Fantasy Arendelle: Return of the Sky King

[KaitWink]

There was a long silence which stretched between the three of them, Elsa awkwardly looking between the two men in a state of confusion. After what felt like forever, David burst into laughter and even Zhao cracked a smile. David said Zhao needed to stop joking around, slapping his knee as he laughed. It seemed that the two of them had been kidding with her, and Elsa had fallen for it.

Cheeks crimson, Elsa furrowed her brows, and spoke up. "That's... That's not funny!" She said huffily, glaring between the two of them. However, the humor of the situation and the laughter of her two companions soon had her chuckling as well. "I guess you got me," she told Zhao, shaking her head in defeat.

When the man spoke again, he said that Elsa should have an easier time bonding with her fellow spirits than David had, and the latter admitted he hadn't even started before arriving here and finding God. Elsa nodded, understanding, and simply listened intently. She would do whatever she needed to in order to do this correctly. After all, a country's defense rested on herself and David, and the spirits bound to them.

 

[Dragonlord318]

Zhao smiled good-naturedly. "I am glad that you have a decent sense of Humor, Lady Elsa." After that, the two monks from before came and refreshed the hot water, tea bags and biscuits. Afterward, he continued speaking. "You will need some time to pray and meditate to bond more with your spirits, to understand them. If you cannot understand them, you cannot be one with them." He paused for a second, sipping his tea and closing his eyes.

"Sifu Zhao," David said, "She know her spirits front and back. I don't think she'll need that much-" Zhao held up his hand, cutting David off. He ignored the storm Spirit and continued his conversation with Elsa. "As you bond with your spirits, you must also read scripture and pray daily. In doing so, you will truly understand your four spirits and their purpose as it pertains to you." With that, Zhoa stood, bowed his head and said, "We will begin your training in the morning. Until then, please, enjoy the monastery as much as you wish." With that, he departed into the door he had previously come out of.

David sighed, rubbing his temples. "Sorry," he said to Elsa. "I get impatient sometimes. Zhao knows best. He's actually an elemental spirit as well, and he's had years of experience with the spirits." He sighed again, sitting back. "I know you need your training, I just see so much potential in you I thought we could skip all the meditation part." He shrugged. "I guess not."

 

[KaitWink]

Zhao explained what would happen starting tomorrow. Not only would Elsa have to meditate to fogure out how to connect with the spirits, but she would have to pray and read something Zhao called "scripture." Her mother's scroll had taught her about prayer, so she understood how that worked, but what was scripture? A book?

After Zhao had taken his leave, David turned to Elsa and apologized for being so hasty, saying that she was well advanced and he thought she could jump ahead, but that wasn't the case.

Elsa smiled. "I'm glad you think so highly of me," she replied honestly. Standing up, she was eager to explore the temple and surroundings. Also, she wanted to ask David about this process, and she was better at thinking on her feet, so she felt a walk was in order. Glancing down to where he was seated, she extended her hand. "Care for a bit of a stroll?" The elemental asked. "I have.... Questions."

 

[Dragonlord318]

When Elsa stood, David smiled. "I'd love to go for a walk, Elsa." He stood as well, extending his arm for her to take, and they walked out of the monastery into the open air. David of course opened the door for her, trying his best to be a gentleman during their time together. After all, they wouldn't ahve much time during the day together after this. Maybe a couple more weeks' training, then they'd have a day or two to recuperate before tackling the fire nation again.

They walked past the now empty courtyard under the darkening sky, the monks were no longer training out front. With the time it took to get here and the conversation with Zhao, quite a bit of time had passed. The grassy rolling hills of the mountain sanctuary glistened in the twilight, fireflies started twinkling and a couple bats flapped around nearby.

As they walked, Leviathan slipped quietly out of David and disappeared into a nearby stream. David chuckled a bit as he saw his companion leave, then looked up at the slowly emerging stars. He took in a breath and turned to Elsa. "What's on your mind?" he asked gently.

 

[KaitWink]

The two of them left arm in arm, heading out into the twilight. The sun had almost set by now, darkness rolling in to replace the light. With all that was going on, Elsa wondered how much longer they would have to do things like this. Would her training keep the two of them apart?

