"They should be back by now," Anna said, looking out of a window at the horizon. Kristoff stood behind her, and other people were in the room with them.

"Maybe they stayed for a few days," Brynn said, rubbing Emerald's head. The young dragon crooned. "Their king died, right? Wouldn't the next guy in line be crowned? Then there'd be a big party and all of that."

"Even if there was a coronation and following celebration, and they stayed for it," King Thomas said. "That shouldn't have been more than a couple of extra days."

"Perhaps they had to wait out the storm," Queen Primrose said, going over and resting a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Don't worry."

"Don't touch me. Please," she said, pulling away. "You expect me to stay calm when my sister is out there? We have no idea where they are!"

"I know, Anna," Primrose said. The red-haired princess turned.

"I'm going to send the dracomorphs out to look for them," Anna said as she left the room.

"Look where?" Brynn said, following her out, the Indominus Furies at her hips. Kristoff followed behind the women and the dragons. "You want them to just blindly comb the ocean?"

"We can't just sit here and do nothing! Indi is out there too, Brynn."

"We're not, and you don't need to remind me," Brynn said, her voice darkening slightly and her eyes shifting to a gold color for just a second. "I'm probably the only person that cares about him just as much as Elsa. But we have people here that we need to look after. That's what Elsa and Indi wanted us to do before they left."

Anna stopped and looked at the ground defeated.

"That's what people in our position have to do," Brynn continued, her voice softening. "You know that."

"Then what do we do?" Anna said quietly. "For them, I mean."

"We wait," Kristoff said. "And we look after things while they're gone. They have Sleuther, and Indi and Elsa are some of the strongest people I know. If they are alright, and they still have each other, then they will return."

Elsa's head was pounding. A near-constant hissing sound forced its way into her skull, assaulting her ears. Her mouth was dry, and it was full of something gritty.

Slowly, she moved, putting her hands into the wet dirt. No, that was sand. She opened her eyes and spat out more sand. She groaned, wiping it from her face, trying her best to remove the grit from her mouth. She turned her head to the ocean and crawled towards the waves that were gently lapping at the shore. She put her lips to the ocean and forced herself to take a mouthful of seawater. She shook her head, splashing the salty water around inside of her mouth, before quickly spitting out the brine and sand.

She rose to her feet, groaning with each movement. Weakly standing tall, she took in her surroundings. She was on the coast of some type of landmass. Large pine trees grew close to the shore, sand mixing with the dead needles that littered the ground beneath them.

Elsa staggered along the shore. She stumbled along, weak, hungry, and very thirsty. The sun beat down overhead. She walked for what felt like forever. Birds squawked overhead as they fluttered about in the wind.

As she walked, Elsa felt something grab her foot and she fell forward. She had just managed to catch herself, landing on her hands and knees. She looked back and saw what had caught her toe: an old board, which had mostly been buried in the sand, and likely something that washed up on shore years ago. Groaning, she rose and looked down at her clothes. Her dress was in tatters. Her shoes were missing, and her stockings were ripped in several places. She removed the ruined stockings, balled them up, and stuck them underneath her arm.

As she walked along, the heat seemed to intensify. Sweat began to drip from her brow, and her dress was not helping her to shed heat. She looked to the sky, cursing the sun. She fell to her knees, exhausted. Her mouth was as dry as tinder.

A shadow passed overhead, providing blessed slight relief from the sun. Something large landed in front of her, but she did not raise her head. In her field of view appeared a scaly snout. She looked up to see a familiar reptilian face.

"Sleuther," she said weakly. The Triple Stryke crooned in response, sniffing her. Elsa put her hand out and the dragon placed his nose against her palm for a moment before pulling away. From the back of her dress, near her neck, she felt something strong pinch the fabric, and she was lifted into the air.

Sleuther flew gently over the trees. Elsa hung from his jaws, exhausted, but thankful that the dragon had found her. She closed her eyes, grateful for the wind from the flight cooling her skin. Sleuther started to descend gently, and Elsa soon felt cool water touch her toes, then flow up to her legs, before settling around her waist. She opened her eyes to see that she was in a small stream. She sat just by the shore. More importantly, the water was cool and fresh. She immediately scooped the water in her hands and brought it to her lips. The cool liquid flowing down her throat was euphoric.

Sleuther joined her, drinking from the stream as well. The dragon seemed no worse for wear, though his saddle was missing.

Now refreshed and feeling slightly better, Elsa took in her surroundings. The stream she was sitting in was no more than half her height wide. The stream itself was surrounded by a variety of trees. Most of them were pine, but she also noticed a few oak and aspen. She sat in the water, letting it cool her body.

