'A-ah…Mmph…!' Elsa groaned, hands moving over her body, naked save for Queen Iduna's shawl that covered her bottom as she lay upon her stomach in the comfort of a little hut. 'P-pardon me…'

'It's fine, but I'm about to go deeper? Is that okay?'

'…If you must.'

Her muscles spasmed, and Elsa grit her teeth, more sounds of agony slipping through her tightened mouth. The hands pressed down into her lower back again, and then massaged the cartilage within, the soothing sensation of a cream applied making the queen's kin prickle with a strange sensation of heat.

'Let me know if the pain becomes unbearable. Your spine is not broken, but your back has some deep tissue damage. This massage should help speed things along, and the ointment I'm applying has assisted our people for generations overcome some pretty nasty injuries.'

'Thank-you, Honeymaren…' Elsa hissed as another wave of discomfort filtered through her before goosebumps pervaded again, this Northuldra girl's touch both despicable and dangerously pleasurable.

'Hey. No problem. It's what I'm good at. I don't mind doing the whole warrior thing when I need to, but I've become our little clan's primary source of remedial massages, and I like helping people feel better after a long hard day of hunting, herding, or camping.' Honeymaren's fingers traced Elsa's spine gently, her firm but tender touch moving into the queen's shoulders and working out some obvious knots. 'Supporting magical royal knights doing battle with demigods might be a new one to add to me credentials, I guess.'

Elsa giggled, soft touches finding her neck and moving up into her hairline.

'By the spirits you have so much stress in your body we might be here all night.' Honeymaren revealed, and Elsa was hardly surprised. Years of performance outside her comfort zone did that, she supposed, no matter how much she convinced herself she was doing her best. 'Not that I mind. Not everyday I get to work on such a beautiful patient, you know? N-not that I mean anything by that. Your skin is just so pretty. It practically sparkles.'

'Mmm…' Elsa was enjoying this part of the massage over the last half hour or so. Honeymaren was undeniably skilled at finding where Elsa held the most tension. When Yelana first suggested that Elsa take a moment to herself and get examined by the clan's masseuse, the queen had bucked at the idea, wishing to continue her journey immediately upon the Fire Spirit's seeming addition to their little party. However, Anna encouraged the break. Thus, as the Northuldra people repaired their campsite, thanks to Elsa mitigating the overall damage inflicted, the queen submitted to the idea of actually getting some form of rest.

When Elsa was introduced to Honeymaren, she immediately thought of Gerda, because the young woman's dark hair and chocolate brown eyes were, admittedly, rather attractive upon her tanned skin and sharp, intelligent features. Her hair was much straighter than Gerda's wavy bob, and she was closer to Elsa's height than the tiny maid, but her presence was enough to make Elsa miss one of her closest friends at the castle, and her touch shamefully made the queen recall the journey toward her own sexuality.

"Your unnatural desire for your own sex is regrettable enough, but to also love your own sister? Surely the spirits deserve a more fitting saviour."

'You…!' Elsa started, causing Honeymaren to flinch back in confusion.

'Queen Elsa?'

Elsa glanced around, embarrassed by her outburst. She hadn't heard this particular voice in some time, and it had, honestly, concerned her slightly. It retained a more feminine tone now compared to its deeper counterparts from the adventure's infancy. What did that mean? What was affecting the strange form of telepathy?

'Sorry.' Elsa returned to the floor, staring at the wall of the hut and watching the way the tiny candle's fire within the space flickered about the material.

'It's fine.' Honeymaren chuckled. 'You hear the spirits, is that right?'

'Er…Yes.' Elsa felt bizarrely shy admitting.

'You've been blessed.' The young woman went on dreamily. 'Born of Northuldra and Arendellian blood. I wouldn't be surprised if the spirits have something big planned for you…that is, when they're not raging.'

'They're testing me…' Elsa elaborated for the girl who she decided she liked enough to discuss her thoughts.

'Why? You're clearly here to help, and they normally don't act that aggressively. Only the Earth Spirit – er – Spirits seem to be consistently on edge. The Wind, Fire, and Water Spirits keep to themselves mostly unless "Gale", as your cute snowman calls him, is feeling playful.'

