About three, maybe four or five hard knocks were enough to jolt Anna awake, hitting her head against the post of her bed. She rubbed her head, blinking to a cabin with clutter filling the shelves, clothes strewn over the floor, and rays of sunlight glaring through the window.
"Anna!" Kristoff's voice called from outside the door. "Come on up! We're almost in Bronzadelle!"
"Okay, I'll be there!"
"And don't fall back asleep!"
Anna rubbed her eyes, releasing an enormous yawn from her mouth. She peered at a mirror straight across from her, which cast a reflection of her in her nightgown and mused hair. Her lips trilled and she threw her head back, her eyes still fluttering. Once she drew her legs out of bed, she started over to her wardrobe when her arms went flailing and she fell into the ocean of scattered clothes that lay on the ground. Draped in the fallen clothes, Anna scrambled from the mess and went over to her wardrobe. Right when she opened it, piles of clothes came falling out, sending her back to the ground.
After she changed into a dark blue gown and plaited her hair in braids, Anna glanced over at the night stand where the map case stood. She picked it up and peered at it with a tingling of curiosity. Feeling the hard metal texture, she moved the map case in her hands, peering for a way to open it to no avail. Anna had never seen a map case like this before. She narrowed her eyes at the lock, laying her thumb on it. This was without a doubt, not an ordinary map case and she bet that there must be something special about this map. If so, no wonder Lady Caine, Puck, and Calkins had fought over it. She wondered if Scott had seen this map before; he at least knew about it and likely had seen what it looked like.
"Hey, Max!" Eugene's voice hollered from outside, causing Anna to jump. The map case flew out of her hands, but she was able to catch it when it was inches away from being lost in her mess.
Anna heaved a sigh of relief. "That was close!" She let out a chuckle as she regained her balance. "Now, how could I open this?"
Her fingers drummed on the map case as Anna looked over the nightstand for a key but couldn't find one. Her eyes widened once they fell upon a pin. Anna picked up the pin and glanced over her shoulder at her room. She tried to use it as a key to no avail. Still, she put it in her pocket in case she needed it for something else. Even if her room weren't a mess, she still would not have found a key anyway. She was tempted to open it here, but she felt like she should get on deck first. That way, Quirin, Kristoff, Maximus, and Sven could see the map too.
As Anna entered the deck, the sound of soft waves and other passengers chatting could be heard until they were overwhelmed by a seagull's squawk. She held the map case closer against her chest as she stepped further on deck. The cool temperature reminded her that today was the first official day of fall. Anna couldn't help but peer around the ship as she looked for her group.
"Ah, Quirin," a man's voice said. Anna peered over to where an older man was approaching Quirin by the railing. "It's been so long. How have you and Varian been?"
"We've been doing well," Quirin answered. Anna started to make her way towards them, holding the map case against her chest. She nearly stumbled but recovered.
"I'm glad to hear that." The man peered around the area before he glanced back to Quirin. "Where is Varian? Is he back in Old Corona?"
"That's why I'm on here. I'm going to see him."
"Oh, why is he not with you or in Old Corona?"
"A few months ago," Quirin began, "Professor Hector Turner arrived in Corona and was impressed by Corona's heated water system and my son's inventions. The professor asked Varian if he would be interested in traveling to Bronzadelle to give them hot water and he eventually accepted."
"That's wonderful!" the man exclaimed. "I always thought that Varian was talented with his engineering! How long has he been there?"
"He arrived last month."
The man laid his hand on the railing. "When Varian completes Bronzadelle's water system, is he going to stay there?" Anna spotted Eugene and Maximus coming over towards Quirin at the railing. After she heard her boyfriend's voice, Anna glanced behind her shoulder in time to see Kristoff and Sven catching up with her. "Or is he going to go back to Old Corona?"
"He's planning to go back to Corona to resume his duty as Corona's Royal Engineer," Quirin confirmed.
"What about you? How long are you going to stay in Bronzadelle?"
"I'll be staying there for a few months," Quirin answered, putting his hand on the railing. "Then I'll be heading back to Old Corona for a bit before I come back here." He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "I just hope that he's okay."
Anna nearly tripped on a net, but she stopped herself and reached Quirin. "If you want, Quirin, we can see your son first before we go to Wadsworth. I think that you should see Varian as soon as possible."
Quirin gave her a soft smile. "I appreciate that, your highness. Thank you."
"Okay." Kristoff nodded, joining Anna and the rest of the group. Anna heard a woman complaining to the captain about something and someone cheered about seeing a dolphin nearby. "Quirin, do you know where Varian could be staying?"
Quirin nodded and took out a letter from his pocket. "He told me that he was staying in the Ruby inn. It's an inn located by the town square."
"Oh, I know where that is!" Eugene exclaimed. "Lance, Stalyan, and I stayed the night there once. I'll lead us right to it!"
"Perfect!" Anna smiled. "We'll take you to Varian, we'll meet him, and then we'll go to Wadsworth!"
"Do you know where Wadsworth is?" Quirin asked.
Anna shook her head. "He never told us where he lives."
"When we see Varian, you could ask him. I'm sure that he would know where he lives."
Kristoff threw a carrot to Sven. "That sounds great. We'll do that."
"We should also keep an out for Scott," Anna remembered. "He said that he was going to meet him there."
"Did he say where to meet him?" Quirin inquired.
Anna and her group shook their heads. Anna was just about to speak again when Kristoff beat her to it.
"He should've told us where he wanted us to meet him," Kristoff grumbled. "It would've made everything easier. He could be anywhere."
"Maybe he wasn't sure if we would get the map or not?" Anna suggested. "Remember, we had to compete in the Historical Auction to get it."
"Still, he should've been prepared just in case," Eugene commented. "Heck, how do we know that he isn't using his invisibility or his flying spell? We could be passing by him and not knowing it!"
"We'll find him at some point," said Quirin. "Witches and wizards are very common in Bronzadelle. He may use his spells, as you said, but he's waiting for you especially since you volunteered to help him."
A large horn echoed over to them, piecing Anna's ears. All of the passengers turned their attention to the Captain. He stood in the middle of the deck with his first mate standing beside him. "Attention, everyone. We are arriving in Bronzadelle. Make sure that you have all of your belongings with you and please, don't lean or sit on the railings." The captain frowned and crossed his arms. "You should know that I'm talking specifically to you, young man."
Everyone turned to the corner of the deck. There was a young man with a book in his hands, sitting on the railing. He slowly put the book down and his face turned red as he saw that he was the center of attention.
"We may be arriving in Bronzadelle," the Captain began, "but we have yet to arrive at the pier. If you are not off the railing by then, you will be forced to pay a fine. I can assure you that you would be paying an extremely large amount, and I don't think it's worth it for you to waste your money before you either get home or buy some souvenirs while on vacation."
Without a word, the young man slid down, scurrying over to a bench before going back to his reading. As the captain strolled over to the navigator, Maximus turned to Anna with a neigh.
"Yes, Maximus." Anna smiled, holding out the map towards him. "I have the map right here." Her eyes widened when she saw the lock on the map case. "Oh, Quirin! Do you still have some of that chemical with you? We could open the map now."
"I think that we should wait until you get to your cottage, Anna," Quirin suggested. Maximus and Sven both nodded. "If Lady Caine, Puck, and Calkins were after this map, then it's likely that others could be as well."
Anna held the map case against her chest. "Yeah, we don't want to get into another mess," she chuckled. "If it hadn't been for you and Maui, we might not have gotten the map."
"Speaking of which," Kristoff began, peering up at the sky, "is there any sign of Maui?"
The group peered up at the sky. For a moment, they waited to see if a hawk would come into view, however all they saw was a seagull. The captain shouted at them, causing them to turn their attention to him. After he shouted something about the railing, Eugene realized that he had his arm on the railing and swiftly stepped forward. After giving him a stern warning glare, the captain strolled over to another part of the ship.
"When do you think we'll see Maui?" Anna asked.
"It won't be for a while," Quirin answered. "Once he finds the boys, he'll come back to help."
Anna thought of something and spun to Eugene. After she checked to see if anyone was paying attention to them, he craned toward him and muttered, "Are you wanted here, Eugene?"
Kristoff turned to Eugene with his arms crossed. "That's right, are you? Because we don't want what happened in Delitpen to happen again here."
Anna couldn't agree more. They were lucky that Delitpen had allowed Eugene to pay a fine. Anna noticed that Sven was staring at him with the same expression. She couldn't blame them. They had a lot going on; they didn't need to add any problems. To her surprise, Quirin and Maximus didn't seem to share the same expression.
Eugene grinned and crossed his arms. "Well, you don't have to worry because Lance and I got pardoned here a few years ago."
"What do you mean?" Kristoff asked.
"Two months before the wedding," Quirin began, "a hurricane hit Bronzadelle and destroyed many buildings. Fortunately, no one was hurt but many lost their homes. As part of the wedding celebration, Rapunzel declared that they would travel to Bronzadelle and spend their honeymoon rebuilding their homes. Many came with Rapunzel and Eugene to Bronzadelle, including Varian and I, and we succeeded in rebuilding the city."
"Oh, I didn't know that happened," Anna commented. "I'm glad that everyone was alright and Bronzadelle was rebuilt. I can't imagine what those poor people went through. You all should be proud for helping Bronzadelle like that."
Eugene's smile faded away. "We all were happy at first, until we got home. That was when we heard about. . ."
For a moment, they all stood there in grim silence. Anna's eyes dimmed and she finished for her cousin-law. "My parents."
"They're gone."
That painful memory of Anna learning about her parents from a saddened Kai in the Royal gallery was still fresh. She couldn't imagine how Elsa had felt when she heard the news. What was worse was that she and her sister couldn't be there to comfort each other.
Loud excitement from the background caused Anna to glance around. From the looks of it, half of the passengers seemed to be focused on something ahead of them. Raising a curious eyebrow, Anna spun around and her mouth dropped.
Behind the pier were rows of tall sliver, orange, violet, and beige buildings and cottages scattered across from them. Lanterns were hanging between buildings like laundry. Rapunzel would love this place. A group of citizens on bikes rode past the pier, cheering and laughing. As the ship frew closer to the pier, Anna could see the bustling market square and heard the oohs and ahs nearby. Not too long later, cheers followed. What could be going on in there? She would have to find out.
Anna glanced over her shoulder. The other half of the passengers were sitting on benches, waiting to arrive. They either must be going home or had no interest in observing the town. Still, she couldn't see why anyone would snub this view. Maybe she felt that way because she hadn't been to too many places outside of Arendelle.
"Woah, it's beautiful," Anna commented in awe. She hadn't even been on the inside yet and she was already fascinated by this country.
As the ferry landed at the pier, the captain came to the middle of the deck, gave them all directions, and thanked them for riding the ferry. Before she knew it, the sailors had brought down a gangplank and the captain allowed all of the passengers to exit the ferry. About thirty people were ahead of Anna and her group. The crowd ahead of her prevented her from seeing Bronzadelle's view again. Anna jumped up a few times, hoping to get a better view to no avail.
Just then, she heard someone bump into Kristoff behind her and she watched a satchel filled with apples and carrots fall into the water followed by Kristoff's cursing. She was about to ask what happened, but her boyfriend just told her to keep going.
