A ship was sailing towards a nearby city. The sailors were preparing to dock the ship with every strength that they had. It was a surprise that the ship was making it back to the country just in time. The sailors didn't want to face Baron Rupert, therefore they were relieved that they had made it on time.
The captain had just given two of the sailors an order when a door slammed open and the young princess of Arendelle raced on deck with Maximus at her side. Anna's dress was very similar to the dress she'd worn at Elsa's coronation last year except this gown was dark pink and the sleeves were long. Her braided bun was at the nape of her neck.
"Maximus, we're finally here!" Anna cheered, jumping up and down.
Anna felt the warm breeze and heard seagulls in the distance. She closed her eyes and smiled big as she exhaled the sea air and listened to the waves gently hitting the ship. She felt the ship moving up and down, making her more excited for adventure by the minute.
Anna opened her eyes and giggled. She saw that Eugene and Kristoff were having a conversation with each other with Sven nearby. She darted over towards the railing, knocking over some sailors that were getting the ship ready to dock. Her eyes widen as she squealed right when she reached the railing as the view of Belliville appeared in front of her.
"We're here!" Anna rejoiced as she wrapped her arms around Kristoff, nearly knocking him over. "We're finally here!"
"Come down, Anna," Kristoff chuckled. Anna laughed and wrapped her arms around Sven, nearly knocking him over as well. "I know you're excited, but you need to calm down."
"I'm sorry, I just can't help it," Anna squealed. She took a deep breath and peered back at the country. "It almost reminds me of Arendelle."
"I always loved this view!" Eugene smiled. He laid his hands on the railing and let out a sigh. Maximus noticed that his hands were on the railing and shook his head. "Yes, Max, I remember what happened on the cargo ferry," he groaned. He spun back to the view of the country with a large smile on his face. "Ah, this brings back memories!"
"Why am I not surprised?!" Rupert's voice asked sarcastically. The group turned and saw that Rupert had just arrived on deck. He was dressed in his red suit with his hair neatly combed. Anna noticed that he had an owl pin on his jacket. The owl was the same one that was imprinted on the banner. "What are you up to this time, Rider? Planning to steal another piece of my wife's jewelry, are you?"
"My lord, I am no longer a criminal," Eugene groaned. He gestured to his uniform. "As you can see from my uniform, I am captain of the guard back in Corona and I am technically royalty by both marriage and birth."
Anna smiled as the view of the bay came closer, her hands clenching on the railing. She couldn't wait to get in the county. Tons of questions came into her mind as she smelled the ocean air. What would Belliville be like? Would she meet new people? Would this foreign place be exciting?
"We're here!" Anna rejoiced, jumping up and down. The ship was coming towards the dock and Anna could see that Belliville had a huge village. with a large city behind it. "Wow!" she hollered. "I can't believe we're getting closer to the docks!"
"Belliville Bay," Eugene and Rupert both added at once.
"Belliville Bay," Anna murmured. "I'll definitely remember that. So, Eugene, how did you know?"
"Don't you remember?" Rupert said as he gave Eugene an annoyed look. "He is wanted here."
"I was a wanted thief," Eugene corrected.
Rupert's face turned red as he stomped over to Eugene. "Well in my book, you are still wanted in this country regardless of your status. If you weren't coming here to represent Corona for your wife, I would have you arrested in a heartbeat! You stole my wife's necklace and I believe that you should pay for the consequences."
Overwhelmed, Anna leaned closer to the sea as she watched the ship dock at Belliville Bay. The next chapter in her life was about to begin and she was eager to explore the strange country. Just like she promised Elsa, Anna was determined to represent Arendelle and show her country's support of magic.
As Rupert was demanding one of the sailors fetch his horse for him, Anna, Kristoff, Eugene, Sven, and Maximus went over to the sailor with the gangplank. Anna smiled as she peered at Belliville. As soon as the sailor brought the gangplank down, Anna raced down.
"This is so ex—" She accidently ran into a sailor who nearly fell into the water. "Sorry!" She sprinted towards the barrels and stopped right when she reached the center of the town. She noticed that some of the citizens were giving her puzzled looks but she didn't mind. "This is amazing! Belliville is beautiful!"
Anna kept jumping up and down. How she wished that Elsa and Rapunzel were there with her! They would be enjoying this city as well. Kristoff, Eugene, Maximus, and Sven got off the gangplank and went over to Anna. She raced over to Kristoff with a large smile on her face as a sailor gave Rupert his horse.
"You should've waited for us," Kristoff laughed. "You've never been here before."
"But I can't help it!" Anna beamed. From what she saw of Belliville, it was beautiful and exciting and she wished that her trip here were longer. This is the first time I'm in a new place! Do you think that we should explore the kingdom? I want to see more of it!"
"I am glad that you are so interested in my country," Rupert simpered. Rupert expressed his gratitude to the sailor. "If it doesn't rain later, you are welcome to take a proper tour of Belliville. As long as someone is watching this scoundrel like a hawk."
Eugene was just about to make a tart comment but refrain himself instead, knowing that regardless, Rupert would be discourteous and adamant about him. He came over on Maximus and got on him as Rupert climbed on to his horse. Kristoff and Anna came over to Sven.
"After you, miss." Kristoff smiled.
"Why thank you, sir." Anna smiled back as her boyfriend helped her on to Sven. Kristoff then got on his reindeer and was seated right in front of Anna. Rupert kicked his horse and the group started to follow behind him.
