Warnings: Same for the prologue, freezing, a teensy bit of anxiety, and mention of minor character death
I arrived in a barren and snowy land a week later. As I stuck my foot in the crystal snow, I felt my body shiver from head to toe. "Cold, cold, cold" I whined as I made my way towards the village.
Kodo Village was a village made of igloos. Kids were playing on the snowy streets. They were wearing blue or brown coats with brown fur on the edges. One little girl with brown skin, brown eyes, black braids with a blue coat about six years old carrying a red sled stopped and looked at me. "Mama, Papa, older white girl shivering outside!" She cried as she ran off. I just stood in the snow with no idea what was going on.
A couple of minutes later a woman with brown skin, brown eyes, with black hair sticking out of her white dress came over to me with the little girl. "Good girl, Anjij." She told the little girl. She took me in her warm arms and walked me and Anjij to her igloo.
Once she got me in the igloo, she sat me down on a wooden chair. A little husky barked. "Shush up, Cupun!" Anjij told the dog. Cupun whined.
"Now, Anjij, we have to be nice to Cupun! She is just a puppy." Anjij's mother reminded her. She put a mug to my lips. I drank the hot cocoa down.
"There, now you stay here, while I go to the tailor's and buy you warmer clothes." She told me. She left to go to the tailor's.
As I waited for her to get back, Cupun jumped up on me. "Hi, sweetie." I greeted her. She began to wag her tail. She licked my face. I giggled. I wiped my face with my silk sleeve. Anjij's mother got back.
"I have new clothes for you." She announced as she handed me a pink animal skin garment.
"Oh, thank you!" I announced as I went to the bedroom to change.
When I came out, a man with the same black hair, brown eyes, and brown skin, wearing brown fur with a leather belt that held a white spear was inside.
"Who's this?" He questioned.
"Umm, Anjij found her outside in the snow, we didn't get her name." Anjij's mother explained.
"My name is Anna." I explained. I won't tell them my full name, just in case they recognize me from Corona. I thought to myself.
"Oh hi, Anna! My name's Amaruq." He explained.
"Hello, Amaruq." I greeted him. He took off his white, wool glove and we shook hands.
A few hours later dinner was ready. I sat down at the wooden table. Anjij's mother set out bowls of white, lumpy stuff. "Dear God, thank you for this food. Thank you for bringing Anna into our lives. Continue to help Anjij excel at school. In your holy name," Amaruq prayed.
"Amen." The rest of us finished. I touched my bowl of the white, lumpy stuff. "Not to be rude but, what is this?" I questioned.
"Whale. Try it, it's good!" Anjij's mother explained as she took a bite of her own whale. Anjij was gobbling up her bowl.
"I guess I can try it." I spoke, hesitatingly. I slowly put the spoon with the whale in my mouth. It was sweet. I quickly swallowed it. "Yum! That's good!" I explained. Amaruq just laughed.
That night when Amaruq and Anjij were asleep on the floor, in brown fur sleeping bags, and Anjij's mother was sewing a quilt from brown animal furrs as she sat in a brown, wooden rocking chair, I was awake in a sleeping bag, propped up by brown, fluffy fur pillows. I pulled out my journal from my bag and began to write.
7/18/1618
Dear Journal,
So you may have been wondering why I haven't written to you in two weeks. Well one day I was playing in the meadows outside of Corona and Gothel attacked me. Ya, uncool, I know. Well, I got very sick for a week and almost died.
But, then rumors of the Sundrop started floating around Corona. Healing Sundrop flower, yay! Well, one night Quirin was like 'You can't take the Sundrop because it will unleash unimaginable darkness'. EXCUSE ME! I AM DYING WITH CHILD AND YOU DON'T CARE! Low key rude and low key bad friend. I spent all night crying. The nurse, Marana thought I was going to die that night. But my sisters, and my friends, Cassandra, Eugene, and Arnadlo found the flower anyway and gave it to me. And I gave birth to my daughter, Rapunzel the next morning. She had long, golden hair, unlike me and Frederic, but we didn't care. We were just happy to have a child. But, Gothel broke into the palace and kidnapped her the night she was born.
I tried to stay in Corona for about a week, but I just couldn't handle it. So I left Corona and I ran away. I know that it was selfish and really irresponsible of me to run away, but I just couldn't handle staying in Corona after all that happened.
