into his light brown ones.
He laughed a little. "Those killings are probably just wolves that got a little too bold; the guards will probably track them down soon." He said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, Anna glaring a little.
"You remember the last time we dealt with wolves..." She said, a little more seriously this time. Kristoff met her gaze, smirking a little bit. "We survived, didn't we?" He laughed a little.
"Barely." She snaps a little. "We're still here, though." He said playfully, Anna couldn't help smiling a little when he said that. "Yeah..." She giggles a bit. "So, how was your day?" She asked anxiously.
"Well, it was pretty normal. One of the ice harvesters passed out on the job. Apparently, he hadn't been sleeping real good lately, saying he keeps having the same nightmare over and over again. I gave him the rest of the week off, maybe that'll help him catch up on his rest a little." He explains plainly, Anna listening intently.
"Did he happen to say what it was about?" She asked curiously. "Something about turning into a monster, running out into the woods and killing animals or something like that." He answers, watching her eyes widen a little. "That's pretty specific...maybe there's something to it." She suggested. "Maybe..." He said quietly.
The sun was starting to set when they arrive at "Wandering Oaken's Trading Post". Anna tugs on his sleeve, pointing to the simple shack. "Let's go visit Oaken real quick, I want some chocolate." She says hastily, Kristoff shaking his head a little.
"Can't it wait until we get back to Arendelle?" He asked, faking a whining tone. Anna shook her head quickly. "I might not want it when we get there!" She says in a hyper tone.
He sighs a little bit before pulling the reins to the left, Sven heading to the shack. He pulls back a little to get him to stop when they were by the steps, Kristoff helping Anna down after leaving the sled and heading inside.
They walk through the door, Anna heading straight to the counter and almost bumping into a traveler wearing all black and his face covered. Kristoff decided just to browse a little.
"Ah, Princess Anna. What can I get for you?" Oaken greeted her happily, neither of them noticing the stranger studying her after hearing the word "princess". "Some chocolate, please." She answers happily, Oaken smiles.
"Of course, just a moment." He stood up, towering over his two customers while he goes to find the chocolate, Anna finally noticing the man next to her. "Hi!" She greeted happily, turning his attention back to her.
"Hey..." He said, his voice was urgent and restless at the same time. "I'm Anna." She introduces herself with a warm smile. His shimmering silver eyes looked her over for a moment.
"Pleased to meet you, your..." He starts before she interrupted him. "Just call me Anna." She states in a friendly tone. He just nods a little. "Nice to meet you, Anna..." He says simply, just trying to act casual when he felt his blood start boiling.
"Dammit, of all times..." He grumbled to himself, Anna raising an eyebrow as she tries to figure out what he said.
"Are you okay?" She asked concerned. He snarls softly, luckily she couldn't hear it, though, but his eyes had started flickering with an unearthly yellow glow before he managed to get a grip.
"Yeah, I'll live..." He grunted a little. "Just had a rough week..." He said bluntly when Oaken returns with a box of chocolate. "Her you go, your highness. Anything else?" He says happily.
"I think Kristoff's looking around, I'll give him a minute." She said, smiling a little before turning her attention back to the man in black. "So...what's your name?" His head shot up when she asked, but he didn't respond.
He turned to meet her gaze when someone else walked in, his, Anna and Oaken's attention turning to the door to see a burly man wearing fur armor and carrying a double edged long sword on his side.
The man was rather large for his height and had a burly appearance that just screamed "thug", but he had glassy brown eyes. The man in black glares at the thug coldly as he approached the counter, discreetly reaching for his dirk in case he tried to cause trouble.
"Yoo-hoo, welcome to..." Oaken starts before the man interrupts. "I know where I'm at, sunshine, just get me some mead." He said rudely, Oaken's smile fading when he does and Anna's mouth dropping after hearing the remark.
"Um, we won't have any more until..." The man slammed his hands down on the counter. "Not good enough. Go to Arendelle and get it if you have to, I just want some fucking mead." He snarls coldly, making the much larger man cower a little before standing.
"Whatcha gonna do, big man? Blubber like the big baby you are?" He sneered, Anna snatching him around to meet her gaze. "Leave him alone! Why don't you go to Arendelle and get your own drink?!" She snaps irritably as he sneered at her.
