Chapter 22:

Arrival

They sailed on into the night. Lars estimated that they would reach the third and final test by daybreak. All through the night, the men took turns keeping watch ahead with their lanterns, alerting Lars to rocks and other hazards. It was slow going. No one found any sleep, not after there harrowing experiences just hours before, which was still fresh on their minds. Since they were up anyway, Lars instructed them to strap down any loose articles. Though he failed to tell them exactly what to expect at daybreak (he seemed to enjoy the surprises), they figured it involved rocking the boat somehow. Mental exhaustion plagued the crew, some worse off than others. They were lethargic, their minds not where they were supposed to be. Kira seems to have taken the worse of it. She was below decks for a while, hiding in an empty room, sitting in a ball. After some time, Anna eventually came down to check on her

She knocked on the door. "Hey there" Anna said as she opened the unlocked door. "How are you holding up?" Kira looked up, but only shook her head in response. Anna then went and sat down next to her. "Oh come on" she said with a positive tone "talking helps."

Kira sighed. "Oh like you're not all shook up too."

"Oh, no, I'm pretty shook up" Anna replied. "Everyone is. Even Wesley's quiet, and that's saying something."

Kira rolled her eyes. "I should have knocked his lights out."

Anna giggled at that. "Oh you and me both. But in the end he was only helping. You know that right?"

"All I know is he strapped that, that... thing on my arm. I hate that thing!" Of course she was talking about the strap, the one with Blue Crystals embedded into it. She was too familiar with the light 'snap' of the strap and the sting of the metal on her wrist, then the dulling sensation the crystals had on her. "But yeah, I guess he was only trying to help. It doesn't help that he is related to him though."

"He betrayed him to help us."

"Yeah I know" Kira said dismissingly.

Kira turned her head away. Anna thought to herself, then said. "Kristoff told me what happened."

Kira then looked to her thoughtfully. "How did he know?"

"He woke up just as it was happening."

Kira nodded. "He saw all that?" Anna nodded. Kira then turned her eyes to the floor. "I wanted him dead."

"Hey, that's understandable."

"No, you don't understand!" Kira snapped. "Mind controlled or not, I wanted him dead! And I wish I went through with it!"

Anna was quiet for a moment, shocked, but at the same time not suprised. "I suppose I can't blame you for wanting that. If that happened to me, I would probably say the same thing."

Kira leaned back, rolling her head back to face he ceiling. "What was I thinking? Coming along I mean. I should have known this would happen." She then lifted her hand and opened her palm, looking upon it with a sullen glare. "I wish I never had these powers. Then he would have never kidnapped me, and I would know what it feels like to be a kid."

"Yeah" said Anna. "I know what you mean. If I can offer some advise, I would just say don't ponder about what you lost. You just got to let it go. You know, move on from it. Sure, you can never escape it, but you can live with it; be happy, find love, not have to worry about those past things coming back for you."

"Well, that's the thing" said Kira. "My past can come back for me, and he's just a few feet over my head."

"Only if you let him. You're stronger than he is, Kira. You were just a kid back then. You're older now, wiser, more experienced. You just need to remember how strong you really are."

Kira kept quiet for some time after that. Her eyes were fixed ahead, comprehending every word, wishing for them to be true.

Meanwhile, up above, Jase had just dismissed Kristoff from watch duty. Kristoff wandered back to the stern of the ship, passing Lars. The events that transpired just hours ago was still fresh on his mind. He faired better than most after that experience. In fact, the vision he had of King Adgar's ghost chasing him on the ice had slipped almost entirely from his mind. Instead, it was what he saw after he woke up that stirred him the most. Making sure he was out of earshot of anyone, he walked up to Lars.

"Why did you do it?" Kristoff asked.

"Oh, because I felt like it" Lars said.

"Huh?"

"Son, if you're going to start a conversation, you need to state a subject first."

Kristoff breathed. "I saw what happened, between you and Kira, while we were going through that mist back there."

