Chapter 44: Water Has Memory

A/N:

'Dragons' - Dragonese

The group minus Kristoff and Sven were walking through the hills, trying to find the voice. Elsa kept singing a voice every few seconds. Olaf tried, but it sounded like a creature screaming in pain. Anna, the riders, and dragons cringed at how awfully he sounded as they stopped in their steps while Elsa went ahead of them.

"Hey Olaf, umm. Maybe just one of you should do it." Anna suggested.

"I agree, she's a little pitchy." Olaf commented.

"Olaf is the one who's too pitchy actually." Quicksilver commented.

Gale passed by Anna and the riders and twirled around Olaf.

"Hey, Gale's back." Olaf said as Gale went past him and twirled around Elsa before going up a hill where the group spotted a ruin sail with a flagpole and flag on top.

The group quickly ran up the hill and were shocked at what they saw once they reached the top: a ruined Arandellian ship. But the sisters were even more shocked when they saw it.

"How can it be?" Anna asked, gripping her sister's arm as Elsa began breathing heavily.

"What is it?" Audrey asked.

"Mother and Father's ship." Anna responded.

"But this isn't the Southern Sea." Olaf pointed out as he stood on a boulder.

"No, it isn't." Anna agreed.

Elsa ran towards the ship with Anna, Olaf, the riders, and dragons behind her. They spotted a big hole in the ship and entered. Most of the insides were still intact. The group wandered around to find any clues to what Elsa and Anna's parents ship was doing here.

"Why is their ship here?" Elsa questioned.

"How is it here?" Carlos added.

"It must have been washed in from the Dark Sea." Anna said as she looked through the wreckage.

"What were they doing in the Dark Sea?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know." Anna replied, unsure.

"How did the ship get through the mist?" Merida pondered.

"I thought nobody could but us, unless…" Olaf began.

"Nobody was on it." Hiccup finished.

"There's gotta be something here." Audrey said.

"Wait, wait, look around. Every Arendellian ship has a compartment, waterproof." Anna said as she began looking around and everyone else also began to look through the cabinets and cupboards.

"That's very clever. Although it does make me wonder why they don't make the whole ship waterproof." Olaf commented.

"Here!" Anna said when she found the compartment underneath the seat and took it out. She opened it up and took a roll of paper from it. The others gathered around her as she unrolled the paper. There were strange and unknown symbols on the paper. "What language is this?"

"I don't know, but look, this is mother's handwriting." Elsa said as she held the edge of the paper where there was some writing.

"'The end of the ice age, the river found but lost. Magic source'. Elsa's source?" Anna pondered. Anna handed the paper to Elsa who began reading it. Then took out another paper that was in the compartment and unrolled and placed it out on the seat, "It's a map. They traveled North. Planned to cross the Dark Sea to...Ahtohallan. It's real?"

"Ahtoho-what?" Olaf asked as the girls were shocked at this.

"Ahtohallen. It's a magical river said to hold all the answers about the past." Anna replied.

"Reinforcing my water has memory theory." Olaf commented, nodded.

"Water has memory." Elsa said as she stood up and walked over to the center of the room and knelt down. She placed her hands on the woods, using her magic, and drops of water rose from it. The water began to gather in the middle of the room.

"Elsa?" Anna asked with wide eyes.

"I wanna know what happened to them." Elsa said.

Anna knelt beside her sister and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. The riders and dragons gathered around the sisters as the ice sculpture began to form. The voices of the girls' parents were echoing around them.

Ahtohallan has to be the source of her magic.

We keep going.

But Elsa…

The waves are too high!

A yell of panic was heard when the sculptures revealed to be Anna and Elsa's parents. Their father wrapped his arms around their mother, holding her close to him, before a wave was about to consume them. Tears began forming in Elsa's eyes as she left her sister's arms and ran out of the ship.

"Elsa!" Anna shouted before running after her sister.