"Listen here you little...GAH!" He was cut short when he felt the bone in his forearm snap in two before his head crash against the counter.
Anna, Oaken and now Kristoff watched when the man in black simply reached over, broke the man's arm, the bone barely poking through, but it was still enough to where it could be seen then slam him down on the counter, putting a silver dirk at the nape of his neck in case he had to simply kill him.
The thug struggles to try and escape him to no success. "Get. Out. Now." He snarls coldly, barely piercing the man's skin with the dirk. "What if I don't?" The thug taunted, growling in pain the whole time.
The silver blade went a little further into the man's neck. "Do I really have to draw you a picture?" He rolls his eyes impatiently. The thug laughs arrogantly. "You don't have th...ARRRRRGGGGHHHH!"
He roared in pain when the man in black slammed the pommel of the dirk down on his back in a flash, everyone else cringing when they heard the man's ribs shattering when his attacker forced him up, this time digging his finger into his throat before roaring.
"GET! FUCKING! LOST!" His voice thunders through the small shack as he drags the thug to the door before simply slinging him through it, watching him tumble down the steps and roll across the ground a few feet before staggering to his feet.
He stepped outside, pulling a black re-curve bow from his back and notching an arrow in the string.
The thug sneers at him manically before shouting. "This ain't over, you son of a..." He didn't even finish when he heard the arrow graze right by his ear, nicking in a little as it passed while the man in black notched another, aiming right between his eyes.
The thug snarls before putting his hands in the air. "Fine...you win...for now." He grumbled before disappearing into the forest. The stranger lowers his bow, puts the arrow back in his quiver then drapes the bow back on his shoulder before going back inside, cursing under his breath.
Anna, Oaken and Kristoff watched with their mouths a gate as he entered; barely hearing him grumble when he retrieves then sheathes the dirk before turning to Oaken and pointing at the chocolate.
"Can I get some of that?" He asked, trying to keep from sounding too irritated. Oaken nodded. "Of course." He went to retrieve another box of chocolate while he leans back on the counter, closing his eyes, which were flashing yellow again as he tries to collect himself again.
When he could feel his blood simmering down, he opens his once again silver eyes before turning his attention to Anna and Kristoff, who were just staring at him in shock and awe.
"He got on my nerves..." He said bluntly, watching simply nod, their jaws still dragging the ground while they study him. He raised his eyebrow a little bit. "Might oughta pick your jaw up, flies tend to nest..." He stated a little dully.
They pushed their mouths closed at the same time, their eyes not leaving him. "Will you stop staring, I'm paranoid enough..." He mumbles under his breath, but they didn't hear him, so he decided to just tolerate it until he got what he was after and could move on.
"How...?" Anna starts, her voice shaking a little from just plain surprise. He shrugged his shoulders, not really wanting to answer her question. "Complicated." He answers simply, taking a deep breath as his stress level plummeted more.
She nods a little, not wanting to pry too much when Oaken returned with another box of chocolate. "Here you go, sir. Anything else?" He says. The man turns to face him, looking around a little bit.
"How far is Arendelle from here?" He asked urgently, catching Anna's attention. "Two, three hours away, depending on how you travel." He answered. "On foot..." The man says bluntly.
"Three at the least. Do you need directions?" Oaken offered, the man simply shook his head before taking the box of chocolate, putting a medium sized coin purse that was about half full in it's place.
"I can find it..." He answers as he leaves, turning to Anna. "On me..." He said before they hear the door close behind him. She looks at Kristoff, trying to give him puppy dog eyes.
He shakes his head, already knowing what she was going to ask. "No, we're not giving him a ride." He said quickly. "Oh, come one. He probably just prevented a lot of damage here, the least we can do is help him get there." She almost begs, her eyes locked with his.
"You saw what he did. What if he's...you know..." He whispered a little like he was still standing there next to them. "He probably wouldn't have threw that guy out if he was crazy, he probably would have helped him tear the place apart." She states quickly, a pleading smile on her face.
