Disclaimer: All characters are from their respective works. Moving away from military lingo, today's vocab lesson is for non-Spanish speakers! Hola - hello. Vamanos - let's go. Promento - I promise. Beinvenido - welcome. Ay Dios mio - oh my God. Brujería - witchcraft. Ya no sé - I don't know anymore. I would also like to note that, while I understand and am able to speak Spanish... my grammar is horrendous. If you see an error, it's because I legit suck at it, so sorry. That being said, olé, motherfucker; let's have some Elsanna fun.
Elsa scrubbed at her eyes, trying to will herself awake as she picked her way through the trees surrounding Noah's home. True to her word, she'd cleared the man's roof of snow at every hint of a storm, though there weren't any big ones since her first visit. She could only assume he was holding up his end of the bargain, seeing as the letters she'd left in his box last week were gone by her next visit. Really, she didn't care if he was mailing them or not; the trips were excellent excuses for her to leave the Palace without complaints or questions from Hans.
She was also vaguely terrified by the prospect of Anna actually reading her first missive, but she tried to pretend that wasn't a big concern, convincing herself that the letters were more akin to messages in bottles set adrift on the tides than actual correspondence. It wasn't like she was expecting a reply, after all.
Stopping beside a large tree that gave her an excellent view of Noah's house, Elsa reached into her hoodie and pulled free the letters she was to drop off, one penned by herself and the other by Hans. Just as last time, the spot for the return address was left blank. She'd tried, very hard, to will herself to put something there before leaving the Palace but, when she finally worked up the nerve, remembered she didn't even know the town's name, much less the address of a specific house.
Willful ignorance on her part that she refused to correct. It was better that way.
Putting the letters back in her hoodie, Elsa started towards the house with only the moonlight and the northern lights to guide her. Before she could really register it, she was on the man's porch, standing before the tin box. On a whim- a silly, silly whim- she opened the box and checked it before depositing the letters.
It was empty, of course.
Closing the lid quietly, she left the porch and turned to survey the roof, which was free of any hint of snow or ice, as she expected. The next snowfall wasn't due for a few more days, which was why they were launching their fake scheme today. Elsa didn't particularly like the idea of leaving Marshmallow and Olaf alone during a snowstorm. Hans thought it was incredibly funny but relented all the same.
Speaking of their fake scheme, they would be leaving soon, despite how early in the morning it was; the trip to Mexico would take a few hours and they still had two archaeologists to track down, a trio of do-gooders to lure, and a trip home to make. Just because they thought they had a few days before the snow hit didn't mean she wanted to take any chances.
Elsa turned to leave Noah's property but stopped before she could take her first step. Someone was watching her, she could feel it; she just couldn't tell where the person was.
It couldn't have been Noah. The older man was far too cantankerous to keep quiet, an observation she'd made several times over the years. In fact, out of all the townsfolk, there was only one who didn't make a fuss when they saw her or whenever they could. He was also the only one she'd ever interacted with more than absolutely necessary.
"Mumble?" She swept her gaze around, searching for the boy. He responded to his name, stepping out from behind a stack of wood and offering her a slight wave. Mumble was the son of the general store owner, a quiet kid, scrawny for his age, and a bit... simple, in a way that reminded her of Olaf. She'd also noticed how the other kids in town tended to tease him a bit more than was entirely affectionate, how he was often ostracized, either intentionally or not. Perhaps that was why she wasn't bothered by his curiosity and his habit of seeking her out whenever she came around town. With a small smile, she set her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?"
"Noah said you were coming by to post some letters and clear his roof." He started towards her, checking the pockets of his jacket until he produced a chocolate bar from his father's store. "I wanted to come say hi." Mumble smiled, offering her the bar. "So, hi."
"How long have you been waiting out here, Mumble?" She smiled, taking his offering and unwrapping the candy. "Your parents will be worried."
Mumble shrugged, jamming one hand into his pocket. "They know I wander off sometimes. I'm always home by sunrise."
Elsa broke off a piece of the chocolate and placed it in Mumble's hand, breaking off a piece for herself after. "You didn't answer my question."
"I've only been here for an hour." He ate the piece of chocolate slowly, as if lost in thought. "I left home before the sun set. I've been walking around town... and thinking."
The blonde nodded, breaking off more pieces of chocolate and remaining silent. This was something of a routine that started after he tried following her home a few years back. She'd thought he would turn back after she started scaling the ridge overlooking the town, the same one she used to watch over it when she left the Palace for her alone time. But no, he'd continued up after her all the way to the top, and she found the only way for her to discourage him was to burrow herself into a snowbank she'd discreetly summoned and wait for him to turn back. She couldn't afford to have someone see Marshmallow, partly because it would expose her powers but mainly because the larger snowman didn't exactly take to strangers very well.
The next time she came to town, he started following her again, and she found the only way to prevent a repeat of the last time was to stop and talk to him. Or, rather, listen.
"Dad wants me to take over the store when I'm old enough. I don't mind, I mean, this is home for me... but I feel... something. Like I'm... different." He frowned, chewing his piece of chocolate for a moment before continuing. "I thought about going to one of the big cities, becoming a musician. I like... the sound of drums, rolling through my chest. Pounding and matching the beating in my chest. It's..." Mumble shrugged. "It's hard to describe."
Elsa nodded, breaking off another piece. Nearly half the bar was gone.
"But then... there's this girl. Gloria, I'm sure you've seen her, she's the Doc's daughter. When I see her, my heart... she's just... every time it's like..." He trailed off, as if searching for the right words. As she handed him the next piece, Elsa closed her hand over his briefly, offering him a small smile. She understood. With a nod of his own, he continued. "The problem is, I don't know which to follow. I don't think Gloria wants to leave. Well, she wants to go to university, but she wants to come back and be the doc like her mom." Looking over his shoulder, Mumble swept his gaze across the trees, across the town beyond them. "I can't be a musician here... but I can't imagine leaving Gloria behind." He turned back, gazing up at her with baby blue eyes. "I don't know which to choose."
Elsa finished chewing her piece of chocolate before speaking. "Why do you have to choose?" Mumble turned his head to the side, as if confused. "You're still young, Mumble. There's a lot of things that can happen between now and when you're old enough to decide for yourself to leave or stay." She ignored her own hypocrisy with that statement; she certainly wasn't 'old enough' by any standards when she fled to create her Palace. "For instance, have you tried talking to Gloria?"
"I'm working on it." Mumble laughed quietly, accepting another piece of chocolate. "It's hard."
"I know." Elsa smiled a little bigger at his curious glance but shook her head to discourage him from inquiring further. "Mumble... it's always going to be hard, choosing between your dreams and your heart, and following them. There's no right answer." She divided the last of the chocolate. "But maybe you should only worry yourself about the things you can affect right now, and make decisions to pursue your own happiness."
Mumble nodded, eating the last piece. "I'm going to ask my dad for a drum set for my next birthday. And I'm going to talk to Gloria. I mean, more than talk to her like I usually do. I'll ask her out on a date."
"That's a start," Elsa replied, turning to leave the way she came. Before she could leave, two arms wrapped around her as Mumble caught her in a slightly awkward hug.
"Thanks, Snow Walker." Mumble released her, turning to head back into town. "Be careful out there."
"You too, Mumble," she said, starting away at a brisk pace on the off chance he'd try doubling back and following her. Their talk hadn't taken too long, so she should still have plenty of time to make it back to the Palace before Hans got fussy with her about being late. The blonde briefly reflected on the conversation, hoping her advice was sound. She'd hate for the boy to encounter any sort of emotional pain because he was listening to her.
If her current situation was any indication, she really was the last person to ask for life advice anyway.
Anna stopped in front of her locker and slowly leaned against it, groaning quietly into the metal.
Due to her being gone for most of the day before, the pep squad had moved their practice to the following morning and it had just ended, leaving two thoughts swirling through her mind: she really disliked morning practices and her knee was throbbing miserably. She hadn't thought much of it after the whole vampire thing but, in hindsight, that was probably a mix of adrenaline, being distracted by the prospect of dinner, and exhaustion. When she woke up, her knee was swollen just a bit and she thought she could work it out during practice.
The answer to that was a resounding no. It wasn't to the point where she couldn't walk but Anna didn't like the prospect of being even slightly limited. They had another softball game this week, plus the football game, and that wasn't counting what missions might pop up. She needed to be at her best, so her knee needed to get the with program, pronto.
And she could not let Kristoff find out about this or she'd face his unending, nagging, completely unnecessary concern.
"Not so feisty this morning, huh Anna?" Of course he'd show up right then, impeccable timing as always. "Still not a morning person I take it?"
"They're a myth, Kristoff. There's no such thing as a 'morning person', not one who's sane anyway." Anna flashed him a smile and opened her locker. He hadn't noticed yet, so her best bet was to keep him distracted. "I got a letter yesterday."
"So did I." The blond groused, pulling the offending paper from his backpack. "This one, you have to read."
