A/N: Welcome subjects to court of Sound, chapter ten to be exact! Finally hit those double digits! Great feeling. And what is a Queen without her Beta reader? Not a good one, so thank you Elsa The Ice Biotic, your wisdom is always appreciated. Now please, enjoy the chapter! Also if these translations are wrong, I apologize. And I also apologize for the lateness!
I don't own Frozen, the mentioned countries, towns, etc or Disney. Read on!
During the quiet ride to the border, Anna thought about this Flynn Rider person. She had agreed so easily to meet him. What if it was a trap? What if someone from the Fauna Academy had found out she had left, and hired someone to bring her back?
"Hawk, when we get there, we should be careful, we don't know this guy at all." Anna sighed as she leaned against the taxi window. The road was filled with bright lights of the street lamps, the occasional buildings, but it was mostly a dark watery view.
"Master, I think we can trust this man – he said he knew Ms. Elsa, so why would he not be trustworthy?" Hawk asked from his seat next to her. He had changed back into his original form. However Anna narrowed her eyes. She remembered how Megara and Hans knew Elsa too, only Megara was the enemy.
"I guess, but if Elsa is the best Tamer of her District, who knows who else knows her. If things go wrong for us, I don't know if we'll make it out unscathed or not." Anna muttered. Hawk nodded,
"You are right about that, but not everyone in our world would be out to kill us, or her. There are good people out there." Hawk pointed out.
"I know, but still, I'm not even a graduated tamer, heck, I haven't finished my first year! And here we are, miles from home and the academy!" Anna exclaimed quietly, not wanting to yell in the taxi driver's ear. Was this a big mistake? Getting into the taxi because some possibly trustworthy man, who claimed to be looking for Elsa, said he wanted to help? Anna sighed. Well, she would find out soon enough. And she would either end up one: dead and thrown into the ocean, two: kidnapped and sold, or three: being on her merry quest to find Elsa. Of course there were more scenarios than that, but Anna didn't want to dwell into the dark stuff.
"The best we can do is wait and see." Anna said with an air of finality. Hawk nodded before lying his head down. Anna just continued to stare out the window.
When Anna arrived to the border, it surprisingly looked a lot like the Fauna's border, only it was a greyish blue with snowflakes adorned all along the walls. Anna was about to pay the taxi driver, but, with the help of Hawk, she learned that her trip was already paid in full. This Flynn guy would be a money saver for her if he turned out to be a good guy. She walked up to the border, there she was met by two of the guards. One male and one female. Their wolves, both grey in color, stopped her.
"Hva er din bedrift her?" the woman said with narrowing eyes, her wolf standing at the ready. Anna looked at her with a confused daze, but Hawk was quick to translate.
"They asked, what is your business here?" Hawk said. Anna gave a silent oh. She pulled out her Tamer's passport and said to Hawk,
"Tell them, um, I'm here to visit my mission partner," Anna said. It wasn't technically a lie. Hawk cleared his throat.
"Jeg er her for a mote min misjon partner" Hawk said easily. The woman spoke again, and Hawk replied. She gave a nod of understanding before clearing her throat.
"I apologize, I did not realize that you came from America, but I must see your passport, otherwise I must ask you and your wolf to leave." she said. Her accent very heavy, but still understandable.
"Oh no, it's okay, but here, I don't go anywhere without it." Anna said trying to lighten the mood. But it didn't work.
"Well you may pass, but do mind where you go, the whole capital is under a mass investigation." she said. Anna, wanting to stay inconspicuous, asked,
"Really? What for?" she feigned innocence.
"That's on a need to know basis, move along." the man said suddenly with a light glare. Anna swallowed lightly,
"Y-Yes sir." Anna stuttered lightly before taking back her passport and moving through. Hawk bowed his head respectfully before trotting through. To Anna it felt like moving through one of those airport security lines, only you don't have to take your shoes off or stand still in the body scanner all in the risk of missing one's flight. However there were several Tundra Tamers walking around, in an organized fashion. But once she and Hawk had passed through the border, they were met with a huge city. Despite being the Tundra District capital, there was no snow to be seen. But it felt like an ice rink to Anna.