"Princess Anna." Rupert grinned. "I'm sure my fellow Bellivillians would be pleased about your interest in our country."
For the longest time, the town looked very similar to Arendelle. Like in Arendelle, there were many houses in the residential area. The buildings even shared the same colors and sizes. The courtyard almost looked identical to the one back home. Then, all at once, the town became nothing like she had ever seen before.
"Wow," Anna said. "We are standing on a bronze road and all of the buildings are yellow and white."
"We are standing in the town square," Rupert explained. "This area looks like this because it is Belliville's way of honoring the great Vlad Moonstormer."
"Vlad Moonstormer?" Anna asked with an arched eyebrow. "Who was that?"
"He was the one who discovered Belliville two hundred years ago," Rupert explained. "He was rumored to be an expert in anything related to magic."
"Okay, what does that have to do with him discovering Belliville?" Eugene asked. "And how does that explain the colors of the town square?"
Rupert gave Eugene a sour look before he shook his head and moved on. "The colors of this town square were the colors of his outfit when he declared this land. When Vlad discovered Belliville, no one else was there with him to discover it. He said that he had built Belliville with his own two hands which led to a rumor that he had secretly practiced magic."
"If he was magical," Anna began, "why wouldn't he want to admit it?"
"In all of the years that he lived," Rupert continued, "the world feared magic. He was born in the Northern Isles, which were against magic. The politicians that are currently in charge now are split in half over their belief in magic, but the majority of the citizens still fear magic. They have a strong dislike for magic and beggars."
Anna's eyes dimmed. "Well, that's horrible." This all reminded her of Elsa's fear with her powers and couldn't understand why the world would disapprove of anyone powerful. It made her sad that anyone who was that powerful would be considered an outcast from the world.
"That is why Emperor Michael is changing the world," Rupert explained. "He believes that we are all equal and is doing everything he can to make that happen."
"How do you know so much about the emperor?" asked Anna. "Have you met him before?"
"I did once," Rupert confirmed.
"What was he like?"
"He was a very kind person," Rupert answered. "He had very interesting views on the world and very well spoken. I may not agree with some of his practices, but it's safe to say that he is very fit to rule the empire."
"Will he attend the dinner party?" Kristoff asked.
"We invited him but he could not come," Rupert answered. "It's a shame because he is doing so much for the world.
After the group took off again, Anna's mouth dropped as they finally arrived at Rupert's home. She stared in disbelief at the five-story mansion with six hundred other rooms and couldn't help but be fascinated.
"Your place is amazing," she said, gawking at the building.
Eugene's eyes widened. "Now, this definitely brings back memories."
"What a surprise," Rupert muttered sarcastically.
"Excuse me?"
"None of your concern, Rider."
"Rupert stinks," Kristoff said, doing his voice for Sven.
Rupert glanced over his shoulder with an annoyed look as Kristoff impersonated Sven. Anna hid her face behind her fan, trying her best to cover her laugh as the baron climbed off his horse, glaring at her boyfriend. "What was that, boy?!"
"It was nothing." Kristoff smirked. He put his arms behind his back and whistled innocently. As soon as Rupert furrowed his brows and craned towards him, Kristoff nudged a thumb at Sven and shook his head. "Sven, you really need to keep your thoughts to yourself."
"You should tell that to my father," Eugene laughed, climbing off Maximus.
Kristoff climbed off of Sven and came over to help Anna. Anna smiled and shook her head at him.
"No thanks, Kristoff," she chirped, sliding off Sven. "I can do this on my—"
The Princess plopped right into a dark puddle. She was soaked in her drenched dress and shoes. They had just arrived at the manor and she already ruined her dress and shoes, which was no surprise. Anna stood up and sighed at her outfit. She remembered that a few days ago, right before she'd finished packing her things, Gerda and Elsa warned her not to ruin her dress. Of course, the three of them had known that Anna's dress wouldn't survive the evening.
When the group followed Rupert up to the door, Anna was able to have a better look at the yard and see that it was three acres of land with a garden nearby. While Rupert knocked on the door, Anna glanced over at three statues lined up against the mansion wall. She couldn't recognize the statues but she knew that Elsa and possibly Rapunzel would.
The door opened and a plump butler stepped out into the yard. "Ah, my lord. I hope everything went well in Arendelle."
"It has," Rupert spoke.
The butler noticed Anna standing right behind the baron and his eyes widened at her ruined dress and shoes. "This must be the queen. How do you do, your majesty?"
"Actually, I'm her younger sister." Anna smiled. "I am Princess Anna of Arendelle."
As Rupert explained to his butler about Elsa's absence, Sven noticed something in the garden. He couldn't tell what it was but he could make it out to be a see-through silhouette. He tapped his hoof on Kristoff's shoulder and began braying.
"What is it, Sven?" Kristoff asked. His best friend brayed at him again causing the rest of the group to turn to him. "Look, you know I can't understand you when you talk like that."
Sven brayed and pointed his hoof towards the garden. The group peered at the garden. There was nothing but flowers all over.
"You're right, Sven." Anna smiled. "That is a beautiful garden. Maybe we can explore it after dinner."
Rupert's smirk appeared on his face and he turned to Kristoff. "You know, boy, I am very impressed with your reindeer. He seems to admire the garden. Evelyn would be very happy to hear that."
