Seeking Answers

There wasn't a dry eye in Ahtohallan, when they all finally reunited in that place. The knights weren't immediately present, instead lingering on the island patrolling it and keeping an eye out for Carabis and his army, but among all the others, there wasn't a dry eye. Exceptions of course being Xe and his men, who were camped somewhere in the back of the cave glaring spitefully at all the rest hovering around the bedridden snow queen who held her baby to her breast and beamed adoringly down at him. A name hadn't been decided on yet. For now, it was just little one and baby.

Anna was full on sobbing, hugging her sister tightly while clutching onto her own baby and fawning over her new nephew. "Elsa, he's so beautiful," she said, voice watery.

"Thank you," Elsa said, voice breaking. She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I thought I was going to lose him… It was the worst moment of my life."

"Dare I imagine how Hans suffered?" Anna asked.

"No," Elsa said with a sob, shaking her head. "And if you're smart, you'll never ask. I'm half convinced his brain will block the memory given the trauma he went through, but when has a Westergaard ever been so lucky?"

"When he married you?" Anna replied with a laugh through her tears. Elsa laughed as well, grinning and nuzzling her sister.

Thord, standing nearby, couldn't keep the tears from slipping out of his eyes. No matter how much he cursed them and inwardly demanded they stop. Hans was standing next to him looking like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Thord wisely didn't comment or ask. Yet. Kristoff stood at Hans' other side, a hand groundingly on the king's shoulder. Jurgen stood close too, eyes fixed worriedly on his little brother then darting from him to the baby and Elsa then back to Hans again.

The doors to the chamber were heard opening and everyone present spun quickly, eyes wide in fear, worried it was an intruder. Instead, Sir Kay walked in looking exhausted. He ignored the gazes of most everyone, heading for the queen. He approached wordlessly and folded his arms, staring at the child pressed to Elsa's breast and held so tenderly. Quietly he examined it before moving over to Hans, Jurgen, and the others. He examined Hans as well. Satisfied the king was alright, he turned to Jurgen. "How did getting the people to Ahtohallan go?" he asked.

"It wasn't fun," Jurgen wryly replied. He looked towards Xe and his pirates. His shoulders slumped a little and he sighed. "Believe it or not, if not for Xe and his crew, we wouldn't have made it at all… Me and my crew weren't enough. I don't know why he stepped up or what compelled him to take action against them for our sakes, I can only assume some secret plot or maybe he figured his best chance at survival was working with us, but who knows? Maybe his motives will surprise me, if he ever deigns to share them."

Sir Kay nodded, looking towards the pirates. His eyes drifted around Ahtohallan before falling on Bruni. Bruni was huddled close to a shivering Hans, whose arms were wrapped around himself. The young king's lips were tinged a bit blue, which meant this cold must be numbing to him. He seemed worse affected than the others. Initially Kay chalked it up to his having been wet where most of the others hadn't been, but Jekyll had been soaked too and wasn't affected so much. Then again, the doctor was bundled warmer than Hans was. Still, there was also the question of Bruni. The little lizard was huddled close to the young king for a reason. Kay looked around. The cave was frigid. Bitingly cold. All of them felt it except for Elsa, it seemed, but none seemed so bad off as Hans and Bruni. Kay sighed and moved closer to them, allowing the heat to begin to radiate from his body again. He could serve as a human campfire, for now. He didn't go close enough to burn anyone, but he let the heat radiate from his body unchecked and the people felt it, drifting closer to him to get warm. Hans gave him a grateful look, nodding as he rubbed his arms. Hans went to Elsa's side and sat next to her, pulling her close and wrapping his arm around her and the infant at her breast, channeling warmth into them. The baby fussed a little before settling down. Jekyll had taught Elsa how to latch it on properly so now it fed ravenously, which was good because it needed to gain as much weight as possible. It was far, far, far too tiny right now. The Nokk had gone, shortly after depositing Jekyll, Hans, and Elsa at Ahtohallan. Raced back into the sea like it had unfinished business to attend to. That was unfortunate, because there were a lot of questions to be asked of it. Of course no guarantee it would have answered even if it had stayed.

The Duke of Weselton scouted the cave warily, wandering further and further into it in a constant search for answers to questions only the old man knew but nonetheless were probably shared by many of them. "Don't go far," Elsa warned him, noticing how he was drifting off.

"I'm only looking around Elsa my dear," he replied.

