Elsa spent the rest of the morning in the privacy of her goahti, relieved to find that her powers would gradually return to her as the heat and embarrassment of the previous encounter waned. Since she hadn't any real clothes with her, given her ability to whip up a new wardrobe in a near instant, the Enchanted Forest's newest resident was entirely reliant on her magic to maintain her modesty, lest she be forced to explain her current predicament to a member of the Northuldra and ask to borrow clothing from them.
But Elsa wasn't yet prepared to reveal the fleeting condition of her powers to anyone, nor did she wish to give off the vibe of an outsider casually appropriating their culture by donning their garb before fully familiarizing herself with the tribe. Perhaps she was being silly, considering how readily they'd welcomed her into their ranks, and how the Northuldra were technically her people too, but the former royal still struggled to see it that way.
Thus, she lay naked on the bare floor of her hut while her bedding dried out, waiting until her spirit dress could be completely restored, and then making a beeline to Ahtohallan with the Nokk as soon as she could. She zipped past Yelana in her rush to leave the village, offering little explanation beyond 'going to Ahtohallan, see you at supper'.
She stayed at the frozen river until late in the afternoon, when the sun began its descent over the ocean horizon. It was a magnificent backdrop which never failed to calm her nerves, and though the ancient fortress of memory hadn't offered Elsa any insight into her problem (thanks for nothing, Mom's floating head), the trip had done her a world of good in terms of clearing her mind and cooling her overheated body down. The uncomfortable warmth she'd woken up to that morning had all but dissipated on the ride back to shore, but her latest test would come as Honeymaren greeted her on the beach upon her return.
"Honeymaren!"
Elsa pulled back on the Nokk's frozen reins to bring the water spirit to a stop at the crest of the waves as she called out to Honeymaren. The demure smile that the caramel skinned young woman offered in return was enough to make her heart race and her stomach flutter, which was all it took to bring that foreign heat back up to a low simmer.
"Elsa!"
Just hearing her name leave Honeymaren's mouth sent memories of this morning rushing to the forefront of her mind, along with the dream that had preceded them. The sudden onset of sweaty palms gave Elsa pause prior to her dismount from the Nokk, prompting her to remain seated as the Northuldran approached.
"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," Honeymaren said cheerfully. Elsa brought her gaze down from the girl's warm, welcoming brown eyes to the two cups of steamy liquid she held in her hands. "I wanted to bring you some hot tea to help you warm up after visiting Ahtohallan--" Elsa didn't think she was going to need much help warming up, at this rate. "--but I'm afraid these may only be a few degrees above tepid."
"Oh Honeymaren," Elsa cooed, as her heart sank with guilt, "you haven't been waiting for me long, have you?"
Maren's eyes widened slightly. "No, no, it was just a long walk from camp. I hadn't planned this out -- at least, not very well--" she added, muttering mainly to herself, "--but when Yelana mentioned you'd headed out to Ahtohallan, I figured I'd meet you here at the beach. You know, around the time you like to watch the sunset?"
"Maren, that's so thoughtful of you," Elsa said, smiling at the heartwarming gesture. Warming... much like how the reins were now practically melting out of her hands. It was then that she looked down at herself and gasped when she noticed that the top of her dress was slipping much lower than it should. Elsa had never been one to bare cleavage, but if it weren't for her being seated on the Nokk, she had a feeling Honeymaren would've gotten an eyeful of it.
"Is everything all right?" Maren asked, surely in response to Elsa's gasp, and hopefully not due to the icy fabric of her spirit dress threatening to fall apart at the seams. Did the dress even have seams? No, in fact she was pretty certain the flimsy, strapless number only held up when it was magically adhered to her skin. Which, at the moment, it was definitely not.
"Yep!" Elsa replied as she folded her arms across her chest as naturally as possible, in hopes of keeping her top in place without Maren noticing anything awry. "Everything is perfectly fine--" Perhaps the less obvious dilemma was that there was nothing natural about straddling a horse made of water without having something to hold onto. Still, she shouldn't have been so surprised as she suddenly started to slide off to the side of the slippery spirit, barely managing to catch herself by leaning forward and hugging onto its neck. She saved face as best she could, completing her dismount to the side away from Honeymaren, her feet swinging down to the wet sand as she kept the Nokk's watery frame in front of her.
"Elsa, you're worrying me," Maren admitted, her concern made plain in her tone. "You don't seem at all like yourself today."
"Honeymaren..."
Elsa hesitated, feeling terrible about how she was treating Maren. The girl had been so kind and patient in aiding her adjustment to living in the forest. The newly anointed spirit would've been truly lost without Maren as her guide these past few weeks. She owed it to the young Northuldran to be honest and forthright with what was happening with her powers.
"Elsa?"
