Once Anna made her exit, Elsa and Honeymaren turned their attention to one another, exchanging timid glances before they finally exchanged greetings.
"Hi," Maren said, breaking the proverbial ice with a smile.
"Hi," Elsa said, smiling back.
"I'm glad to see that ruling over a kingdom hasn't quelled your sister's rambunctious spirit," Maren said playfully.
"'Rambunctious'," Elsa repeated, chuckling. "That's certainly a word for it. But yes, I'm glad too."
Elsa broke eye contact to run her fingers through her hair, trying not to look self-conscious under Honeymaren's steady gaze.
"Mind if I sit?" Maren asked, calling Elsa's attention to the fact that she hadn't yet formally invited her to do so.
"Right! Um…"
Elsa cleared her throat, mortified to find herself blowing smoke from her nose like a raging bull. Or rather, a raging fire lizard. Honeymaren hadn't reacted to it, so perhaps she didn't notice, but if Elsa had any hopes of having a productive conversation with her, being in this humid, enclosed space wasn't going to help.
"Actually, I was thinking of going for a walk," she said as she stood to her feet, dusting herself off. "Anna was right about it being a bit stuffy in here."
"Oh. All right," Maren said, looking down at the tray she was still holding, a bit disheartened. "I can just come back later--"
"Care to join me?" Elsa offered abruptly, taking their two tea cups from the tray. "We could have our tea to go."
"Of course, I'd love to!" Maren replied, amber eyes brightening as she set the tray down and led Elsa outside.
The two young women ventured down an unworn path through the woods, away from the village, enjoying the scattered rays of sunshine flaring through the canopy of loosely hanging leaves. They'd long since finished their tea, holding their cups out in front of them as they continued at a leisurely pace.
"So, Anna told me something interesting when she arrived," Elsa spoke up out of the blue, glancing at her companion as they walked side by side. "She mentioned that Yelana had asked her to check up on me."
"She did?" Maren asked with a slight raising of her eyebrows. "That's strange. Did she say why?"
"According to Anna, she said I was sick," Elsa explained. "Honestly, I don't know where Yelana could've gotten that idea from."
"Yes. Very strange," Maren said with a nod, which slowly turned into her dipping her head toward Elsa. "Because… you're not sick. Right?"
"...Right," Elsa drawled, clutching her cup closely to her chest.
"Because surely you would say something if you were," Maren said, trying to sound assured. "Right?"
"Honeymaren," Elsa said flatly, dropping the pretense. "Did you say anything to Yelana that would make her think that?"
Maren looked away guiltily. "I may have… gone to her for advice," she admitted after a pause.
"Advice?" Elsa repeated with surprise. "About what? Me?"
"Elsa, I am truly sorry," Maren apologized, stepping in front of Elsa to halt her. "But like I said, you were worrying me. I could tell there was something you weren't saying, and I wasn't sure what else to do, but I didn't think Yelana would end up contacting your sister. Had I known she would do that--"
"Maren, it's okay," Elsa said, placing a hand on Honeymaren's arm to reassure her. "I'm not upset. Had I not been so evasive, or… dishonest the whole time, it never would have come to that. But if anything, I'm glad I got a chance to talk with Anna. I needed it."
"So you are okay?" Maren asked again, breathing a sigh of relief as Elsa nodded. "And the fact that your hand is abnormally hot right now shouldn't be a concern?"
Elsa looked to see that she was still holding Maren's arm with said hand. "Oh, Gods!" She snatched her hand away as if she'd touched a hot surface -- which was ironic in that she was the hot surface. "I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Maren shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine," she said, quelling Elsa's fears with a chuckle. "Fortunately, we Northuldra do not burn easily. But I take it that this is a concern, then?"
"Yes… No. I think." Elsa sighed, turning away from Maren and walking off in a different direction. "I don't know. But I do think I know what's causing this." Maren found herself following behind as she awaited the answer. "It's you," Elsa finally said.
Maren blinked, not sure what to make of the revelation. "Me?"
