Maren gazed out at the slowly tracking wilderness from her seat in the back of Kristoff's wagon, her heart heavily anxious and thoughts a muddle of Elsa, Elsa and more Elsa.

Somewhere out there, Elsa was riding Nokk—taking the longer, less traveled path to the Valley of Living Rock, to meet up with them roughly at the earliest signs of sunset.

Just in case the creatures are after me. Elsa had said last night after she calmed down and agreed to go with them. Maren did not like this plan, but it had been the only way to compromise with her. Elsa would come with and visit the trolls, if she was allowed to ride separately. So they had agreed. There was no other choice.

In retrospect, the first warning sign should've been how quiet and despondent Elsa had been yesterday after the Norraz. That should've been the first indication that something was seriously amiss with her, but somehow, Maren had missed it. Or rather, she had seen it and tried to be there for her as best she knew how, but it hadn't been enough. Elsa had still tried to run. The fact that Elsa had spiraled so much deeper than she let on, and the fact that Maren had so clearly missed it, devastated her immensely—she thought she could read Elsa better than that.

Then there was the second, and perhaps more glaring signal that something was wrong when Elsa wanted to sleep in her own lavvu, claiming she needed to be alone—which, wasn't unusual for her. Maren always respected the hell out of that need, but last night she just knew it was a bad idea to leave her by herself—yet she went against her better instincts and let her be anyway.

Perhaps that's where she had gone wrong.

Even when she's moody, even when she wants nothing to do with people—you need to keep on her. Don't take it personally. Push through that, because secretly she doesn't want to be alone, she just gets overwhelmed and thinks she needs to be alone, but she's wrong. I've seen it too many times.

Anna's warning suddenly rang through her head, and immediately she knew—that's where she had gone wrong. She should've pushed past Elsa's isolation to get through to her, but she hadn't.

Where was that line then? How should she know when to push her and when to respect her wishes and let her be? When she had pushed her just before the Norraz, she had gotten upset. But when she let her be, she had spiraled so deep into her own head that she had nearly run away and gotten herself killed.

Maren sighed, resting her chin in her hand as she watched the wilderness flow past.

Elsa was complicated.

That was possibly a gross understatement.

Elsa was as complex as the multifaceted fractured ice shards she was capable of producing—layered with years of trauma and fear and who knows what else that Maren had not been there to witness. Years of a life lived as an Arendellian royal in a world that Maren had little to no understanding of. So many things had shaped Elsa, some of which she still did not fully understand but, she would not stop trying. She would not stop trying to unravel Elsa because quite simply, she was in love with her.

That was the one thing she did know for sure. She could feel it in her heart and mind and body and soul like she had never felt love before.

And she loved all of her, even this complex nature of hers. It's what made Elsa who she was and spirits help her, she was so in love with this vexing woman that even now, when she should be angry or frustrated with her for nearly throwing her own life away—she was not. One look into those deep, painfully vulnerable eyes—witnessing just a flash of the tragedy that was there from the years Maren had missed, melted away any resolve she had to become angry. Those eyes never lied, and when they were so full of genuine remorse and regret, she had no choice but to forgive her on the spot—her heart simply did not have the capacity to stay angry with her. But it did have the capacity to worry, and right now her heart was heavy with it.

'You ok?' Anna's soft voice broke through her depressively meandering thoughts.

Maren took a deep breath and let it out, blowing her bangs up away from her face. 'Honestly? No.' She said and turned her eyes to face Anna.

'Elsa?' Anna questioned in a tone that suggested she already knew the answer.

'When is it not?' Maren chuckled.

Anna sighed and looked at her with sad understanding eyes. 'My sister can be the hardest-easiest person to love can't she?' Anna prodded and quirked her mouth into an expression that looked apologetic.

'Something like that.' Maren returned with a reassuring smile that felt sad and weak.

'You know, Elsa's never given love quickly or easily, but when she does give it, you know it's real. She gives it so deeply and so completely that you never have to question it. Once she loves you, that's it. It's forever and you just know it.'

'I know.' Maren added reassuringly when Anna looked nervous. 'I love her Anna, I'm not going anywhere. It's not her love I question.'

'Then what is it?'