"Uh-oh, one of those, huh?" She laughed, accepting the letter and starting to read it. Anna didn't get past the first line before Kristoff cleared his throat. "What?"
His hand was out, waiting for her to produce the letter she'd received. It was something of a tradition, exchanging fan mail so the other could read the missives of adoring people the world over. "Your letter?"
"Oh." Anna gave a nervous chuckle. "Right. Just be careful with it, okay?"
Kristoff raised a brow, grinning a little as he was handed the letter still in its envelope. They read in silence for a bit, Anna finishing first and trying hard to control her amusement and pang of guilt. Unlike Kristoff, she occasionally felt bad for making light of someone else's feelings but... well, sometimes, it was hard to take these things seriously. This adoring letter definitely fit into that category.
"Ya know, I don't know if either of us should feel flattered that so many people think we're together." Anna mused as Kristoff continued reading, leaning back against her locker so she could discreetly take some weight off her sore leg. "I mean, aside from feeling vaguely creepy, seriously, you're a good looking guy with your own fan club; I should be honored that I'm considered-" she glanced at the letter in her hand "-a 'perfect example of femininity'... what does that even mean? Has this person even seen me?"
"Wow." Kristoff shook his head, obviously ignoring what Anna had said in favor of reading the letter. "This chick's got it bad for you."
"What makes you think they're a girl?" Anna quirked a brow, handing back Kristoff's letter and holding her hand out, waiting for her own to be returned. The blond held onto it a moment longer though.
"Because guys don't talk like this." He nodded towards the paper. "Also, guys don't write like this. It's too pretty."
"I'm sure some do."
Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Okay fine, some might, but seriously, no guy I know talks about 'true love' like that." Kristoff folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope. "Also, a dude would have no reason to notgive you at least his first name."
"Maybe they're trying to be mysterious?"
"Or, maybe she's still in the closet or completely unaware that you'll bat for whichever team you feel like."
Anna stuck out her tongue and took the envelope, starting to put it in her backpack. "Well, whoever it is, they're very... nice."
"Yeah- wait a minute, let me see that envelope again." At Anna's raised eyebrow, he continued. "I think I recognize that address." The redhead showed it to him. "Huh, yeah, I think that's the same address as the one I got. Same handwriting too. Weird."
"Maybe they're siblings? And their mom or dad did the return address?"
"Like sisters?" Kristoff smiled, eyes staring off into the distance. "Hot, Canadian, twin sisters."
"And one of them thinks you're the 'pinnacle of virility'." Anna smirked as Kristoff's hopeful look fell.
"You just had to ruin my fantasy by reminding me one of them's nuts, didn't you?"
The redhead shrugged, heading towards their first class. "Hey, what are best friends for?"
Chel once thought that, with all the people packed in the sprawling urban jungle of Mexico City, finding one gullible and somewhat useful man to take care of her would be reasonably easy. She was young, beautiful, intelligent enough to use her looks to her advantage, and quick enough to steal just about anything without the owner being any wiser; she had all the skills she needed to make a comfortable life for herself in a place like this.
So how she ended up with these two American idiots was beyond her.
"Tulio, we're geniuses!" Miguel cried with a laugh, shaking the other man's shoulders as they read a message from the latest group looking to capitalize on their 'ground breaking discovery' and promising more than enough funding and royalties for leading the expedition. "Absolute geniuses!"
"We have offers, Miguel, but they all demand to actually see it before they'll pay us!" Tulio rubbed at his temple, slowly shaking his head. "They might be biting but we haven't hooked a single catch yet!"
Chel rolled her eyes, leaning back against the horse settled behind her with a sigh. Altivo- the horse the three managed to steal as a means of transport- huffed, as if trying to console her while flicking his ears in the direction of the bickering Americans. They were taking temporary refuge in a safe house- a structure that amounted to a lean-to on the fringes of the city- waiting for the heat to die down.
While their little ploy was working wonders outside of Mexico City, the local authorities- much more familiar with their scams- were hot on their trail. Less because they wanted to foil the two men and more because their claims about the ancient and fabled city of El Dorado attracted not only the attention of universities, researchers, scientists and the like, but also that of the cartels.
For once in her life, she'd rather be caught by policía. The alternative... wasn't pretty.
"It's only a matter of time." Miguel was still talking, waving off Tulio's concerns. "All we need to do is provide a little bit of this so-called proof and state our terms. Someone will take the bait! Then, we'll live like kings!"
"Kings being hunted by half the country." Tulio pointed out, a small smile on his lips. "Seriously, do we have an exit strategy?"
"Don't we always?" Miguel laughed, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulder. "We'll just-"
Suddenly, the flimsy walls of the safe house were ripped away, jagged walls of ice spikes replacing them. Altivo and Chel shot to their feet, eyes wide as they shivered from the sudden blast of cold. Miguel and Tulio stumbled away from the former entrance, eyes directed at the two people standing just beyond the destroyed threshold.
Chel felt her mouth drop open, chills completely unrelated to the ice's cold creeping down her spine as piercing blue eyes swept over her dismissively and settled on Miguel and Tulio, their owner a blonde woman Chel had never seen before. Beside her was a redheaded man wearing a slightly amused smirk.
"Hola." He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. "I am The Prince, and this is my associate, Ice Queen." He glanced at the woman standing behind him who held out her hands, wisps of sparkling white and blue encircling her hands and forearms. "Would you two happen to be Miguel Sanchez and Tulio Rivera, the two archaeologists who've found El Dorado?"
The two men exchanged a quick glance before Tulio offered a tentative: "No hablamos Ingles."
The Prince raised a brow as frost began crawling along the floor, starting at Ice Queen's feet and reaching towards the men. "You may want to try again."
Miguel swallowed thickly, offering the newcomers a shaky smile. "What my friend meant to say, uh, was that we're... afraid you're mistaken, Senor."
"We've never heard of these, uh, archaeologists you speak of." Tulio continued, smiling as well.
The Prince raised a brow. "Is that so? What do you think Ice Queen?"
The blonde narrowed her eyes. "They're lying."
"Shame." The Prince turned back to Miguel and Tulio. "Convince them to be more... forthcoming."
Ice erupted all around them, spikes jutting from nearly all sides, spooking Altivo. As the horse reared in fright, Chel grabbed for his reins to calm him while staring all around her. "Brujería."
"I believe we were talking about an exit strategy before." Tulio muttered to his friend.
Miguel nodded. "Right. Just follow my lead." He took a step forward, clearing his throat. "We apologize for our moment of deception. You are clearly of a higher caliber than the usual riffraff hounding us around the city." He motioned back towards Tulio. "We would gladly, uh, assist you however we can."
"Then you'll be acting as my guides to El Dorado. You know the way, yes?" The Prince crossed his arms over his chest.
"Of course we do!" Tulio laughed. "But we should consult our... map, to be certain we don't lead you astray. Miguel, where'd we leave the map again?"
"It's out in the car, Tulio!" Miguel laughed, pointing to the street behind The Prince.
With furrowed brows, The Prince turned to survey the street. "I don't recall there being a car parked out-" The cracking of ice had him turning back to find both men gone, surprise registering on his face as he turned to Ice Queen. "Where'd they go?"
"That way." Ice Queen pointed towards the alley behind the row of shabby buildings, specifically at a break in the back wall that was just barely large enough for a person to slip through.
"And you didn't stop them because...?" The Prince raised a brow.
Ice Queen shrugged. "You didn't tell me to, for one." The Prince slapped a hand to his face and sighed as Ice Queen continued. "We need to waste time, for another. They're not the ones we're after, remember?"
"Of course I do! Still, this is a needless complication." The Prince pouted, pulling back his sleeve to push a button on his watch. "Track them down. I'll wait in the hovercraft."
Ice Queen nodded, waiting until the hovercraft appeared overhead before starting after the two men. As The Prince lifted into the air to board the hovercraft using a lowered line, the blonde turned her gaze to Chel.
"Anna Andersen," Ice Queen said, pronouncing the name very clearly. "Get her here, we'll release your friends." She paused, narrowing her eyes slightly. "And we won't come back for you."
With that, the blonde proceeded into the alley, leaving Chel and Altivo alone in the frozen remains of their hide-out. Chel quickly weighed her options. Every street survival instinct she'd honed over the years was screaming at her to leave the idiots to their fate... but some semblance of a conscience she would swear she didn't have pointed out they were her idiots. She couldn't very well leave them at the mercy of their own poorly conceived machinations.
"Altivo." Chel hoisted herself into the horse's back, patting his neck reassuringly. "Vamanos."
Kristoff sighed as Mr. P continued his lecture at the front of the class. If the class wasn't a requirement, he wouldn't have taken it, seeing as giving presentations and speeches were easily some of his least favorite activities, so taking a class devoted to doing just that was a bit grating. Plus, it just wasn't a skill he was likely to ever use. He didn't necessarily like one-on-one conversation with random people, but he could manage just fine; talking to a big group? Yeah, not so much, so he avoided it at all costs. The only upside to the class was having Anna with him to make the mundane assignments interesting. This was also one of the few areas he actually did better than her on a consistent basis, though Mr. Papikrankenitz occasionally told him to be mindful of his language.
