9/18/24: Started
12/9/24: Completed
YURI
Chapter Summery: Honeymaren and Emory have their first official tour of Arendelle. Later, Anna heads to the Northuldra camp to talk with Kyle.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Frozen, Tangled or any other Disney characters or locations that appear or are mentioned in this work of fiction, Disney does.
- Bridge towards town -
Shortly after walking through the castle gates and walking along the bridge into town, Elsa, Anna, and Honeymaren quickly noticed Emory's excitement from her big smile and walking towards the edge of the bridge overlooking the water.
"Yanno..." commented Elsa with a smile. "After what Honeymaren said at breakfast, I'd expect her to be doing what Emory is."
"Heh, well this is my second time heading into town." replied Honeymaren, walking beside Elsa to her right. "I'm just happy to be outside." she added, before Anna commented, at her right...
"This time will be a proper tour of the town."
"Well, I look forward to seeing what you have to offer." replied Honeymaren, before Emory joined the trio, walking to Anna's right, who asked her with a smile...
"Enjoying the view?"
"Heh, yeah." replied Emory. "It just hit me that this is the second city I've ever been to. Aside from the Northuldra, I've only ever lived in M'akai- oh wait, it's called something else now..."
"Kaleen." stated Anna.
"Right, Kaleen. I've only ever lived in Kaleen." repeated Emory. "So being in a brand new city is a new experience for me."
"Well, how does Arendelle compare to Kaleen?" asked Anna.
"It's a lot brighter here, for one, and Kaleen's city is bigger. It doesn't have an awesome view of the ocean like you guys have, though."
"Sounds like an interesting place to visit, based on what I've been told about it." stated Anna.
"It certainly is." replied Emory. "I hope you get to visit someday. The people may be scary and intimidating, but as long as you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Although you shouldn't wander around alone on your first trip, you'll be an easy target for a scam."
"Thanks for the tip." replied Anna. "Our first trip will likely be with Edith, so we probably won't have anything to worry about."
"Well, that's good. No better tour guide than the royalty of the town." commented Emory with a smile, looking to the two sisters, who chuckled in response.
Upon crossing the bridge and officially in town, it wasn't long before a few of the citizens out and about, greeted them, though they didn't stop to chat. A group of four, eight to ten-year old children, however, did...
"Hi, Miss Elsa and Miss Anna." greeted the children happily, prompting smiles from all four, before Elsa greeted them back.
"Hello, you all. Enjoying this beautiful, sunny day?"
The children all agreed with a 'Yep!', before a child, a boy asked...
"Who are the people with you?"
Honeymaren answered as she knelt down with a smile...
"I'm Honeymaren. Elsa and Anna's cousin."
"And I'm Emory." commented Emory. "I'm just a friend of thier's." she added, before Anna also added...
"They're going to be staying awhile, so we're showing them around town."
"Oh, so we shouldn't be bothering you then?" asked one girl, which prompted a chuckle from the four, before Honeymaren commented...
"It's alright. We expect to talk to people too."
"Yeah." added Emory. "You wouldn't happen to have any suggestions on where we should visit, do you?"
"The bakery's!" declared all four children excitedly, before a girl added, "They make really yummy snacks and cookies and soft, warm bread!"
"Heh, well, we'll put that on our list." stated Honeymaren, standing.
"Ok, well, we should leave and let you have your fun." commented one of the girls, before the others agreed and departed with a wave of their hands, prompting the four to return the parting wave.
"Well, that was nice." commented Emory.
"Yeah." added Honeymaren, before looking to Elsa. "Is the bakery far?"
"Nope." answered Anna, before pointing ahead. "That blue building directly ahead of us on the other end of the plaza is Mrs. Hemming's bakery. She favors more sweets and cakes. We can make that our destination while we meet other people if you don't mind sweets."
"Alright." replied Honeymaren, before Emory added...
"Fine by me."
With a destination in mind, the group headed towards it, greeting those that greeted them. However, Elsa and Anna noticed something had caught Emory's attention enough for her gaze to linger as they walked, looking behind them to their left. Elsa and Anna both looked to see what had grabbed her attention, which also prompted Honeymaren's curious gaze, but didn't see anything of note other than a few people walking by.
"What are you looking at?" asked Anna, turning her attention back to Emory, whose gaze turned to her with a gasp and looking embarrassed, before directing her gaze ahead.
"N-Nothing." answered Emory nervously, prompting Anna to chuckle and comment...