Elsa wasn't sure how to answer Honeymaren, but something about the girl made her want to be more honest than not. Perhaps it was the earnest way she talked, or the authentically kind touch that translated an instinctually charged physical rhetoric that couldn't be put into words. Maybe it was simply a gut feeling. Elsa wasn't certain, but suddenly, as she lay almost completely exposed with this stranger that didn't even feel like a completely foreign presence, the queen decided to reveal even more of herself.

'They…do not approve of my…unnatural desires, it would seem.' Elsa spoke slowly and softly, part of her almost hoping Honeymaren might not hear her.

The Northuldra girl's touch upon Elsa's back paused for a moment, but then continued, something changing in its execution, although Elsa couldn't exactly tell what.

'…I doubt it's that bad. Are you sure?'

'Very.' Elsa answered. 'They haven't made it a secret.'

'Hm.' Honeymaren stopped massaging the queen for a moment, humming more to herself as if hesitating to express her thoughts verbally. 'Your lower back is all kinds of yuck. A lot of that sort of discomfort originates from your hips and…around that area. I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with, but I can help, if you'd like.'

Elsa considered the native woman's words, realizing what she was hinting at.

'If it helps manage the pain I'm experiencing as of late, please do whatever is necessary.'

'Okay. Just say something if you want me to stop at any point.'

'Thank-you.'

Honeymaren began at Elsa's hips, but quickly felt her way to the upper part of her bottom, pushing in from both sides and causing the queen to flinch due to a spike of unprecedented agony. The Northuldra held her in place, fortunately, so no further damage was done, and continued to pry out the multitude of knots that Elsa had no idea existed.

'…Ouch.' Elsa huffed finally, her muffled groans belying her attempt to handle the shift in her massage with any form of elegance.

Honeymaren giggled at this, switching gears and softening her points of contact for a moment, focusing on Elsa's lower back again mercifully.

'Yep. I have some work to do.' She explained.

'That's not it…?'

'Nope. Not if you want to feel a little better by tomorrow.'

'Oh…'

'You ready?'

'If you must.' Elsa clenched her teeth, and the pain returned a second later, although already it wasn't quite as terrible as before. Honeymaren dug in deep again, yet it was bearable, if still not exactly desirable.

'Good.' A beat. 'This shawl is really beautiful, isn't it?'

'Yes.' Elsa had difficulty not allowing her voice to sound too strained.

'Shawls like this were given to Northuldra children at birth. This particular one is from one of our oldest families.'

'My mother…' Elsa's image of the woman had changed somewhat since learning about her heritage. She could always tell that the late queen of Arendelle had her own secrets, but after finding out about Devil, Elsa assumed that to be it. She could have never anticipated discovering that Queen Iduna was originally a Northuldra. It…excited Elsa, for some reason.

'Yeah. Iduna, right? I never met her, but some of the older members seem to recall a girl by that name. Yelana definitely knows who she was.'

'Apparently, she saved my – A-ah…!'

'Sorry.' Honeymaren released Elsa's muscles around her backside. 'But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't cute hearing you make those sounds.'

'Why must some individuals discover satisfaction at my expense?' Elsa grunted.

'Because you seem a bit uptight, I guess?'

'…Perhaps.'

Elsa laughed with Honeymaren, their voices fading into the night before the Northuldra girl began touching the shawl again, her points of contact sinking in with the softness of Elsa's backside.

'Have you ever looked closely at the designs on this shawl?' She questioned.

'I have…' Elsa answered, for it had always been a connection to her mother, and she treasured the precious gift. Even without knowing it was Northuldra made, Elsa could always tell there was something unique about the shawl. 'The tiny colours in the snowflakes…I assumed they always represented the four elements.'

'You would have been assuming right, then!' Honeymaren sounded impressed, and part of Elsa relished the fact she had a chance to display her insightfulness. 'But did you know there's a diamond in the centre of each snowflake that represents a fifth spirit?'

'A…fifth spirit?' This was news. Elsa had no idea. How could she? Her father and mother never revealed as much. Had they been waiting? Did they just never get the chance? Elsa hated the thought…

'Yes!' Honeymaren sounded excited at the opportunity to discuss something new with Elsa. 'It's said to be the bridge between us and the magic of nature. I'm not totally sure what that means, but according to the stories, some also say it cried out the day the forest fell.'

