Stars danced across Garfield's vision, but he forced himself to get up. He could faintly hear footsteps echoing from the stairs. He felt two pairs of arms steady him and turned to see his guides. Richard had a grim expression, while Kori seemed fearful of the tiger.
He shook his head to clear it. As he did he felt a rising anger at his sister. She didn't have come back, but he would at least make her fix what she had done. He shook off his guides and took a few steps toward his sister. The tiger growled in response, but he paid it no heed.
He released pent up anger from years of loneliness shouting, "Go ahead, and kick me out if you want, but I won't let you treat the people down there just as coldly as you always treated me!"
A fire lit behind Raven's eyes and in response the shadow tiger grew as well. It grew until it was five times it original size. It gave a roar that shook the whole palace.
A similar scene of fighting was unfolding in Arendelle …
"She's a witch! She's wicked! We must take her down!" Proclaimed the Duke of Slattington. He was in the castle's courtyard further spreading lies … and it was working. Fear and anger pulsed through the assembled crowd.
"Stop it!" Proclaimed a louder voice. The crowd parted to reveal Terra of the Southern Isles. "That's not true!" She stood in front of the Duke, daring him to make a move.
"If she didn't do anything wrong than why did she run?" The Duke countered.
Terra rolled her eyes, "Well you chased her! What did you expect her to do?"
The Duke was undeterred. "Well if you're so sure how about we go find the Queen?"
The princess smirked. "Fine by me."
While the dispute in Arendelle had been settled in words, the one between siblings had not yet subsided …
Raven stared down her brother.
Garfield's eyes steeled and he spat, "There it is! The door you love to slam in my face!"
She recoiled, the words were a smack in the face. Raven attempted to stay calm, but red was seeping into her vision. She shook with anger and the castle shook with her, "I will not listen to a reckless fool, who only ever sees the things he wants to see!"
The shadow tiger separated into three, and pounced, knocking the trespassers to the floor.
One tossing out later …
"How could she-I'm gonna!" Garfield pulled himself out of the snowdrift, muttering a roll of curses that would make his parents roll in their graves.
"For one who is a prince, your language is very foul." Kori's voice echoed from behind him.
He turned to see the girl buried up to her neck in snow. Her brother was attempting to dig her out.
Garfield scrambled to help dig her out. With their combined strength he and Richard were able to pull her out.
"Thanks!" She chirped.
Garfield grinned. "Happy to help."
Richard turned to him. "So what are you gonna do?"
His comment brought him back to reality.
"Oh no." He looked back to castle he was just thrown out of. "If she doesn't come back, then she can't fix the sky! And if she can't fix the sky then I can't go home! And-"
Kori cut him off with a slap to the face. "Calm down!" She commanded.
"But-" He started.
Kori bore her eyes into his, effectively shutting him up.
Garfield threw his hands up, "Well if I can't worry about the fate of my kingdom what can I worry about?"
His guides gasped, their eyes widening comically.
Garfield raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Your hair." The siblings said simultaneously.
Garfield looked up at his bangs. Barely within the range of his vision he saw his bangs turn black. He looked to his guides for an explanation, but they were having another silent conversation.
Kori gave her brother a forceful glare and his head dropped with a sigh of frustration, the girl won again.
Turning away from both of them, she cupped her hands around mouth and took a deep breath.
"ACE! YOUR PRESCENCE IS REQUIRED!"
Immediately the Great Dane appeared before them.
Richard turned back to Garfield and gestured to his hair. "That happened because your sister struck you. We know people who can fix that."
Garfield raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Let me guess … the love experts?"
The guide rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yep."
The prince looked past Richard to Kori, she was getting settled in the driver's position.
Garfield motioned towards the sled, "So shouldn't we be getting in then?"
Richard shook his head. "I've got stuff to do, you can go ahead though." The prince hesitated and the mountain man noticed. "Go on I promise she won't bite." He encouraged.
Garfield nodded and got seated in the sled. Kori snapped the reins and they were off.
He turned so he could see the girl driving the sled. Her fiery hair was whipping in the wind and her emerald eyes were set in determination. His curiosity got the better of him.
"Kori how do you know these friends, the love experts?"
"Well", She started and paused. "They're not friends, but more so my family. They were there when no one else was."
"Are you adopted?" The words were out and he instantly regretted them. "Sorry." He apologized.
To his surprise she laughed. Her serious expression gone her eyes sparkled with mirth. "Pretty obvious is it not?" She gestured to herself. "I have hair of fire, Richard has hair of night. I have eyes of jade, he has eyes of ocean." She chuckled again. "And I am in possession of a certain ability." She raised her hand and emerald aura surrounded it. She pointed ahead and Garfield looked ahead to see a large tree. Immediately a bolt of green energy hit it, scorching it.
His jaw dropped and he turned back to her, "How?"
She shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing. "Always been possession of the ability. Your sister is not the only one in possession of certain abilities."
Garfield paused. There were other people with like Raven? Like Kori? Then something occurred to him.
