CHAPTER NINETEEN: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
The cloaked hunter was still and quiet as his aged eyes locked onto the wild reindeer in the woods. He pulled back his arrow, taking several seconds to focus his aim on the fatal spot right behind the prey's front leg. The arrow whizzed through the air, striking his prey perfectly in the spot he intended. He grinned proudly under his hood. Hmph. I still got it, Iduna.
The reindeer bellowed with surprise and pain as it tried to escape but the fatal shot brought it down to the ground. The hunter stood and went over. He knelt down by his prey's head to look it in the eye as it took its final breaths. He sighed and patted the fresh animal corpse, "Sorry. I'm hungry…and you're venison."
He pulled out his knife to retrieve his arrow, and cut it open to remove the organs. He heard a growl and looked up to see a wolf coming into his space. The hunter smiled as he recognized the hungry wolf, You again. He cut a decent hunk of meat and tossed it over and watched it tear into the piece happily. "You're welcome, you mut."
After removing the organs, he pulled out a special hook tool to drag his prey back to his cabin, where he would go to work on skinning the animal. After years, he became quite efficient at it. Hanging the prey from a hook outside to skin the reindeer he noticed Queen Elsa and Princess Anna riding horses fast down below. He smiled seeing how big they have grown. It felt like it was only yesterday. He looked up at the horizon suddenly when he felt the wind shift suddenly. He groaned angrily. Perfect. A storm's coming. A big one. Within seconds he quickly beheaded his prey and skinned it, bringing the antlers and the rest of the body to finish cutting on inside.
Anna and Elsa raised through their usual path. "I'm winning, Elsa!"
Elsa smiled as she waved her hand to slow Anna down with ice in her path, allowing her to get past her. "Hey!"
"Gotta keep up!" Elsa laughed.
Elsa stopped when she noticed dark clouds. "Anna?! We should head back. Looks like a big storm is coming."
Suddenly, it began to rain hard. Anna, who was nearby, stared at Elsa with a pouty look. "Wow, really Elsa?"
Elsa laughed at Anna's sarcasm. They were getting soaked and their horses were acting up, letting Elsa know the storm was serious. "We need to find shelter until the storm passes. I noticed a cabin nearby. We can ask whoever's there for shelter."
"Sounds like a plan," Anna smiled behind her messed up hair that practically covered her face now. Elsa led the way and they arrived at the cabin, putting their horses in the stables before making their way to the cabin. Elsa knocked and a middle-aged man with dark hair answered before she could ask, "Come in, you two. You'll get sick staying out there."
Elsa and Anna looked at each other with confusion before entering. The cabin's interior was nice. The fireplace was lit. "Make yourself at home, girls," the hunter encouraged tossing them a couple of towels to dry off and a blanket to get warm. He brought in his prey to finish cutting it up.
"You were expecting us?" Elsa asked.
"I figured you would turn around once the storm hit," the hunter replied.
"Thank you for your hospitality…I don't believe I caught your name," Elsa said.
"That's because I didn't give it, Queen Elsa. The name's Baldur," Baldur replied, "You may not remember me, but I remember when your mother brought you girls by when you were very little."
"You knew our mother?" Anna asked.
"I knew Iduna since she was around 12 years old," Baldur replied then sighed sadly, "Despite how annoying she was at the time, I miss that little brat."
Elsa and Anna dried off as best as they could before snuggling close to the fire under the same blanket. Although winter had passed, there was still an occasional cold wind. "You sound like you were close with our mother. How did you two meet?" Elsa asked, intrigued to hear more about Mother when she was little. She and Anna didn't know much.
Baldur looked at their curious faces. "Did your mother not tell you much of her past?"
"Only that her mother used to sing a song about a magical river called Ahtohallan," Anna replied.
"'Only Ahtohallan knows,'" Baldur stopped working to mutter, which caught Elsa's interest. "If that's all your mother told you about her past, then I can't help you. I made her a promise long ago I'd keep her secret safe."
"Secret? What do you mean?" Elsa asked.
"Elsa, remember when I saw Mother again? What I shared with you?" Anna asked, remembering going back to the past.
"Wait, what?" Baldur asked, suddenly confused.
"Anna used a forbidden spell to travel back in time to see Mother again. Anna said Mother had a secret she was keeping from Father. Mother was struggling with letting herself get close to him. Anna in disguise, bonded with Mother and encouraged her to tell Father," Elsa explained.
"Can you please tell us what she was afraid of?" Anna asked Baldur.
Baldur came over with two mugs of warm tea, "You ask too many questions. Some people call that rude, Princess Anna."
"Please, Baldur. Tell us what Mother was like when she was little," Elsa requested eagerly.
Baldur turned and looked down at them and smiled warmly before heading back to his prey. "Your mother was an orphan living in the wilderness. I found her sick and laying in the wilderness. I brought her back to my cabin to nurse with herbal medicine. She was very reserved and quiet. I offered her shelter, food, what I had. In exchange for staying here, she would do chores to maintain the cabin. Starting out she was too quiet, then we both soon discovered we were similar and I guess she warmed up to me and found my presence comforting. Must've been cut from the same fabric or something," he chuckled. "Before I knew it, I couldn't get her to shut up to save my life. She had this long wild dark hair. Obviously didn't know how to use a brush. Her blue eyes were suddenly wide with excitement. She would always become guarded if I asked her about her family, so I didn't press. She wasn't big on eating meat so I didn't make her. I taught her how to survive in the wild. Having her around…she was like the daughter I always wanted."
