Chapter 3: Oh?
Hey guys! Sorry about not updating sooner but this week has been pretty hectic due to school and all (I know, lame excuse) but it's true! Regardless though, thank you so much for sticking with me and I'm back on track! So hold on to your underwear and get ready for the ride ahead. See Ya!
The sun was at its brightest, shining high from the sky, with rays of sunlight passing through the empty spaces between the trees. The birds were singing to the tune of a beautiful melody and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers dancing in the wind.
Ah, and the trees. Such wondrous things could not be avoided because they were EVERYWHERE. No matter where you turned, trees will be the first thing you see. We were surrounded. Oh! What surprise! Trees, more trees, and look! Even more trees!
They should have called this damn place The Never Ending Forest.
"Are we there yet?" I asked with annoyance. I was tired and my feet were already forming blisters. I was drenched in sweat and covered in dirt.
Kristoff was holding a map when he heard me and just shook his head and muttered, "For the last time Anna, no. We don't have much left. Just a mile and we'll be crossing Arendelle territory."
"A MILE!?" I exclaimed. "You mean to tell me that a mile isn't 'much left'?"
He scoffed and continued looking at the map but answered anyways, "Alright drama queen I get the point but you have to be patient. You knew what we were getting in to before we left this morning."
That doesn't mean I have to like the idea though. I sighed heavily and we continued walking in silence. We had been walking since dawn and the blonde man decided that in order to save time, we should change in our winter clothes before we left. But considering that we had no idea how long it would be before we reached Arendelle land and the fact that we're both sweating like crazy, I was positive he greatly regretted the idea.
I looked over at Kristoff and asked him, "Hey, why didn't we just go through the entrance again like last time?" I had asked the question multiple times before but perhaps in a way I… forgot.
He looked up from the map and gave me a look saying, you're hopeless. Rolling his eyes he began to explain, "Grand Pabbie said that we had to find a way closest to the port and pretend to be part of the crowd coming in for that special event they hold every year."
"Oh, yeah. I-I knew that." I said scratching the back my neck.
"Uh huh, sure you did." And with that, it was silent except for an occasional chirp coming from the trees.
Great, silence once again. Suddenly, something to the right of me caught my attention. From the corner of my eye, I saw a figure moving closer and closer. I pretended not to notice until I felt something come in contact with my side.
"Sven!" I giggled. Yes the aforementioned friend of Kristoff's came along for the most treacherous journey of all time. Yet, I still had no clue how the smelly man got a hold of such a great companion.
"Anna." Kristoff whispered. Not even noticing when we stopped, I turned to answer him when I noticed he was crouching down with his sword at the ready.
I looked back at the furry animal and his ears were perked up with a scared look. I heard a rustling noise in one of the bushes of Kristoff's side and I decided to unsheathe the dagger I had tied to the side of my hip, and kneeled down waiting to strike.
Kristoff slowly began to approach the bushes when the rustling stopped. Then, something jumped out and immediately we both stood up and jumped towards the danger to attack.
We then both realized, in an awkward silence, the "great danger" was nothing more than a bunny.
Glancing at each other, we could no longer hold in the laughter and we let it escape into the air. Grabbing onto our sides, we both laughed loud enough that I was sure we scared away all the animals in the forest.
After laughing turned painful, we both began to stop and I was pretty sure my face was as red as the big idiot standing in front of me. We put our weapons away and began walking with smiles on our faces. Sven, who went to chase after the bunny, came running after us with his tongue sticking out and with a content face.
After he caught up, he nudged me and I began to pet him while walking.
Twenty minutes later, I saw in the distance… snow. I grinned and walked faster, eager to reach the white phenomena.
Kristoff and Sven came trailing behind me. Finally, I arrived and I couldn't help to stare in awe, regardless of the fact that I had seen it many times before, "Wow."
The two I left behind, caught up and Kristoff looked at me in an exasperated way. "You can't just go wandering off Anna." He threw his hands up and waited for me to answer.
And I couldn't care less at the moment what he had to say, so all I did was mumble an ok and continued to look in amazement at the glistening white snow. All I wanted to do in that moment… was build a snowman.
The big lug just shook his head and began to check our things for anything missing. Once he was done, he loaded some of our things on Sven and the rest was put in our bags. He nudged me to get my attention and when I got out of the trance that I was in, I looked at him and understood what he was implying.
I grabbed my bag that he was holding out for me and put on the mask and hat we had stored away until we reached this certain point. We crossed over and it's like the whole atmosphere changed. The skies grew dark, there was a chill cold enough to seep through our thick clothing, and the ambience was quiet enough to hear our heavy breathing. We trekked through the snow with our boots, leaving a trail of footprints and Sven a trail of pair of hoof prints.
I wrapped my arms around my body, hoping to trap the warmness in. Looking around with chattering teeth, I saw leafless trees with branches covered in snow and the ground with a blanket of white.
"H-hey K-K-Kristoff, why did it look so different before we crossed?" I couldn't help but to stutter in the wintery weather.
"W-well, that's simple." He had his arms wrapped around him too and his voice sounded muffled due to the mask, but I'm sure mine sounded the same when I spoke.
I'm so not used to this weather. "Oh?" I couldn't help but to say in a sarcastic tone. "Tell me, . What is the obvious answer that I don't seem to comprehend?"
And even with the mask in place and also the contribution of his chattering teeth, I could still hear that dumb smirk when he said that one word, "Magic."
Before making it to the port, Kristoff and I changed into our disguises. He wore armor with a padded garment and over that he had a chainmail covering his torso and with green plate armor protecting the most vulnerable and fatal spots. He had a pair of gauntlets and greaves and the helmet he wore had a polished metal finish with a visor showing only his eyes. All in all, the man looked dashing thanks to the blacksmith's hard work back home and if that wasn't enough, the thoughtful man even crafted the sword Kristoff was wielding now. It was a Falchion sword made from iron with steel edges and a slight curve on the end of the blade with a green hilt.
I on the other hand wore clothes of a simple townswoman. I wore a green dress-like tunic with a white undershirt with boots. I also wore a green cloak and mittens in hopes of keeping me warm. And Sven, well he just stayed the same, obviously not affected at all of the cold.
Wish I could be as adapted as you buddy.
After we were finished dressing, we walked over to the docks and began following the people getting off the ships to walk over and see the spectacular tournament.
"Hey," I spoke. "Do you think this will work?" There was a lot of commotion so I hoped he heard him me.
Apparently he did because he put an arm around me and pulled me close, "Of course it will little sister!" He said with amusement. "I wouldn't let you down."
"Yeah, you're right big brother." I gave him a quick smile and looked ahead to see a grand structure already being filled with people of both nobility and common.
I really hope you're right.
