Chapter 10 – Ascension

Kristoff sat on his sled, now full of the ice that he had spent the day harvesting, and took in the view. He had woken shortly after sunrise, headed out of Ice Town and into the mountains. Kristoff had decided to head to the peak of Mt. Ørjas, one of the harder mountains to climb, with lots of sharp turns and steep, rough trails. But since Kristoff was an independent, he didn't have to worry about a crew, or navigating with a large ice cart. It was just him, his sled, and his reindeer. And Mt. Ørjas was worth the effort. It was taller than most mountains in the Arendelle range, and so the spring water was more pure, the ice clearer and, for those who could appreciate it, better tasting.

It had taken about two hours to get to the peak and what he was looking for, a mountain spring that fed a small lake, nicely iced over. It had been a long and hard day's work, but it was worth it. He was collecting ice for the castle, so it should be of the highest quality. Elsa and Anna were having some fancy dinner party in a couple days, and so they should have the best ice.

But now, with the day's work complete, Kristoff had started a small fire, warmed up some food and drink, and admired the scenery. From these heights, he could see the whole kingdom. Well, the tops of it, anyway, the city was mostly out of view to the south. The only mountain taller than Mt. Ørjas was the North Mountain, which he could easily see to the west. And on it, he could see Elsa's ice palace, glistening as the evening sun moved behind it. Beautiful, thought Kristoff, as beautiful as the woman who created it.

Late in the evening, Elsa, Anna, and their escort had reached the destination of the first phase of their travel. The trip had been entirely uneventful, though you wouldn't have known it based on Captain Krog's efforts. He and his guards kept a constant vigil, and even stopped their progress on a couple occasions to send one man ahead to scout around a curve. Anna commented a couple times about the Captain taking his job too seriously, but Elsa respected him for his diligence.

While they were not as high into the mountains as Kristoff, not even up to the summer snow line, they had reached a promontory. From this minor peak, they had quite the vantage of the surrounding area, though it was fading fast into the twilight. Elsa could see, based on her map, the valley where she and Anna would be continuing. Looking north, she could also see her ice palace on North Mountain. It was still quite distant, and thus appeared very small, but she knew it was there. And it called to her. Despite her reconciliation with Anna and the people of Arendelle, she still felt drawn to its snowy reaches, where she was able to just let it go, and release the full breadth of her powers. Feel the freedom of the mountain heights and the glory of the wind and sky.

Things hadn't gone well, there on the North Mountain, her disastrous encounter with Anna, and the attack that came after. She didn't even have any memory of leaving her palace; she must have been carried down the whole way, not waking again until she found herself locked in her own castle's dungeon. Those memories, she could do without. And so Elsa made a promise to herself that she would return to the North Mountain soon, reclaim her palace from the pain of those events, take a break from being Queen, and simply enjoy being Elsa.

But for now, she and Anna had other matters to attend to. Elsa turned to Captain Krog, "Princess Anna and I will be proceeding from here on own on. We don't know how long things will take, however."

Waving towards the valley, she continued, "After dawn, assuming we haven't already returned, I will create a gentle snow fall, which will indicate that all is well. If you ever see an ice storm, however, come find us immediately. If things are going to take more the twenty-four hours we agreed on, but everything is still okay, I will send a messenger."

Anna then jumped in, "If time runs out comes and you need to find us, and there's been no message or good snow, you might want to get Olaf. Tell him that we've gone to see the 'love experts.' He'll know what that means and should be able to help."

Elsa turned to Anna, "Love experts?"

Anna shrugged, "It's a Kristoff thing."

"It's Kristoff's girl!" "It's the Queen!" "Your Majesty!" "Where's my Kristoff?" "The Queen!" "Two girls!"

Elsa and Anna arrived in the moss ring in the low valley about an hour after leaving the guards. With the sun setting and their path heading down behind the mountain tops, it had gotten dark quickly, so they were happy to have arrived at what the map indicated was the "Valley of the Living Rock," which Elsa did not recognize, it having been so long ago, but which Anna energetically did. "This is it! We're here!" she told Elsa. Then to the round stones scattered around the valley, "Hello Kristoff's family!"

The stones' rolling and sudden transformation spooked Anna's horse Starlilly, distracting her while she got her horse under control. Elsa's mount, Sitron, merely retreated a few cautions steps. Elsa dismounted and addressed the troll nearest her, "Hello. My name's Elsa. And this is my sister, Anna. I was hoping we could talk to the troll elder, the one who knows about magic?"

"Grand Pabbie!" called out Anna, who had just managed to settle Starlilly down.

The troll woman looked over at Anna and smiled. "Oh, I remember you. Anna was here just a little while ago with my Kristoff! It was a bit longer for you, but I remember. Pabbie is still sleeping, but he should be up soon."