He was supposedly 'abrasive' at times with his wording, though the blond merely thought it was being assertive. Still, it worked for him, and he didn't freeze up when addressing the class, so Kristoff didn't gripe about the occasional one or two point deduction.
Movement caught his attention and, through the corner of his eye, he watched as Anna rubbed absently at her knee again. That made five times since class started and the blond was getting worried. While the redhead assured him the competition didn't aggravate the injury, he was beginning to think that she stressed it during the morning pep squad practice and Anna was downplaying it so he wouldn't worry.
Which he did anyway, so she should really knock it off and get it checked out.
"Maybe you should get some ice for your knee." He offered, quietly so he wouldn't attract Mr. P's attention. It was one of those rare times he hated sitting so close to the front of the class.
Anna shook her head, eyes never leaving her notebook as she scribbled something only the redhead would ever be able to read. "It's fine."
"You've been rubbing it all class." He pointed out as her hand stopped its motion, returning to her desk top. "Maybe you're pushing yourself too hard."
"I did the same stuff last year, Kris," she replied, glancing up to ensure Mr. P was still orating to the class. If the teacher was aware of their conversation, he wasn't acknowledging it, instead sweeping his eyes along the back of the class as he turned away from the board. Probably ensuring Ling wasn't catching a nap again.
"No, you didn't." Kristoff held up a finger before she could argue. "One, you didn't do cheer competitions because you weren't the mascot until after Aladdin dislocated his shoulder, and their season was over by then. Two, you had a designated hitter last year, so you weren't batting or running bases during softball games. Three-"
"Kristoff!" Mr. P's voice caused both teens to wince, directing their gaze at the man. He looked more concerned than upset, as was usual; Mr. P was definitely one of the more laid back teachers. "Is everything alright?"
The blond opened his mouth, paused, weighed his options, then decided it would be worth the retribution. His arm shot up, pointing to Anna. "She needs an ice pack for her knee, Mr. P."
"Kris!" The redhead hissed, swatting at his arm.
"Did you hurt it, Anna? You were favoring it a little when you walked in."
"I'm fine, Mr. P."
"She's lying." Kristoff winced as he received a punch to his arm.
"I swear it's nothing!"
Unsurprisingly, Anna hadn't miraculously improved at lying and Mr. P saw straight through her. "I think it might be best if you see the school nurse, just to be on the safe side. I think Dr. Sweet has the rotation this week." As Mr. P turned to his desk to start filling out a hall pass, Anna and Kristoff paled.
Nothing against Dr. Sweet- he was a very good guy, if a bit of a fast talker, and he knew his stuff when it came to illnesses and injuries- but he tended to get a bit... carried away sometimes, and when a doctor with a bonesaw in his medical bag has a tendency to get carried away, well, they couldn't really be blamed for their hesitance, could they?
By some stroke of cosmic luck, Anna's communication device started ringing, saving her from trying to get out of her trip to the nurse's office. Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest and outright glared at Anna as she answered, trying to discourage her from accepting whatever mission was awaiting them. At his desk, Mr. P paused in filling out the hall pass to listen to the conversation.
"Hey, Mr. Oaken. Where are we going today?" She offered the burly man a smile, consciously ignoring Kristoff's glare, her classmates' stares, and Mr. P's curiosity.
The burly man laughed. "Ya, I receive request. Someone say two men are in danger of kidnapping in Mexico City."
Anna raised a brow. "Kidnapping? Isn't that something the local authorities can handle?"
Mr. Oaken grinned, that knowing grin she was getting used to seeing from a ton of people by now, but she tried not to get her hopes up. "Ya, if regular kidnapping. This one though? Involves The Prince and Ice Queen."
The redhead immediately lit up, everything else forgotten as she gathered her notebook and shoved it into her bag with one hand. Beside her, Kristoff was packing up his stuff too, the glare he'd been sporting replaced by a smug smile.
"Told ya they were fine."
"Shut up, Kris," Anna replied with a chuckle, slinging her bag onto her back. "Okay, when's our ride getting here?"
"Fifteen minutes."
Anna nodded, turning to Kristoff as they started towards the classroom door. "We'll get changed really fast, then go find Sven."
"Sounds good. Mr. P-"
"I gotcha." The teacher theatrically winked, typing something up on his computer. "I'm sending out the notice now. You kids be careful and take it easy on your knee, Anna."
"Will do, Mr. P." She waved goodbye to the class before heading through the door and down the hallway, back to the lockers with Kristoff hot on her heels. They each exchanged their school backpacks for their mission ones, hurrying towards the nearest bathrooms after making the switch. Kristoff honestly preferred changing in the locker room but, given the time constraint, there were worse places to swap outfits, like loading bay of a C-130 during take-off.
That was a mistake he'd never make again.
His pants were suitable enough for mission wear, so he only bothered changing his shirt and throwing his vest over it, forgoing his beanie given the relatively warmer temperatures in Mexico. Once finished, he checked for his pick ax and zipped up the bag, exiting the bathroom and heading for the main entrance. Anna would take a little longer, so he should get a headstart on finding Sven.
As he exited the school, he caught sight of... probably one of the stranger things he'd ever seen. Officer Brooks was escorting Sven towards the main entrance- which, to be clear, was obviously on school property- and carrying what appeared to be two tan gas cans, minus the spouts.
"Uh, good morning, Officer Brooks."
"Bjorgman," the woman replied, setting the jugs down. "Take those with you and make sure you bring them back."
"Why do we need gas cans?"
"They're five gallon water jugs, Bjorgman." Officer Brooks smoothed out her jacket. "You're taking a reindeer to Mexico; you should monitor your hydration."
"Oh, that makes sense." The blond nodded as he reached the jugs and an enthusiastic Sven. "Isn't Principal Mode-"
Officer Brooks waved off his concern. "I'll handle the Principal. Papikrankenitz mentioned this mission involves the individuals the Colonel was looking for information on a few weeks ago."
"Yeah, Anna's super excited, she-" He quickly clamped his mouth shut, suddenly realizing that Anna would probably not want him talking about her crush so openly, regardless if his audience was already well aware of it. He wasn't sure if the woman was in the loop but, given Coach Calhoun's talk with the redhead not too long ago, it was pretty safe to assume she knew.
Her slight grunt of acknowledgment pretty much cemented that in his mind even as she turned her attention elsewhere. "Oaken is ensuring that any mission dealing with those two has civilian or similarly unaffiliated transports for you three but keep in mind that the saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend." They both looked to the school's entrance as Anna raced through the door, taking the front steps in a single bound. "Be sure of who your enemies are."
"Uh, sure." The blond shrugged, picking up both water jugs as Anna reached him. "Ready to go, Feisty Pants?"
The redhead grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her knee apparently forgotten about for the time being. "I was born ready!"
Chel groaned, smacking the side of the computer screen in frustration. Of course the crappy Internet would choose now, of all times, to fizz completely out. After leaving the remains of the hide-out, Chel and Altivo had made their way- carefully- across the city to the crappy apartment she shared with those knuckleheads, avoiding the policía the whole way. In hopes of getting Miguel and Tulio out of this mess, Chel had turned to the all powerful Google for more information on this 'Anna Andersen' person and, after a few... weird results, she'd found the page she needed and clicked on the link that would allow her to contact the person.
Then, the internet decided that no, it wouldn't cooperate, almost as if the world was laughing at her.
Groaning, Chel leaned her head back against the wall, a light thud echoing in the room a brief moment before the door slammed opened and shut, two blurs entering the room and panting heavily. As Miguel and Tulio leaned against the door together, Chel set the computer aside.
"I think... I think we lost her..." Miguel fought to catch his breath while his friend slid down the door until he reached the floor.
"She's relentless." Tulio shook his head slowly, struggling much like his friend. "Miguel-"
"I know, I know... just let... just let me think."
"If I can't... come up with anything-" Tulio dragged a hand down his face, whatever calm he managed to collect disappearing as frost suddenly started forming on the wall of the apartment that faced the street. "What if we... go with... the old back-up?"
"Popocatépetl?" Miguel furrowed his brows, glancing at the frost. "You think... that'll work?"
For the second time that day, a wall exploded into bursts of ice, none other than Ice Queen herself standing just beyond the destruction on a ledge she'd created just outside the fourth floor apartment.
"You have a better idea?" Tulio hissed out through clenched teeth.
"Well, I suppose that was entertaining in a... bizarre way." The Prince suddenly appeared beside Ice Queen, lowered from above using some sort of black rope, with another length of rope looped over his shoulder. "But now, I think it's time we stop playing these little games, hmm?"
Miguel and Tulio exchanged one last look before sighing, nodding reluctantly. "Fine."
Miguel stepped forward, Tulio a step behind. "We'll take you to El Dorado."
"Excellent. Lead the way, gentlemen, and step lively." With a smug grin, The Prince adjusted his lapel. "I do have a schedule to keep."
