I am so so so so so so so so so sorry about this late update, and for not telling you guys why I've been gone. So, on the 21st of June I went to, hence the words, nature camp, for two weeks. Then it was two weeks at governor school, and now I'm at the beach for a week. And after this, school starts on the 11th of August . . . My summers are really busy. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, it's kind of short!
"Wake up, Lovebirds!" Anna yelled, pouring her bucket of water onto the pair.
Elsa's eyes snapped open. She was soaked to the skin, and she vowed that the next person who poured water on her would have blocks of ice for feet. Then she caught Anna's smug grin.
"What?" The older sister demanded. Kristoff looked up from the fire and his eyes went from her to her left- Elsa mentally slapped herself.
Jack's arm was around her shoulder, and she must have been curled up next to him. Jack himself blinked in the morning sunlight, taking in the bright light. He shook his head and water droplets flew everywhere.
"Jack!" She cried, as the water splashed against her.
"What?"
Elsa glared at him.
"You're already soaked. What's a little more water going to do to you?" She glared at him some more.
Jack's hair was slightly messier than usual and water was still caught here and there. He was giving her that innocent look with his brown eyes. The look where he cocked his head a little to the side and got a small smile on his lips. Most girls would have melted if he had looked at them like that.
Anna glanced from Jack to Elsa. He was giving her that look. His eyes often reminded Anna of a baby deer or a puppy. How Elsa ever won an argument with this guy baffled her.
"That doesn't work on me."
Kristoff rolled his eyes. That look never worked on Elsa.
The innocent expression dropped from Jack's face, and was replaced with a friendly grin.
He nudged her shoulder with his own and she gave him a small shove in return. Jack chuckled at her and stood up. He offered her a hand and Elsa gave him a skeptical glance. There was usually some catch. Jack knew what she was thinking.
"Come on, princess. No tricks this time." Elsa hesitated, bit her lip, and took his hand.
Jack pulled her up and they stood close together, hands still clasped. It might have been for just a second, but Elsa suddenly realized how much taller Jack was . . . and how much different he was now than from the boy she had first met.
Jack was maybe three-no four, inches taller than her. His jaw was stronger, and his face had become more mature. But his eyes . . .
They could be laughing or full of anger and horror. Sadness, fear, happiness . . . Then there was this look that he would sometimes give her. Elsa couldn't describe it . . . Kind of soft, but teasing . . .
A word started forming in her head, but Kristoff gave an awkward cough.
"Anyway, unless you to would like to stare at each other some more, then we're ready to leave." Elsa was about to give a retort, but Anna held up a hand.
"Just one sec." Anna took the moonstone from her bag at her hip, and tossed it into the air in front of her. The image formed and showed most of the town inside the main hall, breakfast was being served.
Elsa and Jack jumped away from each other.
The queen stood in front of the image, her hands clasped behind her back. A look of confusion mixed with relief flashed across her face.
"Thank the lord you're all right! I was worried we wouldn't be able to catch you before you got to Spero. And- . . . Elsa? Why are you and Jack all . . . wet?" She took a step back, and Mrs. Overland walked up next to her, also confused.
Anna opened her mouth gleefully, to say something that her sister and Jack would want to kill her for, but Elsa cut her off.
"Don't even." Anna shut her mouth, but a grin played on her features. Jack looked at her annoyed, and Snow-gee didn't improve his mood.
"Snowee, snofic. Sneeroa." Jack and Elsa's faces went pink.
"What about an icicle? Can I turn him into an icicle?" Elsa rolled her eyes at him. Jack shrugged. "Why not? He'd make a wonderful icicle."
Emma looked up from her breakfast, and her eyes filled with curiosity. "Hey, Jack what's that?"
"What's what?" He asked, glancing at his sister slightly confused. She pointed behind him.
Jack glanced over his shoulder, at what she was pointing at. It was the staff. He walked over and picked it up.
"I don't really know . . . I mean it's a staff and Pabbie gave it to me, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with-" A sudden burst of icy light shot out of the staff, hitting a large boulder across the small valley. Frost covered the rock in swirling patterns and designs, before the freezing temperatures made the boulder crumble into a fine icy dust.
Everyone stared at the powder for several moments.
"Well, that answered the question." Kristoff said, breaking the stunned silence.
"Ummm . . . What about the rest of you?" Rebecca asked.
Kristoff pulled his Telling Chain from around his neck, and held it up. The ancient metal winked in the sunlight, as if it was glad to see light again.
Anna took her dagger from its scabbard. The blade reflected her face perfectly, before it flashed to an image of Spero.
This had been happening more and more frequently. Ancient buildings, columns, and crumbling walls would go through her mind's eye, before everything went back to normal. But that wasn't all she'd been seeing . . .
"See anything?" Kristoff asked peering over her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded.
"Yeah, but it's only Spero. Nothing else." Kristoff raised an eyebrow, and Anna shook her head.
Not now, her eyes told him. Kristoff nodded and turned his gaze to Elsa, who was explaining what her cordial was.
Anna didn't want to tell anyone what she had been seeing. Kristoff knew that whatever it was, it was scaring her. It was terrifying her.
"Hey, Kristoff, we better get going. We want to make it to Spero before noon, if possible." Jack said. Kristoff looked up and saw that the image was gone and Anna had taken down the camp. Elsa and Jack stood by Fortis, Snow-gee sat on Jack's shoulder.
Kristoff nodded, and changed form. He shook his head and looked around, noticing that several trolls had come to watch them leave.
Anna quickly mounted him and curled her fingers through his mane. Kristoff quickly noted how tense she was.
He spread his wings and prepared to take off, but a yell made him stop.