Elsa stopped walking, fiddling with her empty cup as she faced the woman she had developed this afflicting affection for. "Honeymaren, the real reason I've been avoiding you is because being around you has started to make me… feel things. Feelings I don't know how to deal with yet. And that's been affecting my magic in ways I'm still trying to adjust to."
Maren tilted her head, not quite understanding. "That all seems… kind of vague?" She said with a squint. Elsa groaned at the thought of having to elaborate.
"I'm attracted to you, which is making me really hot, so my magic keeps melting everything, including my clothes, and now everyone thinks I'm a nudist, even though I'm not, because I couldn't just tell you this from the beginning," she stated in one continuous breath, as her face became increasingly redder.
"...Oh." Was all Maren could manage to say before she started to laugh. Elsa could only stare in shock. Here she was, baring her soul -- among other things -- and Honeymaren was laughing at her?
"I'm not sure I find the same humor in this," Elsa said as the laughter died down.
"I'm -- I'm sorry," Maren apologized. "It's just, when you put it like that, it sounds a bit silly. This whole time, I was concerned you were suffering from some debilitating illness."
"Well I could be," Elsa said, self-assurance wavering as she waved her hand, trying and failing to produce her ice magic to emphasize the point. "What if I am? Would I even know?"
"Elsa," Maren said in a soft, calming voice, stopping Elsa in her tracks. "Maybe I can explain."
She guided Elsa into a clearing, directing her attention to the rocky hilltops all around, the rushing river valley down below, the windy skies above, and the burning sun overhead as she spoke.
"Here within the forest, the spirits rely on the harmony of all things to maintain balance -- not just from nature and how we interact with it, but from within ourselves as well. Each of the spirits reacts uniquely to different strong emotions -- which, over time, can throw them out of balance." Maren then hovered her hand over Elsa's heart -- careful not to touch, of course. "As the Fifth Spirit, they react most strongly to you. And it's possible that your powers react to them, along with others as well."
Elsa nodded slowly, feeling a strange sense of disappointment as she watched Honeymaren pull her hand away. "So what you're saying is… is…" She paused, closing her eyes. No more lies. From now on, she was going to be completely honest. She opened her eyes to continue. "Honeymaren, I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say."
Maren had to stifle a laugh. "It's okay. To be fair, I didn't understand it much either," she admitted. "Which was why I went to Yelana. She helped explain everything about the harmony between humanity and nature, and how our connection with the spirits can affect it. She also emphasized that the role the Fifth Spirit plays in maintaining that connection was just a theory, but the point was this: our emotions affect the spirits, the spirits affect nature, and nature affects us."
Elsa nodded with a greater understanding. "And as the Fifth Spirit, I affect all of that," she surmised.
"And all of it affects you. In theory." Maren added. "So it could've been any combination of things causing your… um," she paused, looking up and down Elsa's nude body, "melting situation."
"I think I get it now," Elsa said, her face flushing from Maren's eyes momentarily roaming over her. "But why wouldn't you or Yelana have mentioned any of this earlier?"
Maren smiled sadly. "We might have, but you were busy telling anyone and everyone who would listen that nothing was wrong."
"Ah, so that's why Yelana called Anna," Elsa realized. "She knew my sister could get me to open up."
"I guess it worked," Maren said, sighing. "I do wish you and I could've spoken about this earlier, though."
"Me too," Elsa concurred. "I still can't believe I decided to pretend I gave up clothing. All because I was so terrified of admitting I was in love with you."
Wait. What?
"You're in love with me?"
Elsa covered her mouth with both hands, as if hoping to keep other loose words from fully escaping. She and Honeymaren stood frozen (figuratively) in place, their cups discarded on the forest floor. After a moment, Elsa slowly uncovered her mouth to speak.
"Did - did I just say that out loud?"
"You did."
"Did I not mention that already?"
"You did not."
Elsa groaned, burying her burning red face in her hands.