David was glancing up at the stars, then turned to face his white-haired companion, asking Elsa what was on her mind.

"I guess I just wasn't sure of everything Zhao said back there," she replied. "I've already prayed and meditated. I guess I thought that that was all there was to it. It seems a lot more complicated, now that we're here." It seemed she was disappointed that things were going to be harder than she expected.

"What's a scripture?" She asked suddenly, getting straight to the point. No reason to beat around the bush on it, after all.

 

[Dragonlord318]

David chuckled softly at her innocent response to Zhao's guidance. "Well," he said as he rubbed his neck, "I'm pretty impatient too. It seems like we're kinda made for each other, in that regard. But," he sighed and looked at the slowly encroaching night, "he's right. If you don't pray and meditate, all you'll have is a bunch of jumbled thoughts to sift through while you're trying to connect with your Four." He looked down, smiling softly. "Lord knows, I was hasty and impatient, trying to force the Four to my will for the first few months..." he chuckled again, shaking his head. "After I humbled myself and meditated, I realized I needed to do His will." He pointed Heavenward. "Not mine."

After he finished his response to her unasked question, her actual question caught him off guard. He smiled softly as he looked at her innocent features. "Here, let's sit down. It might take a minute." He gestured to a bench by the walkway. After they sat, he turned and placed his hand on the bench backrest. "Do you remember when I read that book to the general for a few hours, down in the prison?"

 

[KaitWink]

Elsa glanced up at the sky when David pointed to the stars. Was that where "Heaven" was? She felt so clueless about all of this. Hadn't they been amongst the clouds before? Maybe God was even higher in the sky than that, somewhere out in the rest of the vast universe?

David seemed amused by her question. It was probably interesting to come across someone who really knew nothing of organized religion. It must make her look like quite a child in his eyes, and she hoped her naivety wasn't off-putting.

The two of them took a seat on a nearby bench, David responding that it might take a while to explain it all to her. She was ready to listen, to learn. After all, her bonding with the spirits depended on this. Stopping the fire nation was riding on her being able to connect with a higher power that, until recently, she didn't know existed.

David started by asking her if she remembered the book he had read to the imprisoned soldier. "Yes," she replied. "The story was so interesting, I couldn't tear myself away." She grinned sheepishly.

 

[Dragonlord318]

David smiled, brushing away a stray strand of platinum hair from he face as she spoke. She was so beautiful. The way she smiled, the way she laughed, her innocence, her fury, her passion. They were all intoxicating to him and he couldn't get enough of it. He was actually surprised to hear that she was so interested in the story of Christ. He raised his eyebrows, the smile still gently present on his face.

"That's...that's very good to hear, Elsa." He prayed quickly in his mind, Lord, help me. I can't explain this alone. He looked in her ice blue eyes, enraptured by them, and continued. "That story is a factual accounting of historical events that happened a few millennia ago. In addition to that, it is the basis of our faith, the evidence of the power of the God we serve." He paused for a second. "That was scripture. We believe that men were inspired by God Himself to write down events and words for future generations to read. That is scripture in a nutshell."

 

[Dragonlord318]

KaitWink
(Ready when you are!)

 

[KaitWink]

Elsa listened as he tried his best to explain it all to her. She knew that it would be a lot to take in. She would have to be easy on herself if she didn't understand everything right away, but part of her knew that was unlikely. Elsa had always been one to push herself, and this was no different.

"So... God didn't write it himself. He just inspired others to write about Him?" She asked once he finished up, hoping that she was understanding it all correctly. Elsa didn't want to let the world down by not being able to save it. And she didn't want to let Anna down... And most of all, she didn't want to let David down. They might have only met recently, but he already meant so much to her. She was feeling things she never really felt before. It would kill her to see him upset, or hurt, or even if he was to chastise her.

"I think I understand that much," she replied with a small nod. It was like a history book, then. That was easy to grasp.