"Dear Duke, don't go farther that that," Elsa seriously warned. "It means the difference between life and death. I went too far, and I almost didn't come back." The Duke frowned curiously, looking down. "The river of memories," Elsa said. "The further you go, the more you'll learn, but the price for that knowledge? It's too high."

"What will the price for a lack of it be?" the Duke answered, staring down into the darkness.

"It will consume you," Elsa said. "The more bad memories you have, the worse it might turn out. There are other ways to find answers."

"They all involve leaving the safety of this sanctuary," the Duke pointed out. "But… I will take into consideration your point, my dear." He turned, walking back, and sat next to her running a hand through her hair with a tired, tender smile. "There's been far too much excitement today as is." Elsa smiled up at him. She looked to her baby, who had stopped suckling and was squirming now. She grinned softly and removed him from her breast, covering up. She handed the infant to the Duke, who gently took him with a tender smile, rocking him in a hand. It gave a big yawn, curling up. Baby Gerda stared in fascination, little mouth stuck in a perma-O. She smiled a bit and reached out, patting the other baby that fussed slightly before settling again. The Duke looked at Hans. "Have you had a chance to hold it yet? Not in crisis?" he asked the young king. Hans tensed up a bit, shifting and obviously not keen to answer that. "Are you afraid to?" the Duke pressed, holding the child out.

Hans started at it numbly, looking torn. On the one hand, he desperately wanted to hold it. On the other? He felt like a man like him had no place handling something as pure and innocent as that. Some irrational concern was that his mere touch would just kill it, it was so fragile. Nonetheless, he worked up the courage to reach out for the infant and took it carefully. It did, indeed, fit in one hand, and that in and of itself was a horrifying concept to him. To know that one wrong move could probably end it. He was notorious for wrong moves. He let out a breath and drew it close, gently dangling his fingers above its little head.

"Kay," Elsa said.

"Hmm?" the knight asked.

"No, not you. The baby. We should call it Kay. After… after Kai…" she said.

"Kay Agnarr Westergaard?" Hans asked.

"There's another name you want to throw in there," Elsa pushed.

Hans was silent then smirked a bit ruefully. "Let's not be cruel to it," he said.

"Kay Aaron Agnarr Westergaard," Elsa prompted more directly.

Hans swallowed over a lump in his throat. "It suits him," he finally said in barely a whisper.

"Kay and Gerda," Anna remarked. She looked around for the old woman, who had been shut off since their escape by boat and barely responsive to anyone. Her eyes were on the scene now, though, tears burning her eyes. "Perfect names," she said, smiling sadly.

Hans looked over at Gerda and rose, approaching her. The woman watched him in exhaustion, looking so much older than she was. He knelt next to her. "Hold him," he more ordered than asked. She looked at the baby and drew a shaking breath, reaching out for it and gingerly taking the infant into her arms. The smallest of smiles crept across her lips and she sniffed, closing her eyes and raising it to her lips, kissing the child softly.

"Kay… It's a wonderful name," she finally said. Probably the first words she'd spoken for longer than any of them wanted to admit. She began to quietly sob, pressing it close to her body. Baby Kay whimpered a bit and let out a couple of cries before going still once more. Finally Gerda handed him back to Hans, smiling at him. "Thank you," she said in a whisper.

"You're welcome," he answered gently, rising and returning to Elsa. Gerda got up this time, following him over to the queen, and she too joined Anna, the Duke, and Hans on Elsa's bedside. The Northuldra wandered off to set up their tents in the icy sanctuary that really was more a castle, when you looked at it. Sir Kay kept in the middle of it as a source of heat, allowing the Northuldra to light torches from his body heat for their own fires.

Frozen

Night fell and the cave went mostly silent. Everyone was settled in their various shelters, and only a few still roamed around getting a feel for the place. Honeymaren sat by a large fire in the middle of the cavern, situated across from Thord who stared silently into the flames, fingers intertwined. "You didn't seem very cold earlier," she remarked after a while, breaking the silence between them.

"I was cold in another way," he answered. Mainly chilled by their predicament and everything that was going on. Gods, what had he started…? This was all his fault.

Honeymaren frowned in concern. "Are you alright?" she asked, reaching out and laying a hand on his arm.

"No, Honeymaren, I'm not alright," he said with a frustrated sigh. "None of this would have happened if not for me."

"All you can do now is try to right it," she replied.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" he demanded.

"Knowledge is power, they say," she answered.

"We're sitting on a bed of knowledge alright," he said with a sigh. "Too bad it's pretty well inaccessible."

"Ahtohallan isn't the only way to find the answers you seek," she said.