'Is that…who's calling me?' Elsa was wide awake now, speculation filling her inquisitive mind immediately. A fifth spirit. Perhaps that was the song she heard, or the bizarre voice that spoke directly into her mind, or…both? That would make so much sense. If Elsa met this fifth spirit – this bridge – would she finally get the answers she could only dream of until so recently?

'Ah.' Honeymaren seemed intrigued. 'Your body's flow totally shifted just now.'

'Flow?' Elsa found herself distracted by the strange comment.

'Yes. I've been blessed with a deep understanding of a person's "energy", if you want to call it that. I'm pretty sensitive to what the body says when the mind and mouth refuse to be clear.'

'Oh…'

'So,' Honeymaren's tone deepened. 'Your secret is safe with me, Elsa. I didn't mean to cause you any distress. If anything, you've made me question some things about myself. You're so beautiful, and…well, anyway. That's enough of that.'

Elsa wasn't sure how to proceed from there. Had Honeymaren just suggested that she knew about Elsa's unique interests? That didn't seem completely impossible if she was telling the truth about understanding the "flow" of someone's internal workings. Elsa wasn't exactly "aroused" by the other girl's touch, but she couldn't say she minded it, that was for certain. Honeymaren was skilled, and her massage, despite the moments of pain, was pleasurable.

In any case, Elsa couldn't gloss over the fact this Northuldra girl was so accepting of her regardless, and although the queen was certain Honeymaren was likely incapable of knowing who ended up being the one Elsa inevitably fell for, it was somewhat refreshing to have another individual that seemed willing to engage in conversation surrounding the ice queen's questionable orientation.

'I…don't mind.' Elsa murmured, needing affirmation that she wasn't a complete monstrosity…especially when the spirits seemed bound and bent on making her think otherwise. Anna would always be on her side, but what about a Northuldra, like Honeymaren? What about someone so close to nature – so close Elsa was somehow envious of her position in life almost?

Honeymaren hummed softly, the tune uncannily familiar as she began caressing Elsa's back, spreading a thin layer of the ointment again. She had a pretty voice, and her version of the lullaby, All is Found, was almost identical to Elsa's mother's, if slightly fancier, with a few additional notes. Elsa found herself joining the girl quietly, as shy as ever but feeling a deep bond with this calming individual, her touch sending more and more goosebumps over the queen's body.

Their voices became swept up into the night, and Elsa realized she was smiling, Honeymaren's fingers soothingly tempting her into sleep.

'As queen of Arendelle, it must be difficult…' The girl kept her words quiet, knowing the sensitivity of the subject.

'It is.' Elsa held her emotions at bay. This journey required her to do so constantly, it would seem.

'For our people, where nature governs all, meaning everyone and every little thing has a purpose – a role – to fulfill in life, there is no tolerance for such passion. There is…' Honeymaren sighed. 'There is no reason for it.'

'So I'm told…' Elsa smiled bitterly. 'What are your thoughts on the matter?'

'Me?' Honeymaren's caressing paused for a moment before she proceeded on both accounts. 'I don't understand how any love, if it's true, can be wrong if others are not hurt by it. Can one honestly control who they fall for? I don't think so. So, should nature really deny someone due to something outside their control? That doesn't sound right to me.'

'…Even if that someone is my sister?' Elsa made the gamble, her heart hammering so hard in her chest she felt the ground beneath her vibrating. Honeymaren extracted her touch once more, a despairingly intense silence filling the small hut. Elsa hadn't asked the question without considering many of the consequences. At worst, she and Anna would be ejected from the Northuldra camp. Fine. So be it. At best, she gained further insight from this girl who she felt a frightening bond with.

The quiet extended so long Elsa began to wonder if Honeymaren had been shocked mute, but finally, she shifted in her spot, and began working her magic over Elsa's lower back with strangely more force, making the queen grunt with frequent releases of withheld air.

'…If I hadn't felt your flow of energy spike so fiercely it made my fingers tingle I would've thought you were making some strange joke. But that was no lie.'

Elsa felt tears welling up in her eyes, for some reason.

