Adventures of John: Death of Magic
Chapter 3: The Bounty Hunter
"He's hiring a what?" Kristoff sounded almost as surprised as I felt. Hans's trail was so cold that I had almost forgotten about the possible danger he might still pose. I would never had expected Adelmar of all people to suggest such a thing.
"A bounty hunter," Eugene replied. "Rapunzel's father has decided the hunt for Hans needs to reach a swift end. He's decided that a professional is required to deal with this."
"In my experience bounty hunters tend to be an unsavory sort," I muttered. "Remind me sometime to tell you about a bounty hunter named Boba Fett. Nasty piece of work that one. What is this bounty hunter supposed to track anyways? Hans escaped months ago. Whatever trail he left is long cold by now."
"Regardless, the bounty hunter will be here by the end of the week," Eugene informed us. "Alasdair says that we should help them in any way we can."
"Who is this bounty hunter anyways?"
"I don't know. Adelmar didn't tell me anything other than they are the best in the business."
"Then I guess we better prepare to meet for our guest."
. . . . .
The rider rode swiftly, their cloak billowing about them in the wind. Breathing in the fresh mountain air, the rider was glad they had chosen this route. They could have taken the ship the entire way, but that would have taken away from the thrill. The ship was too small, too crowded. Out here in the wild they were alone with no one but their trusty steed, the wind whispering to them of their fate. No one knew freedom the way they did.
Soon the forests grew colder, and within days the rider was trodding through snow. They traversed the frigid mountains, and before long beheld their destination. Down below the city sat contentedly astride a fjord, the castle stationed on a small island deeper into the water, connected to the bustling city by a bridge. They rode down, their horse's wild mane flying in the wind. Soon the hunt would begin.
. . . . .
The sun was just beginning to set when they arrived. I felt them long before I saw them, while they were still on the outskirts of the city. The thudding of hooves against cobblestones rebounded through my mind as they rode into Arendelle. I gathered the others and we waited as the rider pulled up to the castle gates. They wore a green cloak with a hood that shadowed their features, making it impossible to tell what the stranger looked like. Over their shoulder they wore a bow and a quiver bristling with arrows, a long sword at their hip. Their horse was massive, a beast with black hair with sections of white and a fierce temperament from the look of things.
The rider dropped of their horse, revealing that they were actually relatively short. They put their hands on their hips, parting the cloak to reveal that they were dressed in close-fit riding leathers. Beneath the cloak they had a slim build, with their hips wider than their waist. Enhancing my vision, I saw that their fingers were slim beneath their gloves, all which combined with their chest made it obvious that this stranger was, in fact a woman.
But that wasn't the shocking part. I was used to being around strong women. A woman bounty hunter, while unexpected for this universe, was not a shocking experience. The shocking part happened when she pulled back her hood, revealing a pale face surrounded by a mane of wild curly red hair.
"What're you looking at?" she questioned in a Scottish accent.
"Merida?"