As Miguel and Tulio made their way past The Prince and Ice Queen, the redheaded of the two turned to his associate.
"We probably should've taken that girl and the horse too, now that I think about it. Might've been good leverage to coerce their cooperation." Chel pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath as those piercing blue eyes flicked to her before going back to The Prince, who shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter. We have who we need."
As the The Prince disappeared to wherever Miguel and Tulio had gone, Ice Queen allowed her gaze to linger on Chel.
"I-I'm trying. Promento." Chel whispered, glancing back at the internet indicator on the computer's taskbar. When she looked up, the blonde was gone.
Anna sighed, leaning back against the plane's hull as they flew across the Mexican countryside. The Cessna 182- a single prop plane primarily used for skydiving ventures by a kind pilot Anna and Kristoff had pulled out of the ocean after a crash a few years back- was buzzing pleasantly, though the space was a bit cramped with Sven huddled in the very back. Kristoff was, once again, clinging tightly to anything he could get a hold on, certain the plane would fall out of the sky at a moment's notice.
That didn't stop him from lecturing her, though.
"Kris, seriously, drop it! I'm fine!"
"You're not fine and I'm going to keep hounding you because you won't slow down otherwise," he replied, eyes shut tight as the plane rocked gently. "If this wasn't an Ice Queen mission, I would've told Mr. Oaken 'no' for you!"
The redhead groaned, rolling her eyes. "Kris, come on-"
"Anna, I'm not saying stop or quit or anything! Just, ya know, take better care of yourself!" He cracked one eye open. "That includes taking time off to recover from injuries."
He was right, as much as she hated to admit it. "Sometimes, I wish I was made of adamantium."
"Unfortunately, you're just as mortal as the rest of us." Kristoff shuddered as the plane rocked slightly harder.
"Sorry 'bout that!" Dusty, the pilot, called back to them. "We should be to Mexico City soon!"
"Great!" Anna called back, quirking a brow as her communication device began to buzz. Pulling it free, she greeted Mr. Oaken with a smile.
"Yoo hoo! Just received update. The Prince and Ice Queen already kidnapped the two gentlemen." Anna grimaced. Crap, she wondered where they- "They take them to Popo..." Mr. Oaken frowned. "Popo..." He shrugged. "To volcano."
"They're going where?" Anna's face fell. Why on Earth would they be going to a volcano?
"Is part of escape plan for men, Miguel and Tulio. They plan to use volcano to make escape."
"Did he just say volcano?" Kristoff groaned. "Is there, like, a cosmic bingo game, and someone's trying to get us to respond to all the natural disasters so they win a celestial gaming console or something?"
"It might be a crock pot," Anna replied, bidding Mr. Oaken goodbye and carefully making her way up to the cockpit of the plane. "Hey Dusty! Do you know of a volcano called Popo... something?"
"Huh? You mean Popocatépetl?"
Anna shrugged. "Sure. Is it close?"
"Relatively, I guess. It's outside of Mexico City at any rate. That where you need to go?" Anna nodded and Dusty adjusted their heading, pointing the plane slightly further to the southeast. "I can't get you too close." At Anna's curious look, Dusty chuckled and pointed towards the horizon. "See that black plume of smoke there? Just a pinprick? That's Popocatépetl."
"Great," Anna dryly replied. They were heading straight for an active volcano. Maybe Kristoff's idea had merit.
Elsa sighed, wiping her brow as she continued to bring up the rear of the group as they trekked up the side of the clearly active volcano. This was beyond stupid and reckless and almost worse than busting into a military research lab and she was certain the supposed archaeologists were leading them on a wild goose chase anyway... but Hans was dead set on following this through. The blonde was nearly at her wits end trying to remain the cool, composed Ice Queen next to his obliviousness but that was their dynamic and she had to stick to it. Otherwise, he might get suspicious and that was the last thing she needed to deal with.
Some part of her hoped they were too far away from civilization to be tracked down and Hans would wise up to the whole scheme in a few minutes. Anything that would end this whole debacle before the redhead actually showed up. If she'd known they'd be climbing an active volcano, she would've never told that poor girl in the shack how to expedite the process. Fighting on the side of a mountain was a good deal more dangerous than in a building, forget the side of an active volcano. If Anna did appear and they began fighting and something happened...
Elsa shook herself, trying to dislodge the fear seeping into her heart. The heat certainly didn't help set her at ease. It was sweltering, especially compared to the Canadian night she'd awoken to, and it set her in a foul mood the moment they left the hovercraft.
She tried hard to ignore whether it was natural for the locale or if being next to an active volcano was adding to the heat.
This active volcano thing was really getting under her skin.
If she didn't have the policy of speaking as little as possible during Hans' plots, she would've mentioned all this to him. As it was, she trudged along behind him silently, the two archaeologists a few feet ahead.
With a sigh, Hans looked over his shoulder, a frown tugging at his lips. "I'm beginning to think these two are charlatans."
The blonde resisted the urge to roll her eyes and slap a hand to her face, muttering to herself. "No shit."
"This is beginning to look..." His eyes narrowed as he stopped, looking far beyond Elsa. The blonde turned, following his gaze down the side of the volcano to see a large blob moving up the same path they'd taken. Her breath caught in her throat as she made out the reindeer's antlers. Hans, meanwhile, allowed a wide grin to claim his lips. "Success at last." He looked at Elsa. "Ice Queen, go entertain our guests." At Elsa's nod, he turned back towards the archaeologists who were arguing quietly among themselves a bit further up the path and slipped the rope from his shoulder. "You two, come here. Your part in this is almost done."
Anna tightened her hold on Kristoff's waist as Sven pressed on, churning up the ground beneath them as they sped up the path. She couldn't imagine how difficult it was for the reindeer, as steep as the slope was and carrying the combined weight of the two teens. The Prince and Ice Queen were probably close to the lip of the volcano at this point, which was the only possible destination she could imagine would be necessary for an 'escape plan' to work.
After leaving the plane, the traveling trio had parachuted as close as they safely could, being mindful of the turbulent winds caused by the heat of the volcano. The remaining distance, unfortunately, was solely on Sven's shoulders. They would've taken their time if there wasn't the threat of the volcano erupting at any moment and she spared a thought to wonder just how crazy The Prince was to take two men to an active volcano for... some reason. It was far more dangerous than his usual 'take over the world' schemes. Then there was the nagging worry about Ice Queen. Just because she had ice powers didn't mean she was adversely affected by the heat, more than a regular person would be, right? The path up the volcano wasn't too narrow, so there wasn't a likelihood of the blonde passing out from heat exhaustion and falling to her...
She really hoped no one got hurt on this mission and her nervousness could be felt by her friend.
"Come on, Sven." Kristoff urged, leaning forward to help his buddy as much as he could. Sven brayed in response, lowering his head and charging forward. As he rounded a boulder that jutted onto the trail, the reindeer threw his head back in surprise and reared to dodge the flurry of icicles that cut across the path.
Anna slid from Sven's back, hitting the ground a moment later and jumping forward. "Ice Queen!"
The ice dissipated, revealing the blonde woman standing in the middle of the path with her usual impassive expression. "You rang?"
"Kristoff, find the, uh... guys." The redhead stepped up and dropped into an aggressive stance, a small grin gracing her lips. "Ice Queen is mine."
"Someone's possessive today." The woman's lips curled into a smirk, adopting her own fighting stance without budging from the middle of the path. "I'm flattered."
"Like you don't look forward to this as much as I do," Anna replied, hoping her voice sounded confident enough. Her focus was split between trying to sound flirtatious and assessing the situation; there wasn't enough room for Sven to pass safely on either side of Ice Queen without putting one or both of them in danger.
She would have to make room then.
With a glance at Kristoff, Anna launched forward, closing the distance as quickly as she could. Ice Queen immediately countered with a warning blast of ice meant to stave the redhead off but she merely dropped into a slide, allowing the cold burst to pass over her. Before she could regain her feet, the blonde was stepping forward, swinging her leg in a vicious kick aimed for the redhead's side. Anna rolled away and aimed a sweeping kick at Ice Queen's other leg which the woman jumped over with ease. It bought the redhead enough time to stand up but, as one leg stepped back to stabilize her stance, her foot hit the rock. She was backed up against the side of the volcano while her opponent stood a few feet from the edge of the path, the forest and mountains providing a rather majestic backdrop as Ice Queen waited for Anna's next move.
The redhead fought very hard not to be that entranced by the scene, especially when a light breeze ever so gently wove its way through light blonde locks.
With a quick shake of her head, Anna assessed the situation and leapt back into action, swinging her leg in a poorly telegraphed kick aimed for Ice Queen's side. Just as she hoped, the blonde trapped Anna's leg with one arm, ready to follow through with a toss. Anna beat her to the punch, hooking her leg around Ice Queen's waist and throwing her body weight back. It led to a rough fall on her back that nearly knocked the wind out of her but she pulled Ice Queen with her, her other leg wrapping around the blonde's waist as she crossed her ankles. Ice Queen's arms shot out to break her fall on instinct and Anna used it to her advantage, reaching up and pulling one of the blonde's arms to destabilize her and twisting her hips, effectively rolling them over. Anna quickly leaned forward, subconsciously shielding Ice Queen's head as she barked out to Kristoff.