"Oh, she loves flowers?" Anna beamed. Rupert nodded. "What's her favorite—?"
Sven shook his head and he tried to persuade the group into following him to no avail. He tried to keep an eye out for the mysterious figure, but it was nowhere in his sight.
"Sven," Kristoff comforted, patting him on the shoulder. "There's nothing in the garden. After dinner, we can explore it when we have dinner."
Sven frowned at his best friend, shaking his head.
"He probably saw a carrot in the garden, Kristoff," Eugene suggested. "They used to grow them here."
"That's right," Rupert groaned, his eyes shifting to him. "You would know that, Rider."
Right when Eugene was about to protest, Sven brayed at Kristoff again.
"Everything's fine, Sven," Kristoff reassured. "There's nothing out of the ordinary."
As Kristoff and Anna comforted Sven and Eugene squabbled with Rupert, Maximus noticed something in the garden. Right when he was going to investigate, the group followed the butler into the manor. After Maximus and Sven watched the group enter the manor, Maximus tapped on Sven and signaled him to head back out into the garden with him.
They trotted over to the garden and when they came to a halt, Maximus pointed at a footprint in the garden. Sven peered up at the horse and nodded. They looked around the area for any sign of an intruder. Just then, their ears moved at the sound of a branch breaking and footsteps rustling in the grass nearby. They turned to each other and decided to investigate.
As the group followed Rupert and the butler in the long hallway, Anna couldn't help but peered around the area. She wanted to stop but she knew that they were being taken to meet the baroness and the other guests.
"So, Rupert?" asked Anna. She bumped right into a suit of armor and the armor spilled everywhere. Anna quickly cleaned up the mess before they continued in the hallway. "Do you have any children?"
"I have a son but he will not be attending," Rupert answered.
"Why not?" asked Kristoff.
"He has important matters to attend to," Rupert spoke. "And I wasn't talking to you, boy!"
Anna was just about to teach him a lesson, but her boyfriend gestured for her to leave it be. She folded her arms with a sigh, shaking her head. The reminder of the dinner party forced its way into her head as she planted a forced smile on her face.
"Why can't your son come, Rupert?" Anna asked.
"My son, James went to Mirahton," Rupert answered. "There were some serious impediments that needed to be taken care of."
Anna noticed that there were flower vases all over the hallway. Every single one of them had snowdrops in them. "Wow." She smiled. "I didn't know you two were big on snowdrops. It must be Evelyn's favorite flower."
"We had expected Queen Elsa to attend," Rupert explained. "We figured that we would have snowdrops since it's her favorite flower."
"Actually, her favorite flowers are purple heathers," Anna corrected.
"Well," Rupert spoke, "I guess we learn something new every day."
The butler opened the door and the group went into the parlor. Anna saw that the other guests were crowding around a white grand piano. The music died down and the crowd gave a loud applause. After a moment, the crowd went back to their business and broke away, revealing a tall, wafer thin middle-aged woman sitting on the bench.
As Kristoff and Anna followed Rupert to the woman, a servant with a tray of champagne tripped and the glasses fell all over the floor. Eugene bent down and helped the servant clean up the mess as everyone else in the room turned to the scene. Rupert and the woman weren't happy with the champagne being spilled. Kristoff, Anna, and the other guests offered to help but Eugene and the servant told them that they're fine. While Eugene and the servant continued to clean up the champagne, the guests went back to their business and Rupert, Kristoff, and Anna went over to the woman.
"Ah, Evelyn." Rupert smiled as he approached the woman. He bent down and gave her a peck on the lips. "That was beautiful!"
"Thank you very much, darling." Evelyn blushed, rising from her bench. As Anna was able to get a closer look, she was surprised that this was Rupert's wife. By the way that she dressed, she could pass for a queen or even an empress. There was no denying that this woman had a great sense of style. Evelyn turned to the butler as she crossed her arms, revealing her bejeweled hands. "Gilbert! Would you be a dear and head to the kitchen to see if dinner is ready?"
"Yes, my lady."
While Gilbert left the room with his hands folded behind his back, Evelyn turned and noticed Anna and Kristoff. When Rupert noticed that Eugene wasn't nearby, he glanced around the room, thinking that Eugene had snuck off until he saw him making jokes with a servant. He sighed and stomped over to him.
"Nice to meet you, my lady," Anna bubbled. She attempted to do a curtsey, but she ended up falling down instead. As Kristoff helped her up, Evelyn grimaced at Anna's dress and shoes. Anna stood up with a chuckle. "I am Princess Anna Arnadalr of Arendelle."
"Charmed, your highness," Evelyn commented, staring at her with cold eyes, which made Anna feel uneasy. Just as Anna was about to open her mouth, Evelyn turned to Kristoff and eyed him from head to toe. "I don't think I've seen you before. How long have you been married?"
Anna and Kristoff shot a look at each other before they chortled. Evelyn remained emotionless.
"Actually, my lady," Kristoff laughed. Anna threw her head back and snorted, "You see we're not exactly married."
"You either are married or you're not," Evelyn corrected. Anna and Kristoff's smiles faded away. What was up with this woman? "Which is it?"
Anna and Kristoff locked eyes for a quick moment and turned back to Evelyn. "Okay…we're not," Kristoff answered.