But, now I am in Kodo. I am staying with a woman named Anhah, and her husband, Amaruq, and their daughter, Anjij. Anhah is so kind and motherly. She is exactly the type of mother I want to be to Rapunzel if I ever WHEN I find her. (Don't worry, I haven't given up hope yet.). Amaruq is so nice and has been like a father figure I never had. Anjij is so playful! They have a little husky puppy named Cupun. Who is just too cute! I really hope I can say here and nobody recognizes me from Corona. (That will be really awkward.).
Sincerely,
Arianna
Three months later Anjij and Amaruq came up to me. Amaruq was pulling a big red sled behind him. "Hey, Anna, do you want to ride on the sled in a race?" He asked me.
"Ohh, I love to!" I responded. An anxious feeling rose up inside of me. Sled racing sounds so fun! I thought. "Okay, the race is in a week." Amaruq explained. As he walked away, I did tiny excited jumps. This was going to be my very first sled race!
A week later, I sat on a big, red, wooden sled with Amaruq and with Anjij and Cupun in my arms. Anjij's mother stood on the sidelines, cheering. "Ready, set, race!" The announcer announced into a big red megaphone. Amaruq hit the reins. The huskies started running as fast as they could. I held Anjij and Cupun tightly as I screamed in delight as the sled flew up in the air and we hit sharp turns. Anjij laughed in delight and Cupun barked. Suddenly we stopped. Amaruq looked behind us.
"Guys we won!" He announced. His wife came up and hugged us in her warm arms.
That night when Amaruq and Anjij were fast asleep on the floor, tired from the big day, and Anjij's mother was sewing her, quilt as she sat in a brown, wooden rocking chair, I was awake in a sleeping bag, propped up by my brown, fluffy fur pillows. I picked up my journal from the floor and began to write in it.
11/25/1618
Dear Journal,
I won my first sled race today! It was so fun! I held Anjij and Cupun while Amaruq drove the sled. We won! I hope this means that I can stay here in Kodo with Amaruq, Anhah, Anjij and Cupun.
Sincerely,
Arianna
Three months after that Amaruq was pulling out a big, wooden, teal canoe from the basement. "Want to see something cool?" He asked me and Anjij.
"Yeah!" Me and Anjij exclaimed.
"Okay, me and Anhah will show you tonight." Amaruq explained.
That night me, Anjij, Anhah, Amaruq, and Cupun sat out on the teal canoe in the middle of an icy lake. The dark sky had purple and green light spanning across it. "Wow! This is so beautiful!" I exclaimed.
"That's not all we took you out here to see." Anhah explained. Just then a gray whale with a horn of a unicorn jumped out of the water. Me and Anjij gasped. "Unicorn whale!" Anjij exclaimed. Anhah giggled.
"Our people call them Narwhals." She explained. "Thank you Anhah and Amaruq for taking me out here." I told Anhah and Amaruq.
"Our home needed another body. Anhah's mother got really sick from the cold last year and didn't make it..." Amaruq's voice trailed off. Ahah frowned.
"Oh... I know how you feel... I had a daughter who was abducted several months ago..." I explained. My eyes began to water. Ahah hugged me. I buried my head in her coat and cried.
That night, Amaruq walked back to the igloo with a sleeping Anjij in his arms and Ahah helped me back. She took me to my room, helped me change and laid me down. "Do you need me to do anything else for you, hun? I could get you a snack." She offered.
"No, I am just going to write in my journal and then go to sleep." I explained as I sat up and grabbed my journal.
"Okay, you just call for me or Amaruq if you need anything." She explained as she left my room. I began writing in my journal.
2/25/1619
Dear Journal,
Tonight Ahah and Amaruq took me, Anjij, and Cupun to see narwhals! So, in case you don't know what a narwhal is, let me explain it to you. A narwhal is like a regular whale but with a unicorn horn on its head!!! Me and Anjij were so excited. And I also told Ahah that I have a missing daughter. I really miss Rapunzel. I haven't seen a trace of her here. Maybe I should keep looking. But I don't want to leave Kodo. Ahah, Amaruq, Anjij, and Cupun are like family to me. And I hadn't felt like I had a family since Mom disappeared four years ago. Don't get me wrong, Frederic was nice. But, that was not a complete family. And he's probably really mad at me right now for not being careful and almost dying and losing Rapunzel.
