Red sash, green dress, blue cloak.
Once again, I would like to mention that Have Courage, Elsa will never be a shipping fic. Feel free to find any hints and point them out to me, but no one is going to fandango, tango, or... um, tangle. There are only loving and well-needed hugs. And Frohana.
All rights goes to Disney, and credit goes to RohnHazard for his diligent work, as well as for for coming up with the ship's name and motto. Confused? Keep reading, then.
Chapter 18
Noticed by Someone
Helge's Journal Observations, Passage No. 7:
A few hours ago, Elsa had asked me why Kristoff and I seemed to be so aggressive towards each other, given our fondness for trading snide comments and wrestling each other to the ground. I suspect a desire to draw comparisons between our family relationship, and the one she's currently holding with her sister, Anna.
I dismissed her worries, telling her that trolls are more physically-oriented when it comes to displays affections, and that rough humor and schadenfreude is on par for the course. I advised her that she doesn't necessarily have to do the same thing if she feels too uncomfortable, but she already has a penchant for dry wit anyway.
In reality though, I think Kristoff has never forgiven me for feeding him lichen as a child.
...Oh come on, it's not like it was intentional. Lichen is a staple of both troll and human diets! How should I know I was supposed to cook it first?
...Ah, I'm already tired as it is...
...I sure hope those two come back soon. Thulite Path awaits.
If one were to ask any citizen of Arendelle to rank its most beautiful aspects, a particular feature that would consistently land near the top would be its atmosphere. The kingdom sat at the very mouth of a fjord, opening it to the endlessly stretching horizon, paving way to the rest of the world. As a result, the region was subjected to the perpetually flowing winds of the seas, dispelling the stale air that typically plagued large settlements, invigorating the mood and spirit with a crisp touch of ocean spray.
One little child was feeling especially fond toward the sea breeze; she loved just how it slipped and breathed past her skin and rosy cheeks, how it billowed past the sleeves and ends of her dress, and how the wind nipped at her nose with its chill. As she dashed to her heart's content, she dragged along with her with tiny hand a taut piece of string, one that was tied to a kite soaring high in the cloudy sky. It was a lovely thing, full of purple hues and yellow highlights, and with a plume-like tail trailing behind. From the way it caught the breeze in its sails, the toy flew like a great, majestic bird surveying over all of Arendelle.
The little girl laughed as she ran, wanting her kite to fly faster, higher, farther... Then her vision flashed a dull red. Her little teeth clattered together as she ran herself into something solid headfirst and with great force. She bounced backwards a fair distance as backlash, her little feet flailing before her until her rump made painful contact with the ground. There, the little girl just sat with her dress sprawled over the pavement as she blinked twice in rapid succession, too stunned to speak.
crunch
The girl gasped in horror, and she ignored the pain pulsing at her head and behind to turn around on her knees. Lying crumpled on the pavement was her cherished kite, its wooden cross spear shattered into splinters. The only thing that was literally keeping the object together was just the purple fabric of its sails. All in all, the toy had no prospect for flying in the near future.
The girl couldn't help herself. She was just a child after all, so upon seeing the wreckage laying on the ground, something squeezed against her chest painfully like a balloon starting to swell. Her chin began to wobble, her eyes began to sting. It was getting harder and harder for her to breathe, so she tried compensating by huffing deep breaths in and out. Unfortunately, that didn't help much; a whine emerged from her throat, slowly but surely graduating to full-on bawling.
"O-Oh no! Please don't cry! Please!"
Through the little girl's thick tears, a great figure stood before her, with pale hands outstretched and waving in panic. The child stopped her crying to stare blankly for one second... then two... and then she wailed even harder.
The figure made a start, turning her head from left to right repeatedly in frantic, panicky motions. "Um... what must I do, what must I do..." she murmured hastily to herself. Then she gasped, her icy blue eyes brightening with a rush of inspiration, and the lady dove to the ground with a flip of her blue cape. The child didn't pay any attention as the figure went to work, seeing fit to cover her eyes with balled fists instead.
The cloaked stranger slowly rose from her position, her hands placed behind her back. Shyly, she approached the child with soft steps, bending herself so the girl could hear her clearly. "Hey there, little one..." the figure's voice whispered. "...Why don't you have a look over here?"
The girl sniffled, and stubbornly squeezed her eyes shut to block this stranger lady out.
"...Please?" the woman added, perhaps a little desperately.
Finally, the child peeked through her puffy eyes, and suddenly gasped in wonder; her kite rested between feminine arms, completely restored to its original shape and form like it had never crashed... no, perhaps a little more than that: little sparkles decorated the fabric, inscribed within the sails so subtly one would have to view in a certain direction to see them, especially since the lighting was left to be desired on this particular day. Once that angle was achieved though, they flared brilliantly against the grey scenery, like fine jewels arranged in the shapes of snowflakes and fractals. What's more, the cross spear was reversed from the crumpled mess of what it was before, rendered capable once more for serving yet another daring flight.