Though, perhaps not right at this moment, as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the shimmering mane of the Nokk. It seemed one of the things she'd taken for granted about her magic was that a thin layer of frost between her body and the Nokk's was enough to keep her from getting wet while riding. Well, with her powers failing, she was no longer guaranteed that protection, so in the process of dismounting, she'd managed to get the whole front side of her dress soaked. And unfortunately, that rendered the thin white material highly transparent.
With what little control of her magic she had left, Elsa infused the Nokk with the frost necessary for land travel and quickly hopped back on top of it, sparing no time for Maren to get a good look at her. "Sorry Maren -- I just remembered some important spirit stuff I have to do -- I'll talk to you later -- I promise!" She rushed through the hasty excuse as she sped off into the forest with the Nokk, leaving behind a confused and slightly dejected looking girl in her wake.
Red-faced and sweating from extreme embarrassment, Elsa managed to make it about halfway to camp before her magic gave out on her. Which, given that her frost was the only thing that allowed the Nokk to freely pass over dry land, meant that the Nokk would no longer be able to do so. She wished she would've considered that small detail as the water spirit dissipated into droplets of moisture and the Fifth Spirit tumbled abruptly onto the forest floor. She was lucky enough not to land on any sharp rocks or sticks, but the highspeed fall was sure to leave a few scrapes and bruises on her unprotected skin.
Oh, right. And she was naked. Again.
Elsa dragged herself up to her feet with a grimace, trying in vain to brush off debris using her hands. She quickly realized that the wetness from the Nokk and her melted clothes had caused the dirt and leaves she'd landed in to stick to her, covering her all over. She groaned, knowing that even if she waited in a secluded area until her magic returned, she would have to clean herself up properly before she'd be ready to put on anything. Grumbling, she headed down to a nearby brook commonly used for bathing.
Bruni scurried up to her on the way there, probably hoping for some snowflakes to munch on. "Sorry little guy," Elsa said, glancing down at the fire spirit apologetically. "I'm fresh out." She demonstrated by opening her hand to summon swirls of her magic, only for it to flurry formlessly into the wind. The tiny salamander made a silly face that she assumed was meant to convey disappointment, but she never really could tell. Speaking of wind, she could feel a sudden gust tickle her shoulders and fluff up her hair. She looked to each side to see some of the leaves being plucked from her platinum blonde locks and lifted away by the familiar breeze.
"Hi Gale," Elsa said, greeting the playful wind spirit. She may not have been in the best of moods, but she had to admit it was nice to be able to enjoy some company that she didn't need to worry about embarrassing herself in front of, especially after the day she'd had. She leaned down to scoop Bruni up into her palms before bringing him up to her face.
"Honestly, how do you deal with being hot all the time?" She asked with a slight giggle. "I've had to put up with it for less than a day and it's nearly driven me mad!" The fire spirit's expression didn't change as it casually licked its eyeball. "I... suppose that counts as an answer." Bruni began to snuggle into her palms, only to discover them to be unusually warm. Releasing a small stream of smoke from each nostril, the fire lizard abandoned Elsa's grasp and scampered off in a huff. "I can't say I blame you."
If nothing else, Elsa could say she enjoyed her brief commune with the other spirits despite her current state of undress. After all, it wasn't like the spirits cared if she wore clothes or not. Once she arrived at the brook, she wasted little time wading into the thigh-high waters, only to realize too late that the aforementioned bathing area was already occupied by Honeymaren's brother, Ryder -- who also happened to be nude (as one could expect a person bathing to be).
Elsa uttered a hasty apology and started to leave, but Ryder quickly assured her that the Northuldra did not find shame in the human body interacting with nature in the form in which it was created, and reluctantly, Elsa agreed to stay. (She really did need the bath, after all.) As Ryder explained much of the Northuldra's cultural nuances surrounding nudity, Elsa found herself feeling more at ease, and the heat which had plagued her throughout the day would soon fade.
Any time Ryder looked her way, Elsa noted that the Northuldran wasn't staring or ogling, but just... acting no different than if they were both fully clothed. She was reminded of a comment Maren had once made offhandedly about her brother preferring men over women. It had surprised Elsa -- not the fact that Ryder was gay, but that Maren could be so candid with that information, and Ryder wasn't at all bothered by her saying it. Like it wasn't a big deal, or a private, closely personal detail she'd just shared. If Anna had ever told anyone that her sister preferred women -- or if she'd even found out -- Elsa might've locked herself back in her room for another 13 years. She just couldn't imagine.
Ryder finished his bath first and returned to camp, leaving Elsa to test out her magic once more. She was thrilled to discover that she'd regained her powers in half the time it had taken her that morning. Ultimately, she attributed her magical malfunctions to the embarrassment she'd experienced, and not necessarily the attraction she felt for Honeymaren. Perhaps with that in mind, Elsa would be able to focus on having a conversation with her and not worrying about preventing a very literal meltdown.