In no time, Anna and her group reached the pier. There were countless citizens in the area. Wow, I think there are more people here than in Arendelle. Carts were passing by each other and the citizens were either in long lines at the stalls or strolling in the street. Anna had barely had time to survey the area around her when Kristoff came to a halt, crossing his arms.
"Are you alright?" Quirin asked. "What happened?"
"I'm fine. Someone pushed into me and made me drop the carrots and apples!" Kristoff grumbled. "We'll have to buy some more after we check into our cottage."
Eugene pointed ahead of them. "Look! One of the stalls is selling fruit and vegetables! We'll just go there real quick and get them."
"You know that's not a bad idea, Eugene," Kristoff said.
Maximus neighed, stepping forward to them.
"I agree," Anna began. "We can just get the apples and carrots when we shop for supplies later. Quirin needs to see Varian and then we have to check into our cottage."
A man almost ran into Eugene, but Eugene got out of the way in time. "I know, but the stall's just right there and that line is short compared to the others."
"It's fine, Max and I can wait until later," Kristoff said, doing his voice for Sven.
"Look, it won't take long," Kristoff assured. "Eugene and I can go and the rest of you could wait here."
Anna glanced over to Quirin. "Quirin, would you be okay if Eugene and Kristoff buy the apples and carrots now?"
Quirin sighed and nodded. "Alright. Are you sure that it won't take long?"
"Quirin, I promise we'll be in and out before you know it." Eugene smiled.
"I hope you're serious this time," Kristoff said.
Kristoff and Eugene started to make their way to the stall while Anna, Quirin, Maximus, and Sven stalked over to a large statue. "Well, what do we do now?" Anna asked, coming to a halt.
"We'll keep an eye out for Scott while we wait," Quirin declared. Maximus and Sven neighed and brayed with a nod before they glanced out into the street. "Maybe he'll show up."
Anna wished that Kristoff and Eugene could have waited until later. Now that she thought about it, she, Quirin, Maximus, and Sven could've gone to the inn, and Kristoff and Eugene could meet up with them there, but it was too late now. Besides, how would she know if they were successful?
Anna crossed her arms as she, Quirin, Maximus, and Sven kept an eye out for Scott. So far, there was no sign of him. She peered over to the stall where Eugene and Kristoff were. They were carrying apples and carrots and had just entered a line with four people ahead of time.
She glanced back out to the market square where the citizens were bustling about. Her eyes widened as they caught sight of a stall filled with hats and bandanas in lively colors. They all looked lovely—maybe she could buy one and send it to Elsa later.
"Excuse me?" a woman's voice asked nearby. "Do you know where the Violet Mengengie is?"
Anna glanced over to the left where she spotted a guard in front of a tall woman dressed in an attractive but outdated red dress.
"Oh, yes, miss," the guard nodded politely. "If you take that path and go straight until you see a curved road, that will get you there in no time."
The woman brushed back the three dark curls cascading over her forehead and smiled. "Ah, thank you." She placed her hand on her hip. "Say, are you doing anything later, handsome?"
"Yes, my wife and I are going to that tavern for dinner." The guard smiled, causing the woman to wipe her own smile off her face. "It's our anniversary."
"Oh, well, congratulations," the woman commented with a disappointed look that the guard wasn't aware of.
The guard wished the woman a good day and went over to another part of the market square. The woman clicked her tongue, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. Her long, shiny black hair bounced on her shoulders as she strolled further into the street and paused directly in front of the stall with the hats and bandanas. She glanced around the area like she was looking for someone. Anna was just about to ask if she needed help when she saw that a young boy with dark hair had spotted her.
A smile formed on the lad's face and he went behind the woman, pulling out a red bandana. The woman started to peer about for someone, unaware that this boy was behind her. The boy started to wrap the bandana around her forehead, accidentally pulling her back. The woman let out a yell in surprise and spun around, snatching the bandana out of his grip.
"What are you doing?" the woman hissed, clenching the bandana in her fist.
A weak smile appeared on the boy's face. "It's your color. I thought you would like it."
The woman fisted her hips, raising her eyebrow and glaring at the boy. "Did I ask you to shop in the market, Phillips?"
"No, but I thought—"
"Then get this out of my sight," the woman hissed, throwing the bandana at him. "And you better get the right ingredients this time."
Phillips groaned. "Yes, and I checked this time."
"Good, because if you don't, you'll rue the day you decided to become a wizard." The woman crossed her arms and peered out again. "Now, where did Lilly go?"
"She just went to the mirror shop," Phillips answered.
"Mirror shop? Why would she go there?"
"She said that someone told her that's where Jillian works," Phillips answered. "She figured that she could go talk to her for you. Weren't you looking for Jillian anyway?"
The woman nodded. "At least I know where she works now."
"Where's Stew and Tabitha?" Phillips asked.
"I just sent them both to the library," the woman answered. "How long has Lilly been gone?"
"I believe that she left about three minutes before you showed up," Phillips answered. "She had just gathered all of her ingredients before she left, Goth—"
"Do you know where the mirror shop is?" the woman asked. Phillips nodded. "Show me."
Phillips led the woman further into the market square, passing by the statue without paying attention before they finally left the area. Anna was tempted to see which path they were taking, yet she knew that she and her group had a lot going on today. Besides, the woman probably just wanted to visit Jillian. There was probably nothing to worry about.
Quirin's voice suddenly broke her silence. "Did you and Kristoff get what you need?"
Anna glanced around in time to see Eugene and Kristoff coming toward them. Eugene held up a bag of apples and Kristoff did the same with a bag of carrots.
"Did you guys see Scott?" Kristoff asked.
Anna shook her head. "Did you?"
Eugene and Kristoff both shook their heads.
"We'll keep an eye out for him," Quirin declared. "Eugene, can you lead us to the Ruby Inn?"
Eugene's features formed a large grin. "Certainly. That was where Lance and I stole the Bronzadelle Ruby."
"Good thing that you've not wanted here anymore," Kristoff said. "We won't have to worry about you getting arrested."
"They can't arrest me and Lance unless we steal something again here," Eugene said. "Which won't happen."
As Eugene and Quirin led the group further in the exciting and bustling town, Anna glanced around and couldn't help but be impressed. All around she could see witches and wizards performing on the streets and some unique stores and markets nearby. Her mouth slightly dropped as she glanced at the buildings around her. They were tall, narrow buildings with tin roofs—they could pass as towers. The windows had long beads hanging down from them.
"Son, we have to get going," a man's voice said calmly. "Come along now."
Anna peered over to the left where a man in his late thirties was holding his one-year-old son's hand and gently leading him somewhere. However, the son was peering down at the ground.
"What are you looking at?" the father asked. "That's the ground."
This caused Anna to peer down at the ground. She couldn't blame the child—the road underneath their feet was white with dark stripes across from it, reminding her of a zebra in a good way. She hadn't noticed until now—perhaps she hadn't been paying attention. She was astonished that this and Belliville had different colored roads.
"Anna?" Kristoff asked. Anna peered up at her group, who were standing there with puzzled expressions on their faces. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, sorry," Anna chuckled. She gestured to the ground and said, "I just never seen anything like this. In a good way! This looks beautifu—"
She gasped when the road changed into silver. She couldn't believe it! Did it really just happen? Had she had too much chocolate? She peered up and saw that Kristoff and Sven were just as surprised as her while Quirin, Eugene, and Maximus didn't seem to be affected by it.
"I forgot that it does that," Eugene commented.
Kristoff glanced up with a questioning eyebrow. "Wait, it's done this before?"
"This road is unlike any other," Quirin explained. "Ever since Bronzadelle was founded, the road has since changed color from its normal color to white with black stripes and silver. No one knows how it happened, though it's believed that a witch or a wizard enchanted the road to be like this. My son believes that it might've been affected by a hidden element."
"The road is not alive. . .is it?" Kristoff asked.
Quirin shook his head. "No."
"What kind of a question is that, Kristoff?" Kristoff said, doing his voice for Sven.
"I was just curious, Sven," Kristoff shrugged as the group resumed walking. "You probably would've asked the same thing."
As Kristoff argued as himself and Sven, Anna gave the area an impressed look as she followed her group. I should bring Elsa here. She would love it. She wondered if her older sister had read about this country before in one of her books. She remembered that after the great thaw, Elsa told her that she read about many countries during her lessons as Queen and told her that she was going to tell her about every single country that she'd learned about. Elsa was able to tell her a few but not most of them. Anna was sure that when she would come back home, she would tell her more.
"Ah, there it is," Eugene said, breaking Anna's thoughts. "The Ruby Inn."
The group had come to a halt in front of a large building that looked like about thirty residents were living there. The windows were all four-square shaped and a porch led up to double doors. In front of the building was a sign with 'THE RUBY INN' carved in the beautiful italic font. The inn was devoid of trees and surrounded by the buildings around them.
"Whoa," Anna commented in awe. "I've never seen anything like that." She glanced over to Quirin. "Where do you think Varian would be in there?"
"With his inventions, his room would most likely be on the lower floor," Quirin answered. "The rooms on the first floor have the most space and one would even connect to a basement."
Though she had yet to meet Varian, it sounded like his inventions would take up a lot of space even in a large room. From what she'd heard from Rapunzel, Varian could even create large robots.
"So, what are you going to do, Quirin?" Anna asked. Two women in the background were quarreling over something petty, but she decided to ignore it. "Are you going to move in with him?"
"Either that or rent a cottage," Quirin answered. "I'm considering asking him if he would like to move into a cottage. The problem is that I don't know if he would be able to afford rent on his own when I leave. From what I've heard, the rent is higher than the inns here."
"So, this is where you, Lance, and Staylan stayed?" Kristoff asked.
Eugene nodded with a smug expression. "Yep."
The group was about to enter the Inn when they heard Sven and Maximus bray and neigh about something. They turned in their direction to see that on the window was a sign that said 'NO ANIMALS ALLOWED'.
"Well, that's not nice," Anna commented. "Why can't they let animals in here? A lot of people won't part with their pets, you know."
"You guys can go in," Kristoff said, doing his voice for Sven. "Max and I will wait out here."
"Are you sure?" Kristoff asked. Maximus neighed. "Alright, we won't be long."
"Geez," Eugene commented. "I wonder what Varian did about Ruddiger."
The group turned to him. Kristoff crossed his arms and asked, "Who's Ruddiger?"
Eugene had no time to answer as Maximus neighed in anger. Everyone spun around and saw Maximus glaring at a chubby raccoon with green eyes, holding the bag of apples in his arms.
"Ruddiger!" Quirin and Eugene exclaimed.
Ruiddiger leaped off of Maximus and onto Sven's back, grabbing the bag of carrots and causing the reindeer to glare at him. Ruddiger raced towards an open window and leaped through, causing a woman to scream. Without hesitation, Anna raced over to the inn and burst through the door.
She had no time to examine the area around her and only focused on finding the raccoon. Anna's eyes widened when she spotted Ruddiger racing further into the hallway. Racing after him, she nearly tripped and almost fell into some people but nothing stopped her. She heard a door open ahead of her, followed by a scream and an older man scurring out of his room with fright. After Ruddiger turned left, Anna followed, and right when she turned the corner, a loud bang was heard, causing her to jump. Afterward, she watched Ruddiger anxiously race through a nearly closed door.