Anna, having turned Starlilly over to Sitron, came over. "Um, hi," she said to the troll woman.

"Where's my Kristoff?" the troll demanded of Anna. "You didn't make him sad and make him run away, did you? He does that sometimes, you know."

"What? No! He's happy. He's in the mountains getting ice, I guess."

"Well, good. Next time you're both here, we try the wedding again. Get it right this time."

"Excuse me?" said Elsa, turning her gaze to Anna. "Wedding?"

Anna shrugged, "Things were kind of crazy. Kristoff brought me here so Grand Pabbie could unfreeze my heart, and everyone else thought I was his girlfriend and wanted us to get married, but I couldn't of course, because I was engaged to Hans, and then my hair turned all white and we had to go."

Elsa nodded, though she only caught about half of what Anna had just rattled off. "How about we hold off on all engagements and weddings for a while, okay, Anna?"

"Hey! It wasn't my idea, they just thought a little love would fix things."

"Oh." Elsa said, then paused, thoughtfully. "I guess it did, in the end, didn't it."

Anna couldn't help herself, and rushed up and gave Elsa a hug. "Yes it did," she whispered to her sister.

"Hello Elsa. Hello Anna," came a deep voice from beside them.

Anna separated from Elsa and turned to the elder troll with her hands on her hips. "Grand Pabbie, why didn't you tell me that you had seen me before?"

The troll seemed unaffected by the princess' allegation. "It hardly mattered at the time, your heart was freezing and I could not help you. You needed an act of true love." Looking at Elsa, he smiled, "And I see you found one."

"So, what bring you to us tonight?" asked Pabbie.

"Well," Anna started, "I just found out that when we were little, I used to know about Elsa and her powers. But after Elsa accidentally—" she turned to Elsa and repeated emphatically, "accidentally!" then returned to the troll, "hurt me with her powers, Papa and Mama brought us to see you. You were able to help me, but took away my memories of Elsa's powers. Why?"

Pabbie sighed, "I am sorry, but it was necessary. You were struck in the head, and so in removing all traces of the magic, your memories of the magic had to go as well."

"Oh, well, " Anna paused, considering her words, "since I know all about it now, Elsa's powers and all, I was wondering if I could get my memories back. Can you do that?"

Pabbie lowered his eyebrows in contemplation. "I can, but it would not be easy. It has been many years, and those memories are well buried now. In retrieving them, many others will be stirred along the way. And you may not like everything you remember. Are you sure?"

Anna grasped one of Elsa's hands and glanced into her eyes. Then turning back to Pabbie, she declared, "Yes. I am sure."

Pabbie nodded. "Very well," he said, "let us get you ready." Pabbie then turned to the troll that Elsa first talked to, "Bulda, please prepare a draught for Anna, two parts sage, one part heliotrope, and get her settled in Kristoff's hut, thank you."

Bulda took Anna's hand and pulled her along, "Come along! I'll get you your potion and show you little Kristoff's toys!"

Elsa watched Anna walk off with Bulda. "The potion will bring back Anna's memories?" she asked Pabbie.

"Oh no. The potion just makes her mind a little more malleable, to help the memories come loose. It will be a little while yet, but once it has taken effect, then we will be ready to do our work."

"We?" asked Elsa, surprised.

"It is her memories of you that she wishes to remember, so I will need your memories to guide me," explained Pabbie.

After a minute of silence, Elsa spoke up again, "Pabbie, you know all about magic, right?"

Pabbie smiled, "Well, I know a good bit about it, but it would be hard for anyone to know it all."

Elsa clutched her hands, nervously, and asked, "Where do my powers come from?"

Pabbie nodded knowingly, as if he had expected the question eventually. Taking one of Elsa's hands in his, he waved the other across the sky in front of them. In it, Elsa could now see a veritable ocean of tiny motes of lights across the land and swirling throughout the air above and around them.

Elsa gasped, "What is it?"

"It is magic. Most people just see the physical world, but those who can touch the magical world can see that it full of energy, magical energy that surrounds us and inhabits all things. Most of the time, it will just live in the ground, in a tree, or drift freely through the air. But if touched by someone who has studied it— " Pabbie raised his hand again and moved his fingers in a small, swirling circle, "one can influence it—" Hundreds of tiny specks of lights circled and spun around Pabbie's hand, "and do things like this," the sparks collecting into a small globe of light that glowed warmly in the cool night.

"To perform such feats, one would need to study and learn a great deal. Ancient words and gestures that can draw the power and allow it to be wielded, or special substances that, when combined, will have a magical effect. This knowledge may be found in old books, or be taught by a master to their apprentice."

Elsa asked, "And that's how you learned your magic?"

Pabbie nodded, "For me, it is a little different, but yes, I was taught the ways of magic by an elder troll, and I will pass my knowledge on to another before I am worn away."

"But I was born with my magic—" Elsa started.