"H-How d-does E-El-Elsa live h-here?" Anna chattered. Hawk quickly morphed into a polar bear.
"Get on master" Hawk said as he knelt down. Anna was quick hop on. And just as they were about to head into the city, a man showed up. He was a tall brunette with a matching goatee. He was wearing a white long sleeved shirt with a green vest on. His black pants and brown boots completed the outfit in Anna's opinion. However she was cold and wanted to find a warm place for the night before starting her investigation tomorrow morning.
"Wait! You! You're Anna Summers, right?" he asked, his breath coming out in small clouds. Anna gave him a skeptical look.
"That depends on who's asking." Anna answered wearily.
"Hey don't look at me like that, I'm the one who called you kid, Flynn Rider ring any bells?" he asked.
"Oh that's right! Wait, why aren't you speaking Norwegian like the border people?" Anna asked curiously.
"There are several answers to that question, but the one you're looking for, is the fact that you hail from America, so it's easier to talk to you in English. That and I'm multilingual. It's a requirement for all Tamers." Flynn answered.
"O-Oh is that right?" Anna asked nervously.
"Yeah, and now that I think about it, how do you have a full-fledged Fauna standard uniform, when, according to my database, you enrolled into the Fauna Academy only a few months ago?" Flynn asked with heavy suspicion, his arms crossing expectantly across his chest.
Anna was going to answer, but the man quickly put a hand up to stop her.
"Save it, let's just go back to my apartment, you'll stay there tonight and we can plan tomorrow morning, you have one hell of a trip ahead of you kid." Flynn said before turning and walking back towards the lightly glowing city. But Anna and Hawk did not move.
"H-Hold o-on a second, h-how d-do I-I know that you aren't a k-ki-kidnapper, o-or drug lord or something?" Anna chattered from her place on Hawk's back. Flynn paused and looked back. A look of surprise on his face. Was this a joke? Was she really asking him that?
"She's a Blank, I should have known better than to assume she would just come along with me. Then again, most Blanks may have just followed me without questioning me. She's sharper than I thought." Flynn thought, impressed now.
"Good observation kid, but believe me, I'm here to help. But if you want proof, I'll give it to you." Flynn said before clearing his throat.
"When Elsa was assigned to the Arendelle mission and she had already captured your old assailant, she was supposed to return early. But, when I called her, I gave her an extra few weeks, I told the main branch that Elsa had fallen sick. But in reality, she wasn't ready to leave – she wanted to spend more time with you. So because of me, she got to spend Christmas with you." Flynn explained. At this Anna widened her eyes.
"See, and believe me, I have a ton of other things that I could say about blondie, seeing as we went to the same academy together, but alas, I am sworn to secrecy." Flynn sighed theatrically.
"F-Fine, I believe you." Anna said after a few contemplative moments. Flynn smiled,
"Great! Now come on, even though I live here, I still get cold." Flynn said. This time Anna and Hawk were quick to follow.
In the early stages of the rising sun, Maleficent had left her home with her wolf Diaval. There was not a moment to lose. She had already gone to the Ventus District Assignment Distribution center and the Emergency Missing Persons Department. She had been cleared to leave, and she left as soon as the sun began to rise. The winds weren't as strong in the mornings, but they always picked up later. And as much as she wanted to enjoy the winds, she had no time. There was urgent business to handle. So as she flew over the vast lands she called home, she and Diaval were having a discussion.