"Um... Hi there, little one."
The girl rubbed her nose with her sleeve, and looked up at the figure: she wasn't just a woman, but a lady as beautiful and graceful as the toy in her hands, especially with how her radiantly blue eyes still managed to regard the child with the utmost warmth. Her pale face shone with majesty, and although the raven bangs peeking from beneath her bonnet contained a few streaks of grey here and there, they only served to convey the woman's wisdom and maturity.
"I'm sorry for breaking your kite, little one..." the stranger apologized. She knelt downwards to bring herself within eye-level of the girl, throwing the beauty of the repaired kite into greater relief. "...I hope this will make up for it."
The girl stared at the lady in awe, slowly and hesitantly raising a tiny hand up to touch the kite. Her fingers felt pleasantly cool as they wrapped around the toy, before drawing it in as the woman released her grip. Then, the little child giggled, and hugged the kite gently between her little arms. She lifted her head while hopping up and down in delight, now beaming so brightly she could have replaced the sun that was currently missing from the dull skies. "Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou so much, pretty lady!" she squealed.
The lady's lips stretched into a full smile, and she was just about to respond with some more kind words when yet another voice, deep and booming, rang out in the distance: "There you are, Emma! What on Earth have you done to yourself?!" The ground shook slightly as the source, a giant of a man whose forearms resembled thick tree trunks more than anything else, made his way towards the two with rather clumsy but wide, powerful strides.
"Papa!" the girl called out, raising her hand excitedly. "I'm sorry, I didn't watch where I was going..."
The father knelt down on one knee, gently dabbing away at the child's face with a handkerchief that barely covered his brick-loke fingers, before raising it up so she could blow her nose. The little girl tried avoiding it, squirming like a rather stubborn puppy struggling to escape being patted dry after a bath, but she quickly gave in with a smile.
"You better apologize to the lady you ran into," the father admonished, "or else you're going land yourself into a whole lot of trouble."
The pale raven-haired woman stood straight up from her position, prompting the man to turn his attention towards her. "Please, don't worry about what your daughter has done." Hesitantly, she patted the little girl on the head, almost as if she wasn't sure if this was an act she was allowed to do; even so, it elicited another round of delighted giggles. "She's been nothing but a true sweetheart."
The man stared blankly for a moment, and then shook his head rapidly into focus. With a relieved smile, he said, "Ah... okay then."
"Papa! Look at my kite!"
"Hm...?" The father craned his muscled neck downwards, tilting his head at the purple kite held between the daughter's tiny little hands. "What's so special about it-"
The blue-eyed stranger coughed, so briskly and disruptively that the father suspected the fit was actually out of deliberation. Even so, he humored her by turning his view away from the kite, and back to the cloaked woman with a raised eyebrow. The woman's cheeks flushed pink in response as she looked away a little guiltily, which wasn't surprising given how much the man towered over her... but then she put on a polite smile, lifting her head to return his gaze. "I was wondering if you could help me with a little predicament." she stated.
"Sure. What do you need?"
The lady sucked in a deep breath, allowing her chest to rise and fall naturally. "I would like to ask if you had seen Anna around these parts recently."
The man blinked in rapid succession. "'Anna?'" he mouthed in confusion.
The lady froze to a startled stop. "Ah, my mistake... I was wondering if you'd seen Princess Anna around." she amended. "You know, always smiling, red hair, blue eyes? She might be walking around town with a tall, young blond man, and perhaps a select few besides her."
The Princess of the kingdom? What sort of business would this lady have with Her Highness? "Um..." the man began, scratching at the back of his neck with a large hand. "I've been watching over my daughter for the past couple of hours or so around this spot, at least until I couldn't catch up to her in time. I'm sorry, but I haven't seen the Princess around here."
The woman's icy blue eyes became shadowed and downcast, and her shoulders slumped as she hunched her back over in complete disappointment. In fact, the man couldn't help but feel at fault, wondering whether it was entirely his mistake for making her fall into this condition. Briefly, he imagined feigning knowledge of the Princess' whereabouts and what could come afterwards, just so he could picture this stranger smiling again.
However, the cloaked woman recovered within seconds: "Interesting..." she muttered to herself, standing tall and upright before the father. She dipped her head down while lifting the sides of her skirt, curtsying respectfully towards both him and his daughter. "Well... thank you very much for your help..." her smile widened, "...and enjoy your kite, little one. Make sure you have it checked for repairs soon." With a flourish of her cerulean cape, she turned and walked away in the distance, disappearing from the two's sights once and for all within seconds.
The girl beamed up at her father. "She's really pretty, Papa!" she chirped.
The large man nodded slowly. "Uh-huh. Sure, kid."
"She even has graying hairs, just like you!"