"Leaving Ahtohallan probably is as likely to result in death as delving deeper into it, at this point," he replied.

"It's after Elsa and Hans. It isn't after you. Or us," she said.

"But it knows we're linked to her, and it knows she'll do whatever she has to for those she cares about," he answered.

"Doing nothing will doom us," she answered. Silence. "I'll go with you," she said. "Into the cave or back to shore. Whatever you choose, I'll go with you. I want to help them too. Speak to the Duke, to Hans, to the doctor, to the queen's bodyguards; talk to whoever you think will listen, and come up with a plan."

Thord was quiet. "You're a woman of action, aren't you?" he dryly said.

"If I have to be," she replied.

He nodded, considering her words. "I'll talk to them," he finally agreed. He looked towards the doorway. "I want to try my hand searching for answers in and around the forest," he said. "To what questions I'm not sure yet. Maybe brainstorming with the others will help me figure it out."

"I'll go with you," Honeymaren said, standing up. "Ryder I'm sure would too, but he's kind of passed out right now. Trip wasn't exactly easy. He really pulled his weight out there… I was impressed. Didn't know he had it in him."

"About that guy. Brother or lover?" he asked.

She smiled in amusement. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased, walking away. He blinked after her then frowned and sighed, rolling his eyes. Why did they have to be so difficult? This was why he never bothered.

Frozen

The ultimate conspirators in the endeavor turned out to be the Duke of Weselton, Hans, Jekyll, and of course he and Honeymaren. Thord suspected at least one of the knights would involve themselves in the matter, but that remained to be seen. "It's relieving to know I'm not the only one wanting answers and willing to go out and get them," the Duke said.

"Sort out your questions now, gentlemen, so we know what answers we'll be pursuing," Honeymaren said.

"How did Carabis get through the fog? On his own power, or did he have inside help?" the Duke said. "If he had inside help, why did they help him at all? What did they gain? What was their intent behind it?"

"Why did the Nokk let slip it was in love with Elsa to me of all people?" Thord asked. "It could just as easily have kept it secret. It all but volunteered the information."

"Why did the nacken go from working with Carabis to lure me away from Elsa, to opposing him and giving us a chance to get away? Did the nokk sway him, did the nixie change his mind of his own accord, or did it just play Carabis? If so, why?" Jekyll said.

"Why do I feel so weak here?" Hans asked quietly. "And why… " He trailed off. Why did he feel the shards inside him shifting...? "Why did the nacken sing that song to me…?" he said instead.

"What song?" Honeymaren asked.

"A song that Elsa's mother used to sing to her and Anna. A lullaby," Hans answered. "About the river of memory. Ahtohallan. I'm also curious if that's just another name for Lethe, but in the grand scheme of things, that answer isn't all that important. I'm really more curious about how the nacken knew it, and why it sang it to me."

"That, my boy, is an answer I'm afraid you'll find only by delving deeper into Ahtohallan itself," the Duke gravely said. He doubted they'd see the nacken again.

"Elsa said not to," Thord said. "That it meant life and death. That she almost didn't make it when she dove in."

"But I have to know," Hans said. "It wouldn't have sung that song for no reason. Then to let me go without drowning me, even when I was at its mercy after the nokk took Elsa out of harm's way? It was almost like it was directing me, as weird as it sounds."

"So your answers are found in Ahtohallan, and ours are found out there," Thord said, looking towards the entrance of the cave. He looked back to Hans. "That river is going to eat you alive," he cautioned seriously.

"Maybe it will, but Elsa made it out," Hans said.

"Elsa who is impervious to cold froze there," Thord said.

"And I control fire. The heat it generates may be enough to keep me going," Hans said.

"You won't go alone. I'm going with you," Jekyll said, reaching out a hand and placing it on Hans' shoulder.

"You should stay with Elsa," Hans said.

"I should make sure you don't get yourself killed. You're a father now, Hans. You can't be running off on life-threatening expeditions like this willy nilly. Damned if I watch you get yourself killed and leave Elsa a widow with a newborn," Jekyll replied flatly. "We should bring Sir Kay along for double insurance you make it back. The both of us will have a far better chance with his supernatural heat trailing us."

"Honeymaren, the Duke, and I, meanwhile, can go on a search for the nokk," Thord said. "And… with luck the sprite queen too. I have questions for her as well."

"We'll slip out without the Knights. They'll be better off here protecting Elsa," the Duke said.

