A/N: Over on Agduna Shippers on Discord, we had a contest to celebrate Iduna's birthday since she is thereabouts born in the springtime. We were only limited to 2000 words or less and committed to use 5 prompted words within the document. This is my entry that won that contest and earned me a new role, Equinox Storyteller. Please enjoy Agduna Fluff and Frozen content~!
Springtime in Arendelle… a time of joys to flourish, new beginnings and celebration of the victories over the tough challenges of winter. As the sunlight peeks her face through the abundant dreary clouds, she a reminder there is good approaching just around the bend, and hope will shine its way through to bring a new tomorrow. And what of such a joyous occasion than the very birth song of the new queen of Arendelle, Queen Iduna.
The sky shining bright twinkling with stardust is adorned with the motley colors of the aurora borealis bringing forth strokes of a picturesque painting almost too good to be true. It is here in this very setting that a plan is to be discussed~
In the castle of Arendelle where the royal family sleeps soundly, a familiar snore like a bear rebounds through the halls as a little ginger-haired girl sleeps dreaming of snowmen. Alas, she does not see what is approaching her sneaking through the corridors of the room. A little head pops over the edge of the bed and is jumping up and down gleefully with anticipation.
"Pssssst! Anna? Anna?" Elsa says excitedly rubbing her little sister.
"Mmm…" Anna groans and shifting, yawns deeply a bear's roar with a stretch.
"Y-Yea?" Anna murmurs from being awoken from her deep sleep and rubbing her eyes.
Elsa is grinning like a Cheshire cat, not even bothering to contain her enthusiasm.
"You know what tomorrow is?"
"What is it?" Anna asks, not even bothering to hide she has imaginary fazed bubbles.
"It's Mama's birthday!"
"It's Mawma's birthday… GASP It's Mawma's birthday!?" Anna asks now suddenly bolted awake.
"Yes!" Elsa screams scrambling onto Anna's bed.
"And here's what we're going to do…"
That night, two sisters secretly drafting a plan was reciting their steps in hopes to make the best day ever for their overworked mother to celebrate her special day.
Their idea was simple. First, next morning Anna would convince Papa that they should hold a special festival in celebration of the generous queen. The festival would have cultural Norwegian songs and avid polka dancing, and everyone showering her with gifts of flowers throughout the day since the kingdom knows how much Queen Iduna enjoys attending to the gardens. They also celebrate her dedication to the windmills that she herself helped make possible with the help of Johann. They remind her that without her ingenuity, they might have not survived that winter; but instead are bound with vast amounts of crops to share throughout the kingdom for next years harvest.
Then Elsa would arrange a special cake, made by the hands of Olina decorated in warm yellow buttercream icing with elaborate Purple Arendellian Crocuses and Red Hawaiian Hibiscus flowers to celebrate her hope in the kingdom, proclaim her beauty, and symbolize her pure kindness across the land. The cake would then presented to her in the evening after dinner along with a chocolate fondue warm enough to melt your heart away. That was not all in the plans however for the ingenious mind of the eldest daughter… oh no. She was saving the best for last.
Iduna, dressed in a stunning white gown was presented the cake after a glorious dinner and a romantic dance with her husband in the ballroom, and emitting a shocked gasp, practically falls to her knees seeing the beautiful scene laid before her.
"My dearest children, my darling husband… I… I don't even know what to say." Iduna stammers unable to contain her tears of joy cascading from her heart.
"Awwww! We love you mawma!" Anna exclaims gripping so tight onto her mother with a warm hug enough to suffocate you.
While Iduna picks her up and holds her daughter close with Agnarr joining the hug, Elsa standing nearby can't help but shed a single tear witnessing how happy her mother truly is with her own little hands close to her heart. Since Elsa herself personally learns just how hard their mother works at being queen, it is but a relief to see her this happy that goes beyond all measures. To see her this content, is like the dew being broken apart by the morning dawn, casting off the hints of even the slightest of nightmares from the daunting night.
"Mama, your day is not done yet." Her little voice perks up in the shadows as she approaches her mother to guide her.
"My little snow, whatever do you mean? If I get one more gift, I think I'm going to faint."
"Trust me mama, you'll like this." She promises gripping her mother's hand.
Guiding her mother along, the family follows Elsa out to the gardens where she truly has saved the best for last and it is a spectacular sight. Even Agnarr is impressed by what his daughter has done! He knew she was planning a big surprise for Iduna at the end of her celebration, but even this small detail she kept disclosed from him. Anna echoes his own surprise with an elaborated gasp of admiration and is quickly passed on from Iduna to Agnarr. Walking slowly around and clutching her hands to her mouth, Iduna gazes around the scene before her with twinkling gleams in her eyes rapidly turning to mist. A rhythmic pattern of emotional swirls is reverberating in her head: stunned, shock, over delighted, then submission, sadness, and peace.
For a moment in those sea of emotions, Iduna loses all control. No longer retaining composure waterfalls descend easily in a bliss of abundant streams. Everyone surrounding her gathers in close to make sure she's all right; but as quickly as she caved, she waves it off and regains herself wiping away fresh tears. The gardens were gifted with Elsa's magic, illustrated in a spectacle of colors. The flowers, enhanced by her crystals are reciprocating to the Aurora Borealis natural hymns to bring down forth a rainbow among the grounds artistically coloring the surface, its patterns beautifully blended to make it into a seamless work of art.
In the center of the gardens lays a scene: A mother snow bear crafted from her magic with two little cubs beside her. Iduna curious approaches Elsa who journeyed to stand proudly by the bears.
"Elsa, what's the idea behind this?"
"It's Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. You always tell me the story of Mama Bear and how she sacrifices herself to protect her children, and that eventually her children become stars to be with her. I wanted… to give it a bit of more… happier ending."
It's in that moment that Iduna realizes what she's talking about; and overwhelmed with understanding she grips her daughter and pulls her up to spin her in the air. A giggling daughter afterward, Iduna holds her close to longing peck kiss Elsa on her forehead. While she understands she's not physically dead, she trades everything as a mother and sacrifices their precious time to be the prosperous queen. She also knows that at the end of the day, even though she knows she trades so much, the girls can always come back to her knowing that in return they have her genuine love to await them at the end of a day, like a rainbow at the end of the bridge beyond the dews of time.
"My dearest snowflake, you have made me so happy beyond words. How can I ever repay you?" Iduna asks longingly looking into her daughter's eyes.
Agnarr and Anna comes in close to gather into the intimate moment.
Elsa simply shakes her head.
"Nothing. All that I ask is that you'll always be there for us, and for me, no matter what. We love you Mama."
"Yes, we love you Mawma!" Anna agrees.
"Yes my dearest, words cannot describe our love towards you." Agnarr agrees.
Looking towards her other daughter and husband for their retrospective replies, she casts a loving warming look towards her eldest daughter and emits a small hiccup wiping away a stranding tear from her eye.
"My Little Snow, you can count on it~" Iduna finishes.
After a celebration of eating a good cake smothered in chocolate fondue and a warm lullaby, then the girls tucked into bed, the family concludes the celebration of a perfect day indeed.