"Now, what was it again? Left foot and right arm?" A murmur escaped from the hooded figure hiding in the shadows as it made its way down a dark street. It was shrouded by a dark robe, concealing everything except for pale hands as they mimicked movements. On both sides were buildings either heavily reinforced or abandoned, wooden boards blocking every single one. At this hour, the streets themselves were deserted.

"No, that doesn't seem right. It was right foot. And he balanced himself on the left foot." The figure stepped into the moonlight and pulled out a worn book from the dark folds of the cloak. Fast fingers flipped through pages of sketches and descriptions before landing on a blank page. Soon, a charcoal image was drawn, filling up half the page. The illustration depicted a human standing on its left foot, raising its right leg and arm with fire coming out of it.

"Yea, that's what it should look like."

As soon as the shrouded figure closed the book, a cloaked person ran by and ducked into one of the many dark alleys lining the main street. The sudden gust of wind from the runner blew the artist's hood down, revealing braided, platinum blonde hair belonging to a woman. She stood up, shoving her book into a bag hidden in her cloak.

Elsa debated pulling the hood back up to conceal her features, especially her hair, but decided not to. After all, one person running through a deserted street at – what was it, 1 AM? – wouldn't stop to notice her.

"Get back here!" a man shouted, rounding a corner with two other men. They followed the path that the first figure took, leaving Elsa no choice but to press up against the wall to avoid the trio as they disappeared as well into the dark alley.

"What in the…?" She took a few steps towards the corner and peered around it, finding the three men surrounding a red haired woman in the rundown alley. Trash piled in the corners, boards covered any doors and windows, and a fine layer of dirt had settled on the ground.

This would have made a nice, quiet place to sleep tonight too.

"You have nowhere to run, now hand it over," the first man said, taking a step towards the woman. She turned her head to look behind her, eyeing the brick wall that separated her from freedom.

"I'm good, thanks," she replied, returning her gaze to the men in front of her.

The man snarled as a flame resembling a dagger grew from his closed fist. "Last chance, sweet cheeks."

"Never." The redhead took a step back at the sight of the fire, pressing up against the wooden boards covering a door. Her face slowly lost confidence as the man stepped forward, igniting a dagger from his other fist.

Elsa ducked behind the corner as multiple thoughts ran through her head.

Save her.

Run.

It's your duty.

It's none of your business.

It's the least you can do.

Making a decision she felt like she'd regret later, Elsa turned the corner to face the group. Not much had changed during her ten second mental battle, but she knew time was running out. The first man was advancing faster towards the woman while the other two watched, content with letting the apparent leader do the dirty work.

Right as Elsa took a step forward, ready to fight, the man lunged at the girl with his right fist arching upwards. The woman dove to her right, dodging the flame as it scorched the boards behind her. She landed on a trash bag, trapping herself in a corner.

"Well, that didn't last very long," said the man, laughing at his own comment as he turned to face the cowering woman. He opened his hand and lifted it to the boarded window, lighting it on fire with merely a thought. The flames crept closer to the woman, who pressed herself against the brick wall of the alleyway. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she frantically looked for a way out. Her eyes, scanning everything in the alley, focused on a pair of ice blue ones as a wave of pleading came over her face.

The firebender paused when he lost her attention and turned to see what gained it. Elsa took a step backwards, suddenly realizing what a horrible idea it was to snoop.

"You brought a friend? Cute." The man shifted slightly, looking at his own friends. "Lee, Bernt, take care of the blonde while I deal with this one." The first man turned back around, meeting the redhead's eyes as they focused back on him.

"Gladly, Bjarte." The taller of the two men had taken a step forwards towards the blonde newcomer, playing with a ball of fire in between his open hands. Elsa's eyes flickered between the approaching man and the trapped woman.

The man whipped his hand upward, launching the ball of fire towards Elsa. The blonde woman ducked low, dodging it almost too easily. Even I know that move, she thought to herself as she repositioned to face him. The next attack was just as straightforward as she side stepped past the flame. Before the man could launch another ball Elsa slid under him, knocking him off his feet with a kick to his legs. She turned and popped up, quickly diving to the side from the second man's attack. Elsa risked a quick glance toward the other woman, watching as the leader shifted his feet to put power in his next attack.

"No!" Elsa shouted, sprinting towards the redhead and ignoring the two men behind her. She slid on her knees just in time, shielding the woman with her body. Her pale hands moved in a circle as the fire reached them, dispelling it.

"A fellow firebender, huh? This just got more interesting." He smirked as he launched another attack, thrusting his fist forward. Elsa maneuvered the fire with her hands again, watching it dissipate as she leaned back towards the woman.

"Go! Run now!" Elsa half-yelled, keeping her eyes on the firebender in front of her.

"Wait, what? Why?" the woman answered, seemingly taken aback by the command.

"It's dangerous here! I'm buying you time."

"Time? For what? I can handle these jerks."

"I don't see you fighting," Elsa snapped, yanking the redhead down and under the next attack as they ran to the other side of the alley. The man turned around, smoke coming out of his flared nostrils in beat with his breathing.