The man sputtered, his face turning as red as a beet in embarrassment. "Okay, now!" he said a little forcefully. "You just run along and continue having fun, alright?" As he watched his daughter return to running with her kite trailing behind her, he rubbed at his eyes with a thumb and index finger. "Geez, kids these days..." he groaned.
Elsa was done. Finished. She had finally achieved her original goal of searching for the Spokelse's whereabouts, had ran through every last person on Ingrid's list, and managed to return home besides, handing the gift bouquet of yellow roses to one of the Palace guards for safekeeping. It was entirely possible that she had made herself some new friends, even if it was through... unusual circumstances. Even her inner cynic for did little to dampen the fact that this day had been going very, very, very well for her so far; just thinking about the recent turn of events made the Queen giddy, so much that she was tempted to skip in celebration. It wouldn't really hurt her image either; she was still wearing Elizabeth's dress and cloak, having decided that it was better to wait outside the Palace gates without changing, freeing her to do whatever she wished without anyone connecting her to the Queen of Arendelle. Of course, it was the years of practicing self-restraint and royal etiquette, much less being an adult aside, that refrained her from prancing in circles.
So... now what?
Well, there was the matter of where the rest of her family are; Kai had noted that Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf were nowhere to be seen inside the castle, which meant that they haven't returned from their part of the excursion yet. This was especially worrying for Elsa, since she could hardly believe such a team could be slower than her in gathering information. The guards had previously offered to keep a lookout while she entered the castle for a bite to eat, but the Queen opted to wait outside to tell her friends the news herself. Even so, that didn't stop her from pacing back and forth impatiently.
It's been more than half an hour since you were done already... at least Anna and Kristoff should be here by now.Elsa thought to herself. How long must they take? ...Should I go after them?
Absolutely not. she replied in annoyance. If you were to have your back turned for just one second, they could potentially slip by your notice as you waste precious time continuing your search. Your whole expedition would be rendered moot.
Elsa grimaced. Her second opinion was right as usual; Arendelle was already strapped for time as it was, and the disguised Queen couldn't bear being responsible for any possible delay. Yes, she must stay put, and remain waiting. No distractions.
Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa could see a wisp of a man hunched over in fatigue, his arms straining as he struggled to carry a stack of large wooden boxes. He looked as if his spine would snap in two if nobody gave him the assistance that he desperately needed within the next second or so. Without a second thought, the Queen in disguise rushed to his side as quickly as her borrowed dress could take her.
The man lifted his head to see Elsa approaching, and shifted a little nervously in place, almost as if he was panicking at the prospect of someone noticing him. After only a second of consideration though, he lifted the pile just a little higher, making it easier for the woman to slip her arms underneath and contribute to the effort. "Thanks, ma'am!" he gasped in relief.
"No problem." Elsa grunted, shocked at just how heavy these boxes of supplies were.
"Seriously, I must thank you. It felt weird asking for others for help, and you have no idea how rough it's bee-" the man stopped midsentence, his mouth hanging dumbly. A spindly hand elevated up to the older man's face, flexing its knobbled fingers to adjust his wire-framed glasses, and he craned his neck to scrutinize within uncomfortable proximity of the disguised Queen. Then, he promptly released his end of the box, forcing the poor woman to stagger underneath its crushing weight. "E-Elsa!?" he stuttered.
"W-who is she?!" the lady objected reflexively, although such words still felt incredibly rough and unrefined coming out of her mouth. "It's not like my name is 'Elsa' or anything, I'm Elizabeth-"
Alas, before the Queen in disguise could finish her sentence, the muscles in her slender arms surrendered and gave way for a fraction of a second, causing the supplies to drop steeply in height. Sucking in a quick breath, Elsa had to assume an unflatteringly wide leg stance just to prevent them, and her by proxy, from collapsing to a heap on the floor.
"Oh, sorry about that!" the man cried. He dove in haste to help Elsa lift the stack of cargo back up, before resuming his close observation of the cloaked helper. He grinned before noting, "I find it difficult to believe that you can fool anyone just by dyeing your hair black..."
Elsa blinked. Something was strange about this particular person... something familiar. Yes, she had heard this voice before...
Allowing herself a closer look at the frail-looking man, she took notice of the thin beard, the graying face, and the faint wrinkles that tapered his bespectacled eyes that flashed a brilliant grass-green, which were the only things that were vibrant about him. Elsa pieced all of these characteristics together, using the combined image to draw upon a memory that was formed not even a full day ago.
The man was Frode.
She couldn't uphold the masquerade any longer, not in front of the man who became one of her first self-made friends; she laughed good-naturedly in spite of her arms, her icy blue eyes alight with the spark of joyful recognition. "It is good to see you again, Frode!" she whispered excitedly. However, she lifted an index finger up to her lips, miming a gesture to shush him.