"Thank you," she said, petting the dragon. Sleuther rumbled, nuzzling her. Elsa waved her hand and formed a flask of ice on a rock that sat near them. She took it from its spot and dunked it underneath the surface, filling it. Lifting the now full vessel, she sealed it with more ice, before slowly rising to her feet.

"Let's go, Sleuther," she said, slowly walking around to the dragon's side. Sleuther turned his head to watch her climb onto his back. Elsa placed her hands on Sleuther's horns, and the dragon gently took flight. They floated up over the trees, and Elsa finally got her first good look at where they were. It was almost definitely an island and not a large one at that. The entirety of the capital of Arendelle could fit on it with only a small bit of room to spare. A large hill, or perhaps a small mountain, rose in the center. It was almost entirely covered in trees.

As the pair glided along, surveying the area, the sun began to dip below the horizon. There were no discernable landmarks, aside from the island and the small outlet where the stream connected to the ocean. Out on the horizon in all directions, Elsa could not find any noticeable islands nearby.

Looking down at the coast, she had just noticed something when Sleuther roared and dove. Elsa hung on and quickly got a better view. There, surrounded by debris and partially floating in the surf, was Indi.

Sleuther landed hard, sending out a spray of sand, and Elsa jumped from his back. She ran over to Indi and put her arms underneath his shoulders, dragging him from the water. Sleuther followed, nudging his rider.

"Indi!" Elsa shouted as she quickly set him down. She put her ear to the young man's chest and rolled him onto his side. She smacked Indi's back hard, forcing him to choke. She pinched the young man's nose and put her mouth to his. She blew, forcing air into him, before pushing down on Indi's chest. Indi coughed and sputtered, and Elsa rolled him onto his side as he made horrible retching sounds, throwing up sand and seawater.

"That's it," she said, tears in her eyes as her voice broke. She pulled Indi's head onto her lap and produced her ice bottle. She made the cap vanish and put it to Indi's lips. "That's it. Drink."

Indi grabbed at the bottle, his fingers covering hers, and eagerly swallowed the fresh water.

After nearly finishing the drink, Indi opened his eyes and breathed heavily. Elsa was in tears as she ducked her head, placing an awkward kiss on the young man's lips.

"I'm so glad I found you," Elsa said as Sleuther came over, nuzzling Indi. Indi smiled and rubbed the dragon's head. He put his hand into the sand and tried to sit up.

"Slowly, slowly," Elsa said as she helped him to a sitting position.

Indi blinked and looked around. "Where are we?"

"I wish I could tell you," Elsa said.

"At least you two are safe," Indi said with a sigh. He looked Elsa up and down. Her dress was tattered, with several stains and rips in the skirt and bodice. Her hair was a mess, her crown was missing, and all that was left of the makeup that was applied to her face in the Southern Isles was a few faint smudges. She was also barefoot.

As for himself, his clothes were in a similar state, though he had his shoes and socks.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"I don't know," Elsa said. They could not have been unconscious for a day or two at most. "I just woke up earlier today. Sleuther found me."

"Good boy," Indi said, rubbing the dragon's head. "Where did you get the water?"

"There's a stream on this island," Elsa said, pointing towards the forest. "Thankfully."

"Small miracles," Indi said as Elsa slowly helped him to his feet. "What do we do now?"

"Well, we have no idea where we are," Elsa said. "And it's getting late."

Indi looked at the woman, then at his dragon, before sighing. "Sleuther, here boy."

Indi walked over to the trees and the dragon followed. Indi nodded, and Sleuther lay down. The young knight sat next to the dragon, leaning back against his flank. He motioned for Elsa to sit next to him. The woman did, settling down next to the young man and the dragon. They sat for a while, watching the surf crash onto the shore and the sun slowly sink below the horizon, dying the ocean and sky orange.

"Here," Indi said, offering Elsa the last of the water that was in her ice bottle. Elsa accepted it gladly, finishing the drink. She was pleasantly surprised that her ice had chilled the water slightly.

The sky slowly darkened. As if they were timid, the stars slowly started to peek out through the sky. The trio watched as the moon slowly climbed over the horizon. Elsa put her arm around Indi, pulling him close. Indi snuggled in, and the pair rested their heads against each other.

"What do we do now?" Indi asked quietly. Elsa sighed, closing her eyes.

"We rest," she said. "We'll get to the next step in the morning."

