THURSDAY 12 PM (NOON)
"Great One!" Danny wasn't sure who he expected the next visitors to be, but this was certainly a great surprise. It wasn't the first time Briar had dragged him out into the foyer to greet a group of people he'd never heard of. But he knew this group! Danny broke out into a grin.
"Frosty!" Danny exclaimed with a laugh. Frostbite was followed shortly by a crowd of other yetis. They filed in the front door together. Danny abandoned the musty book he'd been pretending to be busy with to greet them. Frostbite offered one of his large paws and Danny shook it. Or more tried to keep his feet on the ground as Frostbite yanked his hand up and down.
"How have you been?" Danny asked. Frostbite's smile was full of fangs and teeth. Danny was happy to see a friendly face. It'd been far too long.
"Quite well! Quite well indeed." Frostbite assured.
There were numerous other utterances of 'Great One!' as the rest of the entourage filed into the foyer.
"How have you fared?" Frostbite laughed heartily.
"I'm hanging in there," Frostbite released him and Danny's head swam for a moment. He grabbed onto the banister to steady himself.
"I look forward to the future we can foster together," Frostbite said a bit more seriously.
"As do I," Danny nodded, not entirely certain what he'd just signed himself up for. He seemed to be doing that a lot as of late.
It must've been the right answer, because Frostbite's jovial attitude returned.
"There will be time for discussion later, for now it is a time of celebration!" Frostbite turned to his group.
"Blizzard?" He asked. One of the younger yetis perked up. Blizzard grabbed up a package that was wrapped in a deep blue cloth.
Blizzard approached Danny and kneeled so that their head was almost at the same height as Danny's. Frostbite retreived the bundle from their claws. Blizzard retreated, but now Danny could see he and Frosty had the full attention of the entourage.
"I have a gift for you," Said Frostbite. He loosened the tie on the bundle and the cloth fell away. Danny's breath caught in his throat. Memories of Clockwork's image arose, unbidden and unwelcome.
"Is it not to your liking?" Frostbite asked softly. Danny broke from his reverie. Frostbite's expression had fallen.
"No-! I mean, it's not that!" Danny scrambled to save the situation.
"I was simply surprised by how beautiful it is."
Danny reached out delicately. His fingers frosted against the icy breastplate. He wasn't lying when he said it was beautiful. The ice it was crafted from was a pale blue, and even in the bright lights he could see the glow of energy that radiated off of it. It was cold to the touch, as well. Something Danny suddenly realized he'd been missing. When he left it had been the start of summer, and the Keep was kept at a rather bland 70 degrees, likely so that it wasn't offensive to any certain core types.
Danny needed to remember to visit the Far Frozen again, soon. After all this king coronation business, that should be his first priority.
"Well I'm glad! It carries the best craftsmanship I could have hoped for," Frosty remarked. Danny withdrew his hand and Frostbite wrapped it back up. He dropped the bundle into Danny's arms. He was shocked at the weight, and almost buckled. Quickly Danny wrapped the package in energy, allowing it to float.
Frostbite's group were being dispersed, guided away to where they needed to go to store their belongings. Frostbite excused himself to join them, but not before clapping Danny on the back and inviting him to visit whenever he pleased. The familiar gesture reminded Danny of his Dad.
Oh, if only he could see Danny now. He'd never felt more like a 'Phantom' and less like a 'Fenton.'