Lars turned and looked at him surprised. "How did you..." was all he could ask at first. He thought for a moment longer, then grinned. "It's not often a man 'wakes up' before we make it to the end. You have a strong mind about you."

"More like a thick skull. Kira was going to kill you, and to be frank, part of me was OK with that."

"I'm touched."

"But she fell, and you had the knife. You had your chance to defend yourself. A man like you wouldn't hesitate... but you did." Lars' calm expression then faded into a grim look on his face. He just stared on ahead, preferring it if Kristoff would just shut up. "In fact, you through the knife away entirely. You basically signed your death certificate."

Lars grunted. "Where are you going with this?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Why did you do it? Why did you let her live, at the expense of your own life?"

Lars turned around and, after a brief second to contemplate his reaction, said "What, you think you found some good in the cold, heartless pirate captain?"

"If there is any good, it's not enough to ever trust you with anything."

"That's sound advice son. You shouldn't trust me, not even with pocket change. I let her live because of logic. Look around, do I have any friends on this ship? Would anyone believe me if I said it was self defense? Me, your enemy? You would have thrown me overboard to drown at see as soon as you didn't need me anymore. Nah. I knew I had a chance to keep her talking long enough to get to the last border. If anything, all I did was choose between a quick death by decapitation or a slow death at see. Nothing more nothing less."

Kristoff nodded. "That's all I wanted to know." Kristoff then began to walk off back to the main decks, but stopped. Without turning to face him, Kristoff just said "In my line of work, I had to learn to read people. It's that or I get cheated out of a good deal. It's saved my life a few times. So when I tell you I know the difference between a look of fear and a look of say, remorse, I mean it." Then Kristoff walked on down the stairs, leaving Lars on his own.

Lars shot a furious glare into the back of Kristoff's skull, but said nothing more. Stubborn, he looked back to the sea ahead.

Within the next half hour the sun began to rise. Lars was relieved to see something that would take his mind off.
" They noticed that, up ahead, the fog was lifting, providing them for the first time a clear view of the stone walls ahead.

"All hands to deck!" he said aloud, snapping everyone from their weary thoughts. "The last challenge is before us!"

Everyone jumped up, already awake. Anna and Kira came running up from below deck to see what was before them now. The stone walls that had lingered on either side for the whole trip spread out now, opening up to what appeared to be a large bay, if not whole sea. As the mist cleared, a large pillar appeared right smack in the middle of their way. It was carved in the way of a serpent, its serpentine body wrapping around the stone. It's mouth was open, as if it were roaring.

"So, what's the test?" asked Jase. "More mind games?"

Lars smiled slyly, then said. "Oh we're passed psychology. Here we're entering a physical challenge."

"Awesome!" said Wes. "Anything but trivia!"

"More specifically?" asked Jase.

"Specifically, you better get your sea legs together if you haven't got them already. In this short stretch of water, we will face every challenge, every extreme possible on the open sea. Cyclones, whirlpools, surges, all those scenarios you've only read about up until now."

At that, Kristoff gulped. He had spent most of his life landlocked. What little experience he had on boats took place on gentle inland seas and tame canals. He expected that one of these days he would be forced to deal with an ocean storm, but to meet all the perils at once made him queasy. "And, you know how to get through them all, right?"

"Oh sure. With a good crew, it's possible" replied Lars.

Kristoff looked around. Lars and Wes he knew were experienced with boats. Jethro showed great familiarity with the parts of the boat, and even be able to read navigational maps (to a point). Jase, like him, originated from a landlocked existence, so no help there. Marge, if she was anything like the trolls he knew wouldn't know the sail from a dress. Olaf and Gunnolf forget it. Kira, probably had little to no experience. And then there was Anna, whom he knew for a fact feared ocean storms, her own parents having perished in one.

So in all, only three were qualified to navigate this boat if things got bad. Great.

"Hey you, elf" said Lars to Jethro

"It's 'Jethro'."

"Go make sure everyone has a lifeline on. Wes, tie down the sails. We won't be needing them."

"On it boss!" said Wes as he ran up the mast, climbing up the rope to get to the main lines which held the sail in place.

