Anna and Kristoff led their horses through the dry grassy hills of who knew where. Their sparse knowledge of The Southern Isles geography left them at a disadvantage to Hans, who grew up on lessons of this sort of thing. A warm breeze blew past the clearing they had reached.
"Are you sure you know where he went?" Anna asked Kristoff from her position ten feet away.
Kristoff sighed, unsure how to answer the question. In truth, he had no idea which island Hans had gone. It could be weeks before they happened to get to the right one. He'd figured the sudden lack of an ocean separating the islands, and any strange pyromaniacal stuff from a telltale area would give him a clue.
But so far, all it did was get them lost on one of hundreds of beached islands.
"I'm sure he's here somewhere." Kristoff lied, unwilling to admit Anna had been right. Anna just cast a look of hopefulness at Kristoff and they rode on as a new dawn rose. "Well," Kristoff looked at the rosy pink sky. "At least the smoke's gone." Anna smiled from where she sat, observing the glorious rising sun as heat began to set in, sweat dripping down both faces.
"What's that?" Anna peered into the distance, an orange glow appearing in the distance. "I can't say." Kristoff replied as the horses continued the ride. For some reason, Fannar was acting very apprehensive. "Come on buddy, we'll get through this." The man stroked the horse's ears softly to comfort it. The heat wore on without end, the lovers reaching a clearing to rest.
"Kristoff, do you smell something burning?" The princess looked around nervously at the trees around the empty, dry ground. "I do, you think it could be the meat?" Kristoff sniffed the air, but it didn't smell like meat. It smelled like wood, and lots of it.
"Watch out!" Anna screamed as a glowing mass of heat and flames flew right at Kristoff, who managed to get out of the way just in time before the fireball sailed past him and into one of the dry trees, causing a loud crack as the tree burst into burning splinters. "Kristoff! No! are you alright?!" Anna ran over to her fallen companion, who nodded and sat up. "We've gotta get out of here!" He exclaimed. But it was too late. The fire had encased the pair and their horses in the clearing with a ring of solid flames, like a cage.
Suddenly, Kristoff gripped his medallion, remembering how Henrik had died in the same fashion.
Both faces glowed in the light of the flames, certain they wouldn't be getting out alive. Then, Kristoff noticed something. An opening, a full ten feet from them. He looked over at Anna, who was closing her eyes from the smoke billowing around her, ashes falling to the dry grass around them. Kristoff picked his fiance up, kissing her once on the forehead, and ran over the opening, her horse and Fannar behind him as the crackling heat grew. Kristoff placed the still princess on the horse's back; whispering something into its ear, and the beast, along with Fannar, galloped through the opening just as the flames covered it up, completely trapping Kristoff in all it's burning glory. "Find them." He breathed one last breath before collapsing onto the ground, and closing his eyes to see Henrik and Gidda embrace him in death…
Elsa and Olaf stepped over the burning logs, a deep frown on her face. This entire forest was completely ruined. "This isn't right, it wasn't even thundering out." Elsa exclaimed at the unnatural conditions of the weather the evening before. It had suddenly began to get warmer and hotter in the dead of winter. That itself was unordinary enough, but then she saw the bay. The entire area was dry as a bone, for absolutely no reason!
Flipping her braid over her shoulder, Elsa shed her winter jacket, leaving her in a violet long sleeved shirt that clung to her frame with sweat. Rolling the sleeves up, the woman stepped over another ashy log, thinking only of the time she was younger. This was the same forest she once called home, resting in the caves, playing in the now dry lake, climbing these very trees. It broke her heart to think she would be long dead before this destruction would be, like her, a distant memory.
"Come on Olaf, let's go." She took an apple from her pants pocket and used it to lead him on. Her blue eyes flashed with the thoughts of her family, the rock trolls. Surely they'd be fine. After all, they knew the surrounding area almost as well as she did. Elsa smiled hopefully at the thought.
Suddenly, the two reached a clearing. The yellow grass scattered with ash, and a body. Fear filled the girl as she and Olaf ran over to the fallen man, who was face down in the dirt, his expensive looking suit covered in soot and embers. He also had a mane of long blonde hair. Elsa, with no effort, flipped him over to his back, pulling the paring knife from her pocket, she held it under the man's nose when it hit her. This was the exact men who'd bought a dozen logs from her the day before. What was his name? Cristopher? Elsa thought to herself as the shining blade clouded with the man's breath.
He was alive. Burned and comatose, but alive.
"Olaf, get him onto your back." Elsa stood up and motioned to the full grown reindeers large antlers. The creature snorted and did so, his tongue hanging out playfully. A small smile came to the lumberjacks face. She deepened her voice slightly into a tenor's voice for Olaf. SHe loved speaking for him, interpreting what the playful spirit couldn't say himself.
"Where are we taking him Elsa?" She said in Olaf's voice.
Cristopher now laid on the furry back of the reindeer, his chest rising and falling steadily. "Don't worry buddy. We've seen people in his state before." Elsa took the knife and sliced the fruit in half, holding it out to Olaf as a reward for listening to her, then taking a bite out of her side and grabbing the reins to lead the reindeer forward as he chewed slowly. "We're just gonna take him along with us, then back when he wakes up." Elsa offered the emotional creature an answer.
Suddenly, a clinking sound came from the ground. Elsa turned and looked down. It was a silver medallion, untouched by the destruction around her. It was gilded with a silver snowflake in the center, and would fetch a hefty sum if she chose to keep it. But snowflakes weren't her thing. And besides, it probably belonged to someone. What amazed Elsa was that it had survived at all. Most metals, especially precious ones, melted at half the temperature forest fires burned at, but then again, this wasn't a normal forest fire.