"No, you'll take the Knights to back you up," Hans said. "At least one of them, preferably two. I'd say take three, except one needs to remain here to help Elsa and my brother defend the Northuldra. That 'one' can't be Kay, if he's coming with Henry and I. More likely it'll be Bedivere who volunteers to stay, for the sake of being nearby to backup his BFF if something goes wrong."

"Which means we get the bandit and the corsair," Honeymaren said, an intrigued gleam in her eye.

"Don't sicken me," Thord said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.

"What? I can't chew on the scenery?" she teased, winking at him. He huffed in annoyance. "Don't worry. That's not what I meant anyway."

"What did you mean then?" Thord demanded.

"I mean it should be interesting. To see how two different sorts of rogue work together," she answered.

"I suppose?" Thord replied, though he sounded unconvinced. "As long as they work together well enough to help us out of any predicament we get caught in."

"They will. Guaranteed," Hans answered. Thord, the Duke and Jekyll knew why that was. Not so much Honeymaren, nor would she ever figure it out if they had their way. The fewer people who knew, the better.

"Then let's get this show on the road, as the young people say," the Duke said.

Frozen

The four knights lingered outside of the cave, perched on various perches. Icy rocks, snow drifts, wherever seemed comfortable to sit or keep watch from. They scanned the sky and the forest across the sea silently. Every so often they'd spotted scouts peering out from the forest, scanning the sea for Ahtohallan or whatever may be on it. "They can't seriously believe they can take over the Enchanted Forest," Raynold eventually spoke up, breaking the silence. "They're outclassed. I have a hard time believing they could capture Ahtohallan, let alone the whole woods. It just feels… wrong."

"We know their leader, Carabis, wants Hans and Elsa, or their child, for some purpose or another. A guaranteed nefarious one," Lamiel replied. "This isn't about the forest, it's about them."

"At this rate they'll be driven out of it by the Fair Folk before they get a chance to reach us here. They should have already made their move," Raynold argued.

"They underestimated the forces converging here. They don't want to make the same mistake twice," Bedivere said. "They're strategizing."

"Maybe…" Raynold said.

"But you're not convinced," Lamiel remarked.

Raynold sighed. "I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but it feels more like they're… gathering information or waiting for an opening or waiting for a cue or trigger. Waiting for something. I just don't know what. It's not us that's keeping them back, or fear of the forces they'll be facing, it's something else."

"They're trying to catch us off guard," Kay spoke up. Raynold looked over at him. Kay glanced to Raynold in turn. "Maybe we should do the same," he said, smirking a wry smirk. "Let them think they have us. By the time they realize they don't, they'll be at our mercy."

"That may have worked with many of us, but four?" Raynold asked.

"We don't have the other Knights of the Round Table, but the people we have backing us now aren't exactly amateurs," Bedivere said. "We've got this, okay? Don't worry."

"I hope so," Raynold replied.

Just then Hans, Thord, the Duke of Weselton, Jekyll, and Honeymaren walked out of the cavernous entrance of Ahtohallan. The knights looked back. "Two of you are coming with me, Thord, and Honeymaren back to the mainland," the Duke greeted bluntly.

"And Sir Kay will be coming with Hans and I into the depths of Ahtohallan," Jekyll said.

"What about the last of us?" Bedivere asked.

"Whoever is left over will remain here to help defend the Northuldra," Hans said. "Our hope was that it would be you, Sir Bedivere. We didn't believe you would be easily convinced to depart Kay's side. At least not over a great distance. Or when Kay's potential mission runs a high risk of death."

"Wait, what?" Kay asked.

"Yeah, we'd better explain," Thord said. They launched into their explanation and their plans and not long after, the two groups were off.

Frozen

Almost immediately Thord, Honeymaren, and the Duke ran into a problem. Namely how they were supposed to cross the ocean. There was no way in hell Thord was reaching out to the Nokk for assistance, and he wasn't even going to consider asking Gale to bring them across because he didn't trust that for crap. The stone giants would probably as soon crush them as look at them, and Bruni of course was useless. Elsa was out of the question because none of them were inclined to wake her and if they did she'd put the kibosh on this whole endeavor, so for a minute it seemed like they would be trapped before the Duke of Weselton brought up the Ice Maiden and her similar powers to Elsa's. Now here they were, crossing the Dark Sea in a small ship made of ice that Thord immediately regretted boarding. Ice and sea water? Enough said. How the thing was keeping together was anyone's guess. Nonetheless, crossing the sea went without incident. Gale, the north wind, helped them in the endeavor, and Lamiel was nothing if not experienced on a boat, so it wasn't long before the ship slipped quietly up on the sands of the opposite bank.