Maren took a breath, unsure how to articulate what was really upsetting her. 'I just, so want her to be happy, to be free—to have everything she's ever wanted. But sometimes I'm not sure when to push through to get to her when she's spiraling, or when to give her her freedom and just let her be.' Maren finished and dropped her hands into her lap.

Anna smiled wryly and snorted. 'Welcome to my life.' She pushed Maren's knee playfully. 'Or rather, welcome to a life of loving Elsa, those with a weak constitution need not apply.' Anna added with smirk. 'I'm probably the wrong person to give advice on this because frankly, I smother her to death and make no apologies about it. I've earned that right as her sister and she can deal with it.'

Maren chuckled and nodded, Anna was trying to cheer her up. 'You know Maren, I don't think Elsa even knows what she needs, I guess that's the point I'm trying to make.' Anna said with more seriousness.

'What do you mean?'

'Well, growing up she was under a lot of pressure, you know? Trying to deal with her powers, learning how to become a ruler—and she became insanely good at all of it, nearly perfect. I still admire her for how she did all of that…' Anna trailed off for a moment, her brow creased as she shook her head. 'But there was always someone telling her what to do, where to be, how to be and what she was going to be. She never had the chance to figure out who she really was, what she needed or wanted or even enjoyed.' Anna said, her eyes faraway, a sad tone lingering in her words. 'I know coming out here, learning about the Northuldra and the spirits has really helped her understand a big part of why she has her powers, but again, that's turned into just another job title. Fifth Spirit.' Anna put air quotations around the last two words and rolled her eyes. 'It still doesn't answer who she really is—inside.' Anna said and tapped her heart.

Maren furrowed her brow, waiting for Anna to continue. That made a lot of sense.

'I, on the other hand.' Anna smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. 'Was the spare, the non-magical, less-smart princess-in-waiting that they largely ignored.'

'Anna that's terrible—and you are very smart.'

'Well, in hindsight, being ignored wasn't really a bad thing because, I had all the time in the world to figure myself out. I spent years roaming the castle trying out all sorts of different crazy things while I discovered who I was—what I liked or didn't like. I was allowed to explore and make mistakes—'

'And Elsa wasn't.' Maren finished, understanding what Anna was getting at.

'Exactly. Thing is, I did all that as a child—when you're supposed to do it—and Elsa, well she's only finally starting to do it now. So in a way, she's exploring and learning new things about herself like a child would—and a child doesn't always know what's best for themselves—so you've kind of gotta treat her like a child and make some decisions for her—you know, about when to push her and when to let her be.'

'Like a child… You just compared the former leader of your nation—to a child?'

'No, no that was Queen Elsa. Queen Elsa was the perfectionist who ruled flawlessly.' Anna said, waving dismissively. 'I'm talking about Elsa my sister, Elsa the person. Elsa can absolutely be a big baby who has no idea what she's doing—especially emotionally—and you need to help her figure it out when I'm not there.' Anna said calmly, almost diplomatically.

'And how should I do that?' Maren asked, attempting to cover her amusement at picturing regal Elsa throwing a childlike tantrum. It didn't seem plausible, but then Anna did have a point. There was a side of Elsa that could be very childlike, naive or innocent even—especially about social cues and yes, deep emotions.

'Just be there for her, like you have been. Only, listen to yourself more—push through to her when you feel its right. Get her out of her own head—help her to feel more. I had to learn how to do that years ago. It's not easy but it's what she needs, I'm telling you.'

Maren nodded, Anna was right. 'Feel, don't conceal.'

'You got it.' Anna said with a smile and shrugged. 'You've already been so good for her Maren, she's practically a different person now.'

'Really?'

'Well, Elsa will always be Elsa.' Anna said with a smile and rolled her eyes. 'But she's just, so much happier when she's around you—more relaxed. You've been there for her while she's taken her first real steps towards figuring out who Elsa really is, what Elsa likes and wants and needs. I couldn't have asked for more than that.' Anna said and smiled with eyes that radiated love for her sister.

'Elsa is very lucky to have a sister like you.'

Anna smiled and looked down. 'I'm the lucky one.' She mumbled then pulled a necklace out from under her cloak and absently rubbed it between her fingers.

'What is that? I always see you playing with it.'