"He's my boyfriend," Anna explained. "We've been together for a year now. How long have you and Rupert—"
Evelyn's eyes widened and she pointed. "It's him!" she hollered. Anna and Kristoff turned to see that Rupert and Eugene had just approached them. "It's Flynn Rider!"
The entire room turned and stared at the scene. Eugene, Kristoff, and Anna stood there, speechless.
"Nice to see you too," Eugene sighed.
"My lady, he is no longer a criminal," Kristoff clarified. Anna peered at the other guests that were staring at them and back to her boyfriend. "He was actually pardoned from Corona. He became captain of the guard and married princess Rapunzel. He was even born a prince!"
"Oh, really?" Evelyn challenged with an arched eyebrow. "From what kingdom?"
"The Dark Kingdom," Eugene confirmed. He delved into his pockets and revealed two pendants. One was the crest of the sun and the other was the moon. "I am King Edmund's son."
"I didn't know King Edmund had a son," commented a guest from the crowd.
Rupert noticed that the other guests were staring at Eugene. "Everything is fine, ladies and gentlemen. We do not need the guards. Just get back to entertaining yourselves until dinner." The guests started to go back to their routines and Rupert turned to his wife, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Evelyn," he huffed. "He came here as a guest."
"Rupert!" Evelyn fumed. She glared at Eugene, and then peered back to her husband. "Flynn Rider shouldn't be here! He and his friend stole my necklace!"
"I know, darling," Rupert sighed, shaking his head. "If it makes you happy, I'll be keeping an eye on him during dinner. He'll be seated right next to me." Evelyn clicked her tongue. "Evelyn, I'm not thrilled with this either, but he is a guest."
"Alright," Evelyn sighed. "Where is Queen Elsa? Why isn't she here?"
The baron and baroness strolled over to the corner of the room as Rupert explained to Evelyn about Elsa's absence and made tart comments about Eugene and Kristoff. Anna could see why this couple would be a match made in heaven. She wondered what Elsa had thought of them when they'd met at her coronation last summer.
Just then, the doors opened and all of the guests turned to see Gilbert with his hands behind his back. "Dinner is served."
In the dining room, all of the guests were seated at a very long table with fine essentials and dinnerware placed in front of them. Anna was seated near Evelyn at one end of the table right next to a large fireplace.
"Gilbert!" Evelyn called. "Gilbert!"
The butler raced over to the end of the table with his toupee nearly falling off. Anna couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Fetch me a goblet of wine!"
"Yes, my lady," Gilbert spoke.
He quickly left to get a bottle. Shortly after Gilbert returned with the wine, Rupert had clicked his spoon against his goblet. Everyone grabbed their glasses and rose from their seats.
"I would like to propose a toast to our emperor," Rupert announced. "Before his time, the world saw magic as a curse until he showed us that we are all equal whether magical or not. We are proud that we have supported him from the beginning and we are looking forward to the future of our beloved empire. To Emperor Michael Rubavian of Goldenpolis!"
Everyone rose their goblets in the air. "To Emperor Michael Rubavian of Goldenpolis!" Shortly after everyone sat down in their seats, the servants began bringing out plates to the guests.
Anna stared down at her bowl of artsoppa. Out of all of the meals to serve for the dinner party, it just happened to be her least favorite soup. If only there was a dog nearby so she could sneakily give the bowl to it. She stared at her reflection through the goblet next to her bowl. She planted a forced smile as she grabbed the spoon. She grimaced as soon as she felt the thick pea soup on her tongue. After she swallowed the soup, she had a scowl on her face.
"Your highness," Evelyn scolded. Anna's eyes widen. "Did I actually see a scowl? I am horrified."
"No, my lady," Anna chuckled. "I was just making funny faces." She attempted to make a silly face to which Evelyn frowned. This woman really needed to have a sense of humor. "Is there something that makes you laugh?"
Evelyn stayed in her seat, staring at Anna with cold eyes. Anna took it as a sign that she doesn't like her very much. Evelyn blinked before she continued on with her soup and started a conversation with a duchess who was sitting next to her.
Anna peered around the table. While everyone else seems to be having a pleasant conversation with each other, she was bored. She couldn't believe that out of everyone to be seated with, she had to be right by Evelyn. She couldn't stand listening to her preach to someone about their manners. She stared back at Evelyn and the duchess. Maybe they were bored too?
"I turned nineteen two months ago." Anna smiled as her eyes lit up. The duchess and the baroness frowned at her but she ignored them. "My sister threw a big party—"
"Excuse me but we were not talking to you!" the duchess snapped.
"For a princess, she doesn't have good manners," Evelyn huffed. "Manners matter, your highness."
"At least I don't take everything so seriously!" Anna huffed. She laid her head in her hands and sighed as she slouched in her seat. She couldn't believe that this had to be the first dinner party that she was finally invited to. "Whatever."
"I beg your pardon!" Evelyn gasped. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Anna sighed as she peered down at her soup. Her eyes fluttered and she remembered that she had stayed up way too late the previous night. Without thinking, Anna stretched her arms and let out a large yawn.
"Your highness!' Evelyn scolded.
Anna lifted her head and glanced at her. "What?"
"I am appalled that you just yawned at the dinner table," Evelyn said, shaking her head. "Were you not given etiquette lessons?"
"I didn't mean to, Evelyn," Anna sneered, on the edge of losing her patience. She was kicking at herself for yawning but Evelyn still had no right to be correcting her. "I was just tired."