 

[Dragonlord318]

David nodded in affirmation. "That's correct. Though, even though men wrote the inspired Word of God, we still hold it as the Word of God itself. For instance," he gestured in the air, "when you dictate a letter to a scribe, is it your words or the scribe's? Even though it is the scribe's pen doing all the writing, it's still your words. It's the same way with Scripture. Holy Men and Women of God were moved by God to write down God's Word spoken to them."

He paused for a second to take a breath and collect himself, then continued. "When we were on the beach, God spoke to me and said He had spoken to you. Do you remember what it was like? That is how God wrote His Word. Speaking to men - and women - in millennia past to write down His Message. The book I read the other day, the book of John, is one example. It is John's recounting of the events of Jesus Christ on Earth, and all his words were inspired - or spoken in his heart - by God when he wrote them. Therefore," he held his hands open in a gesture of finality, "it is God's Word."

 

[KaitWink]

Elsa understood what he meant. "Okay," she replied. "So it's the word of God, just written by those he spoke to..." She replied. The ice queen gave him a smile. "I still feel like such a child, learning about a whole new world I didn't know existed..." She gave a small shrug of one shoulder.

"But I guess it's just good luck that you showed up in Arendelle when you did. Who knows how things might have gone if you hadn't. Maybe it's fate, I don't know ..."

 

[Dragonlord318]

David smiled at her response. "Hey," he said, "There's no shame in making sure you understand what you're getting yourself into. And the Bible says we should always be like children. Teachable and humble." He listened to her as she spoke about his arriving in Arendelle. He nodded in response. "Yeah, it's a little more in depth than that, but we'll say luck for now." He winked to cement his joke.

After sighing, he continued. "I'm glad I showed up, as well." He had a sly smile as he finished, "Or else I wouldn't have met such a beautiful woman and fallen for her in just a few days."

 

[KaitWink]

Elsa smiled as he said that they could chalk it up to luck for now, laughing a bit at the added wink at the end. It seemed that the two of them meshed so well, she could talk to him about anything it seemed and he never judged her or made her feel guilty or upset.

When he replied that he was glad that he showed up as well, so that he could meet her and fall in love, Elsa felt her cheeks redden and bit back a shy smile. "I never knew for sure if I really believed in love, especially with all the craziness Anna's been through... But I guess when you know, you know."

 

[Dragonlord318]

David nodded in response to her assertation of their relationship. "I agree. That one guy -Stan, was it? - treated her like trash from what I saw at Ahtohollan. I could see why you'd be so apprehensive." He smiled gently, waving over at some children playing in a field nearby after they called his name and waved at him. "But I'm glad you could take the path less traveled," he continued, "and fall for me too."

He signed contentedly, scooting closer to her on the bench and tentatively placing an arm across the bench behind her. "Look," he said, "the sunset." He pointed to the sun dipping behind the mountain tops, casting a golden, ethereal glow across the landscape. He looked back at her and was enraptured by her face, shining like an angel as she was caught in the red and yellow rays of the evening sun. "I'm so glad I met you, Elsa," he said softly.

 

[KaitWink]

David replied about seeing Anna's love life back in Ahtohallan. "Hans..." Elsa replied bitterly, thinking back on the red-haired man who had tried to kill both sisters in his attempt to take over their kingdom. "But he was dealt with. And she's happy now, with Kristoff, so..."

Elsa leaned back into his arm as he placed it behind her on the bench, barely realizing she was doing it. David pointed out the sunset behind the mountaintops and she gazed over at it with a contented smile on her face. When the man beside her spoke again, she turned to him and smiled even more happily. "I'm glad I met you too, David..." Elsa replied softly.

 

[Dragonlord318]

As she turned towards him, he seemed like he was on autopilot as he leaned forward ever so slightly. He hoped she didn't reject his advance. Their first two kisses were in the throes of passion or quick and brief. As their lips drew nearer and nearer, he couldn't hep but be a little excited. This would be the very first kiss he'd had as a man that was slow, methodical and purposed.

As the sun set, it reflected his object of affection's beauty even more, making him fall even more head over heels for her. The lamps around the village were being lit one by one, by some monks in training as the sun made its final descent behind the mountaintops. If there ever was a perfect moment for a perfect kiss, it was now.