Sorry for taking a while with this, I found myself rewriting parts but here it is, enjoy!
Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya and Frozen belongs to Disney!
Chapter 7 : If You Go Down To The Woods Today
Lars Andersson had had a lousy day.
Bad timing meant that he could not go to the capital for the Coronation celebrations which was a pity because a festival always meant good trade but he had to do the rounds to collect supplies and goods and he could not send Henri to the capital and leave just Emma to manage the Andersson Trading post by herself so an opportunity for profitable trade was lost. Then, on the way back home in the middle of Summer, he found himself in the middle of a freak snowstorm and his cart became stuck in the snow. He would have no choice but to abandon the cart for now and ride his cart horse back to the trading post so he took out some hardy clothes from the supplies to insulate himself against the cold and pulled out the oilskin cover that he used when transporting supplies in the rain and put it over his goods and secured it to protect his supplies from the snow then began to unhook his horse from the cart harness.
Muffled hoof noises and frightened neighing drew his attention and, when he looked round, he saw a saddled horse galloping madly through the trees and he stood in the horse's path, a dangerous move but the horse came to a stop and reared up. Lars avoided the hooves and, when the horse calmed down a little, he grabbed the reins to hold the horse still.
"Easy, boy!" he said, softly, stroking the horse's neck to calm the horse down completely. It took a while but, when Lars was sure the horse would not bolt again, he saw it was a stallion and he took a good look at the saddle. Well made and sturdy and it sat on a saddle cloth of royal blue, edged in gold and adorned with a gold Spade. This was a Spadian Royal Guard horse but where was the rider?
"HELLO?" Lars shouted into the trees, seeing if the rider was in ear-shot. "IS ANYBODY THERE?" There was no answer so he tied the horse's reins to the cart and wandered a little way into the forest, the way the horse had come, to see if, perhaps, the rider had been thrown and was injured but he came across no one so he made his way back to the cart and the horses.
Lars decided to ride the Spadian horse as the stallion was more used to being ridden than his cart horse and resumed his journey back to the trading post, leading the cart horse behind him.
Henri turned as the door to the Andersson Trading Post opened to see his green-eyed, older brother walk in, his normally spiked-up hair wet and flat from the snow. Lars shook the remaining snowflakes off himself and stamped his feet to break off the ice encrusted on his boots.
Henri was stunned when it started snowing in July, well anybody would be, and he was worried that Lars would not make it back. They had not had anyone passing the trading post since the snow began. Not surprising, really.
"I thought you going to be stuck where you were for a while," Henri commented as Lars took off his wet coat. "Where do you think this snow came from?" Lars looked round at his younger brother, at the similar green eyes but the lighter blonde hair, a large part falling down and covering his right eye.
"I don't think it's natural," Lars replied. "One, it's July and two, it came in too quickly so I think this might be caused by magic but it makes little difference. Either way, it's going to hit our trade."
"I can attest to that," Henri said. "We haven't had a single person in here since it started. It's been quite boring, actually." Lars went over to the fireplace that Henri had lit, shortly after the snow began to keep the trading post warm.
"Then you'll be glad of something to do," Lars answered, putting his hands toward the fire. "There's work to be done in the stable." Henri shuddered.
"It's freezing out there," he complained.
"Tell me something I don't know," Lars replied. "But the horses need taking care of and I'm not going back out there."
"Horses?" Henri said, questioningly. They only had one horse.
"I came across a horse without a rider on the way home," Lars replied. "I couldn't find the owner and it has the the Spadian Royal Guard symbol on the saddle cloth and if and when the snow clears, I'll take him to the palace. In the meantime, he needs unsaddling, rubbing down and feeding." Henri grumbled but put on his coat and went out into the snow and the stables. Lars continued to warm himself by the fire, hoping that this strange weather would not last long, worrying about the effect on his business as there were very few travellers in snowy weather.
Then he was pulled out of his worries by the door to the home part of the trading post being opened and a young woman with shoulder-length, wavy dark blonde hair that was held back by a green ribbon hair band and green eyes, like her brothers, came out. She was carrying a lidded pot that she carried over to the fire.