"Give me one crucial reason why that woman does not deserve to have her miserable life ended?" Maleficent asked bitterly. Diaval sighed,
"You know the laws just as well as I, killing is not permitted unless it is in your mission statement. And in this case, it is not. So unless you want to lose your credibility, reputation, and Tamer Rank, killing will not and cannot be an option." Maleficent stayed quiet after that. But she flew a little bit faster, perhaps to work off the frustration. Diaval sighed mentally. Maleficent was not one for showing emotions. However, ever since she had met Aurora, she had changed. But the black wolf was worried that his master may let her emotions get the better of her. But he would be there to help if something went wrong.
After a few hours, when the land was much easier to see, Maleficent and Diaval had made a brief stop in one of other districts – the Solaris district to be exact. Now the Solaris, like all the other districts, was spread across the entire world in territories. Some districts even shared countries like the Fauna and Tundra. So, her arrival was in the lands of Germany, it was also shared with the Flóga. She lived in Denmark, so the trip was not incredulously long. However, she stuck to the clouds to avoid being spotted by commercial flights and possible military. The woman landed in a not so heavily wooded area. She flapped her wings a bit before reaching her left hand back and waving it in a hypnotic motion. As her fingers moved in a wave-like motion, a green mist swirled between her pale fingers before breezing around her wings. And as the mist died down, the Tamer's wings disappeared. She had a set of horns too, but she kept those under an invisibility spell most of the time. It's not that Maleficent hated her horns – far from it. But the only people who have ever seen them are Diaval and her dear Aurora.
"Do not concern yourself with such details, we will only be here for a few hours." she said before they walked on. The Solaris Eastern Border was not far from where they had landed. But as they walked, Maleficent pulled out a rough emerald necklace. It glowed slightly before dimming out. The brunette sighed, where had her ray of sun been taken?
In a cell, not too far from where Elsa and Snow were being held, another blonde sat alone in the corner of the room. She had warm blue eyes, but they were clouded with fear, panic, and confusion. Her name was Aurora Rose. She was wearing a pair of white jeans and a light pink blouse with flowered designs scattered across the shoulder. Around her pale neck was a rough emerald necklace. It was a gift from her beloved.
"I wish Mally was here" Aurora whimpered to herself as she slowly put her arms to her side. She had been holed up in this room for what felt like a day or two, but she wasn't too sure. But there was one thing she did know – she was not the only one there. From what she had heard, a Tamer was also there, but she did not know who. That and the room that the Tamer had been locked in was hot. How she knew that, was from when the black wolf, who had introduced herself as Dante, opened the door, and she felt a slight heat wave hit her body.
"I wonder if they would let me meet the other prisoners." Aurora asked herself. Suddenly her door opened, and a new wave of fear washed over her body. A woman walked in, one who had relaxed black hair and hauntingly wicked green eyes. She was perhaps a little taller than Aurora. She was dressed casually. Jeans, a sleeveless hoodie and a pair of black combat boots. Her midnight hair was up in a ponytail, and she wore a nasty smirk.
"Well, good to see one of my prisoners is not trying to escape." she chuckled. Aurora wanted to say something rude, but her fear held her back.
"W-Who are you? Why am I here?" she asked timidly. The woman just gave a snort.
"Who I am is of no immediate concern to you, but why you are here, that, I can answer." The woman said as she closed the door behind her. This made the smaller blonde jump a bit.
"Relax, no harm will come to you, your purpose is both as bait and leverage." the woman explained. Aurora's eyes widened, but quickly went back to their original state. She had an idea of what the woman meant, but she hoped to the highest degree that she was wrong.
"However, if things do not go well, you won't see the next dawn. Nothing personal, it's just business." the woman grinned. But the other woman paled.
"Now don't look like that. Chin up, you could be in worse conditions, like your neighbor." the woman said jabbing her hand at the door. Aurora then remembered herself wanting to meet the person.
"C-Could I-I see them?" Aurora asked stuttered. The black haired woman raised a brow, giving her a once over.
