"What do yeh mean Anna's gone missin'?!" Merida demanded angrily, glaring daggers into the guard captain. The big man flinched and cowered in the face of the huntress' rage.
The rest of the group shared looks of concern for the missing princess. Belle placed a hand on Merida's shoulder in order to calm the upset redhead. The French girl turned to the guard captain. "Do you know where we could find Kristoff, the Royal Ice Master?" she asked politely.
The man straightened and scratched his chin. "Eh…I'm not sure, perhaps you could ask Prince Hans?" he supplied thoughtfully, "I think the Prince said something about the dungeon, but I'm not sure."
"The dungeons?" Rapunzel gasped, a hand covering her mouth in shock, "Why would he be in there?"
The guard captain shrugged. "Listen, my men and I are tired," there was an irritated tone in his voice, "There was a freak blizzard that held up our search party, and it looks like it won't be quitting for a while."
Merida didn't like being brushed off apparently, because her temper came back. "Listen? No, you listen! Our friend is missin' and you blibberin' ninnies are all lollygaggin' around like little galumpfin'-" at this point her accent became too thick to determine what she was saying, or if she was still speaking English, but all present could tell that the language was very colorful and profane.
The rest of the group of friends shared a look and nodded in unison. Belle grabbed Merida's wrist and addressed the shocked guard captain once more. "Thank you for your time, sorry to bother you." The brunette smiled, which caused him to become even more confused.
Then they all quickly strode away down the hall, Merida still shouting incoherently as Belle dragged her along with the rest of the group.
When they rounded a corner, Merida turned her frustrated gaze to the rest of them. "Why'd you let him get away?" she growled.
"Merida, think about what he said for a moment," Aurora pleaded, "Anna is missing. Kristoff is imprisoned, and there is a strange blizzard blocking the search party's way."
Realization dawned on the huntress' face. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief. "Elsa…" she whispered the name like it were some sort of spell or prayer.
Everyone nodded solemnly. They knew that their mystical friend played a part in this somehow.
Rapunzel sighed leaning into Eugene, who wrapped a steady arm around her. "We have to talk to Kristoff."
"Why would you want to do that?" a honeyed voice called from behind. Everyone turned around.
"Prince Hans," Rapunzel ground out, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
The man smirked and bowed. "I am here to escort you all to dinner. You see, there has been a stirring of unease in the castle, as I'm sure you've noticed. Uncertainty can be quite…dangerous."
Mulan unconsciously took a step closer to Aurora. "What do you mean by that?"
The prince shrugged casually. "The staff has become quite restless with the princess' absence. The Royal Ice Master attempted to take my life earlier today. The poor boy's gone mad with grief, I say."
No one in the group believed the silver-tongued devil.
"So," he continued, "I've decided to play the good samaritan and make sure that you all remain safe during your stay. I've even arranged an escort for you."
He snapped his fingers and a small group of guards approached. "These gentlemen will escort you safely to dinner. I shall see you there."
Looks of worry passed among the friends as they were shuffled towards the dining hall.
"What do we do now?" Aurora whispered, "I don't think these guys will leave us alone if we ask them to…"
Rapunzel bit her lip. "I don't know," she whispered back, "But I think Hans is hiding something."
Belle shook her head. "I know Hans is hiding something."
Mulan nodded in agreement. "I have a funny feeling that the only Kristoff is guilty of is knowing too much."
Eugene grinned. "I do love a good jail break. Reminds me of my glory days."
Rapunzel rolled her eyes with a fond smile. "Whatever you say, Flynn Rider."
Her husband just chuckled quietly. "Hey, I thought it was a cool name."
Anna and Elsa were watching the stars from their balcony. The northern lights danced in the sky, casting a soft glow upon their faces.
Anna leaned back into Elsa, who wrapped her slender arms around the shorter girl's waist comfortingly. It was a serene moment. Just the two of them, the calming silence of the night, and the beautiful lights in the sky.
"I don't want to go back…" Anna murmured sadly after a while.
Elsa pulled her closer, resting her chin on her love's shoulder. "Then stay with me." she paused and sighed, "That's what I'd like to say, anyway."
Anna leaned her temple against Elsa's. "I can't go back without you, Elsa. I love you, and I need you by my side." She paused and then grumbled, "Not to mention if I see Hans again, I probably wouldn't be able to stop myself from punching him in the face."
At the mention of the prince, the blonde's hold tightened slightly. "I'd probably do more than that." She said with a slight edge to her tone, her deep blue eyes swirled with frigid power.
Anna placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "He doesn't stand a chance against the two of us." She giggled, and Elsa joined in.
How wrong they both were.
Aurora shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Dinner was tense, to say the least. The King and Queen of Arendelle looked absolutely ragged with worry for their missing child. Not even Rapunzel's good news could break them out of their weary trance. Hans smirked into his goblet from the opposite end of the table.
No one spoke, and at the end of dinner the prince had them all "escorted" to their respective rooms. "Don't worry," he assured with a false tone of sympathy, "There will be guards posted by your doors through the night so no harm can come to you while you sleep."
Yeah right, Aurora thought glumly, He just wants to make sure we don't go anywhere.
Luckily the rooms were all in the same wing, and the same hallway. If only there was some way we could all communicate and come up with a plan.
The blonde princess bid goodnight to Belle and the Corona couple as they reached their respective lodgings. Mulan hung back from the others and waited until Aurora and herself reached the final two doors.
The blonde smiled at the foreign beauty. "Goodnight, Mulan."
The Chinese woman took her hand and cupped it between both of her own. Aurora blushed darkly as Mulan bowed her head and lightly kissed the back of her hand. "Goodnight, Aurora." She murmured.
When Mulan drew her hands away, the blonde realized that a small slip of paper had been placed into her palm. Aurora curled her fingers over to conceal it from the guards and nodded with a small smile before retreating into her room.
The moment the door closed and she deemed it safe, Aurora unfurled the note:
Eugene and I have come up with a plan. After breakfast, meet me behind the guard tower.
Yours,
Mulan
Aurora smiled, wondering what on earth her friend had planned.
Thank you for all your support, you all are awesome! Exams went well, I think. Actually, I should probably be focusing on school work right now (I have a paper due tomorrow), but meh...you all are more important. :)