"It must've been something to make you stare."
"Yeah." added Honeymaren. "If it's interesting enough to make us all turn to look, it must be something."
"Hmm... fine..." replied Emory reluctantly, "I have a question, but... I don't know if it would be rude."
"If it's a genuine question, it wouldn't be rude." stated Elsa with a smile.
"Yeah." added Anna. "If you don't know something, you ask a question."
"Alright..." sighed Emory. "I noticed a man who-" added Emory, before the group walked by a dark-skinned woman who happily greeted them as they crossed paths. After returning the greeting, the three saw Emory's gaze briefly linger on the woman, prompting them to also look at the woman curiously at what Emory found so interesting, before Emory looked away and noticed the others looking and quickly commented, with her face reddening...
"Actually, never mind! It's really nothing! I figured out the answer to my question!"
Following Emory's comment, Elsa and Anna notice Emory's embarrassment, then back to the woman they passed, before their eyes both widen in potential realization.
"Wait..." stated Anna, looking to Emory curiously. "Emory, have you never seen people like that?" she asked, which prompted an embarrassed groan from Emory before she answered lowly...
"No... I mean, I know people come in different shades and races. I'm not THAT ignorant. There's Honeymaren and the Northuldra, that one servant in the castle who's close with Elsa, then me, being on the lighter end." stated Emory, extending her left arm and looking at her skin. "I just never seen people that dark of a shade before just now. A consequence of me never leaving M'akai, I guess."
"Huh..." commented Anna. "But you've met General Mattias didn't you, and the other Arendelle soldiers that were trapped in the forest. He and a couple of his soldiers had dark skin."
"Whose General Mattias?" asked Emory.
"Oh wait." stated Elsa. "We rescued Emory, and she stayed with the Northuldra after the soldiers returned."
"Oh, that's right." commented Anna. "Wow, so you've never seen people with really dark skin before?"
"Nope." replied Emory, before giving a relieved sigh. "Thanks for not making fun of me about this."
"We wouldn't make fun of you for that." stated Anna with a smile, before Elsa added...
"Yeah, you just found something new."
"I agree." stated Honeymaren. "There are many different people in the world."
"Yeah, it's fascinating." replied Emory. "People come in so many different shades and races. It's amazing that there are so many different kinds of people in the world."
"Heh, yeah..." stated Anna. "It would be pretty boring to always be around people that look like you."
"Right." added Elsa. "You learn more from being around a variety of people, rather than sticking with your own."
"Oh, I absolutely agree there." stated Emory. "I may have come up short on meeting people of darker skin, but I learned a bunch about other races in the orphanage being around so many other kids, and just living in M'akai. For example, werewolves like being petted by those they're close with, but hate it if a stranger does it."
"Well, that makes sense." commented Anna, before Emory gasped and added...
"Oh, then there's Vampires, young vampires in particular; their fangs get kinda 'ichy' a friend told me; they get an urge to bite, but not a 'bite' bite, yanno? So, to scratch that itch, they like to nibble on stuff for the sensation. A piece of wood, a balled-up piece of cloth; stuff like that."
"Hehe, that sounds cute." giggled Anna and Honeymaren, which prompted another chuckle, before Elsa asked...
"Would they nibble on a friend's arm or neck?"
"Yep, although neck nibbling would be more reserved for a couple." answered Emory. "I've had a vampire friend of mine nibble on my arm. It actually tickled a little."
"I'd like to see that some day." commented Anna with a smile.
"Me too." added Honeymaren. "It probably looks so cute. Like a baby biting their mother's finger or hand."
"Hehe, it actually does look like a baby biting someone." commented Emory.
"So..." stated Anna. "Any other fun facts about the people you've met?"
"Hmm... oh, fairies, despite what you may think, like tight, enclosed spaces."
"Oh, we know that one." stated Anna, followed by Elsa...
"Yeah, Juleka told us that. She didn't say all fairies like it, though, but she does."
"Ah, well, the fairies I knew, they liked it." replied Emory, before Honeymaren commented...
"I'd still like to meet this Juleka."
"You might have the chance soon." commented Elsa. "We've recently become friendly with Juleka's village."
"Really?" asked both Honeymaren and Emory, prompting a chuckle from the sisters, before Elsa continued...
"Yeah, they used their magic to shrink us to their size, and we were able to visit their village."
"Wow!" gasped Emory. "You got to visit their village in person!? I'd love to be able to do that!"