"Oh good, you made it home, Lars," she greeted, hanging the pot on a hook and moving it into the fire. "I made some soup for us and the customers, should we have any." She looked around at the room.
"I think it unlikely, at the moment, Emma," Lars said. "But some hot soup would be welcome." Emma looked round for their youngest sibling.
"Where's Henri?" she asked.
"In the stable," Lars replied. "Seeing to the horses. I found a riderless one on my way home. It carries the crest of the Spadian Royal Guard but I couldn't find the owner so I'm taking it back to the palace when the weather lets up."
"Yes," Emma commented. "It's so strange, snow in July. That can't be normal, can it?"
"I don't think so," Lars replied. "And I don't like it." Henri came back in with a strange look on his face.
"Uh, Lars," he said. "There's a large white bear in the stables. And we have a visitor." He stepped away from the door to reveal a blonde man with a curling strand, springing out and falling between a pair of violet eyes, dressed in Spadian Royal Blue.
"Hello," he said. "I'm Matthew, the new Ace of Spades. I'm looking for the rider of that horse you have in your stable."
Alfred began to realise he might have taken the wrong road. He had heard nothing in the villages and hamlets that he had passed since he veered away from the woods and now he was thinking that maybe Arthur had not avoided the woods at all. Alfred himself would not go through the woods in the snow on his own if he could avoid it because, if you had an accident, there was more chance of someone finding you on an open road than the woods but Alfred had to remember that Arthur was upset so he may have taken the other road.
He was getting nowhere the way he was going so he decided to retrace his step and try the other road. Decision made, Alfred turned his horse around and went back the way he came.
Allistor and Patrick reached the edge of the woods on their borrowed horses, Peter clinging to Patrick's back as they picked their way through the snow.
"Bunny spent a year here," Allistor commented, looking at all the trees. "Big come-down from the Spades Palace." Peter blew his hair out of his eyes.
"He didn't exactly camp out under the stars, you know," the Black Joker replied. "He said it reminded him of home, actually. It's that way." Peter pointed into the trees while Patrick adjusted the cape that was keeping the snow off him.
"Well, let's get to it then," he said. "The sooner we find Bunny, the sooner he can come home and stop this winter weather." Peter clung to his older brother again as they made their way into the woods.
Not far behind them, Red Joker Gilbert was having fun at the expense of the Diamonds and Hearts Aces whom he found very amusing. Ace Lovino, he knew, actually liked Ace Antonio very much but was never going to show it, making the Diamonds Ace work for his affection. It was funny to watch.
"Just try to touch my curl, Tomato Bastard!" Lovino warned, his hand going to his sword hilt as Antonio's hand began straying to the wayward strand of hair. "Just try it, I dare you!"
"Oh, you're so cruel, Lovi," Antonio pouted. "Don't you like me?"
"Not when you're acting stupid," Lovino retorted. "Anyway we've got a mission. Find the Ice Queen and get him to come back and warm everything back up. Preferably without turning us into ice statues. Okay, Joker Bastard! You said you know where Icy Bastard might be, which way?" Gilbert pointed into the trees.
"That way," he replied. "Just follow me." Gilbert rode ahead with the other two following. Gilbert had to suppress a laugh when he heard a grunt of pain from Antonio who still could not keep his hand away from the curl.
Keeping the two Aces and Joker in sight, the trio from Clubs followed from a distance so they would not be seen, hoping that they would take them to where the Queen of Spades had gone to. None of them were looking forward to this, with what they had been tasked with. Facing off against a person of extreme power with orders to potentially kill that person, a member of another kingdom's royalty and that was if said member did not kill them first.
They were not even trained as assassins, they were just servants but, somehow, they got assignments that were outside of their duties and refusal was not an option so they were not a happy bunch.
"What do we do if we find Queen Arthur?" Raivis said, trembling. "He could turn us into ice blocks and I don't want to kill anyone anyway."
"What else can we do?" Toris replied. "Ace Natalya thinks that killing Queen Arthur is the only thing that will stop this magic Winter. Besides, if we don't, she'll kill us!" Eduard shifted on his horse.
