*Author's Note*: The name of the story is "Frozen 2.5" but the site doesn't allow periods in titles for some reason. There are original illustrations that go along with each chapter of this story, however I'm unable to add images to chapters. If you want the full story experience, I recommend reading the pdf version of the story, which is available on my blog here (replace |dot| with "."): yumeka36|dot|tumblr|dot|com/648209143723917312/frozen-25-complete-edition

"C'mon…concentrate."

Elsa stood in the center of Ahtohallan's farthest chamber, her white dress a glimmer against the vast, inky darkness. Even at a whisper, her voice echoed in the sheer silence against the colossal walls of ice that encompassed the room. She closed her eyes in concentration and slowly raised her arms while sparks of ice magic flickered from her fingertips. She focused on Dyrankia: the dilapidated village, the uneasy citizens, the salamander emblem, Marjorie's frightening fire, Clyde and his caravan, and the mysterious fortress.

With these thoughts culminating in her mind, she lifted her arms as high as she could. Mad flurries of magic began rapidly swirling around her hands. In one powerful motion, she whipped her arms forward and the magic shot out in a blinding blast of icy particles and clouds of frigid air that gusted through the entire chamber. As the magical residue settled, a series of icy figures appeared in the room, playing out the scenes from the memories they hailed from. Elsa's face fell into a frown upon realizing how few memories there were compared to the times she conjured memories of Arendelle.

She approached the scene closest to her of a little girl laughing as she twirled around, seemingly admiring the dress she was wearing. A row of people, who appeared to be servants, stood a few feet away, their expressions blank. There was a man standing next to the girl, looking down at her with stoic yet approving eyes. Elsa recognized him as the man from the painting in the Dyrankian throne room.

"Red is a perfect color for me, Father," the little girl cooed. Her expression oozed eagerness as she looked up at the man before her.

"I'm glad you think so." His voice was curt. "Red is the color of power, of dominance, and the blood that makes up life."

"And the same color as my fire!" The little girl giggled and held out her hand. Even though the figure was made of only blueish white snow, Elsa could tell that the object pulsing in the little girl's palm was a flame. She was Marjorie as a child.

Her father nodded and straightened his posture. "Yes, being gifted with the power of fire is most certainly a sign. It's the element associated with the great salamanders of legends. Our founders knew that power well when they made it the symbol of Dyrankia."

Elsa took a step back as she felt a wave of apprehension rush through her. The scene reminded her of a time long ago when her father presented her with the first of many pairs of gloves she would receive in her life, admonishing her to "conceal, don't feel" her powers. Although Marjorie's situation with her father was practically the opposite, Elsa couldn't help but see a complementing duality between their two memories.

"Citizens of Dyrankia!"

Elsa's musing was shattered by a booming, baritone voice coming from another memory several feet away. It showed young Marjorie and the king of Dyrankia again. This time, they were standing before a large crowd of people. They stood on what appeared to be a pedestal, joined by a thin, demure woman whose gaze was fixed to the ground. Beside her was a shy-looking little boy shuffling his feet. Elsa guessed that they were the queen of Dyrankia and Clyde as a child.

"My daughter's power grows stronger every day," the king addressed the people, then turned an anticipating gaze towards Marjorie. She nodded at her father, then lifted her arm high as a churning flame materialized in her palm. She stared at the flame intently, as if concentrating all her power into its every movement. The flame rotated faster and faster until it became a ball of throbbing, volatile energy. With a poised glint in her eye, Marjorie thrust her arm forward, flinging the fireball off into the distance. The crowd followed its track as it streaked past them and crashed into an empty barrel across the way. It exploded upon contact with an earsplitting boom, bursting the barrel into several scattered pieces of broken wood that clattered to the ground. Young Clyde gave a short gasp and cowered behind his mother while she watched the scene impassively. After staring in shock at the remains of the barrel, the crowd cheered and applauded.

"That's a new trick I learned!" Marjorie giggled, her face glowing with pride.

"There's no doubt. Our future queen, Marjorie, is destined to be the one who will bring Dyrankia to true power." The king's voice reverberated again. The people ceased their cheering and returned their attention to his speech. "However, we cannot rush into this. For the time being, we must make sure no one learns of Marjorie's powers. We will continue to keep Dyrankia hidden from the world, as we've been doing since my father's time. I know it will be difficult, but I promise you, it will be worth it. Once the plan is complete and Dyrankia is the most powerful kingdom in the world, there will be nothing stopping you from having anything you've ever wanted!"

