Rifiuto: Non Mirena
A/N: So this corrects the Yelena and the Northuldra's thinking in one of the earlier chapters- when they call Elsa a goddess- or, at least, it's Elsa's rationalizing in regards to Gods/Goddesses... and Elsa finally gets part of an answer to at least one mystery... - Licia
In order to defeat a frozen heart, you must split the ice apart.
Elsa had preoccupied herself with her family and her duties, the few times they were able to meet with Kristoff and Matthias at the North Mountain- including Matthias giving her a list of those within the Royal Guard and household still loyal to her, which was basically everyone- to formulate some sort of plan to put in place- anything to keep her mind off of the day she'd met Mother Nature. The ancient Elemental- Goddess? Demi-Goddess?- had unnerved the young Snow Queen so that she had stayed away from Ahtohallan for weeks after.
There's no such thing as gods and goddesses- they're myths left over from ancient times. There is one god, the creator of everything- Mother Nature... no, that's not right. She pivoted, simply changing direction. The Northuldra believed you to be a goddess- in reality, you're but an Elemental, with the slightest hint of 'godlike' immortality; the ability to heal yourself faster than humans, but that does not make you a goddess, for you will die eventually, and the gods could not die, and that is where the Greeks and Romans and Northuldra collide-
She let out a shriek as she changed direction, stumbling until she landed on her back. The beach accepted her as she landed, though it did nothing to cushion her fall. A moment passed, before she looked up, to find Lærke standing above her, bare feet on either side of her waist, the beautifully crafted staff she had created a few weeks earlier held at Elsa's throat. Her short hair fell about her face, and she narrowed her eyes. "Stop getting distracted. Were I the Troll Queen, this beach would be bathed in your blood this very moment, because you could not keep your mind clear-"
"Would you stop sneaking up on me like that!" Lærke lifted her staff, allowing Elsa to sit up.
"Stop letting your mind wander!" The Elemental held out a hand to help her physical counterpart up, but the Snow Queen batted her hand away and quickly stood, picking up her own staff, her fingers gliding over the familiar carved snowflakes. "It will do you no good to go into a confrontation with the troll, only for you to become distracted and then defeated! I may be millennia old, I may have lived a sheltered life more than my siblings thanks to Mother, but even I know any warrior going into battle must have a clear, focused head upon their shoulders! And right now, your head is neither clear, nor focused, Elsa."
She had also taken time to meet with Lærke and their siblings at Ahtohallan, as they told her more and more of the various realms, hoping their infinite amounts of wisdom would help her defeat the Troll Queen- and as Lærke helped her to hone her fighting skills, for despite her role as the Guardian of the Glacier and her near-hermit-like existence, the youngest Elemental knew how to fight. Though she said nothing of where she picked up such skills, and Elsa never asked, her brothers did not hide the fact that they had often spent months teaching her how to fight, if only to help her stave off the boredom and loneliness of Mother Nature's entrapment of her.
"I have been focused, Lærke! I have been more focused on this than anyone else! Do you think I don't understand the cost that will come of this if I fail? I am well aware of what is at stake! I- hey!" The Snow Queen jumped at the coldness of the water as it splashed upon her, and she jumped back, turning towards the sea. "Very funny, Magni!"
A moment passed, before the Elemental in question rematerialized in human form, the waves of the Dark Sea that constituted his clothing shifting with each movement. He tossed his head, blonde hair falling back into place over his forehead as he joined his sisters- Elsa may as well have been their sister, for she was the physical manifestation of Lærke's spiritual- studying them both, hands on his hips.
It didn't matter that they shared a soul, both women were equal in their stubbornness, in their desire for life, in their desire for justice and peace and protecting those who could not protect themselves. In the weeks and months that had passed since Elsa's children had been born, since she had met Mother Nature, the young Arendellian had adjusted to the fact that Lærke and her siblings were also, by extension, hers; that they each had a human form, and that they all- even her, by extension of Lærke- were millennia old and knew more in the ways of the world than she ever could alone. It had become normal for Elsa to see the other spirits in their human forms- but only upon the beaches of Ahtohallan or within her palace.
"That's enough, both of you. You're not going to succeed at getting anything done if you keep squabbling as you are. There are more important things to focus on than a petty argument between sisters." He moved past to join Ena, Aage and Brandr- Bruni, Magni had to remind himself, for the fire spirit still insisted on Elsa's name for him- deliberately bumping into Lærke as he passed. She stumbled, reaching out to grab Elsa for support, who caught her.