"I'll show you fighting," the redhead mumbled, words barely reaching her protector. Elsa felt an object press up against her back, reflexively turning to see what it was. The woman shoved a bag in her arms, confusing the blonde. In a sudden act of grace, the cloaked woman ducked under Elsa's occupied arms, only just dodging an attack from the man. She dove forward, rolling between the two men left in the background before sprinting away from the scene. All three men paused their actions, watching as the mystery woman disappeared.

"Well, look at that. The rat just dumped the bag and left you all alone in this alley. That makes my job easier." The man stopped his attacks, standing to his full height. The fire from the wooden boards had spread, rapidly burning and casting orange light on the four occupants in the alley. "Grab her."

Lee and Bernt walked forward, wicked smiles on their faces as they approached Elsa. The tall woman backed up, pressing her body against the wall. Flames flickered to her left as she realized how dire her situation was. Each man grabbed an arm, twisting her to face Bjarte and locking her arms behind her.

"I'll be generous this time. You didn't hurt me or my friends, so I won't kill you. But." He calmed the flames so they shrunk into a smolder, casting longer shadows in the small alley. "You still let the thief get away. And for that, I'll have to give you a reminder that no one messes with me."

He held up a finger, watching it for a short moment before a spark lit from the tip. He took a step closer to Elsa, grabbing her face with his free hand and running a thumb over her cheek. "Such beautiful skin. It does pain me to mar it so. But if I didn't burn my loose ends I'd lose my seat of power here, and we can't have that, can we?"

Elsa watched with wide eyes as the flame approached her face, the orange light flickering in her eyes. She struggled for a moment, only to be kneed in the back by one of the men, ceasing her actions. Looking for a way out of the situation, multiple ideas formed in her head, leaving her to decide which was the best. She hastily chose an idea, taking a deep breath and gathering as much air as she could but right before the flame grew close enough for its heat to be felt, it died out.

And in three beats of Elsa's fast heart, the man lay flat on the ground, unable to move. Behind him stood the red-haired woman, missing her cloak.

"Miss me, boys?" She smiled and jumped back, dodging a blast from one of the men holding Elsa. They released their grasp from the blonde, focusing on the new threat. Elsa, on the other hand, was sitting on her heels with her jaw open, watching the redhead expertly dodge the attacks.

"It was a setup!" yelled the taller of the two, charging the woman. .

"She's back?" Elsa stuttered, confused at the redhead's reappearance. The shorter man turned around, remembering that his captive was behind him. He shifted into a fighting pose. The blonde quickly stood up, mirroring him. With her attention settling on the man in front, she lost track of the redhead's movements and prayed she'd be alright.

Her train of thought was interrupted when the man spun his arms in front of him, gathering a fireball that he launched only seconds later. Elsa redirected the attack, guiding it towards the wall instead of herself. He followed it up with an arching kick, creating a whip of fire that cracked down faster than she expected. The flame found purchase on the sleeve of her cloak, distracting her from the fight as she hurried to pat it out. She missed the smirk on the man's face as he launched another attack, kicking fire towards her. Blue eyes caught the move as pale hands shot up to deflect it.

He is trying to kill me.

Finding a sudden burst of courage Elsa took a step forward, planting her feet as she thrust her hands towards her target. White flames grew from her fists and shot toward the man. Copying her earlier move, he spun the unusual flames away, only to jump back from a rapid attack towards his feet. Elsa kept launching small bursts of fire, pushing the man back until he was up against a wall.

"Wh-White?" he croaked out, uncertainty resonating in his voice. Elsa kept her face neutral while holding her pose. She turned to see the redhead watching her as she stood over a second limp body. The thief shook her head before taking a step towards the last remaining man. The women's' eyes met and then focused on the man in front of Elsa. If the blonde had blinked, she would have missed the rapid jabs aimed at the man, causing him to slump to the ground like his friends.

"Now we run." She reached forward and grabbed Elsa's hand before pulling her out of the alleyway. The women sprinted a block down the street before the woman ducked into another alley. Elsa was about to leave her when she popped back out, holding her cloak.

"Can't forget this," the woman said, taking quick breaths. They ran until they hit the edge of town, ducking into the tree line. After Elsa was sure they were safe, she grabbed the back of the redhead's cloak, causing her to lose her footing and tumble to the ground.

"I'm not taking another step until you tell me what was going on."

The redhead looked up at the blonde woman, smirking. "I was taking back what belongs to me."

"And that is?"

"Doesn't matter." The redhead grabbed the bag from Elsa, slinging it over her shoulder.

Elsa raised an eyebrow but soon dismissed it. After all, she had secrets of her own, so who was she to force others to reveal theirs?

Suddenly, the redhead stuck her hand out towards Elsa, scaring her slightly.

"Hi, I'm Anna!"

Author's Note:

Well, I did it! This is the first chapter of a story that was brainstormed between myself and Kasierklee. (Go check out his stuff if you're looking for something good to read after reading the crap I write.)