"Her exact words were 'Find Queen Arthur and bring an end to this winter magic. By any means necessary'," he commented. "Death is a last resort."
"Who's?" Toris asked. "His or ours?" Eduard said nothing as they continued to follow the three in front of them.
It was getting dark when Matthew first found the Andersson Trading Post and he had his first break when he saw the palace horse in the stable along with the young man who had been in the process of removing the saddle. He knew it was not Alfred's horse so it could only be the horse that Arthur had taken.
Now he was sat by the fire, inside the trading post, eating the soup that Emma had provided him with when it had heated up while Henri went to finish taking care of the horses, taking out some salted fish for Kumajirou after which Matthew explained the events of the Coronation and the reason why Spades was struck by Winter in July.
"So that's why no one ever saw Prince Arthur!" Emma exclaimed. "I mean, I often wondered but no one ever really knew the real story. The poor man must have been so alone all these years."
"But how did he make it Winter in mid-Summer?" Henri asked. "Is he really that powerful?"
"It would appear so," Matthew replied. "I don't think he even realises what he's done and he could be the only one who can reverse it, that's why I'm looking for him. He spent a year with the Ice Troll Chieftain in the Troll Woods, learning control so I think he may have gone there and I need to find him."
"Well," Lars said. "You're on the outer edge of the Troll Woods now but it's a big area. However, we trade with the Trolls and I know they have a dwelling nearby. It's a little way off but within riding distance and I've delivered goods there in the past but it has been over a year since I did so that could be where the Queen stayed." Matthew put his empty soup bowl down, excitedly.
"Could you take me there?" he asked. "I know the weather is bad but I've no time to lose. You'll be rewarded for your help." Lars gave it some thought. Going back out into the snow was not something he really wanted to do but if it stopped this weather, the threat to his trade would be eliminated so he nodded.
"All right," he replied. "But I suggest we wait until tomorrow. It's getting too dark and your bear will need rest as well as the horse."
"But I told you, time is of the essence!" Matthew replied, urgently.
"Ace Matthew," Lars said. "Travelling through snow is difficult at the best of times. Travelling through the dark is just too dangerous. You can't convince Queen Arthur to return if you're dead." Matthew sighed, knowing that Lars was right.
"All right," he agreed. "But we must find the Queen as soon as possible."
"Henri," Lars turned to his brother and sister. "You and Emma will be looking after the post while we're gone. Emma, can you make some sleeping arrangements for Ace Matthew?" Emma disappeared into the home part of the building while Lars looked around at the goods around the room. "Right! We need woollen cloaks, blankets, a shovel, some ropes will be handy …..." He began moving around the room, collecting the things that would be useful in the snow.
"Do you think you can get Queen Arthur to go back to the palace," Henri asked Matthew. "It sounds like he's afraid of hurting people so he'll want to stay away from everyone."
"I have to," Matthew replied. "For everyone sake."
Lovino was scowling at his companions and everything they passed as they took the woodland road. The heavy cloaks that they wore helped keep some of the cold at bay but not all and if there was anything Lovino hated, it was being cold.
"We're supposed to be celebrating in a nice, warm castle, right now," he grumbled. "Instead, we're chasing a runaway Queen who set off an out-of-season Winter with hidden powers so now we're freezing our asses off, out in the woods." Antonio came close to Lovino's horse to wrap his arm around him.
"I'll keep you warm, Lovi," he cooed in his ear. Lovino stuck his hand on Antonio's face and pushed him away.
"Stop acting like your perverted cousin, Tomato Bastard," he fumed. "It's creepy when you act like that cazzo (shit)." Gilbert kesesed.
"And what are you laughing about, Joker Bastard?" Lovino fumed. "It's colder than Beelzebub's balls out here and it's getting dark."
"Then we better find shelter," Gilbert replied. "This way. I know of a trading post nearby." And they continued on through the woods.
The Kirkland brothers approached the Andersson Trading Post with hopes that the owner would provide shelter. They had money that had been provided to them by the Jack of Spades, in case they needed financial assistance so they could pay for any accommodation that the owner might have available. The post looked well-built and, judging from the smoke rising from the chimney, warm.