"I'm sure he'd appreciate it..." She says innocently when he finally rolls his eyes. "Fine, we'll offer him a ride." He grumbled a little, Anna bear hugging him before grabbing her box of chocolate and rushing outside to catch the strange man.
She crashes out the door, frantically searching for him until she saw a black figure walking down the path towards Arendelle, Sven watching him, looking a little nervous as he did.
"Good. He hasn't gotten too far yet." She said to herself before rushing after him. "Hey!" She called out, running as fast as she could. He looked up and turns to see her almost sprinting towards him.
He just watched, his eyes shimmering like stars in the shadows when she stops right in front of him, an eager grin on her face. He looked down at her, meeting her bright green eyes.
"Another one?" He asked calmly, kind of wishing she'd leave him alone. "Actually, I wanted to offer you a ride to Arendelle." She said with a smile. "Really?" He thought to himself, trying not to let her request affect him too much, especially this close to dark.
He simply shook his head. "I move faster on my own." He said bluntly, Anna giving him the same look she gave Kristoff not too long ago. "It'll be dark before you get there and..." She stopped for a second, her smile fading.
He takes a breath; he knew what she was talking about. The killings, the men he's been hunting. Now, he was really getting paranoid. "This can't be a coincidence...what am I doing here...?" He asks himself, looking back at Anna before sighing somewhat irritably.
"Fine. If it'll help you feel better..." He said dully when he felt her snatch him up to the sleigh. "Damn. She's strong for a human." He thought as they approach the sleigh, the large mountain man that was in Oaken's waiting for her, the reindeer at the front just watching, tensing up a little as he passed. He stops her.
"Um, me and animals don't get along real good..." He said simply. "Oh, don't worry. Sven likes new people." Anna insists as she motions him aboard. "I would think so, if they didn't turn into a slobbering, bloodthirsty monster." He grumbles quietly when he noticed her urging him onto the sleigh.
"Ladies first." He said quickly. She smiled a little at his manners and sits next to Kristoff. He hesitated for a moment before stepping onto the sled, sitting in the farthest corner of the sled he could find that was nowhere near Sven, so he wouldn't spook him and kind of throws his pack to the floor of the sled, leaning forward and keeping his eyes down when he hears Kristoff snap the reigns and the sleigh takes off.
Nobody said a word the entire trip, Anna and Kristoff preoccupied with trying to find the right questions to ask this stranger wanderer, occasionally looking over at him while he himself simply stared at his pack, trying to keep a lid on his steadily growing hunger.
"It's always fucking night time..." He thought to himself, his eyes cutting over to them from under his hood for a moment just as they were looking away. He didn't have to see their eyes to learn what was bugging them, he was used to it. Intimidation, curiosity.
They were nervous and he didn't blame them, especially since they didn't know what he really was, or who he is, or that he could turn at any moment. "You...never told me your name..." Anna breaks the silence. He just kept his eyes down and answers dully.
"It ain't important. We probably won't run into each other after this favor anyway." She looked at him curiously, something about him reminded her of Elsa before she gained control of her powers, except he had much more rage bottled up inside.
"Would it be rude of me to ask why you're heading to Arendelle?" She asked cautiously, hearing him let out a kind of irritated sigh. "Just passing through, might sell a few things while I'm there." He answers, his tone not changing much.
"Where...are you heading?" She asks, trying to give him a comforting look. He looked up, his silver eyes almost savage, animalistic and wild, but after meeting his gaze, Anna finds something else stirring in the firestorm dancing in them.
Loneliness, she remembered seeing it in Elsa's eyes and she's suffered through it herself. She felt tears forming in her eyes before she heard his answer. "Wherever the road takes me..." He said, his voice a little quieter before looking back down. She wipes the tears from her eyes before turning her gaze back forward, keeping him in the corner of her eye.
"What has he been through that made him this way...?" She asks herself, trying to hold back the sudden urge to cry, thinking it would only make him feel worse. She would even give him a hug if she knew he wouldn't get mad at her.
Kristoff cut his eyes over to them and gently placed his arm around Anna. She snuggled up to him when he did. The stranger watched them, shaking his head a little before looking away, his blood boiling when he heard Anna's heart drop.
