Snow and Fire

Chapter 16 - The Ice Kingdom

Arrendale was covered in thick layers of ice and snow, people were milling about in the town square trying to stay warm.

A man was stacking wood when another came up to him huffing.

" No, no, you've got the bark facing down, the bark needs to be facing up." He commanded turning the wood up.

" Bark down is dryer!" the man said as the two of them started a tug of war with a piece of wood.

A boy sped past the arguing men and grabbed a few pieces of wood and rushed over to his family.

" Papa, I got some wood." The boy told his dad.

Prince Hans walked through the town with two palace guards handing out cloaks.

" Cloak, does anyone need a cloak?" He walked up to an elderly woman who looked to be freezing, she grabbed a cloak and smiled at him.

" Arrendale is in debt to you, your highness." Hans nodded kindly at the women and continued walking around handing out cloaks.

" The castle is open, there is soup and hot glogg in the great hall." He started passing a group of people.

He gave his pile of cloaks to another palace guard and patted him on the shoulder.

" Here pass these out." He told the guard silently and faced the other direction when the Duke of Weselton called him, he was flanked by his bodyguards.

" Prince Hans, are we expected to stand here and freeze while you give away all of Arrendale's tradeable goods." The Duke fumed.

" Princess Anna has given her orders and I trust Prince Hiccup to bring the Queen back." Hans began to say until the Duke interrupted him.

" And there's another thing, has occurred to you that the prince and princess might be conversing with the wicked sorceress who seeks to destroy all of us!" He yelled at the prince.

" Don't question the Princess, she left me in charge and I will not hesitate to protect Arrendale from treason!" He commanded the Duke who cowered at his forceful tone.

" Treason?" The Duke questioned as a horse whinnied and came running into the town square.

People scattered, dropping what they were doing as the horse bucked his hind legs.

Hans ran up to the horse to prevent it from hurting people, the horse calmed at his tone.

" Whoa, whoa boy. Easy, easy!" Hans held tight on the reins and stroked the horses face.

Hans knew it was Anna's horse and looked up at the north mountains with fear, he had a hunch it had something to do with Prince Hiccup.

" Princess Anna is in trouble, I need volunteers  to go with me to find her!" He asked the people, several guards raised their hands.

The Duke stepped forward rubbing his hands together.

" I volunteer two men my lord." The Duke replied to Hans.

" Be prepared for anything and if you should encounter the Queen or the Prince put an end to this winter, do you understand." The Duke commanded his bodyguards who nodded.

                     ~ Line Break ~

The search party walked through a grove where several snow mounds had ice spikes protruding from them.

" So let me get this straight, you have lived with dragons since you were five and you are this long-awaited dragon Prince that will unite the dragon and human worlds." Hiccup was sitting on top of Toothless rubbing the dragons head.