"You were tired of being here?"
"No. I was just tired! I didn't get any sleep last night."
Evelyn rose her eyebrow as she took a sip from her soup. "You should be lucky your sister's the queen of your country. I can't imagine you ruling over Arendelle."
"Is there a problem over there?" Rupert called out.
Evelyn planted a phony smile on her face but it was obvious that it was forced. "No, darling. Nothing at all." The baroness peered around the area for a second. "Now where's Gilbert? Gilbert!"
Gilbert raced back over to the baroness. "Yes, my lady?"
"Can you please bring me my fan?" Evelyn asked. "I am getting hot in here!"
The butler raced out of the room. How could anyone treat their servants that way? They are just as human as anyone else.
"You know, my lady," Anna growled through her teeth. "If I was queen, I wouldn't boss my servants around."
Evelyn spun to the princess with an arched eyebrow and a sneer. "I beg your pardon, your highness?"
"You heard me, Evelyn," Anna snarled. She slowly rose from her seat, fingers wrapped around her bowl. "It's not nice to mistreat your servants and use them like toys! Elsa doesn't treat our servants like that. Our parents never mistreated our servants. I think that you should respect Gilbert!"
"Oh, really?" Evelyn challenged as she crossed her arms. Some of the guests started to turn to the scene. "Well, I think that you should respect me!"
"I'm not the one bossing people around!" Anna fumed. "You should take a page from my sister's book and treat people with respect!"
Without warning, Anna threw her least favorite soup into Evelyn's face, soup slopping out of the bowl. The baroness shrilled as she rose from her seat, drawing the other guests to the scene. Her face and bodice were soaked with peas. Kristoff's eyes widened and rushed over to his girlfriend. A stunned Rupert stayed in his seat while Eugene tried his best to cover his laugh. Evelyn growled and glared at the princess. She snatched her goblet and threw her wine at Anna but she and Kristoff ducked in time and the wine hit another duchess instead. The wine splashed out of the cup, sending a spray of red onto the white tablecloth. The duchess sat in her seat all dumbfound while her husband grabbed his soup and threw it at Evelyn and the soup slopped out of the bowl. Evelyn screamed again while a prince and a lord berated the husband for his action. Soon after, with the exception of Rupert, the guests all broke into a violent argument with each other. Half of them sided with Evelyn while the rest sided with Anna and the duchess' husband.
Maximus and Sven had been searching the yard for a while only to find nothing and thought that maybe they were just overreacting. They both sighed and decided to find something to do when they heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the manor. They both gasped and raced back over to the front of the manor.
As soon as they came to a halt, they saw a window open and a see-through silhouette climbed into the manor shortly before shutting the window. Without hesitation, Maximus and Sven darted over to the manor and both banged their hooves on the door with all of their might. When they finally broke the door open, they raced inside the manor, hoping that they could reach the others before something happened.
Rupert angrily rose from his seat. "ENOUGH!" he roared slamming his fist on the table. The entire table was silenced and turned to the baron with open mouths.
Rupert crossed his arms. "This dinner party was meant to honor our emperor," Rupert snarled. "I expected everything to go by smoothly and I am disappointed! You are a disgrace to the emperor and your kingdoms!"
All of a sudden, Rupert started floating in the air. Everyone in the room gasped as Rupert began to panic. Then he was jerked to the right and then to the left in the air.
"What is this?!" he demanded.
"Rupert!" Evelyn shouted. "Rupert!"
Rupert suddenly swooped higher in the air, heading towards the ceiling. The entire room stared at this predicament.
"Rupert, where exactly do you think you're going!" Evelyn demanded. "Come back down this instant!"
Rupert swooped further up towards the ceiling. It appeared that he was going to hit his head against it until he paused, floating in the air. A moment later, he plummeted towards the table. As he was falling, everyone rose from their seats and spread their arms out, hoping to catch the baron. Right when he was going to hit the table, he again paused in the air.
"Great Scott," Rupert screamed. "Somebody get me down!"
Kristoff and Eugene raced over to Rupert but, right when they were about to grab him, the baron swooped up and began flying around the room in midair again.
A tall lord rolled his sleeves and headed over to the long table. "Don't worry, my lord. I'll get you down!"
"What are you doing?" Anna asked.
"I'm going to catch him, Princess," the lord answered. "Everyone else stay where you are." He stood up on the table and slowly began to walk towards the center. "Get ready in case he falls."
The lord kept his eyes on Rupert as he slowly walked on the table, trying his best to avoid stepping on things and struggling to maintain his balance. The entire room watched the lord, hoping that he would catch the baron. Just then, Rupert scooped towards the table. The lord was just about to grab him when he took a step forward and tripped over a candlestick. He fell forward, breaking all of the dishware and cups. Some of the other guests rushed over to the lord, asking if he was alright.
"We have to do something!" Anna yelled. "How could we get him down?!"
Just then the door slammed opened and everyone turned their heads to see Maximus and Sven standing in the hallway. They raced into the room, neighing and braying at everyone.
"What are they doing here?!" Evelyn yelled.
"They're trying to warn us!" Eugene yelled.
"What is it, guys?" Kristoff asked.
Suddenly, Rupert was dropped down and he plummeted into Kristoff's arms. Kristoff's eyes widened and he flinched. "Oh my god!"Kristoff yelled. "Are you alright, my lord?"