Anna gently pushed the door open and spotted a tiny room with one bed, a window, and a table filled with beakers, pipettes, droppers, and any kind of chemistry kit that one could think of. Anna was just about to examine the chemistry supplies when she spotted a door right next to the bed.
"Hey, bud! I was looking for you! Where have you been?" a tenor voice asked. From where she was standing, Anna could hear Ruddiger chittering to someone. "Ruddiger, what have I told you? You have to lay low."
Raising an eyebrow, Anna stalked over to the door and pressed her hand on it.
"I know, I don't like it either, but this is the only way," the voice said. Anna quietly pushed the door forward. "Do you want to get kicked out of here?"
Her eyes widened when a flight of wooden stairs led into a room that was slightly bigger than the bedroom she was in. As she slowly went down the staircase, she spotted another table with chemistry supplies and books. There were shelves with more chemistry supplies and books across the walls.
"Don't worry, everything will be okay," the figure assured. "Nobody saw you, did they?" Ruddiger chittered again, causing Anna to peer in the direction where his voice was coming from. "Good. We'll be fine, I promise." Ruddiger chittered again, causing the voice to exclaim. "Oh, buddy, you've got to see this!"
In the center of the room was a figure dressed in a black and gray coat hovering over a table where a small, ovular machine lay. From where Anna was standing, it looked like the figure was wearing some kind of mask. Ruddiger peered up and chittered at the figure while Anna strolled closer.
"Remember when Mrs. Bright complained to one of the guards about her shop not being secured enough?" the figure asked, stirring something. Ruddiger chittered with a nod. "Well, I have come to a solution for that." The figure raised a vial with a cork. "About three tries, I am confident that I have it right this time." The figure popped the cork out of the vial and lifted it over the ovalular machine. "Now, when I pour this chemical compound—"
"Hey, you must be Varian!" Anna exclaimed, coming to a halt and unintentionally startling the boy.
Varian jumped with a surprised yelp, his arm back, sending some kind of red goo from the vial and towards Anna. She barely had time to duck and the goo flew over her head.
"Hey!" Kristoff's voice yelled behind her.
Soon after she heard the door slammed, Anna spun around to see that Kristoff had ducked down the stairs. The door was covered in the goo. Anna didn't dare to touch it.
"What's this?!" Kristoff demanded, rising from the stairs. "Who are you and what are you up to? Why do you have us locked in here?"
Anna stepped towards Kristoff. "Kristoff, calm down! It was an accident!"
"Oh! My bad! I didn't mean to—wait, Kristoff! Princess Anna?"
Anna spun around just in time to see that Varian had turned around and was wearing a gray bauta mask which made their eyes look yellow-green. "I'm so sorry about that! Wow, I had no idea that I would be meeting you two!"
"It's alright," Anna chuckled. "It was my fault. I kinda did scare you. Sorry."
"Oh, don't sweat it," Varian said, waving a hand. "Is your sister, Queen Elsa around too?"
"No, but if she was," Kristoff began with a chuckle, "She'd probably be afraid of your mask."
"My ma—oh!" Varian threw off his mask, revealing a young boy with shaggy black hair with a teal streak and brown and gold goggles. He had blue eyes, fair skin with freckles, and two buck teeth. "I forgot that I had it on!" Varian chuckled. He placed his mask on the table and removed his coat, revealing his long-sleeved shirt with a maroon vest, a brown belt, and dark brown gloves. He glanced up at the gooey door and chuckled nervously. "At least, it didn't blow up this time."
After a pause, Anna peered at him and asked, "That's impressive! What kind of magic did you—"
"Magic?!" Varian exclaimed before he laughed. "No, no, you see I'm all about alchemy. I don't believe that it's magic."
"Oh." Anna nodded. After a few blinks, she glanced back over to the door. "What's that then?"
Varian took out a small vile and went over towards the door. "Just a compound of my own design. You see, with the help of science, I've just found a way to stop intruders from coming in and out. I call it the Darianimum." He bent down towards the goo, pulled the cork off the vile, and poured tiny drops on the goo. The goo then melted away, leaving the door back where it was.
"Woah, that's amazing," Anna commented in awe.
Varian rose, smiling at the door. He put the vile in his pocket and wiped his hands with his eyes closed. "Done! That'll take care of Bronzadelle's thievery problem."
Anna glanced back over to the ovalular machine. "Then what's that for?"
"Oh, that is the Darianimum Keeper," Varian answered. "That's where the Darianimum comes out of. I invented this to be used as a security device against thieves." He grinned at Kristoff and Anna. "You want to see?"
"Yes!" Anna beamed. "Show us how it works!"
Varian strolled over to the table and pulled two tall vials towards the small vial where the Darianimum previously had been. After pouring the tall vials into the small vial, he grabbed a spoon and rapidly stirred it for a bit until they could see the red goo inside. When he was finished, he gestured for Kristoff and Anna to back away from the door and they went over towards him, clearing the way.
Varian lifted his arm, positioning the vial right above the Darianimum Keeper. "With this modern alchemy—not magic—and my latest invention, it will combine to foil any thievery or invasion." He slowly flipped his hand over and the Darianimum poured into the opening of the Darianmum Keeper. Shortly thereafter, the Darianimum Keeper immediately began to move in a circular motion, creating a whirring sound. Anna widened her eyes in awe and she noticed Kristoff doing the same.
"So, how does this work?" Kristoff asked, crossing his arms and eyeing the Darianimim Keeper.
With a grin, Varian peered up at Kristoff and Anna. "Would either of you like to be my assistant?"
Without hesitation, Anna raised her hand. "I'll do it!"
"Perfect!"
"Okay. Um…so what do I do?"
Varian clasped his hands. "Stand in front of the Darianimim Keeper and race towards the door. The motion of your footsteps will cause the machine to undergo a rapid rotation, therefore, it'll release the Darianimum straight towards the door."
Kristoff raised an eyebrow in question. "I hope that I'm not being a Debbie downer, but how does this machine tell if someone is actually stealing or invading?"
"In a way, it's sorta like a robot," Varian explained. "It can tell from the actions of the subjects around them."
"Ah, I see."
Anna stepped in front of the Darianimum Keeper and asked, "You want me to run now?"
"On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"
Nearly tripping, Anna pushed herself away from the machine and towards the stairs. As she raced up the stairs, she heard the Darianimum Keeper going around faster and faster. She was tempted to glance over her shoulder, yet she knew that she must be going.
Varian laughed in excitement. "It's working! It's working!"
As Anna darted closer towards the door, she remained focused on it, her heart racing. Believe it or not, she had always wanted to be a scientist, so the idea of helping something with their experiment was exhilarating.
"It's gonna work!" Varian laughed. "It's—"
A loud crash followed by the goo hitting something forced Anna to come to an abrupt halt. The Darianimum didn't cover the door. Anna glanced over her shoulder and her jaw slightly dropped. Varian and Kristoff stood there, covered in the Darianimum. Pieces of the top of the Darianimum Keeper were scattered all over the ground. Ruddiger grabbed a vial and raced over towards them.
"Holy cats!" Anna exclaimed, racing down the stairs and watching Ruddiger pour tiny drops on Varian, causing the Darianimum to melt away. "Are you guys alright?"
"I'm fine," Varian assured. Ruddiger raced over towards Kristoff to remove the goo. "Geez, I thought that it would work this time."
After the goo melted off of Kristoff, Anna and Varian asked if he was alright and he replied that he was fine.
"No offense," Kristoff began, "But aren't you a little young to be experimenting with alchemy?"
"Ah, don't sweat it. I've been working with alchemy ever since I can remember." Varian smiled, bending down towards the goo, pulling the cork off the vile, and pouring tiny drops on the goo. The goo melted away, returning the door to the way it was.
"That goo wasn't dangerous, was it?" Anna asked.
"No, but it can be sticky," Varian chuckled. "My dad asked me the same thing when I tested it right before it accidentally locked us out of our home in Old Corona. You can ask him that if you ever meet him."
"We've met him." Anna smiled.
"Really? How?"
As Anna told Varian about how they'd met Quirin, Kristoff went over towards the table as Ruddiger put on a pair of goggles. As footsteps started to come towards the door, Kristoff picked up a test tube and squinted his eyes at it. "Impressive. How did you—"
"Don't touch that!" Varian shouted, pointing at him. "The Flarioniam is very unstable! If mishandled, it could cause an explosion!"
"Okay, okay," Kristoff assured, putting down the test tube and peering down at Varian's alchemy with an impressed nod. "You did all of this by yourself? You must be really skilled in mag—I mean alchemy."
Varian nodded. "Nothing beats the power of science."
Anna crossed her arms, giving him an impressed nod. "I can tell," she chuckled. "Though I don't believe that everything is done by science. No offense, Varian."
"None taken. So, where's my dad? Is he around here somewhere?"
"He was—"
"Varian?" Quirin's voice was coming closer to the door. "Are you alright?"
Varian spun around towards the door and replied, "Yeah, dad! Everything's good!"
As the door slowly opened, Anna, Kristoff, and Varian glanced up to see Quirin and Eugene standing in the hallway. For a brief moment, the room was in complete silence until Quirin started to stride down the stairs.
"Dad!" Varian exclaimed, bringing his goggles over his head.
As soon as Quirin stepped off the last step, Varian raced over to him and they embraced. This scene brought a small smile to Anna's face. A father loving his son and a son loving his father was enough to melt anyone's heart. It reminded her of when she'd last seen her parents and when she and Elsa had embraced after she was revived after being saved from Hans.
"Oh, son," Quirin said, softly. "It's been so long. I missed you."
They broke apart and Varian peered up at his father. "I missed you too, Dad. How's Old Corona been?"
"Old Corona's been doing just fine. How've you been enjoying Bronzadelle?"
"It doesn't compete with Corona but it's still great."
Quirin noticed the scattered parts of the Darianimum Keeper on the ground behind his son. "What happened? Your inventions haven't been dangerous, have they?"
"Um, well. . ."
"This invention isn't dangerous, Quirin," Anna quickly said. "Something just went wrong and then it broke. It just needs to be fixed and tested again."
After a short pause, Quirin said, "Good. I'll have to help you after you tell me what the invention is for."
"Thanks, Dad."
Eugene stopped short and peered around the room, letting out a whistle. "I gotta hand it to you, goggles. It looks like you've made it this far without anything exploding. Hey, kid."
"Hey, Eugene." Varian smiled. "It looks like team awesome is back!"
"Yeah, we've missed you too, Varian." Eugene smiled. "It had been so weird not having our royal science nerd—" Varian cleared his throat and Quirin shot Eugene a stern expression. "I mean expert around. So, how's that hot water thing going?"
"It's going great," Varian answered. He strolled over to the table, gesturing for everyone else to follow him. There were several cases scattered all over before he took one. He carefully laid out a large parchment that almost took over the table. Anna's eyebrows rose as she peered down at the image of a large machine. "I just finished designing them."
"Woah," Anna commented in awe. Maybe she could talk Elsa into letting Varian make those machines for Arendelle. "You've made those? Wow. Have you started working on them?"