'Oh this?' Anna answered, taking the necklace off and holding it out for Maren to see. Maren took it from her and looked closely at it. Dangling from the metal chain was a small faceted heart shaped charm that sparkled like a diamond. One side of the heart had the letter A inscribed into it, the other, was inscribed with an E. Maren smiled. It was cold and perfectly formed—the work of Elsa.

'She made it for you?' Maren asked and handed the necklace back to Anna.

'Yep. I keep it with me all the time so I know if she's ok even when we're apart. If something happens to her—' Anna paused and looked down at the necklace in her hand. 'It melts.' She finished in a whisper, and Maren had the distinct impression Anna had seen it melt before. She chose not to press her about it.

'I'll have to get one of those.' Maren added playfully, trying to change the subject.

'Just don't let it touch your skin too long, it's freezing!' Anna giggled, perking up then turning her gaze to the thinning woods to scan for Elsa.

Maren did the same, hoping Elsa would have met up with them already, but there was no sign of her yet. To her surprise, the forest around them had changed dramatically in ways she had never seen before. The foliage and trees had thinned, giving way to towering craggy rock cliffs that suddenly seemed to be swallowing them whole—blocking out the setting sun and creating a sinister dark cast across the narrow pass they traveled through.

Maren shivered.

Steam rose up on either side of the wagon from vents in the earth's surface—creating a cloudy mist that hung lazily around them and hissed menacingly. The visibility around them was reduced and that immediately made her uncomfortable—it suddenly felt like the mist was suffocating her and the rock cliffs closing in on them. Maren's heart started pounding faster and a sense of foreboding hit her—she did not want to be trapped in this ominous place.

Even the ground was dark and ashen and miserable looking, save for the few patches of green moss that grew in certain areas—climbing up the rock cliffs as the only visible sign of life Maren could detect. A few dead, mangled trees sprouted up from the ground or out of rock crevices— reminding her of the twisted sinewy appendages of the draugrs.

Where was Elsa?

'We'll have to walk from here.' Kristoff stated as he pulled the wagon to a halt.

Maren took a deep breath and tried to calm her mounting nerves, then slid over the side of the wagon and started unhitching Daisy. Daisy nuzzled under her arm which eased her tension somewhat, but the steam was making her sweat and her head pound—so she took off her hat and tossed it back in the wagon.

Suddenly Daisy and Sven perked up, their ears alert, noses twitching in the direction they had just come from. Maren tensed, her thoughts immediately formulating the worst possible scenario—that they had been followed by draugrs. She squinted down the narrow pass but there was too much foggy mist to see very far down it.

Anna locked nervous eyes with her for a brief moment, then Daisy and Sven took off into the steamy mist.

'Daisy no!' Maren hissed then glanced at Kristoff who was also staring down the misty path after the deer.

A few panicky heartbeats passed which felt like a lifetime—before Daisy and Sven came proudly prancing back, a smiling Elsa emerging from a steam cloud right behind them. Maren let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wagon to try and catch her breath.

'Elsa!' Anna called and ran to her, practically tackling Elsa in a hug. Elsa chuckled and hugged Anna back. She wanted to go to Elsa too, but found she was suddenly dizzy—so she stayed put, clutching the wagon and desperately trying to catch her own breath against the stifling mist—steam.

'Hi.' Elsa said with smiling eyes when she neared. Maren tried a smile in return but it was immediately clear by the sudden shift on Elsa's face that it was not convincing.

'Maren what's wrong?' Elsa asked as concerned blue eyes focused on her and a cold hand came up to rest on her cheek. 'You're really warm.' She added and brushed the back of her fingers over Maren's forehead. The cold from Elsa's hands felt like sweet relief.

'I'm ok.' Maren breathed, unsure if she truly was or not but not wanting to cause a scene. She had never in her whole life felt like this before, and she wished it would stop. 'This mist is just—making it hard to breathe, isn't it?'

'No—it isn't.' Elsa said as worried eyes bore directly into her own. 'Maren you're not ok.' Elsa moved her other hand behind Maren's neck, and again the cold felt wonderful, causing her to sigh in relief.

'Take a deep breath and look up at the sky.' Elsa instructed. Maren still had no idea why it was so difficult to breathe, but she listened to Elsa anyway without hesitation, and lifted her eyes skyward, still leaning against the wagon for support.

