Chapter 11

Rogue

Lea strapped her cloak on, tied around her neck. It was a rich green, woolen thing, with small yellow patterns around the edges that resembled the Arendelle royal crest. It was the only thing she'd purchased for herself that wasn't food while in Arendelle, and it had proven its usefulness. It also proved convenient in blending in with the locals.

Elsa had yet again failed to show up for breakfast, and after a brief attempt to see her, which was handily shut down by Gerda, she reasoned that there would be little use in trying to force the issue today. Lea didn't feel too disappointed, however, because she knew that Elsa wasn't done with her. She said 'good'. She's happy I'm not leaving.

Trill had told her that it was probably a case of the queen not knowing how to move forward, and that she'd come around in her own time. I'll wait all year for her. Lea was well aware that her attitude towards the queen was starting to bleed into a range beyond mere fascination, and she keenly knew everything that implied. I'll have to keep that in check. But regardless of how Lea felt about her, the most important thing on her mind was establishing their connection as augurs. Her own power was getting stronger, she knew, as the autumn equinox approached.

Today though, Elsa would be continuing her silent boycott of Lea's company, and she the visitor knew better than to try and break it. I'm so close, yet so far. She's a two minute's walk away, yet also a world beyond me. As she pulled on her boots, she instead moved her mind to plan out her day. Lea would be alone, for once, and she was going to spend her alone time getting to know Arendelle. Kristoff had shown her the points of interest that the foreigners flock to see, and the palace was becoming quite familiar to her as well. Alone she could know the crevices and crannies that a group can pass over unseen. The rogue may be fragile, but infinitely more wary.

The guards were coming to learn Lea's face, and by the way they looked at her, the queen must have mentioned her in some way, for better or for worse. Regardless, she appeared to have free roam of the castle, except for certain areas such as the Queen's quarters. The vaulted halls with every painting and suit of hollow armor were hers to explore, and explore she did. After the prolonged town hall meeting from the day before, and the mixed messages interaction with Elsa, Lea had spent the rest of the night getting a feel for the palace.

The gates were open, again only literally. Armed uniforms served a much more lively barrier than that of oak and pine. Lea passed on a casual greeting which garnered no response from the living walls, and crossed the fjord's bridge not hurriedly but with purpose. The shimmer on the water was a vibrant cinnabar, the sun still low in the morning fog. Points of white still punctured the sky, particularly on the darker horizon where it was still very much night. Arendelle wakes up early though. Early enough that Lea had had to reserve her seat directly in front of the queen well before dawn had broken. It was worth it.

The comfortable buzz of the northern bazaar was enough to cover Lea's footsteps. Ideal. Lea wasn't planning on having to evade anyone, but knowing she could was always a comfort to her, and there was the possibility she might stumble across Revan or Kristoff. After a quick stop at a bakery for a danish, Lea wandered the stands and counters, until one seller in particular caught her ear.

"Genuine wards and charms from lands that have seen such might firsthand! Boheman tokens and charms from the Hedatenland! Healing stones from the priestesses of Corona and more!"

Another hack selling wooden toys and passing them off as magic. I'm interested anyway.

As if driven by a masochistic desire to see her own and other cultures mocked, Lea drifted towards the voice. The source was a tall, lanky individual, midnight black hair slicked back flat on his scalp, with his pointy goatee and thin mustache looking almost as greasy. Far smellier than the oil that he seemed to bathe in, however, was the choking aromas of various waxes, incense, and candles that were littering his occultish stall. Beads of painted wood with totems poorly carved into the likeness of animals hung from the plan brown tarp serving as a roof, and on the tables surrounding him were mountains of items that could only be realistically called 'junk'. As she brushed her hand through the stock, however, she did realize that many of the pieces were, if not good quality, at least quite old looking.

"Ah, welcome my girl! I see the power of my product has lured you here, well worry not, I can serve your every need when it comes to warding off the dark forces that consume Arendelle."

Lea looked at the man suspiciously. He took that as a cue to continue. "Are you not aware of the magic that perverts this fine nation? The fae encroach on human land, worshippers of false gods debase our churches, and the queen herself summons unholy storms that grip Arendelle in terror. I am like you, a foreigner in these lands, yet I came to help cleanse and protect it's people as a champion of man!"