"Go, now!"
A moment later, Sven was leaping over her and charging up the path, leaving Anna to keep Ice Queen's attention as he and Kristoff rushed to locate the archaeologists.
She just hoped Kristoff could handle The Prince and no one fell off the side of the volcano. That wasn't asking for too much, right?
In her moment of distraction, Ice Queen managed to work her arms between their bodies and pushed roughly at Anna's gut while twisting to the side, effectively separating them. Luckily, Anna wound up with her back to the path leading up the volcano, so she was still in a position to prevent Ice Queen from pursuing her friends.
"Looks like it's just you and me." Anna adopted her stance, this time focusing on keeping her defenses up and her eyes trained on her opponent.
The blonde smirked and flicked her wrist, raising her arm to form an icy barrier along the side of the path. Ice Queen then tilted her head to the side, beckoning Anna closer with one hand. "I'm not complaining."
Kristoff looked over his shoulder for the fifth time as he and Sven continued up the volcano. The nagging guilt at leaving Anna behind to face Ice Queen was slight but still there; this mission was too far from his comfort zone for his liking.
It briefly occurred to him how odd his life had to be when running into a building that he was fully aware had the capability to explode was considered the heart of his comfort zone, but he set that aside as Sven brought his attention to the path ahead of them.
There in the middle of the path was The Prince, with his sword already drawn and a haughty smile on his lips. Behind him were the archaeologists, tied together with their hands behind their backs and cloth over their mouths. Sven halted a safe distance away from The Prince, allowing Kristoff to dismount before shifting closer to the edge, allowing his master to stick closer to the wall.
"Bienvenido, amigo," The Prince said with a heavily embellished accent, raising his sword arm and bringing the weapon to the ready. "Are you enjoying your visit?"
"More than you are, I bet," Kristoff replied, pulling his pick ax free of Sven's saddle. He usually didn't try engaging The Prince in conversation but this situation was a bit too volatile to just dive straight into the fighting. He needed to keep The Prince distracted for a bit first. "You went from trying to rule the world to kidnapping. That seems like a few steps backwards to me."
"Everything is a means to an end, my boy. But speaking of a step back, where's your girlfriend?" The Prince made a show of trying to look behind Kristoff. "Don't tell me you finally decided to drop the dead weight."
"Okay, for one thing, we're not dating. We're just friends." Kristoff rolled his eyes. Geez, he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd had to say that, except that it was practically his catch phrase during seventh grade. "Second, she is not dead weight."
"Oh?" The Prince raised a brow, slight confusion flashing in his eyes.
"Yes." The blond gritted out, not sure which part of his response was prompting the confusion but wary all the same. Something was definitely off about this whole situation, though he couldn't tell exactly what- aside from the obvious, like the location and motive. Slowly stepping to the side, he started circling The Prince, prompting the redhead to do the same. Behind him, the blond could hear the faint scraping of hooves against rock.
Finally, the man blinked, his resolve returning as if it never left. "Well, I suppose I simply don't believe you."
"Congratulations. I wasn't aware you could form your own opinions. I'm impressed." In that moment, as The Prince blinked in surprise for the second time in as many minutes, Kristoff was a little glad for that stupid rivalry with Phillip; it taught him how to be quick with snarky comebacks.
"You're impressed?" He barked a laugh. "I sincerely doubt you know the meaning of the word. Allow me to help define it for you!"
Kristoff didn't even feign surprise as The Prince lunged forward, steel meeting iron as the blond parried the simple thrust. As metal met metal, Sven carefully advanced along the edge of the fight, working his way to the bound men.
The reindeer didn't like the prospect of leaving Kristoff alone to fight The Prince anymore than leaving Anna to deal with Ice Queen, but he trusted both humans to keep their respective opponents distracted while he ferried the victims to safety. Then he would return to provide whatever help he could. As he neared the men, they seemed to read the situation as well, the blond one leaning forward so his friend could pull his legs up and brace himself against the rock face. Sven turned around, backing up so the two men could maneuver- a bit awkwardly, mind- themselves onto the reindeer's back. After they were more or less there, he raised his hindquarters sharply to jostle them higher onto his back. It wasn't the most ideal situation but he could work with this.
He just had to wait for the right moment to charge away from this mess.
Anna ducked another wintry blast and countered with a wicked uppercut that just barely missed Ice Queen's jaw, following with a quick jab to the woman's gut. She couldn't pull back fast enough though, the blonde catching her wrist and pulling her forward by the arm. Before she could adjust her momentum, Ice Queen kneed her in the stomach, causing the redhead to curl into herself instinctively with a groan. As she stumbled backwards and fought to straighten, Ice Queen circled around her.
The blonde narrowed those piercing blue eyes suspiciously. "You're slower than usual."
Anna bit her lip momentarily. She had hoped Ice Queen wouldn't notice that she was favoring her bad leg, forcing her to reconsider her typical fighting style. She also hated admitting Kristoff had a really good point that maybe she bit off a bit more than she could chew this year. "Sorry."
Ice Queen paused, quirking a brow. "You're apologizing."
The redhead could feel her cheeks heating up in a blush. She hadn't meant to say that aloud. Trapped in the blonde's gaze, Anna did the only thing she could think of: she rolled with it. "Of course, Your Majesty. I aim to please you."
Her blush intensified a few notches. Where had that come from?
Ice Queen appeared unaffected by Anna's attempt at flirting, her face smoothing out into indifference. Okay, so she totally blew it. Great. All that worrying and those really embarrassing talks and now she-
Wait.
"You're blushing," Anna said, wonder coloring her tone as she noticed the faint pink tint to the woman's otherwise pale skin. In the back of her mind, she was completely aware her stance was relaxing but she couldn't quite bring herself to care.
Ice Queen crossed her arms over her stomach, eyes darting away briefly. "I'm better suited to the cold; this climate makes me uncomfortably warm."
Anna mentally applauded herself for anticipating the blonde's dislike of the warm weather, but she was fairly certain it wasn't the cause of that faint blush. It couldn't be. But there was really only one way she could think of to be sure, pretty much the rule she lived by: give it her all.
"Why not just say you're hot?" The redhead grinned as Ice Queen's blush became a little more pronounced. Maybe Mr. Fa was right about the whole 'say what comes to mind' thing. It seemed to be working. She hoped. "Because I'd totally agree."
"Is that so?" Could that be genuine curiosity in the blonde's voice? She was looking at Anna, suspicion evident in her eyes but also... hope? Maybe? Was she reading too much into this or projecting or some other silly thing she was totally likely to do? Ice Queen began circling her again, drawing closer with each step while trying to be subtle about it. "Somehow, I doubt you're being honest."
"Are you kidding? You're gorgeous!" Anna tensed slightly, realizing that maybe she had a bit of a filter problem she hadn't previously accounted for and wondering if it was to her benefit or detriment. Her heart squeezed painfully at the thought that she was completely screwing this up but, honestly, the organ had stopped doing its job faithfully a few minutes ago; between nearly stopping with Ice Queen's every word and hammering in her chest during her own replies, she was more than a little surprised she hadn't passed out already.
But, if the look Ice Queen was giving her at that moment was any indication... it was all definitely to her benefit.
"This coming from the girl with the cutest freckles I've ever seen." Ice Queen smirked, shifting her weight to one foot and placing her hands on her hips as it was Anna's turn to blush a little brighter, a ridiculous grin fighting to the surface. So much for playing it cool, as if that was ever a feasible plan to begin with. The redhead suddenly noticed their proximity; she could reach out and touch the other woman if she so desired. Which she did. Crap. "Cat got your tongue, Princess?"
"P-princess?" Anna blinked, taken off guard by the sudden title. Well, it certainly fit the villains' royal theme... wait, did that mean she was putting them both on the same level? It certainly didn't seem condescending, even if princess was a lesser title than queen. Not like usual, when The Prince called her and Kristoff kids.
The redhead's silence seemed to amuse Ice Queen, who smirked a little wider. "Do you like my nicknames?" The redhead's mouth opened and closed a few times as she floundered. "I think you do, Snowflake." Ice Queen raised one hand, her gloved finger lightly tracing along Anna's jaw. "But if not, you really should."
Crap, Ice Queen was way better at being flirty and everything and just... wait a minute. "What's your name?"
"Ice Queen," came the instant reply and Anna rolled her eyes.
"No, I mean your real name. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Ice Queen, because you have the whole ice magic thing going and you're as regal and beautiful and amazing as a queen and, crap-" Anna took a deep breath, trying to will down the heat rising in her cheeks and get a handle on herself. "Here," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "My name is Anna Andersen." She held her hand out between them, barely having to reach out given how they had miraculously gravitated towards each other during the conversation. "What's yours?"