"Hey." Maren gently pulled Elsa's hands away from her face, grinning. "You have no idea what a relief it is to hear that." Elsa met her eyes with a look of confusion as Maren explained. "All this time, I've been worried that it was just my emotional imbalance that was affecting your powers, when really--"
"You're saying I'm emotionally imbalanced?"
"What? No--"
"I mean. I am, and I get that, but it's a little rude to just come out and say it--"
"No!" Maren interrupted, laughing. "Elsa, I'm saying that I feel the same way!"
Elsa blinked. "You do?"
Maren nodded. "Yes! And I wanted to say something sooner, but being around you has been very… It's been frustrating lately."
Elsa did not follow. "Frustrating, how?"
Maren bit her lip, bashfully. "It's kind of embarrassing to talk about."
"Embarrassing?" Elsa tried not to laugh. "I accidentally started a nudist movement because I decided being naked with people was easier than being honest with them. How's that for 'embarrassing'?"
"Well yes, that's… kind of the embarrassing part," Maren replied as her face darkened.
It suddenly occurred to Elsa that the subtle darkening in Honeymaren's cheeks was a result of her face flushing, and not the high humidity levels or a trick of the light. It was something Elsa had been noticing more and more of from the Northuldran girl, ever since this whole clothes-melting ordeal started… Oh.
"Maren, is my nudity bothering you? You said you were comfortable with it before, remember?"
Maren shrugged off to the side. "Technically, I said I wasn't uncomfortable. Also technically, I lied."
"Maren," Elsa whined, self-consciously positioning her hands to cover herself in spite of the absolute futility of it -- she'd shown all there was to show, by this point. "You should've said something! Ryder told me the Northuldra were totally fine with nudity!"
Honeymaren ran her hand down her face. "My brother doesn't speak for the whole tribe," she asserted, "least of all, me. He and I don't exactly see the beauty of the female body the same way, after all."
"...Fair. But still," Elsa argued, "I would never want to make you feel uncomfortable around me. I could've just -- I don't know -- asked to borrow some clothes until I sorted this all out!"
"Elsa, you were literally steaming hot. You still are!"
To emphasize her point, Maren reached out to touch Elsa's shoulder -- or whatever body part would be appropriate -- before she lost her nerve and decided she would hold her hand instead. In reaching for it, however, Maren's fingertips gently brushed down Elsa's arm, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the pale skinned blonde that caught Maren off guard.
"Sorry!" Maren said, pulling away. "That's not what I meant to--"
"No, no, it's fine," Elsa assured her. "Do it again."
"Wait, what?"
"Um, nothing. Never mind."
Maren took a breath. "Look, all I'm saying is that if not wearing clothes makes you more comfortable, who am I to tell the Fifth Spirit she has to do something she doesn't want to do, just because she gets me all… worked up?"
"Maren, who you are is someone I care deeply for. And if someone I care about is uncomfortable around me, and I can do something about it, I will." Elsa turned and headed back in the direction of camp.
"Elsa, where are you going?" Maren asked, following after her.
"I'm going to go find some clothes to wear," she explained without looking back. "Preferably something more breathable than animal hide. Then we are going to sit down and have a real conversation and try to sort out this 'imbalance' thing and hope I don't pass out from heat exhaustion."
"Elsa, wait." Elsa turned to see Honeymaren taking off her shirt and dropping it on the ground.
"Maren! What are you doing?"
"There's at least one imbalance between us that I know can be balanced out right here," she explained as she began to untie her belt.
"This is ridiculous -- you don't need to do that!" Maren's pants were at her ankles before Elsa could finish speaking.
Her eyes bulged as she took in the sight of Maren's toned frame. Lean muscles, forged by the fires of labor, hardened by the discipline of training and routine. Elsa's years in 'proper' society told her to turn away, to shun the unsavory feelings that burned at her core as Maren kicked off her pants and quickly shed her undergarments. But once those golden brown eyes met icy blue, there was nothing left to be concealed between them.
Maren's smile was tentative, but still she stood boldly before Elsa, like a sunkissed goddess. That was, until she suddenly turned and ran without warning. Not to say that Elsa minded having the opportunity to watch Maren's well-built body at work (she didn't mind at all), but where was she going?
