~Chapter 43~

Noella

Goodbyes are one of the hardest things to deal with, but regardless of how angry I was, saying goodbye to Joel was painful. I had to keep moving forward though. After this long journey, I had one final mirror and could find my mom and get us home to Seattle. I was so ready to go home. Eugene and I trudged through the snow covered landscape of forest. I hoped we would find civilization soon because I was freezing. I put on a few layers of clothes I managed to find in my backpack, but the frosty wind chill still shook me to my core. I was leading the way as Eugene brought up the rear. Eugene was set on stopping soon to build a campfire for the night, but I insisted we kept going so I could find a shop or something, anything that I could find to change my wardrobe. Eugene didn't press for questions at first. He was pretty quiet to my surprise, but a couple hours into our journey, the silence broke.

"So we're seriously not going to talk about this?"

"Drop it, Eugene." I pressed, "Not now."

"Okay, then when?" Eugene said, "Joel is my friend and I know his deceit hurt you, but I've seen the way you guys act toward each other…"

"So? What's your point?"

"It reminds me of Rapunzel." He replied.

"Speaking of which, Joel had mentioned you got a lead, how did that pan out while we were at the palace in Agrabah?"

"Oh no no no." Eugene smirked, "You're not changing subject that easy."

"Tell you what…" I finally compromised, "You tell me about your lead and I'll share the details regarding Joel. Deal?"

"Deal." He agreed.

We marched forward into the cold mountainous terrain and all the while, Eugene regaled me about his lead regarding Rapunzel that he had found in Agrabah. There were a few witnesses claiming that they saw someone matching her description, but Eugene sadly told me the trail went cold.

"It was like she disappeared. I mean she had magic hair before, but if she can suddenly teleport now...that's a new detail."

Once Eugene finished his story, he kept his horse steady with mine. I could see what he was doing trying to read my face.

"So, you already trying to break our deal?"

"Well, what didn't you hear before?" I asked.

"I found you guys right before you slapped him." Eugene replied.

"Look Eugene, I don't want to rehash the whole thing. It's too painful." I insisted.

"Just give me the highlights." He replied.

I agreed and summed up what had led me to slap Joel and Eugene looked surprised.

"Noella, I understand that you're hurt by this deception and you have every reason to be, but can I just say? Anybody is capable of change. Heck, I used to be a notorious thief and didn't care too much about hurting or lying to people until I met Rapunzel. Our situations are different, but it's like Joel and I were cut from the same cloth..."

I thought about his words and fell silent. This wouldn't go away immediately and I desperately wanted time to heal from all of it. At this point, I was just trying to keep moving forward and find that final mirror and confront my mom who apparently knows Joel. I moved my horse ahead of Eugene and the horses hooves clashed down into the rough snow as we continued on.

The cold was getting to me and I had hoped that after trekking through the snow for a few hours we would eventually made our way to civilization and I could exchange my clothing for something much more winter friendly. Finally my hopes were realized when Eugene spotted a pillar of smoke rising from the trees dead ahead of us. I couldn't click the reins fast enough. The horses brought us to a clearing in the trees where a quaint log cabin stood. Above the door was a sign that said: Wandering Oaken's Trading Post. Eugene hopped off his horse tying the reins to one of the posts and he came over to help me off mine. He reached up to help me off and as soon as his hands grabbed me, he looked worried.

"Noella, you're like ice."

"I think my sandals are stuck to the stirrups." I replied.

Eugene quickly helped me out of the saddle and helped carry me inside.

"I have legs you know."

"True, but your lips are blue and I can get you inside faster." Eugene replied with a smirk. We entered the cabin closing the door behind us and I immediately basked in the warmth that was slowly invading my body.

Once I started to regain feeling throughout my body, Eugene and I approached the man behind the counter of the random trading post in the middle of this snowy wilderness.

"Yoo hoo, big summer blowout." The man at the counter said with a friendly wave.