'Now I understand why your body is screaming in sorrow as well. Born with magic. Ostracized in your youth. Scared of everything you are. Losing your parents. Becoming queen so young. Carrying the weight of a kingdom on your shoulders. Falling in love…with your sister. That's…a lot.'

'I wanted to deny it. I wanted to believe it was false. I hated myself for the emotions I couldn't control. I didn't want to complicate her life…' Elsa whimpered.

'But you say all this in the past tense. Does that mean…?' Honeymaren picked out intelligently.

'I needed to kill it. Only then, could I move on. Otherwise, I was living everyday in unbearable torture.'

'You told her.'

'I did. Approximately three years ago.'

'…What was her answer?'

Elsa smiled, recalling the moment on a balcony of her castle, dancing with Anna outside and hearing the soft hum of a song from their childhood being played back at the ballroom's party she was supposed to be the honorary guest of.

'She told me she couldn't love me back…'

'Of course.'

A pause, and Elsa swallowed the despair she felt that night in order to recollect the delight she experienced when Anna revealed her own secrets.

'Until she could lie to herself no more either, and accepted my feelings as an undeniable reflection of her own.'

'…What!?' Honeymaren shouted, and a male's voice spoke up suddenly from where a small campfire had been started more toward the centre of the campsite.

'Everything okay in there, Sis?'

Ryder. Elsa had been introduced to the siblings at the same time. He seemed to click immediately with Kristoff. The two had gone off to introduce Sven to the other reindeers, but they must've returned since.

'Y-yeah. We're good. Sorry.' Honeymaren lowered her voice again. 'So…even now?'

'Yes.' Elsa's heart fluttered, and she never tired of the sensation despite a whirlwind of emotions overtaking her. 'We are…Although the spirits have wiped the memory of our true relationship from Arendelle's collective conscious.'

'Wait. Your people found out?'

'Yes.' Elsa sighed. Thinking of Devil consistently left her exhausted both mentally and physically. 'But it's a long story. Arendelle decided to tolerate my choice so long as Anna and I acted no differently from normal in the public eye.'

'How on earth did you pull that off?'

'It was the perfect collection of variables that tipped the scale in our favour; let's just say that.' Elsa didn't have all night, after all. Sleep would be essential at some point.

'Unbelievable.' Honeymaren clicked her tongue. 'I-I mean, if I even think about doing anything with Ryder I basically want to throw up.'

Elsa's body must have said something, because Honeymaren was quick to correct herself.

'Sorry. It's just…'

'Unnatural. I'm aware.' Elsa knew Honeymaren didn't mean anything by it. Her reaction was perfectly normal, if much more understanding than most would be, thankfully. Elsa had read the girl correctly, fortunately.

'Small wonder the spirits aren't happy, then. That's a double blow to their egos. Imagine finding out the person who's going to save you goes against everything you represent? It's almost like denying their existence.'

Elsa initially wanted to repel the thought, but the more she considered Honeymaren's words, the more she could sympathize with the spirits, maybe. In fact, if even Elsa herself struggled with her own sexuality as a whole, how could she expect such a foreign concept to resonate with entities that practically fostered the world into its current natural state?

The answers were sobering, and Elsa felt her eyes beginning to sting a little with the urge to tear up again.

'I often wonder why I was born like this.' Elsa mused. 'Why me? Why magic? Why Anna?'

Honeymaren exhaled slowly, releasing Elsa's back and touching her shoulder gently.

'Turn around for me.' The girl asked, and Elsa hesitated.

'I…'

'It's okay. I have another small blanket here. I'll cover your chest.'

'Er…Okay.' Elsa began to flip herself over with Honeymaren's help, self-consciously covering her breasts as she made the change. True to her word, the Northuldra girl provided another blanket folded into thirds to conceal Elsa's more private upper parts, and she began massaging the front of the queen's body, starting with her collar and chest (as much as she deemed appropriate, anyway).

'The typical Northuldra's answer to your difficult questions, Elsa, would be: Alas, only Ahtohallan knows. And when it comes to your magic, maybe that's true.'

'Ahtohallan…' Elsa repeated wistfully. 'I hope so…'

'As for your feelings for Anna?' Honeymaren's strokes moved gently over Elsa's shoulders and cradled her face affectionately. 'I got nothing.' She grinned playfully, and Elsa had to laugh at the anticlimactic answer.