The prospective writer nodded in a mixture of comprehension and empathy. "Ah, no one is supposed to know... I guess you needed your privacy. Alright then." He made a gesture of his own with his hand, using an invisible key to lock his mouth. "Your secret is safe with me. Now, if you're wondering on where we need to go, it's within eyesight." Together with the cargo boxes on hand, they marched their way to a nearby shop in relative silence, as men and women passed by without a second glance, only stopping once they've reached a door painted with yellow crocus flowers all over the wood. With a simultaneous grunt, they released their load on the doorstep, and panted slightly from their spent effort.
"So..." Elsa began, still gasping to catch her breath. "What were you doing?"
The older man shrugged, but he did not lose the happy grin that now plastered his face. "I told you, I'm going to stay in Arendelle for a while." he explained. "I'm just grabbing some odd jobs to get by, before the publisher comes back with his feedback. This was technically the last thing I had to do." Shaking a small, uniquely blue-and-red-banded sack to the sound of jingling coins stored inside, Frode latched it to the back of his belt.
Elsa looked down at her exhausted hands, an ugly realization dawning upon her in regards to Frode's work. Suddenly, she became pensive about what she said to him in that bookstore yesterday; he had clearly taken her words to heart, but it wasn't as if he was going to miraculously and instantly find the life that he always dreamed of living. He was still a vagrant, and a rather aged man who was still taking laborious jobs...
"...Are you sure you don't need any more help?" Elsa asked worriedly. "I mean, if you need money-"
Frode merely barked in confident laughter. "'Money troubles? I don't know how much of a pampered life you've been living, Els-" he coughed, "Elizabeth, but everyone has their own way of living their lives. Contrary to what you think, I'm actually quite satisfied with how this town turned out for me. I'd love some charity, but you're in no position to be charitable as of the moment, little lady."
"'Little lady'?" Elsa scoffed jokingly, her worry beginning to evaporate away. "That's rich, coming from a stick-figure like yourself."
"Aha, don't forget you're talking to a living fossil..." Frode paused for a second, tugging on his thin beard in silence. Then, his green eyes twinkled, and the corners of his lips spread from ear to ear. "Say, as thanks for helping me out, how about I buy you some food? The Cuddly Buck cooks up some great meals and entertainment for a decent price."
Elsa blinked. "Wait, what?" What kind of name is "Cuddly Buck? she wondered in bewilderment.
"I want to repay you for everything you have done for me. Think of it as my way of being charitable." Frode explained brightly.
"Um..." The disguised Queen took a step backwards, her hand squeezing the brooch keeping her cloak in place. To be honest, she wasn't feeling very hungry at the moment, and she could always head back inside the Palace if she wanted something to eat. However... Elsa found herself still hung on the choice to say "no": On one hand, she didn't want to stray far from the Palace gates, and neither was her appetite especially large; she could still taste Sigurd's spiced potatoes at the back of her mouth. On the other, Frode was one of the first friends she ever made outside of her family; she couldn't bear seeing the aspiring writer's face crushed in disappointment, almost as much as she couldn't bear seeing Anna's, Kristoff's, or anyone else's for that matter.
"...Shouldn't you be saving enough money to get by for yourself?" Elsa asked, hoping to stall on the decision-making process, or perhaps hopefully give him time to reconsider his offer and spare her the choice. "I mean, there are much better ways to spend on someone other than me..." Much to her surprise, the wizened man gave a hearty laugh instead, one much richer than his frail figure would have otherwise suggested.
"As far as I'm concerned, cash spent for a friend is as good an investment as anything else." Extending a hand backwards to pat on his side, Frode added, "Besides, I'm not completely strapped, I actually have some-..." his voice trailed off as he continued patting, then stopped with a frown. "Have... hm."
Elsa didn't like the tone of that voice; she tilted her head perplexedly as Frode began to stare blankly into space. "What's the matter?" she asked in confusion.
"...My purse." He slowly revealed his flexing hand to Elsa, which was completely bare in its rough palm. "I remembered feeling it on my belt just a minute ago as I was pocketing my payments... Someone must have stole it while I wasn't looking."
"Stolen!?" Elsa shouted furiously.
"Hey, relax!" the older man objected back, clearly alarmed by his friend's sudden turn in behavior. "Look, it's not as bad as you would think, El-...-lizabeth. I've had my wallet taken more times than I would ever care to admit in my life, so I'll just get the-"
"No." Elsa stated affirmatively, completely livid at this point. "We're going to find him, and we're going to get your earnings back."
"But I can just report it to the authorities!"
"Have you forgotten?" Elsa replied angrily, her glacial-blue eyes scanning throughout commuters for telltale signs of thievery. The crowd was already beginning to thin as people are returning home from their daily commute, but there was still a sizable number still roaming from the streets. She didn't even question about whether or not the burglar would have been long-gone by then, when she spotted a band of red and blue floating within the crowd. "You're talking to one right now, Frode."