The crowd cheered again as chants of "Long live Dyrankia!" began resounding across the walls of ice. After a few moments, the voices quieted and the figures of snow stopped moving, signaling to Elsa that the memory had come to an end. She walked back in the opposite direction, then quickly turned to the side when she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Marjorie, wait!"

Clyde's voice was coming from another memory playing out a few feet away. Elsa saw his icy figure running towards a figure of Marjorie. As she got closer to the scene, she could see that they both looked about the same age as when she met them, perhaps a few years younger. The figure of Marjorie stopped and turned a disapproving glance towards Clyde. Clyde froze for a moment before speaking in a shaky voice.

"Y-You're going to the fortress again today, right?"

Marjorie's eye twitched. "So?"

"I just happened to pass by the study this morning. I heard you and Laurence talking about meeting with Samuel for some kind of 'demonstration.' I think you said he's an engineer."

"I told you to keep out of it!" Marjorie cut him off, her eyes glaring daggers as she spun around to face him.

"I know there are people living inside the walls of the fortress," Clyde pressed on despite his lips visibly quivering as he spoke. "Just what is all that stuff they're always bringing in the carts? And those awful noises? And the smoke is…"

"Everything going on in there is for Dyrankia's future. That's all you have to know!" Marjorie took a menacing step towards him, her voice fuming. "Everyone else accepts it, so why can't you?"

"They accept it, but they're suffering. Our farmers and carpenters just can't keep up. If we don't start opening up to other kingdoms soon…"

"We are getting supplies from other kingdoms, you know that! The few kingdoms I trust who have sworn not to reveal Dyrankia's secret in exchange for an alliance."

"It's not enough. And I know most of those supplies are going to whatever's inside the fortress, not our own citizens."

"Enough Clyde!" Marjorie snapped, stomping her foot and turning back in the direction she was originally heading. As she walked away with heavy, angry steps, Clyde held out his hand towards her and hesitated, as if wanting to say more but being too afraid. Finally, his voice came out in a murmur.

"If you'd just let me know what's going on, maybe I could help find…a better way. Why can't I be part of the plan?"

Before he could continue, Marjorie had begun walking back his way, her eyes callous and her strides intimidating. She stopped directly in front of him. Her face was only inches away from his.

"Because you're an inept, bungling weakling with absolutely no vision of glory whatsoever."

She paused, as if letting the weight of her words sink in. Clyde gulped and looked up at her, his lips still trembling. Finally, she reached out and pinched his cheek. "Now go back to tinkering with your little potions. You're good at that, at least."

She turned around and walked away again, leaving a bewildered Clyde staring at her back. As Elsa watched the uncomfortable scene, another of her own memories was inadvertently pulled to the surface of her mind: the night of her coronation nearly seven years ago, when Anna, who was still unaware of her powers at the time, had tried desperately to open up to her, only for Elsa to coldly turn away from her. Even though she knew her reason for treating Anna that way was vastly different, compared to the way Marjorie mistreated Clyde, she still couldn't suppress the feeling that they shared similarities.

Elsa looked away, hoping to distract herself from those thoughts with another memory in the chamber. When she noticed that the figure of Marjorie she had previously been watching was still walking away, an idea occurred to her. Clyde had mentioned that Marjorie was going to the fortress that day. Maybe that's where her figure was headed. If Elsa followed her, perhaps she would be able to finally see what was going on in there.

She hurried her gait to catch up to Marjorie, keeping her eyes fixed ahead so as not to lose sight of her amongst the other figures in the chamber. But she instinctively stopped for a moment when she heard the king of Dyrankia's powerful voice again.

"I think we've finally done it!"

Elsa turned towards the voice and saw another figure of the king. He was just a short distance ahead of her, walking with determined steps. He was grasping the hand of his wife, pulling her along while she struggled to keep up with his large strides.

"R-Really?" The queen's voice stuttered as she looked up at her husband.

