Betrothed to Jack Frost: Fire's Fury **SOON TO BE PUBLISHED**

12)The Unnamed Chapter

A/N 
"Leave a light on" by Tom Walker
Like the name of this chapter...? I hope it's not too obvious I had a massive brain fog. 
Happy Reading!
-Alycat
***
Elle was now used to traveling through time and space seemingly by magic. She was accustomed to the rapid change of speed and the blur of how things operated when using that means of travel. By the time they arrived at their destination, Elle found she was still standing instead of being sprawled on the floor as she had earlier in her time of traveling with immortals.

Elle looked to her right and saw that the group of goblins were still carrying the unconscious Lucy. With her still-out-of-it friend now snoring softly, Elle smiled softly at the familiarity of it. She enjoyed that the idea that this time around of living in an unfamiliar kingdom, she would at least have someone familiar. The goblins grumbled in another language.
Elle's mind then drifted to Jack. How seeing him somehow felt horribly heart wrenching. Why had he been there so suddenly to stop Jorgunmand? How had he known she was in trouble...?
It was all very puzzling to Elle. Her brows furrowed as she tried to work out everything that happened in the last hour.
"If you hold your face like that long enough, you'll cause wrinkles," teased Kane as he appeared beside Elle. He watched her for a few moments, as if trying to determine why her face was contorted as such.

"I'm just trying to work out a few things," said Elle. She had been brought to a small infirmary that was run by a few goblins. As soon as Kane escorted Elle inside, they tended to her broken bones. They then plastered a sickly green paste to her bruises and cuts and informed her to wash the paste off in a few hours. She was now bandaged and wrapped with the promise that her broken ribs and wrist would heal by the time she awoke the next morning. That was after Elle took a nasty potion the flavor of black licorice.
"Anything you care to share?"
"No."
Kane noted her silence that came next. He raised a dark eyebrow as he motioned her to follow him. They walked in silence down a long tunnel the color of gold and brown. "I daresay you are still distrusting of me."
"You're not wrong," she muttered.
"And what have I done to earn your distrustfulness?"
He had done absolutely nothing thus far. Worse, he even knew it. Kane held a smug smile as they continued their very long walk down the golden hallway. It was quiet and claustrophobic; there were no windows to peer out of, no other doorways for the longest time. It was only when the goblins veered off into another direction with the unconscious Lucy that Elle found her voice again. "Where are they taking her...?"
"Your chambers. A spare bedroom besides yours has already been made up for the girl. "However, I do believe it would be wise not to have her here-"
"I want at least one person around here I can trust," said Elle confidently, finding her bandaged wrist uncomfortable as she made the mistake of stretching. "We're not that good of friends yet, big brother."
Kane smiled at her usage of the word brother.
"What is the matter, you do not trust mother dearest?" he asked as he led her to a grand throne room. Elle shot him a look he then chortled at. Their mother Pele was not someone she would put trust into willingly.

This throne room was far different than the ones Elle had been to before. She already knew that most of the time temples and throne rooms were built to resemble the god or goddess that they were meant to worship or respect. This one although beautiful, was far from magnificent. The walls were a glorious red and gold, the striking combination looking as if flames decorated the walls. Tall golden thrones sat on the very end of the throne room, three of them total. Elle's eyes soon found a very tall golden throne was placed in the middle, slightly separated by the two smaller thrones. "The middle belongs to our grandfather."
Elle noted that was the largest of the thrones. "King of the Fire Kingdom, I assume."
"You catch on quick."
"It's not hard to figure out that the ones in power always enjoy the largest thrones," murmured Elle as she looked around. Kane watched her for a moment.
"Forgive me if I am mistaken, little sister, you do not seem impressed with the kingdom of our bloodline."
Truth be told, Elle really wasn't that impressed. After living in Winter's throne for a long amount of time, there were so many differences between here and there. Although the décor of gold and burnt red around the walls and the statues of whom Elle could guess were members of the royal family was spectacular, Winter's kingdom was an actual kingdom in the north pole. Wherever Elle was right now, it didn't seem that large in comparison.