'So helpful.' Elsa chuckled.

'I try.' Honeymaren continued her work, beginning on Elsa's legs. 'I'll say this though,' The dark-featured girl diverted her eyes, possibly embarrassed and pretending to focus on what she was doing to relieve Elsa's body of the pain it had endured. 'She's lucky.'

Elsa blushed, thinking about her sister and counting her blessings repeatedly.

'I'm the lucky one…' She clarified.

'Well, yeah. You're getting a full body massage from our tribe's most skilled practitioner. I usually charge a full day's worth of berries for this kind of treatment.'

Again, the women laughed.

'Thank-you, Honeymaren. Truly. I…don't know why I felt the need to reveal such things, but I appreciate you not losing yourself to what I know is a difficult truth to digest.'

'I think the fact I just met you both helps. Part of me has trouble believing you're really sisters if you feel that way. Like I said, I could never think of my brother like that.'

'…I doubt it's terribly common.' Elsa admitted.

'But after what you did to save our little village here? How can I not be a little forgiving of your quirks, right?'

'Quirk. Yes. That's a kind way of putting it.'

Honeymaren moved to Elsa's other leg, her grip and release upon the queen's muscles otherworldly.

'Your magic really is incredible though, Elsa. We could see the flashes of blue light from where everyone evacuated to. Our people used to always cooperate with the spirits harmoniously, but what you can do is…different. You're like a spirit in human form. It's incredible.'

'I…don't hate my powers anymore, that's for certain.' Elsa confessed. 'They caused me a great deal of trouble growing up, but they also provided Anna and myself with many, many wonderful memories.'

'I can imagine!'

Elsa smiled at Honeymaren, catching her eyes and turning her gaze away in embarrassment.

'I thought the queen of Arendelle would be a little more intimidating, but you're pretty shy, huh?'

'W-well, this massage is more than I bargained for…'

'But you don't hate it.' Elsa caught Honeymaren winking.

'N-no.'

'I'm teasing you. Sorry. It's too easy.'

'Evidently.'

'I'm just about done though, sadly.'

'Oh. Sadly, indeed.'

'You want a happy ending or something to wrap things up?'

'Er…yes?' Elsa raised a brow, not wanting to be rude by refusing despite also not being sure what the Northuldra girl meant.

Apparently, this answer was hilarious, however, because Honeymaren began laughing, poking Elsa's nose playfully.

'I learned the phrase from overhearing one of the Arendellian guards mentioning it one time. It's a rather crude practise, I guess, from the city's massage therapists in the darker corners of some kingdoms.'

'O-oh…'

Honeymaren giggled again, leaning over Elsa so their bodies touched briefly as she whispered in her ear.

'Let's just say Anna wouldn't be too happy if I gave you that kind of massage.'

Immediately understanding the implications, Elsa gasped, covering her mouth with wide eyes.

'I'm sorry! Then I must refuse!'

'Obviously.' Honeymaren shrugged, a flicker of disappointment possibly passing over her pretty visage. 'It was a dumb joke. Sorry about that. Maybe part of me is curious? You have a nasty effect, Miss Queen.'

'I…' Elsa wasn't sure what to say, and Honeymaren laughed again awkwardly.

'More lame jokes! Man. I'm as bad as Ryder sometimes…' She clapped her hands together as if dismissing the topic altogether. 'Anyway, I'll grab Anna for you, if you'd like. You look tired, and you definitely deserve a good night's sl – '

The ground trembled suddenly, cutting Honeymaren off immediately as her entire demeanor changed, Elsa catching a glimpse of the warrior this woman could be if it was necessary.

'An earthquake…?' Elsa almost hoped, although more of her knew the likely answer.

Another tremor, this time closer and followed by a loud booming sound like enormous boulders crashing down a mountain.

'Not now. Not now. Not now.' Honeymaren chanted, clearly nervous while putting on a brave front.

'Is it…?' Elsa didn't finish her thought. The girl near her was more than willing to do so for her, and the two words sent a wave of fresh new anxiety through the queen of Arendelle.

'Earth Giants.' Honeymaren said under her breath.