It was Ice Queen's turn to be stunned, though she maintained her dignity through her silence, something Anna couldn't help but admire. The blonde's eyes widened slightly and her smirk fell but at least she didn't resemble a fish out of water.
A few seconds passed with no answer coming from the blonde and Anna glanced away a moment, trying not to be disappointed. She should've known better, should've expected-
Without warning, the redhead suddenly lashed out with both hands, sending the blonde careening backwards until she fetched up against the rock. Anna threw herself back against the ice barrier the moment after, just barely managing to clear the way for Sven as he raced past. Unfortunately, she'd used too much force and she could feel the ice cracking behind her as her momentum continued. It abruptly halted and Anna breathed a sigh of relief, pulling herself forward and settling into her stance once more. Ice Queen was already focused on her with that impassive mask back in place, arms up and ready to fight.
Internally, she winced; that probably set her back a bit on the whole trying-to-win-her-over scale. A word of warning might've been better but she'd acted on instinct. She should apologize?
Nope, too late, Ice Queen was already closing the distance with one arm cocked back and the redhead returned her attention to defending herself from her opponent's strikes.
The next slight break in their fight, though, she was going to try again.
Chel muttered another prayer as she pulled back on Altivo's reins. After sending off the message, she'd spent about five minutes collecting what few personal items she could fit into an old tote and left the apartment for good. The blonde woman's actions had drawn more than enough attention for the local authorities to assemble and slipping away hadn't been easy. There really wasn't any going back at this point.
"Esperate, Altivo." Chel put a hand on the horse's muzzle as he nickered, obviously wanting to follow her. However, with the smoke column hanging thickly in the air above the volcano, she didn't want the poor creature any closer than he needed to be; this whole mess wasn't his fault. Gathering up her courage, Chel started towards the entry point for the path up the volcano but stopped short as... a very furry and horned horse raced around the corner, carrying two familiar faces.
"Chel!" Tulio called out, relief washing over him as they drew up beside her, the horned horse trying to assist them in dismounting. "Oh thank goodness you're okay."
"You will not believe the day we've had." Miguel laughed, turning slightly. "Think you can untie this?"
Rolling her eyes, Chel pulled a knife from her back pocket and flicked it open, reaching up and cutting through the rope easily. "How'd you escape?"
"Some kids came and started fighting those two crazy people." Miguel rubbed at his wrists, swinging his leg so he could sit properly. "Now, let's get out of here!"
Chel turned to mount Altivo, settling herself and ready to follow the furry horse... that was standing rather resolutely, despite Miguel's urging.
"Come on. Let's go."
Tulio groaned, sitting behind the blond. "What is wrong with this reindeer?"
The reindeer started rearing up and bucking, trying to dislodge the men who were holding on for dear life.
"Could! This! Get! Any! Worse!" Tulio shouted, his words punctuated by each wild movement of the reindeer beneath him.
Suddenly, a low rumble shook the very ground beneath them, prompting everyone to turn their gazes up to the volcano's peak.
Of course it was erupting. Of. Course.
Miguel reached behind him and slapped his friend. "Tulio, why did you say anything?"
The reindeer brayed, starting back towards the volcano. He had to get his friends to safety, had to- Wait. No, they would be fine.
"I swear, this animal- Whoa!" Miguel once again clung to the reindeer's antlers as it swung around and started charging away from the volcano. Chel spurred Altivo after her friends, trying to ignore the erupting volcano behind them.
Anna bit her lip, ducking beneath a sweeping high kick and backing up to create some space. She was looking for another opportunity to stop fighting and start a conversation... without being too obvious about it. She couldn't begin to understand what the relationship between Ice Queen and The Prince was or why Ice Queen did what she did; the last thing she wanted to do was somehow get the blonde in trouble with her employer or- the pessimistic part of her mind that sounded suspiciously like Kristoff sometimes- find out that she actually was evil and waiting for the redhead to drop her guard completely.
She doubted that was the case but, still, she had to play it safe, if for no better reason than so she wouldn't have Kristoff chastising her about it later.
The redhead waited a moment for the next attack but none was forthcoming; Ice Queen was observing her, as if waiting herself.
Sweet! This was her chance, she just had to say something witty and flirty and-
The ground beneath her feet trembled as a deep, thrumming growl echoed far above. As the volcano began to rumble, the black smoke spewing from its summit tinged with reds and oranges, Anna and Ice Queen turned worried eyes up the mountain's side.
"Kristoff." Anna whispered, turning to charge up the path and reach her friend. She'd taken only a few steps when a wall of ice blocked her, ice forming a sheet beneath her feet that her spiked boots scratched against. Confused, she turned and readied herself to growl out a warning but stopped short at the concentration on Ice Queen's face, which was tilted back to study the volcano. A moment later, the sheet of ice was rising up, the sudden momentum forcing Anna to her knees to keep her balance. She looked back to the blonde, who had moved closer as if ready to prevent Anna from falling and was using her powers to bring both of them up the side of the volcano much quicker than if Anna had ran.
Oh, right- if Kristoff was still near the summit, it stood to reason he was dealing with The Prince. Carefully moving herself on the rising sheet of ice, Anna remained kneeling beside Ice Queen, one hand flat against the sheet to stabilize her as they rocketed towards the top of the volcano. Her concern for her friend easily focused her mind, though she couldn't completely ignore the impulse to wrap her other arm around Ice Queen's leg.
For support, of course.
"Thanks," she said, stealing a glance up at the blonde. It was barely there, beneath the concentration, but Anna could make out the worry shining in those blue eyes. It hurt a little, but only a little; she accepted a long time ago that whatever their relationship, The Prince was important to Ice Queen.
Forcing her attention back to the task at hand, the redhead pushed all else to the back of her mind for later. She needed to find Kristoff before lava started flowing. The rock face of the volcano flew past them as they ascended, Anna's eyes scanning left and right as quickly as she could. They were already several feet above a cutback in the path when movement caught Anna's eye.
"There!" Anna tapped Ice Queen's leg to get her attention as The Prince and Kristoff rounded the corner on the switchback they'd just passed. The blonde instantly stopped their rise and formed a slide of ice, slipping down it with ease to land in front of the men. Anna followed a bit more carefully, sliding on her rear and nearly running into the blonde as she reached the bottom.
"Ice Queen, it's time to go," The Prince said, casting a glance at the sky as molten red lava began spewing from the volcano's mouth.
The blonde nodded, dispersing the ice column she'd used to scale the volcano's side and flicking both wrists. A large ice slide sprung forth, leading away from the volcano with supports stabbing down into the ground. The Prince wasted no time in jumping onto the slide and Ice Queen was a few steps behind him.
Before she stepped onto the slide, Ice Queen shot a look over her shoulder and nodded towards the icy escape, making a vague 'follow us' motion with her hand.
Anna nodded. "Come on, Kristoff."
"Are you serious?" he replied, shoulders jumping as the volcano growled again. "Why should we believe this isn't a trap? They just spent half an hour trying to hurt us!"
"But they didn't!" The redhead smiled, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along. "Also, can you outrun lava?"
"I'd really rather not find out."
"Then let's go!"
The two teens stepped onto the ice slide. Kristoff instantly lost his balance- Ice Queen made it look far too easy- while Anna merely sat down, both sliding on their rears down the slide. Kristoff grit his teeth, crossing his arms over his chest, ducking his chin, and crossing his feet at the ankles so he could control his descent a little bit. Anna, on the other hand, had her arms up, feet in the air to keep the spikes from catching, and a wide smile on her lips.
"Woohoo, yeah!" Anna laughed, careening down the slide with Kristoff just ahead of her. She could see The Prince further down the way, curled up much like Kristoff, while Ice Queen looked like she was surfing across the ice. It was a decidedly cool experience in the redhead's opinion, until the volcano roared louder, lava arcing up into the sky as rocks flew from the summit, dislodged by the force of the eruption.
"That's not good." Kristoff mumbled, watching as flaming rocks fell or rolled down from the top of the volcano, a river of lava forming as black smoke continued to pour from the summit.
Ice Queen looked over her shoulder, noted the falling rocks, then turned forward again, waving her arms in a flurry of precise movements. Suddenly, the slide- which had led away from the volcano in a gentle slope but a straight line- deviated wildly to dodge a flaming rock, sending the four occupants on a wild shift to the side.
Kristoff glanced to his right, saw the ground that only the laws of physics were keeping him from falling towards, and set his sights just beyond his feet once more. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse.
The slide evened out once more, but Ice Queen was still manipulating the ice as more rocks and bits of lava rained from the sky, sending their path careening wildly from side to side, and even upside down a time or two.
The Prince dug his heels into the ice to slow his descent, allowing him to drop back a little and come even with the blonde. Throwing as much of a glare as he could while his stomach fought vertigo, he hissed out. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
"A little." Ice Queen shrugged. "We need to clear the area. This is the fastest way."
"This is insane."
"This is awesome!" Anna called out, laughing as the slide shifted them to the side once more.
