Page 41 of Enchanted By a Pirate
Uncertain, Anna shrugged. She didn't know enough about this land to come up with an answer. Anton, however, clenched his hands.
"The Snow Queen."
"Aye."
The giant sat up. He took a moment to mull over the theory. Anna frowned. "The Snow Queen?" She didn't know anything about her. Anton had mentioned that they had wanted to visit the Kingdom of Winter. And someone had told her that the Snow Queen was the person with the most magical powers, but other than that, she didn't know anything else about her. So, the theory sounded plausible.
"Has she seized power?"
The captain shook his head. "Something must have gone wrong with her plan. That's why she rallied five of my men to her side to bring you back. But that wasn't all. I was talking to a few people earlier — old contacts. They say that some of the Snow Queen's representatives have been in the Kingdom of Flowers over the last few weeks to talk about trade deals."
Anton scratched his head. "You mean she's planning something?"
"I think it is absolutely necessary to snoop around the Kingdom of Winter. We should visit the Snow Queen in her palace, listen quietly to her and the residents, and find out if she has anything to do with the fairies or their magic. Maybe we'll discover she's behind all this and stop her."
Anton nodded while Anna raised her hands to indicate she had a question. "So, what's my role in all this?"
"We have to find out. That's why we're going to sail north to the Kingdom of Winter."
Goosebumps immediately made their way up Anna's arms and she huddled her shoulders, shivering. She hated snow. "How cold is it there?"
The captain gave her a smoldering look. "Don't worry, I'll keep you warm."
Before he could raise his eyebrows again, Anton slammed his fist onto the ground just millimeters from the captain and exploded, "If the Snow Queen is the villain, you can't take Anemone to her. That's what she wants!'
Unimpressed, the pirate stood still and looked up at him. "How do you know what she wants, giant?"
Anna intervened like a referee. "Toni is right, it isn't safe. But we must stop the fairies from dying before there aren't any left. We need the fairy dust so that they can do their work and make the flowers in the Kingdom of Flowers bloom. And to do that we have to find out what the Snow Queen is up to."
The giant grumbled. Then he sat up, pondering. He bent his legs. The knees were so high up that trucks could have driven under the legs, as through a tunnel. Anna smiled at the thought before turning serious again. The Snow Queen. The Kingdom of Winter. Even though she didn't like the sounds of the weather, Chris was right.
"How do we manage to sail into her realm without her knowledge so that we can snoop without being noticed?"
"We have to get there secretly. That's where your friend comes in." The captain pointed at Anton, who leaned in, listening closely.
"Do you want me to carry you?"
"No, that would be too obvious. But can you convey my sincerest apologies to the giants?" Anton snorted in disbelief, but the pirate was not discouraged. "Tell them I'm calling fora ceasefire. I am well aware that I invaded your territory with my flying ship. Explain to them that I did it to find Ani, not to challenge you for your kingdom. If we can shelve the war with the giants so that they allow us to sail through, we can come from the east. She won't expect us to be coming from that direction."
From the east? Slowly, the puzzle pieces in Anna's head came together to form a map. In the north was the kingdom of the Snow Queen and the giants were in the east, so the Kingdom of Flowers had to be in the southwestern part. "Why wouldn't the Snow Queen expect us to come from the east?"
"Because since our falling out, the giants have blown such strong winds along their coasts whenever they see a ship that no sensible sailor would sail past their realm. As things are, all shipping traffic only takes place on the west and south sides, which is why the east coast of the kingdom is ignored."
"That sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Toni? Can you convince the other giants to stop fighting the pirates?"
Anton scratched his head. "I can try, but I can't promise anything. But if Anemone is on your ship, I will stand on the shore myself to make sure that not a breath of wind capsizes your ship — at least until she can turn into a fairy and fly away. I wouldn't be sorry for you."
The captain grinned half-heartedly. "Very kind of you."
Meanwhile, Anna stroked the giant's hand. "Thank you, Toni, I knew I could count on you."
Anton took her in his hand and brought her to his face. He tried to whisper, but his voice was still so loud that the captain could hear everything. "Take care, Anemone. If you get a bad feeling, trust that feeling and leave. I will find you and help. Even if I have to fight all the pirates at once!"
"Thanks, Toni. You take care of yourself too. We'll see each other again soon." She smiled and stroked his hairy cheek. He was so friendly. She hoped none of his gruff companions wouldharm him. Then again, she had to have faith that the plan would work.
After Anton set her down on the meadow, he shot the pirate a warning look. "If she disappears again or anything happens to her, or if she forgets me again, I will find you and hold you personally responsible."
"Aye, understood, giant. And now come on, Ani, we can't waste any time. The guards recognized me and it would be a miracle if they didn't try to follow us."