Allistor knocked on the door before opening it and walking in, followed by Peter and Patrick to find a young, blonde man, sat with the Ace of Spades.
"You're Queen Arthur's brothers!" Matthew said in surprise.
"Ace Matthew!" Allistor said, equally taken aback. "I never expected to catch you up. Is the King here?"
"No," Matthew replied. "I haven't seen him. He may have taken the other road."
"Just as well," Allistor muttered. "We're looking for our brother but we can't go on in the dark. We're hoping this place can provide accommodation for the night." Henri had to think. They were already accommodating Ace Matthew and their living area was not that big.
"Lars!" he called out. Lars appeared from behind a stack of goods. "We have some more visitors, requesting accommodation."
"Well, we can't take anyone else into the house," Lars commented and he looked at the newcomers. "But if you don't mind bedding down in here, we can put you up. For a fee, of course."
"Of course," Allistor replied. "Anywhere out of the snow is fine." Henri stood up.
"I better go help Emma find more blankets," he said and went into the house.
"We better see to the horses," Patrick muttered to Allistor and then said to Lars. "I trust we can use the stable."
"Help yourself," Lars replied. "Might be a little cramped though. There's already two horses and a bear in there." Allistor and Patrick went to settle their horses for the night. Peter went to take Henri's seat by the fire beside Matthew while Lars returned to picking out things they would need tomorrow.
"Hello, Ace Matthew," he said. "Took us a while to catch up with you, you got pretty far."
"Kumajirou's better in the snow than an horse," Matthew replied. "And I was hoping I would catch up with Alfred but, clearly he's taken the other road. I'm a little worried, actually."
"The King will be fine," Peter replied. "But my jerk brother won't be easy to talk round. He's convinced that the world's better off without him and it'll be hard to get him to think otherwise."
"Do you dislike Arthur?" Matthew asked, wondering why Peter called his brother a jerk.
"Nah," Peter denied. "I just called him a jerk when I met him for the first time. I was mad that he'd never come to see me before and it upset Mum. Now I call him Jerk the way the King calls him Artie."
"Ah," Matthew replied, understandingly. "Term of affection." Peter grinned.
"Yeah," he said. "Strange, I know but there you have it." Before Matthew could answer, the door opened again and three men came in as Lars turned toward the newcomers.
"Hola," the brunette said. "Would you have shelter for the night? We can pay." Lars laughed to himself.
"And I thought I wouldn't have any customers," he quipped.
Eduard, Toris and Raivis looked on in some jealousy as the two Aces and the Red Joker went into the trading post for the night. There had been some activity which looked like the owners were throwing some hay down in one of the outdoor storerooms which they put the newly arrived horses in for the night as the stable was now full. The Clubs Trio were not unused to cold weather, some parts of Clubs being very cold, but that did not mean that they enjoyed it and would have loved to spend the night in a nice warm place but they could not reveal their presence to the others if the worst came to the worst and they had to go to the final resort with Queen Arthur.
One advantage of this winter occurring in Summer was that the trees had full foliage so there were areas off the path that had been protected and almost snow free so they made a camp and started a fire to keep them warm and gathered firewood that would last through the night.
Clubs horses carried supplies in case the riders should be delayed and had to spend the night outside as, in some areas of Clubs, it could mean the difference between life and death so they huddled by the fire under the blankets and ate some of the rations from their saddle packs.
"Not how I envisioned spending the night," Toris commented, sipping some of the vodka that had been packed into the saddle bags. "I hope Raivis is all right."
They were taking turns watching the trading post through the night, in case anyone left as they did not know how early the Aces and Joker would leave and it was decided to give Raivis first watch then, as the youngest, he would have uninterrupted sleep until they set out again.
"I told him to stay out of sight," Eduard replied. "And I gave him my cloak to wear over his own for extra warmth while I use his blanket on top of mine." Toris wished that he could have another blanket but it was fair enough, he had his blanket and his cloak.
"What's the plan for when we find Queen Arthur?" Toris asked.