"Okay... princess."

"Yeah?" asked Anna

Lars shook his head. "The other princess."

Kira didn't even turn around to answer.

"Hey!" said Lars with more insistence.

"I can take care of it" said Anna.

"I wasn't talking to you."

At that Kira shot around, fixing a stern glare onto Lars. "What on earth do you need my powers for, besides the obvious?" she stated, finishing off with a bitterly sarcastic tone.

"Just the opposite. You need to refrain from using your powers, no matter how terrifying the obstacle."

"What?"

"This course is designed to test our skill, and not with the aid of magic; that would be cheating. Do so and our journey will grow exponentially treacherous. Believe me; I've tried before on one of our resupply runs here. Lost three men that day."

Kira's eyes shot wide open in surprise. So she had been here before? There was much she couldn't account for while she was his captive, so it shouldn't be a surprise. Still, it bothered her to know that this was not her first time here. There wasn't even a feeling of deja vu with this place. It frightened her to think about where else she had been, what else she did while he had her on his leash.

Then, a moment later, the wind picked up. Where before there was just the silence of the mist, now was a substantial breeze. It whipped Kira's short blond hair back and forced her to squint her eyes.

"It's starting!" said Lars. "You there, mountain man!"

"Do you even know our names?" asked Kristoff.

"Names are for the friendly. I'm not your friend. Go check the shroud lines! Elf! Is everyone secured?"

"Just about!" said Jethro as he ran from person to person, tying a length of rope around their waists with the speed only an elf could achieve. When each and every person has a line attached to them, he then went about tying them all to the mast. Just in time too, because a series of waves suddenly appeared, now rocking the boat with a great momentum. Everyone had to grip onto something to keep from losing their balance.

"Everyone hang on and be ready to act on command. This is not for the faint of heart. You lose your footing even once here and you'll most certainly die!"

"How reassuring" said Anna sarcastically as she gripped onto the railing.

The wind picked up again, swirling about the boat from all sides, giving no real sense of direction. Behind them, the stone walls that had guided them vanished. They were suddenly in what looked like open ocean. Then it began to rain. "Wes!" screamed Lars. "Get to the crows nest! Keep lookout!"

"Aw, I always get the crows nest!" Wes whined.

"Don't give me that! Get up there!"

Wes sighed drastically. "Fine!" he said with attitude, then climbed up the rope ladder up the mast and to the crows nest. "Oky Doky, what do we have today... Looks like just water this time."

"This time?" asked Jase.

"Magical course" Lars reminded. "Never the same challenges twice. The ancients who enchanted this place liked to switch things up."

Then the boat dove down. A large swell formed just in front of the boat, forcing it down, then up the large wave. Everyone held on for dear life as the boat bobbed up and down. Olaf clung to Gunnolf, who had his claws buried into the wooden deck beneath him, his legs splayed out to achieve better balance. The rain picked up again, and by now everyone was sopping wet. All around them the water turned treacherous, waves and whirlpools forming. It was as if they found themselves in the middle of a hurricane. Ahead of them, a large cresting wave came up out of the water, rushing right at them. There was enough time to turn away, but Lars kept his course right ahead.

"Lars!" cried out Jase over the rain, pointing ahead. "Watch out!"

"I see it!" said Lars, keeping his hands firm on the wheel straight ahead.

Jase watched as the wave came closer, Lars making no attempt to move. "Lars!"

The wave was close now, frightening close. Everyone held tight, believing that it would come crashing down on them and possible break the boat in two. Kira was tempted to use her powers to try and stop it somehow, but instead found herself taking Lars' advice. At the last second, however, the wave split apart, each half zooming past them on either side. Jase watched in surprise as the two halves formed back together again once it had safely moved behind them. He looked back at Lars.

Lars smiled. "That was our first marker! Plenty more where that came from!"

Just then, Wes called out from above. "Whirlpool ahead! Giant one!"

"Perfect" said Lars. "We're going in the right direction!"