"Race you to the river!" She shouted as she glanced back at Elsa without breaking her stride.
It took Elsa a moment (maybe a few moments) to stop staring dumbly and start to process what was happening. It took even longer to notice that Maren hadn't taken off her shoes.
"Cheater! Get back here!" She shouted as she chased Maren down the hill toward the river.
Elsa had always prided herself on being in decent shape for a former royal who spent many of her formative years languishing away in a single bedroom, but she knew she was no match for Honeymaren even in a fair race. There was no illusion of competition; this was just Honeymaren showing off. Which, again, Elsa didn't mind. So she chased.
"I thought running away from talking to people was my thing!" Elsa yelled out as she was forced to tiptoe over various sticks and branches along the path.
"Don't worry!" Maren called back to her, paying no mind to any obstacles as she sprinted through, around, and over them with a natural grace. "We can talk some more after I beat you!"
Elsa wasn't bothered by the taunting, as it was just Maren's competitive nature showing through. For Elsa, it wasn't about winning or losing, worrying about the obstacles in her way or adversities she had to confront. It didn't even matter where they were going or what awaited them there. All she could think about was closing the gap between her and Maren.
Sometimes, it was nice to just focus on the chase.
As they neared the river, a mischievous idea sprang forth from Elsa's mind, and she thrust her hands forward, summoning magical particles of ice and snow. The magic shot past Honeymaren, and before she could react, a slick slope of ice formed in front of her. She slipped on it as she tried to stop, falling onto her backside and sliding down to the bottom of the hill. From there, she slid to the edge of the river, where the icy slide ended in a ramp that sent her flailing into the air before she crashed down into the water. Elsa, by this time, had slowed to a jog, coming down to the river as Maren breached the surface with a gasp.
"Elsa!" Maren shouted indignantly, caught off guard by the apparent return of Elsa's ice magic.
"Congratulations, Maren," Elsa said with a smug grin as she peered down into the water. "You won."
Maren moved her soaking wet braid away from her face, glaring. "I can't believe you just did that!" She told Elsa.
"And I can't believe you cheated!" She responded. Maren's expression softened as she laughed.
"You should. I cheat at everything," she said. "Ask Ryder, he'll tell you."
Elsa calmly waded into the water. "Well then I hope you've learned your lesson," she said as Maren swam up to her.
"Oh I have. I'll never cheat again."
"I'll hold you to that," Elsa said, right before she found herself being dunked underwater.
Maren didn't hold her down with much force, but after a couple seconds of thrashing around while submerged, Elsa realized she was eye level with Maren's breasts and -- for the moment -- decided that breathing was overrated. The moment was cut short when Maren pulled Elsa up, lifting her head out of the water. Immediately, a wide-eyed Maren huddled close and directed Elsa's attention to the Nokk, who was rearing back in an intimidating posture. The playful side of Elsa wanted to feign distress and then tease Maren as she panicked, but then she'd have to deal with the hassle of calming Nokk down, so she thought better of it.
"Whoa, easy!" She said, reaching out to the hostile water spirit. "It's okay! We're just playing, right Maren?" Maren nodded timidly, to which Nokk responded by splashing down into the water and raising its head above the surface to meet the cowering Northuldran face to face. Stoic, glowing, pupil-less eyed face.
"Y-yes! Just playing!" Maren assured, clinging to Elsa's arm out of fear. "Definitely no acts of violence against the Fifth Spirit here!"
Elsa laughed, patting Nokk on the muzzle and slipping a hand behind Maren's back to bring her closer. Elsa's touch seemed to sooth them both, and with a nod, she prompted Maren to reach out and pet Nokk as well. Although petting sentient water was… weird, to say the least, it was better than being drowned by it, which would have made a lot more sense but was way less preferable. After tensions lightened, the placated Nokk sank back into the water.
"Is the Nokk always this protective of you?" Maren asked breathily as she loosened her hold on Elsa but didn't let go.