After Kristoff set Rupert down, the doors suddenly slammed behind Maximus and Sven and the fireplace went out. A grand duchess' loud scream was heard. For a long minute, the room was dead silent. Anna peered around the area to look for any trace of her boyfriend, her cousin, and her friends though the darkness but she wasn't able to.
"Kristoff?" she called. She was bemused by everything that had just happened and hoped that she was at least near her group. "Kristoff?"
"I'm here, Anna," Kristoff replied somewhere in the dark room.
"Alright," she said. "Let me just—"
"Everyone stay where you are!" Eugene called. "Is everyone alright?"
The entire room went into a murmur, which forced Anna to question her situation. What was going on? What are they going to do? Was this some sort of prank? How would Elsa handle this if she were here? What would Rapunzel do?
"Everyone remain calm!" Rupert shouted.
"How can we remain calm, Rupert?!" Evelyn shouted. "You were thrown into the air and it is dark in here! Gilbert! Light the fireplace!"
The entire room gasped as a small candle light appeared in the back of the room. Everyone stood in awe, not knowing what to do.
"Enough, Gilbert!" Evelyn said. "Oh, light the fireplace!"
"I am not Gilbert," a rich voice of a young male laughed. Evelyn suddenly screamed and all of the guests gasped before going into stillness again. "Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen. I am not here to harm anyone."
"Who said that?" asked Eugene.
Just then footsteps came towards the fireplace. A second later, the entire room lit up as the light was thrown into the fireplace. A young male dressed in a green cloak with the hood down, was standing next to it.
"Sorry," he chuckled. "I didn't mean to frighten anyone."
Evelyn screamed and fainted. The other guests turned to the baroness and then they shot curious gazes at the young male. A few guests rushed over to Evelyn and started to fan her.
"Scott Longton!" Rupert demanded of the young man with the rich voice. He marched over to Scott with his arms folded. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Wait, you know him?" asked Kristoff.
"Yes, boy," Rupert sighed. "For too long. He worked as one of my servants for seven years." He spun to Scott with a glare. "Was it really necessary for you to come in here and use your magic on me?!"
"Now, Rupert," Scott chuckled with a pointed finger. "You know how I am when you don't invite me to one of your parties, especially since I've done so much for you over the years."
"So, I reckon that it was you that caused all of the chaos in here?" a lord asked.
"Correct," said Scott. The room gasped as he floated in the air. As he flew, he wrapped his hands behind his neck as he lay on his back. "I used my magic to open a locked window and allow myself in." He waved his hand and restored all the dinnerware. The dishware and glassware all looked new.
"You're magical then," Anna said with her eyes widened. If only Elsa were there, she would have been thrilled that there was another person with magic. "You have powers."
Scott peacefully dove towards the ground and landed peacefully on his feet. "Not exactly. I can perform magic, but I am not magical myself."
"You must be a wizard," Kristoff said.
Scott smirked. He wiggled his fingers with a slight chuckle shortly before answering, "Correct. I have been a wizard since I was eighteen years old."
"Scott!" Rupert demanded. "Can you just tell me why are you here?! You have ruined my dinner party!"
"Since I worked for you a while ago, I have come to ask for a quid pro quo, my lord," Scott answered. "There is some kind of magical object that is rather valuable but it is unidentified."
"What do you mean unidentified?" Rupert snorted.
"It's literally unidentified, Rupert," Scott explained.
"Don't toy with me!" Rupert snapped.
"No, I'm serious, my lord," Scott answered. "No one knows what the unidentified object is. But it is very important. It was rumored to be created by Lord Demanitus, Zhan Tiri—before she betrayed the former—and Vlad Moonstormer."
"Lord Demanitus and Zhan Tiri!" Eugene gasped. The entire crowd gasped and whispered as they heard the names of the object's potential owners. Lord Demantius used magic for good while Zhan Tiri used dark magic. "Excuse me, Scott! Is the object used for good or not?"
Scott shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever it is, it's very important and someone has to find it. The future rests within the object."
"What does this have to do with me?!" Rupert snorted.
"The object is located somewhere in Bronzadelle," Scott answered. "I need someone to go to Bronzadelle and help me find the magical object. I figure that since I worked for you all of those years, you would return the favor and help me, especially since you have connections to certain countries."
Rupert walked over to Scott and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You know, Scott," he smiled. "That was very thoughtful of you to ask me. I would love to miss out on that opportunity. Thank you very much."
"Is this some kind of a joke?" Scott bleated. Rupert shook his head. "I don't believe it! After all I did for you, you still won't help me."
"You really expected me to help you after that mess you just pulled in here?" Rupert scoffed.
"You don't understand!" Scott fretted. "I need someone to help me! I am doing this for my younger brother!"
Anna's eyes dimmed as she heard him say that word. She knew how it felt to do anything to help out a sibling. She understood Scott's position perfectly.
"Scott," Rupert spoke. "You should be thanking me instead. You have plenty of money to take care of you and your brother. You were able to pay for your tuition at the University of Peckville and, from what I've heard from one of the professors, your brother is doing perfectly fine. I've already done enough for you. I will not help you, Scott."
Anna didn't like what she was hearing. She was only in the same room with Scott but she could tell that he was eager to help his little brother and maybe even the future. Whatever this object was, it sounded like it was really valuable, especially since it was likely created by multiple sorcerers.