They watched the forest ahead carefully for any sign of more scouts before disembarking. They barely dared speak, lest they alert the enemy presence lingering in those woods. Instead they walked quietly along the shoal, constantly on the alert. Suddenly they stopped. Further ahead sat the ruins of a ship. An Arendellian one that seemed it had been here for some years. "My word. Is that…?" the Duke began.

"Yes," Thord quietly confirmed. "That was my aunt and uncle's ship. Elsa and Anna told me about finding it and that whole depressing affair. I'd suggest looking for potential answers on board, but the sprite empress already gave us the answers to whatever we could have found there. Every other question we have can only be answered directly by the kelpie or the nix. We know they'll both be found by water bodies. Maybe the sprite queen will be open to helping us narrow down where in those water bodies to start looking."

"You have an ulterior motive," Raynold bluntly said. "That's the only reason you could possibly be so interested in enlisting the help of that specific fae."

Thord gave him a somewhat dark look. The Duke and Honeymaren looked at Thord questioningly and in the Duke's case warily as well. Thord gritted his teeth before sighing. "Yeah. Maybe there are a couple other questions I have that I didn't bring up earlier, but they're personal ones and none of your business or anyone else's. Let's just go." He turned, walking at a bit faster a pace. Lamiel gave Raynold an annoyed look.

"What? So I call people out," Raynold defended with an indifferent shrug. "You and I both know what happens when you don't address your concerns. I'm not making that mistake again. Those who don't learn from the past and all that."

"Raynold, Lamiel, catch up!" the Duke's voice called from up ahead. The two turned and saw how far ahead the other three had gotten. They exchanged looks then hurried to rejoin them.

Frozen

The group made their way carefully through the forest on alert for anything sneaking up on them. "How on earth are we supposed to find the fae in all of this?" Thord demanded, gesturing around. "I mean can't the north wind help us out or something?"

"Eventually we'll stumble onto a clue," the Duke said. "Why not let the kni... bodyguards' lead? They seem drawn to trouble."

"Not always," Raynold immediately defended.

Honeymaren, looking around, hummed thoughtfully before breaking away from the others, walking towards a tree. "Where are you going?" Thord asked.

She didn't answer. She reached out to the tree instead, resting her hand on the bark, and tilted her head. She frowned a bit, looking up. There, hanging in the branches, she saw a little bat. "Little bat," she called up gently. The others exchanged puzzled looks. "Little bat," she repeated a bit louder. It unfolded its wings, flapping them a bit, and stared down at her. "Where is the faerie glen?" Honeymaren questioned. "We must find it. It or the river where the Nokk and the Nix reside. Can you help us?"

Silence a moment. "Will the Northwind not?" it finally questioned, though only Honeymaren heard the words. All the rest of them heard were squeaks.

"I haven't asked," she answered. "I came to you instead."

The bat dropped from the branch and began to circle in the sky. "There is a clearing close in the forest, where a fabulous banquet is being held. A faerie ball. Close your eyes and open your mind, the veil will clear and you will see the way plainly."

"And what of the river sprites?" she asked.

"You will find them there also," it said. "The banquet is by the river. The elf king hosts. But he has invited the intruding troll also, for what purpose I do not know though I suspect to give him warning."

"Thank you, little bat," Honeymaren said. It squeaked a few more times before flying away, perturbed at having been interrupted in its nap.

Honeymaren returned to the others. "So what, you talk to animals now?" Thord asked.

"Wasn't it confirmed to you that the Northuldra have faerie blood in them?" she replied. "Some feel the effects stronger than others. Ryder and I both have the ability, though mine is more direct. His is more he feels what they say, rather than hears it." Thord shifted. She gave him a look. "You felt it too," she finally ventured.

"No," he answered. "I put it together from the questions you asked," he said.

She looked unsure whether to believe him or not before shrugging it off for the time being. "The bat said to open your mind and the veil cloaking the path would life. Closing your eyes will help," she said.

"Only one of us needs the veil lifted," the Duke pointed out.

"Where's your sense of wonder, my lord?" Lamiel asked, smirking a bit. The Duke huffed. "I have no time to chase fairy tales."

"You're walking alongside two of them," Raynold poked.