"Not yet," Varian replied, catching a vile that almost fell on the ground. "Once I show them to the Professor, I'll get started on the machines as soon as possible."
"And those aren't going to kill anyone, right?" Eugene asked. "Last that one time?"
"Wait, what happened?" Kristoff asked.
"Long story," Varian answered. "I'll make sure that won't happen."
A pair of footsteps had just turned the corner. "Varian? Are you in here?" a woman's voice asked.
Varian's eyebrows rose and he gestured for Ruddiger to hide. While the raccoon frantically peered around, Anna's eyes widened when she noticed a small cabinet and darted over to it before anyone else in the room noticed it. She pulled it open, quietly called for Ruddiger, and nodded her head towards the cabinet. Without hesitation, Ruddiger scurried towards the cabinet and Anna quietly shut the door behind him.
A tall, older woman with her greying hair in a low, tight bun stepped in. She peered around the room before she started to take the steps down. "Varian, Winnie said that she saw a raccoon in here. You haven't seen any, have you?"
"Oh, so that's why Winnie was screaming earlier!" Varian fake exclaimed. "Geez, Mrs. Rosebutton, I had no idea that we have a critter problem around here! I didn't see anything, but if I do, I will let you right away!" Mrs. Rosebutton asked Anna and her party if they saw anything which they lied about. "I could even make an invention that'll keep them out of here!"
"Speaking of which, what was that noise? I just heard some loud crashes coming from your room."
"Oh, nothing," Varian chuckled, nervously. "I was just testing my newest invention."
Mrs. Rosebutton stopped short once she reached the last step and again peered around the door. "Alright, just be careful and try to keep it down. A few other residents just complained about the noise last night so try to keep it down."
"That's impossible," Quirin said, standing in front of Varian. "How can he work on his inventions and alchemy without making noise? It's simply unrealistic and quixotic."
"I'm sure that he can figure it out," Mrs. Rosebutton said. She spun her body around to the stairs, glancing over her shoulder at Varian. "This is your warning, Varian. If your inventions disrupt the residents again, you're going to have to deal with me."
After Mrs. Rosebutton shut the door behind her, Anna let Ruddiger out of the cabinet. With a smile, she handed him an apple and rose, turning her gaze back to her group.
"Wow, she sounds nice," Eugene commented sarcastically.
"No, she's pretty nice. She's just extremely strict," Varian answered. "I can't say the same about some of the other residents here. They're always complaining about something."
"Son, do you think that you could find a different inn or even a cottage to stay in?" Quirin suggested. "That way you wouldn't have to hide Ruddiger and you could work on your inventions and alchemy without complaints."
"I thought about it, but I've never had a chance to look," Varian admitted. "Last week, I asked Wadsworth Partridge if there was a cottage that I could rent, but they were outrageously expensive."
"I have an idea," Anna suggested. "Before we got here, Wadsworth had a cottage with seven bedrooms reserved for us. Why don't you stay with us? We haven't been there yet, but I'm sure that there'll be enough room for you to work on your things."
"Wow, really?" Varian asked. "Thanks."
Anna smiled. "Ah, no problem."
"I think that's a good idea," Quirin agreed.
Kristoff crossed his arms. "So Varian, since you've met Wadsworth, do you know where we can find him?"
"Yeah, I remember where he is." Varian beamed, heading towards the stairs. "I'll lead us right to him." The group followed behind him on the stairs. "I had no idea that you guys were coming! Are Rapunzel, Queen Elsa, Maximus, and Sven waiting for us outside?"
"Maximus and Sven are," Anna confirmed right before she explained her sister and cousin's absence to him.
Ruddiger placed himself into Varian's satchel as the group exited the Ruby Inn and didn't come out until they were officially outside, coming over towards Maximus and Sven. Anna, being the last one out, made sure that Mrs. Rosebutton nor any of the other residents were paying attention to them before she shut the door and strolled over to her group.
"Hey, Max!" Varian smiled, waving at him. Maximus gave him a friendly neigh. "It's been so long!" Varian noticed Sven and came over to him with a wave. "Hi, Sven! Nice to meet you! I'm Varian!"
"It's nice to meet you too, kid," Kristoff said, doing his voice for Sven. At first, a bewildered look appeared on Varian's face until he peered around and chuckled once he saw that it was Kristoff. "Now, did you guys find our apples and carrots?"
Ruddiger climbed out of the satchel and onto Varian's shoulder, causing Maximus and Sven to shoot him an annoyed look at him. Anna held out the bag of apples and carrots to the horse and the reindeer. Afterward, they calmed down, though Ruddiger was tempted to get under their skin, but Varian stopped him.
Afterward, Kristoff climbed onto Sven, Anna climbed onto Maximus, and Varian, Quirin, and Eugene came to the front of the group. Anna leaned forward and asked, "So Varian, do you think that you could lead us to Wadsworth?"
"No problem," Varian chirped. After Ruddiger chittered, Varian pointed forward. "This way. Follow me."
After some time, Varian led the group to the town center and Anna immediately thought that this was the best part of Bronzadelle. There was a mixture of tall, medium, and small tower-like buildings all around, yet they all had one thing in common. Around their cornice brackets were ruby crystals dangling, sending light bouncing off their reflections. The street had lamp posts located in front of each building. The citizens were dispersed all around whether it was children playing with each other, citizens racing in and out of buildings, or just citizens hanging around in the area talking with each other.
"There it is," Varian pointed.
They stopped short in front of a house with a brick roof that was right across from the fountain in the street. It was a red, two-story stone building with a brick doorway guarded by two lamp posts on each side. The doorway was led up to by a gravel pathway that led into the street. The yard was devoid of trees, bushes, and even flowers. Anna could tell that the grass had been recently trimmed and saw a sign that said 'PARTRIDGE INN AND COTTAGE RENTALS'.
"So, that's the place?" Kristoff asked, doing his voice for Sven.
"Mm-hmm, that's where Wadsworth offers his rooms for rent and gives his keys for residents to rent cottages," Varian replied. "He and his family even live there."
Anna glanced at the building, widening her eyes in approval. "He lends both an inn and cottages for rent? He must make good business here."
"It's very common here," Eugene commented. "When Lance and I stayed here, we learned that about four landlords and landladies in Bronzadelle rent both inns and cottages. Wadsworth must be one of them."
"Why didn't you rent a room here instead of at the Ruby Inn, Varian?" Quirin asked.
"Wadsworth told me that the Inn also doesn't allow pets to stay, which was part of why he also lends cottages to rent," Varian explained. "Plus, the rooms here are too small for me to do my alchemy and inventions and the rent was too high."
"And do you think that the cottages would allow animals?" Eugene asked, crossing his arms. "Because you know, we have companions with us too."
Varian chuckled. "No sweat, the Partridge cottages allow pets to stay too."
Kristoff raised his eyebrow in question. "Do you know for sure?"
"Kristoff, please," Anna hissed.
"Wadsworth told me when I asked him," Varian answered. Ruddiger turned to the group with a nod, confirming what he said. Varian's face fell when he peered back at the cottage. "I'm not sure if he's home now though. He's usually on a tight schedule"
A young man exited the building and started to head towards the street. Just as he passed their group, Anna stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, is Wadsworth Partridge home?"
"Yes, he's just gotten back after leading a witch and her four young apprentices to their cottage," the young man answered. "He's inside if you wish to see him."
After Anna expressed her gratitude to him, the young man nodded with a smile and continued down the street. "Come on," she said, strolling along the gravel pathway. "Let's get inside."
She opened the door and the inside left her awe-struck. There was fine furniture inside the clean and decorated room. In the center of the room was a staircase that led to the upper floors. There were several oak doors lined up on the wall. The walls also had several tall windows with some showing the view of the beautiful yard while the others had a view of the town. There were some nice tables on the far edges of the room where some residents were having their tea. As she stepped forward to peer at the dark green walls, Anna heard a hard sound underneath her and glanced down at the maple hardwood floor. Footsteps were heard on the floor, causing her to peer up. Some residents were coming in and out of the doors while a few were coming down the stairs, engaging in pleasant conversation with each other.
"This looks better than that other inn," Eugene commented.
Kristoff shot a mischievous grin at him. "And I thought that you liked the Ruby Inn."
"Yeah, but it wasn't like this," Eugene scoffed.
An older man dressed in an elegant outfit was coming toward them. Quirin opened the door with a smile that garnered a token of gratitude from the older man as he left the inn. As Quirin was closing the door behind him, Anna noticed that Maximus, Sven, and Ruddiger were waiting by the fountain. Maximus and Sven appeared to be invested in another one of their staring contests while Ruddiger was trying to sneak into one of the satchels, hoping that the apples would be inside. At first, Anna wondered why they weren't inside with them until she recalled that Varian stated that animals weren't allowed in the inn.
"Good thing that we brought the satchels with the carrots and apples inside with us," Kristoff said, holding out a satchel with the carrots while Eugene did the same with the satchel that held the apples.
"Yeah, I think that's for the best." Varian nodded. "Especially with Ruddiger, Max, and the apples."
"I'm glad that the cottages allow animals to stay," Anna said. "But we're not staying here, so I don't get why they couldn't come inside with us. I'm sure that we won't be in here for long."
Quirin gently shut the door behind him before he glanced over to the room, peering out for Wadsworth. "When we see Wadsworth, we should ask if he saw your friend. He could be staying here or in a cottage."
Quirin was right. Scott had told them that he was going to meet them in Bronzadelle, therefore it was possible that he had arrived here before Anna and her group and was waiting for them here or somewhere else.
Anna nodded. "Good idea."
"How may I help you?" A tall older woman dressed in a light pink gown with a red broach reached the last step of the staircase. Her dark brown hair was tied into a low bun on the left. When she came closer, Anna could see that she had light blue eyes. "Ah, Varian, what brings you here today?"
"Hello, Lizabeth." Varian smiled. He then introduced Quirin to her and they politely shook hands. "Where's Wadsworth?"
"He's in his office," Lizabeth answered, pointing to the door on the far left of the room. "A new tenant is filling out a contract. My husband should be out shortly. Are you and your father going to be renting a cottage?"
"Yes, they'll be staying with us." Anna smiled. "Oh, I'm Princess Anna of Arendelle."
After Anna introduced Kristoff and Eugene to her, Lizabeth let out a gasp of realization. "Oh, you're the Princess! Yes, Wadsworth had told me that you and your friends would be staying here!" She glanced back over to the door. "If you want, I could knock on his door and let him know that you're all safe and waiting for him."
Wadsworth must've told his wife everything that had happened to them in Delitpen. "It's okay. We can wait for him. We're not in a hurry or anything." Kristoff took a peek outside the window before he peered back at the group. Anna placed her hands behind her back. She had no idea how long Wadsworth would be, so perhaps she could start to get to know more about his wife. "So, how long have you and Wadsworth been married?"
"Two months ago was our twenty-third anniversary."
"Congratulations," Anna chirped. "Do you have any children?"
"No, but we have two nieces and two nephews."
Now that Anna thought about it, she should ask about Scott. "By any chance, has a wizard come here? His name is Scott Longton."
