Frozen
The Dragon Princess
Chapter 4
One week after her birthday Anna was ready to try flying for the first time. She had mastered invisibility, brining up and dropping the cloak over and over until she had mastered it, then sneaking around the castle like a ghost, mostly to nick chocolate from the kitchen along with other treats. She had never tried to get back into her sisters room. She knew now that her parents and sister were keeping a secret from her, and that no matter how much she pleaded they would never tell her what that was, and she was terrified of having her father shout at her like he did on the night of her birthday. So she decided she would keep asking Elsa to play once a day, and when she didn't get an answer she would practice her magic to pursue her new goal, flying away from the castle. She knew she could as a dragon; she just needed to make sure no one could see her, and that day was today. She made sure to wear her winter clothing as it was still extremely cold outside. She found herself standing in the courtyard, the closed gates in front of her, and a cold faceless border of her world. She breathed deeply to calm her nerves. She knew she was doing possibly the worst thing she could ever do. If her parents found out she was gone they would be angrier than they had ever been, but she couldn't stay, couldn't live with the silence and secrets, with parents who were becoming more and more distant and a sister who hated her so much she kept herself locked in her room to avoid her.
"Maybe now that I'm gone Elsa can leave her room again" Anna thought. First she cast her invisibility cloak over her, and after making sure she couldn't see her hands or feet, she took a deep breath and transformed. She felt herself grow out ward as she went from two legs to four. She looked all around her to make sure she was still invisible, and prepared to take off.
"Flying is instinctual for all dragons. It comes as natural as breathing. The secret is to not think, just do and your body will handle the rest" Her book explained. Checking to see she still had her satchel with her book and food (apples, bread, cheese, and most importantly chocolate) She stilled her thoughts and crouching down gathered all the power in her limbs, then leapt. She rose into the air a good twenty feet, and at the apex of her jump opened her wings and flapped once twice, trusting her body to do the work. Her wings lifted her into the air, up, up and away into the cold clean air. As she rose into the clouds, Anan let loose a shout of excitement and joy that came out as a loud roar that surprised her, but she didn't care. She was free. Free of the castle, free of the secrets and silence. She dropped the veil so she could see her claws and wings, and then began to dance through the air, weaving and darting through the thick clouds. All she had to do was tell her body to do something and it did, as easy as walking. After a time she felt her wings began to grow tired and diving below the clouds saw that she had gone so far from the kingdom that she could hardly see it. Suddenly she felt afraid and she remembered how small she was, and that she was far from the safety of her home. Her wings twinged again and she floated to the ground landing with jarring force into the soft loamy earth. She folded her wings and looked around at the dusky wood, the thick trees. She sniffed the air and a hundred unfamiliar scents filled her nose as a hundred unfamiliar sounds filled her ears. Her fear and panic grew, and so did the desire for her parents. She didn't dare change back into a human as she curled her wings in on herself and pulled in tight as the sun began to go down, plunging the wood into darkness. She flapped her wings, but found they were hurting more and more by the minute, enough that she doubted she could fly anymore.
"Momma, Papa" She thought desperately as her head flitted left and right to keep track of all the strange noises.
"Are you lost scaled one?" a voice asked and Anna's head whipped around, a burst of fire erupting from her snout. It narrowly missed the figure who dodged to the side.
"I'm sorry, are you alright?" Ann asked her voice lower, thick and garbled by her dragon's snout.
"Do not concern yourself" the figure said. whoever it was, was wearing thick leather armor, with leather wrappings around her limbs, leather shoulder pads and a fur lined hood and a strange horned mask that made him look very sinister in the fading light.
"Who are you?" Anna asked, scared and weary.
"No threat to you" The woman said and sat down a few feet from Anna waiting.
"Take off your mask" Anna said, and slowly and carefully he complied removing the mask, to reveal a woman. Her face was narrow and handsome with blue eyes and brown hair. Anna relaxed slightly as she saw nothing but warmth in the woman's face.
"So you can speak. I have never met a dragon who could do that" She said.
"There are really dragons in the world?" Anna asked. She could turn into a dragon, but she didn't think real dragons existed.
"Why would you ask such a silly question?" The woman asked and whistled. There was a rustle and a dragon, a real dragon moved into the clearing. It had a wide face with dark eyes, and red spikes going over its head in a crest with horns and four wings that flared as it stared her down. Anna backed away nervously.