The Duke frowned at the man, eyes narrowing a bit, then sighed. "Very well," he relented. He closed his eyes. So did the others, say for Thord who stubbornly resisted. Honeymaren opened one eye, peeking at him, and smiled, reaching out and drawing her fingers down his eyes, forcing them closed. He was so surprised at the gesture he kept them closed before relenting with an annoyed sigh and trying to 'open his mind', whatever that meant. Soon he opened them, along with the others, and his lips slowly parted in disbelief as off to the side a path they hadn't seen before stretched into darkness. "What the…" Thord said in awe.

"The illusion was lifted," Honeymaren explained before heading down the path. The others, uneasy now, followed her a bit more hesitantly.

Frozen

"Those who seek us surely find us," they heard disembodied voices whispering from the trees. "See the trail we leave behind us."

"Oh that's creepy," Thord said.

"Keep moving," Honeymaren assured. "Don't let yourself be drawn by them, just follow the path." In the distance they could hear the sound of running water and music, laughter, and merriment.

"Some party," Thord dryly said.

"Don't step into the circle of light cast by the fires," Honeymaren warned. "And don't watch them dance. Look at the ground, never up."

"Not our first run around with Fair Folk," Raynold said, already keeping his eyes downcast along with Lamiel and looking vaguely annoyed at the whole situation. Thord and the Duke exchanged uneasy looks before following their lead. Then the music sounded as if it were right there, and shadows danced on the ground in front of them but they didn't look up to see the source of those shadows.

"Faerie rulers, we have come seeking audience!" Honeymaren boldly called out. Thord glanced up and noticed she didn't have to look away from the dancing…

The music stopped. The shadows ceased to move. Cautiously Thord lifted his head more and caught his breath, paling. Swiftly he looked down again. Holy sh… He hadn't expected that. They were beautiful... Whispers could be heard before a male's voice said, "We grant you and your company audience."

"Thank you, woodland king," Honeymaren said. The rest of them carefully looked up and stepped forward into the firelight. Raynold and Lamiel were visibly uncomfortable now. The one who had spoken-he looked to be king of the elves-glared at the two harshly like he knew them. Given who Raynold and Lamiel were, Thord wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. "We come seeking answers, majesties," Honeymaren said, taking stock of those that were present. The Elf King, the Fairy Queen, the Sprite Queen, and an entity lounging on a rock in the river, watching them all with an eerie smirk on its haunting lips, water dripping down its hair now crowned with coral and shells and seaweed, a garment of river weed and river foam preserving its modesty. Honeymaren stared at him in aghast wonder, not sure what he was. Clearly a ruler as well.

"The Nix that Elsa, Hans, and Jekyll spoke of," the Duke of Weselton whispered, eyes wide. Honeymaren caught her breath.

The Fairy Queen, sensing their unease about the fourth member, looked over. "He is called both the River King and the Sea King. You need not dread him here," she said.

"Elsa said that when the nokk raced to rescue her and Hans from the nacken, the nokk seemed afraid of it," Thord whispered in realization, eyes wide. "That must be why. Because nokk was its subject, not its rival or its equal. It answered to the nacken."

"That's one answer out of the way at least then," the Duke solemnly replied, eyes fixed on it warily.

"You are frightened," the River King said, sounding amused.

"You tried to kill my cousin and her husband," Thord bluntly answered it.

"Yet both live. Even when her husband was at my mercy," it answered, voice echoey, sounding like he was speaking from underwater at some points.

"So then what was it you intended with them? Why did you try to lure Jekyll away from Elsa in the cave? You left her for Carabis to have a clear shot at!" Thord accused.

"Accusation after accusation," the elf king mused. "Now question him rather than accuse him and see what answers you find."

Thord took a breath, calming himself down, and looked to the nixie. He crossed the clearing cautiously, eyes warily watching each entity here, and came to the river's edge to stare at the creature seated in the middle, one leg crossed over another and a fiddle rested in its lap. "How did you know the lullaby Elsa and Anna's mother used to sing?" he asked.

The nix's smirk seemed to spread further across its face. "Mortal kind. Always asking the wrong questions. It would be better, I think, to ask how she knew the song, would it not?" it replied.

Thord bristled slightly, a chill running through his body. Silence. "How did she know the song?" he finally asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Good. Now ask how she knew to search in Ahtohallan for answers about her lovely, lovely little daughter," it said, voice almost musical. Almost taunting.

Thord was shivering slightly now. "How did she know the answers she sought were in Ahtohallan?" he questioned, voice hoarse.