"There is nothing impressive about our kingdom compared to the one she resided in at the North Pole, grandson," said a new, deep voice. It was as if he had recognized Elle's very thoughts even though she hadn't spoken them. Emerging from the shadows was a man dressed in robes the color of flames. Burnt red and gold accented the robes, while a tall golden and burnt red crown sat upon his head. The middle-aged man had tan skin and a face not marred with wrinkles or stress lines brought on by a difficult life. He had jet black hair with a small grey and black goatee, with crows feet tickling at his eyes. He smiled at Elle and Kane.
"My youngest grandchild, Evangeline Frost, we meet at last!" The man clapped his hands together jubilantly. He rushed forward to clasp Elle's hand with two of his. He gave a small bow and a tiny shake before releasing her.

Elle tried not to cringe hearing Jack's name attached to her own. The man standing before his throne smiled warmly at her. "I hold no desire to put your maiden name to your birth name," explained the new arrival that could only be Elle's immortal grandfather Alaz.
The crown upon his head was clearly made for a king.
Elle cocked her head out of confusion before she got an explanation from the king. "Your father Matthew put our kingdom through a mighty scare hiding you from us for so many years!"
Elle swallowed a rude comment she wanted to reply. Truth be told she had no regrets for how her childhood played out. Had it been up to her mother and the family she had grown up not knowing, they would have sent Elle away the moment she was born to be trained in order to become Jack's blushing bride.

"Tis about time you have returned home to your true family!" Alaz released a boisterous laugh as he clapped his hands together again.
"The point," said Kane, seeing Elle was growing annoyed at the happy nature of the king. "Is that you are now safe among your family."
"Yes, indeed," agreed Alaz with a nod. "We will do what Winter's Kingdom could not and keep you safe."

He seemed smug that he would be able to do something that Jack's kingdom could not.
"Er, thanks," said Elle with a polite nod. A silence that was nearly awkward took over next, seemingly brought on by no one quite knowing what to say next. King Alaz did not seem to be one for small talk. No 'what's new, how have you been the last twenty-one years?' There was nothing regarding simply pleasantries.
"Do you wish to converse with your mother before our gathering tonight?" asked Alaz as he sat himself upon his regal throne. He crossed one leg over the other.
"Uh, gathering...?"
"Why of course! A gathering to show that the youngest princess of the fire kingdom -not to mention the Queen of Winter's throne- is finally home!" Out of nowhere a large scroll appeared in the king's hands. The bottom of the scroll comically fell to the floor and trailed over twelve inches while the king continued to admire the size of the parchment.

Elle felt her eyebrows raise. "How big is this gathering going to be?"
"The invites have been sent to many kingdoms and of those in power; I want ALL to see that my family is back together." Alaz smiled as he snapped his fingers. Instantly individuals dressed as knights in blood-red armor came forward along with two of the hideous goblins. Alaz was addressing the knights as well as the goblins, tossing out many different commands. This was all happening too fast for Elle. She had barely been in the kingdom of her family for five minutes and yet she was having trouble processing what was going on. Kane was no longer beside her to provide answers; he had vanished. "I am so confused," Elle finally concluded loudly, getting the attention of Alaz and the knights as well. The king turned his attention onto Elle, his pitch-black brows knitting together. "What is it you do not understand, Evangeline?"

"Loki, his kids, Macaria-"
Many murmurs from the knights and goblins cut her off. Alaz shook his head gently. "We do not say that creatures name in this kingdom, my dear."
"She is not a creature, but one of my children, father," said the voice of a woman who made goosebumps appear on the back of Elle's arms. It was her mother. Pele, looking just as beautiful and youthful as any goddess Elle had ever seen, gently glided into view. Her red dress was long and flowing, looking as though rubies and gold were sewn into the flowing red material that was behind her. Pele's head of dark hair was cascaded into a magnificent bun, with a glorious golden crown upon her head. She smiled at Elle the moment she saw her.

Alaz's expression morphed into a more serious one. No longer was he concerned with his gathering. He dropped his scroll intentionally only for one of the goblins to snatch it midair before it could hit the ground. The goblin immediately began rolling it up again. "She is a creature spawned of fire and hell. Her will is to bring about the end of times. We do not mention her name in this kingdom." He spoke this in a venomous voice as if daring his daughter to contradict him.

Everyone became silent after that declaration, Pele included. She dropped her head obediently and didn't say another word.
"Uh, my point I was trying to make," Elle slowly continued once Alaz's eyes were back upon her. "Since so many people are trying to kill me, is it really a good idea to have a party...?"
This was probably the wrong thing to ask. The knights and goblins all turned to look at Elle and they weren't the only ones. Pele looked to Elle with large brown eyes wide full of surprise. Kane had reappeared as well, and he looked shellshocked that Elle said such a thing. Due to all the surprised looks being given, Elle would have thought she had asked something completely outrageous instead of as innocent as it was.