Anna clung on to Kristoff. "I'm going to be sick."

"I'm so sick of flying" Elsa muttered to herself.

At daybreak, Elsa and her new friends set off for the city of Shamrock. Shárra expected them to reach it before noon, which Elsa was happy about. Though she was finally getting used to it, flying was still something she found very uncomfortable, particularly because she nearly fell to her death twice already. She held on tight to Boran's neck, her heart skipping a beat each time Boran's body shook from flapping his wings. Nearby on Shárra, Jasp was leaning back on her back as if on a bed, his arms comfortably crossed behind his neck. He was reading Elsa's body language like a book.

"First time flying Sheila?" he asked.

Elsa nodded. "It's Elsa."

"Oh don't mind him" said Shárra. "He calls every woman that. I still don't understand it."

"I'll have you know that it's a compliment where I'm from" said Jasp. "It's synonymous with 'gentlewoman' or 'Lady'."

"Well it sounds insulting. Or maybe it's just the way you say it."

"You uncultured swine!" Jasp shot back. Then, either to show off or to simply bug her, he stood up on Shárra's back, showing just how well balanced he was. He then walked out over the edge Shárra's body and looked down. "I mean look at that. Thousands of feet up. One wrong step and I could fall. And it's a long way to the ground. I mean, you literally have enough time to contemplate life and death before the splat! And it's not always a quick death; you could break every bone in your body and just be lying for hours before its finally over..."

"You're not helping!" Elsa said.

"All I'm saying is, the better you accept your eventual death, the more you can enjoy life. It's all about..." Then Jasp lost his footing and did indeed fell off his steed, plummeting to the ground. He let out a yell before falling out of earshot.

"Oh my gosh!" Elsa screamed out in shock.

But Shárra just let out an irritated sigh. "Not again" she said more annoyed than worried. She simply retracted her wings and dove down after him. Boran watched while Elsa kept her eyes shut. Moments later, Shárra reappeared with Jasper safe on her back.

"Whoa! See what I mean!" said Jasp without losing a beat. "Imminent death. Gotta embrace it!"

"Please just stop talking" Elsa said.

"Alright, alright. If you don't want to hear the facts of life just say so..."

"STOP!" Everyone said in unison.

"You're all boring!" said Jasp. He then resumed his lying position and pulled his hat over his head to nap.

Shárra rolled her eyes. "He means well."

"Oh I'm sure he does" said Elsa with skepticism.

"He just comes from a, different culture, less refined."

"I can hear you!" said Jasp from under his hat.

"Good! Now if you can listen I'll be impressed" said Shárra. Jasp remained silent. Shárra rolled her eyes. "My best friend."

"Couldn't think of a more perfect match" teased Boran.

Shárra shot him a glare, then smiled, looking on ahead.

"Um, not that I don't love flying, but are we almost there?" Elsa asked.

"Why don't you look for yourself?" said Boran. Hesitant to move her head, Elsa looked up. Indeed, up ahead, out towards where the woods extend out onto an endless plain like a peninsula, was a settlement of some sort. It was still just a dot to Elsa, but she could make out civilization, the first she's seen in this so far unforgiving, yet enchanted landscape.

"Oh thank God this is ordeal almost over" she said happily.

"Oh God! Is this ordeal almost over?!" screamed Anna as she tightly embraced the mast, completely soaked to the bone both from the rain and the relentless spray of the sea.

"No idea!" said Lars with frightening glee as he skillfully guided the boat through the roughest parts of this labyrinth of hazards. While he kept at his post, Jethro ran about the ship, checking ropes and adjusting the sails whenever the situation called for it. Poor Marge, who was hanging onto one of the railing posts, was being thrown around like a withered flag. Kira, forbidden from using her magic, looked miserable gripping onto the lower mast alongside Anna. Kristoff and Jase held onto railing near the bow of the yacht, watching each new hazard approach, only to miraculously dissipate, even bending certain laws of physics to avoid them. It soon became clear that the most dangerous route was actually marking the way to go, each fearsome hazard acting as a marker. Jethro was now silently thanking himself that those dragons burned his boat, because he was now certain he would have misread that map the whole way here.