Anna and Elsa smiled as they took in Baldur's story as he continued, "As the years passed and your Mother grew into a fine young woman, she would occasionally visit and reveal what she's been up to. Living at the orphanage briefly. Becoming friends with Prince Agnarr. Working different jobs on the market square to support herself so she could have her own place. The last time I saw her was when she brought you two here for me to meet. You Elsa were around 6 and Anna was three."
Elsa and Anna looked at each other with alarm. That was around the time Father closed the gates. "Did Mother ever mention anything at that time?"
"If you mean you secretly having ice magic and how you accidently hurt Anna, then yeah…Iduna told me everything. Not at first though, but she needed to vent her worries concerning how to keep you two safe," Baldur replied, finishing up and heading over to the window with his mug of warm tea. "When news came that she and King Agnarr had passed away, it felt like a part of me had died as well."
Elsa and Anna knew that feeling all too well.
"The storm doesn't look like it's going to let up at all. You two are welcomed to stay here for the night. It should stop by morning," Baldur shared, noticing how violent the rain and winds were.
Anna could hear the roaring winds outside. "I think we'll do that," Elsa replied, "Thank you."
"I'll cook us meat then. You can't go wrong with venison," Baldur chuckled, heading back to the meat he had cut. He had a special rigging where he could cook his meat right in the fireplace.
Baldur went to bed somewhat early while Anna and Elsa curled in front of the fireplace which Baldur fed extra wood for the night. "Elsa?" Anna whispered.
"Hmm?" Elsa replied, with her back to Anna.
"I can't sleep. I want to know what secret Mother told Baldur about her past," Anna confessed.
Elsa flipped over to face Anna. "Me too. We didn't know much about Mother."
"Since we're Iduna's daughters…we have the right to know, right? We should demand Baldur to tell us," Anna whispered louder.
"Maybe, but Baldur made a promise to Mother. If she wanted us to know, she would've told us before…" Elsa replied then going silent. "A promise should always be kept, Anna, unless the person is in trouble or hurting themselves."
Anna's expression saddened, "Is that what you and our parents told yourselves? You were hurting and I couldn't be to comfort my own sister."
Elsa began to tear up seeing Anna sad and pulled her close. "I'm sorry. I never want to hide stuff from you ever again. I promise." She pulled away, "As for Mother's secret, we should respect her wishes."
"I know, but it's Mother. How could it be right to withhold important information?" Anna asked angrily.
Elsa was about to say something but the two jumped when Baldur cleared his thought loudly nearby. He was standing a few feet away. "Not only do you ask too many questions, you talk loudly…you really are your mother's daughter."
Elsa and Anna sat up, "My apologies, Baldur."
"I understand your frustration, Anna, but a promise is a promise. I can't in good conscious betray her trust and dishonor the memory of your mother, but I can point you in the right path. She used to have a journal. It was her way of coping with what she had lost…and possibly what she had to keep buried. If she recorded her secret, it'll be in her journal."
Elsa and Anna became excited. Elsa took Anna's hands and smiled as she exclaimed, "Mother's journal! Of course! I only saw her writing in it once, but she'd never let me read it. It should be among her things."
"The Attic! We have to find it, Elsa!" Anna replied with equal excitement.
"Tomorrow, you two. The storm is still too bad for travel We all should get rest," Baldur chuckled, "Your Mother's journal will still be there tomorrow."
"But I want to go now," Anna complained, the little girl Elsa knew long ago was shining through.
Elsa laughed, stroking Anna's hair as they laid back down, "I know. I know. You don't have that kind of patience, but he's right. Tomorrow, we'll return home and look for Mother's journal together."
"I can't wait. I'm too excited. I can't sleep," Anna complained.
Elsa smiled and scooted close to Anna. She hummed Mother's lullaby and stroke Anna's nose with her finger. "Really? You think that's going to work twice?"
"Hmm-mm," Elsa replied warmly with a smile as she watched Anna dose off. "Good night," Elsa whispered before leaning in and kissing Anna gently on the cheek.
Next morning, the two woke up and got ready to head home. They got on their horses and waved goodbye to Baldur. Elsa stopped and turned back to Baldur, "When we find Mother's journal, we'll come back for another visit."
Baldur smiled and gave a nod, "I'd like that. Safe journey home, Your Majesties and I hope you find the answers you're looking for." He watched as they rode off for Arendelle, disappearing from his sight. You and Agnarr did good, Iduna. You both would be proud of the women your daughters have become.
He went back into his room and sat down, looking up at a painting Iduna made for him before leaving for Arendelle. It was a larger painting of a detailed drawing she made long ago. Him in his hunting gear and young Iduna by his side. Tears began to fill his eyes as all the happy memories of her came flooding in along with the heart ache of losing her. "You were there for me when I needed someone to love again. If only I could've been there to protect you."
(A/N: The character of Baldur is inspired by the man in antlers that we see in the deleted storyboard with Iduna from Frozen 2. I really wish that character was explored more in the movie, maybe as a spirit guide for Elsa. What do you think?)