But all that happened was Alaz providing a soft laugh. The moment made Elle remember the late King Boreas of winter's kingdom. He also didn't seem to take anything too seriously back when he was among the living. Which in Elle's opinion made it even odder that both men had been in a position of power. "Youngest grandchild! We need to ensure that our allies as well as enemies know we are a united front during these stressful times. What better way than this?"
Not having anything to say that wouldn't irritate her newfound grandfather, Elle kept quiet. She didn't find the logic in having a party during a universal crisis, but that was just her opinion.
"Please allow the goblins to escort you to your chambers for you to prepare."

That was that. No more conversation was given, no more was asked. Elle frowned as a trio of goblins waddled over and started motioning for her to follow them. Although she was finding this entire situation quite odd, she followed them out of the throne room and towards the corridor the goblins were directing her to.

Pele watched Elle for a few moments until she left, saying nothing. Kane said nothing to her either, which made Elle think their main goal was to keep Alaz happy. Elle didn't have too much time to wonder how strange everything seemed before she was escorted into a large room without any windows. Although beautiful and decorated with the colors of gold and burnt red, this room was not as luxurious or homey as she remembered her room being back in Winter's throne...
Elle tried to stop comparing the two kingdoms. "Uh, thank you," she told the goblins as they watched her. The trio watched her with their beady little eyes. They muttered something incoherently before they wandered out of the room. The door slammed shut behind Elle, and she could distinctly hear a lock clicking behind her. Feeling things were seeming a tad strange, Elle went to conclude if the door was indeed locked.
It was.
Worse, the door seemed to be made from solid gold or maybe something stronger and only painted gold. Out of morbid curiosity, Elle allowed her hand to be engulfed in flames. She placed her hand upon the door to find nothing happening. Not a singe or even a burn mark although her hand had become scalding hot with the flames. Nothing happened to the door. The same wouldn't be said if Elle tried this same thing back at home. She would have started burning the house down.
Elle frowned as she realized she wouldn't be able to burn this door down even if she wanted to. Walking through the bedroom to the spare one where Lucy was unconscious, Elle pondered why she would be locked inside the room. Was that how Fire's kingdom treated all their guests? Somehow Elle didn't believe this was so. Before she was able to contemplate how strange this all seemed, a soft voice broke her thoughts.

"E-Elle??" gasped Lucy.
Elle cringed as she turned to face her friend. Lucy had been fast asleep on the fourposter bed. As she watched Elle with wide eyes, she slowly pulled herself in a ball position to gape around wildly. "W-where are we?! What happened...W-where's the werewolf?!" That last part was what seemed to scare Lucy enough to bolt up and look around fearfully.

"Oh boy," breathed Elle, suddenly wondering if it was really the best idea to bring her friend to this strange reality. Elle contemplated how she would explain things.
It seemed after a few seconds of waking up was when Lucy started to remember everything that had transpired that night. "And you!" she breathed with wide eyes. "You shot fire out of your hands...FIRE!"
"I can explain," said Elle stupidly, although suddenly not sure how she was going to explain any of this.
"CAN YOU? CAN YOU EXPLAIN!?" Lucy was now shaking.
"I'll try, but can you at least try to keep an open mind??" pleaded Elle.
Lucy took a deep breath, and another look around. She pulled the well quilted red fabric of the comforter closer to her before she stopped. It was then that she seemed to realize the room she was in. Her hazel eyes looked around in wonder before they shot back to Elle questioningly. "Where are we??"
"A volcanic kingdom in the middle of Hawaii," said Elle, hoping she didn't sound as ridiculous as she felt explaining this.
"A volcanic kingdom in the middle of Hawaii," echoed Lucy incredulously. "And how did we get here??"
Elle stared at her silently for a few long moments.
How do you explain to someone they were suddenly in Hawaii without having taken a plane or boat?
"Uh...magic?" said Elle for lack of better terminology for her friend. It was then that Elle started to launch into a long-winded explanation. Lucy tried asking questions at first only to soon realize she was in over her head. Elle explained all about what had happened to her months earlier, how she was kidnapped the eve of her twenty-first birthday. How she discovered she was the product of a mortal and a volcano goddess and grew up not knowing this information. Elle went on to explain all about Jack Frost, how they originally met, how they hated one another before they grew to love each other. Or, at least Elle had thought they had.