"Alright, don't panic!" said Anna to Kira. "I'm sure he's just pulling our legs!"

"I'm not panicking" said Kira.

"I said don't panic!" Anna nearly cried, exhausted from hanging on for what felt like hours, mostly because it was hours now.

"You're the one panicking!" Kira said aloud.

"Well off course I'm panicking! My arms feel like they're going to fall off!"

Jase, hardly able to make out what anyone else was saying himself, called out. "How's everyone holding up?!"

Just after he said that, Gunnolf, with his legs splayed out and his snowy fur clinging to his body, forming a thin layer of slushy ice, came sliding down the deck past them. His ears were down and had had on a pitiful pout. Olaf as hanging on to one of his legs. "Make it sto-o-op!" he cried out.

"Anyone besides Olaf?"

"I think we're all on Olaf's side!" said Kristoff. He had lost his hat, and due to the position he chose; the railing near the bow, he was getting the brute of the waves.

"Almost everyone" said Jase, pointing up.

Everyone then looked up to see Wes, still on the crows nest, who looked to all like he had finally snapped. He had his shirt off, raising his fists into the air. "You call this a storm?! Come on you son of a gun! It's time for a showdown! You, and me! I'm right here! Come and get me! AHH HA HA HA!" He yelled out into the storm with a manic voice.

"Good Lord he's finally snapped!" said Kira.

"I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner" said Anna.

Wes continued. "YOU'LL NEVER. SINK. THIS. BOAT! AH HA HA HA HA!"

"Do we put him out of his misery?!" said Kristoff over the wind.

"I've got a bunch of rocks we can use!" said Marge.

"No one's putting anyone out of any misery!" said Jase

"Come on Calypso! I dare you to sink us! I DARE YOU!"

"...yet" Jase added.

With each obstacle pass, another was quick to take its place. Whirlpool, tidal wave, rocks, icebergs, water spouts, swells, many repeating themselves with increasing veracity. Then, up ahead, Jethro spied what looked like large waves, moving against the current. Having much experience with the sea, and faring better than the others by leagues, he dared to run up to the mast and, leaping over Anna and Kira's heads, climbed up a few meters to get a better look.

"What is it?" asked Kira.

Jethro looked hard, squinting with the rains dripping down over his eyelashes. Then, he saw through the spray and the rain a definite, serpentine shape breaking the surface. "Lars! I think we have company!"

Lars was looking ahead as well. No sooner did the elf spoke did a large, snake like form erupt from the ocean. Shrouded by the dim light and the dense rain, they could still make out what it was. "Sea serpent!" cried out Jethro.

The serpent was large indeed, nearly twice the length of the boat. It was more fish like than like the reptilian dragons, with large, lidless, glowing blue eyes and a hinged jaw of a fish. It's gill flaps extended back behind its skull like fins. It opened its mouth and let out a long, loud, hiss-like roar, with the same blue light coming from deep in its throat, giving the creature an otherworldly, mythical look.

"Men, get your swords!" cried out Jase.

"No!" said Lars.

Jase snapped his head around, giving Lars an unbelieving stare. "What?!"

"That's our marker, our last marker! We must treat it like all the rest!"

"That thing will tear this ship apart!" said Marge.

"We sail on through it, like all the rest!" Lars kept his course and they sailed on right to the beast. The serpent roared again, it's voice blending into the wind, then it dove down. With its fins giving it away, the creature swam at them in a straight line, swaying back and forth like a snake.

"I don't like this!" said Kristoff.

The serpent passed them. The faint glow is gave off, even under the foamy sea, could be faintly seen. It began circling them. Of all on board, Wes had the best view.

"Lars!" said Jase.

"Just hang on! It's not like you have any choice anyway!"