The shop owner was a burly man with ginger hair. Eugene and I walked up to the counter and the store owner looked at me from head to toe.

"You need a winter outfit, dear?"

"Please and thank you." I replied.

The man rose to his feet and he was freakishly tall. His head was just below the ceiling. He had to at least be over six feet tall. He grabbed a women's winter outfit from a corner of his store and handed it over to me.

"Dressing room in the back, dear. Can I get you anything else?" He asked sitting back down.

I asked Eugene to ask the clerk about Elsa while I went to change. The outfit I was given was a nice warm black long sleeved top lined in wool with a navy blue skirt with some patterning on hem. Not quite my style, but I'd take anything at this point to avoid getting cold again. By the time I emerged, there was another person in the store with us. She was around my age with red hair and she looked about as frozen as I was before I changed.

"People today…" The clerk commented, "Braving the crazy winter with not the right attire."

"Well, we just came from a place of perpetual summer." Eugene replied.

The woman got a change of clothes herself while I added some boots to our purchase. Eugene added a cloak for himself since he was wearing perfectly adequate attire already. The woman had emerged from the dressing room wearing a blue outfit underneath a pink cloak and hat. She stood behind us in line patiently. I looked back at her and she smiled and casually waved at me. Eugene went to pay with the money the Sultan had put in my backpack at our departure from Agrabah.

"What is this? Do you try to cheat me?" The clerk said eyeing the money suspiciously.

"Is it not enough?" I asked.

"Whatever money this is...it won't do." He replied.

Eugene pulled me aside looking nervous.

"The guy already threw someone out while you were changing, so we gotta figure something out."

"I'll get it." The woman said stepping forward putting a bunch of money on the counter.

The clerk was satisfied and I pulled her aside.

"Thanks so much for helping us. It's embarrassing we couldn't pay for ourselves."

"Hey it happens to the best of us." The woman replied, "You're not from around here are you?"

"Passing through I suppose." I shrugged, "So does that mean you're a local and you know the area?"

"You could say that." The woman replied.

"So are you familiar with someone named Elsa?" I asked.

"Are you serious?" She replied, "That's my sister."

"Well that was easy." Eugene smirked.

"I'm looking for her too. Why are you trying to find her?"

"It's a long story." I replied.

"Well, let's regroup outside because I think we have ourselves a possible mountain expert. By the way, I'm Anna."

"I'm Noella and this is my friend Eugene."

"Nice to meet you both." Anna smiled.

After our brief introductions, I told Anna in the simplest way possible why I was seeking her sister. Anna was very curious asking a few questions, but didn't pry into our business, which I appreciated. She told us that Elsa had run from home terrified after revealing she had magic powers.

"Magic powers?" Eugene questioned, "What kind of powers are we talking here?"

"Ice." Anna replied, "She's kind of the reason it's winter right now. After all, normally right now this time of year it's summer."

"You're kidding." I replied.

"It was an accident. So anyways I'm trying to find her to bring her back home and restore summer to Arendelle."

"Is that where we are?" I asked.

Anna nodded and immediately started walking over to a nearby stable near the trading post. We stood outside the doorway as there was a young man with blonde hair playing on a small guitar to a reindeer. Anna walked in making her presence known.

"You play beautifully…" She said.

"What do you want? You gloating because I got thrown out?" The man replied.

"No, I've come to make you a deal. Take me and my friends up to the north mountain and I promise to reward you well once the job is done, but allow me to give this a gesture of good favor." Anna threw the man a bunch of long carrots and what looked to be some mountaineering tools like a pickaxe and some rope. The man looked out through the doorway at us curiously.

"And your friends are…" He questioned.

Eugene and I stepped forward joining Anna inside.

"I'm Noella."

"I'm Eugene."

"And I'm tired," The man replied slinking back into the hay loft, "You can call me Kristoff and my hoofed friend over here is Sven. I agree to your terms...what was the name?"

"Anna." She replied.