But before his reply could come, the two figures reached the end of the chamber and faded into its icy walls. A moment later, the figure of Marjorie that Elsa had been pursuing also reached the wall and disappeared. Elsa waved her arm and concentrated her magic on the wall, opening a hole inside that she could walk through. She saw a dark tunnel inside and could just about make out the figures of the king and queen disappearing down the leftward side, and Marjorie on the right. As Elsa made her way down after them, going deeper and deeper into the depths of the glacier, she could hear voices resonate against the walls of ice in distorted echoes.

"I can't believe that wretched creature ended up being so useful." It was the king's voice again.

"Queen Marjorie, I was hoping you could test it out a little this time." Elsa heard a man's voice off to the right that she didn't recognize.

She quickened her step, eager to hear more, but came to a dead stop upon reaching the end of the path–a ledge hanging over the gaping, black pit that led to the deepest abyss of the glacier, where the most secretive memories lay. Elsa looked down as far as she could and caught a short glimpse of the king and queen before they faded into the void below. She turned to the right and saw an equally short glimpse of Marjorie and an unknown man also disappearing into the depths, with Marjorie's voice saying "It's still not sturdy enough" before the entire room fell silent.

Elsa looked around the frozen walls again, but none of the icy images remained. She could feel biting, frigid air rising up from the abyss and lingering white clouds formed in front of her face with every breath she took. Memories of her first visit to Ahtohallan began flooding back to her–the time she followed the hidden memory of her grandfather into the depths of the glacier, decided to jump into the void after it, only to suffer the consequences and freeze to death. Her heart sank as she continued to peer down into the dark pit, desperately trying to see more. Finally, she stepped back.

"No…I can't risk it this time," she whispered to herself. As she turned around and headed back through the tunnel again, another thought struck her.

"I wonder if Anna is having better luck."

"Whoa, Kjekk."

Anna sat on the back of the stout, black and white horse, giving his reins a gentle tug. She wasn't wearing her tiara, cape, and heeled shoes and instead wore a dark teal travel dress and a neatly stitched, waist-length black jacket with matching black boots. This outfit had since become her staple attire for casual activities around the kingdom. Kjekk pranced out of the stables and down the streets of Arendelle. His hooves made a steady clomping sound against the stone road.

When they reached the center of town, Anna saw Mattias and waved to him. He gave a short bow. "Your Majesty, are you heading out?"

Kjekk came to a stop as Anna tugged on his reins. "Just a quick visit to the trolls and back. I won't be gone long."

Mattias nodded. A worried expression then spread across his face. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"Um, sure, if you'd like," Anna said, taken aback slightly by Mattias' concern. Suddenly, another thought came to her and she shook her head. "Actually, no. You should stay here. And have all the guards double their patrols."

"Do you really think Dyrankia will invade Arendelle?" he asked.

"I don't know." Anna's face grew solemn. "But we shouldn't take any chances." She stopped talking for a moment and looked around, as if scanning the nearby buildings and streets for something in particular. She turned back to Mattias. "Have you seen Kristoff this morning?"

"I saw him heading out beyond the village." Mattias pointed down the street Anna was heading.

"Thanks." She snapped Kjekk's reins and the horse continued trotting towards the outskirts of the kingdom. When they reached the end of the village, she saw Kristoff riding on Sven a short distance ahead. Olaf was sitting on Sven's head, bobbing up and down between his antlers.

"Kristoff!"

He turned around and smiled at her. "Wow, you're up early." When he looked at her glowing face, he remembered the burn on her cheek from the other day and realized it was no longer there. "Guess I was wrong not to trust that Clyde guy. His medicine is the real deal."

"Plus, his floor bed is really comfortable," Olaf chimed in, wrapping himself in his stick arms as he remembered the sensation of lying in the soft furs and quilts.

"I know, it hasn't even been a day and the cream has already completely healed it." Anna put her hand to her smooth cheek where the burn had been. "Not even a scab. I'll have to remember to thank him…if I ever see him again."

"Yeah, I'd love to see Fritz again," Olaf added while grinning at Sven. "I know he'd be best buddies with Sven." The reindeer gave a confused grunt.

"Are you going out now?" Kristoff asked, noticing the outfit Anna was wearing and the fact that she was riding Kjekk. "I thought we were going to visit the trolls later this afternoon, after you were done with your morning work."