Sincerely,
Arianna
I put the journal down beside my sleeping bag. I laid down and fell asleep.
Three months later, I woke up. I got ready and got dressed in my pink animal skin that Ahah gave me a year earlier. I went out to the dining room where Amaruq and Ahah (who was holding Anjij) were sitting at the brown, wooden table. "Hi Anna, want to go ice skating?" Amaruq asked me.
"Yes!" I squealed. I look at them embarrassed, knowing that I probably got too excited. Amaruq and Ahah just laughed.
An hour later, we were at the side of a frozen lake. I put my pink ice skates on. I stepped out onto the ice. I nearly slipped, but Amaruq grabbed me. "Woah!" She exclaimed as she helped me back up on my feet. "Here, you can hold onto my arm.". She offered me her arm. I grabbed it. And for an hour, we gracefully skated around the ice together. Anhah would occasionally skate on one leg. But, I would loose my balance when I tried to do that. When that would happen, Anhah would just giggle and hold me tighter.
"Be careful." She reminded me. As we skated around the ice, I would look up at the sky and wish I could stay in Kodo forever.
That night, when we got back, I sat down on my bed, picked up my journal and began writing.
5/25/1619
Dear Journal,
Today I went ice skating with Anhah, Amaruq, and Anjij. It was so much fun! Even though I was a complete klutz out on the ice, Ahah helped me. I wish that I could stay in Kodo forever!
Sincerely,
Arianna
One day, a month later, actually, funny fact, it was the anniversary of the incident with Gothel. I got up and looked at the calendar and just thought Why, God, why does this day even exist? I groaned in annoyance.
"What's up, Anna?" Amaruq asked. "Something horrible happened last year when I was home." I explained. He nodded. "What was your old home like?" He questioned. "It was a really poor, tiny island filled with violence.".
"And your daughter got stolen…?".
"There was a break in at my old house… I tried to fight the lady off the best I could with my sword. But she was too strong…" I explained, my voice drifting off.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Anna… But I have a surprise for you! We're going to Corona for the Festival of Lights next week!".
We're going to Corona!!! But what if someone recognizes me there? I panicked. I could feel hot, anxious, sweat pouring down my face. "Anna, you okay…?" Amaruq questioned, a confused tone lingered in his voice. Arianna, you can do this. Just stay with the family and dress in your clothes from Kodo and no one will recognize you. I reminded myself.
"Going to Corona sounds like fun!" I replied. Amaruq smiled.
A week later Me, Anhah, Amaruq, Aniji, and Cupun went to Corona. I felt a bit of anxiety as I walked through the marble gates. Just stay with the family and your clothes from Kodo and no one will recognize you. I reminded myself. I looked around. The baker was selling cupcakes at a wooden booth in the street. People were dancing and making chalk art in town square. Some people were also selling flags, dolls, and other souvenirs along the sides of town square.
"Mommy, I want a dolly!" Anjij cried as she pulled on Ahah's hand.
"Can you ask nicely?" Ahah questioned as she bent down to Anjij's level. "Pleawse?" Anjij asked, jumping up and down.
"Okay, you can have your doll." Ahah told Anjij. She got up, picked up, and walked up to the wooden booth where the dolls were being sold. She talked with the woman with black hair, tan skin, and blue eyes who was wearing a blue dress who was running the booth where dolls were being sold. After a minute or two, she gave the woman some money and the woman handed her a doll with brown skin, brown eyes, black braids with a blue coat.
"Thank you, Mommy!" I heard Anjij cry.
"Hey, Anna, I got you a cupcake!" Amaruq announced as he walked over to me holding a vanilla cupcake out in front of him with white frosting and strawberry jelly.
"Oh, thank you!" I exclaimed as I popped it in my mouth. I ate it. It tasted like a cool strawberry in my mouth.
"Yum!" I exclaimed as I licked my fingers. I hadn't had a Coronan cupcake in a year. Don't get me wrong, Kodoan whale was great, but it wasn't like the food from my hometown.
I went into the townsquare and spun around. I bumped into someone. "Anna, try to have some self awareness!" I heard Ahah lecture me.
"Sorry!" I cried. I turned around to look Frederic right in the eye. This is a whole lot awkward. I just thought.