The sky had darkened, the sun nearly gone and above, the colorful auroras painted their way across the star speckled sky. The sky. It was so big, so vast, so beautiful—so open.

'Take another deep breath.' Elsa commanded, her wonderful hands still blessedly cooling Maren's face and neck. 'Look at all the stars. You're not trapped in the mist anymore.' Elsa said softly near Maren's ear. Maren nodded, keeping her focus on the sky and the cooling sensation of Elsa's hands. Her breathing finally started to calm, the clenching in her chest releasing with each breath.

'What's the matter?' Maren heard Anna's quiet voice float past her ears.

'She's having a panic attack.' Elsa answered quietly. 'The steam—it's making her claustrophobic.'

Maren shook her head and looked away from the sky back to both of them. 'No, it's not.' She said defiantly to the two pairs of worried eyes that were trained intently on her, then pushed herself away from the wagon to a stand. 'I'm fine now. I just needed a minute.'

Both girls looked unconvinced but Anna announced: 'We'll wait over there.' Then walked to the other side of the wagon to join Kristoff.

'Let's go, this is really embarrassing.' Maren said once Anna had left earshot.

Elsa grabbed her hands and held her there. 'Maren, nothing about this is embarrassing. I get panic attacks too—you know that. It makes sense you would feel claustrophobic in this steam—it looks just like the mist.'

Maren shook her head. What Elsa said did make sense—but she had never had anything like this happen to her before—and she did not like it. 'I've never been afraid of anything.'

Elsa raised an eyebrow and shook her head knowingly. 'Maren, everyone is afraid of something. Even queens and brave warriors. No one is truly fearless—that's impossible.' Elsa said, quirking her lips into a small half smile. 'The real strength, is having courage to move forward despite the fear—and what helps us do that is love, and I love you.' Elsa said softly then kissed her gently. Elsa never spoke to anyone else with that low, caring tone of voice and Maren relished hearing it directed at her. 'The fear may always be there, but it doesn't have to control you.'

Maren stared, hypnotized by those soft, kind blue eyes and nodded. She was still in a daze, not because of the anxiety anymore—but because of the beautiful, wise woman that stood before her. It did not make sense that the spirits had allowed such a wonderfully perfect person into her life.

'You alright now?' Elsa asked when Maren had been blankly staring for a moment too long.

'I think so.' She answered finally and blinked to clear her thoughts. 'Let's go so we can get out of here.'

Elsa smiled. 'I don't like this place either.' She confessed and laced her fingers with Maren's. The cold emanating off of Elsa's body was soothing. It relaxed and grounded her even as she became aware of the rising steam around them again—and she knew with Elsa beside her, everything would be ok.

'Where's Daisy and Sven?' Maren asked when they reached the other side of the wagon.

'They've gone on ahead.' Kristoff answered with a smile. He seemed more excited than usual which was odd for him—but Maren was just thankful that neither of them questioned her episode. 'Sven is familiar with this place—he and I grew up here, so I think he wants to show Daisy around.' Kristoff stated happily and kissed Anna on the cheek.

'Kristoff please don't make Maren go through the whole grand tour like I did, I loved it, but really…' Anna said in an exasperated voice as they walked on ahead. Kristoff looked a tad dejected and Maren had to suppress a smile.

Kristoff then flipped around to walk backwards so he was facing her. 'Just be warned Maren, they've not met you yet so there will be a an—initiation process of sorts.' Kristoff said cryptically, and Maren suddenly had no idea what she was getting herself into.

'Must they?' Elsa asked him, her expression pained.

'It's their rules not mine—happens with any outsider.' Kristoff said offhandedly and shrugged, then turned around to face front again. 'Just don't show any fear—they'll pick up on that.' He added over his shoulder, still sounding like an exited child.

'Great.' Maren muttered and Elsa squeezed her hand.

'Don't listen to him.' Anna said over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Then she swatted Kristoff's arm. 'Don't scare her.' Anna chastised and he chuckled.

'Should I be worried?' Maren whispered into Elsa's ear, not entirely sure what trolls even were, let alone what they would do. Elsa shook her head.

'No, you'll be fine. They don't allow just anyone in—there's a series of tests.' Elsa rolled her eyes. 'They speak in riddles and use their magic to determine if the person should be allowed to pass.'