"I say we wait and see if the others can convince the Queen to return," Eduard replied. "If he does, he might be able to reverse all this without us having to intervene. But if they can't convince him, then we'll have to act ourselves."
"Which I'm not looking forward to," Toris admitted.
"So we'll have to hope that they persuade him," Eduard replied. They finished eating in silence and then settled down for the night.
Alfred had decided to leave the road he was on and take one that would get him to the woods faster but soon darkness was falling and it was hard for Alfred but he had to make the difficult decision to stop for the night, as much as he wanted to continue to look for Arthur but it was getting dark fast and it was getting harder to see the road ahead of him so he stopped in the next village he came across.
The owner of the only inn in the village only had a few patrons as business had been a little slow since the strange weather blew in. It would probably pick up again in a couple of days once people had prepared their homes and businesses for the snow as the inn was the centre of the village so it was never empty for long.
He heard the door opened and shut and he looked up to greet the newcomer, a young man in thick clothing of good quality. What little murmuring that had been going on (mostly about the freak snow) stopped and silence reigned as everyone turned to stare at, what looked like, the unexpected noble in their midst.
"Landlord, I require a room for the night," Alfred said, well aware of the stir he was causing. He could have gone to the house of the village leader but he thought that, given that the people of this village might not know him as the King of Spades yet, it might be better to be incognito rather than have to explain why the King was riding around the country on his Coronation Day. The inn looked respectable and maintained and it looked comfortable enough for a single night. The landlord bowed his head in respect.
"Of course, Sir," he replied. "I'll prepare our best room. Rosemarie!" The man called out and a woman, about the same age as the landlord, came bustling out. She still had signs of the prettiness she had possessed in her youth, as evident in her auburn hair that showed a few strands of grey but her blue eyes still twinkled as much as the day her husband proposed to her.
"What is it, Davit?" she asked her salt and pepper-haired, violet eyed husband. She always felt lucky that she had married such a man. A good man, handsome in his youth but he had aged well and their sons had taken after him, with the exception of their youngest who took after her.
Alfred took in the warm affection that the landlord and his wife looked at each other with and knew love when he saw it. Arthur and Alfred had looked at each other that way. Before everything went wrong.
"Rosemarie," Davit said. "Could you take care of our guest while I prepare his room?" Rosemarie turned to see Alfred standing there and immediately curtsied.
"Greetings, Sir," she said, keeping low in respect. Alfred bowed back and they both straightened back up.
"This way, Sir," she said, indicating outside of the public bar room and took him to the private room, leaving the other patrons to go back to murmuring about the weather but the murmuring was shut out when Rosemarie closed the door.
"I hope you'll be comfortable here, Sir," she told him. "Can I get you anything to warm you up? A cup of hot tea, perhaps." Alfred almost winced but something hot would be nice and it reminded him of Arthur.
"That would be welcome," he replied. "Thank you." Rosemarie bustled away to make Alfred his drink.
Left alone, Alfred wondered where Arthur was and if he was safe.
Back at the palace, things were not so great. They were in the process of evacuating the palace, as the ice spread was getting faster and faster with half the building already covered and it would be completely encased by morning. Local nobles were offering to house the royal visitors and the local inns and taverns found themselves full to the rafters with visiting nobles while the servants went to their family homes and put up those with nowhere to go.
Yao and Eduard went to stay with Yao's family as it was a large house for such a large group and it was within the city so it was convenient for them. The family were merchants and good ones too, good with trade which explained why Yao chosen to be Jack. After their father died, all the siblings rallied around to run the family business and they had done well.
They were all gathered round the fire, drinking tea before retiring to go to bed, talking about what had happened at the Coronation. Li Xiao and Im Yong were upset to learn that Yao had known about Arthur for a while but had said nothing to them.
"I was sworn to secrecy," Yao explained. "We could not risk the secret getting out. Even now there is danger, aru." Li Xiao snorted.
"The palace is turning into an ice castle and Spades is getting buried under snow," he commented. "How much worse can it get?" Edward and Yao looked at each other.
"Someone is still at risk," Edward replied. "That's all we can say."