"Heh, well..." stated Anna with a smile. "We're taking the meetings slow, so visits to their village with more than Elsa and me would take some time."
"That's understandable." commented Emory. "Inviting humans into their village, let alone revealing its location, is a big thing. They must really trust you."
"Yep." replied Anna. "Helps that Juleka and her village are already fond of humans. So while visiting their village wouldn't be possible, meeting Juleka and other fairies in the forest or even in the castle would be possible."
"Well, whenever the chance comes up while we're here, include us." requested Emory, before Honeymaren added...
"Yeah, I'd love to meet a fairy."
"Alright, will do." stated Anna, before the group neared the bakery and entered the shop, prompting a bell to jingle from the top of the door.
Immediately upon entering, Honeymaren and Emory both gave a brief moan of delight upon the sweet scent of the baked goods directly in front of them, behind a glass display. Just moments into the two admiring the various treats, such as cookies and pastries, the group saw an older teenage girl emerge from a door to the right of the room.
"Welcome! What can I- Oh, Your Majesty, Your Highness!" greeted the the young girl with a smile, as she walked behind the counter. "Looking for anything in particular?"
"Nope." answered Elsa, before Anna added...
"We're showing our friends around, and this was our first stop."
"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you; I'm Olivia." greeted the teen towards the pair, who were directly in front of her, and also greeted back. "If you have any questions or looking for anything in particular, just ask; We're not taking requests at the moment, though."
"Alright." stated Honeymaren, before looking at the selection in front of her. "It all looks good. This is my first time visiting a bakery. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Well, you cant go wrong with cookies." answered Olivia, before she walked from behind the counter, stood beside Honeymaren, and pointed at the cookie section of the display. "We have peanut butter and chocolate chip. If you're not from around here, there's also some Norwegian specialties, like Krumkake. It's the ones that look like tubes; we normally fill them with cream when you buy it, but you can eat them plain too. Then there's Sandkaker, those bite-sized, star-looking ones." explained Olivia, before continuing, pointing to the pastries, "If you're looking for something sweeter though, then the pastries are what you're looking for. My personal recommendation is a Skolebrod, it's a vanilla cream-filled bun with icing and shredded coconut on top. Mmh- mmh, so good!"
"Wow." replied Honeymaren with a smile. "Well, I'm not looking for anything really sweet. So I'll go for one of the cookies."
"Alright." replied Olivia, as she returned behind the counter and put on a pair of thin gloves. "You can get a discount if you buy three."
"Oh, uh..." commented Honeymaren, before Emory added...
"We don't have any money."
"That's alright." stated Anna, walking up to them, to Honeymoon's left. "I'll pay for whatever you get."
"Ok." replied Honeymaren. "Then I'll get a peanut butter cookie, the chocolate one, and the uh, tube one. What was it called again?"
"Krumkake." answered Olivia as she opened the back of the display to retrieve the chosen treats. "You want it filled or plain?"
"I'll go with plain, thanks."
Alright." stated Olivia, before placing the three cookies in a small bag and handing it to Honeymaren, before looking to Emory, "What about you?"
"I'll take that pastry you mentioned." answered Emory with a smile.
"Alright, one Skolebrod coming up." replied Olivia before taking the pastry and placing it on a small plate and handing it to Emory.
"I'll take a peanut butter cookie." stated Anna as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her coin purse, though looked back to Elsa. "You want something, Elsa?"
"Nope, I'm good."
After getting her cookie and paying, Anna asked Olivia...
"So, where's your mother?" asked Anna.
"She's feeling a little sick, so she doesn't want to be around the food." answered the teen. "So I'm running the store today while Dad takes care of Mom."
"Well, that's nice." commented Elsa, before Olivia added...
"Oh, speaking of, my mom mentioned that one of her friends was a little ill yesterday and might've caught her cold from them. So there might be a cold or something going around."
"Alright, thanks for the heads up." replied Anna.
"You're welcome. I hope your friends enjoy the tour."
"I'm sure we will." stated Honeymaren.
"Yeah, see you later." added Emory, before the group left the shop, before Honeymaren and Emory both took a bite of their snacks, and both, though more-so Emory, moaned in delight. "Oh wow, that IS sweet! Honey, you gotta try it!" stated Emory, offering her treat to Honeymaren, who just smiles and replies...
"Thanks, but I'll pass. Like I told that girl, I don't want anything really sweet right now. I'm happy with this, um..." commented Honeymaren, looking at the non-chocolate chip cookie in her hand.