Indi nodded slightly and lay down next to Sleuther, resting his head on Elsa's lap. Elsa leaned her head back, letting it rest against Sleuther's scaly hide. She listened to the crashing of the waves, and the gentle breathing of the dragon behind her. Glancing down at Indi, she saw that he was already asleep. A strong wind blew in from the ocean.

She gently moved Indi's head and got out from under him, before laying down between the knight and the dragon. She saw Sleuther turn his head to watch them for a moment. She smiled softly and gave the dragon a gentle pat. Sleuther snorted lightly, and covered the pair with one of his wings, shielding them from the wind. As the darkness enveloped her, Elsa felt exhaustion take hold of her mind, and she was soon fast asleep.

Indi woke, confused by his surroundings. Everything was dim. The space above him was some type of scaly skin, and he lay of something that was both hard and soft at the same time.

What perturbed him most was the head of platinum blonde hair directly in front of him. He took stock of his current position. He had his arm draped across Elsa's chest as she slept with her back to him. Their legs were bent together, and his body was cradling hers.

He lay still, only half-conscious, as the events of the previous day slowly came back to him. He was unbelievably relieved when he saw Elsa's face above him when she had resuscitated him. Having Sleuther with them meant they could make fire and catch food without too much trouble, so they all probably had at least a halfway-decent shot at survival. There was also a fresh stream on the island, so the basics were taken care of.

In front of him, Indi felt Elsa turn to face him. Slowly, her eyes opened, blinking in the darkness. The pair stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Hello," he said quietly.

"Hello," Elsa returned. The pair was silent for a moment. "I suppose we should get up."

As if in agreement, Indi's stomach rumbled.

"You didn't find anything to eat yesterday, did you?" he asked. Sleuther lifted his wing, revealing the pair to their surroundings. They blinked in the bright light and Sleuther snorted. "Good morning, Sleuther."

"I didn't," Elsa said with a groan as she sat up. "Do you think that you and Sleuther could find something?"

"I think we could go fishing," Indi said, his body aching as he stood up.

Elsa nodded as Indi reached down to her. The queen took his hand. He pulled, helping Elsa to her feet, and the pair stretched. Sleeping together on the sand with a dragon's wing for a tent was not a terrible accommodation considering their current situation, but it could certainly be better. An actual bed with a mattress might be difficult, but a more permanent living situation would be an improvement.

"I'm going to build us a shelter of sorts. At least something to keep us out of the weather."

Indi nodded and Elsa waved her hands. Just inside the tree line, snowflakes swirled as she conjured a building made of blue, crystalline ice. It had one floor, and the roof slanted down to the right. Elsa stepped inside and Indi followed, watching as she added a few shelves on the wall and a window that faced the ocean. The structure only had one room.

"It's simple, but it will work," she said as she looked at the doorway for a moment, before widening it with a flick of her wrist.

"It's lovely," Indi said, nodding in approval. "Let's go get a drink."

Elsa nodded and the pair mounted Sleuther. The dragon took flight, carrying them to the stream, where they drank and splashed water on themselves to remove the sand that had stuck to them during the night.

Refreshed, they returned to the shore.

As their small ice house was finished, for the time being, the pair wordlessly began collecting sticks. They gathered what they could that was already on the ground or just above them and could easily be snapped off from the trees. Sleuther assisted where he could, breaking small trees with his jaws and dragging them over to the house.

After several hours, Indi stood in front of the ice house, satisfied. They had plenty of wood for the day.

Elsa came over to stand next to him, and Indi put his arm around the queen. Elsa's stomach rumbled, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"I agree," Indi said. "Why don't you work on the house a bit more, and Sleuther and I will get a fire going."

Elsa nodded. "Once you get that going, you're going to find us something to eat, right?"

Indi nodded as he started making a small pile of sticks. Elsa turned and walked into the house. Inside, she made a small table and a pair of chairs. Outside, she heard Sleuther roar, accompanied by the sound of a fireblast. She went through the house, making a few adjustments, but was overall quite pleased.

She stepped outside and saw a small fire was already crackling in the pile of sticks. Out above the ocean, Sleuther was shooting fire into the water, before doubling back and grabbing several fish that had floated to the surface.

The dragon flew back, landing on the sandy beach. As Indi dismounted, Elsa used her magic to make a small table a short distance from the fire. Indi set two of the fish down and tossed the rest to Sleuther.

"Can I have a knife?" Indi asked. Wordlessly, Elsa held out her hand and a piece of ice grew in her palm, the blade seeming to grow from nothing. Satisfied with her work, she held it out to Indi. "Thanks."