After Anna gave Scott's description, Lizabeth crossed her arms and said, "I'm afraid I haven't seen him. There was a witch that came here with her four apprentices. Maybe you could ask her if she's seen him? My husband just gave her the keys to a cottage."
"That's not the same cottage that was reserved for us, right?" Eugene asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Eugene!" Kristoff hissed.
"What? I'm just asking!"
"I don't think so," Lizabeth answered. "The witch asked for a cottage with three bedrooms while Wadsworth told me that he had reserved a cottage with seven bedrooms. The witch's cottage is on the same block as yours."
"Wasn't that the curly-haired woman with the locket?" a tall elderly man asked, peering up from his newspapers nearby.
Lizabeth glanced over her shoulder at him. "Yes, father."
Lizabeth's father was just about to get back to his reading when he noticed Anna's group. "Hello, Quirin. I didn't think I'd see you again."
"Hello, Ernest." Quirin smiled. He went over to Ernest and held his hand out to him. Ernest shook his hand with a friendly smile. "It's nice to see you again."
"Wait, you know my dad?" Varian asked.
Lizabeth went over and said, "Father, I had no idea that you knew Varian's father. You've never told me."
"Oh, that's your father?! I had no idea!" Ernest exclaimed. "Was your mother's name Ulla?" Varian and Quirin both nodded. Ernest peered back at Quirin and said, "I didn't know that you and Ulla had gotten married!"
"Dad, you and Mom knew him?" Varian asked. "He never told me that you guys know each other. How do you know him?"
"Yeah, because I don't remember hearing about an Ernest in Old Corona," Eugene answered, scratching his chin and furrowing his eyebrows.
"He was once a resident of the Dark Kingdom," Quirin explained. "Adria and I were close friends with him. After we went our separate ways, we never heard from each other again.
Anna felt her jaw slightly drop and her eyes widened. She took a glance at her group and saw that they shared the same expressions. Kristoff finally broke the long minute of silence. "So, you know the Brotherhood?"
Ernest gave them a nod and replied, "I was a member of the Brotherhood."
"Wait…if you're from the Brotherhood," Eugene began, unsettled, "then that means that you were under Cass's control when she had the Mind Trap."
Lizabeth crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
After Eugene and Quirin explained about Cassandra and the Mind Trap, Lizabeth said "That's impossible. I don't recall my father ever being brainwashed."
"That was because I was never under the Mind Trap Stone's control," Ernest answered. When he held up his hand, Anna expected him to have the moonstone mark on him, however, there was nothing. "I gave up being a member of the Brotherhood two years after King Edmund ordered an evacuation of the Kingdom and Quirin, Adria, Hector, and I went our separate ways. I had this mark removed as I resigned from the Brotherhood. If I was still a member of the Brotherhood, I would've been brainwashed as well."
"Okay, I don't understand," Anna answered. "Why did you give up being part of the Brotherhood?"
As Ernest remained in his seat, speechless with his eyes dimmed, Anna regretted asking him. Really, Anna. Why would you ask him that? Now, look what you've done. You've made him feel guilty. Elsa wouldn't approve of this. She was about to apologize when Ernest spoke.
"As Quirin, Hector, and Adria disagreed with how the moonstone should be kept a secret," Ernest began, "I disagreed as well and I feared that the stone might tear us apart like Kumandra before they turned everything around. Around the time that Horace was born—" Eugene corrected him and told him his name which garnered an apology from Ernest. "I spent my time researching the moonstone in hopes of helping keep everyone from harm or from turning against each other. The more I studied the moonstone, the more obsessed I became.
"Eventually, I came across a page that said that the moonstone had been relocated from another place to the Dark Kingdom. For this reason, I thought that if I moved it to another location and destroyed it, we would remain allies and save everyone from destruction. I brought this idea up to King Edmund, Adria, Hector, and Quirin, but none of them agreed with me. I realized that this was something that I had to do on my own, so I stole King Edmund's sword and stuck towards the moonstone. I attempted to take it, yet it wouldn't let me. So, I tried to reach my hand into it, however, it knocked me into the walls and almost got King Edmund, Hector, Adria, and Quirin killed. I felt so ashamed in disobeying the King that I resigned from being part of the Brotherhood and went my own way."
"I'm sorry that happened," Anna said, solemnly.
Ernest nodded his head. When the door opened, Anna first thought that another resident or guest had come in when she heard Wadsworth's voice. "Ah, Your Highness. I'm so glad that you and your friends are safe. Were you able to get the—"
Anna quickly placed a finger in front of her lips, then gestured to the map case in her arms. "We'll explain it to you later."
After a nod in understanding, Wadsworth clasped his hands. "Well, I'm so glad that your plan with the pirates worked," he said in relief. "I was afraid that they might've found you out. At least they had gotten arrested when they arrived in Hogan."
"Yeah, about that," Eugene said, crossing his arms. "Thanks a lot. You must be so proud of yourself."
"Eugene!" Kristoff hissed. "That's enough!"
"What? If it hadn't been for him, Betsey wouldn't have gone to Golden Eye and our plan might've worked!"
"What happened?" Wadsworth asked, his face falling. Anna told him everything that had happened with the pirates from when they first arrived on board to when Maui saved them and helped them escape. "Oh dear, I had no idea about Betsey. If I'd have known—"
"Wait, you guys seriously went on Golden Eye's ship disguised as pirates?!" Varian exclaimed. "Man, I wish that I could've been there! So, what's Golden Eye like? I've read so much about him! Was he like you when you were Flynn Rider, Eugene?"
"Oh, he was something, alright," Kristoff said sarcastically. "Seriously though, I don't think you would like him."
"He's right, Varian," Anna agreed. "He was kind of a jerk."
"I'm glad that you ended up alright," Wadsworth said. "I didn't mean to put you in greater danger."
"It's okay, Wadsworth," Anna assured. "You didn't know. You were just trying to help."
"Still, I am so sorry."
"You should be sorry," Eugene mumbled.
After shooting a glare at Eugene, Anna turned back to Wadsworth. "You're forgiven."
"Thank you, Your Highness," he said. "How about we look over the contract before I take you to your cottage?" Wadsworth was just about to lead them into his office when he gazed forward and asked, "Varian, what are you doing?"
Anna glanced over her shoulder and saw that Varian was facing the wall, examining it.
"Aren't you going to fix your wall soon?" Varian asked. "By the looks of it, if it's not sealed up, it could draw in water and bugs. If I were you, I would get this fixed as soon as possible."
At first, Anna wondered why he would ask him that until she stepped forward and noticed that there was a long, small crack in the middle of the wall. The crack was so small that anyone would have to come close to see it.
"We're working on it," Wadsworth replied. "Don't worry—we'll have it taken care of before anything happens."
After Anna and her group followed Wadsworth into his office, they listened to him go over the rules and contract before they finally officially signed their names.
"And here is the key, Your Highness," Wadsworth said, opening his hand and Anna felt a small, cold key fall in the middle of her palm. As Wadsworth handed out extra keys to her group, Anna peered down at hers. The bow and shank were golden red while the bit and post had a lighter shade of golden red. Below the shoulder was a symbol of a red ribbon. "I'll lead you to your cottage."
Quirin turned to Varian and said, "Speaking of which, you should check out of the Ruby Inn today."
"Yeah, I'll do that." Varian nodded. "Oh, I've got to get my inventions and alchemy out of there today too."
"We'll help you with that," Kristoff declared.
"I think that you should check in to your cottage first," Wadsworth suggested, rising from his seat and heading over towards the door with Anna and her group following him. "It'll be easier that way."
Just as Wadsworth pulled the door open, a young man's voice was heard in the other room. "Mrs. Partridge, we're ready for the keys to our cottage."
"Alright, my husband should be out soon," Lizabeth answered, glancing over her shoulder at the door. "Then he'll give you the keys." As Anna followed Wadsworth and her group out of the office, they saw that a tall, young man was standing by Lizabeth, who turned in their direction. "Ah, there he is now."
"Hello, Garret." Wadsworth smiled. Anna gave Garret a small wave and he returned the same with a smile. "How may I help you?"
"We're here to rent our cottage, Mr. Partridge." Garret smiled. "My wife, friend, and his wife are waiting just outside the Inn. We couldn't be any more excited."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Wadsworth exclaimed. "I forgot that you were renting that cottage and I gave the key to someone else. I am so sorry!"
After a moment of pause, Garret allowed a laugh to escape his throat and clapped loudly. "Good one, Mr. Partridge! That's gold! Now, will you show me the contract?"
From his expression, Anna could tell that Wadsworth was serious. Soon after, Wadsworth and Garret found themselves in an argument. First, she was afraid that their cottage was the one that was meant for Garret and his friends until she heard Wadsworth mention that it was the witch and her apprentices. While they were arguing, Eugene shook his head and laughed sarcastically causing Kristoff and Quirin to glare at him. Anna noticed that Varian had started examining the crack again. Given his engineering skills, he must have felt cautious about it.
"Can't you just go to the witch and ask her to hand the key over?" Garret asked. "Or I could do it, if you wish."
"I'm sorry I can't do either of those things," Wadsworth said. "You're not the landlord and she hasn't violated any rules."
"How could you forget that we were supposed to rent that cottage? We went over this three times!"
"Look, I don't know what came over me," Wadsworth admitted, rubbing his head. Eugene was about to comment when Kristoff stopped him. "Regardless, I offer you my apologies." Anna peered at Garret and then back at Wadsworth. Whatever had happened, she hoped that this wouldn't lead to a lawsuit. She could tell that both Wadsworth and Lizabeth were thinking the same thing. "Why don't you and your friends wait here with my wife and father-in-law? There is another cottage that I have available for rent. It's not as nice as the one you were supposed to have, but it's still a beautiful cottage."
"Alright," Garret sighed. Thank goodness that everything was going to work out. "We can accept a new cottage."
Wadsworth heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Good. Now, I have to bring Princess Anna and her friends to their cottage. When I get back, I will bring you and your friends to yours. We'll go over the rules and the contract, then I'll give you the key. Sound good?"
Garret nodded. "That'll work."
Lizabeth went over to Wadsworth and they started a conversation. As Lizabeth inquired about what happened, Anna spotted Ernest approaching Varian. "Is everything okay, Varian?" he asked.
Varian rose, scratching his chin, and turned to him. "I don't know. Something doesn't seem right about that crack."
"What do you mean?" Ernest asked as Anna strolled over to them.
"Look," Varian pointed. Anna bent closer to the crack with Ernest and noticed what he meant. The crack seemed to be covered by the paint as if someone had tried to paint over it. "The crack appears to have been here for a while. The paint seems to cover the line, yet the crack isn't sealed."
"What are you suggesting?" Anna asked. "Do you think someone has been getting into this Inn?"
"I don't know," Varian admitted. He glanced back over to the wall. "I'll have to come back and study it more."
Wadsworth called for Anna and her group to follow him. Just as Anna and Varian were heading over towards the door, Ernest declared, "I'll keep an eye on that. And whenever you come back, I'll let you know if I see anything."
Varian smiled. "Thanks."
The last thing Anna saw was Ernest nodding with a smile before she shut the door behind her and heard some people engrossed in a pleasant conversation as the wind whistled.