Olaf, the riders, and their dragons could only look at the frozen figure of Elsa and Anna's parents with grief. Carlos walked up to the front of the figure. He stared at it with sadness in his eyes. He could almost imagine that his parents held each close before their ship sank. Hiccup and Audrey placed their hands on his shoulder while Merida placed hers on his back. Carlos glimpsed at the three riders over his shoulder before looking down at his feet. He walked past them and went outside the ship. The three and four dragons glanced at each other and ran after Carlos. When they gathered at where the sisters are, they noticed that Elsa seemed upset.

"This is my fault, they were looking for answers about me." Elsa admitted as she leaned on a boulder.

"You are not responsible for their choices, Elsa." Anna defended with her hand on Elsa's arm.

"No, just their deaths." Elsa accused herself, walking away from Anna.

"Stop. No." Anna ordered, running after Elsa and got in front of her while holding onto both of Elsa's arms with the riders behind her, "Yelana asked why would the spirits reward Arendelle with a magical queen? Because our mother saved our father."

"She saved her enemy." Merida added.

"Her good deed was rewarded." Hiccup added.

"With you." Audrey added.

"You are a gift." Carlos stated.

"For what?" Elsa asked as Anna held her hands.

"If anyone can resolve the past, if anyone can save Arendelle and free this forest, it's you." Anna encouraged Elsa, "I believe in you, Elsa. More than anyone or anything."

Elsa gave a small smile which soon dropped before she turned away from her sister and stared at their parents' wrecked ship.

"Honeymaren said there was a fifth spirit. A bridge between the magic of nature and us." Elsa informed as she turned to her sister and the riders.

"A fifth spirit." Anna said, surprised.

"That's what's been calling me. From Ahtohallan. The answers about the past are all there." Elsa said.

"So we go to Ahtohallan." Anna declared with a smile.

"Not we. Me." Elsa corrected.

"What?" Merida asked, confused.

"The Dark Sea is too dangerous for all of us." Elsa warned.

"No, no-we do this together. Remember the song, 'go too far and you'll be drowned'. Who will stop you from going too far?" Anna protested.

"You said you believed in me, that this is what I was born to do." Elsa retorted.

"And I don't want to stop you from that. I don't want to stop you from being whatever you need to be, I just don't want you dying. Trying to be everything for everyone else too. Don't do this alone. Let us help you, please. I can't lose you, Elsa." Anna begged.

Elsa took a deep breath and let it out. Then she pulled her sister into a hug.

"I can't lose you either, Anna. Come on." Elsa said to Olaf and the riders, gesturing them to join the hug.

They stood back after the hug and soon noticed ice growing underneath their feet.

"Wait, what? What are you doing? Elsa!" Anna yelled as the ice formed into a canoe of some sort which made them fall down in. Then the canoe tipped back, causing them to slide downhill on an icy path made by Elsa. The four dragons were about to go after their riders until they felt the ice beneath them trap their feet. The dragons grunted and groaned before turning to Elsa.

"I have to do this part on my own. Please understand this." Elsa begged the dragons as she wrapped her arms around herself. The dragons looked at one another and grunting at one another before they looked towards Elsa. Toothless warbled as Elsa walked up to him and placed her hand on his snout. He crooned at her touch as he stared at her with his big dilated eyes. She smiled softly at the dragons. "Thank you."

She turned away from the dragons and began walking the other way. But she stopped and turned around to look at the dragons once more. She used her power to thaw the ice beneath the dragons' feet. The dragons glimpsed at their feet and back at Elsa who smiled softly at them and went on her way to Ahtohallan while the dragons went after their riders.

Meanwhile, Anna, Olaf, Sharpshot, and the riders were riding the ice canoe down the icy path created by Elsa.

"No, no-Olaf, help us stop. Give me a hand!" Anna pleaded. Olaf took off his arm and handed it to Anna who was glad to have it. Then she noticed a low branch coming up ahead and got an idea. "Hang on!" Olaf's arm grabbed onto the branch which caused them to go off the icy path and down into the river, "Come on!" Anna exasperated.