"Ah right, well we can start in the morning."

Anna looked at us and then back at Kristoff picking up some snow and throwing it at Kristoff much to his surprise.

"We leave right now. It's urgent." Anna pressed.

"Fine." Kristoff groaned getting up on his feet brushing off the snow Anna had just pelted at him. Eugene and I tried to hold back our teasing laughter. We all quickly left out through the doorway and back outside. Kristoff hitched Sven up to his sleigh and looked at Eugene and I.

"This sleigh doesn't hold four." He said.

"No problem. We have horses." Eugene replied.

Kristoff acknowledged the fact as we hopped in our saddles.

"Keep up you two." Kristoff said suddenly, "Sven is fast."

"We'll manage." I called out.

With that, Kristoff had Sven take off quickly with Anna riding with them and Eugene and I right behind.

The night didn't bother me now that we had a good group of people to travel with, but I still wondered what wildlife might be found in these woods. As we trudged deeper and deeper into the woods, Kristoff coasted his sleigh to a stop and Eugene and I pulled back on our horses' reins.

"What's the matter?" Eugene said pulling a little ahead of me.

"Shh." Kristoff replied.

He picked up a lantern that was sitting at the front of the sleigh and spun the light around gazing into the darkness of the trees. We all glanced around at the midnight, snowy wilderness. Kristoff stopped, fixating his gaze off to our right. I squinted a bit thinking I saw something yellow in the trees staring at us. Sure enough, an alpha wolf howled a loud howl and the wolf pack emerged from the shadows.

"Go Sven!" Kristoff urged nervously and Eugene and I reared our horses taking off too.

We raced through the trees ducking beneath low hanging branches. Eugene missed one and got pelted in the face by a branch full of snow. I laughed though the humor was short lived considering the wolves were gaining on us. They were maybe a couple strides behind our horses' back haunches. Anna stood up lighting an item from the sleigh on fire.

"Noella! Eugene! Move to the side!" She yelled.

She raised the item over her head as Eugene and I moved out of the way and Anna chucked the item directly at a few of the wolves knocking them away. Three remained and they still were too close.

"Get ready to jump everyone." Kristoff yelled.

I peered ahead and there was a gap between the mountain ledges and I immediately felt sick to my stomach. It was a wide gap, but nothing I wouldn't think we couldn't manage to get across. Kristoff got he and Anna on Sven's back disconnecting the rope from the sleigh.

"Let's speed up Noella!" Eugene urged.

We snapped our reins again and the horses sped up. Sven leapt perfectly over the gap even with two adults on his back...that reindeer deserved a medal and possibly even several carrots as a reward. As Anna and Kristoff went up and over, the sleigh fell into the abyss below crashing violently in a blaze of fire. Eugene and I were next as the gap fast approached.

"You got this, Noella." Eugene said.

I couldn't help closing my eyes as we neared the gap and then I felt the horse leap and I opened my eyes as I felt the wind on my face in midair. Seconds later, both horses landed with no issue. We peered back behind us at the wolves across the gap who snorted in frustration and turned around in defeat leaving us be. Anna got off Sven and walked over to us.

"You guys okay?" She asked.

I nodded subtly trying to remove my shaky hands from the reins. Eugene dismounted putting his hand in the air excitedly.

"Oh man! What an adrenaline rush!" Eugene exclaimed wildly.

Kristoff walked over to the ledge looking glum.

"I just got that paid off."

Anna walked over putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I've caused you enough trouble and I promise to get you a new sleigh once we get back to Arendelle." Anna told him. "Eugene...Noella you still up to tag along to find my sister?"

"Lead the way." Eugene agreed.

We opted to give the horses a rest before riding them again, so we just grabbed the reins and moved forward by foot. As we moved along, Kristoff called out to us before we got too far.

"Hold up, I'm still coming with you." He said.

AN: Anna, Kristoff, and Sven are here guys! Who else is excited? ;D

More coming soon. Stay tuned :)