"Well, from his perspective, you did just try to drown me…" Elsa trailed off as it finally dawned on her how close in proximity she was to Honeymaren -- arms tangled, bodies pressed together beneath the water without any barriers between them.
"Yes, and I am very sorry for that." Maren giggled, and Elsa felt herself slowly being pulled in by whatever invisible strings connected her to the beautiful woman in her arms.
"And I guess it's what you were saying earlier, about being connected," Elsa said. "The spirits react uniquely to strong emotions."
Maren hummed. "Are you feeling any strong emotions, Elsa?"
"I-I think so," Elsa admitted. "Although in Nokk's case, he mostly reacts whenever he perceives there to be an affront of some sorts to the spirits…" She trailed off again as Maren leaned closer.
"What if I kissed you?" Maren asked, eyes half lidded. "Would that be perceived as an affront to the spirits?"
"Maybe you should try it and find out?"
She did just that, drawing Elsa in until their lips met, stoking the flames that had been burning away at Elsa for far too long. Ironically, she no longer felt the heat, but rather an aching. A pulling. A need to be closer. Elsa parted her lips, taking in as much of Honeymaren as she could before their mouths practically melded together as one. Letting out a primal growl unbefitting a former monarch, Elsa bucked her hips forward, forcefully wrapping her legs around Maren's waist. She felt Maren's weight shift to support the two of them. Elsa trusted Maren to keep them afloat, but truthfully, she didn't care if they sank down to the bottom as long as nothing could come between them--
"Elsa? Honeymaren?" They broke the kiss as a familiar voice called out for them. Moments later Queen Anna appeared from the woods, scanning the area. "Ryder said you guys headed out this way! Just wanted to let you know the soup is -- oh shit!"
Anna's eyes finally fell upon the two women in the river -- her sister and Honeymaren. In a heartbeat, she noted that they were holding each other closely, looking very surprised, very out of breath, and also very naked.
"Anna!"
Elsa regained her senses first, yelling at her sister as she rushed to cover up the exposed portions of Maren's chest with her arms. Maren was slightly more disoriented, torn between feeling embarrassed at being caught naked in a compromising situation, or feeling amused by the awkwardly adorable reactions of the two sisters to said situation. She settled somewhere in the middle, giggling as she pulled away from Elsa to keep the scene from looking too incriminating to the Arendellian queen.
"Sorry!" Anna apologized, covering her eyes, only to uncover them again. "Wait, hang on -- so is this like a naturism thing, or like a private, sexy thing -- honestly, it's kinda hard to keep up with what's what -- you guys should really consider hanging up some signs or -- oh! Okay, it's definitely a private sexy thing!"
Anna hurriedly covered her eyes again, confusing Elsa until she looked down and realized her hand had slipped when Maren pulled away, a move that left her unintentionally grasping onto one of Maren's breasts. Elsa bashfully pulled her hand away, but the 'damage' was done, and there was no way Anna was looking back now.
"Sorry again!" Anna said, turning to leave. "So I, um, I'm gonna go! You two have at it -- 'have at it', who even talks like that? -- anyways, I'll see you at camp -- or, y'know, wherever -- bye!"
Elsa and Honeymaren said nothing as Anna disappeared back up the hill. They looked at each other, faces flushed, and began to break into a fit of giggles.
"I am so happy for you, Elsa!" They could hear Anna shout from the background, causing Elsa more embarrassment while Maren's laughter grew louder. "And you are totally frolicking, by the way!" Anna added from the distant woods. Elsa sank low into the water, smiling despite herself.
"I don't get it," Maren admitted as her laughter died down.
"I'm a frolicking forest nymph now, apparently."
"Whatever that is sounds cute, so I approve," Maren said, leaning in to give Elsa a peck on the cheek before swimming toward the riverbank. "We should head back to camp."
"What?" Elsa asked, confused. "Why now?"
"Because if we're away longer, your sister will assume things," Maren explained.
"Let her assume things!" Elsa whined. "She's gonna assume stuff regardless! If we go back now, she'll just assume we were bad at it!"