"If that's true," Im Yong said. "Should we even be looking for the Queen after everything that's happened?"
"Arthur did not mean to do any of this," Yao came to the defence of his fellow royal. "And we've been told that he is the only one who can stop all this so we have to get him back, aru."
"And what if they can't get him to come back?" Li Xiao asked.
"Then we better get used to cold weather," Edward replied.
Arthur ran through the Spades Palace, almost slipping on the ice that coated the floor, climbed the walls and hung from the ceiling in icicle stalactites. He ran to the empty throne room., to the spot he was stood when his magic burst free and the floor was still cracked and the ice was everywhere now. The glass in the doors and windows were obscured by frost, ice made the curtains stiff, as well as the banners from the Coronation Day so they now swung like wooden tavern signs rather than cloth. The frost on the carpet crunched beneath his feet and the ice coating the four thrones glittered in the muted light coming through the windows.
He had to stop this! He had to put a stop to the winter he had started for everyone's sake but how? He did not know how! Any more than he knew how to take away the ice he had pierced Alfred with, to take away the threat that hung over the head of the one he loved.
Please! Someone tell him what he needs to do.
"Artie!"
Arthur turned to see Alfred's silhouette in the doorway, the shadows obscuring the details of his face and he was holding onto the door frame in a manner that told Arthur that Alfred was not well or hurt.
"Alfred, what's wrong?"
Alfred took a few staggering steps forward as if every step was an effort and Arthur's eye widened with horror as Alfred stepped into the light. The rest of his hair had joined his cow-lick in whiteness, his skin was a pale blue and his lips were darker. Frost glitter on his skin and clothes and he was shivering.
"Artie!" he said in a quivering voice. "I remember!"
"NO!" Arthur screamed, sitting upright from the snow-covered bed, gasping for air and casting his eyes around the snow and ice around the room and, for a moment, thought that he was still in the throne room but the moment passed and Arthur realised that he was in the bedroom of the underground troll home. That he had just covered in snow.
Arthur turned his legs to sit on the edge of the bed and buried his face in his hands, still quaking in the aftermath of the nightmare that he had just woken up from. The one thing he feared more than anything was going to haunt him for a long time, that he just knew. That vision of Alfred freezing to death was going to be behind his eyes forever. The shadow of that nightmare and the snow and ice around the bed told Arthur he had made the right decision to leave.
Arthur knew that he was not going back to sleep so he put his boots on and began to remove the snow from the bedroom before it melted and soaked everything. As it was, things were going to be damp so he would have to change the blankets on the bed but Arthur had a feeling that this might be a regular occurrence.
When he had finished clearing the bedroom and changing the bed sheets, he went to make up the fire and to get some breakfast. With what was left that was edible in the pantry, he had limited options so he would need to stock up soon. There was a trading post nearby so perhaps a visit in the near future when he felt up to it was in order or maybe he could go hunting for fresh meat. He had little knowledge of how to prepare an animal to eat so he was going to have to learn and fast.
After he had eaten, Arthur stepped outside to see if the sun had risen yet and there was a weak dawn crawling across the sky but it was almost obscured by the thickly falling snow, making Arthur frown. Why was it still snowing? He knew it was not triggered by his nightmare as it had only affected the bedroom, not the rest of the underground house so where was this snow coming from?
Arthur had a bad feeling about this.
He tried to reach out to feel the snow clouds in the sky and then retreated into his dream meadow, imaging the warm sun melting the clouds away until only the blue remained and the flowers vibrant in the shining sun and then he opened his eyes again.
The clouds still hung heavy in the sky and the snow still fell, making Arthur frown again. It would not have done anything about the snow on the ground but it should have stopped it from falling. Arthur tried again, this time for longer but even before he opened his eyes again, he could feel the snowflakes falling on his skin. Why was it not working?
Arthur could create his own Winter weather but he could not interfere with the real thing and so could not stop snow if it was meant to fall but there was no way that this could be natural. Not in July! But his power was not working on whatever this was so was this, as unlikely as it was, someone else's doing or …...