His outlandish accent peaked as he finished his obviously prepared speech in grandeur with on foot on the counter triumphantly. Lea would be worried or offended, but she couldn't truly take the man seriously. So with a smirk, she opted to tease him.

"So, you'll be offering these protections out for free then? To protect man?"

He awkwardly pulled his foot down and adjusted his suit, which was far too formal for running a side-shunted market booth. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I have to eat. I am selling my wares for criminally low prices however, because the safety of this hallowed land is important to me, and I'm willing to accept such an egregious loss of profit to see it so."

Lea was almost laughing at how impressively the man had practiced his spiels. As a goodbye, she pulled out her own token, the small wooden wolf, from her pocket and gave it a wave. The merchant clearly did not understand the implications, and watched in confusion as the strange foreign girl who asked more questions than spent money walked away.

Despite her smug attitude towards him, Lea did end up dwelling on his words. Fae encroach on human lands… that's a scary thought. She tried not to think about what he had said about Elsa, and instead focused on exploring. On the edge of the lowlands, where the rest of the city lay upwards, she found a vandalized storefront, glass display window shattered and the interior ruined. There were portly men in matching caps cleaning up rubble, and Lea soon recognized it, even without looking at the once-hanging sign lying on the cobbled road. Frithunn's. This was the place Elsa had given money to. Lea smiled as she looked again at the storefront, for she saw there a new portrait of Queen Elsa, displayed with pride.

As Lea trekked up the stone stairs, she wondered what her fellows would be doing. Revan's probably just waking up, and will spend the rest of the day wandering between the market and the kitchens. Lea didn't know the ranger too well, but she he loved to eat almost as much as he loved to hunt. And his favorite things were when the two went together. Trill was harder to pinpoint. He's either appreciating something very old, or hanging out with Kristoff. It surprised Lea just how well Kristoff and Trill got along, ever since their first interaction in that snowy inn of the mountains. I wonder if Anna's jealous.

With that thought bouncing in her mind, she smiled again as she slipped up the stairs in silence. As she came to the intersection of brick pathways that Kristoff had led them to before, she took a brisk and confident turn to the south. Let's see what he was hiding. The road didn't seem any more sinister than the rest of town, the buildings slightly taller, the outside slightly busier, but in the bright morning light, it seemed as benign as the rest of Arendelle.

The road opened up into a public square, some trees and other greeneries decorating the center and plenty of benches around. One brick wall seemed blackened along the bottom, but beyond that there seemed nothing out of the ordinary. A man with a lute was playing the corner, singing some song to a small group of noble-looking men. Upon closer listening, Lea's grin vanished.

"And the icy witch's evil power did turn the wind to glass,

"But just wait until the people stand up and k-"

Just then a whistle came from an alleyway, and the bard hushed and began fiddling some wordless tune. The crowd naturally dissipated, not phased in the least. Lea turned towards the source of the whistling, to see a young boy, no more than eleven years old, standing against the mouth of the alley with a tweed cap. Seconds later, a pair of palace-dressed officers come strutting out from it.

A lookout.

Surprising to nobody, songs mocking the queen are frowned upon by the royalty, Lea figured. As she walked by the lutist, she waved a hand. Moments later, she heard behind her a creaking of rotting wood and a cursing bard, and no more plucking of strings.

I guess there are those that really hate Elsa.

Feeling slightly sick, Lea couldn't stand the asphyxiating loom of the brick and clay that surrounded her. She moved back towards the docks, despite it only being around noontime she was done with the city. I remember why I like the camps.

As she walked down the stairs that would take her back to the palace, where maybe she could once again petition the queen for audience even against her previous decision not to, she tripped. She fell down the final few steps of granite, hitting her head on the rock ground, and lost vision for a few moments, laying there dazed.

Coming to, she noticed something. Next to the staircase, beyond where she'd been, there was a second path. It was only spottily cobbled, and led upwards, alongside the walled raised city of Arendelle, and seemed to branch out into the forested mountain side.

Might as well.

Lea started up the path, following it for several minutes before coming to a forest. Undeterred, she followed the increasingly thin route into the trees, vines and bushes impinging on it. The sun shining through the breaks in the leaves and branches above created glints of what could almost be starlight. Lea's heart raced as she ran.

After many more minutes of pushing through the underbrush, she emerged.

Lea stood in awe.