"Yes, I know. Just listen…"

Pabbie continued, "Now, one in a million of these tiny bits of magic might be something more. Most will simply be slightly stronger and draw other bits of magic to it. There—" Pabbie pointed to an area out towards the outer edge of valley. There, Elsa could, in fact, see a clustering of the magical dots, circling and dancing around an ever so slightly brighter dot of magic. "There's nothing particularly special about it, but it is useful when one want to do something requiring a bit more energy." And, releasing his small glowing sphere, the troll then waved his free hand towards the gathering of specks. The many bits of energy coalesced into a point, which glowed brightly for a moment, before exploding into a shimmering array of colors. The trolls nearby all gave appreciative ooh's and ahh's.

"Now, again, one in a million of those grains of magic will be yet stronger. Those will have the barest hint of intelligence, like maybe that of an insect. They are powerful enough to inhabit a physical form. The slightest of these might join with a mote of dust, and become what you call a will-o'-the-wisp. A greater one may inhabit a mountain or a stream. The magic of such places might become known as a haunted cave, or perhaps a pool whose waters can heal."

Pabbie paused and looked back to Elsa, who nodded, urging him to continue. Turning fully to face Elsa directly, he took her remaining free hand in his, and preceded.

"One in a million of those spirits, perhaps even fewer, will be stronger still. They are a bit more conscious, more aware. And they may be born into living form. The smallest, weakest of these may be born as a mouse or a bird, but they would not be your normal mice and birds. They would be much smarter than their kin, able to understand the world around them and even accomplish small tasks. Stronger and healthier too, for they carry a magical spirit within them. They would even be able to carry and use small items, such as their bodies might allow. And, as a more powerful spirit draws other to them, a number of them are often born together, and stay together during their time in the material word."

"A tiny fraction of these will be powerful enough to be born into a greater animal, and they would be smarter still. Most of these may be born as a dog or cat or similar animal. And some may take a greater form still. Of these, I know you have met a few."

Elsa blinked in realization, comprehending what Pabbie has revealed to her. "My horse, Sitron?" Pabbie nodded, then raised one eyebrow expectantly. "And Sven, Kristoff's reindeer!"

Pabbie smiled and nodded again. "Yes, our dear Sven, who has befriended and cared for Kristoff his whole life. He is quite insightful and full of wisdom, if you learn how to hear him."

After a moment, Pabbie squeezed Elsa's hands a bit and looked her in the eyes, then continued his lecture. "Among these, the most powerful of spirits, a tiny fraction, an infinitesimally small sliver…" he paused, catching his breath, "will be born human."

Hearing these word and understanding their meaning, Elsa tried to free her hands and pull away. But Pabbie was insistent and kept his grip on her. "This is very rare, and hasn't happened for thousands of years." Elsa could hear the tacit addition, until you. "The last time any came into the world, your people gave them special names. Odin. Freya. Thor."

This time Elsa was able to pull her hands free. Now, clutching them nervously together, she asked softly, "Are you saying I'm a goddess?"

Pabbie shrugged, "If that's what you want to call it, so be it."

Elsa stared down at her open hands, stunned at what she is hearing.

"Just as the greater of the specks draw the lesser, so can a great spirit affect others. You have done so yourself, when you created your snowman, Olaf. You called upon your domain, ice and snow, to create a vessel and summoned a spirit to inhabit it. You did it again in your ice palace when you created your guardian." And more quietly, he added, "And just as you have summoned your snow golems, you may release them as well, when you so choose."

Elsa gazed around the valley, quietly absorbing the new revelations. She could sense the magic around her now, and knew that if she concentrated, she could see the lights, the swirling bits of magic, just as the troll elder had revealed to her.

"Am I human?" Elsa asked of Pabbie, not sure what answer she wanted to hear.

"You are a child of your parents as much as your sister; it is your spirit that makes you great. I felt the magic, a great disturbance, when you were born, but did not know the nature of it at the time. I soon learned of you, however, and had some idea when you and your parents came to me after the accident. I tried to explain, give some advice, but they chose not to hear what I said, and you and Anna have suffered for it. For that, I am greatly sorry."

They sat quietly for a time, Pabbie allowing Elsa to absorb her new knowledge. After a few minutes, Elsa raised one hand, and created an elaborate snowflake, about the breadth of her outstretched fingers, which floated and rotated above her palm. She could feel her powers with a clarity and focus as never before, even more than when she drew on them on the North Mountain while raising her ice palace. On the mountain peak, she drew upon a great torrent of her power, channeling it to her will, but hardly knowing the nature of what she was doing. Now she could see the very atomic details of her power, and concentrate her will upon the tiniest point.

Eventually, Bulda appeared in the distance and waved to Pabbie.

"Come," said the elder troll, "It is time. Let us attend to your sister."

Author's Note:

So... that happened.