Now, it wasn't as if the disguised queen was ignorant of criminal activity; not even the safest countries were ever devoid of a darker underbelly, and Elsa had managed her fair share of documents and judgments in the past three weeks as ruler of Arendelle. On those occasions, she saw such business as just what it was, business: Most of the time, she would have only felt saddened that some people were either falsely accused, or risked breaking the law due to difficult or complicated situations in their own lives.
Of course, none of these accused, besides certain visiting dignitaries that need no mention here, had ever directed their efforts at Elsa and those she regarded as friends or family, much less operated right within her proximity. In the Queen of Arendelle's mind, she believed she would be a terrible excuse of a leader if she simply let this felony slide by. She gave chase, her blue cloak flying behind her as her feet pounded the pavement, her line of sights trained on the banded purse like a raptor in hot pursuit.
"W-wait, it could be dangerous go after a thief! Suicide, even!" Frode tried calling out to Elsa, but his voice was lost in the howling wind billowing past the lady's ears.
As Elsa ran, her eyes began picking out the characteristics of the thief responsible for pick-pocketing her friend: he was easily a brute of a man, one whose messily-cut hair was easily seen above the average citizen. He also wore clothes that did not match the typical Arendelle attire, eschewing the traditionally blue trimmed jackets and brown vests for a simple shirt that stretched uncomfortably. He had been trying to stuff the banded wallet into his pockets, but they were already bulging from what the Queen suspected were even more stolen goods, so all he did was fumble desperately and with futility.
Got you. Elsa redoubled her efforts, diving in and barely avoiding collisions with random pedestrians by using her lithe arms to gently push them aside aside, apologizing to each one with earnest words as they glanced at her in confusion. Now that she had no intention of letting this man slide by without paying reparations, not even her usual shyness from attracting attention touched her much; even though her cheeks flushed with blood that made her face itch, a kind of thrill rushing through her veins allowed Elsa to storm through at an admirable and uninterrupted pace.
However, the cloaked lady managed to attract one too many a person's attention; the thug turned backwards on his heels to catch a glimpse of Elsa, his eyes absolutely bulging in terror now that he was aware of his pursuer. Unfortunately for her, the man came upon the same idea of running through the crowds, although he was content with shoving people aside with enough force to topple them over.
Fortunately for Elsa, he was nowhere near as graceful: On one instance, the thief actually stumbled to a sliding fall, briefly parting the sea of people with his immense bulk, before leaping back up again while clutching at his side in pain. Elsa gritted her teeth as she seized the opportunity, getting so close to reaching him...
The thug then dove a hard left, running straight into a narrow alleyway. Elsa followed suit. She could hear the sounds of feet slapping against the ground as the darkness began to envelop her, the sound bouncing off the walls of the buildings sandwiching her in-between. The walls were not flush on either side, creating a narrow, crooked path, leading to a wide space. There was no light up ahead, so man had just trapped himself between her, and a dead-end.
Just as the already grayed sky shrank to a dim sliver up above, Elsa's legs slowed to a stop, right next to a dustbin surrounded by discarded tools and refuse. As her heart thundered against her ears, the effects of the adrenaline began to fade away, replaced by unwelcome doubt. Within seconds, it suddenly dawned upon the disguised lady that what she had been doing was lethally stupid, chasing after a frenzied thief with eyes of a reindeer's just as it was about to be hit by a carriage. Now that she was in a darkened alley all by her lonesome with a cornered criminal, whose only means of escape is by bypassing her...
This is all your fault. A familiar voice accused Elsa. You're too soft, fooling yourself into thinking that catching a thief can be done by simply cornering him.
He might get desperate.
Elsa shuddered, hugging herself tightly out of a need for security. The thief was still somewhere beyond, still out of sight. Even his footsteps could no longer be heard. The thyg who had been mostly a joke for that past few minutes suddenly became a genuine threat, one that was as all-encompassing as the darkness separating her from the rest of Arendelle.
Okay, okay... just calm down. What do I know at the moment?
Well, while this man was clearly not violent enough to attack in broad daylight out on the streets, this alley isn't going me any favors... Elsa spotted an old discarded broomstick resting against the dustbin, with most of the straws on its brush standing completely sideways instead of upright. As a broom, it was a complete useless, worthless piece of junk that had outlived its use for who knows how long. Nonetheless, she grabbed its wooden shaft tightly within her thin fingers, holding it out in front of her to fight back a wave of fear overtaking her stomach.
If worse comes to worst... use your ice powers.
The darkness of the alley suddenly gave birth to the images of two gruff men standing warily, their crossbows pointing directly at her with the full intention to shoot gleaming in their beady eyes. Elsa's heart jumped at several times its usual rate, but the rest of her body was oddly calm and relaxed. Slowly, the Snow Queen raised her free hand at the two, her will and focus gathering in her fingertips manifesting as mist and flakes of snow, ready to fire back at them with projectiles of her own...