'Oh.' Maren said a bit surprised—that wasn't as bad as what she'd imagined. 'What was your initiation?'

'I—mine was, a little different. I came with my parents the first time, so there was no initiation, just riddles and prophecies…'

'How old were you?'

'Eight.' Elsa answered and Maren's jaw nearly dropped. This was not the kind of place she imagined an eight year old should visit. 'Fear will be your enemy.' Elsa mocked in a low voice, presumably imitating a troll. She then snorted and shook her head. 'They were right about that though, there's always a bit of truth to their prophecies and riddles. They play on your fears though—scared the daylights out of me. Life was never the same after that night.'

'The night they saved Anna's life…' Maren added, suddenly remembering and piecing together the story Elsa had told her previously. Elsa nodded in confirmation.

'They also took her memories—there's always some kind of price to pay for their help.' Elsa said, her brow creased, tone sharp and Maren got the impression that she was not as enthusiastic about the trolls as Kristoff and Anna were. She squeezed Elsa's hand as they continued to meander through the dark, misty, maze-like paths.

The moss growing up the cliffs on either side of them caught her eye—and she did a double take to make sure she had seen correctly. The auroras were the only light to see by and they flickered ominously over the moss, which looked like it had grown into designs and symbols that were far from natural—covering the cliffs in spirals and patterns that seemed to depict some form of language or art.

'How many with you?' A low voice echoed from somewhere nearby, startling Maren out of the thick silence.

'Three.' Kristoff answered casually.

'Hmm. Yessss. I smell a new one. Take her to the center.' The faceless voice commanded. Maren glanced at Elsa who gave her a small reassuring smile. Kristoff motioned for them to keep walking.

The steam suddenly dissipated to reveal a great clearing—a large circular basin or valley seemingly carved from the very mountains that surrounded them. The Valley of Living Rock Maren registered in awe as she took in the vast sight. The basin was ringed with steps and peppered with boulders of different sizes. Maren held tightly to Elsa's hand as they started to descend, following closely behind Kristoff and Anna.

The auroras flickered here in a way she had never seen before—almost as if they were alive. Pulsating light with each step they took then dimming—casting an eerie glow around the basin like an optical illusion. Shadows from the dead mangled trees rose up with the steam and danced like monsters with each flicker of light. Perhaps it was normal for the auroras to behave like this, or perhaps it wasn't. Perhaps she was simply starting to lose her mind in this strange place.

Maren's eyes floated up to the cliffs that loomed high above on all sides, squinting at what looked like little holes or caves pocketing the crags up to unimaginable heights. Is that where these people lived? How did they get up that high? Some of the holes glowed for a moment, then would dim just as quickly—adding to the strange light illusion that blanketed the whole canyon. Maren pulled her eyes away from the shimmering lights in the holes that may or may not really be there, blinking repeatedly. This place was definitely making her lose it.

They finally made it down into the circular bottom of the valley, coming to a stop in the exact center. Spiral mossy designs swirled across the dark rocky ground beneath their feet, flickering strange imagery in the dim aurora light. The sky felt so far away down here—up above the stepped basin and even further beyond the towering crags. Maren took a deep breath to calm herself and focused on Elsa's hand in hers. Elsa rubbed her thumb over the back of Maren's hand as if reading her mind.

They stood there for no more than a few heartbeats before the ground beneath their feet started to tremble and quake. 'What is that?' Maren hissed nervously, fearing that the cliffs were starting to crash down on them. Kristoff glanced around with a manic smile on his face then laughed outright. He laughed. Maren stared at him, utterly stupefied—he had finally lost it. Thats what this place did, it drove sane, rational people to the brink of madness. Why else would he be laughing like a lunatic during an earthquake?

Only it was not an earthquake—at least not properly. Even more disturbing—it was a rush of boulders charging down the basin towards them, shaking the ground and Maren's nerves in a thunderous roar. Instinctively she grabbed Elsa and pulled her close, ready to shield her from the avalanche of rocks.

Then she closed her eyes and braced, absolutely sure they were all about to die.


A/N: So I'm changing the trolls to be a bit darker, but still hopefully somewhat in character. Hope you'll like it!

If you want some creepy lost in the forest music to go along with the chapter, look up the Forest Temple music from Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. It's epically creepy - and a great game.