"I know, but I was too worried to sleep last night. So I got up early and finished everything already." Anna steered Kjekk back towards the direction she had come from. "So…you want to go now?"

"Well, Wednesday morning is when I do reindeer riding with Ryder and the guys…" Kristoff's voice grew low and slightly guilt-ridden. He began talking faster than usual. "Not all the way into the forest, but at our usual spot, at the plains halfway between the forest and Arendelle. I figured I'd have a few hours before we visited the trolls…but maybe we should cancel it, considering everything that happened yesterday. But they'll be waiting for me there, so…"

"It's okay, honey." Anna knew Kristoff's nervous rambling was a sign that he felt bad about making other arrangements. She tried to speak as reassuringly as she could. "I forgot your reindeer riding is on Wednesdays. It's no problem, I can visit the trolls on my own."

Not fully satisfied with her offer, Kristoff's face remained neutral for a minute. Finally, he smiled again. "No, I'll come with you. It shouldn't take long. I can leave right after. They can live without me a little longer."

Anna smiled back at him. "Alright."

Olaf flailed his stick arms around excitedly. "Oh boy, it's been so long since I've seen the trolls. I wonder if they've changed."

Kristoff snickered. "They don't change that fast, Olaf."

With a flick of reins, Kjekk and Sven galloped past the villages and farmlands of Arendelle, northward to the Valley of the Living Rock. As they traversed the rocky landscape of moss-covered outcroppings and steam gushing from natural hot pools, they heard a familiar rumbling sound. Numerous boulders perched on the stony hills rolled down to the valley below, popping open to reveal their troll forms. Olaf hopped off of Sven's head while Anna and Kristoff dismounted. The trolls gathered around them, shouts of "Kristoff's home!" and "Welcome, Your Majesty" arose from the crowd. After a few minutes of exchanging greetings, Anna and Kristoff heard a stern but wise voice behind them.

"Trouble in Arendelle again, I presume?"

They saw Pabbie standing on a small ledge by a nearby cliff, his grassy mane rustling slightly.

"There could be," Anna replied.

"Pabbie, have you ever heard of a kingdom called Dyrankia?" Kristoff asked as he and Anna approached the old troll.

Pabbie rubbed his gravelly chin for a moment. He shook his head. "I can't say that I have." He turned to the gathered trolls. "Have any of you?"

The trolls shook their heads and whispers of "No" and "I haven't" were heard amongst the crowd. Kristoff heaved a disappointed sigh.

"Even the trolls don't know."

"Isolation masters, I tell you," Olaf whispered to a group of young trolls who had gathered around him and were playing catch with his coals.

"Hey, what's all the commotion?"

Anna and Kristoff turned towards a snarky and somewhat nasally voice coming from a nearby hollow tree. From a hole at the bottom of its giant trunk, a troll with a flat head of disheveled grass and noticeably droopy jowls, slowly emerged. At the sight of the newcomer, Kristoff's eyes widened.

"Is that…Stein?"

The troll met eyes with Kristoff and scowled. "So, the brat's grown up now?"

"And you're still as rude as ever," Kristoff retorted.

Anna watched the new troll warily. He seemed slightly drabber than the other trolls, and she realized it was because he didn't have any glowing crystals strung around his neck or waist. "Which troll is that?" she asked. "I don't think I've met him."

"You're lucky you haven't."

Bulda had hopped over from amongst the crowd of trolls and landed in front of Anna and Kristoff. She gestured to Stein, who was now standing with arms folded and a look of indignation on his rocky face. "Stein, I want you to meet Queen Anna of Arendelle."

"Arendelle?" Stein practically spat the word. "Don't tell me you're still using our troll magic to help that dinky little dirt drop in the middle of the fjord."

"Hey!" Anna snapped, feeling a surge of anger from the troll's offensive remark. But before she could object further, Olaf jumped in front of Stein with a huge grin on his face. He startled the troll, who almost fell backwards.

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm…"

"What the heck is this thing? It's hideous!" Stein exclaimed, interrupting Olaf. There was an expression of revulsion on his face as he looked over the snowman.