"Cloudjumper" She said warningly and the dragon dropped out of its aggressive stance going over to stand protectively over the woman. The woman got up and walking around started gathering up wood. Anna had read enough adventure stories to know they were for a fire. She transformed back into a human and carefully gathered up branches of her own while keeping an eye on both the woman and dragon.
"So you are not always a dragon" the woman said startling Anna into almost dropping her gathered wood.
"No, not all the time" She said weakly as she brought her armload of sticks to the center of the clearing and dropped them. The woman did the same and bending down formed them into a circle.
"When she was done she stood up and Anna hit it with her fire magic, creating a crackling fire".
"Very impressive" The woman said and reached into a leather satchel slung across the dragons back. She came out with bread, cheese and a leg of meat. Anna reached into her own bag and brought out her apples, bread, cheese, and chocolate.
"Would you like some?" She asked offering an apple and chocolate.
"I would love some" the woman said and reaching into her bag brought out another leg of meat and handed it to Anna. She took it and biting into it finding it was cold. Grimacing she formed a flame in her hand and holding the haunch in the other held it over the flame. The scent of cooking meat slowly filled the clearing.
"You are full of surprises for someone barely more than babe" The woman said.
"I'm not a baby" Anna huffed.
"How old are you then?" She asked.
"I turned seven last week" Anna said.
"Oh, seven, quite a ripe old age" The woman said sarcastically. Anna stuck her tongue out at her, causing her to laugh.
"But all joking aside, why are you out here alone child. You may be able to turn into a dragon, but you are still a little girl. Where are your parents?" She asked.
"They never leave home, and I'm not allowed to go outside" Anna explained.
"Because or your…abilities?" The woman asked and Anna shook her head.
"They don't know about them" Anna said.
"Then why don't they let you go outside?" She asked.
"I don't know" Anna said and stuck the haunch of meat in her mouth. Now that it was heated it was delicious full of juices. She quickly devoured the meat down to the bone knowing on it like a wolf. When there wasn't a speck of meat left she started in on the cheese, then the apple, then finally the hunk of chocolate. Now that her stomach was full she was feeling better, but even with the fire the air was getting colder, the wind picking up and cutting through her winter cloths, causing her to shiver. The dragon brought up its snout and sniffed the air, grunting.
"A storm is coming. It is not safe to be out in the open" The woman said and standing up began to kick dirt over the fire. Anna waved her hand over it, dumping a small river of water over the flames, her stomach churning and dizziness washing over her at using her weakest magic.
"More and more impressive" The woman said donning her mask.
"That's all the water magic I know how to do" Anna said as she transformed back into a dragon. With food in her, her wings still felt sore, but not as if they couldn't hold her.
"Flying home?" The woman asked.
"You said a storm was coming?" Anna asked.
"Indeed. May you make it home safe then" The woman said and lightly leaping onto the dragon's back the two took off into the night. Anna took a deep breath and leapt skyward into thick black clouds. She kept below them as much as she could as she kept the twinkling lights of Arendelle in sight. As her wings got so tired they could barely hold hers up she flew over the castle and calling up her invisibility spell all but dropped into the courtyard. She lied sprawled on the stone breathing hard as the snow began to fall more heavily.
"Hello?" A quiet voice asked. Anna looked over and saw Elsa standing in the courtyard staring right at her, or through her as Anna was invisible.
"Anna?" Is that you, Elsa asked looking right at her. Anna panicked thinking that her spell had ended, but looked down at herself and saw that she was still invisible.
"Anna, you've been gone all day. Mother and Father are worried" Elsa said as the snow and wind picked up. Anna transformed back into a human and quietly walked behind her sister. She made sure she was a decent distance from her, remembering that Elsa didn't want her to be too close and dropped the cloak.
"What are you doing out here?" Anna asked making Elsa jump slightly.
"Anna, where have you been?" Elsa demanded.
"Around" Anna said, and Elsa frowned angrily, which made Anna mad for some reason.
"I've been playing outside. It's not my fault if no one could find me" Anna said and turning stalked back inside.
So Anna's first flight, and the first hint's of her deteriorating relationship with Elsa. If you are wondering, the snow storm was a natural one being exacerbated by Elsa's powers over her worry over Anna having disappeared for most of the day. Brownie points if you can tell me who the mysterious woman was, though the name of her dragon might be a giveaway. Reviews welcome and needed.