Wadsworth strolled over to a large, hazelnut horse with a long black mane and light brown hooves. "I'll lead you all to your cottage. I also know a place where you could rent a sled. That'll help you bring Varian's things. On our way there, you can rent one."
"Great!" Anna chirped. She spun around to Maximus and Sven. "Now, we can—"
Maximus and Sven were still in their game, staring at each other right in the eyes while Ruddiger's tail hung out of the satchel. The raccoon peeked out of the satchel and skittered over to Varian when he saw him. Varian smiled at him as he leaped onto his shoulder.
"Really?" Kristoff groaned, shaking his head. "Out of a thousand things to do with each other to entertain themselves, they had to pick this? Real mature. That's what kids play!"
Anna leaned towards Maximus and Sven and waved her hand in front of them. "Hello? Anybody there?" Neither of them reacted to her voice. "We're just about to head to our cottage." Maximus and Sven remained in their staring contest like they were off in their little world. "Hello? I'm here?"
Varian chuckled. "Oh, looks like we have a stare-down going on! Now, who will win? Will it be Maximus? Or will it be Sven?"
As Varian did a drum roll, Eugene turned to him with an annoyed stare. "No offense, Goggles, but you're not helping. Okay, guys, the game's over." He snapped his fingers. "That's enough!"
Sven and Maximus did nothing. Quirin sighed and said, "Very well, if they want to keep playing their little game then they'll have to wait for their apples and carrots." He gave Kristoff and Eugene a wink.
Kristoff's eyes widened and he pulled a carrot out of a satchel. "Yes, Quirin. I was just about to see if Sven wanted a carrot before we left, but he doesn't seem to be interested. Oh, bother."
Sven's jaw dropped with his eyes still on Maximus. "No, I want a snack!" Kristoff said, doing his voice for Sven.
"Well, Sven, if you want one," Kristoff began, "you'll have to drop out."
As Sven froze, unsure how to handle his dilemma, Maximus sniggered about his potential victory. Eugene suddenly gestured at Varian and Anna and they peered in the satchel with the apples.
"Hey, Anna, Varian," Eugene grinned. "How many apples are left?"
"Ruddiger!" Varian feigned scold. "What have I told you? You shouldn't go through an entire satchel of apples! Now we don't have any left!"
"Uh, wait a minute!" Anna faked exclaimed. She reached into the satchel and pulled out a large, red apple. "Look, we only have one apple left! A real nice juicy one!"
Eugene grinned and held out his hand to them. "Can you toss it to me?" After he caught the apple that Anna tossed to him, Eugene wiped the dirt off the apple with his sleeve. "Thanks, guys! I was going to ask Max if he would like this apple, but he doesn't seem to want it."
Maximus neighed in anger, still peering at Sven.
"Sorry, Max," Eugene shrugged. He brought the apple closer to his mouth. "I'll just have this one for you!"
Without warning, Maximus and Sven rapidly spun away from each other and towards the snacks that they desired.
"What's the magic word, Sven?" Kristoff asked.
"Please," Kristoff said, doing his voice for Sven.
Kristoff leaned the hand that held the carrot towards Sven. Once Sven took a huge bite, Kristoff leaned the carrot back towards him and bit into it.
"Here you go, Max." Eugene smiled, tossing the apple.
Maximus caught the apple and neighed happily after devouring it. Afterwards, Wadsworth took the group to the place with the sleds. Once Anna and her group picked one out, they followed Wadsworth.
As Wadsworth led them further into the town, Anna couldn't help but glance at the surroundings. The streets were bustling with excitement but clean. All of the houses and buildings were well built and the people were friendly from what she could see. They all got along whether they performed magic or not. She got excited every time she saw wizards and witches perform spells in the street. Varian always dismissed it and claimed that it was alchemy.
As she laid her hand on the railing, she couldn't help but admit that this was a fine sled. It almost reminded her of Kristoff's sled back in Arendelle except this was a three-seater. She and Varian were seated in the middle while Quirin and Kristoff were in the front and Eugene was in the back. Maximus and Sven were leading the sled, following Wadsworth on his horse. Anna and Quirin had offered to let him ride with them, but he declined.
The sled came to a halt for traffic and Anna peered around the area while Eugene began a conversation with Varian and Quirin asked Kristoff about his ice business. The citizens were constantly coming in and out of shops and a teacher was leading his students somewhere, probably for some kind of field trip. Her eyes widened when she spotted the Violet Menagerie right across from her and remembered that this was what the woman she'd seen earlier had been looking for. Speaking of whom, that same woman was now coming towards the building. A man whistled at her and commented on her looks and the woman smirked and held her head high. As the woman pulled the door open, the sled pushed forwards and Anna missed the chance to see her enter the place.
After about ten minutes, they turned around the corner and were entering a street with houses on each side. They looked similar to all the homes back in Arendelle.
"You rent cottages here?" Anna asked.
"Yes," Wadsworth said. "Not all of those houses, of course." He chuckled. "The majority of these houses are owned by individuals, but I do have some cottages around here." Wadsworth came to a halt, prompting Maximus and Sven to do the same. He pointed to a nearby street filled with houses on each side. "Like, you see that cottage down there?" Anna saw that he was peering at an English cottage located next to the sea. It looked like something out of a fairytale. "That's the house I lent to the witch and her apprentices."
Anna could see why anyone would want to rent, or maybe even live there. From what she could see, it looked cozy. She imagined it would be the perfect place to stay in winter. I could see Elsa liking that cottage. It's lovely.
"Rapunzel would paint that for sure if she was here," Eugene commented. "She'd even display it in the Gallery of the Seven Kingdoms."
"I wish I could see that mural that she painted there," Anna said. She leaned forward and craned her head towards Kristoff. "One of these days, you, me, and Sven need to go to Corona with Elsa and Olaf."
Kristoff chuckled, shaking his head. "You'll have to tell Elsa when you get back."
Wadsworth continued forward with Maximus and Sven following behind him. Anna still glanced back at the cottage, recalling a memory from when she was four years old. It had been her father's birthday and one of the gifts that he was given from a neighboring kingdom was a painting of a country cottage set aside from the great sea on a summer day. After the gates closed, whenever she would go to the Royal Gallery, she would pretend that it was where a Prince and a Princess met one summer and grew close to each other until they eventually got married and spent the rest of their lives with each other.
For a while, they passed by more cottages until they went up a small hill and took the right turn into a new area. This time, it was devoid of cottages; instead, it showed a view of the ocean with the town in the background as they went further on the stone path.
"Ah, here we are," Wadsworth said, stepping off his horse. "Your cottage."
Standing before them was a three-story, stone, brick, and wood cottage with a slate roof in the middle of the grass next to a wooden stable nearby. The first floor had no door, but instead, stone pillars that held the upper two floors, and three windows were placed across the wall of the first floor. Some stairs led up to a door on the second floor. Wooden railings were located at the edge of the second floor and the third floor. From where she was standing, Anna could see that there were long windows on the second floor and small windows on the third floor.
"Now this is better than the Ruby Inn!" Varian commented.
"Whoa, this is it?" Anna commented in awe. "That's where we're staying?"
"Yes," Wadsworth replied. "Is it decent enough for you and your friends, Your Highness?"
"Decent?!" Anna asked. "It's perfect! I couldn't ask for a better cottage for us!"
"Ah, wonderful!" Wadsworth smiled. "I'm glad you like it!" He went up the stairs, gesturing for everyone to follow behind him. "Some tenants I've had are rather picky. Once, Duchess Antionette of Lacedrillelle was renting a cottage here. When I showed her this one, she hated it and demanded that I show her something better."
"That's unfortunate," Quirin commented. Anna, Sven, and Maximus nodded. "Some people are just ungrateful for what they are given."
"Who wouldn't want to stay here?" Kristoff asked.
"If Lance, Styalan, and I knew that this was around," Eugene began, "we probably would've snuck in here instead of staying at the Ruby Inn."
The inside was just as perfect as the outside. It looked cozier than the other cottage. Wadsworth showed them the study, the kitchen and dining room, the den, and the living room, as well as the seven bedrooms, though Kristoff declared that he would be sleeping in the stables.
After he showed them the last room, Wadsworth let out a gasp in remembrance and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "Your Highness, I think that this was addressed to you."
Anna gently took the envelope and unsealed it. She took the letter out of the envelope and peered down at it, reading it out loud for her group to hear.
"Princess Anna and friends,
I'm afraid that I may be running a bit late, but I will arrive in Bronzadelle within a fortnight. Hopefully, you've figured out the hint that I gave you back in Belliville. In the meantime, there is something that I want you to do for me. There is a book that I need you to get from the library. Unfortunately, I do not recall the title of the book, however, I do know some information that will be enough for me to help you. It is written by Ambrose Ackerman and the cover is a light blue with a hard texture. It is the only copy available. Please check it out from the Countess Viola library. I believe that it can be helpful for the map.
Sincerely,
Scott Longton"
"Wow, what's up with this dude?" Varian asked.
"You have got to be kidding me," Eugene sighed, shaking his head. "Wasn't he supposed to meet us here? He told us that at that damn dinner party."
"When did you get this, Wadsworth?" Anna asked.
"It arrived this morning."
"I think that letter just came here late. It happens."
"Let me see," Quirin said. Anna gently gave him the letter and he peered down at it. He brought the letter out to her and pointed towards the front of it. "This was written a few days ago."
"Oh." Anna chuckled sheepishly. Her fingers must've been concealing the date. "I guess that we'll have to get to the library."
"I can't believe that he has no idea what book he's looking for," Kristoff said. "He said that it was helpful so how could he not know what book it is! You think that he would remember the title if it was that important."
"If I'm going to be honest," Quirin began, "he might not have read the book in the first place. He could've heard about it from someone but failed to get the information on the title. He gave you a hint about finding the map, therefore I believe that he wouldn't've brought up the book if it wasn't important, especially if he had no recollection of the book's title."
Maximus neighed and nodded.
"Yeah, I don't know this guy, but I agree." Varian nodded. "I guess we'll just get to the library. I'm sure that they'll still have it. From what I've heard, the library isn't busy at this time of day."
"That's settled!" Anna said. "We can get the book after we help you bring your stuff to our cottage."
"I don't know if that'll be possible," Wadsworth said. He pointed at the grandfather clock. The small hand was on the two and the large hand was on the six. "The library closes at four today. Normally it closes at seven, but the walls are being repainted, so they're going to close it early today. The library will reopen in two weeks."
"Oh, brilliant," Eugene sighed.
"Um, if you want, I could spend one more night at the Ruby Inn and we could get the book at the library today. Then tomorrow, I can check out of the Ruby Inn and we could move my stuff."
"No, Varian, you check out today and your dad, Kristoff, Eugene, Ruddiger, Max, and Sven can help you move your things here," Anna said. "I'll go to the library and get the book."
"Geez, are you sure?" Varian asked. "I could wait for un—"
"It's fine." Anna smiled. "Don't worry."
"Is someone coming with you?" Quirin asked. "You're new here, so I think you should bring someone."
"I can go with you, Anna," Kristoff said.
"Thank you, but I've seen Varian's inventions," Anna said. "They look very heavy. I think that more people should help."
