Blacklight

Chapter 9

"The resemblance is…uncanny," Queen Elinor agreed. The woman was never at a loss for words, but even in her extensive knowledge of lore there was no mention of a girl matching Anna's description- nor anything about twin ice princesses.

Anna was beginning to grow impatient. The wonder of this new world had begun to wear off and she found herself annoyed that these people were examining her like a dead body. They kept asking her questions she didn't know the answer to- how had she gotten here? What was her purpose? Did she have any magical abilities? Her face fell slightly as she realized that this all may be some fever-induced dream, and at any moment she would awaken back at the abbey again, forced to face a life of dullness. She shook her head and forced herself to stay in the present.

"Look, it doesn't matter how or why I am here. The point is, I'm here, let's go from there. You say I look like some princess? Take me to her! Maybe she knows what I'm supposed to do!"

Anna couldn't help but to be excited about all of this. Being in a fairytale is something she had always only dreamed of! But here she was, off on a journey to save a world from darkness- whatever that means, she thought to herself as she caught a glimpse of afternoon sunlight.

Elinor nodded in agreement. "Ready a ship!" she called out to her husband.

And with sails being raised to the wind, Arendelle gained another party of visitors.

~.~.~.

Hans and his cousins waited until nightfall to mount their attack. Berk was a small place, and they were quite a unique group and gathering attention quickly- the faster they could leave, the better.

And Hans wanted to leave in style.

The first cry rang out at midnight. Two dragons were found missing the next morning, and the suspicious group of foreigners were nowhere to be seen.

Hans did his best to ignore the sorceress's annoyed glances and thought to himself that he should have had one of his cousins ride with her instead.

"Calm down now, it's no different than riding a horse," he chided. She hated chiding remarks. She also hated horseback riding and dragon riding and the smug look that never seemed to leave his face. Although, she thought to herself, he did plan and execute that plan very well…considering who he had to work with. She gave the hulking men behind them a pointed look. They were trying to balance on the poor dragon beneath them with little luck. They were strong and capable, but not very bright.

She turned back to Hans and considered for a moment using him to her advantage. The moment passed, and she realized she really just wanted to go about her life without drawing too much attention to herself. How had she let them talk her into this mess? Surely if she ever visited Berk again she would be recognized and perhaps even accused. No, when they were finished with what they were doing in Arendelle she would again fall off of the map. She'd give it a few more decades before she ventured out again- if she ventured out again.

She wrapped her hands in the inside of her cloak as the air around them grew increasingly colder. The castle itself would soon be coming into view. Even in the dark of night the glowing aurora sky would be their beacon, telling them they had made it safely. A smile crept onto Gothel's face. She suspected they wouldn't be alone. A coronation ceremony at the very last place the Nightmare King was sighted…it would surprise her if they didn't run into him there.

And with the beating of wings in the sky, the final party of visitors made their way to Arendelle.

~.~.~.

Dark hooves beat against the packed dirt of Pitch Black's underground tunnels. They seemed to be aimless, though Rapunzel suspected he knew exactly where he was going. Why he had brought her along, she couldn't say. Perhaps he wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't escape, thought it was far more likely that he needed her there to heal his army of nightmares and fearlings as they grew weary in battle. Her heart hurt as she thought of the people who were going to suffer, and she decided then and there that the moment she had the chance, she would escape. He had made a mistake bringing her to a place with other people, he had grown careless letting his guard down the past few weeks. She didn't know how or when, but she would find the moment and do…something. While he had found a soft spot in her heart, she couldn't let him hurt people.

If he needs to hurt others to stay alive, then maybe it's time he's gone for good, she thought to herself.

Meanwhile up ahead, the Nightmare King was a mess. He felt as though he was being split in half. No one in all of his years of existence had ever made him feel the things Rapunzel had made him feel, and he had no idea why. Her magic was powerful, sure, but it would take stronger magic than hers to undo the damage he had done to himself. Feeding off of others' fear had changed him over the years, warping his soul and his perceptions. The closer they drew to Arendelle the worse it seemed to get. He told himself it was the anticipation of battle and pushed onward.

~.~.~.

Arendelle was alive with preparations and celebrations! Elsa and her father were making finishing touches all week and Kris spent his time helping Flynn adjust to life without sight. His vision wasn't completely gone, but he seemed to only be able to see the outer edges of his sight.

"Here, what do you think about this?" Kris asked.

Flynn weighed the walking stick in his hand before striking a pose that he hoped made him look dashing. "Do I look like royalty yet?" he asked, a playful grin on his face. Kristoff just laughed and took the stick from him, using sandpaper to get the last of the rough spots smoothed.

"Like the prince of the trees himself," he smiled. He and Flynn had walked around the woods behind the castle finding the perfect tree to chop down. Flynn felt his way around and almost ran face-first into the small birch. The white of the bark had been camouflaged against the pure white of the snowbank behind it. He demanded right then and there that THAT was the wood he needed. Kris smiled as he realized that this playful newcomer with a flair for the dramatic was exactly what the castle had been missing. Elsa knew how to have fun, but often she forgot what it was like to be lighthearted. Flynn had put a smile on her face on more than one occasion, and for the first time in a long time Kris knew that things were going to be alright for his soon-to-be queen.

Maybe it was foolish of him to allow himself to be lulled into that sense of security. Maybe it was smart of him to enjoy the calm before the storm. All he really knew was that things were going to be changing soon… whether for better or worse, only time would tell.