Olaf, who was completely unaccustomed to such a harsh insult, stood in place with his mouth open in mid-sentence. Finally, a demoralized whisper escaped his lips. "I'm a 'thing'…a hideous thing…"

"Don't listen to him!" Bulda said as she plopped down in front of Olaf. She turned a scolding glance to Stein. "Mind your manners, Stein!" She scooted closer to him and smacked him on the back of his head.

"Ow! Fine, whatever." Stein turned around in a huff and started digging back down into the hole of the hollow tree. "I should have stayed away longer," he grumbled until he was fully out of sight.

Pabbie sighed. "I'm sorry about him."

"What's his problem, anyway?" Anna asked, looking to Pabbie, Bulda, and Kristoff in turn.

"He hates humans, for one," Kristoff replied.

"And snowmen too, apparently," Olaf added as he peered regretfully down the hole in the tree.

"He never did approve of the trolls adopting me," Kristoff continued. "He disappeared a few years after that. I haven't seen him since."

"He's been coming and going for a long time, even before we adopted you." Bulda climbed onto a nearby boulder so she could be eye-level with Anna and Kristoff. "Not all trolls live in groups like us. Some prefer to forge out on their own. Though in his case, he'd be better off in a group so he could learn proper social skills."

"Yes, he comes back every decade or so when he gets bored…or lonely," Pabbie said. He slid off the ledge he was on and approached Anna and Kristoff. "He usually stays a few months, then leaves again."

"Well, I'll make sure to time my visits with his absences next time," Kristoff huffed, folding his arms crossly.

"Don't let him get to you, Kristoff." Pabbie's voice grew gentle. "Now then, why don't I see if I can help you?"

He raised his hands to the sky and whirls of troll magic flurried around his ridged fingers. The sky above the valley darkened as the lights swiveled and convulsed for a moment before melding into silhouette images in the brilliant purples and blues of the aurora borealis. The first image that appeared was the salamander emblem of Dyrankia in a bright magenta hue. The yellow crystals dangling around Pabbie's waist twinkled and he began to prophesize.

"A seeker of power…"

The image morphed again, splitting into several images of fires seemingly burning down trees and buildings from unspecified kingdoms. The display flashed in vivid shades of violet in the air above Anna and Kristoff. Olaf stifled a shriek and hid behind a nearby boulder.

"If not stopped, the lands will be consumed by flames…" Pabbie continued as the lights in the sky changed again. "…and a force, never seen before…"

The lights formed back into the salamander emblem. But this time, it grew larger, its limbs and body stretching out and its outline becoming sharper and more menacing. The mouth of its bulbous head protruded outward and its back arched up as spikey shapes formed along its spine. Its tail extended forward into pointy tips and sharp claws jutted out from its toes. As the creature grew larger and larger, almost covering the entire sky above the valley, more images of fire began to dance around it. All the fire then converged above the salamander and morphed into the figure of a person with long flowing hair and a cape with jagged edges. Suddenly, all the lights merged and contorted into a giant flame silhouette, then vanished in an explosion of reddish colors.

A wave of gasps and whispers erupted from the crowd of trolls. Pabbie turned to Anna and Kristoff, who had been staring in awed silence at the magical display. "I'm afraid that's all the lights can reveal. I'm sorry it's not a lot."

"No, it's about what I expected," Anna sighed, her heart swelling with disappointment from the ominous imagery she had just seen. "I'm not sure why I was hoping for something better."

"So if Marjorie does whatever she wants, any kingdom that stands against her will be burned…" Kristoff rubbed the side of his head and scrunched his face in thought, trying hard to piece together the vagueness of Pabbie's prophesy. "…and Dyrankia will rise to total power. That's got to be what it means, right?"

"Probably. I have to get back to Arendelle." Anna had already gotten back in Kjekk's saddle. Kristoff mounted Sven, and Olaf jumped back onto the reindeer's head.

The snowman beamed for a moment before his smile fell into a sulk. He turned around to face Kristoff. "So…this means no reindeer riding today? I was so looking forward to getting impaled by antlers again. That was fun."

"We'll do it next time, Olaf, when there's no impending doom on the horizon," Kristoff replied, trying to lighten the mood when he saw the crushed expression on Olaf's face. Another thought suddenly hit him and he turned to Anna.

"I should at least meet up with Ryder. He'll worry if I don't show up all day. And while I'm there, I can tell him what's going on. This is something the Northuldra should know about, too. And he can pass the message along to Elsa."