The group hesitated before agreeing. Eugene dropped his arms and asked, "But how are you going to get there if Max and Sven are coming with us? You're not walking, are you?"
"I could drop her off at the library on my way back to the Inn," Wadsworth suggested. "There's also a horse trolley in the area—you could take that back here. You'll just have to watch out for the times. You don't want to miss one."
"That'll work." Anna smiled. "Thank you."
"Alright, we'll meet you back here," Quirin declared.
"What about that map?" Varian asked, placing his belt with the chemicals on the table. "Who's going to hold on to it?"
Eugene gestured for Anna to hand over the map case to him, which she obeyed. He went over towards an opened bedroom and entered. The group watched him open up one of the drawers and hide the map case in there. After he closed it, he went back over to them.
"We'll keep it here," he declared. Sven furrowed his eyebrows at him.
"Will it be okay here?" Anna asked, peering back at the drawer with the map case.
"It'll be fine," Eugene said firmly. "No one else knows about the map, so I doubt anyone'll come looking for it."
"Okay, we'll look at it when we get back," Kristoff said. "And don't try to open it until we're back, Anna."
Anna scoffed. "I can't open it anyway."
"Whoa," Wadsworth said gently.
Wadsworth's horse came to a halt in front of a large, two-story, red building behind a large statue of a woman. The architecture was phenomenal. Anna peered up and asked, "This is it?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Wadsworth confirmed. He helped Anna off the horse and pointed forward. Anna glanced in his direction and saw that a horse trolley had just left. Soon after, a line was already forming. "After you find the book, head there and it'll take you home."
Anna smiled. "Got it! Thanks!"
Wadsworth smiled and climbed onto his horse. After he left, Anna strolled over to the library. It felt so strange to step into a library outside of Arendelle. Not that there was anything wrong with that—she'd just never imagined that she would leave home one day.
Shutting the door behind her, Anna glanced around the room where books were organized on the shelves all over. She could hear the wood creak underneath her feet as she passed the tables where people were reading. Anna came to a halt, glancing around. Where should I look first? As she surveyed the room, she saw the librarian put some books away, and some people searching through the shelves, trying to decide on a book to check out. Finally, Anna went and got a library card before strolling towards the back of the library.
Some time passed and Anna had yet to find the book that she was looking for. She tried looking for the author's name and kept an eye out for the cover but still nothing. It had to be around there somewhere. She went over to a new shelve and began searching, pulling out some books and carrying them in her arms.
As Anna pulled out a book from the shelf, she could see two young people, a boy and a girl sitting across from each other at a table. From the looks of it, they were peering at something in a book. A long creak was heard before the door slammed. Footsteps went over towards the door and the librarian was telling someone to be quiet. Anna glanced over her shoulder and saw that the woman from the market was rolling her eyes at the librarian who had just gone to another area.
After shooting an intense glare at the librarian for a long minute, the woman stood up straight and strolled over to the table with the boy and the girl. "Stew! Tabitha!"
Stew and Tabitha jumped and glanced over towards her. They remained in their seats as the woman came to a halt, her icy eyes peering down at them as she crossed her arms. Anna almost dropped some of the books in her arms but managed to catch them in time. As she started to put some of them away, Anna kept the gap unsealed and peered through it, watching the trio.
A young man tried to sit at the table until the woman shot him an icy look, forcing him to sit somewhere else. The woman peered back at Stew and Tabitha. "Have you found anything?"
"Well, there's—"
The librarian shushed him, cutting Stew off. After she shot an icy look at the librarian, the woman impatiently gestured for Stew to continue.
"We've found this book," Stew began, bringing out one of the books. "It contains legends of magical objects that many believe to exist. The book also cites the witches, wizards, and alchemists that created those items."
"Alright, anything else?" the woman huffed. She rolled her eyes after the librarian shushed them again. "Something worth mentioning."
Tabitha flipped out some pages and laid them out for them to see. "I think that you would like this one. One page was about the Tree of Life."
"Really? Which page?"
The librarian shushed them again. The woman snatched the book from them and flipped through the pages. "Did it say where it is?"
Tabitha shook her head. "No, but it still has some pretty useful information."
The woman peered at Tabitha. "Like what? Be more specific."
Again, the librarian shushed them. Tabitha cleared her throat and said, "It said that it's been around ever since the first existence of humankind. It was believed to be blessed by Natasha, the goddess of light."
"Good work, Tabitha," the woman said, not looking at her. "And good job memorizing this before I came back." The woman finally stopped flipping the pages and laid her index finger in the middle of a page. "Ah, here it is!" She held out the book to Stew and Tabitha. Anna assumed that she was showing them an illustration. "Isn't that beautiful?"
The librarian spun around to them with an irritated expression. "Will you people be quiet?" he hissed.
The woman shushed him, causing him to clench his fists. The woman shook her head and continued, "The Tree of Youth was rumored to be first discovered by Anselm during his travels before he helped Lord Demantuis win the war against Zhan Tiri and save Motunui. There is no evidence of its location, though it had been rumored to be in the Enchanted Forest."
"Isn't there a mist there?" Stew asked. "I don't think that we could get past it."
"From what I've heard, yes," the woman admitted. "But we haven't found anything official about it, so it'll be the least of our worries."
The irritated librarian marched over to them, causing the woman to roll her eyes, holding the book closer to her. "Excuse me, miss?"
"If you're asking me out on a date, then no thank you." The woman smiled sarcastically. "I don't date idiots."
"Good God, I wasn't!" the librarian scoffed. The woman rolled her eyes. "You are not the only one here—please kindly be quiet, otherwise I'll have to ask you to leave."
Stew and Tabitha politely nodded, but the woman fisted her left hand on her hip while her other hand held the book. "Very well. I'll be on my way."
The librarian blocked her from leaving. "You know that you're going to need a library card, right?"
"Yes, but I'm not from around here," the woman commented. "Now, please—"
"I'm sorry, the rules are the rules," the librarian said.
For a long minute, she glared at him with her icy eyes. Anna wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a look like that. To her surprise, the woman chuckled and delved into her pocket. "Dear, what's come over me." She let out a chuckle and pulled out a small locket with emerald sides. Anna's eyes widened. This must be the witch that Wadsworth had lent the cottage to. "Now, take a look at this? Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, it is—that has nothing to do with—"
"The inside is just as beautiful," the woman said. After she glanced around the room, she peered around and said, "Here let me show you."
As the woman was about to open the lock, the books in Anna's arms fell out of her grip and all over the ground, drawing some attention nearby as they thudded. Anna scrambled to put the books away as footsteps made their way over towards her.
"Excuse me?" the librarian asked. Anna peered up to see that the librarian and the witch were in the opening of the two shelves. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I just dropped some books," Anna chuckled. As the librarian and the woman strolled away from the area, Anna suddenly thought of something and went behind them. "Hey, you think that you could help me?"
The librarian clasped his hands together. "Yes, what are you looking for?"
"I don't know the exact name of the book, but I know that it has a hard texture and the color is light blue. The author is Ambrose Ackerman."
"I'm familiar with the author," the librarian said. "But I'm afraid that I'm going to need the title of the book to help you find it."
"No one told me the title," Anna admitted.
The librarian was just about to reply when a young man approached him. "Excuse me, is there a Madame G. in here? Someone's looking for her."
The woman put her locket in her pocket and replied, "That would be me."
The young man nodded and went back over to the shelf he'd come from. "She's here. She's right over there."
Soon after, the young man left the library. A tall red-haired woman with large earrings, a blue corset and skirts, and ridiculously high heels strolled over to them. As the redhead came closer, Anna was able to get a better look at her. She wore too much makeup and she had two beauty marks, one by her left eye and the other right above her large lips.
"Jillian," Madame G. said. "What brings you here?"
Jillian placed her jeweled hand on her hip and leaned closer to Madame G. "I just spoke to Shumen about your Hector friend. He's left Bronzadelle—you missed him by three days. And he didn't tell Shumen where he was going or when he'll be back."
Madame G. sighed and shook her head in frustration. "So, we've come here for nothing," she muttered. "Fine, I'll get a library card here." After the librarian signed her up for a card and she checked out, Madame G. glanced over her shoulder at Stew and Tabitha. "When you two are finished, get back to the cottage." She strolled away, carrying the books in her arms. "If you happen to run into Phillips and Lilly, tell them the same thing."
When Madame G. went through the doorway, she slammed the door behind her, causing a painting to fall to the ground. The librarian marched over to the painting, shaking his head and grumbling to himself. After he placed the painting back on the wall, the librarian went back to organizing books. Stew and Tabitha went back to work and Jillian went over to a different section where she strolled through the many selections.
Anna wondered what was that about. She assumed that this Hector was a friend of Madame G.'s, but what did she need to see him for? Was it an emergency? Did she need his help with something?
The door opened again and the young man went over to the librarian. "I know that the library is closing early today, but would it be alright if I stay here until the next horse trolley comes? The one out there is just leaving and I don't want to rush."
Without hesitation, Anna scurried over towards the door despite the librarian's orders not to run. This couldn't be happening! There was no way that she could miss the horse trolley. She threw the door open and raced out in time to see it leaving.
"No! Wait!" Anna shouted, racing without surveying her surroundings. "Wait!"
Before she knew it, she slammed into a woman, forcing her to drop all of her books. She turned her attention away from the horse trolley and to Madame G.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I had no idea where I was going!"
"Well, I never!" Madame G. exclaimed. She bent down to pick up her books, and Anna raced to help. "Haven't you done enough?"
"That was my fault," Anna said, picking up two of the large books. She rose from the ground, the hard book covers resting against her chest. The one on the bottom had a hard texture. "I was just trying to catch the horse trolley."
After she flipped over the lip of her bag, Madame G. gently placed the two books that she picked up into the satchel. She rose from the ground, giving Anna an intense stare. Her facial expressions didn't show the anger of her frustrations, however, her eyes did. Anna peered up at the tall woman staring down at her.
"I believe that you have something that belongs to me," Madame G. said, impatience rising in her voice. With an arched eyebrow, she held out her hands.
"Oh!" Anna exclaimed, shoving the books into her grip nearly knocking her over. "Here you go!"
"Thank you," Madame G. said, hints of impatience still in her voice. She placed her books in her bag and just when she was about to close it, Anna gasped in realization. One of the books had a light blue cover and on the side, the name Ambrose Ackerman was written underneath 'The History and Legends of Bronzadelle'.
"What are you staring at?" Madame G. asked. Anna peered back at the witch, glaring at her with her arms crossed. "Well?"
"Okay, um. . . I don't know how to say this," Anna chuckled. "Would it be alright if I could borrow 'The History and Legends of Bronzadelle'? My friends and I need it."
"So do I," Madame G. replied, shutting the bag. She gave Anna a mocking smile before turning and strolling away. "Now, run along. I have other matters to attend to."
"Me too," Anna said. Without thinking she blurted, "Scott Longton, why couldn't you just—"
To Anna's surprise, Madame G. stopped short. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that. Did you just say, Scott Longton?"
"Yeah, you know him?"
Madame G. slowly turned, her long curls hanging over her shoulders. "Yes, he was one of my first apprentices. I taught him wizardry when he had just turned eighteen. He was still working for Baron Rupert in Belliville at the time. Is he here?"