"Hmm, you have no powers or skills, so you hold no threat, I suppose it would not cause too much trouble. Come here." the woman said before gesturing her over. With a tiny ounce of courage, Aurora stood up and slowly walked up to the obviously dangerous woman. And once she was within arm's reach, the woman grabbed her and they walked into the heatwave that occupied the hall. At first, Aurora felt the strongest urge to run. But she was in an unfamiliar building, so she knew she would be easily caught. And unbeknownst to her, her necklace let off another dull glow.
The walk was a short one and once they arrived, Aurora could hardly breathe. The heat was stifling to her, but the other woman didn't seem to mind in the slightest. When they reached the door, the woman opened it and Aurora slowly walked inside. But she gasped in horror at what she saw.
In two separate corners, there was a burned white wolf and a very tired and sweaty looking woman. Her hair was a damp mess, and her skin was blotchy. And at the woman, she seemed to be sleeping. Aurora recognized the uniform as a Tundra District uniform, but that's as far as her knowledge went. But then a trigger of her memory went off. She remembered reading one of Maleficent's old documents, and a picture of a blonde woman slipped out by accident. She seemed much younger then. Maybe seventeen. And she wore some kind of uniform with the Tundra insignia on it. So could this woman be?
"Who is she?" Aurora asked. The woman simply chuckled as she snapped her middle and forefinger. A small flame ignited and she then wiggled her fingers and let the small ball of fire weave through her fingers.
"That my dear, prized, leverage, is none of your concern, you asked to see them, and see them you did. Now, let's take you back, I have business to attend to." The woman said carelessly as she snuffed out the fire and dragged Aurora out of the room.
Anna had not slept well that night. Flynn had insisted on showing her footage of the night Elsa was taken. And while Anna was all for it during the earlier hours of the night, when midnight had passed, sleep was starting to become a force to be reckoned with. But around three thirty in the morning, Anna noticed something from the footage. It was taped by the western border, which was much closer to the Capital. One moment, there was nothing, then when Anna blinked; there was a small spiral of red flames. And once the flames had died, there was a black wolf. Anna may have been new to the whole Tamer thing, but she knew for a fact that Tundra wolves could not wield the element of fire.
"Flynn! Did you see that?" Anna yelled as she broke out of her tired stage. Flynn, who had passed out, suddenly jumped up.
"Huh? What?!" he sputtered out. Anna pointed at the screen,
"There was this black wolf! It teleported using fire, quick rewind it! Hurry!" Anna exclaimed. Flynn fumbled with the mouse before going back a little ways. They both watched the screen intently. And when the black wolf showed up again, Anna told him to stop the footage.
"There! That's who probably triggered the alarm!" Anna concluded. And Flynn nodded as he continued to stare at the wolf. It definitely hailed from the Floga District. But something seemed both familiar and off about this wolf. He would have to do more extended research once Anna was on her way.
"Alright, this is good, at least now we have a good idea of where Elsa might be" Flynn said thoughtfully.
"Just like that? It's just a fire elemental, what good does that do us?" Anna asked tiredly. The excitement far gone at this point of their short conversation.
"Ah, but where do you find fire elementals?" Flynn asked. It took Anna's tired mind a moment to process the question. But the answer was quick to follow.
"The Flóga District?" it came out more of a question than a statement. But Anna knew that a majority of fire elementals hailed from the Flóga Districts.
"Right you are kid, so now instead of sending you on a long, stressful, and strenuous journey all over the world, I can send you on a long, stressful and strenuous journey through the Flóga District" Flynn said with absolute positivity. But Anna had failed to respond seeing as she had finally passed out.
So the next morning, when Anna woke up very groggily, the memories of hours prior slowly filled her mind.
"Elsa" she mumbled tiredly as her vision slowly cleared from its sleepy blur. She rubbed her eyes before stretching with an unsightly yawn.
"Flóga District" Anna yawned out as she slowly stood to her feet. She slowly trudged in no particular direction.
"Gotta go find her" she said before her mind finally kicked in. The memories poured in now and her blue eyes widened.
