"I have so many questions, but let's start of with the most obvious. Are you the girl I saved in the mansion?" Elsa asked the other girl.
"Oh my.. You're real.. I thought it was some kind of angel saving me.. I didn't really see much, I was kind of exhausted and slipping into unconsciousness. Thank you, I was actually ready to let it end back there, I didn't really have anything left to accomplish. I got my revenge and didn't have any goals to work towards. I have now though.. So again, thank you, thank you, thank you." She gushed and Elsa could feel the happiness Anna radiated on the other side of their link.
Followed by a painful stinging in her shoulder as Anna popped it back into place. Elsa had a lot of questions, and they mostly drifted toward the link and how Anna controlled her hand. But as she was thinking to herself she could feel Anna being equally confused about it. And Elsa knew in that moment that Anna would become incredibly important to her, a feeling that was reciprocated but for now none of them knew in what way.
"Of course I helped you, how could I not? It was the right thing to do. What wasn't the right thing to do, was leaving you.. I am so, so sorry. Can you please forgive me?" The plea was heartfelt, thick with regret and relieve.
"Why wouldn't I forgive you? You saved my life, and in turn I made a friend. I can also feel how deeply you regret not doing more back then. So don't worry about that any longer, I'm better now, I think. I just don't really know what to do now, everything is confusing, and jumbled. I have no goal left to pursue. And no plans about my future." Anna sighed and rubbed her shoulder, it was quite sore from the impact, but it was manageable. She then took off at a much slower pace, a light jog by her standards, yet it was still slightly faster than a regular person would jog.
"Alright I'll try to do that.. Let's get to know each other a bit then." Elsa was a bit hesitant about divulging too much about herself. And of course Anna could sense that much. The ringing had diminished and Elsa had less trouble focusing on Anna's perspective. Yet something concerned her, at first she had seen flashes, bits and pieces of memories from Annas past. Now though, she couldn't see any of them, nothing about the link felt as it did in the first minute since it was established, it was becoming more controlled and calm every second that passed. Elsa decided it wasn't a bad thing, being completely linked, sharing everything, it was a scary thought. So for now she was content with only knowing whatever the other person felt like sharing. It was less complicated that way. So she started telling about herself.
"Well, as you know, my name is Elsa, I'm a hybrid since I was 5. I have an older brother, Prince Kristoff, and my parents are King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, which makes me princess Elsa. I like chocolate.. No, I LOVE chocolate. It's absolutely the best, have you ever tasted it before?" Elsa asked thinking to herself, 'good good, start off easy', and she was instantly surprised by the differences in the 'talking' and her own private thoughts. Her own thoughts felt like any other normal thought, but sending it to Anna felt like sharing herself in an odd way.
"Princess Elsa.. Good to know, I'm Anna Giraldus. I.. I.. I don't really know what to tell you.. I don't have any siblings, my parents are dead, and.. And.. I've never had chocolate before." She wanted to tell her everything, but telling her about what she had been through drudged up too many bad memories, too many horrible feelings, and she didn't believe it was necessary to tell Elsa about it.
The beauty about their bond was that Elsa could, despite losing a lot of the input, tell that Anna didn't want to take a trip down memory-lane. And being a good royal she knew not to push the younger girl. She just needed someone to not judge her. She would simply be there for her, if she wanted to have her that is.
"Oh, then you must come visit someday. We have a sweets-maker, he makes the best chocolate in the northern hemisphere. It's like heaven on earth." Elsa chose to focus on chocolate and happy thoughts, even if Annas last name did intrigue her after what she was told earlier by the scholar.
"I'd really like that, perhaps we could become…."
And then there was silence. Elsa didn't hear anything after that, and when she opened her eyes, no image overlapped, no emotions other than her own. Nothing, concern coursed through her as she quickly stood from her chair, only to feel dizzy and sick, then she passed out. Falling to the ground in a heap if skin, muscle and bones.
"…. Friends." Anna sighed, she too, felt the connection break. Then she started worrying, what if something happened to her savior? What if Anna had subconsciously evicted her from her mind? Although it didn't feel as if she had done that. She would have to ask about that when she got back to the camp, for now all she could do was hope that Elsa was okay.