The Prince tried glaring over his shoulder but the movement didn't sit well with his stomach.
"For the record, I agree with you!" Kristoff yelled, curling into himself a little harder as the slide dropped out from beneath them, a large, flaming rock falling just ahead of The Prince, where the slide had been moments before.
Ice Queen reformed the slide beneath them as four individual runs rather than one large one they shared, allowing her to manipulate their paths more easily. Kristoff's and The Prince's paths stayed more or less straight, dodging side-to-side as gently as possible. Anna's, on the other hand, took a wild route, up, down, and over, matched only by Ice Queen's own as they wove their way away from the volcano and out across the forest.
The redhead was having a blast. She couldn't even attempt to surf on the ice the way Ice Queen was doing but she'd swung herself around until she was lying on her stomach, heading headfirst down the slide. This was amazing! It felt like she was flying, the air tossing her braids around as her arms swung out to her sides.
She looked around at the others, noting the severe panic on Kristoff's face, the mild annoyance on The Prince's, and... dang. Anna felt her jaw drop open as she watched Ice Queen's movements- the intricate paths her hands and arms took to direct the ice- and the expression on her face. The Ice Queen's mask of indifference was gone; in its stead, unbridled joy, utterly uninhibited happiness sparkled in the blonde's eyes and shone plain as day on her face as she worked her magic. Sure, there was that twinge of concentration per usual, but Anna could easily see how much Ice Queen enjoyed manipulating her magic, and just how beautiful she looked doing it.
"Sven!" Kristoff's voice jostled her out of her quiet admiration and she looked down to see the reindeer below them, still carrying the two men as a white horse galloped alongside him carrying a young woman with flowing black hair Anna didn't recognize.
Whether it was because they were a safe distance from the erupting volcano or to be kind and reunite the teens with their four legged friend, Anna couldn't be sure, but suddenly Ice Queen's slides fell away completely and the four began falling, Kristoff screaming in terror while Anna hollered in enjoyment. But then there was ice beneath them once again, directing their descent into a huge, spontaneous snow bank that cushioned their crash landing.
As soon as they were in it, Kristoff was fighting to the surface, shivering against the cold.
"Whoa! What the heck?" He brushed the snow from his shoulders and arms. "You've gotta be-"
"Sweet!" Anna popped out of the snow bank, fists thrust in the air. "That was awesome!"
"Glad to see you two are a match made in a frozen Heaven." Kristoff grumbled, motioning to Sven as the reindeer neared them. "Pull us out, buddy."
Sven brayed, offering his antlers to the teens and pulling them out as his passengers dismounted.
"Well, this has been fun, hasn't it Miguel?"
"Don't blame me for this, Tulio," Miguel replied, offering the teens a small wave as they brushed snow from their clothes. "Well, thank you both for the assistance, but I think it's time for us to be going."
"¿Y vaya donde, exactamente?" The woman scowled at the two men. "El apartamento se destruye! ¿Usted quiere volver atrás y explicar al propietario lo que pasó? ¿O la policía?"
Miguel and Tulio exchanged a look before turning to the teens, carefully practiced, disarming smiles adorning their faces.
"Say... where are you kids from, anyway?" Miguel clapped a hand on Kristoff's shoulder, Tulio mirroring the action on Anna.
"Uh, Arendelle, Colorado," the redhead replied, slightly surprised by the question.
"Splendid!" Miguel laughed. "We were just heading that way ourselves-"
"-we have family in the area, you see." Tulio picked up where his friend left off. "Not too far from Arendelle, actually."
"So, if, on your way back-"
"-you could drop us off-"
"-we would be most appreciative-"
"-really, dropping us off anywhere that's not Mexico would be a huge help!"
"Ay Dios mio." Chel mumbled to herself, rubbing her temple. "Altivo, why I put up with these idiotas? Ya no sé."
Kristoff shook his head, smacking Miguel's hand away a moment later. "Wait a minute, are you being serious? Why should we give you two a lift anywhere?"
"Hey, whoa, what's with this sudden hostility?" Tulio sidled up to Kristoff. "We're all friends here. Can't you help some friends out?"
"No way; for all we know, you two are criminals looking for a free ride out of Mexico!"
As Kristoff continued arguing with the two men, Anna watched, slightly amused, until something pelted her in the back of her head. Something cold. Running her hand across the affected area to dislodge the snow, the redhead turned, scanning the trees lining the road towards the volcano. As she made to turn around, another snowball was lobbed, and this time Anna could see Ice Queen ducking back behind a tree as the soft projectile hit her in the chest.
Anna glanced over her shoulder to ensure Kristoff was still busy arguing with the two men they'd rescued. Slowly, she backed away from the exchange that was growing slightly heated as it raged on, one of the men- she thought Miguel, maybe- outright begging for assistance, and slipped into the treeline, only taking a few steps before she caught sight of a clearing ahead through the foliage, moving aside a branch to see The Prince pacing furiously beside another mound of snow. So, that's where they landed, but where was-
A rustle to her left had the redhead whirling to face whatever threat might be there- Mexico had its fair share of predators in the forests- but was met with Ice Queen leaning nonchalantly against a tree. She was quiet a moment, regarding Anna as the redhead waited for her next move, before pushing off from the tree and putting her left hand on her chest.
"Elsa."
There was a moment of silence before it clicked.
"Elsa." Anna repeated, a goofy grin claiming her lips. "Your name's Elsa! Wow, that's an awesome name!" It wasn't her full name, obviously, but it was something! "It's nice to finally meet you!"
Ice Queen stepped forward, holding up a finger to quiet the redhead. "It's our little secret. Okay, Princess?"
The blonde smirked and Anna could do nothing but nod dumbly, elation and surprise warring within her. By the time she got herself straightened out enough to say anything, their attention was drawn away.
"Ice Queen! Ice Queen, let's go!"
Anna could just barely see through the leaves where The Prince was grasping one of the black ropes the duo used to enter and exit their hovercraft, the other lightly swaying in the wind. As she turned back, Ice Queen already had her impassive mask firmly in place, though she gave a slight nod before rushing forward, crashing through the leaves.
With only a few seconds' hesitation, Anna followed her. As she broke through and into the clearing, she could hear Kristoff and Sven tearing their ways through and calling out for her, but Ice Queen was already a good twenty feet in the air and staring resolutely towards the craft above her.
Their little secret, huh?
"Anna, geez." Kristoff wheezed, catching his breath as he and Sven came to a stop beside her. "Next time you decide to take off after Ice Queen, let me know, okay?" He shook his head, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "Also, I thought we agreed we only stop those two, not try to catch them? What were you thinking?"
"I'll tell you on the ride back," Anna said, barely able to restrain herself from jumping up and down in excitement.
Momentarily blinded to his friend's enthusiasm, Kristoff frowned severely, motioning to the group that followed in their wake, both men still wearing disgustingly charming smiles. "Speaking of the ride back, can you believe these guys? They want to come with us!"
"Okay!" Anna laughed, completely ignoring Kristoff's shock as she pulled out her communication device. "Hey Mr. Oaken! Think you can find a ride for five people, a horse, and a reindeer?"
"Uh, ya, I can." The burly man chuckled and raised a brow. "Everything good, ya?"
"It's amazing!" The redhead gushed, earning curious glances from everyone but Kristoff and Sven as the latter two finally caught on to her seemingly unexplained burst of enthusiasm. Before she could say anything further, a loud boom reminded her of the somewhat still immediate danger. "Uh, we're going to move a little further away from the volcano, but yeah, could you send someone?"
Hans kept a death grip on the hovercraft's controls, glancing continuously at the various gauges and sparing a glance to Elsa every so often. It wasn't that he didn't know how to operate the transport, or even that he was a bad pilot, but it was something Elsa usually did. Given how hard she was fighting to keep awake, however, it was safest to let him do it.
He finally broke the silence, if for no better reason than to calm his own nerves. "Are you sure you didn't overexert yourself?"
"I'm fine, Hans, I promise. Just tired," Elsa replied, flexing her hands and shifting in her seat, trying to find a position that was just uncomfortable enough to be bearable while discouraging her from falling asleep.
She hadn't anticipated how the weather would affect her aside from her mood; usually their ventures into warmer locales didn't take them from a decent air conditioner for much longer than an hour. Being out in the heat- sure, it was fall, but that was still over a fifty degree swing from a warm day at the Palace- was a drain on her physically; using her powers to form ice while suffering from the heat was even more draining. Though Elsa hated to admit it, she was quietly glad Anna wasn't up to her usual prowess and more interested in talking than fighting.
Her lips curled into a grin at the redhead even as she tried to fight down the hope rising in her chest. What had gotten into her? The redhead went from being a mostly silent opponent into a flirty, sweet talking, down right distracting spitfire in the blink of an eye! Could Hans' stupid plan have anything to do with it? Did her letter... did it actually have an effect?
Elsa's face instantly smoothed out at that thought. No, of course that couldn't be the root cause. The redhead had no idea who sent that letter, so the change in attitude couldn't have anything to do with it. Unless... Hans had a point about opening other avenues?