"Elsa! She's in the Flóga District! That black wolf had something to do with it!" Anna shouted before she tripped over herself. Hawk came running into the room soon after,
"Master, what are you yelling about?" he asked.
"Elsa! Flynn and I found a suspect! And it comes from the Flóga District!" Anna exclaimed as she got up.
"That's great to hear master, but Mister Flynn wants to see you, he said that he gathered a list of countries that belongs to the Flóga District." He then waited for Anna to follow him. And they both walked to where Flynn was located. In the kitchen.
"Morning kid, hope you're hungry, cuz you're gonna need to eat before we plan your first possible travel" Flynn said with a yawn.
"Why?" Anna asked as she sat down at the four person table. On the table was simple spread of eggs, bacon, cereal and some other things. And as Anna sat down and gathered a portion of food, Flynn said,
"Before I tell you why, you need to know the possible who's and where's first." He then tossed Anna an envelope. She caught easily before opening it. The only thing inside was a small detailed list of countries. Many were crossed out, but there were a few that were highlighted. And under the list of countries, there was a short list of Flóga Tamers. But there were no pictures of them.
"Okay, the Flóga District is one of the smaller districts. But that makes them more widely spread out. And as the list your reading states, there are only a few that Elsa could be in seeing as the one crossed off have no record of shifty business or bad reports.' Flynn explained as Anna scanned the paper.
"Okay, so I'm seeing, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, ah Mexico? I love Mexico!" Anna said.
"Focus red" Flynn said.
"Right, okay, so Mexico, wait America? All of America?" Anna asked. But Flynn shook his head,
"No only western America and some southern America, like Arizona, Texas, Florida, California just to name a few. But to be honest, all the Districts have territory in America. And it just so happens that the Fauna has claim where you're from" Flynn explained.
"Good to know, well those are the only countries that aren't crossed off, so what about the people?" Anna asked,
"Right, well the ones listed there are wanted criminals who all have had some kind of encounter with Elsa and Snow." Flynn said.
"Okay" Anna said slowly as she scanned the list. However one name popped out at her. A person named Phoenix. A curious name, or perhaps a nickname? Anna wasn't too sure.
"So who is this Phoenix guy?" Anna asked looking up from the paper to wait for the communicator's response. But all she got was a dark look, and it took her aback.
"Phoenix? No Phoenix is a woman, and a nasty one at that, she's one of the worst Tamer world criminals in the last two centuries!" Flynn said. Anna then sucked air between her teeth as she winced a bit.
"Yikes, so has she had any kind of contact with Elsa?" Anna asked.
"Several times, though not directly. See Phoenix runs an underground operation, for what purpose, we haven't figured it out. But Elsa always intercepted her plans by either taking out the clients or arresting those who work under Phoenix" Flynn said with a hum as an afterthought. Anna, who was still looking over Phoenix's information, saw a small detail.
"Whoa! Phoenix is a fire elemental?" Anna exclaimed in awe, though it also brought a bad feeling.
"That's where her name comes from, she's a strong fire wielder, just like Elsa is a strong snow and ice wielder" Flynn continued.
"I see, so would that black wolf belong to her then? Elemental wolves only pair with elemental tamers after all" Anna said.
"Right, so that would mean Phoenix is the one who ordered the attack on the capital and somehow got Elsa and Snow kidnapped!" Anna concluded.
"That makes a lot of sense, and now that I think about it, Elsa had a mission at the Ventus District Capital not too long ago. She had tracked down one of Phoenix's higher standing men and brought him into custody. I guess Phoenix found out about it and finally had enough" Flynn said solemnly.
"Well, where is he? Maybe he can tell us where Elsa could be held." Anna said as she stood up suddenly, a fiery determination in her blue eyes. The communicator blinked in surprise, but the look on Anna's face, it reminded him of Elsa when they were in the academy. Back when Elsa was less tense and showed her emotions more.