Silence passed between the two, and after a moment, the spirited Elemental lowered her gaze in attempt to hide the embarrassment splashed across her cheeks. Curse Magni for calling her out on her stubbornness without having to utter a single word about it. She glanced at Elsa, who nodded once, the meaning clear. After several minutes, they broke apart and Lærke raced to catch up with the others as they headed towards Elsa's palace; a sigh escaped her, and after a moment, the mother-of-two followed.
They had taken to gathering at her palace and searching the shelves of Elsa's library, looking for any hint within the literature and debates in regards to trolls and their magic- "after all, humans loved to write everything down and turn it into a fairy story," as Ena often said- but never did they find anything that would be of use. But that didn't mean it was time wasted, for they got to know each other as well- or, Elsa got to know them and they got to know Elsa.
Once settled in the library, books spread over every available surface, blue flames dancing in the fireplace, they continued their search. The chatter among the five siblings was soft as they bounced ideas off each other; Elsa sat at her desk, scanning an old copy filled with myths of the sea that her father had given her as a child, knowing how she loved his stories of his time at sea; she hummed the familiar sea shanty her father often sang to her, playing absentmindedly with the end of a braid. "Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray. Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay..."
The chatter stopped as the others turned to listen to Elsa. They had never heard the song before, and were confused by the lyrics, sharing glances that screamed a thousand questions, but none spoke. Were they honest, Elsa had a lovely voice; soft and gentle, yet powerful. It was clear that she was the one who sang her children to sleep at night, and not her mate.
"My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold..." Elsa looked up at the voice. Lærke sat beside Aage, studying the volume on the floor between them, her gaze having moved from the book to Elsa's, the familiar song falling from her lips. Her voice was just slightly higher than Elsa's, but no less powerful or gentle. The others glanced between the two, wondering how the Hell Lærke seemed to know the song, and where it had come from.
"There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor bold."
Silence fell as the song finished, and after a moment, Lærke spoke, "That song... where did you learn it?"
A blush crept across Elsa's cheeks, and she lowered her head briefly. "Papa would sing it to me when I was a little girl-" She stopped. "Wait... how do you know it?"
Lærke opened her mouth to speak, before she stopped, turning back to the book before her. "I hear it all the time. Sailors die at sea, and so-"
But Elsa was on her feet at the first mention of sailors. "Not all sailors. My husband was a sailor, and he lived. It's a sea shanty Papa sang to me when I was little. He was always tell me stories of his time at sea, about the mermaids that supposedly called to to them from seas' depths, and the sirens that beckoned them to crash upon the rocks with their beautiful, disembodied voices and-" She stopped, something clicking in her brain. Her gaze latched on Lærke's. "Sing for me."
Familiar eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry?"
"You sing- you were singing with me. Sing for me. Please."
Lærke glanced at her siblings before turning back to the Snow Queen. "I don't... I don't know what you want me to sing-"
"Not a song." Elsa cut her off. "Four notes. An aria."
Lærke's brow creased. "An aria?" Elsa nodded and opened her mouth to speak. "I know what an aria is, but I don't understand why-"
"Please, Lærke!" She had a hunch, and she wouldn't stop pestering the temperamental Elemental until her theory had either been disproven or proven. "Please. Just four notes, that's all I'm asking." After a moment, the youngest of the siblings glanced at her sister and brothers, before giving in with a sigh. Taking a deep breath, she sang softly, under her breath, as the others strained to hear her. "Louder." She met Elsa's gaze, and the young mother nodded. Glancing at Ena, she did as told, and Elsa threw her hands over her mouth, stifling her gasp. Tears began to form on her lashes and drip onto her cheeks, unnerving all of them.
"Elsa, what's wrong?" Ena was by her side in seconds, but all the Snow Queen could do was shake her head. How could she possibly explain to them that the voice that had called to her that long ago day when she'd awoken them, that she believed to be her mother's, was actually-
"It's you." Her voice was choked with tears as she met Lærke's gaze; the other woman stood, concerned for her. "That night... the night I awoke the spirits... the voice that called to me... when I got to Ahtohallan... it was my mother's but... but you... you sound just like her..."