No, she was being stupidly optimistic. Anna was naturally a friendly person; she was probably just trying to befriend her arch nemesis. That seemed completely within the redhead's personality; she was a naturally friendly person with a warm disposition. The letter probably hadn't even reached Anna's house yet. There was a long ways between their remote hiding spot in Canada and a small town in Colorado, not that she could really find the location on a globe if she tried.
She always followed the pull of her powers home; Hans was the one who needed a map.
Elsa turned her head to glance through the glass at the clouds racing past, still lingering on the redhead's words. Anna had called her gorgeous, beautiful, amazing- she couldn't help but feel a thrill as she recalled the way the girl's lips formed the words 'your majesty'. While some part of her mind was chiding her for being a pervert- because, oh wow, how could she not?- the rest of her was lost to enjoying that brief exchange and the promise of more. Maybe, if she could keep Hans from overhearing them, they could flirt- no, banter, she needed to be precise about these things and it was just teasing, it wasn't... real.
But she could pretend it was.
"Elsa, seriously, are you going to be okay?" She turned to regard her friend. "Your whole face is flushed. Are you suffering from heat exhaustion?"
Reining in her thoughts, Elsa cleared her throat and shook her head. "I'm fine, just a bit warm is all. Can you turn on the AC?"
"Oh, right, I should've done that when I retrieved the hovercraft." He reached over and adjusted the knobs until cool air filled the cockpit. "Better?"
"Much." Elsa offered him a smile, returning her gaze to the way ahead. But her eyes were unfocused, unseeing as she contemplated Hans' next ill fated plot- speaking of which, she would have to add the provision 'no volcanoes' to the list of things he should consider- and her options.
She'd written the first letter to Anna as something of a confession and a goodbye, determined that if, during their next meeting, Anna appeared affronted by their last exchange, she could let go of all hope and allow her broken heart to mend. Well, the redhead hadn't seemed affronted in the least; she seemed to enjoy it as much as Elsa did. So now, she had a choice: go through with ending her hopeless infatuation with the redhead by remaining the stoic Ice Queen next time and forcing herself not to care... or allow herself to play this strange new game and wait for the inevitable heartbreak.
The first was a resignation to be miserable for a time and, hopefully, get over it after a while. In the long run it would be less painful, more practical, the smart decision...
"But." Elsa sighed, the word nothing more than a barely formed exhalation, one Hans didn't notice, to her relief. It was that pause, that 'but' she couldn't stop herself from adding, that forced her to consider the obvious: if she didn't try, she'd never be sure. It might mean a harder fall at the end but the hope that Anna felt the same was too strong, too tempting.
Well... that was that, then, as if there'd ever been a choice in the first place. If this was the game Anna wanted to play, then she would rise to the challenge.
She hoped the redhead was ready for the next time their paths crossed.
Kristoff chuckled to himself, shaking his head as Anna practically danced in her seat. Dusty had returned to give them a lift back home, cashing in a favor to borrow a larger plane to transport the added passengers back to Colorado. He wasn't happy about it but, after giving her companions an earful in Spanish, Chel introduced herself and promised she'd keep the two in line going forward. After learning the whole story behind why The Prince was trying to kidnap the 'archaeologists', Kristoff believed her when she said they'd learned their lesson about conning people and would make honest lives in America, wherever they ended up.
Finding out that Miguel and Tulio were actually from the area like they'd said was pretty much the last bit he needed to believe them; they both attended Berk High School and would go back to the city that raised them looking for work. They'd be close enough to keep an eye on, which he was certain was something the Sheriff would be interested in doing once she was made aware of the situation.
With all that taken care of, the blond turned his attention to his hyperactive friend and found out what had happened after they'd parted ways on the path, and the about short exchange in the forest he barely missed. There was still one question though.
"So, what is her name?"
He waited as the redhead bit her lip, an amused grin on his face. The grin fell quickly as he found a finger thrust in his face.
"Let's make one thing clear, Kristoff." Anna was outright scowling at him in her best 'I'm being dead serious' face ever. "If I tell you, and you tell another living soul- aside from Sven- I will make you regret it."
"Whoa, settled down, Feisty Pants, I won't tell, I swear!" Kristoff held up his hands in surrender. "What's the big deal?"
"She said it was our secret." Anna sat back in her seat. "And I don't want the whole town knowing. It's..."
"Special, I got it." Kristoff laughed. "Man you've got it bad for Ice Queen! It's kinda funny."
"Elsa," the redhead replied, a goofy smile on her lips as she reverted to being the giddy goofball he loved. "Her name's Elsa, Kris! She told me her name!"
Kristoff punched her shoulder. "That's great! See? I told you she likes you."
"Yeah." Anna quieted down at that, slipping into contemplation, though obviously still excited. There was almost no doubt in her mind now. Ice Queen could've teased her with the information or withheld it- and, heck, there was that pessimism reminding her it could very well be a fake name but she was firmly telling that part of herself to shut up- yet, she didn't. That had to mean there was something there, something she just had to pursue.
But that wasn't all. If she ever needed proof regarding Ice Queen's choices, this was certainly it; despite whatever circumstances compelled Ice Queen to help The Prince try to take over the world, she was a good person at heart. The blonde helped Anna find Kristoff when she didn't have to and got both of them to safety when she could've easily left them to find their own way down the volcano. She could've attacked Anna when the redhead wasn't paying attention in the forest.
Ice Queen didn't do any of that. She wasn't a monster, not in the slightest.
Crap.
Slapping a hand to her forehead, the redhead groaned. How could she forget!
"What is it now, Anna?"
"I totally forgot to warn Ice Queen about that Colonel!" Worry and guilt washed over her as she turned to her friend, a slight panic clawing at her heart. "Please, tell me you warned The Prince!"
"Dang it, I forgot too," Kristoff replied with a helpless shrug. "But don't worry, Anna, I think they're okay. I mean, we're in Mexico, and I'm pretty sure that Colonel isn't going to come down here and try to question anybody."
The redhead's gaze instantly snapped to the other passengers.
"Oh, right." Kristoff grabbed Anna by the arm when she tried to get up. "Anna, no, stay here while I deal with them."
"I can talk to them just fine, Kristoff."
"Only because you're angry and you're probably just going to threaten them with INS." He deadpanned, earning nothing but a glare in reply. "Let me handle this, okay?"
The redhead sighed and nodded, sitting back in her seat. The blond got up and carefully walked across the plane's seating area, giving Sven a pat on the head as he continued to lap up water from a large bowl Dusty happened to have lying around. He would have to thank Officer Brooks tomorrow at school, if they got back too late; bringing those water jugs was a good idea, given the workout the reindeer received on the mission. The horse- Altivo, apparently, was much more skittish riding in the plane and was having a harder time doing much of anything aside from keeping as calm as he could.
Just on the other side of the horse, Miguel, Tulio, and Chel were sitting and talking, likely planning what they would do once the plane landed.
"Hey there, Kristoff!" Miguel smiled wide, standing up as if to give him a hug before a bit of turbulence forced him back into his seat. Kristoff tried to force himself not to get sick at the sudden motion; he really hated air travel.
"Hey, guys, listen, we need you three to do us a big favor." Kristoff started, grabbing onto an empty seat to stabilize himself. The three readily agreed, Miguel and Tulio a bit quicker than Chel. "See, those two you met, The Prince and Ice Queen? We need you to never mention them to anyone under any circumstances. Ever."
The three blinked at him, confused, before Tulio spoke. "Is there a particular reason for this request?"
"Yes, but honestly, the less you know about it, the better." Kristoff sighed. "Just, please, do this for us?"
Miguel and Tulio exchanged a look before smiling and leaning forward. Before they could say anything, however, Chel smacked both of them on the back of their heads.
"We'll do it," she said, sending a pointed glare at her friends and hissing something at them in Spanish that had both of them nodding along. "Promento."
"I promise, too," both men said after Chel looked at them.
"Thanks. We really appreciate it." Kristoff made his way back to his seat, patting Anna's shoulder as he sat down. "There. Problem solved."
Anna sighed in relief. "Thanks, Kris."
"Next time, I promise I'll remind you about the Colonel thing." Kristoff settled into his seat as much as he could. There was no chance of rest, though, as he could feel the energy returning to the redhead. "You want to tell me about her again, don't you?"
"Uh huh."
"Go ahead."
It was a long flight back home.
Author's Note: True story: was really tempted to use "Princess Snow Kaguya" as Elsa's alter ego name. So very, very tempted. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this installment and, as always, thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews. More of the flirting to come, now that both our leading ladies are on the same page... kinda. Unfortunately, updates may be delayed going forward due to an injury that's rendered my dominant arm mostly useless. My other arm has lasting nerve damage from high school so... yeah, basic tasks are difficult enough, not to mention work. Typing is... tedious. Sorry guys; wasn't anticipating this. Next week's update should be fine since it's already mostly written but it really depends on my pain level to finish it. I got a bit... distracted this week. Really sorry guys.