Arthur could only think of what happened in the throne room and could not help but think that it was all connected but, if he had caused this then surely he should be able to undo it but his power had no effect so Arthur non-plus about what was happening with the weather patterns but he knew it should not be happening. The only way to be sure it was nothing he did was to go back and find out.
And that was not an option.
Eduard had taken last watch as he huddled in his hiding place, wrapped up his own and Toris's cloak while Toris slept under the two blankets by the fire that they had built back up again before Eduard left to do his turn at watching the trading post. The snow had not let up all night, not that that was a surprise and Eduard kept moving to keep from getting too cold and he watched as the sun rose through the trees, wondering if they would find the Queen today.
Then, shortly after sunrise, there was movement from the trading post as the Kirkland brothers, the Aces and the Jokers came out of the post with a man that Eduard assumed was the owner of the trading post and they were heading toward the stable so he ran back to the camp.
"Wake up!" he ordered as he shook Toris and Raivis awake. "We need to break camp, they're leaving." Toris and Raivis got up and packed away the blankets and stuff while Eduard doused the fire and, after Eduard returned Toris's cloak to him, they put the saddles on their horses, mounted up and headed out.
Alfred, not known for early rising without encouragement or, on some occasions, outright threats, was awake shortly after dawn and he dressed quickly, eager to be out and looking for Arthur again. He left the room and went down to the tavern's dining room, with the hope that he could ask for some provisions to be made up for his journey while he readied his horse.
"Good morning, Sir," Rosemarie greeted as she was setting up the dining table for breakfast when he came in. "I hope your night was comfortable."
"Very," Alfred replied. "I was wondering if you could prepare some provisions before I leave."
"With pleasure, Sire," she said. "I will do that while you eat. I refuse to let you leave without breakfast." Alfred laughed as his stomach growled at the mention of food.
"As good as that sounds," he chuckled. "I need to prepare my horse so I can leave as soon as possible. I've already been delayed by taking the wrong road and I need to find someone. You haven't seen him, have you? Blonde hair, green eyes, large eyebrows?" Rosemarie shook her head.
"I haven't seen anyone like that, I'm afraid," she replied. "As for your horse, my son can see to him while you eat breakfast. SAM!" A young man, the image of the landlord but with his mother's auburn hair came through the dining room door from the bar room.
"Yes, Mum?" he said.
"Prepare this gentleman's horse," she replied. "He needs to leave soon."
"Yes, Mum," Sam replied and left. Rosemarie smiled and indicated to one of the chairs by the dining table.
"And breakfast is just about ready, Sir," she told him. "Please be seated and I'll prepare the provisions while you eat." Alfred sat while Rosemarie went into the kitchen. After a few minutes, she returned with a cooked breakfast, rolls and butter and a teapot with a cup which she put down in front of him.
"I'll go and get those provisions ready for you, Sir," she said and left again while Alfred tucked into breakfast. When he was finished, his horse and provisions were ready and he paid for his bed and breakfast with a gold coin, to the delight of his hosts and climbed on to his horse and Rosemarie handed him his provisions.
"Good journey, Sir," she said. "And I hope you find your friend."
"So do I," Alfred replied. "Thank you and farewell." With that, Alfred rode away from the tavern, determined to find Arthur today.
Find him and take him home.
The group of assorted Cards Royals, Kirklands and Jokers rode carefully on through the snow in the early morning, led by the two Jokers. Lars accompanied them on Arthur's horse, although he was not needed now but they were using his trade goods and he wanted to keep an eye on them.
"I think it might be a bad idea if we all go in at once," Matthew pointed out, looking at the large group. "Arthur might feel intimidated and react badly." Allistor nodded.
"Ace Matthew is right," he agreed. "If Bunny feels threatened, he might lash out. I think Patrick, Peter and I should go in first. We're his brothers and nothing to do with the royals so he might talk to us."
"Awesome plan," Gilbert replied. "But we need to talk him round to going back to the palace and if he's convinced himself that we're all better off without him …..."
"We have to convince him, amigo," Antonio said. "You yourself said that he's the only one who can reverse all this." He indicated to the winter scene around them.