Elsa hadn't been able to hide her disappointment as they headed back through the forest, but on the bright side, she did get to watch Maren climb up out of the river… water dripping down from her strong, sculpted shoulders, that firm posterior, and those finely toned legs as she stood, stretching out each muscle in a way that made Elsa want to drag her back in and--
"Elsa? What are you thinking about?"
Honeymaren's voice stirred Elsa from her musings as they trekked up the hill together. It was ironic to daydream about the things she wanted to do with her crush when the real thing was right there in all her glory, but Elsa found it much easier to let those dirty, indecent thoughts run rampant in her mind than it was to act on them -- again, at least.
"You," Elsa replied to Maren plainly. It was the truth, after all.
"Anything in particular, about me?"
"Just how much I'd like to turn back and finish what we started."
"We will have plenty of time for that, Snowflake. For now, your queen is waiting on you."
"Now that I'm living here, Anna's not technically my queen, just my sister." The only queen for whom I want to kneel is you, was what Elsa wanted to say.
"Technicalities aside, she is a queen -- one who has duties and obligations that she is taking time away from to spend with you."
"And I get that," Elsa said. "What I don't get is why it matters so much to you that I spend time with her instead of you." Elsa was halted by Maren stepping in front of her.
"Because you matter to me," Maren said firmly. "And I understand how much you and your sister matter to each other. Which is why I never want to be something that stands between you and her. We want to build bridges, remember?" She asked, smiling. "Not dams."
Without warning, Elsa leaned in, cupping Maren's cheeks in her palms as she kissed her, passion flowing freely for that fleeting moment, before Elsa pulled away.
"I love you, Honeymaren," she said. "But that was easily the corniest thing you've ever said to me." Maren couldn't help but smirk in response.
"It worked though, didn't it?"
"Honey, I don't know if you've been paying enough attention, but everything you say to me works!"
"I should say more things to you, then."
"Yes, you should," Elsa implored as she wrapped her arms around Maren.
"I love you, my spirit." Elsa responded with a peck on the lips.
"See? It worked! Say something else."
"Um…" Maren paused, looking around. "Didn't I leave my clothes here somewhere?"
"Huh?"
Elsa did a quick scan of the surrounding area, noting that their cups were on the ground, but no sign of any clothes. A whistle came from a nearby tree, where Ryder peeked out from behind. The only clothes on his person were the ones he was waving around in his hands. Namely, Maren's clothes.
"Ryder!" Maren shouted, pulling herself away from Elsa. "Give me back my clothes!"
"Gotta catch me first!" He said as he took off running. Maren turned back to Elsa, fuming.
"Aren't you going to go after him?" Elsa asked, to which Maren replied with a huff.
"He's got too much of a head start toward the camp. He's bound to make it there before I do, so either way I'd be showing up looking like…" gesturing to her wet, glistening, naked body, "...this."
"Oh, don't be such a prude, Maren!" Elsa joked, grabbing Maren's hands. "Come frolic with me!"
"Says the pretend nudist," Maren said, pulling her hands away and crossing her arms over her chest. Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, it began to snow. "What? But there's not a cloud in--" She looked over to see a flurry of snow and ice surrounding Elsa culminating in the magical reformation of her white crystalline spirit dress.
"Maren! Maren! My magic!" Elsa said gleefully, dancing through the sparkling particles of frost left behind by the flurry. "My magic is working again!" She went to pull Maren into the fray, but noticed she was shivering.
"I may not reflect it at the moment, but I am very happy for you," Maren said, smiling despite herself. Wordlessly, Elsa waved her hands, and the ice and snow and everything that came along with it -- including her dress -- vanished, just as quickly as they appeared. "Elsa, what are you--" Elsa pulled Maren close, rubbing the shivering girl's shoulders as she led her back to camp.
I told you I'd do what I could to make you comfortable," she explained. "I meant it." Maren leaned into the once-dubbed Snow Queen, finding her to be neither hot nor cold, but somewhere in between. A perfect balance. "Now let's go -- my sister has some hot soup with our names on it."