"Hi, your majesty." I told him as I waved. "I'm Anna.". Please don't recognize me.
"Hi, Anna! Would you like to dance?" He greeted me.
"Sure!" I replied as I took his hands. We begin to dance.
As we danced, I noticed Eugene sitting on the ground reading a book with a red cover, Arnadlo sneaking a cupcake with pink frosting from the stand, and Cassandra dancing with Captain. These kids grow up so fast. I wonder how big Rapunzel is! I wondered. "Anna, get off my foot!" I heard Frederic exclaim. "I'm sorry! I was distracted!" I apologized. "No, don't be, I used to have a wife who would step on my toes a lot when we would dance." Frederic explained. "The girl in the picture?" I questioned.
"Yes, her name was Arianna. She got really sick last year…"
"Did she not make it?" I questioned.
"Actually, they found a Sundrop flower, and then I fed it to her, and she ended up surviving and giving birth to a healthy baby girl, my daughter." I smiled.
"But then our daughter got kidnapped, and she ran away." Frederic explained. And I left Fred without a family. I thought. I sighed.
"Hey, you and I are not so different. How would you like to come around and stay awhile in Corona?". I was shocked.
"Thank you but no thank you." I told him as I backed away. "I have my own family from Kodo.". I turned around and ran to my family.
As I ran away, I heard Eugene tell Frederic, "And this is why you are still single!".
"You know what, sometimes I wish I could put you in a tree!" Frederic told Eugene.
"And that's why I ran away." I sighed as I stopped to look for my family. They were at the chalk art. I went over to them. Anjij was drawing a light blue narwhal with pink eyes and a white horn. "Aww, that's so cute!" I exclaimed. I sat down on the concrete. I took the yellow, tan, white, green, black, pink and purple sticks of chalk. I drew an outline of baby Rapunzel with the black chalk. I colored her skin with the tan chalk. I drew her eyes with the white, green, and black chalk. I colored her lips and gave her some blush with the pink chalk. I colored her dress with the purple chalk. I stood up and wiped my brow. "Hey, she drew a picture of the Lost Princess!" A man with tan skin, brown hair and eyes, wearing a white shirt and brown pants announced. I smiled.
I went over to Ahah who had exchanged some Kodoan money for Coronas. She was watching Anjij work on her narwhal. "Can I have a copper Corona?" I asked her. She gave me a copper Corona.
"Sure thing, kid. Buy whatever." She told me.
"Thank you!" I told her as I went to the little boy that was selling flags.
I approached the boy with tan skin, brown eyes and hair, who was wearing a yellow shirt and brown pants with a brown bag of Coronan flags over his shoulder. "Can I buy a flag, please?" I asked him as I held out the money. "Sure ma'am." He told me as he handed me a purple flag with a yellow sun on it.
"Thank you so much!" I told him.
Just then, I heard a male voice announce, "To the boats!". I ran to the docks with my family.
I jumped in a brown, wooden canoe with Ahah, Amaruq, Anjij, and Cupun. Amaruq rowed us out to the ocean. Anjij gazed into the water. "Do unicorn whales live in the water?" She asked.
"Nope! Too hot in Corona." Amaruq explained. Just then, we noticed lights arising from the island. I gasped.
"Floating lanterns!" I explained. I smiled. I watched as yellow, glowing lanterns flooded the night sky. One floated down towards me. I pushed it back up into the sky and hoped that Rapunzel would see it and know to come home.
That night, when I got back in the sled on the way to Kodo, I pulled out my journal from my bag and began to write.
7/4/21
Dear Journal,
Today I went back to Corona for the Festival of Lights! I know what you're thinking, that is a very bad idea, but, it all worked out okay. Anjij got a doll at the market. Amaruq got me a cupcake with strawberry jelly. It was yummy! I hadn't had a Coronan cupcake in a year. I bumped into Frederic (literally) and we danced. Luckily, he didn't seemed to recognize me. I drew a picture of Rapunzel in town square with sidewalk chalk. Everyone in Corona seem to love it! I brought a Coronan flag. Now I will always have something that reminds me of home wherever I go! I saw the floating lanterns! I hope Rapunzel will see them too and know to come home to Corona!
Sincerely,
Arianna
Of course forever would actually wind up being a year and a third. Three months later, I got sick again.