He turned to face her, "Hey! Why didn't you help before at Raven's castle? You could've shown her that she could control her 'abilities'!"
Kori flinched and sighed. "Like your sister my 'abilities' are affected by my emotions."
The prince raised an eyebrow, "So?"
Kori rolled her eyes at him, making him want to retort, but she silenced him with a glare. "So while your sister's fear strengthened her powers, my fear makes me unable to use mine."
"Oh." He sat back and looked ahead at the horizon. It finally struck him how dark it was. The one lantern attached to their sled barely made a dent in the darkness. It seemed to press in on them. "It's useless isn't it?"
"What?" Questioned Kori.
He felt a tide of hopelessness overwhelm him. "Trying to save my kingdom. I mean I'll just save it only for something else to happen."
The sled came to a screeching halt and once more Kori's hand connected with his face, pulling him out of his dark state.
"USELESS!" She roared. "WHAT'S USELESS IS THE ACT OF GIVING UP! QUITTERS NEVER SUCCEED! AND THOSE WHO SUCCEED NEVER QUIT!"
She took another breath, but was cut off by an approaching figure behind her.
"Kori Anders stop that right now! You know it's only the darkness talking."
She looked down at her feet like a berated child.
The guy offered him a hand and he took it, pulling himself up.
Garfield studied the stranger. He greatly resembled Richard, except for the fact his blue eyes were dark to the point of almost being black and his dark hair had two bangs framing his face.
The boy flashed a self-confident grin. "Hi I'm Jason, Jason Todd. I'm Kori and Richard's brother." He looked Garfield up and down, putting a finger to his chin in mock thought. "Let me guess you're the Prince."
Garfield nodded, impressed with the guy's self-confidence. "Let me guess, you're one of the love experts she told me about?"
Jason flashed a satisfied smile. "Yep." He motioned to Garfield's hair. "I assume you need help with that."
Garfield nodded. To his surprise Jason spun 180º and walked casually into the darkness, yelling over his shoulder, "Then you better come with me if you want to live."
Kori held up her hand creating an emerald lantern, she motioned for him to follow. Grabbing her other hand, he followed her into the darkness.
As Garfield followed Kori and Jason into the darkness, Richard was almost back to Raven's castle, but he wasn't the only one there …
Richard peered over snowdrift at the approaching army. He couldn't make out much of the army due to his small lantern, but what he could see was a young woman leading the charge. Her voice echoed over to where he was hiding.
"We are here to find Prince Garfield and Queen Raven. No harm is to come to either of them. Am I understood?"
The assembled party gave their assent and the army dismounted off their horses. They had only took a step forward when a roar echoed through the castle. The doors burst open revealing the shadow tiger that had previously thrown him out.
"Protect the princess!" Shouted the guards.
Then it hit him who the girl was, it was the girl Garfield was in love with, "Princess Terra of the Southern Isles." He breathed.
The Princess dodged the swipe of tiger and slashed at it wit a rapier. Two men stepped away from the group fighting the tiger, and ran up the staircase.
Richard studied the men as they run. There wasn't anything obviously different about them than the other men, but they moved with a purpose, a purpose usually only undertaken by those in a matter of life and death.
At this time Garfield, Kori, and Jason had made their way to clan's cave…
Garfield studied the unassuming cave before him. "This is where your family lives?"
"Yes." Responded the siblings behind him.
He turned to them, very skeptical. "You guys live in a cave?"
Jason rolled his eyes, "It's comfier than you think."
"And it holds a lot more." Chirped Kori.
Garfield eyed the seemingly shallow cave. "How much?"
"Twenty-ish rooms, multiple secret passage ways, at minimum twelve people living there at once, a dog, another dog, a pet caterpillar, a butler, and a panic room." Jason listed off effortlessly.
Garfield's eyes widened, "Wow." He noticed movement in the darkness and squinted. A pair eyes appeared causing him to jump back in surprise. "Ahh!" The siblings erupted in laughter. "What is that thing?" He yelled.
The 'thing' came out the mouth of the cave, revealing itself to be an young ebony haired girl. She looked to be about eight. Her eyes were trained on her shoes as she apologetically mumbled a sorry.
The prince rubbed his temples, "Let me guess, this is another sibling."
Kori nodded sheepishly, "That's my little sister Cassandra, or as we call her Cassie."
Garfield looked down at the girl, she was oddly silent for a child her age. "She doesn't speak much does she?"
Jason shrugged, "Her 'ability' messes with her speaking and writing skills."
'Cassie' seemed indignant, "I m-may not talk or put words on paper like Jason do, but I still smarter than Jason."
"Hey!" Huffed the aforementioned teenager.
Garfield shot a look at an unfazed Kori. "They've had this fight before?"
She gave him an nod that spoke volumes.
Garfield felt a tug on his cape, he looked down to see Cassie. "What?" He questioned
Cassie struggled for words, "Y-your hair is no-normal, its changing."