Hey there everyone, King Araz here. I'm sorry about not updating sooner, but I've been in Virginia attending my grandfather's funeral.
A huge shoutout, by the way, to whitepreist27, my first follower, and thunder child 14, my first international follower. You guys are the best.
Anyways, enjoy the new chapter.
Elsa was in the middle of breakfast when one of her attendants burst in.
"Let me guess," she said before the man could regain his breath, "someone's blaming me for last night's storm."
The hurricane last night had been the worst storm in Arendelle's history. Several sections of the outer wall had collapsed, leaving several families fully exposed to the sea's wrath. Fortunately, there had been no fatalities, but the families had to be holed up in the castle while their houses were rebuilt.
"No my lady," he gasped, "there's something at the docks you need to see."
"We spotted her at dawn, "the attendant said, gesturing towards a very battered tall ship floating way out in the harbor, "She must have gotten caught in the storm and blown into the harbor."
"Does she have any identifying markings?" Asked Kristoff.
"None that we could find, sir," replied the attendant, "She's called the R.S.S Endeavour, and she resembles a raider ship from that nation down south."
"She's Rhodorian?" Elsa asked in surprise. She'd dealt with Rhodorians before. They were a rather warlike people, but they had a strong sense of honor. In general they kept to themselves and only occasionally ventured into Arendelle's territory. "What's a Rhodorian ship doing this far north unannounced?"
"Maybe she got blown of course?" Suggested Anna.
Elsa shook her head.
"Unless she was already on her way north, I don't see how that's possible."
"Is there anything up north worth visiting?"
Elsa considered for a second, and then shook her head.
"Nothing that I know of. Unless they have secret establishments up there, which is entirely possible."
She motioned to a couple of seamen nearby. They looked rather nervous. After all, it's not every day that your sorceress queen beckons you over.
"Would you please tow her into port before she goes down?"
They nodded and hustled away. Soon a pair of towships was rowing out to the Endeavour.
As she got closer it became harder and harder and harder to believe that she had survived.
The only mast that had survived was half of the mainmast, There was a gigantic rent amidships that almost divided the ship in two. Plus, her starboard side looked like it had been hit with the world's largest sledgehammer.
Clearly, had she been exposed to the storm for any longer, she would be at the bottom of the sea.
As the Endeavour groaned to a halt, Elsa flicked her wrist. A staircase of ice flashed into being.
She hustled up it and gasped, amazed at the spectacle that awaited her.
The decks was covered in a thick layer of splintered wood, scorch marks, shredded cloth, frayed rope, and shattered ballistae.
However, the most shocking thing was the bodies. They were everywhere, slumped over ballistae, tangled in ropes, pinned by debris, some missing limbs and even heads. Some looked surprised, some resigned, but most just looked flat-out terrified.
She walked in a trance, barely hearing Anna's horrified gasped and Kristoff's whistle as they took in the carnage.
She walked past a man who was wedged between a ballista and huge cast bronze bell. There was another man slumped against the railing with a locket in his hand.
Finally she reached the quarterdeck. Another man, obviously the captain was tied to the helm. His back rose and fell gently… wait a second!
Elsa touched her fingers to his neck, intending to take his pulse, but recoiled in pain. She felt like she had touched a red-hot iron.
She stared at her hand. Her fingers were red and burned, and the sleeve of her ice dress was melted all the way back to her elbow.
He was breathing and had body temperature. That could only mean one thing.
"I've got a live one," she called.
Immediately Anna, Kristoff, and a doctor were at her side.
Kristoff untied him and as he flopped to the deck. Elsa saw that his face was handsome, but marred by a huge scar running from his right temple to his chin.
Suddenly, as the doctor bent down to examine him, his eyes snapped open. They were a deep brown, and as soon as they took in the circle of unfamiliar faces, he scrambled back, whipping a huge sword breaker knife from its sheath.
"Whoa there, easy there son," the doctor said raising his hands in surrender, "We mean you no harm."
His eyes flicked from face to face, judging, determining whether or not to trust.
Apparently he decided to because he returned the knife to its sheath.
He coughed.
"D-d'you have any water?" He rasped.
The doctor pulled a leather water bottle off of his belt and handed it to him.
He accepted it gratefully and began taking small, measured sips.
The doctor nodded his approval.
"It's nice to see that you can moderate your water intake."
The survivor smiled rather wryly.
"I may not look it, but I have been around for long enough to know what happens if you gulp when dehydrated."
He finished off the bottle, shook it hopefully, and then returned it to the doctor.
"What happened?" Asked Anna.
"We set out two days ago from Rhyvan Harbor," he began, referring to a well-used Rhodorian port, "All seemed well until we got hit by that hurricane yesterday. Are my crew…"
The doctor shook his head.
"Sorry son. You're the only one."
The survivor buried his head in his hands and sighed.
"I guess it was just wishful thinking," he muttered, "That storm hit us out of nowhere. One second we were gliding across a perfectly calm sea, the wind at our back. And the next, we were being tossed around like a leaf in a gale."
He tried to stand up, but yelped in pain.
"Whoa there, slow down. You need medical attention. Let's get you back to the castle."
The survivor allowed Kristoff and the doctor to help him up and placed an arm around their shoulders.
"One last thing," said Elsa suddenly, "What's your name?"
The survivor's mouth quirked into a weak smile.
"My name, Lady Elsa, is Araz Rhaudor. I'm the king of Rhodor."
Once again, sorry about the wait. I've just had so much going on in my life that it's been nearly impossible to maintain a regular update schedule.
At any rate, like his character profile says, Lord Araz has quite a few mysteries that must be addressed. In the next chapter, at least.
This is King Araz 7 signing out, and wishing you a good day.