...and then she squeezed her eyes shut, balling her hand into a fist. She can't aim well in this dark and tight space, so it could be entirely possible for Elsa's winter blast to directly hit the crook instead, maybe even freezing his heart. As far as she knew, this man was just a petty thief; he didn't deserve such a cruel fate. Even if it would be out of self-defense, Elsa didn't want him killed as yet another testament to the dangers of her powers. The Snow Queen promised herself to be strong for her sister, her friends, for everyone... she was beyond always fearing that she was a monster for three weeks.
Now, she just has to act the part.
So, instead of focusing her ice magic directly in front of her and potentially misjudge her aim, the Snow Queen shot at the ground instead. Sparks of light spouted from her palms, briefly illuminated the dark alley in blue flashes until a solid wall crystallized in front of her.
"Good, good..." Elsa breathed, relieved that she had this problem mostly taken care of. Oh, the thief still has Frode's wallet without a doubt, but as long as she gets some guards over here like the older man had originally suggested, everything should be all right. Content with herself, she turned around on her feet and headed for the light behind her, opening to the rest of the world and beyond these troubles.
thud
Goose bumps crawled underneath Elsa's vest and dress, skittering all over her back like silent, insects with needlepoint legs and venomous teeth, paralyzing her on the spot.
thump krick
Slowly, the disguised Queen turned around, her fingers involuntarily tightening around the broom's shaft. Perhaps it was because of the darkness of the alley, but she had misjudged the thickness required to keep the prisoner in. The wall of ice glimmered irregularly in what little light was available, white spider webs spinning within it in unpleasant shapes and forms.
thump thump thump
krick krick krick krack krackle thump
Elsa had no choice; she turned her head back to the only exit out of the alley, and cried, "Help! Somebody help m-!"
"Shut up!" A massive weight slammed into Elsa's right side, causing her to spin clockwise clumsily on her feet. She would have fallen down, but the woman had jabbed the end of her broomstick hard into the pavement, providing enough support to stand upright. An ugly sensation pulsated from where she had been hit, and it took nearly all of her willpower to keep her eyes open and face her attacker.
A pair of tiny orbs glared back at her, with beads of sweat rolling down a slab-like face like rain falling on stone. The thief stood more than half a head above Elsa, and his chest heaved up and down with rancid breath that made her nose cringe in disgust. His nose was gnarled like it had been broken in several places, and his boots were covered in brown gunk littered with chips of wood and dead leaves. In his thick hand was something small and club-like, very reminiscent of those carried by fisherman out on Arendelle's harbors. The wall still of ice still gleamed behind him, which meant he must have used the small bat to chip away indents to climb upon. The crook pointed the said bat at Elsa, quaking with what the disguised Queen realized was fear. "W-what are you?!" he shouted, almost foaming at the mouth. His bloodshot eyes darted back and forth between her, and the wall.
Ah. He knows.
Elsa squeezed even tighter on her makeshift weapon, the gears in her head spinning furiously to formulate a plan. The man was clearly unnerved by Elsa's display of magic, big surprise, but perhaps she could still salvage the situation before it could get any worse. He still needed to get through her in order to escape, after all.
Sure, and the world is such a perfect, happy and reasonable place.
Quiet, you. "Please, would you calm down?" Elsa tried to say; her right side still smarted something fierce, but at least her body seemed to be mostly intact. If she could talk this man down, neither of them would end up worse for the wear... at least, until she gets him behind iron bars.
This only unnerved the thief even further, and he took several steps back with the club still pointing at her. Hitting his back against the ice wall, he jumped and gave a small yelp.
"Please, relax sir!" Elsa reiterated. "I don't mean you any harm!" With a small and cautious wave of her hand, the wall of ice split into several wisps of gleaming snow, once more illuminating the alley with flashes of ice. The man fell flat on his butt, forcing him to scramble on his back away from the woman in front of him.
"S-stay away from me, you-... you..."
Elsa sucked in a deep breath; this man was bringing up some ugly memories, and his refusal to listen to her was beginning to grate her nerves. Lowering her broomstick just a little slightly, she pushed away the anger that was beginning to flare and lick at her chest, and stated in as level a tone as she could manage: "Look, I'm sorry or chasing you. It's just that you have stolen my friend's money, and I would highly appreciate if you were to give it back to him-"
"Y-you don't understand! I can't do it!" the man half-shouted. He was practically wailing, really, even as he stood back up to his full intimidating height. "I don't have the money! I need the money, I need..." his mouth hang open without uttering another sound. Then, he spoke once more, his voice growing huskier, unhinged, and more threatening. "It... is coming. I ran east, all the way to this forsaken town of cutthroats and cheats!" he yelled, slamming a fist on the wall. "I don't have four hundred to set sail! I need more, I need to run... freaking crystals everywhere!"
As this man continued to ramble, Elsa couldn't help but feel increasingly wary; this man was obviously short of a few screws in his head, not to mention exactly what he was talking about. East? Crystals?