She then recalled the bridge debacle, it had been tricky, they were almost recognized. But thanks to a little quick thinking Anna growled and snapped her teeth at some of the guards, Jonas had picked up on it and jerked her chained hands backwards, then slapped her with enough force that made Anna think he took it a bit to far, but it worked. The guards had asked if she was a refugee trying to cross the borders to get out of Escain. A simple yes had been enough to convince them.
Anna often had the thought that their entire travel was too easy. Too safe. But she simply counted herself lucky that none of the Westergaardian scouts had found them. Or maybe she really did have a guardian angel out there, somewhere. In either case, they were now in the marshlands of Escain. So far it was still heavily forested but from the hilltop she was currently at she could see the landscape. The trees was thinning out more and more the further her eyes travelled. A dense mist covered the lands in the distance. It gave the whole picture a sense of dread, as if the mist screamed robbers and miscreants. How in the world a powerful clan of mages had chosen this place was beyond her. It made no logical sense to choose such a place to set up shop. Only time would tell if she had made the right choice in going with Jonas' plan.
After some contemplating about her future and a half hour nap, she made her way back to the camp, if she could remember where that was, she had blindly sprinted into the forest in glee. Shit. She was lost, she didn't know the lay of the land, and there were no noticeable landmarks around. Fuck!
"Oh man, this isn't good" she said out loud while rubbing her eyes. A twig snapping and a growl from a rather huge bear forced her attention away from the landscape, towards the bottom of the hill.
"Hmm, food might be good" she mused, as she charges her right hand getting ready to go in for the kill, but a howl was heard not far from her, and a pack of four wolves rained down upon the bear. It managed to take out all but one wolf, the largest of them all, it rivalled the bear in both strength and ferocity. The bear put up a good fight, getting a well place swipe in on the wolf, that knocked it to ground in with a whimper. Just as the bear was about to bite the wolfs throat Anna had, without thinking, frozen the bears jaw shut, making it scramble around in confusion only to run away from the scene.
Her gaze fell upon the large wolf, blood was seeping from the wound on it's neck, painting the ground and its fur crimson. In a moment if none hesitancy she ran to the wolf and ran her hand between It's ears.
"Shh, it's going to be okay. Don't worry you beautiful creature" she kept petting the wolf trying to think of something to do. The wolfs breathing became more uneven with every passing second. She had to do something fast. A distant thought entered her mind, like an echo of something you've been told resonating with a new experience, it sounded like Elsa but not entirely like her. An incredible feeling rose from within her, magic that felt soothing and mysterious. Anna looked at her right hand, noticing the slight misty fog of tangible magic, she then started freezing over the wound. It was the first time she felt that the ice-powers was obedient, and did as she wanted it too. A smile broke out on her face when the wolfs struggling breath stabilized. Then she slumped down on the large animals' fur. She couldn't just leave it there though, so she sat cross legged next to it and began meditating, she could detect a headache coming on, the link had drained her, and this last effort only added to the exhaustion. She kept her ears perked as she waited for the wolf to recover enough so she could leave.
"What are you doing Anna, this is a feral animal, you shouldn't care about it" she shook her head, she couldn't find a reason as to why she had done what she did. No point in trying to find an answer when one's actions defied your basic instincts.
Meanwhile Robert and Jonas was frantically searching for the tiny girl, Jonas could recall telling her to keep her voice down, but he had been sleep riddled and didn't register her departure. And since bloodmagic couldn't produce any tracking spells he didn't even have a chance at locating her.
"We have to get to my clan, and fast, they will be able to help us find her" Jonas had said.
"We can't just leave, what if she comes back to this place and we aren't here?" Robert protested.
"It's either leave and be sure to find her, or stay and hope she makes it back. Id rather take the option that has a guaranteed chance of getting her back." Jonas replied.
"You are even worse than my wife. But.. It makes sense.. Damnit, I made a promise to protect her, we shouldn't have gone to sleep at the same time." The priest groaned.
"What's done is done, let's move, we're not far from the entrance to the clans' hideout. About three days travel, give or take. Depending on floods and such. So, we better not waste any time." He finished packing up and took his makeshift crutch he had produced the night before. Hanging on Roberts shoulder wasn't exactly the most comfortable way to travel.