"That's the peanut butter one." stated Anna, before she and Elsa had the same thought...
'She calls her Honey, cute.'
"Right, this peanut butter cookie is plenty tasty. It almost melts in my mouth." commented Honeymaren, before taking another bite of the cookie.
"Alright then. You're missing out." replied Emory, before taking another delightful bite into her treat.
"So..." commented Elsa. "Where should we go next, hmm..."
"Oh, I know!" stated Anna. "How about the clock tower? We'll meet more people on the way, and there's a nice view of the town from the top. How about it?"
"Sure, I don't mind." answered Honeymaren, followed by Emory.
"Same here. I'm just enjoying the trip. I'm fine going anywhere.
"Alright then." stated Elsa. "Let's go." she added as she and Anna led their friends through town towards their new destination, occasionally stopping to chat with people.
"Wow, that's a big building." commented Honeymaren as the group rounded a corner to see the clock tower a distance ahead of them.
"Yep." stated Anna. "It's gotta be tall enough for people to easily see the time from most spots in the town."
"So, based on the big clock at the top, it's 2:15."
"Yep, and there's a clock on each side too." stated Anna. "We have plenty of time before the next bell toll at three, so we'll still have our hearing."
"A bell toll." asked Honeymaren.
"Yeah, I'm sure you heard it last night and this morning." stated Anna. "Starting from six in the morning and every three hours after, the bell rings until nine in the evening."
"Oh, I wondered what that sound was." replied Honeymaren. "It didn't sound very loud, though, especially in the morning."
"Well, there's the fact that the castle's far away from it..." stated Anna. "Plus, the morning tolls aren't as loud, especially the first one at six in the morning." she added, before Emory chimed in...
"I'm sure it's plenty loud for the people living next to it."
"Heh, yeah, there's that too." replied Anna, as the group continued on to the building.
However, they quickly discovered that the door of the building was locked, but soon heard a man's voice above them to their right call to them and looked to see an older, though not quite elderly, man at the second-floor window of his home.
"Your majesty, your highness, you want to go in the clock tower?" asked the man.
"Yes." answered Anna. "Elsa and I wanted to show our friends the view from the top."
"Alright then, I'll get the key and open it for you." replied the man as he departed from the window, and Honeymaren asked Anna...
"Is the door normally locked?"
"The couple times I've come here, it hasn't been." answered Anna. "Guess I was just lucky." she added, before a minute later, the man exited his home and joined the girls, greeting them with a...
"How are you doing on this fine day?"
"Good." answered Elsa, before Anna happily added...
"Great! Just showing our friends around town."
"Hello, sir." greeted Honeymaren. "I'm Honeymaren."
"And I'm Emory."
"Hello to you too." replied the man. "You can call me Mr. Obel." he added, before stepping towards the door and unlocking it. "I maintain the inner workings of the clocks and make sure they're all running smoothly."
"That must be hard work." stated Honeymaren.
"Heh, it's enjoyable work." replied Mr. Obel, before opening the door for them. "I'll stick around and lock the door when you return. Watch your step when you get to the top; the wind can be stronger higher up."
"Alright, thank you, sir." replied Honeymaren.
"You're very welcome, miss." stated the man with a smile, before Anna and Elsa walked into the building, followed by Honeymaren and Emory, who both looked up in awe at the height of the building and the long, winding staircase traveling up along the walls."
"Wow... it's so high up." commented Honeymaren. "Are those two giant bells hanging up there?" she added, pointing to the two bells.
"Yep." answered Anna, "Those are what ring." she added before heading up the steps. "Come on, we wanna make it up and down before they go off."
The group then began the trek up the numerous steps to the top, with Anna leading and Elsa at the rear, while Honeymaren took delight in looking over the railing to see how far up they traveled until they finally reached the top, standing beside the two large bells and the wood and metal machinery that allowed them to move.
"Wow..." gasped Honeymaren walking up to the railing next to the bells. "They're so much bigger than I thought." she added, while Emory sighed and rubbed her right thigh.
"Oh man, I started to feel those last set of stairs."
"Heh, yeah." chuckled Elsa as she leaned back against the wall. "It's a bit of a workout getting up here." she added, before she heard Anna snort back a laugh. "What?" asked Elsa.
"Nothing." answered Anna, before walking to and opening the nearby door to the outside, which Honeymaren and Emory silently followed her out, to the awe of both at the view of the town.