He was right. The massive animal swam at them with more than twice of the large yacht. As the protruding fins came closer, its size became more and more apparent; it could have eaten the dragons that attacked the castle. Not even Jethro, who had experience with such creatures, could have any hope in fending this behemoth off. With immense reluctance, he just gave in to Lars' direction and held his ground. All the while, the serpent formed a circle around them with its serpentine body. From his crow's nest, Wes watched as the creature formed a ring of glowing blue light around them.

"OK, I take it back! Don't try to sink this ship!" Wes said in a panic.

Then, as quickly as it came, the ring vanished, and the creature dove. There was a faint, high pitch moan coming from deep beneath them.

A second later, it leapt up out of the water, opening wide its mouth, which was large enough to swallow the boat. This close, the small crew could see its thousands of sharp teeth, two rows of them on both halves of its jaws. The blue light emanating from its body lit up the boat. It came down on them with a great and frightening speed. The impact unavoidable, everyone, including the confident Lars, ducked, shutting their eyes and awaiting there doom.

But then, nothing. After almost ten seconds of remaining crouched down, It was Anna who first opened her eyes.

Within moments, the whole storm vanished. The clouds fades away, and the wind ceased, and the waters lost their momentum and calmed, and the monster, than moments ago was as real as the boat they were on, had vanished without a trace. In a matter of seconds, the storm gave way to a light overcast day.

At the helm, Lars let out a sigh. "We have passed the maze. Welcome to the Lands North!"

It was less than a tranquil entrance. Everyone was still sopping wet, but otherwise relieved that the whole ordeal was finally over. Gunnolf pulled his claws from the floors and stood up, shaking the ice water from his coat the best he could, though much of the ice clung onto it. "Here, let me get that" said Kira. She quickly waved her hand, melting the ice and reforming his snowy hair. Gunnolf shook it once more, then gave Kira a big, wet kiss.

Kira was the first to look ahead. In the near distance were a series of green islands. "Is that it?" she asked.

"The Larthurn archipelago" said Jethro, wringing the water from his shirt. "We're less than two days from Shamrock now."

Jase then looked back up at Lars. "I think Jethro can handle the rest of the way."

"Aw, but we were having so much fun" said Lars. Without another word, Jase walked back up to the helm, handcuffed the cooperative prisoner, and took Lars back down below, locking him up for the remainder of the trip. Lars went without any hesitation, knowing he couldn't escape even if he wanted to. Once he was down below, Jethro reclaimed his position at the wheel.

"Well, we made it" said Jethro.

Wes came flying down on one of the ropes, still shirtless. He hit the ground with a spring in his step. "Gosh I love storms! They always clear my sinuses and lift my spirits! Makes it feel good to be alive, you know?!" he said merrily.

You are never babysitting Matthew!" Anna told him.

Kira hid her eyes with her hands. "Where is your shirt?"

"My shirt is missing?" Wes asked. He looked at his bare, chiseled chest. "Huh, I don't remember that part. Shoot, I hope it didn't fall overboard."

"How much further to Shamrock?" asked Jase.

"Oh, let's see. Lathurn is just up there. We're only a few hours from the port of Lardon. So, two more days?"

"Two days?!" Anna screamed. "Elsa's already been gone for two days!"

"There isn't more I can do. Once we reach Lardon, we must ride two days to Shamrock."

Anna fumed, then walked out to the bow of the ship, staring out towards the land in the distance. "Just hang in there Elsa, we're on our way" she whispered.

"Just hang in there Elsa, we're almost there" said Boran.

Elsa took a deep breath, then dared to peak through her left eye. As light crept through her eyelids, the sight before her gave her the courage to open her right.

The city of Shamrock lied between two branches of a great forking river, one to the East and the other to the West. A few miles from the expansive forest to the south, Shamrock was set in a seemingly endless sea of grass. When they flew in close enough to get a better look, Elsa felt like she was stepping back in time. The buildings, many no more than one story, were made of stone bricks, carved out from the surrounding bedrock. They weren't subsidence dwellings though, and many had a very distinct style of architecture. The streets were meandering, none of them bearing any resemblance to a straight line, but nonetheless having same level of organization and thought of the more popular gridlock layout. Trees were abundant, small ones anyway, and shrubs and flowers too. From this height, Elsa was unable to distinguish buildings of trade shops from homes.