"He's in the Capital's Blizzard Prison, only the worst go there, but if it's an interrogation you're looking for, you'll need permission from the Tundra Police, and normally that could take a week just to get approved, but since we don't have that kind of time, I happen to know a woman who could help us get an interview by noon today" Flynn grinned.
"Great call her or something! I need to rescue Elsa as soon as humanly possible!" Anna demanded exasperatedly before digging into her shortly forgotten food.
"Alright, don't get your pig tails in a bunch" Flynn said as he pulled out his phone and pressed a random button. It was quiet for a minute, but then Flynn started talking
"Hey . . . Oh nothing much, but listen, I need to cash in that favor you owe me, but I need it today" Flynn said with a serious voice. He went quiet again, but a smile swept across his face in a matter of seconds.
"I owe you one Kida, so this is what I need"
Later that afternoon Anna, wearing her standard Fauna uniform, her hair in a ponytail, and a serious expression on her face, walked down a long hallway filled with prisoners. It was a four story building, but Anna kept her eyes trained forward. It looked like a standard prison, guards walking on each level, prisoners yelling obscenities at and around her. However they all meshed together. Of course there was a fair share of cat calls and wolf whistles. Something Anna ignored to the highest degree.
"Master, these men are terrible" Hawk said with a wince as he walked closer to Anna's side.
"Don't worry Hawk, the only one we need to worry about is sitting in the visitation room" Anna said. Now she wouldn't lie, she was all around terrified at the moment, but she couldn't let anyone see it. She was doing this for Elsa, and who knows, maybe Elsa has been to interrogations too. And that had been Anna's only source of comfort aside from Hawk. Flynn had not been allowed in. Why, Anna didn't know.
So when they finally reached the visitation room, a large guard opened the heavy door and let her and Hawk in. There was no one inside aside from about six guards standing along all four sides of the walls. All wearing stoic expressions. But in the center of the room, there sat a man. He was wearing a red prison uniform, with the Tundra's insignia on the breast pocket.
The man had shaggy black hair, brown eyes and a mean look on his face. He looked like a run of the mill prison man. He glanced Anna's way and gave an amused snort,
"When they told me that I was going to be investigated by a Fauna Tamer, I wasn't expecting a little pup and her mutt" the man said. He had a Russian accent, though it wasn't heavy.
"Excuse me sir, but I am not a puppy" Anna said with a defensive huff as she sat down across from him. Hawk beside her.
"Ha ha ha, of course not pup, but tell me, what are you wanting from me?" he asked raising an expectant brow.
"Well sir, I'm actually looking for a bit of information on your old boss." Anna said, as her body shifting into poker face mode.
"Phoenix eh? Well get in line pup, everyone and their mothers have been wanting information on her, what makes you any different?" he challenged.
"Me? Probably nothing, but your boss has something that belongs to me, and if you tell me where she could possibly be, I as a full-fledged Tamer, can assure you that whatever Elsa brought you in for, I can lessen your sentence in half" Anna said, her voice emotionless and cold. Hawk smirked beside her.
"Is that so? And how do you intend to do all of that then hmm?" he asked, bit more intrigued now. Maybe this pup could be useful after all.
"I know people in the Capital, and let's just say that they owe me a few favors, and in order for me to make those phone calls, all I need is a few answers" Anna said smoothly as a small smirk spread across her face. Beside her Hawk snickered lightly.
"What's your name pup?" the man asked.
"Just call me Abernathy, so do we have a deal?" Anna asked expectantly as she raised a brow. And for a good ten minutes, they sat in silence, the only sounds that could be heard were the distant sound of metal doors slamming, and their breathing. And Anna kept sitting there, occasionally fixing her ponytail or bangs.
"Alright Abernathy, I'll take your deal, so what do you need?" the man asked. And Anna gave a small grin,
"I need reliable locations" Anna said.
A/N: There you all are, chapter ten! And I apologize greatly for the long absence, I had finals and a big track meet. So it was busy. But the next chapter will be sooner I swear. See you guys soon.