"Wow... your home looks so pretty up here." commented Honeymaren.
"Yeah..." added Emory. "I like this view much better than from the castle. There's more to see." she added, while she and Honeymaren walked to opposite sides of the open-air space, admiring the view, while Elsa walked near the edge directly ahead with a smile.
"Yeah, this is a nice view." stated Elsa, before Anna walked up to her left. "This is the first time I've been up here."
"Second for me." commented Anna with a smile. "My first time, I was too nervous to fully walk out here, but-" she added, before the four felt a breeze that was a little stronger than on the ground, though with little threat of blowing them off-balance. "Heh, but even if the wind does knock me off, I can fly."
"Well, the two of you are safe." commented Emory as she walked up to Elsa's right, while Honeymaren was to Anna's left.
"I'm sure they'd catch us if we fell." stated Honeymaren with a smile.
"Of course." commented Elsa, before she sat at the edge, with her legs below the knee hanging off the edge. "But let's not tempt the wind." she added, prompting a chuckle from the others as they joined Elsa in sitting at the edge and admiring the view in silence.
After about two minutes, Elsa heard a faint, 'Here and now' from Emory and looked to see she had closed her eyes and lowered her head.
"Everything ok, Emory?" asked Elsa.
"Huh?" replied Emory, lifting her head and looking at Elsa, also seeing Anna and Honeymaren looking at her. "Yeah, everything's fine. Why?"
"I just thought I heard you say something." answered Elsa. "'here and now', I think." she added, prompting Emory to gasp as her face reddened.
"I-I said that out loud!?" gasped Emory, before placing a hand over her face with a groan. "I guess I was too lost in thought to notice." she added, which prompted a chuckle from the three, before Elsa asked...
"What had you so lost in thought?"
"When left with my own thoughts, I start thinking about what the others back home must be thinking." answered Emory, before lowering her hand from her face and looking down to the people she saw walking the streets of the town. "I'm sure my friends are mad. I just left without warning, and there's probably people besides Kyle who are happy I'm gone- and before you three say anything..." she added, lifting her gaze towards the others with a smile. "I know I shouldn't let it get to me; I should focus on the 'here and now' and not stress myself out worrying about 'what if's'. It's just hard for my mind not to wander off into those thoughts. But I'm here with my friends and girlfriend. I should be here and present with you all, not in my head, so if you notice me looking distracted and quite while we're out and about, snap me out of it, ok?"
"We will." replied the three with a smile, before Honeymaren added...
"Yanno, you realize you just called me your girlfriend in front of other people, right?"
"Yeah, I know." replied Emory with a smile and blush as she looked ahead, prompting a little chuckle from the three.
Anna then looked back to the big clock to see it was 2:35 and commented...
"We still have about fifteen minutes before we have to head back, so we can still stick around a while longer."
"Oh hey..." stated Honeymaren. "You said there's a clock on each side, right? Can I go check out the view from a different spot?"
"Sure." answered Anna, before standing, followed by Honeymaren, Elsa, and Emory, before they returned inside the tower and headed to one of the other three doors.
- 3:37 P.M., Great Hall entrance -
"Thanks for the tour." commented Emory as the group walked into the large room. "I really enjoyed meeting the people."
"Same here." added Honeymaren.
"Well, you're welcome." replied Elsa with a smile.
"Yeah..." added Anna. "And now that you're a bit more familiar with the town, you can go tour the town yourself- oh, or together as a date." she added with a smile, which prompted a chuckle from Honeymaren and Emory, who commented...
"Maybe we will."
"I wouldn't say no." stated Honeymaren, prompting a smile from Emory, who added...
"Well, I'm going to go find something to do."
"Me too." stated Honeymaren, before the two depart and give a farewell wave of the hand, with the sisters returning.
"That was fun." commented Anna.
"Yeah, it was." added Elsa, before beginning to walk away, though felt Anna grab her wrist.
"Wait, there's something I wanna talk to you about for a moment." stated Anna, before taking her hand and leading her about a yard away from the entrance and waiting until Honeymaren and Emory were out of sight before continuing. "I was thinking about what Emory said at the clock tower. That she's worried about what people are thinking about her."
"Let me guess..." commented Elsa with a smile. "You wanna go see how people are feeling about the situation."
"Yeah. Also though... I wanna talk to Kyle."
"Why?"