When Elsa returned to camp, she was told that Honeymaren had already turned in for the evening, which was strangely early for her to have gone to sleep. When Elsa went up to Maren's goahti, prepared to knock, a soft -- yet somehow also heavy -- breathing, which could only be heard just outside the doorway, emanated from within the Northuldran girl's hut and sounded a lot like Maren moaning and -- you know what maybe she should try to talk to her tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow. So Elsa turned on her heel and headed to her own tent where she would hopefully forget about how amazing Maren sounded at breathing.
She did not forget.
In fact, Elsa could hear those same moans repeating in her dreams, which again resulted in wet sheets and melted clothing when she woke up early the next morning. As soon as her magic returned, Elsa headed out to the nearest waterfall for a quick shower. A very quick, very cold shower, which ended up lasting a lot longer than she'd intended, but served its purpose as she came out of it feeling calm and refreshed and nothing like a river of molten hot lava poured into a human-shaped mold like she'd felt yesterday.
"Elsa?" She could hear Honeymaren's voice coming from around the corner of the small nook in the rocks where the water fell.
"Yes?" She replied, wringing the excess water out of her hair.
"I had hoped to catch you before you left, but I just wanted to talk to you about yesterday."
It was the moment of truth, but Elsa was ready, and wasn't going to let any sort of embarrassment hold her back. Waving a hand out in front of her to summon her dress, the Fifth Spirit confidently stepped out to greet Maren, who hadn't fully turned her way but continued to speak.
"I can't help but feel as if you're avoiding me for some reason, and I want to -- I -- you -- huh?" The Northuldran girl began to stammer as she and Elsa made eye contact, which the blonde used as an opportunity to interject.
"Maren, I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday. You were right. I... wasn't acting at all like myself, but I feel as though I understand why now, and I think I owe you an explanation -- what?"
Elsa paused when she noticed how oddly Maren was staring at her, and how the girl's mouth opened and closed as if she were trying to remember how jaws worked. After a moment of confusion, Elsa looked down at herself to find that the clothing she thought she'd summoned... hadn't been summoned, and in fact, she was standing there, wet and naked in front of the literal girl of her dreams.
If embarrassment was the source of her problems, then Elsa would likely be powerless for the foreseeable future.
Part of her -- who was she kidding -- most of her wanted to shriek and run away, to find somewhere to hide until she could pretend this never happened, but that was the Old Elsa. The Conceal, Don't Feel Elsa. The Cold Never Bothered Me Elsa. But she was a New Elsa now. Fifth Spirit Elsa. You Are The One You've Been Waiting For Elsa. That Elsa didn't run away from her problems anymore.
"Listen, Maren. I… um…" She what, exactly? Elsa had focused so much on not being too embarrassed to have this conversation that she had never actually considered what she was going to say. My magic doesn't work around you because you make me unbearably hot? Because just hearing your voice can send me into a burning frenzy? Because even having to resist the urge to take you into my arms and kiss you was enough to make me lose all cognitive function? If each of those things were true, then how was she supposed to explain any of it without immediately bursting into flames?
"Elsa? Elsa, you're steaming," Maren said, watching the heat visibly radiate off of Elsa's reddening skin with a look of concern. "That can't be normal."
No matter how Elsa explained it, she needed to say something. It wasn't fair to keep Honeymaren in the dark like this. She deserved to know the truth. "I... I find clothes to be restricting -- and I've decided not to wear them anymore?" Elsa exhaled. There, that wasn't so hard-- wait. What? "Yes," Elsa continued, her mouth having gone rogue at this point. "I, um, felt this need to be more in tune with nature, and well, what better way to do that than by participating in nature the way nature made us?"
"You..." Maren tilted her head to the side. "Oh. Um, o-okay."
"Okay? You're okay with this?" Elsa asked, somehow hoping she'd say no.
"Of course!" Maren said quickly. "You're the Fifth Spirit! You're free to do as you please. I-- I think it's a wonderful idea!"
"Really? Nothing about this makes you uncomfortable?"
"Not at all," Maren said, looking away momentarily. "Is this why you've been acting strangely? You were uncomfortable? In your clothes?"
No. This was ridiculous. Just say no. "Yeah," Elsa said, reluctantly nodding.
"And the heat? Is that a new manifestation of your powers?"
The way this was going, Elsa wasn't going to have any powers for a while -- nor would she deserve them. "Guess so."
"Okay," Maren said, finally smiling. "Glad that's settled. I'm going to head back to camp."
"I'll join you," Elsa offered. "Let me just--" she paused as she was about to try to summon up her spirit dress again, before realizing that she'd just unintentionally committed to becoming a nudist. It was either that or admit to Maren that she'd lied directly to her face.
She stifled a groan. Nudism it is, then.
It seemed the New Elsa had discovered a new way to conform to the Old Elsa's mantra, Conceal, don't feel. It just happened to work in the most counterintuitive way possible.