"...And you... you are just another one of them!" He stuck a hand inside his shirt, pulling out something curved and wooden, with a metal adornment-
It was a gun.
There was no time to think; Elsa stabbed through the air with the end of her broom, its blunt endpoint smacking square into his nose. His head snapped backwards with a yell of pain, and he dropped his gun. Enraged, the man made a wild swing at her with a thick arm; Elsa ducked, just barely avoiding a knock to her jaw by a hair's breath. She then swung her broom, making a wide sweeping motion, her hands tingled with the instant feedback of hard contact. Spotting the gun lying on the ground, just waiting to be used, Elsa used one foot to kick it out of sight.
"Please, I need you to just settle down!" Elsa called out apologetically. "I don't want to hurt you... well, anymore than I already have, sorry." Once more, she raised a hand to aim at the ground in front of the crook, power gathering in her palms to form-
The man charged forward, roaring hoarsely as he brandished the club high above his head. Elsa hopped backwards as he brought it down, feeling the disturbed air touched with stale sweat tickling her nose. With the brush end of the broom, Elsa swiped at his cheeks, eliciting howls of pain. He tried countering with a punch, but the Snow Queen knocked that away as well, albeit imperfectly; both staggered away from each other, panting heavily from expending so much energy in fighting. The man tripped on his own leg, and he tumbled to the floor gracelessly.
"Will you please stop!?" Elsa asked desperately, raising her broomstick again as the man drunkenly shifted back into a facsimile of a stance. He lunged at her once more, forcing the lady to bring her improvised weapon up to stop him from advancing. She bared her teeth ferociously at the thug, before pushing back with as much strength as she could muster; the man lost his footing, which Elsa used to her advantage by smacking the shaft hard into his ribs. "You're too tired to carry this one, we both know that!" she called out.
"But I must run..." the thief wheezed. Within his hand gleamed the wickedly curved and polished wood of the same pistol she had kicked away earlier, still loaded, still very eager to finish the fight. Elsa's blue eyes widened in shock. "I have to get rid of you..."
For the briefest of moments, the sliver of gray sky above was blotted out; had Elsa not been too focused on the barrel pointing directly at her, the disguised Snow Queen would have believed a bird had flow overhead. Instead, a shadow descended in a nigh-invisible blur that landed with barely a shadow's flutter. Twin lines of brilliant silver traced crisscrossing arcs, sending white sparks flying as they clashed together. Something heavy clattered to the ground with a clink, upon which Elsa decided was the moment to seize the chance; with a grunt, she stabbed once more into the darkness, feeling the wood recoil in her hand as it made impact. She watched as the thief adopted a hunched position and remained frozen for a few seconds, his eyes bulging, his mouth dripping saliva. Finally, he keeled over and flopped to the ground, all the fight taken out of him at last. A small sack with red and blue bands running through it fell off, which Elsa quickly pocketed in her borrowed vest.
Now that her original objective was over, Elsa allowed herself to sag against the alley wall, leaning on it and her broom for support. She turned her head to the figure standing nearby, the one that managed to intervene before it could get uglier, and gasped in alarm; the surprise visitor was nearly as tall as the thug and certainly more intimidating in appearance, with a shining cutlass in one hand, and a curved dagger in the other. His clothes were similar to those worn by sailors at Arendelle's harbor, although the shirt underneath his jacket flared into frills at the cuffs, and his waist was wrapped in multiple belts, each one carrying a flintlock pistol in its holster.
The stranger sheathed his blades into their respective scabbards, and swung a hand up in a salute while snapping the heels of his leather boots together. "Captain Peter Himmel, at your service." he announced with pride. "I heard a call for assistance, and I arrived as soon as my skills and legs could take me!"
Although her grip on her broomstick was beginning to ease in tension, Elsa raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
The stranger gave the cloaked lady an incredulous look. "You mean you've never heard of Peter Himmel, the incredibly daring captain of the Andersen's Quill and its crew?"
This time, the man's words struck a chord within Elsa's memories; she had seen his name and that of his ship's before, scribbled messily a few times through documents and permits, the earliest one being two years ago when she issued a Letter of Marque to aspiring corsairs. At the time, the only distinctive quality that caught the Queen's attention was the slogan always insistently repeated in each notes section concerning the Andersen's Quill: "The rapid vessel whose bow inscribes adventures into the open sea!" Rather bizarre, really.
Heck, that was probably how you remembered his name at all, Elsa. Besides, if what he said was true, this stranger was no permanent fixture of Arendelle's military forces. There was nothing much to reinforce your recognition of him, besides perhaps a list of privateers.
Well, at least she recognized "Captain Himmel" now, if not earlier. Slowly, the disguised lady nodded in acknowledgement, before curtsying to him with a slight dip of her head. "Yes... thank you very much for your help, sir."