"I'm going to take a last look around, cook some of the rabbit we have left before the fire dies out." Robert grumbled. His opinions had been shot down so many times now that he began wondering if he was even needed on this journey. He just couldn't leave without being certain they couldn't find her.
As he trotted around the woods he heard howling in the distance, it made his blood run cold. Humans wasn't the only species affected by the magic. Especially the predators of the world had been reaping the rewards, every animal was larger than they had been in the old world. On top of their improved physique they were magic resistant. An evolutionary necessity to the animals, as they were now hunted by people with supernatural abilities. A scuffle with wolves was the last thing they needed right now, so he reluctantly headed back to Jonas. When he arrived, everything was ready to go and the rabbit meat looked mouthwatering, rationing wasn't a new concept to him. But he still felt incredibly hungry after so many days of travelling. Robert grabbed a piece and sank his teeth into the roast and they took off yet again.
Anna woke up to something wet slapping against her face, she faintly noticed the smell of dirt, sleep riddled she swatted the wetness away with a lazy hand. Then it hit her again, and again. Finally finding some semblance of consciousness she opened her eyes to a row of very sharp and very large teeth, well more like fangs. Fangs!?
The thought kickstarted her mind as she removed herself from the threat. When she took in the full view of the wolf she noticed some changes, it looked nothing like the ferocious animal that had fought the bear, it's tail was swinging back and forth, the fur seemed alive in the slight wind, reflecting the sun in a wave like motion. The wolf lifted Its front legs and hopped around on the spot, while happily whimpering away, as if it was excited for something. Anna just sat there, looking at the animal in confusion, but since it made no move that showed hostility, she just took it in. This wolf was acting all out of character, wolves were supposed to be dangerous, she had no idea why she chose to help it earlier, it was more an instinctual act then a conscious choice. Anyway, as the wolf stopped the excited running around chasing Its own tail, it turned to look at her, it tilted Its head in observance. Just looking at Anna, seemingly confused about Annas confusion.
Anna giggled at it and lifted her hand absentmindedly, the wolf immediately shoots forward nuzzling Its nose into the offered hand, rubbing its head on the raised limb. After a few rounds of head rubbing it flopped down on top of Annas legs, pinning her down, it did a few rolls to scratch its back before resting Its head on the one paw extended forward while the other curled under It's body. Anna was amused at this point, trying to decipher what the large animal was doing.
"Okay, okay, I helped you with the bear, let's just say you watched over me while I slept, the same I did with you, for however long that was, okay?" she asked the wolf while petting it, but as expected it didn't understand a word she said. It barked and licked her face again, and curled even further into her. An ear twitched, so did the other one.
Then it suddenly jumped up and peered into the forest, growling menacingly at whatever It's ears had picked up. As the object came into view, Anna slowly recognized it as the bear from earlier. The sun was shining through scattered clouds, and the temperature was steadily increasing, so she couldn't have dozed off for long. The larger than average bear crept closer, it seemed as if it knew not to engage head on. When it let out a roar, another bear replied a short distance behind it and to the left, with another equally frightening roar as the second bear exited the forest.
"Two on two it is then" She thought to herself. And as if the wolf could sense her determination it growled in agreement, and kind of happily. The wolf appeared to look forward to this, and Anna couldn't help but think that revenge wasn't an exclusively human feeling. This bear did manage to take down the entirety of Its pack not counting the one saved by her. But the bear still had wounds that were sort of fresh. Which would explain the backup.
Anna had been observing without moving, only when the wolf nudged her with Its nose did she look at it. It grinned at her, literally grinned. She didn't have it in her to do anything but grin back has she patted it between its ears and nodded. With no further actions, they both began moving in tandem. At first they paced slowly towards their opponents, and the bears growled and roared. Then they started running, then sprinting, as Anna closed in on the healthy bear the wolf increased its pace further, overtaking her and headed for the injured one. Just as Anna was about to reach her prey, she twisted and turned to the one the wolf had just slashed across the jaw. Its attention was on everything but her, and she saw the opportunity to strike. She curled her fist and enhanced the non-biological construct with a good amount of power, and when she struck she forced the power out of her fist and into the strike point. She could feel the bones crack in what she would call the bears shoulder, and then she drove through with the punch. She ended up knocking the bear several feet away, as it landed on its side and tried to recover, the wolf had Its jaws locked around the downed animals neck, sinking teeth deep into the soft tissue. One down.