"Because the jotun, the rock trolls, could give her no reply," it said. "So instead she sought them from the Fair Folk. She sought them from me…" It gaily giggled, rocking back eerily. "She spoke to the north wind. She was always so very, very close to it. So close one might have thought she controlled it, much like Queen Elsa seems to control the aspects of winter."

"Seems?" Thord asked.

"Seems, does, inconsequential, in the end," it said, brushing the question off. "She spoke to the north wind. She asked it for answers. It drew her to the sea… So to the sea she went. Brave mother, determined mother." He paused a moment, considering the matter. "The fae were never locked in that forest… Not like the Northuldra or the Arendellians. Water was my element, and so I came and went unhindered. By the sea she found me. She heard my music play. She stopped up her ears. Clever woman, witty woman. She stopped up her ears and attempted to intimidate me with the north wind's help. I was not intimidated. More… annoyed. And then impressed. Impressed by her courage." Another creepy giggle that had the group wanting to deafen themselves so they never had to hear something that horrifying again. "She begged me for the answers. She bargained. Bargained that I was to take whatever price I pleased for my help as long as that price was not her children. She made no such plea for herself and her husband…"

"You son of a bitch," Thord said through gritted teeth, scowling murderously at the creature with fists balled tightly.

"I have not confirmed or denied they were the price I took. Only implied. That is no guarantee it is the case," it answered.

"You son of a bitch!" Thord snapped sharply.

"Where the Northwind meets the sea,

There's a river full of memory.

Sleep my darling safe and sound,

For in this river all is found...

In her waters deep and true,

Lie the answers and a path for you;

Dive down deep into her sound,

…But not too far, or you'll be drowned…" it said, speaking the very last line in a more than menacing tone that had Thord step uneasily back from it. The nix seemed pleased with the unease it was eliciting, smiling again. "I was fond of the woman," the nix said, sounding almost wistful as it picked up its violin and began to play a slow but beautiful song, somewhat tragic in nature. "There are more answers to be found than you can begin to imagine in Ahtohallan. Answers not only to the questions you seek now, but to questions you have sought before unrelated to any of this… The Danish King lied to you… His last concern was why he felt cold or why I sung the song to him. He knew those answers already. He seeks different answers altogether. Answers that will damn him… He will dive down too deep, just as his lover did before him. Whether he manages to pull himself out or not will be of no consequence. The answers he finds will eventually kill him regardless." The fact he didn't explain what he meant by that had them all unsettled.

"My gods," the Duke said sounding mortified at the revelation, eyes wide. He looked to the knights. "We have to get back to Ahtohallan and stop him!"

"You are already too late," the nix said. "Focus on your own answers now." Their eyes went quickly back to him and they caught their breath. Walking up behind he nix was the nokk in horse form. It took on its human one as it neared and moved in front of the river king to watch them.

"Was it you that let him through the mist? Carabis?" Thord finally asked, pushing concerns about Hans to the side. They could do nothing for the king now. They needed to focus on their own quest.

"Yes," the nokk replied.

"Why?" Honeymaren asked, looking a little betrayed.

"Because of the mirror shards within the young king's body," the nokk answered. "Every moment he taints this forest with their presence is a moment too long. And if he dives deep into Ahtohallan with those shards inside of him… it opens up potential outcomes not even we can conceive of yet. He was… a necessary sacrifice. She was not."

"She was. You just couldn't let her go," the nix said.

"Why did you help him?" the nokk questioned, turning a dark gaze on the nix. "You never answered, when I saved the doctor from you in the cave."

The nix paused, considering the words, then smirked. "I didn't," it answered. "I let him believe I was helping him, but my goal was never to aid Carabis. It was to ensnare the Danish King. Then your desperation to protect the queen got in the way and forced my hand against the jotun instead, and off you spirited him right to the last place I wanted him to be… His presence in Ahtohallan could spell disaster because of the shards buried inside of him. Carabis does not even begin to fathom what such a thing could cause. The idea of mixing the wicked shards of his mirror with the tender ones of Ahtohallan has not even once crossed his mind. But it has crossed ours…"

"What happens, if the mirror shards meet the icy mirrors of Ahtohallan?" Honeymaren nervously questioned.

"We do not know," the sprite empress quietly confessed, looking down. "Ahtohallan may purify the shards, or the shards may corrupt Ahtohallan. Perhaps it will be a mix of both, as the shards and Ahtohallan fight each others powers for a dominance neither will ever achieve. Perhaps no change at all will occur and only the memories King Hans sees will be effected, in the sense that he will see only the negative ones and no positive memories, or in the sense that he will see only memories pertaining to the mirror. As the nacken said, the mirror shards being introduced to Ahtohallan opens up the sorts of paths even we cannot begin to predict, and where they ultimately lead?" She shrugged. "That is anyone's guess." Silence reigned.