"But who will help me, my lord?!" Scott whined.
Anna stepped forward and raised her hand. "I'll help you find it!" Everyone was aghast as they turned to her with surprised expressions on their faces. "I volunteer to help you!"
"Anna?" asked Kristoff.
For a long moment, Scott was speechless. He quickly shook his head before clearing his throat. "You? You would do that?"
Anna nodded. "It is very kind of you to help your brother and I like to help you do that."
"Now, your highness," Rupert said as he rushed over to her. "I don't think you should go. In the years that Scott had worked for me, he was nothing but trouble. I think that it would be very dangerous for you to go."
"I can handle myself, my lord," Anna huffed. She raised her fists, causing Kristoff to chuckle. "I can take care of myself."
The entire room muttered just before Rupert cleared his throat. "I know you can. I remember how you dealt with that scoundrel back in Arendelle last year, but what about your sister? You just left Arendelle."
"Elsa would be very proud of me." Anna smirked.
"You would go on a trip by yourself?" Rupert asked.
"No," Kristoff called. He walked over to his girlfriend and placed his hand on her shoulder. Anna glanced at him with a smile. Sven came between the two of them and grinned. "Sven and I will go with her."
Rupert rubbed his chin before sighing. "I suppose that would do, but Bronzadelle is a very popular place for crime. The three of you may want to reconsider going there."
Maximus neighed and galloped over towards the group. He stood tall and smiled at Anna before he turned to Rupert.
"Max?" Anna smiled. Maximus nodded with a wink. "Yes, Max will help us!"
"That's not bad," Rupert said. "But—"
"Fine, I'll go too!" Eugene yelled with his arm in the air. The room turned to him. "Rapunzel would've done the same if she was here. Plus, I have been to Bronzadelle before."
"He's coming with you?!" Rupert said. "Now I don't—"
"Nah-ah-ah!" Anna shook her head, waving her finger at him. She had already made up her mind. There was nothing that Rupert could do that would force her to reconsider. "We are going and that's final!
Rupert sighed as he placed his hand on his eyes. "Very well. But how are you going to tell Queen Elsa and Princess Rapunzel?"
"Eugene could write a letter to her," Kristoff answered. Anna smiled at him and crossed her arms with an arched eyebrow. "Anna will write to Elsa."
"I suppose that will do," Rupert sighed. "You will spend the night here and write the letters. Now are you sure?"
"Yes," said Anna. "We will head to Bronzadelle first thing in the morning."
Right when Rupert was about to speak, Scott chimed in, looking to Anna. "Your highness, it is very important that you get to Delitpen before you go to Bronzadelle."
Anna's eyes widened. "Wait, aren't you coming with us?"
"No, but I'll be meeting you in Bronzadelle. You'll have to get to Delitpen without me."
"Why do I need to go there first?" Anna asked.
Scott shrugged his shoulders. "You'll find out for yourself when you get there," he said. He spun around from the group and stalked towards a window. "But since you volunteered, I'll be so kind to give you one small clue. If you go to Delitpen, you'll find that a certain winning guess will reward you with a guide to Bronzadelle."
"What do you mean?"
Scott motioned his hand up and the window still moved up. He started to climb through the window. "Thank you and good luck!"
"Wait!"
Scott motioned his hand down and the window closed. The entire room stood in awe as they watched him fly as he transformed into a see-through silhouette. Evelyn rose up from the ground and stared at the guests staring at the window.
"What happened?" she asked. Everyone turned to look at her. "What did I miss?"
All of the guests left the manor early to return home until Anna, Kristoff, and Eugene were the only guests remaining. None of them were eager to stay for dessert. Anna couldn't decide on whether or not to pity Rupert, as his dinner party turned out to be a complete failure.
"Gilbert!" Evelyn called. The poor butler raced into the room with his hands folded behind his back. "Take the guests up to the guest bedrooms."
"Where's Sven and Maximus staying?" Anna asked.
"They will be staying in the stables," answered Rupert. "You will be able to receive them in the morning."
Kristoff started to head out towards the door. "I'll go out there."
"Don't be ridiculous, young man," Evelyn huffed. "You really think that you're sleeping out in the stables?"
"I'll be fine," Kristoff said.
Rupert glared at Eugene with an arched eyebrow. Eugene sighed and shook his head.
"Alright, my lord," he grumbled. "What did I do now?"
"I don't trust you," Rupert said as he narrowed his eyes. "Why should I let you sleep in my manor, knowing that you could slip into one of the rooms at any time to steal something? You should be guarded."
"You have got to be kidding me," Eugene groaned. "I told you a thousand times, I stopped being a criminal a long time ago. Did you not see my uniform?!"
"I don't care," Rupert barked. "I still don't trust you."
"Ouch," Eugene sighed.
"This is silly," Anna huffed. "Let him have a room in here!"
"For god's sake," Kristoff groaned. "Give him a room!"
"Your highness," Rupert addressed. "If he had robbed from your castle before, you would understand."
Eugene crossed his arms and craned in towards the baron. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll sleep out in the stables too. Maximus can guard me and make sure I don't get into any trouble. Happy?"
Rupert sighed and nodded shortly before Kristoff and Eugene started to make their way to the stables. Before Anna could respond, Gilbert had already lit a candle and started to take her to the guest rooms.