"That's a good idea." Anna nodded and flicked Kjekk's reins. As the horse headed back towards the direction they had come, she called out to Kristoff and Olaf. "I'll meet you guys at the castle later."

"Okay!" Kristoff shouted back. Sven began galloping in the opposite direction towards the woodlands surrounding the valley.

"Take care, both of you." Pabbie called out to them.

"Don't worry, I know you'll figure out what to do," Bulda added.

While Kjekk sprinted across the grassy fields on the path back to Arendelle, Pabbie's prophesy kept replaying in Anna's head: fire consuming the land, the salamander growing bigger and bigger…if Marjorie isn't stopped, Dyrankia really will conquer everything. She tried to scrounge any bit of optimism she could from the situation. Elsa, and the power of the spirits, can stop Marjorie. But will it be that simple? They don't know anything about the origin of Marjorie's magic. What if it ends up being stronger than even the spirits' power? And Elsa's power…how can ice win against fire?

A sudden rustling sound jolted Anna out of her thoughts. She pulled at Kjekk's reins and the horse stopped with a distressed whiny. Anna looked around for the source of the noise but didn't see anything, just trees and bushes swaying in the gentle breeze. She returned her gaze to the path ahead and noticed something shining on the ground a short distance away. She brought Kjekk closer to the object and saw that it was an empty glass bottle refracting the morning sunlight. Anna's heart started beating faster as a realization began forming in her mind. But before it could fully register, she heard shuffling noises behind her. A strong force pulled her off of Kjekk before she could turn around to see what it was. The realization then flashed plainly inside her.

A trap.

She felt a sharp pain on her side as she fell hard to the ground. She tried to kick her feet and turn her body around to see who her attacker was, but at least two pairs of strong hands and knees kept her limbs pinned down and unable to move. She made an attempt to scream, but an encumbering piece of cloth was pulled and tied tightly across her open mouth, muffling her cries. A heavy tarp was suddenly thrown over her, plunging her whole line of sight into darkness.

"Get the carriage!"

She heard a man shout in a commanding voice. She could tell he was one of the men pinning her down. His shout was followed by more rustling and the creaking sound of wheels rotating. She tried to move as much as she could despite the force weighing on top of her and managed to maneuver an opening in the tarp. She could make out the back of Kjekk, galloping away in a panic back towards Arendelle.

The same man's gruff voice spoke again. "We can take it from here. Marco, make sure that letter gets delivered."

"Yes, sir." A different man's voice replied from behind them.

Another series of scuffling and clanging sounds occurred followed by horses whinnying and hooves hitting the ground before fading into the distance. Anna craned her neck to try and see through the small opening in the tarp, but could only make out a blur as a horse and its rider rushed by. A minute later, the opening was sealed again and the hands that were pinning her down began dragging her away.

Nokk pranced along the frozen surface of the Dark Sea towards the shore, the radiant outline of Ahtohallan shimmering behind him. The glaring rays of the afternoon sun cast glistening speckles over his body, which was now crystallized in ice from Elsa's magic. Elsa sat on his back and stared blankly at the view ahead, still deep in thought about everything she had seen during her visit to the glacier. When they reached the beach, she dismounted and slumped down with a sigh on a nearby rock. Bruni, who had been awaiting her return from across the beach, squealed with excitement and darted over to her. He jumped onto her lap and blinked up at her with bright eyes. Elsa gave him a weak smile.

"You're the fire spirit, Bruni. Are you sure you don't know anything about Marjorie's powers?"

The salamander tilted his head and looked at her with a confused expression.

"She's back!"

Elsa heard a distant voice and looked up. She saw Honeymaren and Yelena on the cliffs ahead, each sitting on top of a reindeer. Honeymaren waved at her as the two of them made their way down the cliff and rode across the beach towards Elsa.

Honeymaren patted the side of the reindeer she was riding and he slowed down, allowing her to hop off. "How did it go?" she asked.

"I managed to find some memories of Dyrankia, but nothing that can help us stop Marjorie." Elsa stared dejectedly at the stone-covered beach while she stroked Bruni's scales.

"You didn't go into the abyss, did you?" Yelena asked, a hint of concern in her tone.