"You have questions yet to ask," the elf king eventually said, pulling them from their thoughts. They looked quickly up, startled back to reality.

"Yes. That," Thord said. He looked at Nokk. "Why did you let it slip to me you loved my cousin?"

"For gain. It opened gates to possibilities. Either the gates led nowhere, or they led somewhere. Then you mentioned the mirror, and it mattered no longer," the nokk said.

Thord nodded then looked to the fairy queen, the sprite queen, and the elfin king. "Am I one of the names on the scroll you gave to Elsa?" he asked suddenly. The others started, looking at him in shock. That… hadn't been a question any of them had expected. For a long moment the three faerie rulers were silent. Thord shook his head and scoffed, turning sharply and marching away from them. "You know, I don't even care anymore if I am or not. I just want my cousins to be safe," he testily said. The sooner they got back to Ahtohallan the better.

"You are not one of the names in the contract," the sprite queen said suddenly.

Thord paused. "Well maybe I should have been," he answered bitterly. Would probably be easier for his cousins to lose him than to lose someone they'd known and loved for years. He started walking again only to freeze with a gasp as from the forest appeared Carabis, slowly ambling through the woods with his armies at his back. The Fair Folk were not intimidated, but he and the others certainly were. Quickly they grouped up tightly, backing away to the edge of the river looking nervous. Honeymaren clung to Thord's shoulders, eyes wide and fearful. The Duke was behind her, holding her shoulders in turn. The two knights flanked the sides, drawing their swords. The faerie rulers regarded Carabis with cool indifference, say the sprite empress who just regarded him with sad exhaustion.

"Carabis," the elf king greeted coolly.

"Vigorous Spring," the creature answered. That couldn't be the elf king's name, Thord thought to himself. Maybe the meaning of it, but not the actual name.

"How long do you intend to linger here?" the fairy queen questioned.

"As long as it takes," Carabis answered.

"Remove the darkness from the forest or you will force our hand against you," the sprite queen warned.

"You aren't going to drive him out now?!" Thord demanded. The look Carabis gave him sent a shiver down his spine.

"Why? He is of our ilk," the elf king answered with a smirk.

"Wait… What price are you asking for the information you've shared with us?" Lamiel quickly said, looking over at the elf king warily.

"You chose your friends better than my son chose his, so fear not for your safety here," the elf king replied. "But neither interfere with what must be."

"What must be?" Honeymaren asked.

"That depends much on the reaction of the shards to the depths of Ahtohallan," the elf replied.

They weren't blind to the brief look of genuine shock and horror that crossed Carabis' face. That alone was enough to freak them thoroughly out. "Can you control the consequences of this, son?" the sprite queen bit at her child.

Silence. "Stop him," Carabis tightly said.

"It is far too late for that," the river king replied, smirking. "Perhaps the thought of the shards crossing with Ahtohallan did cross your mind after all… And you saw only disaster in it for you. Be glad it may be more costly to us as well, than what the young man's life is worth."

"He'll handle it. Whatever happens," Thord immediately defended. "Leave him be. He'll navigate whatever comes of it, if you'll only help him when he asks!"

"Our hope is that you are correct," the fairy queen answered. "Mortals… You pursue much beyond what you have any right to. You chase what you should not, and in the end, it ends up only causing you pain. Just stop."

"We'd love to, but we tend not to notice we're in over our heads until it's too late to get out," Raynold dryly replied.

"Then reap the consequences," the elf king answered.

"You're siding with Carabis," the Duke said in growing, horrified realization.

"If Carabis is wise, he will side with our will," the elf king answered.

"But you'll be allies nonetheless!" the Duke exclaimed in mortification. What did that even begin to mean for them?! The only reassurance in this matter was how uneasy even Carabis looked at that concept.

"Return to Ahtohallan. Carabis will not disturb you lest he make us his enemies next. And hope that the young prince, king as it may be now, retains his sanity and control," the elf king commanded.

"Hans cannot enter Ahtohallan!" Carabis insisted.

"He already has," the nacken replied. "Oh, what's wrong little hybrid? Are you afraid of what his truth will cost you? If you are not, you should be." It giggled its eerie giggle again and Carabis remained silent, rooted to the spot with fists clenched before gritting his teeth.