Winter Moon (Jelsa)

Chapter 33: Jack

Elsa's story lined up with what Rapunzel and I had discovered while reading the reports. Pabbie was dead. The Elites were in chaos. The letter was shocking. I was in shock. Nothing like this had ever happened before, not even during the Black War.

The Dark Moon. Now that was something.

"This is cozy," Astrid noted, ending my train of thought.

I glanced up. Astrid was walking next to Hiccup just ahead of me while Elsa was chatting with Merida and Rapunzel and Flynn brought up the rear. Anna bounced ahead of all of us, marveling at the city.

The building in front of us was a boxy brick cube bundled in ivy. A cluster of wind chimes were hanging from the slight covering over the front door. A sign that read Madame Trina's Odds and Ends swung from the overhang. 

Merida pushed open the front door as bits of baby blue paint curled and peeled off the wood.

"Whoa," Rapunzel said.

'Whoa' was right. Shelves, tables, and display cases filled the interior of the building, covering an antique-looking crimson rug. Trinkets, books, figurines, pens, paper, trophies, weapons, everything lined the shelves, stacked on tables, or crowded display cases. There were just so many things.

"Trina," Merida called, sauntering forward as she dodged a teetering stack of scrolls. 

"I'm afraid Trina's absent," a voice called. 

A woman, in her late teens or early twenties stepped out from behind a shelf, carrying a large bucket full of glass beads. Her light brown hair spilled over her shoulders, nearly to her waist. Her coffee-colored eyes twinkled in delight.

"Tana," Merida beamed, giving her a hug.

"You've brought friends," Tana smiled at us. 

"Who are you?" Anna stared at her with wide eyes. Elsa shushed her and gave Tana an apologetic smile. Tana waved her off and gave Anna a wink.

"We just needed a quiet place to talk," Merida explained.

"Well, I was just about to head out for some dinner, so you can have the place for a bit. Just don't forget to lock up if you leave before I get back," Tana tossed Merida the keys. It was obvious the two of them trusted each other.

"Where's Trina?" Merida asked, as Tana reached for her jacket, sitting on the counter.

"Probably at the bar," Tana noted distastefully. 

Merida nodded.

Tana exited, leaving us alone in her cluttered shop.

"That's Tana. She's Trina's niece. Trina runs this shop, sort of. Tana's usually doing all the work," Merida told us brusquely.

Astrid found a piece of paper and a pen and pulled Hiccup aside. The two of them began drafting a letter to Berk, asking them to offer temporary refuge for Anna. 

"I'm going to get a Mynx," I announced, a hand on the front door.

"Not alone, you're not," Rapunzel scowled. "You can't go to the Tower alone."

"Yes, I can. Nothing's going to happen to me," I argued.

"We're not supposed to be traveling alone. We all agreed on that," Rapunzel countered. "I'll come with you since, you know, I'm the only one who can enter the Tower with you."

"I don't like this buddy system," I muttered.

"If I could, I would send someone else with you," Rapunzel snapped grumpily.

We continued bickering like siblings the whole way. 

Getting the Mynx was easy. There was an entrance into their kennels on the side of the Tower. The guards waved us in without a second thought. 

When we arrived back at the shop, the group was spread out across the place.

Astrid and Elsa finalized the letter as Hiccup entertained Anna by stacking books into piles that reached the ceiling. They were on their third pile. 

Flynn and Merida stood in the back of the room, taking turns throwing knives at a target mounted on the wall. Tana had gotten back and was calmly reading a book amongst all the clamor.

"One Mynx coming right up," I deposited the creature on the table next to Elsa. 

"Hey there," Elsa grinned at the creature, who squawked indignantly. 

Elsa shoved the letter into an envelope as Astrid retrieved the wax seal.

I passed the letter to the Mynx who took it obediently in its beak. "Get this to the chief of Berk."

Rapunzel opened a window for the Mynx to exit. In seconds, it had vanished into the night. 

"Do we have a math exam tomorrow?" Elsa asked abruptly.

I sat bolt upright. "A test? The world's about to end, and we have a test?"

Astrid snorted. "Even in times of strife, education is of the utmost importance."

I nodded sagely. "I can only agree."

Elsa elbowed me. "Last time we were in class, you fell asleep when the professor called on you."

"Oh," I mumbled.

We fell silent, watching Flynn show Rapunzel how to throw a knife. Merida entered the storage room to retrieve a stray knife. As soon as she shut the door, there was a loud crash.

"Everything okay back there?" Elsa called. 

A brief pause.

"Yup! Actually, could you help me out, Elsa?" Merida's muffled voice shouted back.

Elsa hopped to her feet and opened the door. "That's a lot of stuff," she remarked.

"I'm behind the door," Merida's voice called weakly. "Please shut it before you crush me to death."

Elsa did, and for a moment, I could only hear a clattering of objects and muffled voices.

Then, a  scream ripped through the peaceful atmosphere. Elsa's scream.