"But Bunny can be very stubborn," Patrick commented. "Once he gets an idea into his head, it takes a cannonball to the head to shift it."
"I know someone else like that," Antonio remarked, his eyes shifting to Lovino who snorted.
"Whatever, Tomato Bastard," he grumbled. "Right now, I have the stubborn idea to get out of this damn snow, It's freezing!"
"Perhaps I could try talking to him," Lars suggested. "If he were to hear how all this will affect the ordinary citizens of Spades, he might be inclined to return to the palace and try to stop this winter."
"That might help," Matthew replied. "I know Arthur cares very much about people, that why he stayed away from everyone, to protect them. He might come back if he knows that everyone is at risk."
"So we guilt-trip him," Peter said from behind Patrick's back on his horse.
"Alfred would be best at that," Matthew chuckled. "He's the King of Guilt Trips as well as Spades."
"Well, let's hope our best is good enoug...," Allistor broke off as something bounded into view in front of them. It was the size of a dog with doe-like eyes, made of snow and it sat in front of them, looking at the group with his nose twitching and the wings on his back fluttering.
"Allistor," Patrick stared down at the winged rabbit as it shook itself, flicking bits of snow everywhere. "Is that Flying Snow Bunny?"
"Who the Hell is Flying Snow Bunny?" Lovino asked.
"Something Arthur used to create when he was little," Allistor replied. "It's why we call Arthur Bunny. Although Snow Bunny was still, like a snowman. He never moved before." Allistor got off his horse and walked up to and knelt in front of the snowy rabbit.
"Hello, Flying Snow Bunny," he said, wondering if the moving snow effigy could understand him.
"Hello, Allistor" the rabbit replied in a very child-like voice, startling Allistor and the others a little. They had not expected the snow rabbit to speak, let alone know any of their names. "Will you be my friends? There's been no one here since I was born and it's been lonely."
"When were you born, Flying Snow Bunny?" Allistor asked.
"When Arthur made me," FSB replied. "He was sad when he made me. Lonely. I don't like lonely."
"Where did Arthur go, Flying Snow Bunny?" Patrick asked from his horse.
"He was going to the underground house, Patrick." FSB said. "The one the Trolls own."
"How does he know all that?" Antonio asked. "He said he's been alone since he was made so he didn't go with Arthur and how does he know your names?"
"My guess would be," Gilbert replied. "That since the Queen created him, he knew what was on Arthur's mind. He's probably probably projecting the Queen's feelings at the time he was created too, that thing about loneliness. I imagine Queen Arthur was feeling very lonely at the time."
"Whatever," Lovino replied. "But the snow rabbit's confirmed that Arthur's where we think he is so I say we get there, grab him and get back to the palace." Suddenly, they were engulfed in a blinding blizzard that scared the horses and they struggled to keep them under control. Allistor was blown on to his back and put his arm over his face to protect it. Then the blizzard ended as soon as it began, only to be replaced with a deafening roar.
"NO!" a monstrous voice, like something from the pits of Hell bellowed. "ARTHUR DOESN'T WANT YOU NEAR HIM! STAY AWAY!" Every head turned toward the sound of the voice and Allistor looked from his position on the ground to see that Flying Snow Bunny was now three times the size of Kumajirou, the doe-like eyes now narrowed in threat. The snow rabbit towered over them all and the horses were on the verge of bolting in panic. Allistor's eyes widened in fear as the now gigantic angry rabbit glared down at him as he laid in the snow, not daring to move with this snow creature, practically standing on top of him.
Then the rabbit roared, baring his sharp, snow-white teeth and charged.
To those expecting Flying Snow Bunny to be a cute little creature, all friendly and smiles like Olaf …..MUHAHAHAHA! I've been plotting 'Jekyll and Hyde' bunny for some time. Emma, as you've probably guessed is Belgium and Henri is Luxembourg. I originally planned for everyone to be separate but I wanted all of them to face Flying Snow Bunny so the only one I kept separate was Alfred and that's for a reason that you'll see eventually.
So, on that cliffhanger (The Evil Cliffhanger Queen is back!),
Hasta la Pasta!
