Giving Fantasia: The Taking Fantasia Sequel

Chapter 116: Ride As I Write

Chapter 116: Ride As I Write

Wendy resisted on principle. YES she wanted to confront Peter (especially since Jack Frost said Peter was hunting Jim), but NO it was not permissible for Pips to snatch her at the slightest impulse. Spontaneous kidnappings had been Peter's privilege when they were engaged, and it had been one Wendy wanted to reduce. She was a girl – not a doll.

So Wendy struggled. She did not protest (Pips was taking her where Hiccup would not) but she clearly expressed her frustrations.

Unsurprisingly, Pips did not care. He flew like a summer storm, bursting here, zipping there, and smirking when Wendy thought she would fall.

"Don't worry, I gotcha." Pips darted over a waterfall. Without warning he plunged with the violent stream. Wendy gasped. Pips smiled as she hugged his neck. He dallied a handful of lazy seconds, just to see how tightly Wendy could hold. Pretty darn tight.

"Lighten up toots." Pips skimmed the waterfall's frothing base. As they waited for Crysta, he squeezed Wendy's hip. "I ain't gonna drop ya."

Wendy fidgeted. "Please get your hand away from there."

Pips grinned. "Sorry toots."

"And you can stop calling me – " Wendy suddenly focused on the waterfall. As Crysta appeared over the crest, Wendy pointed behind the curtain of cascading water. "Pips, behind the waterfall. Those red, orange, and purple lights. Are....Pips are those dragon flames? Are those dragons?"

Almost immediately, a plasma blast hit the waterfall from behind. The plasma fizzled harmlessly as a very irritated nightfury growled.

"Toothless? Toothless!" Wendy squirmed. "Pips! Those are the Vikings' dragons! They're trapped behind the waterfall!"

Pips yawned.

"Yeah." he answered as Crysta navigated the chute. Repositioning Wendy, Pips followed Crysta downstream. "Dragons are there til they drown. Vikings are strung from Hangman's Tree."

"WHAT?" Wendy almost ruptured Pips' eardrums. "The dragons are drowning? The Vikings are hanging from a tree? You killed them? How could you? Why would you hurt them? Pips! Crysta! Stop, I am not going to let those poor dragons drown – "

"SLOW DOWN!" Pips covered Wendy's mouth. "The Vikings ain't dead yet, don't blow your lips off! Geeze you Fantasians are worse than the Vikings! I don't ever remember Thumbelina being this chatty! You are worse than Thumbelina and that King Arthur kid put together!"

Wendy remembered. Jerking free, she continued. "King Arthur! Pips you saw King Arthur? Wait – stop flying! Don't leave the dragons!"

"We found a psycho kid." Pips said, ignoring Wendy and sweeping higher. "Skinny blonde, kept saying he was King Arthur, but he was a wack job. Crysta found him in Ogre Swamp with magic ice in his heart."

"Magic ice?"

"Apparently the dude is freezing to death."

"Unless his curse is broken by an act of true love!" Crysta added, swooping alongside. "I hope Artie finds that girl. Remember the snow queen, the one he has to make love him? What was her name?"

Wendy turned. "Elsa?"

"That's it! Elsa! Artie and the ogre where headed north to find her!"

"And to outrun the mob." said Pips.

"Mob?" echoed Wendy. "What mob?"

Cutthroat mob." Pips said. "Knives, chains, assault rifles, the whole shebang. Some guy named Ruber wants King Arthur dead – "