"Wait! There's something you must know! Something I forgot to tell you!" Pabbie walked through the crowd, as fast as he could, and stopped before him.
Anna looked down at him, confused. Pabbie stared up at her with a grave expression on his face. Kristoff stomped a hoof, slightly nervous.
"Anna, whatever you face in there, you must remember that you're not alone. The thing that you will be against will look for your weaknesses . . ." He looked up at the other three. "You all have them, and you all have fears. Those talismans will not be easy to get, there will be . . . things protecting them. They will kill you if they get the chance, know your flaws and your fears and don't give them that chance . . . There's something else . . . I've discovered a metal that seems . . . different. I believe the Dark Ones have found a new weapon. The metal is called iron mortem, it is the most deadly thing to beings who have pure magic in their veins and you four are about as magical as it gets. A scratch in the right place can kill you. The toxicity is so strong, that'd you be dead before you felt any pain from the blade."
"Basically this . . . iron stuff . . . it can kill us with one cut?" Elsa asked. Pabbie shook his head then paused.
"It depends on how close it is to your heart. The closer it is, the more likely you're to die."
"So like, how fast does it kill you if it's, let's say, right above your heart?" Jack asked, his fingers clutching Fortis's mane tightly.
"If it's like a graze or something small?" Pabbie asked. Jack nodded. "Don't let that happen, you'd be dead before you realized you were cut." They all gulped. "Be ready for anything, and good luck."
Kristoff and Fortis lifted into the air, wings beating rapidly. It wasn't long before they were flying through the sky and the the troll's valley had disappeared.
Jack and Elsa were talking to each other, but Anna had remained silent.
You okay? Kristoff asked. Being careful to block Jack and Elsa from the thought. He wanted to talk to Anna privately.
"I'm satisfactory." She replied curtly.
Satisfactory? Kristoff thought to himself. He, along with Jack and Elsa, had given Anna a speech about using simpler words. So far it had worked, she hadn't used any strange long words for most of their journey . . . Anna only became Ms. Dictionary when she was nervous, annoyed, or upset.
This was bad.
You sure?
"Indisputably positive." She responded.
Uh-huh. You're just . . . quiet.
"Sometimes I find uncommunicativeness gratifying. Why are you so concerned about it?"
Because it's not like you. You've also seemed tired and nervous lately . . . Anna what's wrong?
"Nothing's unseasonable with me. I'm just . . . somewhat anxious about Spero. That's all."
No, it's not.
"Yes, it is. Why do you care?" She snapped.
I'm your friend and "to care" came in the contract. Seriously Anna, what's so bad that you can't tell even your sister?
Anna was about to retort, but stopped and looked back at her sister.
Elsa had given a small laugh at something Snow-gee had said while Jack furiously denied it. But Anna knew how nervous they were, she could see it in their eyes. But they didn't know what she knew. They didn't have to see what she saw.
"Look, Kristoff, I'm sorry. It's just that- I mean- I keep seeing." Anna put her head in his mane, not being able to continue. He stayed silent, knowing that being quiet was the best thing he could do right at that moment.
Several minutes passed between them in muteness. Both of them contemplating on what to say. Anna opened her mouth to tell Kristoff something, but a call from Jack made her stop.
"Hey, is that a building?" Anna looked down and her stomach clenched with nervousness.
A huge pavilion stood on the side of the mountain. Its slender marble columns gleamed in the sunlight. Vines climbed up it and several trees had grown through the ancient floor, cracking it. It wasn't long before many other buildings came into view.
Huge and grand, with vegetation everywhere. Crystal clear pools of water scattered the landscape, some pouring into waterfalls. Beautiful flowers bloomed in hundreds of different colors. It wasn't natural. Elsa's arms tightened around Jack's chest.
She could feel the magical energy in this place. It was unnatural. The magic wasn't dark . . . but it was . . . ancient. A chill went up her spine, making her shudder.
"Let's land down there." Anna said, pointing to a small clearing that looked like it used to be a road. Kristoff took no time in getting to the ground and Fortis wasn't far behind.
"Do you guys feel it? The magic?" Kristoff asked, when he was back to his regular self. Jack nodded.
The magic didn't scare him, but it gave one an uneasy feeling. As if they had no idea what they were up against. Did they?
"We'll go this way." Anna said gesturing towards where the road led. Jack looked around him.
Tall trees and large colorful flowers surrounded them. The road he stood on was cobblestone and uneven from years of being beaten by Mother Nature. Through the plants Jack could see marble buildings covered with vines. He looked where Anna had pointed to.
A huge temple stood, gleaming in the sun. It was different from the other buildings, no plants grew inside or on it. A radiation of magic came from inside. It had to be something incredibly powerful for him to feel it from where they were. Jack hoped it was just from the amulet and nothing else.
"What about camp?" Elsa asked. Anna flicked her wand and their site appeared in a flash. With that, she started towards the temple. The others glanced at each other.
"Snow-gee, stay here with Fortis, we'll be back soon . . . probably." Jack said, following Kristoff and Elsa as they all started to make their way to the ancient temple.
The tiny snowman and his large friend watched quietly as the dense foliage swallowed up the only family they'd ever known. And there was silence.
Okay, so I finished this chapter when I got home at somewhere around midnight. I'll be updating the next chapter soon, I hope. On another note, school's starting soon, so who knows how much I'll be updating considering how long it takes me to get used to the 7th grade whatnot. Quote: "When you truly care for someone, their mistakes never change our feelings because it's the mind that gets angry, but the heart still cares." Once again, I don't know who said it. Oh, and yeah, I focused on Kristoff and Anna a little in this chapter.