A small bit of light shone through the darkness as the butler and Anna ventured deeper into the long hallway. Anna couldn't see the hall very well but she could see the portraits of fancy art hanging on the wall as she went past them. Finally, Gilbert stopped in front of a door on the right and twisted the knob. "This will be your room, your highness."
Anna stepped further into the small room and saw that it actually was very nice. There was fine furniture, a small bed up against the wall with a wardrobe facing parallel and a wooden floor. The bedroom actually reminded her of her bedroom back in Arendelle. Right when Anna turned to thank the butler, Gilbert had shut the door and footsteps were walking away.
As Anna lay in bed, she couldn't help but replay the chaos of the dinner party over and over again in her head. Without a doubt, she'd remember that party as the disastrous dinner party. She had not had fun with it from the start. She couldn't help but wonder about Scott. Why would he try to have Rupert help him after all those years of being a servant? How had Rupert even met him? What was this magical object that Scott was seeking? Was it good or bad? Is it dangerous?
For the longest time, Anna just stared at the ceiling, repeating her thoughts over and over again until she finally drifted off to sleep.
The sun rose in the morning dawn with sparrows flying around in the bright sky and a rooster waking up the entire town. Anna was asleep in the guest room. Her hair was messy and she was drooling. She was snoring. The bedsheets were so messy they were just about to fall off the bed. A knock came at the door.
"Your highness," a voice called through, and Anna turned over in her bed. The knock returned. "Princess Anna!" the voice snapped.
"Come back later!" Anna yawned.
Anna pulled the covers over her head as angry knocks pounded on the door. Suddenly the door opened and Evelyn burst in.
"Wake up, Princess Anna," she fumed.
Anna tossed over to the right side of the bed. "Wake me up later," she yawned, removing a piece of wet hair from her mouth.
"YOU MUST GET UP THIS INSTANT!" the baroness hollered. With no hesitation, she pulled the covers off the bed. "YOUR FRIENDS ARE WAITING FOR YOU DOWNSTAIRS!"
Anna rose up from her bed still sleepy. She thought that it was awfully early for Evelyn to be waking her up from a pleasant dream.
"Why are they waiting for me?" she asked, stretching her arms. She wiped the drool from her mouth, barely opening her eyes. "What's going on?"
Evelyn looked like she was going to explode. "LAST NIGHT, YOU VOLUNTEERED TO FIND THE UNIDENTIFLED MAGICAL OBJECT!"
Anna gasped as she suddenly recalled the events of the previous night. "Oh my god!" she yelled, jumping out of bed. "I forgot!"
She raced over to the wardrobe and start pulling out dresses and shoes. A shoe almost hit Evelyn in the head.
"Goodness gracious!" Evelyn growled as she ducked.
"Sorry!"
Anna grabbed a pair of boots and jumped in them. She pulled a lavender dress and slid it over her night gown.
"Your highness!"
Anna snatched a hat and placed it on her mussed hair. She slammed the door open as she raced out of the room. She raced through the hall and down the stairs with Evelyn chasing after her. Kristoff and Eugene were waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs with Rupert.
"I'm ready to go!" Anna smiled as she spread her arms out.
Kristoff and Eugene stood there speechless, trying to hold their smirks. Rupert folded his arms with an arched eyebrow. Evelyn reached the bottom of the stairs, trying to catch her breath.
"Don't even think about it!" Evelyn snapped. "You are not going out like that!"
Twenty minutes later, Kristoff and Eugene were waiting for Anna outside with Sven and Maximus. The door opened and out came Anna. She had put on a casual green dress with long sleeves and plaited her hair in braids.
"You coming now?" asked Eugene.
Anna skipped over to Kristoff and Sven. Rupert came over to the group as Kristoff helped Anna onto Sven and Eugene climbed onto Maximus.
"Now are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. Anna wondered why the baron seemed to be against them helping Scott. Was he afraid for their safety? "You know it's not too late to change your minds."
"We're still going," Anna chirped. She was confident that they could do this and, regardless, nothing would stop them. "Don't worry, Rupert. It won't be bad."
"Let's hope," Kristoff commented.
Rupert sighed. "Alright. You have me convinced that you already made your decisions. We will have the letters sent to Arendelle and Corona."
"Thank you."
"Good luck," Rupert said. As soon as he turned away from the group, he sighed as he heard Maximus and Sven trot away from his manor. "If all doesn't go well, I won't say I told you so."
The sun was bright in the air with the clouds surrounding it. As the group trotted through the town, residents were coming out of their homes, preparing for their daily duties. Anna smiled at Belliville, for it really was a lovely country. She wished that they were able to explore it but she couldn't think about that now. They were on a really important mission now.
"How long do you think it'll be before we get to Delitpen?" asked Anna.
"Four hours," Eugene answered. Maximus raised his eyebrow at him and Sven chuckled. "How bold of you to think that, Maximus, but I am sorry to disappoint you. I am not wanted in Delitpen. It was one of the few places that Lance and I robbed and got away with it."
"Really?" Kristoff said. "Why am I not surprised?"
While Kristoff and Eugene were having a conversation with each other, Anna couldn't help but think about Elsa. Although they possibly may be gone for a while longer, she was sure that her big sister would understand that she had volunteered to help someone. She would agree that it was the right thing to do. At least, she had Rapunzel and Olaf back with her in Arendelle, so she wouldn't be alone.