Indi began preparing the fish. First, he chopped off the heads and fins, then cut the bodies open. He removed the organs and sliced off the scales and skin, before tossing the refuse to Sleuther, who snapped down the gifts happily.

Elsa watched the whole process with morbid fascination. Being a queen and largely sheltered for most of her life, she was largely ignorant of how food was processed. She knew the basics of how it was done, but seeing it conducted in front of her was a different experience.

Indi went over to their wood pile and found two sticks, both of them strong and reasonably straight. Using the ice knife, he skinned the bark from them. Grabbing the fish, he took them to the ocean and rinsed them in deep water, careful not to get any sand on them.

He returned to Elsa, and set the knife down on the table, before ramming the sticks through the fish. He presented one to the woman.

Elsa nodded, accepting the gift, and the pair sat down by the fire, holding their butchered fish over the flames. The pair sat in silence for a while, the only sounds coming from the waves, the crackling of the fire, and birds that flew overhead.

"Well, this isn't how I expected to spend my day," Elsa said.

"You mean you weren't expecting to be stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere with a young man and his dragon?" Indi said. He inspected his fish for a moment, before holding it back out over the fire.

"Certainly not," Elsa said with a chuckle. At Indi's expectant look, she continued. "I expected to be home, in my castle, planning a ball and dealing with some chaos that the citizens and the dinosaurs likely have caused in our absence. Perhaps I'd have some tea."

Indi smiled. "We'll get back."

Elsa's eyes widened. "What about Anna? What if something happens while we're out here?"

"Anna is fine." Indi set his fish down and took Elsa's hand. "I'm sure of it. She has Kristoff, Brynn, and the family from Corona there to help her."

Elsa stared at Indi for a moment before looking into the fire. "You're right."

Indi, being satisfied with the state of his fish, started to eat, and Elsa joined him. Like how they ate on their way to the Southern Isles, they consumed the meat directly from the body that was impaled on the sticks they held.

In polite company, Elsa would never have acted in such a way, but they were hungry, and no one present cared. She was careful to nibble around the small bones. The last thing they needed was for someone to start choking.

Indi glanced over, seeing Elsa eat ravenously. She likely had never gone without food for a day, let alone two days or however long it had been since they left the Isles. He smiled and reached over to her, wiping some of the fish oil from her chin.

"Very unbecoming of a queen," he said with a smirk.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Since when do you care about that?"

"I don't, but I know you have to," Indi said. "What would the people think?"

Elsa could only shake her head and pointedly took a very unladylike bite of her fish.

After their meal, the trio walked into the forests that covered most of the island. The heat that started to beat down from the sky was near sweltering, though the trees' canopy offered blessed shade. As they strolled through the trees, they saw no other signs of humans on the island, neither recent nor aged. There was also very little animal life, except for some birds that fluttered about in the trees.

Elsa looked up towards the sky, hoping to see a familiar flock of dragons. She had no idea how far north they were, or even if they were in the north. For all they knew, they could have drifted south and east, out into the Atlantic.

Indi stepped over a fallen tree. The wood was old and rotting. He noted that Elsa was having particular trouble in the heat. He gently took her hand and guided her to sit down on the log. "Would you like to head back?"

Elsa looked at him, taking a breath. "I'm fine."

Indi wiped the sweat from her brow. "Then what's this? You aren't good at hiding your emotions when you're sweating."

Elsa sighed.

"Come on," he said, picking her up and placing her on Sleuther's back. He climbed on in front of her and Sleuther took flight, bursting through the trees. He soared high, flying over the island, before landing by their little home. Indi dismounted and led Elsa into the house. Thanks to a temperature difference from her magic, she perked up, clearly more comfortable.

Indi sighed, looking at his clothes. The long sleeves and trousers were getting more ruined by the day, and the heat was making them more and more irritating. He went outside and grabbed the knife, before returning to the house.

Elsa watched him with interest as he sat down on the other chair. He brought the knife to his arm and carefully cut the fabric. He moved slowly so he would not cut himself. He removed most of the sleeves from his shirt, only leaving a small strip of fabric that came to the middle of his upper arms. He then removed his shoes and socks, and cut the trousers, removing the legs at the knees.

Elsa, determined to make it easier to move and more comfortable, reached out towards him. Indi wordlessly gave her the knife and Elsa set to work on her own outfit. She sliced the sleeves from her dress at the shoulders, then began cutting and ripping the fabric of the skirt. She stood up, examining her work. Her skirt was cut off just above her knees. It was a little higher than she planned, but no matter now.

The pair looked at each other for a moment.

"We look awful," Indi said with a smile.