"Guys, this might sound crazy, but I'm sensing some rising anger." Olaf stated as the canoe twirled around as Anna tried to paddle with Olaf's arm only to get hit by a low branch. Shen then growled in frustration.

"Well, I am angry, Olaf! She promised me we'd do this together." Anna stated.

"Yeah, but what I mean is I'm sensing rising anger in me." Olaf defined.

This made the others pause in their panic state and turned to Olaf. They never thought that the happiest snowman they know would have an angry feeling in him.

"Wait, you're angry?" Carlos asked, brow arched, confused.

"I think so," Olaf admitted, tapping his head, "Elsa pushed me away too and didn't even say goodbye."

"And you have every right to be very, very mad at her." Anna assured Olaf.

"And you've said some things never change, but since then, everything's done nothing but change." Olaf stated, sadly.

"I know, but look," Anna held up his arm that she was still holding onto, "I'm still here holding your hand."

"Yeah, that's...that's a good point, Anna. I feel better. You're such a good listener-"

Anna, Sharpshot, and the riders gasped and Anna quickly tried to cover Olaf's mouth while shushing him. Olaf tried to push her hands away, but she turned his head around to see why they needed to be quiet; sleeping Earth giants.

"Oh, the Giants, they're huge." Olaf awed.

They heard the sound of someone inhaling up ahead and saw a giant's nose sticking above the water, Anna and the riders used their hands to paddle away from it as they got closer. The canoe stopped for a second and then the giant exhaled, making the canoe go around the giant's nose. They looked up and saw more giants ahead of them. Then Anna spotted a tunnel nearby.

"Hang on, everyone." Anna said as she paddled towards the tunnel while looking at the giant as they went past it. Then Anna gasped at what she saw ahead. The others turned her way and quietly gasped. "Try not to scream."

The canoe went down a waterfall. Olaf let out a low scream as Anna and the riders shut their eyes and Sharpshot clenched onto Hiccup's sleeve before they hit the bottom. They all swam out and began to wring the water out of their clothes. Somehow, Olaf lost his nose on the way down. Sharpshot shook off the water and perched himself on Hiccup's left shoulder. Anna went over to a dry branch and lit a few sparks, creating a torch and picked it up. Hiccup took out his inferno, lighting up their surroundings.

"Found it." Anna said when she spotted Olaf's nose and picked it up and placed it back on Olaf.

"Thank you." Olaf gurgled as water and a fish came out of his mouth.

"Where are we?" Carlos asked.

"In a pit, with no way out." Anna replied.

"But with this spooky pitch black way in." Olaf said as he pointed at the entrance. Olaf went through the entrance with Anna, Sharpshot, and the riders behind him. When they went through the entrance, it led them to an even bigger and longer tunnel. Olaf turned to Anna and held her hand, "Come on, it'll be fun, assuming we don't get stuck here forever and no one ever finds us and you start and I give up. But bright side...Elsa's gotta be doing a whole lot better than we are."

"For some strange reason, that doesn't really make me feel any better." Sharpshot warbled.

"Agreed." Hiccup agreed.

"But I really hope that Elsa's okay." Sharpshot crooned.

"Don't worry, Elsa has magical powers. She'll be able to handle herself." Hiccup assured the Terrible Terror.

Anna started leading the others through the tunnels. What the group didn't know was that Elsa was trying to tame Nokk, the mystical water spirit, the most difficult one out of the four. But also managed to find the secrets about the past.

The group soon reached a path that split into two tunnels. Neither knew which one to choose.

"Which lucky tunnel do we choose?" Olaf asked.

At that moment, a flurry of snow came in front of them, forming an ice sculpture. They shield their eyes from the many snowflakes. But then they heard two different male voices as the figure was being revealed to them.

You see, the Dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me.

King Runeard, the Dam is hurting the forest!