Anna turned to the next one, but was met by a paw the size of her head, directly in front of her face. When it impacted, she was flipped through the air and landed on her stomach. It disoriented her for too long, the bear had her leg pinned and the weight was too much for her skinny limbs, her femur broke and she let out a pained cry. Luckily for her this pulled the wolf away from the first bear, it turned towards the second one. Anna scrambled away as the bear no longer saw her as an immediate threat. It made another swipe for the wolf, but it got caught midair as the wolf crunched the paw with yet another strong bite. The bear lost its footing and Anna sent a force wave towards it. Unfortunately, she didn't account for the wolf to get in the way. She experienced a moment of worry, but the force simply warped around the wolf and still hit the intended target.
Except the bear didn't even flinch from the magic, it probably hadn't been focused enough. She blamed the lack of control. It growled one last time and rose to Its hind legs. The wolf saw this as an opening and went in, but the bear came down upon it with strength, pinning the wolf down. It flailed and scrambled beneath the bear, barely avoiding bites. Anna saw red. In a flash, she had created a large icicle that hovered above her hand. Her eyes had such an intense glow it seemed to be oozing a slight mist from her irises. She directed it towards the bears neck, and when it hit, it sunk into the flesh. Not deep enough to properly injure the bear, but enough to give the wolf a chance to get away.
It wasn't enough with that one, so she gathered power, and when she felt it would be enough to destroy this creature. She gathered some more. And then more, until she struggled keeping it contained within the icy fist. When she felt the ice crack and heard it screech she closed her eyes and visualized the ice tear the bear apart from within. A whimper and a howl was heard. She opened them again, and the wolf was suddenly on top of the bear, with purple stripes and swirls in the fur, the shapes followed the bone and muscle structure of the wolf. She would have admired the beauty of it, if the wolf wasn't in the middle of a power struggle.
Yet, no matter how she looked at it the bear shouldn't have a tough time tossing the wolf to the side, but no amount of thrashing at turning could do it, not while it had an icicle stuck in the neck. The wolf extended its claws and sank them into the bears vulnerable stomach, then ripped it open and jumped to Annas side. The coloration on its fur dimmed a turned into the dark greyish color it had before.
The wolf was offering something to lean one. When it laid down and motioned for her to get on, she complied. The back of the wolf was so comfortable and soft. She held on with the strength she had left, and let the wolf take her to wherever it wanted to. She couldn't think about that when her leg was thoroughly trashed. All she could do was tag along for the ride.
Hey there, again. I hope my way of revealing more and more of Annas powers is a safe way to do it, and sry the connection was short, the girls are still new to this. I have a lot of thoughts about how this gets received by the reader (hopefully this will be my starting point in becoming a "real" writer), and how I explain the "meditate, power up, release, exhaustion" loop I seem to be stuck in.. It's entirely intentional, and it's not only her lack of control or the draining of her magic, so don't worry about that. It will get explained once "the magical experts" get to study Anna
I already know giving her a wolf companion is as cliché as it gets.. But it's a pack animal. Loyalty is important in a pet. No animal has more loyalty than wolves. If you really hate it, tell me and I'll kill it at some point.
I hope I'm at least creating some entertainment for whoever reads this, and to you who have read, reviewed, followed and favorited. It's a bigger number than I expected... And the reviews telling me it's exciting and that I should keep going is why I'm still here. As I told my first reviewer, even if he became the only one to read it I would still complete it, now I have multiple people reading it.. Phew, puts a bit of pressure on me I must say. Not at all what I expected to feel about this. (It seems to make the chapters a bit longer the further I get)
So thank you everyone, for not hounding me and telling me it sucks.. I had kind of expected that because of my kind of rocky start and because of the internet in general.
Lots of Love to all, from Mr. Turtle