The man flashed a boyish grin that shone with pearly whites. He had the kind of face that Anna used to fawn over in the sisters' younger days: clean-cut dark hair, skin tanned from sun exposure, strong chin, and eyes that glittered with intelligence and vibrancy. "It wasn't as if you really needed it though." he complimented, gently prodding the downed thug with a boot. "This guy may not look the part, but he's got a bounty over his head. I've been chasing him all over Norway until he fled here - my hometown of all places! And yet it was only here where he made his worst mistake by coming across you!" he laughed. "You've done me a real favor by cornering him, what with the impressive fight that you've put up! Isn't that right, guys?" he asked, directing his voice behind Elsa.
Out of curiosity, the disguised Queen turned around to find out exactly who the stranger could be talking to, but all she saw was the entrance into the alley. She blinked a couple of times, resolving to look even harder for anyone that could have been behind her... and still found nothing. Not even a pedestrian was seen walking by in the street beyond.
The man's face grew more and more crestfallen with every passing second, as he too came upon the same understanding as Elsa's. "What?... No one... no one was there to see us?" he moaned. "But... but it was fantastic! An audience would have gone wild! There has to be someone who witnessed everything!"
With a great and melodramatic sigh, he pulled out a long piece of rope before winding it around the petty thief. "You big schlub of an idiot..." he grumbled, "you should have let the nice lady call for help more."
Elsa swallowed hard as the man finished tying a knot around the crook, and she took a step back in nervousness; while she genuinely appreciated the seconds brought by the captain's entrance, the cloaked lady wasn't sure if she had just traded one oddball for another, and she didn't want to appear rude. Pointing her fingers out the alleyway, she mumbled, "Um... thanks again for everything, Mister Himmel... I'll just be going now."
"Hey, hey! Wait up!" But, Elsa had already exited the narrow corridor once and for all, blinking a little as her eyes adapted to the increased lighting. She just barely had any time to herself to admire just how wide and expansive the town was in comparison to that dank, cramped little alley though, when the sound of footsteps followed behind. "I wasn't finished talking with you!" a voice cried out.
Elsa turned around, watching as the captain squeezed himself out of the opening, a task made somewhat troublesome by the hulking thug now slung over his shoulder. "Is there anything you need?" she asked quietly.
"Yep!" The man walked up to Elsa while wearing the same grin, full of confidence and energy. "What do you say about joining my crew?"
Seconds ticked by in relative silence, as Elsa tried to process such an absurd request through her mind over and over. "...Wait, what was that again?"
"I understand if you need time to think, but trust me, there are a lot of perks to sailing out at sea!" Peter explained cheerfully, using his fingers to count them off one by one. "We can go on exciting adventures beyond the horizons, meet new people, taste new foods, get into scuffles, hang out with the greatest, most awesome friends that can be found anywhere-"
"-I'm sorry," Elsa interrupted, "going out on a seafaring adventure sounds wonderful and all... but I'm going to have to say no." For a number of reasons.
The captain's smile faded ever so slightly in disappointment, but Elsa's refusal evidently wasn't enough to slow him down. "Look, I want to repay you taking this guy down for me. If you don't want to join my crew... can I at least take you out for a drink?" he offered. "Perhaps at the Cuddly Buck tavern?"
Elsa blinked. That name again...
"Please? it's a homecoming party arranged by my shipmates, so it'll just be me and the other guys! Dancing, eating, partying, I guarantee that you'll have fun!" He then dropped his voice to an almost conspiratorial volume, smirking as if he knew he was going to finally rope Elsa along with this one last piece of information. "I hear that a walking, talking snowman will be arriving earlier than planned - he mentioned something about a schedule change. If we get there fast enough right now, we may even be able to catch him performing!"
A walking, talking snowman.
Olaf.
Olaf wasn't seen in the castle along with Kristoff and Anna. He can lead me to them.
Elsa's breathing quickened with excitement, now that she has a lead on her family's whereabouts. In an attempt to act natural, she patted herself clean of dust and stood primly, giving the waiting sea captain a smile. "If it really means that much to you... I guess I can come along. I could use some fresh water right about now."
Peter Himmel beamed. "Absolutely fantastic!" Slinging an arm around Elsa's shoulders as if they had been friends for years, he walked her down the street while still carrying the criminal's limp body. The sudden and unexpected physical contact made the cloaked lady flinch, although the captain hardly took notice to her discomfort. "What's your name, by the way?"
"I-it's Elizabeth."
"Hm... you mean like Queen Elizabeth the First? For a foreigner, you certainly talk like you've lived in my hometown for your whole life."
The left corner of Elsa's mouth twitched. "...Maybe it's because I'm the Queen of Arendelle."
The young captain immediately barked with mirthful laughter. "See? This is just another reason why I wish you would join my crew!"
Hello action scene, how are you doing? Sure haven't seen you in a while.
Feel free to drop a comment or two on what you readers think about the story and characters so far. I promise I won't drop any spoilers.
See you guys soon, fans of Frozen.