The sculpture revealed to be a man with a cape holding a sword over a Northuldra tribe member who's simply drinking tea. The man seemed unaware of the one with the blade behind him. The group gasped at the figure. Anna walked to the figure, trying to get a closer look at it.

"Elsa's found it." Anna said.

"What is it?" Merida asked.

"The truth about the past," Anna replied, "That's my grandfather, attacking the Northuldra leader who wields no weapon." Anna closed her eyes as she frowned with guilt. She finally realized what this meant, "The Dam wasn't a gift of peace."

"It was a trick." Hiccup stated.

"But that goes against everything Arendelle stands for." Olaf protested.

"It does, doesn't it?" Anna asked as she sat down on a rock.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Carlos questioned, staring at the figure.

"I think he might have felt threatened by the Northuldra magic." Hiccup suggested, studying the figure.

"He probably thought that the Northuldra tribe might rebel against him and thought they might be more powerful than his title as King." Merida said.

"That makes sense. But how do we free the forest?" Audrey asked.

"I know how to free the forest, I know what we have to do, to set things right. " Anna stated.

"Why do you say that so sadly?" Olaf asked, worriedly.

"We have to break the Dam." Anna declared.

"But Arendelle will be flooded." Olaf pointed out.

"That's why everyone was forced out, to protect them from what has to be done." Anna said, sadly.

"Oh! Oh," Olaf realized. He walked over to Anna and laid his head down on her lap and Anna placed her hand on his head as she leaned her head on his, "Are you okay?"

"I could really use a bright side, Olaf." Anna begged.

"Bright side? Um…" Olaf pondered as he lifted his head up, "Turtles can breathe through their butts?"

"Huh?" Anna asked, confused.

"And I see a way out." Olaf smiled and Anna and the other looked to where Olaf was looking.

"I knew we could count on you," Anna smiled as she stood up and started walking towards the exit with the other behind her, "Come on, everyone, Elsa's probably on her way back right now, we can meet her and-" Anna stopped when she and the others noticed snowflakes floating past them and turned to where they were coming from which was Olaf, "Olaf?"

"What's this?" Olaf asked, curious when he noticed the snowflakes were coming from him.

"Are you okay?" Audrey asked, worried.

"Olaf, what's wrong?" Sharpshot warbled, perched on Hiccup's shoulder.

"I'm flurrying?" Olaf asked as he held his arms out. But then he realized that something was wrong, "Wait, no, that's...that's not it. I'm flurrying, away… The magic in me is fading." Olaf realized with wide eyes.

Anna and the others gasped with horror.

"What?" Anna asked, scared.

She knelt down in front of Olaf as she placed the torch down while the others gathered around Anna and Olaf.

"I don't think Elsa's okay," Olaf admitted as Anna's eyes widened with shock, "I think...she may have gone too far."

"No, no." Anna denied while shutting her eyes tightly.

"Anna, guys, I'm sorry," Olaf apologized as Anna opened her eyes and gazed at Olaf, "You're gonna have to do this next part on your own. Okay?"

"Wait, come here," Anna said as she picked up Olaf, placed him in her lap, and held the back of his head and held onto his arms. The others knelt down next to Anna and formed a circle, "We've got you."

"That's good. Hey Anna. I just thought of one thing that's permanent." Olaf said, weakly.

"What's that?" Anna asked, tears beginning to form in her eyes as well as the others.

"Love." Olaf replied.

"Warm hugs?" Anna smiled sadly.

Olaf nodded and Anna hugged him. The riders and Sharpshot joined in the hug. Tears were beginning to fall from the corner of their eyes. More and more snow was flurrying away from Olaf.

"I like warm hugs." Olaf declared, weakly, returning the hug.

"I love you." Anna whispered.

No later than five minutes, Olaf the happiest live snowman had turned back into snow and flew out of the cave. The only things left of him were his branch arms, branch hair, coal buttons, and his carrot nose. The riders held onto Anna as more tears fell from her eyes and theirs as well.

Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time. - H. P. Lovecraft