Elle continued to explain about their friend 'Aiden' being one of the Olympic Gods Apollo, who had watched over her until she was old enough for her betrothment. Elle explained her powers that had originally occurred when she became terribly upset. She explained the prophecy involving fire and ice, her destiny that spoke of being with Jack.

Lucy's eyes remained wide and transfixed the entire time she was listening. Elle explained of Jack's abusive family, his horrid stepmother, and the trick of his sister Khione coming across as sweet and innocent right up to the moment she attempted to murder Elle on her wedding day. After that, Elle went into detail explaining that the Norse god Loki had been Khione's comrade, and now he was continuing with her quest to destroy the world as they all knew it. Elle finished by explaining he had gone the last few months without any contact with the exception of Apollo and her godfather Hermes up until the day she met Kane who informed her that he was her long-lost brother. He came to her to reveal that her murderous sister had escaped the underworld. Then Elle proceeded to explain the night before when Loki's children tried to kill them before Elle had agreed to go with him to their family's kingdom in Hawaii. She finished by saying she wanted Lucy brought with this time around. Although Elle had started off standing when she told her long story, she eventually had to sit down for how long it was taking her to tell. By the time she was finally finished, it seemed Lucy was rendered speechless. She bobbed her head as her mouth moved, but no words came out. Her eyes remained wide.
"And now I think they locked us in," Elle finally concluded, taking a rest in a nearby chair.
There were no clocks or dials to tell time, but Elle was certain she had been explaining everything that had happened for well over an hour. Lucy simply stared at her. Then she started staring into space. Then back at Elle. It continued like that for a few long moments before Lucy finally spoke.

"What about...Jack Frost?"

Elle had to remember to stop cringing each time she heard Jack's name. Part of her was annoyed that after such a long story talking of gods and monsters that Jack was the first part she thought of asking about.
"What about him?"
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "You've only been moping over him since you two ended. Why did he show up back at the house if you guys are over?"
Elle thought she had been prepared for all questions Lucy could ask. She had been wrong. A proper response was hard to form when it came to the subject of Jack. "I don't know," confessed Elle. "I haven't given much thought about it."
Lucy gave a small snort. "You guys might want to talk then."
Elle could have rolled her eyes at her friend. It was typical Lucy that the one aspect of the entire story she cared deeply about was the part involving love. "You and Eros would get along fabulously," she muttered.
Lucy was confused. "Who?"
Elle shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You weren't there when Jack left me."
But Lucy looked indifferent as she stretched her arms. "Last I checked, no one saves someone from nearly being killed if they didn't value that person's life."
Although she wanted to argue, Elle wasn't sure what she would be arguing. As much as she didn't like to admit it, Lucy wasn't wrong.
"And you said Jack didn't want you coming...here," said Lucy, motioning around the lavish although windowless spare bedroom. "Was he right to think you shouldn't trust the people who live here?"

Elle felt she could kick herself for telling Lucy every detail regarding what had happened back at the farmhouse after the attack from Jormungand and Fenrir. She suddenly lacked a decent explanation for her actions. "They're my family...?" said Elle, noting her explanation sounded more like a question than a reassuring reasoning. Lucy swung her legs off the bed, She slowly -almost hesitantly- started looking at the decorations and the embroidery of flames on the walls. Her expression was an analytical one. "Do you remember Sophomore year when I snuck out of the house to go see that dork who played running back on the JV Football team?"
"Yeah," recalled Elle, remembering Lucy's parents had been pretty upset she had left the house in the middle of the night to see a boy. If her memory served, Lucy had a very long grounding after that.
"I couldn't leave the house unless it was for school, remember?" said Lucy as she looked around. She looked at a painting of a massive forest fire on the wall. The thick branches of fire exploded in all directions, nearly taking up the entire wall. Her eyes didn't seem to be looking at the painting; they extended farther than that; they were lost in the memory of her story. "They even threatened not to pay for my college education if I ever did something like that again."
Elle remembered Lucy's strict parents. Even nowadays while she was an adult her parents would still call periodically to check on her.
"What's your point?"
Lucy looked around the room in wonder at all the painting of fire and flames until her eyes finally settled on Elle. "Even though my family was furious with me then, they never once locked me away in my room."
***

A/N
So, what are we thinking? Who has a guess for why Lucy is tagging around...? 
ALSO, check out "The Lost Asgardian" on my page. It's going to be published and it's a spinoff of BTJF starring one of our villains, Loki!