"Good job, you upset the princess of Arendelle..." He grumbled quietly when he smelled something. His head shot up, his eyes fixed toward the front left corner of the sleigh. He puts his arm in front of Kristoff, making him instinctively pull the reigns back and make Sven stop, his eyes shooting straight towards the man who had his other hand wrapped around the handle of his sword.
His heart raced when he saw him grip the blade and was about to tell Anna to run when he jumps down from the sled, pulling the thin silver cutlass, which had Celtic knot designs engravings creeping down the entire length of it and the blade itself ending with a claw-like tip with a subtle flair to it, making it effective for piercing armor and severing limbs.
"What does this guy do?!" Kristoff asked himself as he and Anna watch him approach a man that was on his knees, wearing the same fur armor as the thug from Oaken's, but this man had more hair. A lot more hair, or maybe it was just his armor.
He walked up to the apparently distressed man, putting the tip of his sword under his chin and bringing their eyes to meet. He wasn't really surprised to discover that this was the same thug he roughed up at Oaken's, he knew the prick.
They fought together in the past, but now he was...like him. The man grimaced when he saw his old comrade standing over him, revealing a set of dagger-like fangs as their eyes lock. "Well...what are you waiting for? Do it...unless you don't have the stomach..." He taunted, his voice snarling the whole time.
The stranger shook his head lightly, his cold and remorseless eyes staring into his former comrade's savage amber ones as he raised the sword, a crossbow bolt landing in the side of the man's head just as the silver blade dropped towards his neck.
His eyes followed the bolt's trail to see two young women approaching, one of them wielding a crossbow and wearing a teal silk vest with black leggings and boots and the second was wearing an icy blue dress that glimmered in the moonlight, however he did notice the slit in her skirt that showed a little of her leg and kind of rolls his eyes when he found himself getting a little curious.
"Fucking curse..." He grumbles, scolding himself for succumbing to that instinct, even if it was just for a moment. When they got closer, he started studying them closer. The young woman with the crossbow looked about twenty three, had lightly tanned skin, auburn hair and emerald green eyes.
Just by looking at her, he could tell she was confident, a firebrand even, but she had a chip on her shoulder. "A hunter, could this night get any better?" He mumbles sarcastically until turning his attention to the young woman in the blue dress, his eyes widening and his heart stopping when he saw her face.
"No...no...not you..." He said quietly, urging himself to grab his bag and run as fast as he could, but found his body paralyzed with shock when he learns that this was the same little girl he almost killed that night, her mortified face seared into his mind and though she was content now, all he saw was the fear she had felt that night.
If it wasn't for the hood and mask, everyone would swear he had just seen a ghost. Talia and Elsa walk up to the man, Talia studying him curiously, already noticing that something was off about him. He looked furious, restless, tormented even.
"Better keep a close eye on him..." She thought to herself before smirking a little. "You'll have to be a little faster than that." She teased, pulling the bolt out of the man's head. He hadn't moved or said a word since he saw Elsa's face, which made her raise an eyebrow and tap him on the shoulder.
"Hey! Anybody alive in there?" She asked sarcastically, snapping him back to reality when he realized the werewolf hunter was kneeling down by the thug and Elsa was checking on Anna and Kristoff, almost mortified when it hit him.
"She's..." He almost blurted out, but luckily he just managed to mumble it. "SHIT! FUCK!" He screams in his head, his grip on his sword tightening to the point that his knuckles started crackling and his heart raced. He felt his blood catching on fire before a sharp pain shot though his chest, letting him know he was about to change.
"No, no, no, no, NO!" He tries to get a grip on it, but it wasn't doing him much good. "Hello?!" Talia yells, his eyes shooting over to her and the transformation reversing when he remembered the hunter right next to him. "You mind?" She asked bluntly, motioning at the body. He nods, walks over then severs the head to keep him from coming back, Talia wrapping it up in a piece of cloth afterwards.
"Rough night?" She asked sarcastically, making his blood boil again, he had really hoped she didn't notice his sudden breakdown. "I...knew him..." He said dully, Talia nodding a little. "Sorry..." She said, hoping it'd help him a little. He shakes his head.