"Well, I was too upset to even listen to what he had to say yesterday. I just want to try and understand his reason for doing what he did. Every argument has two sides afterall- not that it excuses what he did; he's a completely irredeemable jerk, but maybe I could help smooth ober Emory's return." explained Anna, prompting a smiling sigh from Elsa.
"Well, that's very kind of you to do."
"So... you're ok with me going?" asked Anna nervously. "I thought you'd be more resistant to it."
"Given what Kyle did, I'm sure he'll be under close watch." replied Elsa. "Plus, I know you can take care of yourself." she added, before obvious worry came to her face. "Just... be careful."
"I will. I'll head out now. I shouldn't be gone long. Thirty minutes, maybe an hour at most."
"Alright, I'll see you later, then." replied Elsa, before giving a wave of the hand as she departed, returned by Anna as she departed out of the castle.
- Northuldra Camp -
Arriving at the camp and greeting people she walked by, Anna decided to make her first stop, Magna's home. On the way, however, she was stopped by the twins, Ella and Asta, calling to her as the pair hurried to her.
"Anna! Is Emory ok!?" eagerly asked the pair at the same time, before Ella added...
"She's coming back, right!?"
"Yeah, she just left without saying anything!" added Asta. "We were really worried!"
"Heh, everything's fine." replied Anna with a chuckle. "Emory's fine. She just felt like she needed space to clear her mind of what happened, and she is coming back; she wants to. She just needs time." she added, seeing the twins sigh in relief and Asta comment with a smile...
"Well, that's a relief."
"Yeah, I was worried that jerk had actually succeeded in making Emory go away." added Ella.
"Speaking of a certain jerk..." commented Anna. "Do either of you know where he might be? I wanna talk to him."
"Ugh, why?" asked Asta. "You're better off forgetting he even exists."
"Maybe, but since Emory wants to return, I figure I could work on smoothing out the process of them eventually being around each other again." answered Anna, prompting a sigh from the twins, before Ella commented...
"I guess. The jerk, who will not be named, should be taking care of the reindeer around this time. He should be with others doing the same thing, so you won't be alone with him. I'll take you there."
"Thanks, but I want to visit Magna and Grandma first." replied Anna.
"Ok, well, we'll be around." stated Ella. "So if you don't ask Magna to take you, one of us will."
"Alright, thanks." replied Anna, before departing with a wave of the hand, returned by the twins.
Heading towards Magna's home, Anna greeted and briefly chatted with a few other people, most concerned for Emory because of her quick, unannounced departure, which Anna reassured them that Emory intended to return.
'Well, I have good news for Emory when I get back that people are worried about her and don't think less of her.' thought Anna with a smile. 'That'll definitely ease her mind.'
Just moments later, Anna didn't need to reach Magna's home as she spotted Rona ahead of her, talking to a pair of children, giving a smiling nod, before the two kids ran off and Anna took the opportunity to hurry towards her.
"Hey, Grandma." greeted Anna. With a smile.
"Oh, Anna. It's good to see you." greeted back Rona. "Everything going well back home."
"Yep, preparations for the party are going smoothly. I just wanted to come say hi and see how everyone's doing after the whole Emory thing. She's worried that people are thinking less of her for leaving like she did, but I see that people don't think that and are just worried for her."
"Oh yeah..." sighed Rona sadly. "It's terrible what happened to her. I'd understand if she didn't want to return."
"She is, though, well, she intends to. She just needs time away."
"Well, that's good to hear." stated Rona with a smile. "She's welcome back when she feels ready. Her friends miss her."
"I'll be sure to tell her. Do you know where Magna is?"
"Yeah, she's with the others tending to the reindeer. Brushing, checking their feet, any illnesses."
"Oh great, I intend to talk with Kyle, and I was told he's with the reindeer too."
"Alright." stated Rona before turning to face the middle of the camp and pointing, "Just walk to the other side of the camp and continue out for a minute or two; you should meet up with them."
"Ok, thanks." replied Anna, before extending her arms out. "Goodbye hug?"
"Of course." answered Rona delightfully as the two hugged before Anna departed with a...
"See you later."
Just a few minutes of walking after leaving the camp, Anna heard faint talking towards her right and followed the sound, soon encountering the group of people, happily chatting among themselves as they groomed the reindeer, who were clearly content with the brushing.
While not immediately spotting Magna, Anna did spot Ryder and jogged towards him, who quickly noticed Anna's approach.
"Hey Anna." greeted Ryder with a smile. "What are you doing out here?"
