Once Upon A Time Frozen Over: Shards of Secrets (Book One) [COMPLETE]

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - THE PENDANT AND THE RIDDLE

Six Weeks Later

Present Day

All was quiet when they returned to Arendelle. The clock at the castle gates had just struck ten. The town was dark, most ofthe townspeople had dimmed their candlelight's in their homes and places ofbusiness. The crickets chirped their summer song, the owls softly hooted in the trees above, and the hearty, muffled laughter at the Troll & Crocus Tavern filled the streets — it seemed so peaceful. The people of Arendelle, clueless of the impending dangers that were so close and coming so fast, without mercy.

The four had parted ways at the castle gates. Kristoff and Evie went into town, while Anna and Elsa went into the castle to have much-needed baths, change into more comfortable clothes, and have the staff prepare a room for Evie.

Elsa, now in her study, had the map of the kingdom and multiple records spread out in front of her on the long table.

Anna walked into the room eating a sandwich.  "Wha' are you doin'?" she said with a mouthful, crumbs accidentally spraying from her mouth.  

"I have been looking through our records, there are a lot of them in here on Flynn Rider...but we're going to have a problem finding him," Elsa said, flipping through a large record book.

Anna swallowed.  "Why is that?"

"Every single wanted poster of him is different."

"Oh! I like this one! I like his nose...it's so...broken-y," Anna said, pointing her finger to one of the wanted posters in the record book, her head cocked to the left.

Elsa blinked incredulously at Anna. "Anyway...so with that said, the search for him is going to be a bit more difficult.  And to make things even more complicated, there's not a single mention of the Blood Gang in all of these records.  How is that possible?"

"Really?  Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. There's not a single word in here on them.  It's like they're somehow invisible to the law," Elsa said, setting one of the record books down in frustration.

Anna took another bite of her sandwich.  "Maybe 'ey're being protec'ed by shomeone," she said with a mouthful. "Shomeone in power or shom'fin'."   

"That maybe true. Maybe there's someone on the inside that's covering them up."

Anna swallowed.  "Speaking of covering things up..." she said, placing her sandwich on her plate and setting it down, "you promised to tell me what's been bothering you."

"I did, didn't I. Well...this was my first real day as queen and I guess I wasn't acting quite right today because...well...I don't think I am going to be a good one," Elsa admitted. "And it was so difficult for me to defeat the manticore — I'm afraid I'm going to go through the same thing with everything else we are going to have to face. If anything happened to you or the kingdom because of me...I don't know what I would do. Father always said that I was going to be the greatest ruler this land has ever known, but I don't really believe that."

"No, you don't believe in yourself — but you should. You are going to be an amazing queen. There was a time, not that long ago, when I stopped believing in myself or that things could get better. All it took for me was a birthday wish and a little bit of hope, and my whole life turned around. I have you back, I have love, the gates are open, there is happiness in this once gloomy castle again, there's excitement and adventure in my life. Yes, we are going to face so many more obstacles in our lives, but as someone once told me, 'hope will brighten even the darkest of times — you just have to believe it will'. So if we stick together and never let go of hope and never stop believing...everything will be okay."