Leading Olaf through the charred forest, the three went to the little hideaway where she stored her cart. (Thankfully undamaged) And set out and up the mountain to the trade depot. Elsa needed supplies for her journey south, and knew of someone who could get her a good deal for the cash she had…
Kristoff awoke to the bumping of a cart, and flask of water beside him. He saw a pale girl hunched over him, her eyes twisted in confusion, blazing in the light of a torch. It was hazy, dark, but he remembered nothing about it. All Kristoff could recall was Fannar and Anna being carried far away from a blazing fire, and just barely reaching his mother and fathers soft embrace before being pulled away, much to his annoyance.
He'd really hoped to see them, at least once.
But that wasn't what happened, apparently, and now, here he was, he his propped against a bundle of cloth, as a familiar face stared down at him. "Elsa?" He questioned to the woman, who smiled sweetly and helped him to sit up. "Thank God" She sighed. "I thought you'd never wake up." She propped herself on her knees and picked up the flask of water.
"Here, you need to have some." She handed the gruff man the flask, and he began to drink. "Thanks." He said after a moment, wiping his mouth with his wrist, and handed it back to the girl, who gave it a quick shake to feel how much was left. Thankfully, there was still a fair amount. "So," Kristoff propped himself up in the cart to Elsa's height. "What happened?" He asked and looked around him. The night sky dotted with stars and a bright moon. The smoke must've passed, he thought.
"Why don't you tell me? I found you on the ground this morning, a little dazed, a bit burned, but responsive, for lack of a better word." She shrugged and sat down at Kristoff's height; huffing a breath of air like a braying horse. Kristoff tried to recall what he could. His memories never seemed to be in the right place. "Well, I remember going out to the woods with Anna, but there was a wildfire. I just remember sending her off on her horse to get help." He sat up and noticed he was bare chested. "Where's my shirt?" He raised an eyebrow at Elsa, whose eyes opened wide as if remembering something herself. "Funny thing about that, actually." She chuckled halfheartedly, rubbing the back of her head like Kristoff always did.
"What did you do to it?" Kristoff asked bored, knowing she likely sold it for the water.
"Well that depends." Elsa shrugged her shoulders indifferently. Kristoff was perplexed. "Huh?" He asked somewhat bewildered, wondering what she meant. "Do you want the bad news, or the even worse news?" The girl asked bluntly. "Bad." Kristoff said, not really wanting to hear either. Elsa sighed. "Your jacket and shirt caught on fire, which is why you may not feel very comfortable on that side of you." Kristoff shifted, suddenly noticing the incredible pain from his back. "What's the worse news?" He grunted after a moment, settling back to where he had been.
"Check your hand." Elsa pointed to his right hand. Kristoff held it into the light. There wasn't any hideous burns or scarring. "It's just my hand, Elsa." He said plainly, turning it in front of her. "Nothing's missing?" Elsa held up her own smaller hand, indicating the silver band on her ring finger. Then Kristoff realized what was wrong.
His wedding band was gone. Kristoff bit his lip and set his hand down, defeated.
"Where is it?" He asked avoiding eye contact with the lumberjack. "I had to trade it for something to use on those burns. It was either that," Elsa lifted a sort of necklace from her neck, and handed it to Kristoff. "Or this." He knew what it was, and was suddenly glad she had traded the ring over it.
It was Henrik's medal, still flawless as ever.
"I figured the gold may have been worth more, but I can replace it." Elsa slid the medal back over her neck. "No," Kristoff stopped her hands as they hung it halfway down her head. "That's mine." He started to reach for it, but Elsa pulled away. "How can I be sure? You weren't wearing it when I saw you last." She held tight to the circle of silver. "Because it was tucked under my jacket like it always is!" Kristoff tried to bend forward and snatch it, but Elsa's eyes flashed and she threw her arm out over the edge of the rolling cart, holding the snowflake medal by the ribbon it hung from, the silver shining in the light of the torch.
One movement of her fingers would be the end of it.
"No!" His voice cracked as Kristoff nearly threw himself at the shining object. "Please," Kristoff reached as far as he could, but it was still a full arm's length from Elsa. "I can't lose that!" He begged as tears brimmed at his eyes. He couldn't lose his father. Not now.
Elsa pursed her lips, her harsh demeanor shifting to a small smile. She kept her arm where it was for a moment until she was sure Kristoff wouldn't snap her neck to get it, observing it in the light of the torch. She and Kristoff released a sigh. "What's so special about this thing anyway?" She rubbed her fingers on the medal like a lucky statue. "It's just a snowflake." Kristoff bit his lip. "It was my father's. I always have it with me, because it's all that's left of him." He held his head in his knees, the tears drying on his ashy breeches, the mauve scarf still tied tight to his waist.
Elsa raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?" She asked looking over at him. "Yeah. Why would I lie to someone who's currently nursing me back to health?" Kristoff lifted his head up, putting both hands on his knees and trying to lean forward, but cringed at the pain. "Listen, I'm sorry. But no one's ever cared to have me, and anyone who did is long dead. I've been swindled out of enough things in my life. I guess it's just instinct." Elsa played with her chocolate colored braid and smiled softly, handing the medal back to Kristoff.
"Trust me, you're not alone in that." Kristoff slid the piece back over his neck, realizing that he still didn't have a shirt on. "Hey, you don't have anything for me to wear in there do you?" He asked pointing at the seat of the cart. "Let's have a look…" Elsa bent over the bench of the cart, raffling through the bag of clothes. "Nope. Guess you're just gonna have to wait till we get to Oaken's." She sighed and looked ahead, even though there wasn't point. She and Olaf had been to the trading post more times than she could count, and had an on-off friendship with the owner whose namesake graced the sign by the door.
"Don't worry, we'll get you something there." She smiled at the mountain man, who stretched out and yawned as the cart raced through the forests to Wandering Oaken's Trading Post.