"Hi Ryder, Emory was feeling a little down about how she left suddenly and thought people might be thinking badly of her, so I decided to come see what people are thinking about it, and I'm happy to say that it's all good news I'll have to tell her."
"Oh, well, her sudden disappearance caught people by surprise until Yelana said she left with you. People were still worried, though."
"Well, she intends to return when she's had time." stated Anna. "But now that I've seen that people are just worried about her, I have a second thing I came to do: talk to Kyle. I was told he's around here with you all."
"Ah, yeah..." replied Ryder with a groan and roll of his eyes. "Him. He's further in." he added, pointing with his thumb behind him before turning around. "You can see him from here... there. He's the one with his back to us and more off to himself."
"I see him." stated Anna. "Why's he seemingly by himself, though?"
"It was his choice." replied Ryder, turning around to face her. "Regardless, he's where we can all see him. So if he tries something with you, he'll wish he didn't."
"Well, that's nice to know. Where's Magna? I'd like to say hi to her first." replied Anna.
"Ah, she's..." started Ryder, looking to his right and pointing. "There... talking to her friend." he added, directing Anna's gaze towards the direction and seeing Magna talking and laughing with another woman as they brushed a pair of reindeer in front of each other.
"Oh, well, she's clearly busy chatting." stated Anna. "I don't want to bother her. After I'm done with Kyle, I'll come back and see if she's still busy."
"Alright, good luck with Kyle." stated Ryder.
"Thanks." replied Anna with a smile as she departed towards Kyle.
Upon approaching the young man, whose back was to her and currently brushing the reindeer's rear, he senses her approach and looks back to see her, giving an annoyed groan and a dismissive...
"What are you doing here?"
While bothered by the annoyed greeting as Kyle returned to his task, Anna was surprised to see clear bruises on the young man's face and a busted lip, prompting her to hurry to his left and see that the bruises didn't look fresh.
"What happened to you?"
The question prompts a little chuckle from Kyle as he shakes his head.
"Some guys had some words for me after you healed me."
"Oh..." replied Anna, quickly understanding the implication, before Kyle added...
"If the whole Emory thing is why you're here, you're wasting your time. I don't want to talk about it."
"I'm here to try, though maybe I shouldn't, to understand why you did what you did." stated Anna, prompting a chuckle from Kyle.
"It's not hard to get. Emory allowed her children to abandon us, resulting in the deaths of our people. She shouldn't be here, and she's not. All it cost me was getting beaten up." answered Kyle with a proud smile, which prompted an immediate agitation from Anna as she commented...
"You would've died if I didn't heal you."
At this, Kyle looks to her with a smug smirk.
"But you did. Even suspecting what I did, you still healed me."
"I... only did it because Emory asked me to." countered Anna.
"Sure." replied Kyle with a shrug of his shoulders. "But I think you would have, regardless. You're not the type to just leave someone to suffer or die if you can help. As a matter of fact, I'm sure you'd like to heal me now, wouldn't you?"
Anna knew talking to him would likely be difficult, but she didn't expect to be so quickly agitated by his smug attitude and took a quick moment to take a breath before commenting...
"Your injuries aren't life-threatening."
"That's not a no." replied Kyle with a smile. "Heh, people like you are easy to read." he added, turning his attention back to the reindeer and walking to its other side, facing Anna, whose left eye now twitched in agitation.
"Emory's not gone for good. She intends to return. So you failed in the one thing you wanted."
Following that comment, Anna saw Kyle sigh in disappointment and mutter...
"She should've just stayed gone."
"Well, she's not gonna stay gone." stated Anna. "She considers the place her home, and she's not going to let some pathetic jerk chase her away."
"Oh really?" asked Kyle with a smug smirk as she looked at Anna. "Then where is she right now? She talks big, but when it comes down to it, she ran."
"She's not around the person who tried to rape her!" declared Anna angrily.
With this comment, Anna, curiously, noticed Kyle looked surprised.
"She... told you that?"
"She did." replied Anna, before she saw him look uncomfortable and uneasy and clearly looking past her towards the others around, before looking down to the reindeer, before lowly muttering...
"It didn't go that far."
Kyle then turned around and began walking away, prompting a very confused moment from Anna at the sudden change in Kyle's attitude, and quickly followed after him, stopping in front of him.
"It doesn't matter how 'far' you went; the fact is that you tried to. You do realize how absolutely horrible that is, don't you?" stated Anna, prompting Kyle to avert his gaze with a groan.
"I don't want to talk about this."
"Well, that's too bad, 'cause we are." stated Anna.
"Not if I don't say anything." commented Kyle with a frown and walked off to his left, prompting Anna to smirk as she followed.
"Oh, you were so smug and talkative before. What happened? Ashamed at what you did?" questioned Anna, prompting a groan from Kyle as he continued walking. "Ashamed that you did the worse thing short of killing someone? You're a rapist now, you know that, right?"
Kyle then stops and places a hand over his face, allowing Anna to stand in front of him with a smile.
"You ARE ashamed, aren't you?"
"So what if I am!?" snaps back Kyle angrily. "Am I suddenly a good person in your eyes now?"
"No, you're not." answered Anna, with a frown and crossing her arms over her chest. "At minimum, you could be redeemable." she added, which prompted a huff and eye-roll from Kyle, before Anna sighed and her mood relaxed as she lowered her arms. "Why did you do it anyway?"
Following this question, Kyle lowered his gaze before closing his eyes and sighing, before crossing his arms and averting his gaze as he muttered...
"I don't know."
"I-I'm sorry, what? You don't know?" asked Anna, dumbfounded. "You tried to rape her!? What do you mean you don't know!?"
"Just that; I don't know." answered Kyle in annoyance. "I didn't approach her with the intent to do that. I thought at most, which I thought was unlikely, I'd possibly rough her up a little; just scare her a bit, but then things escalated-"
"You mean she fought back." interrupted Anna with a frown and her hands on her hips. "Had you pinned, and your pride couldn't take it."
"Think what you want." groaned Kyle. "It wasn't my intention to try to rape her; it just happened."
"It... just... happened?" replied Anna in disbelief. "Really? That's what you're going with?"
"When I pinned her down, I just-" stated Kyle, before closing his eyes and shaking his head as if to banish a thought. "I-I don't want to talk about this."
"I do."
"Well, I don't. I'm done talking to you." stated Kyle, before walking back towards the reindeer. "I have a job to do. Don't you, or do princesses just get to sit on their butts all day?"
"Fine..." sighed Anna, following Kyle, though continuing on after he stopped at the reindeer. "I just hope for everyone else's sake, Nokk spares you when he returns."
"Wait, return?" replied Kyle in clear surprise, prompting Anna to stop and turn around to see the surprise on Kyle's face.
"Yeah." answered Anna, before chuckling and adding, "You seriously thought Nokk was gone for good? Wherever Nokk's gone, he's eventually going to return to wherever Emory's at, even for a visit at the very least. Given Emory intends to stay here, Nokk's gonna return, and it's just a matter of when he finds out what you did. Just for slapping Emory, Nokk was ready to kill Magna. You did way worse than that to her."
The color seems to leave Kyle's face as visible dread comes to his face before he nervously replies...
"W-Well, Emory wouldn't let him hurt me."
"I dunno about that." stated Anna. "Emory mentioned that she doesn't think she'd be able to stop him."
Kyle is silent at this, lowering his head and muttering a swear, before shamefully asking...
"What should I do?"
"Well, despite what you did. I don't want Nokk murdering you; that would be horrible for Emory too, and everyone else." replied Anna. "So you can start by apologizing to Emory for raping her, since you're ashamed that you did it; whether she forgives you or not, I can't say. You don't have to like her or even be around her, but find some kind of middle ground you can agree on. When Nokk returns, admit what you did to him instead of having him find out, but you should probably have Emory there with you to show you're getting along well enough."
"Fine." sighed Kyle. "When she returns, I'll apologize for trying to rape her."
"'Did', not 'try'." stated Anna with a little frown and her hands on her hips.
"Ok, ok. I'll apologize for raping her." corrected Kyle, before muttering, "Not like there was any penetration."
While hearing the ending remark, Anna just sighed and resumed her departure without another word. First meeting up with Ryder again, he comments...
"Hey. I didn't hear much, but it looked like you two had a bit of an argument."
"A little, yeah." sighed Anna.
"Got what you wanted out of him?"
"Well, he's not a lost cause. He's apparently ashamed of what he did, so there's hope for him. He said he'll apologize to Emory when she returns."
"Really? Wow, that's great then." replied Ryder.
"Yeah." stated Anna with a smile, before looking over to where she saw Magna to see she was now alone. "Well, I'm gonna go say hi to Magna before leaving; see ya later." added Anna as she departed with a wave of her hand, returned by Ryder.
"See you later."
To be continued