"It was his choice. He found a pack, joined them...it's for the best." He said, trying not to sound too cold towards the man. She looked at him curiously, she wasn't quite used to people taking it so well, but judging by the way he looked, she determined he was a seasoned warrior and knew the order of things.
She nods a little before joining Elsa, Anna and Kristoff. "Well, that's another one." She said quickly, tossing the cloth covered head onto the sleigh before climbing in, propping the crossbow beside her leg.
Elsa clears he throat a little. "Anna, Kristoff, this is Talia, Arendelle's new neighborhood werewolf hunter." She said, not really sure how else to address her. "Talia, this is Princess Anna, my sister and her boyfriend Kristoff." She finished, each of them bowing their heads.
"Nice to meet ya." Talia said quickly, crossing her legs a little as she slumps down in the sleigh. "Likewise." Kristoff said. "You too." Anna smiles, looking around for a minute. "Hey, where's...?" She started to ask when Talia points to her right, Elsa and Anna following her gaze to see the shadowy figure standing over the decapitated body with his back to them.
Elsa looked him over curiously, somehow recognizing him, but she wasn't sure how. "Who is that?" She asks her sister softly, Anna shrugging her shoulders a little.
"He was at Oaken's and some thug walked in, taunted me and Oaken then he..." She giggled when she remembered the horrified look on the thug's face when he flew out the door. "Threw him out." She said through a giggle. "Then bought me chocolate." She smiles.
A gentle smile crossed Elsa's lips when Anna explained how they met this stranger, her icy blue eyes studying him when she finished. "Clearly, he has a good heart, but...who is he and...why does he look so mad?" She asked herself, her curiosity growing the more she studies him.
She left the sleigh, motioning for everyone to stay put as she approached him. They watch curiously, tempted to follow her despite being told not to, but maybe she could get a little more out of him. He stared off into the woods, the urge to hunt growing stronger and stronger; he didn't even notice Elsa coming up behind him.
She took a breath before gently tapping him on the shoulder. Her touch snapped him out of his trance and he turns to look at her, doing everything he could to avoid her gaze while he mentally ripped himself to pieces.
"Thank you." She said gently, making him raise an eyebrow curiously. "For what...?" He asked, trying not to breakdown in front of her and alert her to his true nature. "Protecting my sister. She means the world to me." She answers, a warm smile on her lips.
He nods a little bit, but didn't say anything, which made it fade a little. "What's your name?" She asked softly, almost making him tense up. "I should have just bypassed Arendelle..." He thinks to himself before reluctantly answering her.
"Mikael..." He says dully. "Nice to meet you. I'm Elsa." She says, something about her voice almost soothing his searing fury. "Pleased to meet you, your majesty." He said calmly. Her smile grew a little after his display of manners. "Just call me Elsa." She says sweetly. He shrugged a little, still unsuccessfully trying to avoid her eyes.
"Are you...on your way to Arendelle?" She asked curiously, bringing his eyes to suddenly meet hers, nodding a little in confirmation. "Would you like to stay in the castle?" She smiles invitingly, his blood boiling again when he heard her offer.
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, I won't be in Arendelle long anyway..." He answers dully, watching her smile fade, his heart dropping when he noticed her disappointment and her eyes meeting his again. "Are you sure...? It won't be any trouble..." She insisted, with a slight pleading in her voice.
He took a deep breath before letting it out again. "I don't want to be a burden..." He said calmly. She smiles a little bit. "You won't be." She says invitingly, making him shake his head a little. "Karma's a bitch..." He grumbled quietly.
"Okay, fine. If you insist." He sighed, feeling her cold fingers wrap around his burning hand and pulling him to the sleigh. "This again...?" He thought to himself when they board it. "Guys, this is Mikael." Elsa introduced him with a soft smile.
"I'm Talia." He heard the hunter introduce herself quickly while Anna and Kristoff bow their heads a little. "Kristoff." He introduced himself as Mikael returned to his original corner, his eyes returning to his pack when the sleigh starts moving again...
Well, here ya go, Chapter 2 and the tension I promised. Should have the next one posted soon, but I won't make any promises.
Either way, it will be posted a.s.a.p., and I hope y'all enjoy.