"Did you steal that from a workhouse?" Elsa said, laughing.

"I could say the same thing to you," Indi said. "You look like you stole that dress from some poor tailor."

Elsa took Indi's hand and led him outside. The feeling of the air on their newly freed skin was a welcome change. The pair strolled along the beach, the wind refreshing. The sun was still warm, but it was at least bearable in their hastily modified clothing.

Sleuther followed alongside them. His humans were happy, so that made him quite content.

As they walked along, Elsa smiled and started to run along the coast of their little island. Indi chased after her, the pair laughing. Sleuther bounded after them for a short distance, taking flight and flying in circles over their heads.

Indi quickly caught up with Elsa, grabbing her by her waist and picking her up from behind. The woman laughed, grabbing behind her at Indi. Even lost, this was freedom. Away from the castle, away from prying eyes… she was happy.

Indi set her down, both breathing heavily.

Elsa looked at Indi's face, smiling.

"Let's go back," she said, taking his hand. Indi nodded and the pair walked back to their house.

Once they had returned, they began preparing for the coming night. Indi noticed the small trees that Sleuther had dragged over.

"Elsa, could I have an axe?" Indi asked. "The ice needs to be strong."

Elsa nodded and created a small hatchet in her hand, before handing it to Indi. He accepted it and retrieved the cloth from one of his sleeves, wrapping it around the handle. He patted the blade of the hatchet and lightly tapped it on one of the trees. It held, so he tested it a bit harder and was glad to see that the ice was unharmed.

Pleased, he set to work, chopping the trees. Thanks to Elsa's fine work on the blade, it would not take as long as he thought.

While Indi worked on the wood, Elsa went into the forest. She came to the stream and scooped some of the water to her lips, taking a quick drink. She waved her hand and formed several bottles made of ice on a nearby stone.

She took each and dunked them under the surface, filling them. Once they had been filled close to the top, she waved her hand once more, sealing each with ice.

Gathering them up, she walked back to the shore.

Once she arrived, she saw that Indi had made quick progress on their firewood, and was in the process of splitting the larger pieces. Elsa went inside their house and set all of the bottles on the shelves except for one.

She carried it back outside. With a wave of her hand, she made the cap disappear and handed it to Indi. Indi nodded his thanks and took a drink, before passing it back.

He raised the hatchet and swung down, splitting a section of wood in two. Elsa turned and made a small extension from the house: a small awning that came off of the front. She then began gathering up the pieces of chopped wood and started to stack them underneath. Once Indi had finished splitting the larger pieces, he went over and helped stack them underneath the canopy Elsa had made.

Their tasks were complete, Elsa and Indi sat on the beach outside of the house, watching the sunset. The sky and ocean were dyed a fiery orange, and the few small clouds looked like patches of flame. A slight breeze blew in from over the water and waves crashed onto the shore. They watched Sleuther hunt out over the ocean. Overall, everything was quite ideal, all things considered.

Indi's thoughts drifted off to his private conversation with Queen Primrose. He glanced at Elsa, the woman watching the surf. Slowly, he leaned his head against her bare shoulder. Elsa smiled and glanced at him.

"Elsa," Indi said quietly, his heart thumping rapidly. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"You know I care for you very deeply," he began, to which the queen nodded. "And I know I'm rather unorthodox, but I was wondering... Will you marry me?"

Elsa was silent for an unbelievably long second. Then that time doubled. Indi was surprised when she drew him into a hug.

"I would love to," Elsa said, placing a kiss on his cheek.

In her room, Queen Primrose watched the very same sunset. She wore an evening gown, preparing to assist Princess Anna with court. As she watched the sun start to creep below the horizon, she heard a knock at the door.

"Enter," she said. The door opened, revealing a servant. He held a small wooden box and an envelope.

"This arrived for you, Your Majesty," he said with a bow, before handing the items to the queen. Primrose thanked him, and the servant bowed once more before leaving.

Primrose opened the letter.

"Dear Queen Primrose,

We hope this letter finds you well.

We have done our best work on this item and had it expedited, as per your requests. We are honored to have provided our services and worked on such a piece at your request. We chose only the finest specimen, and the piece was worked on by only the most talented smiths. Should you be pleased with the work done, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would be honored and delighted to work with you again."

Primrose set the letter aside and opened the small box. On the inside, the box had a silk lining. Sitting in the center of the box was a small ring. She delicately lifted the ring up. The metal band had a twisted, almost vinelike appearance on the exterior, and a lovely piece of orange amber was set into the top.

She looked outside at the sunset once more, tears welling up in her eyes, wondering where her niece was.