"No, definitely not!" Elsa exclaimed, waving her hand reassuringly. "The spirits saved me last time, but I know that won't always be the case. So I won't risk it again, not until I understand Ahtohallan better."

She fell silent and continued to stare at the multitude of black pebbles on the beach while the various questions she had turned around in her mind. She looked up at Yelena.

"Marjorie can't be a fifth spirit, right? The spirits and Ahtohallan wouldn't gift magic to someone like her?"

Yelena sighed and dismounted her reindeer. The wrinkles on her face formed a pained expression. "I don't want to believe it either, but we don't know enough about the origins of the fifth spirit to say for sure. The only information passed down to us is that a fifth spirit is a bridge between magic and humans. I don't know of any rule that states they must use their gift for good."

Before Elsa could respond, a clomping sound of hooves hitting stones reverberated in the distance. She turned and saw an unfamiliar man approaching them on horseback. She felt a pang of fear when she saw that he was not dressed in the beige of Northuldra attire and instead was adorned with red colored clothing. A sheathed sword hung at his side–a sheath that bore a now familiar symbol.

"He's not from Arendelle, is he?" Honeymaren whispered, keeping her eyes locked on the stranger.

"No," Elsa replied. She stood up and took a few steps forward. Bruni gave an alarmed chirp, jumping off her lap and hiding behind the rock. Nokk slammed his hooves in agitated stops while low whinnies escaped his snout.

When the stranger reached them, he immediately turned to Elsa. "You must be Elsa." His voice was distant and almost expressionless.

"Who are you?" Elsa stepped closer to him, her gaze firm.

"That group at the camp said they'd give my message to you, but I insisted on delivering it myself," he replied, evading her question. He started to look around, as if finally taking in his surroundings. "I thought Her Majesty was kidding when she said I'd find you in the Enchanted Forest. How long has the mist been gone?"

"You're from Dyrankia, aren't you?" Elsa demanded, not interested in entertaining his small talk. The man shrugged and took out a folded piece of paper from the satchel on his shoulder. He held it out in front of Elsa.

Yelena and Honeymaren watched Elsa take the paper from him and begin reading, her expression growing more disturbed as her eyes scanned each line. Before she finished, the man had already turned his horse around and began riding away, holding out his hand in a nonchalant parting gesture.

"This is more troubling than I thought." Yelena muttered to no one in particular. Her eyes were still fixed on the rider and horse, who were now far off in the distance.

"What does it say?" Honeymaren asked, turning her concerned expression to Elsa, who had just looked up after finishing the letter.

Elsa's reply didn't come immediately. Instead, her eyes darted from the letter to Honeymaren, to the rider in the distance while her mind tried to absorb the contents of what she'd just read. Finally, she ran over to Nokk and climbed onto his back. As he started to trot away, she called out to Honeymaren and Yelena.

"There's somewhere I need to go for a while. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Bruni rushed out from behind the rock and poised himself, ready to jump on Elsa's shoulder. She steered Nokk away from him.

"No, you stay here, Bruni" she said to the puzzled salamander.

"Where exactly are you going?" Honeymaren asked, but Elsa had coaxed Nokk into a fast gallop and the duo were already at the base of the northern cliffs on their way back to the forest. As Nokk continued sprinting southward, passed the Northuldra camp, to the plains beyond the Enchanted Forest, Elsa took out the letter and read it again, her hand shaking and her heart beating faster as she read each word in the handwriting she was now familiar with.

To Elsa of the Enchanted Forest,

I fear we may have misunderstood each other during our first meeting. I am requesting one more opportunity to discuss my proposition with you. There's a gorge that runs along the edge of the eastern woodlands, halfway between Arendelle and Dyrankia. I will be waiting there for you a short while after you receive this letter. I will use my magic to create a flame beacon in the sky above so you can easily find me. I would like that you come alone, to prove that there's no hostility after our last meeting. I do hope you won't ignore my invitation, or plan any sort of sneak attack against me. If you do, I'm afraid I will have no choice but to interpret that as Arendelle, and the Enchanted Forest, siding against Dyrankia, and I will take action accordingly. I only wish to discuss things in an honorable manner. I truly believe I have found a way of convincing you this time. Don't keep me waiting for long.

Sincerely,

Queen Marjorie of Dyrankia