Then, up near where the rive forks, was the castle. It was small, about the size of Arendelle's castle, though lacking the wall. The only thing defending this castle was the wall surrounding the entire city. It was built similar to the stave churches she was used to. In fact, it could have been the inspiration for her ancestors. It was much larger than a church though, and could hold over a hundred people comfortably. Covered walkways ran along the roof on the second floor, and definite rooms peaked out the sloping, singular roof, no doubt for the royal family. Unlike much of the city, this castle was made entirely of wood.

The two dragons then swooned down, flying low along the edge of the city walls. Now closer to the ground, Elsa felt more comfortable, enough to lean back to get a better look. She saw some excitement along the tops of the stone walls as guards pointed at them. There was deep horn blast, no doubt signaling there arrival.

"This way" said Shárra. She flew on straight, parallel to the walls, until she slowed down, flapping her wings harder. Before them was a road, one end leading to the city gates, and the other towards a bridge going across the river. Down by the gates was a small band of guards, waving to them as the dragons flew in close. Following his sister's lead, Boran flew close behind and landed just behind her before the gates.

"Lady Shárra!" said one of the guards, an elf. He and the others had on light armor, with long, pointed helmets. He waved to her with a friendly demeanor. "Mr. Jasper! Welcome back!"

"Good to be back Harlon." said Shárra.

Then the guard, Harlon, looked back behind her at Boran and Elsa with a rouse of suspicion. "I see you have brought guests?"

"Yes" said Shárra. She turned back to look at them. Boran had bowed down, letting Elsa step off. She did so with little grace, her legs still shaky from the flight. "Long awaited guests at that. Harlon, let me introduce my brother, Boran."

Harlon's eyes shot wide open once realization hit him. "Boran, but, you said he was..."

"Not any more" she said with a smile. She turned and walked up to Boran, looking at him. "My brother has been found, home again."

At that, Harlon tilted his head quickly in respect. "Mr. Boran, it is nice to meet you. Thank the Heavens for your safe return."

Boran nodded. "Thank you, but part of that thanks goes to my little savior here." He arched his head back, looking at Elsa.

Harlon tried to hide a smile upon seeing her. Her blue dress was now covered in numerous grass and dirt stains, both faded from being soaked. Her braid was a tangled mess from the hours of flight. Even her vest, its dark colors hiding the stains better, showed tears and holes. Smudges of dirt and minor scrapes on her face only added to her disheveled look. Royalty was the last thing on this guard's mind.

"And, who are you, ma'am?"

Trying her best to look presentable, Elsa blew a loose strand of hair from her face. She flicked her hands against her clothing in hopes of removing at least some of the dirt, than stood up straight. "I am Elsa" she said shyly.

"Understatement of the year! said Jasp aloud. "Harly, you're looking at the Queen of Arendelle. Or if you will the..." he was stopped by a tail flick from Shárra, knocking him over.

"What happened to breaking it slowly?!" she snapped at him.

Harlon and the other guards suddenly tensed up at the name. They all fixed their eyes on Elsa. "Queen Elsa?" said Harlon. "The Snow Queen, in our presence?" Elsa went to correct them, but they quickly bowed down before them.

"Wait, that may be an overstatement..."

"Strif!" Harlon suddenly said aloud to one of his officers. "Ride to the castle! Alert the King! We have important guests!" Elsa shut her eyes in frustration. "My Lady, welcome to Shamrock."

I once again apologize for this long overdue chapter. This time I can safely blame work, but thankfully I found a break and had time to finish this chapter.

So, we're now finally in Shamrock, where a whole myriad of characters await us. I am happy to finally say that we are nearing the end of part I of this story. Still a few chapters to go, but at least we can finally move the plot along.

Thanks to all of you for hanging in there! Please feel free to review and leave your thoughts!

-Batman

P.S. Wes' reference this chapter? Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump!