Just Another face in the crowd
My brain is battling it out with my heart as to whether or not I should tell Anna about the possibility of Hans playing a part in this plot, though now I'm bordering on certainty.
Seb woke us up after sunrise, so about 7am I guess? I have recently had wake ups like this for meetings with council members and royal business, but Anna has always slept in until around 10ish. I am ready to leave the tent, dressed and ready to eat, all while Anna is still opening her eyes. The sun had been up for an hour or so and our tent is already starting to heat up, quite uncomfortably. Could this heat just be uncomfortable for others too? This feels awfully stuffy. I start to get ready to get out of here, when I notice that Anna, lying next to me, has fallen back to sleep; her hair looks like a Lion's mane that has been struck by lightning!
"Come on sleepy head!" I whisper poking her side with my elbow, "We need to get breakfast! Aren't you hungry?"
"Mhhh munnnn mhhn…" was all I could get out of my tired little sister, flanked with a few snores.
"Okay, I guess I'll just let Seb know that you don't want Bacon and Eggs for breakfast." I say as I leave the tent. I'm instantly greeted by a much more pleasant morning breeze that both warms and cools as it glides through trees, natures alarm for all the beautiful birds and butterflies that must immediately get to work building nests and peacefully waking up the rest of the forest with a delicate birdsong melody, one that seamlessly glides its way through the thick foliage of trees. Seb is also out here and is hard at work cooking breakfast on an open fire in the centre of our cute little campsite. He notices me and the absence of my sister, straight away.
"Good morning your majesty" he begins with a courteous nod, "Where is princess Anna?".
"Hang on." I say with a sly smile, aware that the scrumptious scent of bacon sizzling on the pan will make its way to my hibernating sibling in three… Two... One-
"I'm ready! I didn't miss food did I?" At that very moment the tent door flies open and Anna comes flying out of it, dressed and ready to eat, though her eyes look ready to close again, "I'm ready!" she says with a quick intake of air, still adjusting her hair tie.
"No you didn't sleepy head!" I say sarcastically, before turning to Seb, "Good morning Sebastian," I finally answer him with a smile, "How did you sleep?"
"Very well thank you," he says giving the bacon a turn, "How about you two?"
"I slept soooooo heavy!" Anna said with a yawn at the end, "Those sleeping bags are so comfy and the hot water bottle that Gerda made is so good!" she says as she slowly takes a seat on one of the fallen logs around our makeshift oven.
"Good! I hope you're both hungry!" he says and begins to cook some eggs on a slightly smaller camping pan. The smell of cooked breakfast and the aroma of the fresh forest air and dewdrop grass were battling it out to sooth the thoughts about our conversation last night that were currently plaguing my mind.
I take a seat next to Anna, who promptly rests her head on my shoulder with a yawn. I lean my head on hers also, scratching my tired sister's hair. I think my head is full of troubled thoughts, but goodness knows how she's coping with all this. She is different since we left Arendelle; we've only been travelling for a day, yet she seems quiet, content and lonely, even with me here. It kills me to see my poor sister like this. The sooner we get to Kristoff the better; that monster had better keep to his word, but I know what I must do if he doesn't. I'd be lying if I said I would be overjoyed at my 'Plan b', but I will do whatever it takes to keep my sister's life as best as it could possibly be, even if it means I'm not there to see it.
"Looks like someone still wants their bed!" Sebastian jokes pointing to Anna, who replies with a gentle nod of the head and starts to close her eyes again.
"Anna, you must stay awake!" I say to her as I gently lift her head up off of my shoulder, "we have to leave as soon as we can!"
"Your sister's right Princess Anna, and to do that," he says handing her a plate with fried bacon and eggs on it, "You'll need to keep your strength up!"
The smell of the food in front of her slightly perks Anna up, and she leans forward to begin eating as Seb puts my breakfast together and hands it to me.
"Mmm…" I say as I get a whiff off the aroma of cooked food, "this smells delicious!"
"Hmph, don't humour me your majesty," he grins, "Its only camp-cooked food!"
"I'm not! It really is good!" I say as I munch on the bacon. Anna and I try and eat healthy when we can; with her, it doesn't really matter as it seems to just disappear into her dark abyss of a stomach and never has anything to show for it, but I'm not that lucky and I actually have to slightly watch what I eat. So to be eating fried bacon and eggs feels heavy on my belly, but it's just too good to turn down.
"So… Mph…" Anna tries to begin whilst still gulping down her food, "Where are we heading to from here?" Bless her, so eager to be leaving, though I think we all are.
"Well," Sebastian answers, "I was thinking about travelling to the next village not far from here, a small settlement called Timberwood. From there we can hire a carriage to take us directly to the Docks so we can head to the city of Corona."
"Wait- what?" Anna suddenly interjected, pausing with her bacon in mid-swing to her mouth, "Docks? We're travelling on water?"
"Well, we kind of have to!" I say to her, "It's on the other side of the north sea!"
"I know that!" she says, "I just… never realised we'd have to sail there…"
Oh no… How could I have been so blind? Of course she doesn't want to sail, not with what happened to our parents. The fact that it is the exact same route they would have taken only makes it worse. I notice her start to tear up now, but these are tears of fright, not sadness. She's not terrified of travelling on the sea, just THAT sea… The North Sea. I hold my sister in a hug that wraps up her head in my arms and let her silently sob into my coat.
I turn to Seb, "Is there no other way of getting there?" I'm not exactly overjoyed about that particular route either, it will be hard on the both of us in more ways than one.
"Short of travelling straight through Fallcoach Valley which is back the way we came from, then going around Shore's Supply Depot and travelling halfway across Europe I'm afraid not, and time is of the essence here."
I was afraid of that. "Well," I say to Anna, gently lifting her chin and averting her gaze from the ground to me, "It will only be two days out at sea! You can sleep through most of it anyway can't you?"
"I won't be sleeping on that boat." She says bluntly with a sniff. I wish there was something I could do, use my powers to make the ship go faster or something. I've only just gotten control of my powers though, so that wouldn't be wise would it…
"I don't mean to worsen the situation your majesties," Seb continues, "but from Corona we will need to take another ship to approach the High Isles. They will be inaccessible from land."
"I don't care about oceans and boats," Anna says, "just… just this one." She says with her head still buried into my arms, slightly tilted to speak.
"I promise you that this journey will only be a short hop across the sea, and then on the way back we will find a different route." Seb says trying to reassure her. She simply straightens up again and wipes her eyes in a rag.
"We'd better." She mutters, without even looking up.
With that settled, we continue eating in silence. Awkward silence. I really do wish there was another way, but only Corona will be able to provide us with a ship capable of navigating the narrow ice plains that apparently surround the High Isles. Anyway, maybe we can spend the night with our family over there, time permitting.
The awkwardness doesn't lessen as we eat, but it's Anna that breaks the silence, "So what happened to only using initials anyway?"
"I'm glad you picked up on that!" Seb points out, "I figured it is pretty ridiculous using codenames in our own campsite, but once we leave it'll have to stick again."
"Fair enough," I say, "It's gonna be so strange calling you 'A' sis!" I say giving Anna a playful nudge.
"You think that's bad? People say 'A' all the time in public and 'Hey' sounds just like it! When have you ever heard anyone shout 'E' out loud? Or 'Eeeee'?" She does have a point.
"Well…" I contemplate, "if you put an 'L' on the end they could be shouting 'eel'!" This makes her giggle.
"Why would anyone need to shout 'eel' aloud?"
"I don't know!" I say, "Someone might have lost their pet eel? Or 'Look over there! It's an eel'!" Now I'm just talking rubbish, but it is working as Anna cracks another smile.
"Okay, you've got me there!" she smiles.
We finish up our breakfast before we start taking down the tents. We took all of our packed food out of the tent and replaced them in bags and sacks that we'd brought with us for travelling. I said I don't mind taking down our tent by myself if Anna would like to go and tent to the horses before we set off for Timberwood; anything to take her mind off of it. It seems to work, as she is quite happy talking to Cinnamon and Cesaer. Percy was drinking some water on his own; leading me to believe that there is already disturbances with the two Stallions around Cinnamon, who is almost ready to go into heat.
It was at this point that I realise a crucial error in my plan of genius; I have absolutely no idea how to pack this think once it's down. Come to think of it, how does it come down? I look over to see Seb pulling out thick hooks from the ground that let out a bunch of thin rope, so I'll do that.
As I bend down and start to pull on the hook, I realise just how much of a struggle this will be. It's been hammered in hard and I can just about get my fingers around the curve of the hook but, no matter how hard I push, it will not budge! I pull harder, putting all my strength into it- "OW!"
I lose my grip on the hook and send myself flying backwards, landing square on my backside. Owww… that really hurt!
Seb hurries over to me, "Your majesty! Are you alright?" boy, if I had a dime for every time I've heard that in the past month…
"Yeah I'm fine, I just… lost my grip on that hook!" I wanted to cover up the fact that I had essentially tripped myself up, but I felt like I didn't need to lie to him.
"Here," he says holding out his hand, "let me help you up."
I gratefully accept his offer and take a hold on his hand, to which he swiftly pulls me back up, with quite remarkable strength! Not enough that it hurt but just enough to swoop me off of the floor and back to my feet. Although I stumble yet again and fall towards him with my feet giving out as well; I didn't expect him to pull me up so fast! He is quick to react though, and catches me in his arms. How cliché…
"Oh- I'm sorry-"
"No- I am…"
"Here, let me-"
"It's okay, I got it."
We quickly exchange condolences as I awkwardly find my feet for the second time in this very moment. Though I must admit, it did feel nice having someone to catch me; technically, he is supposed to sweep me off of my feet, not back on to them…. I know that it is horribly cliché (seems to be quite a few of them recently), but I've never had someone there for me except for Anna. It did feel very warm and comfortable in his arms though, the kind a girl could get used to… No! Snap out of it Elsa, you can't be thinking about this! This trip is for Anna and besides, what happens if I get too attached and it turns out I have to stay at the High Isles! I can't risk it.
"I think I may have hammered the hooks into the floor a little too hard!" he says with a cute little shrug.
"No no- it's fine, really! It kept the tent down didn't it!"
"I guess it did! Do you need a hand?"
"I might do, yes please!" I say with a smile.
It was then that we both notice how we are still in each others arms. We release our grip awkwardly and he gets to work.
Seb went around and pulled out all of the hooks for the tent, which started to cave in on itself. Well, the rest of this should be easy!
I thank Seb for his help and he goes and finishes taking the remainder of his own tent. I start to take out the stick frames that form the spine of the tent but one is being particularly stubborn. I pull and pull but it just won't give! I stop pulling to catch my breath and peer over into the ground. Yep. Sure enough, yet another peg was hidden away. I pull this one again, but to no avail.
There must be a way that I can pull this out without help! There is no way I'm calling him over again to help. I'm a Queen for goodness sake! Surely, I can figure this out myself? I look around for a stick or something I could wedge under the hook for leverage, but there is nothing strong enough.
How pathetic; the Queen of Arendelle, wielder of Snow and Ice, defeated by a lowly tent peg. How can I be queen if I can't even- ah… ice!
I look to make sure that no one is looking and focus my energy into the tips of my fingers. I tap the ground around the peg and just imagine it freezing solid. Sure enough, my newly found control over ice has prevailed, and the ground around the peg freezes solid. I then strike it with a small pebble I found nearby and it smashes and crumbles into bits, leaving the peg free from the ground's grasp!
Unfortunately, this does mean that the only force acting on the peg is the rope it was keeping tight and taut, which elasticated hard, launching the peg into the air. It flies straight up before gravity brings it to a halt and it falls back down to the floor- right where Seb's standing!
Thinking quickly, I stood up and prepped my hands again. This time I launch a snowball with pinpoint accuracy towards the peg, colliding with it in mid-air and sending it off into the forest. Seb looks up in thought at the sound of the peg landing into the trees and bushes over there, but thinks nothing more of it and continues on his tent.
As if that actually worked! I can't wait to tell Anna that later! I make a mental note of where the peg landed, remembering that I must collect that before we leave.
I quickly scurry to get my tent ready for packing just before Anna returns with the horses, all watered, fed and ready to hit the road.
"Woah! You work fast!" she said, referring to my flat packed tent, to which Seb gives me a subtle wink.
"Hehe, what can I say?" I giggle, quietly acknowledging Seb's gesture.
We, being Sebastian and I, finish packing up our tents and begin bagging up all of the food and equipment. I left out sandwiches in the tent's inner pockets but they won't spoil that way. Anna then helps me carry our sack of stuff and throw it over Percy's back. I was expecting a whelp from him as the immense weight dropped onto his back, but he barely even noticed it! I always seem to forget just how strong these horses are. Seb than lifts his over Cesaer with ease; that must be so much heavier than ours!
He helps us both up on our horses, though we really don't need it I still accept his help. His firm grasp reminds me that, even though with all the negativity that is around us, I can still feel safe with a friend like him… If that's what I should call him…
"Hey 'E'?" Anna winks at me.
"Huh?" Anna catches me off guard, "Oh- right. Yes 'A'?" I say with a smirk.
She lowers her tone slightly, "I'm guessing that you wouldn't want anyone finding this?" she says handing me a sharp object that had been completely frozen solid. The tent peg!
"Oh man!" I say as I quickly grab it off of her, "I completely forgot about this! Thanks 'A'!"
"Won't that melt?" Anna asks.
I shrug. I honestly don't know. I know that I can defrost certain things that I freeze, like the sheets in my room a few days ago. There's still so much about my powers that I need to learn. This Cyril character seems to have powers of his own, if only he wasn't our adversary then he could teach me maybe? But no. His first mistake was taking Hans; the second was upsetting my sister. He is my enemy, though I am ashamed to say I'm afraid of the confrontation that will no doubt happen. I've said that I will openly give myself in exchange for Kristoff and Anna's happiness; I just hope I am brave enough to do it if the time comes.
Me and my train of thought! I think to myself, still lost in thought staring at this frozen peg, pondering its future, wondering if it will keep its icy hardiness for the remainder of this journey.
I can't help but wonder the same thing about myself.
We continue to travel through the forest; Sebastian, Anna and I. The scenery seems to never change, just tree after tree, the occasional signpost for Timberwood and other various villages, though this one is the closest, and the odd person on their daily travels. Anna and I have put on our hooded capes that Seb got us, and turn our heads slyly away from any passer-by's, for fear of being recognized; we are officially fugitives.
One thing that has changed is the weather. The sunshine from this morning has faded away and has been replaced with grey rainclouds that have opened up above us, drenching everything in our little convoy, including us.
I felt awful. Seeing all these friendly people give a courteous nod and the occasional greeting as we pass, and we completely ignore them; shutting them out. I look to Anna and her eyes tell me she is feeling the same. If anyone recognizes us out here, authorities will know where to look once we start to go 'missing', if we haven't already.
The path's flanking treeline eventually curves over a cliff edge and, from here, we can see that it winds down a slight incline towards a settlement mainly compromised of warehouses and market stalls that are paired with small houses for the residents, though these are all dwarfed by the massive dock that aligns the coastline. Piers stretch out into the opening of the harbour and stop just before where I guess you could say the sea properly began. The horizon now turned to a grey, overcast sky, parallel to a churning ocean with a few boats off to the distance. From here, I can also make out rainclouds in a few patches over the water, far out to sea.
"Oh!" Seb begins in a hush tone, "See that vessel moored in slip C?"
My sister and I look for a second but quickly decide that we have absolutely no idea what he just said.
"Ummm…" Anna mutters rather apologetically under her breath.
Cyril just grins and tries again, "See the boat parked in the third little dock over there? The one with the mermaid statue on the front?"
"Oh- Yeah! I see it!" I say, acknowledging the boat he means.
"All you had to do was say mermaid…" Anna quietly mumbles to him with her hands on her hips.
"Apologies." he says as he climbs down from Cesaer, nodding for us to do the same. "That will be ours that we will take to Corona." He turns to Anna, "I picked it because it is the fastest there. I actually didn't realise that she would be available, so it should take no longer than a day out at sea."
"Thank you." she says, though she still isn't too happy about it.
I lean in and whisper to Seb, "A day? How can we cross the North Sea in a day?"
"Simple, we won't stop. No breaks and constant full-sail sailing will get us there fine."
"But, I don't know how to sail! Neither does Anna, so that would mean you'd be sailing nonstop!"
He turns to me and gently places a hand on my shoulder, "I'll be perfectly fine your majesty. Besides, I slept a lot last night, so I can afford a late one."
He is willing to do that for my sister's own comfort… I place my own hand upon his, "I'm so glad you came with us… 'S'." I wink.
"So am I." he said staring into my eyes with his, those eyes that sucks any insecurity or doubts I have out and rids me of them. My heart starts racing again, being this close to him makes me feel so safe, and especially being so far from home. Though I have personally known this man for a few days, I feel like I can trust him with my life and, more importantly, my sisters.
"A-hem!" Anna grunts from behind us, "You two done? Can we go save Kristoff now?"
Back to reality we come again… "Sorry, what's the plan 'S'?"
He gestures us to follow him into a bush and duck away from the sight of people in the village that might be looking up to the forest entrance. "We need to get to the coachmaster without anyone seeing you. I realise now that…" he says rubbing his head in exasperation, "Maybe I shouldn't have colour co-ordinated your cowls…"
"Really? But I like these! It's my colour!" Anna says.
"Exactly silly," I say to her, "We're not trying to draw any attention to ourselves remember?" I turn back to Seb and pat him in the shoulder, "We'll be fine."
"Wait- coachmaster?" Anna repeated, "The boats right there, why can't we just sail from here?"
"Ships from this harbour don't travel commercially to Corona. If we try and sail there from here, it will look suspicious. That's not what we need right know."
"Awwww but it's right there!" she said pointing to the ship with the statue of a mermaid with red hair and a green tail on the front.
"I know, but like I said, we'll need to travel to the public docks first. That ship will be making a run of military supplies to the main docks too, we'll grab it there."
"How can you be sure it will be there though?" Anna asks.
"It's the Athena, the fastest military transport ship we have in our armada. We use her to take tonnes of cannonballs, weapons and armour so it is very strong and fast. She's scheduled for a hop to the docks later this evening and it won't have any missions for a while after that. It'll cross the sea with ease, but we'll need a bigger vessel to get to the High Isles."
"Not till this evening huh…" Anna said, "As fun as all this hiding from people and being all sneaky is, I really could do with a little warmth."
She's right, she could. The capes that we are wearing are now soaked through with rain and provide little protection from the sea air. She is shivering trying to keep warm and my stomach is craving a hot cup of cocoa.
"Well it's a good job is pouring with rain isn't it?" Seb says.
…huh?
"Is that supposed to be funny?" Anna sulked.
"Not at all." He grinned, "Look," he points down to the village, ""What do you notice about everyone?"
It doesn't take me long to figure it out, and he's right. The weather has everyone wrapped up in hoods and cloaks just like ours. What would otherwise be a flurry of people of different shapes and sizes distinguished by their hair and clothing, has transformed into a dull, never-ending grey swamp of people, with their heads down and eyes to the floor. Their moral is so low, so sneaking past them should be easy.
"He's right sis! We'd blend in perfectly down there." My eyes also make out a small tavern with a sign showing a hot drink on a small plate hanging outside. "And as he said, we have time!"
"Right then," Seb began, "we'll head to the coach master later on in the evening, but I think we've earned a break. Let's find a tavern."
"I'm way ahead of you there!" I say, pointing out the one I spotted.
"Then let's go," Anna said impatiently, "I need something chocolaty!"
We walk down to the village being careful not to lose our footing as we tread carefully with our horses reins in our hands. The path is very wet and muddy, bordering sludgy, and is made up of simple wooden planks embedded into the ground to guide us down a narrow path hugging the hill's downward slope. Anna almost loses her footing several times, but luckily, Seb catches her. If one of us slips over it could get people's attention, which is exactly what we need to do without now.
As we approach the bottom, the path starts to level out and we enter the village through the main gate. I'm pretty sure no one is looking at us but, at the same time, I feel like everyone is staring at us. I can feel people's gazes stabbing me in the back like knives, though Anna and I use the horses for cover.
As we all walk towards the tavern, I get a brainwave. I delve deep into my bag and pull out a scarf that Gerda knitted for me when I was younger and wrap it around the lower part of my face, tucking the loose ends into my collar. Now I'm completely inconspicuous and hidden in plain sight. I notice that Anna has done the same thing.
As I hook my bag back on Percy, I don't look where I'm going and my shoulder catches someone as they hurry past me. "Oof!" My heart almost stops when I realise that he has spilled something all over the floor.
"Oh my- I'm so terrible sorry ma'am!" The tall man says, I notice that he has dropped a basket of fish all over the floor and a woman has nearly slipped over it.
This is not good. Trying to be stealthy has just attracted all sorts of attention to us. Many people are now looking over to us wondering what all the commotion was, so a small crowd had gathered. I can feel my face flushing red with fear.
I look over to Anna, who's eyes look terrified of being caught. I don't know what to do! Do I help him clear up? Do I just walk off? I really want to help but at the same time I just want to get the heck out of here!
Just as more people crowd around us, I feel a hand grab my shoulder and pull me back hard. I almost fall over as Anna grabs me and rushes me towards the tavern. Turns out it was Seb pulling me away; I hear him behind me speaking to the man, "Here, let me help you sir." as we both hurry towards the tavern, and away from the now dispersing crowd.
We made it away from the large group that had converged and we're almost at the tavern. Anna and I tie our horse's reins to the posts outside when Seb catches us up, covered in fish slime.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see him at all!" I say to him.
"It's fine." He says wiping of some gunk from his hoodie, "Let us be a little bit more careful in future though, yes?"
"Agreed." Anna says, "That was way too close! Good idea with the scarf though Elsa."
"'E!'" I corrected her quickly, "Remember, initials only!"
"Oh yeah, sorry!" She whispers back.
Seb finishes tying Cesaer to his post and heads over to the front door. "Okay, I'll talk to the barman, you both find a table right at the back of the room. What do you girls want?"
"Hot cocoa!" We both said simultaneously.
"I see!" He laughed with surprise as we opened the door to the Tavern.
Before we'd even set foot inside the place, the feeling of warmth and the scent of vanilla and chocolate and all things sweet flooded our minds, making us almost forget the horrible, damp smell we have gathered from the relentless downpour. The sound of men cheering and dancing to a band playing merry jives and folk songs about fishing out at sea replaces the splashing and muffled chatter of the rain and people, silently battling with each other to get out of the rain and under shelter. Turns out there are places that smell better than the Inns back in Arendelle. This one looks much more comfortable as well, with soft seats lined with velvety cushions that are very welcoming to us considering that we have been riding on horseback for days now. Straight away, Anna and I spot a table at the back far away from all the commotion.
"There!" Anna whispers to me as we make our way to the table. Taking a seat, after what feels like months, on a comfy chair for once. I can feel all the blood return to my legs and my feet.
"Ahh… That's better." I mumble as we both chill in the warmth and secrecy of our newly found haven.
It doesn't take long for Seb to return with three steaming mugs of hot cocoa, and one of coffee for himself. He sits next to me and hands us our luscious elixirs and straight away, we start drinking them, not caring if they'll burn or not. I take a long series of gulps before I finally break away from the mug with a sigh; just like being back at home.
"Do you guys want to dry off your hoods and scarves?" Seb asks pointing to an open fire in the wall next to us with a railing for people to hand their wet clothes on, "We'll be okay back here, I've asked the bartender to make this area private to allow us to plan our route undisturbed."
"Can you trust him?" Anna asks.
"You can trust anyone if you pay enough." He said as he slips his money pouch back into his pocket. Just as I notice this, I see that the bartender has shifted around some tables and chairs to block off this area for us from everyone else, though they're all too involved in their pints and ales to notice us.
"Right," Seb begins as he takes a sip from his coffee, "There are a few things that we need to discuss about the Journey ahead, the first being the horses."
"Wait- What?" Anna says, just about to take another sip, "Can't Cinnamon come with us?"
"I'm afraid not your majesty," he says, "The terrain we will cross will be too difficult and painful for them."
"So we'll have to release them," she said with regret, "they are palace horses, they'll just-"
"-find their own way back to the palace." I finish for her, "Which is something we can't do. If our horses return to the palace without us then alarms will ring everywhere, if they're not already."
"'E's right," Seb begins; "Now there's an animal shelter not too far from here. They'll be very well looked after there, and you never know, we could always pick them up on the way back."
I can tell that Anna doesn't like this, but it's the only way that we will get far away enough from Arendelle without causing any suspicion. I don't know if we will even find them after, but it will set Anna's mind a little at ease I guess.
"As long as they're looked after then fine, but I want to at least say goodbye to her first."
"Of course you will," Seb says, "We all will see them off!"
"And like he said," I intervene, "We'll see them when we get back! This will be like a little holiday camp for them!" I sound ridiculous now, but I'm just saying anything to take her mind off of it.
"Yeah…" she says, before sitting slightly upright, "Yeah! You're right, she'll love it! She can run with all of the other horses and have a lot of fun."
"I'm jealous of her!" I say.
For the next hour or so, we just sit in our private area and talk about random stuff. Anna tells Seb about the Orphanage she used to take food to and the times we got cooking with Kai and playing games with Gerda in the halls and annoying the Palace staff. Those were good times… I was telling him about Olaf and how he's pretty much considered as a part of a small, dysfunctional but perfect family. It was great not having to look over our shoulders before we start speaking just in case someone overhears us. We only really had to go under the radar for about five minutes outside, but it was the most uncomfortable five minutes of my life.
Every now and then, the bartender that Seb paid to keep us hidden would come and ask if we needed anything, saving us from having to go to the bar to get our cocoas refilled. This time when he came over however, with more of a stern look on his face. Something didn't feel right about his attitude, though I didn't know what.
"Anything from the bar my friends?" he says in a cheerful tone, which confuses me. Why does his facial expression not seem to align to his words?
"No we've had more than our share, but thank you friend!" Seb says to him.
"Very well." He says, stiffly reaching into his pocket, from which he pulls a small piece of paper with hand scribbled words on it. "If that is all then here is the bill. Good day." He then throws the paper onto the table, looks at Seb with a face that I recognise as one I plagued Arendelle with the day I ran away, and leaves. Something has spooked him.
"Wait- We didn't- I already-" Seb tries to call out to him, but he's already long gone.
"Well…" Anna started, "Was it just me or was that just really uncalled for?"
"Yes," Seb answers, "It was. I already paid our tab when we entered; I tipped generously."
"He picks up the bill and reads through it, though I notice that as he does, his face goes from confusion to serious quite quickly.
"We have to leave," he says with a hushed start as he jumps to his feet, "there's an open window back there and a brown cart full of hay. Get in it, and don't make a sound." He ordered us before hurrying past the stacked chairs and to the main foyer of the house, where there seemed to be some kind of commotion brewing.
I grab the note and begin reading it, but it only has a few words on it:
You're being followed
"E, here, quick!" I hear Anna quietly call to me. She grabs my hand and her and I both head to the back of the room, and down a narrow corridor; she has to go first as it isn't wide enough for the both of us. My heart's pounding; however much Seb paid that bartender, it was enough for him to tip us off; he could be in serious trouble for this!
I barely have time to think as we reach the end of the hall and, as promised, a small window is propped open with a stick jammed in its seam. Anna lifts it open, throws the stick outside, and scrambles through it, to which I follow. I'm in that much of a hurry that I hardly notice I caught my dress on the window's exposed locking mechanism.
"Oh no!" I say as I end up pulling the rusty lock out of the window frame! "Now what?" I say as the window limply slides shut behind us.
"I don't know, but we need to hide!" Anna says as she points to the large cart of hay next to us. In a freak brainwave, I cast a spray of Ice on the window's seams, firmly locking it in place!
It'll have to do for now! I think to myself as we head to the abandoned cart.
It's a difficult clamber to get in but we just manage. We dive into it and quickly bury ourselves in hay, hiding us from sight. Thankfully, the weather has slightly receded, though it is still very damp in here. I can feel Anna to my side as well, never letting go of my hand.
"Seb had this whole thing planned?" She asks.
"He must of! I had no idea!"
"I'm really worried for him! Do you think he's okay?" she says with a quiet whimper.
"I'm sure he's fine. Remember he is the captain of the Arendelle Guard! He can handle himself pretty well!"
"I hope you're right!" So do I…
Through a crack in the cart's side, I can make out a figure on the other side of the frozen window. It's too difficult to make out any features but it looks like he takes one look at the ice and then hurries back. Oh no! That wasn't such a good idea after all; what if they are from home? What if word has spread already that we are missing? We'll never make it to Corona without being spotted!
Just then the cart lurches forwards and I can feel ourselves being pulled away from the tavern. "Oh no! Who's that?" I whisper to Anna, "Can you see who it is?"
She tries to manoeuvre herself awkwardly to see behind us, towards the front of the cart, but there is simply too much hay to see anything at all! "Argh-" she struggles, "I can't see anything! Will it be Sebastian?"
If it were him pulling us, he'd have said something to reassure us by now. "I don't think so. Anna, stay down and stay quiet. I don't like this one bit"
We sit for the next few minutes in silence, too scared to speak or even breathe, listening to the cart slice through the thick, waterlogged mud that makes the floor of this village. Being separated from Seb is the worst thing that could happen to us right now! I'd just been realising how crucial he is to making sure that we make it to Kristoff and the High Isles! I doubt we'd have made it this far this fast without him.
Around ten minutes later, we feel the cart being guided down a gradient and the ground below us hardens up. We are leaving the town?! Where are we going? Anna and I both exchange looks of fright.
The cart also starts to speed up a little too. There are laws about how fast you can go on these kinds of roads, and this person is definitely disregarding them! It's getting really uncomfortable in here now too, the speed and firmness of the road is shaking the cart around to no end, and I'm scared it will break apart!
"Anna! Hold on!" I scream over the roar of the cart hurtling to goodness knows where. I can't even see her through all the hay, but she still hasn't let go of my hand; I can feel her vice grip.
Just then, I feel the cart veer off to the side of the road and the ground begins to soften, giving me the impression that we are now off the harsh and punishing road and on smoother grass. Though I can feel the waterlogged mud on the ground begin to make the carts journey even harder. The rain hasn't ceased and it is feeling really icky in here now. The hay encasing Anna and I is now very damp and smothering; it could just be me but it's getting a little hard to breathe in here!
Finally, I can feel the cart come to a halt, and Anna's grip on my hand tightens even more. "Elsa…" she whispers fearfully.
I have no words for her. I only return her grip with my own and wait.
As I do, I hear the familiar slap of boots hitting the ground as our kidnapper has clearly left the front seat and the creaking and leaning of the cart tells me that he is now clambering up the side and I now hear him shifting through the hay above us.
A small glimpse of Anna shows me that she has some kind of stone in her hand, ready to defend herself.
That's a point; I'm going to have to tap into my abilities again, though I swore I'd never do anything to harm her. That being said, we're in serious trouble, I'll have to!
The final slither of hay is pulled from over us as Anna instinctively begins to launch her stone at the figures face and I prepare a sphere of snow to stun our kidnapper- "Wait Anna!"
I quickly shove her wrist out of the way and the pebble goes flying out of her hand.
"What did I tell you about initials only girls?" Sebastian says sternly.
Ugh, finally it's done!
Sorry this has taken so long. As the end of my college course approached it became such a crazy runaround trying to organise all my portfolio, but I did it! I'm now Level 4 qualified Sports Masseur and Soft Tissue Therapist!
Which also means I will now have so much more time on my hands to really get back into this story!
Please leave a review if you enjoyed, and I hope you all got what you wanted to get out of this year!
Until Chapter 13... You know, they say that 13 is an unlucky number...