One morning I woke up feeling colder than usual. I just laid in bed shivering. "Am... a... ruq,... Ah... ah..." I called out. Ahah rushed in.
"Anna!" She cried as she rushed over to me. She put her fingers on my neck. They were freezing! I shivered. "The same disease that took my mother…" She mumbled. She put her hands over my ears. "AMARUQ! GET IN HERE!" Ahah yelled. She took her hands off my ears. Amaruq rushed in.
"What's going on…? Anna!" He cried as he rushed over to me and Ahah.
"We have to take her to the doctor." He announced.
"Don't you remember when we tried to take Mother to the doctor when she was sick! She died on the sled in my arms!" Ahah cried.
"Well, she is going to die if we don't get help!" He announced as he picked me up. He rushed out of the igloo.
He rushed into another igloo with a red cross on it. "You still with me Anna?" He questioned. I could only blink. "Amaruq!" A man black hair, brown eyes, and brown skin, wearing a white fur, called. "It's Anna, we think she has the same sickness that took Ahah's mother." Amaruq explained. The doctor took me from Amaruq's arms. "Her weight is really low." He observed. He set me down on a brown fur sleeping bag on the floor. I continued to shiver. He put his fingers on my neck. "She has a weak pulse. She has to stay here overnight.". Amaruq nodded. "Go home and get some warmer clothes for her.". Amaruq rushed out.
The nurses who were dressed in teal furrs gathered around my bed. One of them bundled me in brown blankets. Another one raised my head up and let me drink hot cocoa from a red mug. I drank it down. "There you go, sweetie." She cooed as she set me down on the fluffy, brown pillow. She pulled the brown blankets over my freezing body. Another nurse approached my bedside. She began to massage my arm. "I am going to massage you're body. You just tell me if anything hurts." She explained. I just fell asleep.
A week after staying in blankets, being constantly served hot cocoa, and being massaged a few times a day. I was released from the medical center back to Aniji and her family. But, I wouldn't stay there for much longer.
One night Ahah and Amaruq came into my and Anjij's room while we were playing with dolls. I was playing with the doll that looked like me and Anjij was playing with a doll that had brown skin, black hair, and had a teel fur coat. She was also playing with a stuffed dog that had black and white, fluffy fur. Ahah and Amaruq came into the room. "We need to talk to Anna." Amaruq announced. I got up and left with them.
I followed Ahah and Amaruq into the living room. We sat down on the floor. "So, Anna,... We were thinking since you got so sick and have a history of getting really sick…" Ahah started. She sighed.
"We're sending you away." Amaruq finished, bluntly.
"What? I thought I was family!" I exclaimed.
"You are but… I watched my own mother die in my arms from the sickness that you had last week. You're only 19 and have a little girl waiting for you somewhere. I want you to live your life to the fullest, not see it cut short by some illness." I could hear Ahah's voice crack as she cupped my cheek in her warm hand.
"Here's your stuff." Amaruq explained gently as he handed me my blue bag.
"What if I never see Anjij again?" I questioned.
"You two girls will always have each other forever. Friendships like you and Anjij's are not always easy to come by!". Ahah smiled.
"But, where will I go?".
"You found our village in the middle of a barren and snowy land. If you can find that you can find anything!" Amaruq explained as he smiled. "Now it's time to say goodbye to Anjij. Anjij, come out here sweetie!".
Anjij walked out of her bedroom. "What's going on?" She questioned.
"Anna has to go. She can't stay here anymore." Amaruq explained.
"No, no, no! Anna has to stay! She is my sister!" Anjij sobbed as she ran to me and grabbed my pink, fur dress. I knelt down to her level.
"Aww, you will always have me in your heart." I explained as I hugged her.
Fifteen minutes later, I got Anjij to let go of me and made my way out of Kodo Village. When I arrived at an evergreen tree, I sat down underneath it and began to write.
10/11/21
Dear Journal,
I got sick. It was from the cold and I almost died. I had to stay a week at the medical center. But, it wasn't as bad as when I got sick in Corona and almost died while I was with child. I still almost died. But, they gave me massages and hot cocoa. Still, I got sent away because Ahah and Amaruq were afraid I would die. So I guess I am homeless again. I will try going to Nezertnea next.
Sincerely,
Arianna
"Next stop, Nezertnea!" I told myself as I ran in the snow.