"Not yet. We hoped that we would meet him here today. Didn't work out."
"We? You're not alone?" Anna shook her head. "Who else is with you?"
After Anna explained to her about her group, she said, "And we just rented a cottage. Do you really know Scott?"
Madame G. broke out laughing. "Are you serious, dearie? I just told you so!"
Anna allowed a small chuckle to come out. "Sorry, maybe I'm overthinking it. I trusted the wrong person once. Thought he loved me. Only wanted the crown."
Madame G. allowed her laughter to die down. "I'm guessing he left you just like that?" she asked, snapping her fingers on the last word.
Anna nodded. "Well, he betrayed me more than left me, but yeah. The worst part's that I knew better than to fall in love with someone I just met, but I did it anyway. I learned the hard way about trusting strangers."
"Well, I can't blame you," Madame G. said. "The world is a selfish place filled with horrible, selfish people."
"I disagree with the last part," Anna said. "The world isn't a horrible place at all. And not all people are like that." Since Scott used to work for her, maybe Madame G. could give her some information. "Do you know anything about the unidentified magical object?"
Madame G. arched an eyebrow. "No. What does it have anything to do with Scott?"
"He's helping his brother find it," Anna explained. "And we're helping Scott."
"Well, if this object is unidentified, then it's useless," Madame G. scoffed, peering away from Anna and instead examining her nails as they shone in the sunlight. "You're chasing after a hopeless dream."
"Well, I wouldn't say that it's useless—it was potentially created by Lord Damantius, Zhan Tiri, and Vlad Moonstormer."
Madame G. gasped. "Wait, they made it?" Anna nodded. "I had no idea! They never told me!"
"What do you mean?" Anna asked. "Were you there when Zhan Tiri tried to destroy Corona four years ago? Did you meet Damantius as a monkey?" Madame G. looked at her bewilderedly. "I don't know how that happened. It was just what I was told. How do you know them?"
"No, I—I never met them. I was referring to my ancestors," Madame G. clarified. Anna replied with an 'oh' and nodded. "My ancestors were followers of Lord Demantuis and fought Zhan Tiri. And I know someone who had an ancestor that knew Vlad Moonstormer."
"Wow? Eugene told me that he met both Damantuis and Zhan Tiri."
"Who?"
"My cousin's husband. Anyway, that's why I need that book. Scott said that it's important."
Madame G. peered up for a moment before returning her gaze to Anna. "Oh, silly me. Who was I to think that this object wasn't important, especially since it was made by those three sorcerers." Madame G. grinned. "After all, it must be useful." She let out a chuckle and Anna did the same. "So, what do you know about this object?"
"I don't," Anna said. "Scott doesn't either, but he knows that it's important."
After a long moment, Madame G. threw open her bag and took the 'History and Legends of Bronzadelle' and held it towards Anna. "When you find out more about this object or anything related to it, let me know. Perhaps I could be helpful."
"Oh, really?" Anna said, taking the book from her. "Thank you! That would be great!"
Madame G. closed her bag. She began to leave until she paused and peered at Anna. "May I ask for your name, child?"
"Oh, sorry about that!" Anna chuckled. "I'm Princess Anna of Arendelle. I'm the younger sister of Queen Elsa."
"You're the Princess?" Madame G. asked. "Why are you dressed like that then?"
Anna arched an eyebrow. "What?"
"This outfit doesn't look like something a princess would wear," Madame G. said as she tossed one of Anna's braids over her shoulder. "The hair, the dress, the shoes—who wears these! I mean, I look at you. You look like you've just rolled out of bed and are just about to swing in on a chandelier!"
"Excuse me?!"
"I'm just teasing, dearie!" Madame G. laughed, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "Please don't take it so seriously." Anna then chuckled, still stunned by the joke and missing the humor in it. She has a strange sense of humor. Madama G. unwrapped her arm and said, "Anyway, I best be going. You probably have somewhere to be as well."
Anna glanced out towards the area where the horse trolley had been before it left. "I would if I had a ride." She let out a small gasp and glanced over her shoulder to see Madame G. stroll further down the street. She raced over in front of her. "Hey, do you think that you could take me back to my cottage? I was supposed to catch the horse trolley, but I missed it. That was when I ran into you."
After a long moment passed, Madame G. sighed and said, "Alright, I have a better idea. It hasn't been ten minutes yet, so this will still work. Stand by me."
After Anna did what she was told, she watched Madame G. raise her hand with orange light. "And no one will know except the two of us."
Soon after, the citizens in the street were suddenly walking backward, causing Anna to furrow her brows. She let out a small gasp as she peered up at the orange sky. What was going on? Were they going back in time?
The buildings around them abruptly moved backward and disappeared from view and, before Anna knew it, everything around them was orange. Not even a minute later, the walls of the library abruptly came and replaced the buildings. Then the same thing happened with the ground except it was replaced by the library floor. Anna peered up and saw that the orange sky faded away into the ceiling in the library. With a bewildered expression, Anna glanced around the library and saw that everything was the same as before. The people were in the same places as before.
"Fine, I'll get a library card here," Madame G. said. Anna peered over to see that she was back with Madame G. Jillian and the librarian. "And I believe that this is the book, you've been looking for dear, you can have it." Before Anna could process her thoughts, Madame G. peered at her and whispered, "If you want to catch your ride, I would advise you to get there now."
Without hesitation, Anna scurried towards the door holding the book in her hand, hearing the librarian scold her for running. She threw the door open and saw that the horse trolley was still there with citizens getting on. She raced over and was the last person to make it.
"Where to, miss?" the driver asked.
After Anna told him the street, she moved to the back of the trolley. She watched the young man enter the library just as the horse pulled the trolley forward.
Anna had been alone at the cottage for over an hour and still, her group hadn't come back yet. Varian did have a lot of inventions, so it was no surprise that it was taking so long. She had spent her time wandering around the cottage, almost reminding her of all the times she had spent her childhood wandering around her palace. At this time, she was sitting on the wooden swing seated the third floor balcony, peering out at Bronzadelle underneath the setting sun. She gently pushed forward and used her foot on the railing to push herself back.
If she had known they were going to take this long, she would've gone and helped them instead of coming back, but it was too late for that now. Maybe it was for the best, since she had a habit of being clumsy and Varian seemed to be sensitive about his things. Still, she wished that there was something she could do to help.
Anna glanced back at the door behind her. She could open the map and view it, then show her group when they get back. Then again, Kristoff had told her to wait for them. But what harm would it be to look at the map early? There was an unusual lock on it, but surely she could get it open. Wait, how could she get it open? It seemed like her best bet would be to wait and see if Quirin could use some of the chemicals that had freed her from Lady Caine's handcuffs. Now that she thought of it, Varian had left his belt with chemicals on the table.
Once Anna retrieved the map case from the bedroom, she went over to the table with Varian's belt. She laid the map case on the table then examined each pipette. "Bingo!" She grinned once she recognized the one with the same green chemical that Quirin had used. She gently pulled it from the belt. She almost dropped it, but luckily, she caught it.
"Please work."
Anna pulled the cork off and brought the pipette towards the lock. Biting her lip, she slowly turned her hand down, watching the green chemicals fall into the lock's hole. A minute later, the lock popped open, causing Anna to let out a small gasp. Suddenly a bright golden light beamed from inside the map. Anna's eyes widened at the sight of it. She had never seen anything like it. Before Anna had the chance to properly open it, the light shot out and sent her to the ground. Fortunately, she was unharmed from the impact, yet that didn't stop her from being shocked.
"Anna!"
Footsteps raced up the stairs before Anna had a chance to get up. Not even a second later, the door flew open and Anna's group raced inside. Kristoff raced over to her. "Anna, are you alright?" Maximus and Sven neighed and brayed, asking her the same question.
Anna nodded, still trying to process what just happened. "I'm fine."
"You okay, Anna?" Eugene asked. "Why are you on the ground?"
"What happened? Is someone in the house?" Quirin asked.
Anna pointed forward and when her group turned in that direction, they stared in awe. There were illuminated images reflecting off the map. Ruddiger hid under the table once he saw the map. The images seemed to be of the town. Soon after, the images faded away and the map went back to normal. Kristoff helped Anna off the ground and the group slowly went over to the table.
"Wow, what is that?" Varian asked in awe. He peered down at the table and spotted the opened pipette. "Hey, someone got into my Keyuiam!"
Eugene spun to him with a bewildered expression. "The what?!"
"It's a chemical that unlocks locks," Varian explained as Ruddiger peeked out from underneath the table.
"I said not to open the map until we get back," Kristoff said, sternly.
"I thought that I was helping."
Quirin peered down at the map and back at her. "That reminds me—were you able to get the book?"
Anna raced up to her room and grabbed the book off the shelf. Once she came back down, she noticed that Varian was examining the map on the table. "Here it is!"
Quirin gave a nod in approval. "Good work, Anna," Quirin said.
Eugene scoffed. "Really? Scott couldn't remember what that was called?"
"I know, but at least we got it right away," Kristoff said.
Quirin furrowed his eyebrows. "Varian, what are you doing?"
Anna glanced behind her to see that Varian had shut the map case, locking it. He glanced over his shoulder and asked Quirin if he had more Keyuiam with him. After his father reluctantly gave him a pipette, Varian gestured for everyone to stand back right as he proceeded in pouring the Keyuiam on the lock. Anna heard the lock pop open again and watched Varian open the map.
"Son, wait—"
The golden light beamed from the map again, only this time no one fell to the ground, though Varian almost lost his balance. After the images played again, they faded away and the map went back to being an ordinary map.
"Varian, are you alright?"
"Yes, dad," Varian assured. He glanced back at the map, scratching his chin. "Hmm, interesting. It seems to have a reaction whenever someone opens it."
"What do you mean?" Kristoff asked. "Like it's trying to stop us from getting into it?"
"It's possible, though it showed us images of the town." Varian glanced down at the map and gestured for everyone to peer down. "Take a look at this. I can tell that Demantius definitely could've played a part in creating this thing."
Anna froze right when she glanced at the map. "Whoa. What in the world?" All over the map next to the illustrations of Bronzadelle were strange symbols written underneath. She had never seen anything like it. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Kristoff admitted. "I think that it's meant to be a key to the map, but I don't know?"
"If only we could translate it," Eugene commented. "Maybe Scott will know?"
"I can do it, Eugene," Varian said. "Remember I translated Demantius's scroll before I destroyed it and Cassie kidnapped me?"
"Oh, that's right!" Eugene exclaimed.
"Varian, you can do that?" Anna asked. "That would be great!"
"That is a brilliant idea, Varian," Quirin said. "How long do you think that it'll take you to translate it?"
Varian glanced back at the map. "Hmm. . .I believe that it should take me no more than a few weeks. I'll also study that book."
"That'll work," Kristoff said.
Anna smiled and couldn't agree more. By the time Scott finally arrived in Bronzadelle, Varian would have it translated. Everything was going to work out perfectly. Now, they would have to wait.
Author's Note: In case you're wondering why Gothel didn't react about Eugene, she only knows him as Flynn Rider and has no idea that he was revived by Rapunzel's tears. She doesn't know that he's the Prince of the Dark Kingdom and what his real name is.
