Maren was fairly certain the earth had stopped quaking, but a heartbeat still thudded in her ears so she couldn't be entirely sure what she was actually hearing. The jolting vibrations from the landslide still reverberated up her legs, which in that moment felt like jelly—but to her surprise, she was still standing.
'Ah, Maren—Maren.' Elsa breathed in a strained whisper, and Maren was instantly aware that she was digging her fingers into Elsa's arms—her bad arm.
'Sorry.' She whispered with an apologetic grimace, opening her eyes and releasing Elsa from the vice grip of her fingers. 'You ok?' She asked quietly, still afraid that any noise might trigger another rock slide. Elsa nodded and grabbed her hand again, squeezing it in confirmation with a small smile.
It was only when Maren pulled her attention away from Elsa, that she noticed the ring of boulders that had materialized around them. Different sized boulders, all with mossy designs covering them as she had seen painted across the cliffside on the way in. She chanced a glance upward and sure enough, the steps were also ringed with the same evenly spaced boulders. Somehow, these boulders had moved… on their own?
'Kristoff Bjorgman.' Kristoff announced in a loud firm voice that echoed around the otherwise silent cliffs.
'Anna of Arendelle.' Anna stated in the same strong voice.
'Elsa of Arendelle.' Elsa said and glanced at Maren.
Maren hesitated, but Elsa squeezed her hand and nodded. 'Honeymaren Nattura of the Northuldra.' She tried, hoping she'd announced herself correctly. Whether it was or wasn't correct didn't seem to matter as the boulders surrounding them began to shake and vibrate. For a moment she thought they were all going to crash downhill again—but they didn't. Instead, one by one each boulder unfurled, popping open like little roly-poly bugs she had played with as a child—each one crying out a chant as it opened, louder and louder:
'DOM — SAM — RA — RO — KA!'
It became evident that these were not ordinary boulders—they were in fact, little people or—trolls—no more than waist high with stubby, muscular little statures. Their skin was dark, weathered and harsh looking—as though it was made of rock or stone. Their bodies were covered with the same green moss-like patterns that clung to the walls, growing out of their rough skin almost like clothing. Some had foliage, roots, fungi or flowers sprouting out of them as well—and all had necklaces and bangles of different colored crystals adorning their strange little bodies. That must have been what had lit up the cave dwellings—crystals.
The light refracting from the crystals hanging about these little people seemed to glow and oscillate in tandem with the auroras—once again playing hallucinogenic tricks on her eyes. Maren blinked several times, attempting and failing to rid her senses of the hypnotic illusion. The mixture of the strange light effects and eerie chanting echoing around the cliffs was putting her in a lulled trance like state—almost meditative. It made it hard to think or focus on anything, and in the back of her mind she wondered if this was how the trolls worked their strange magic. Putting outsiders in a daze until they were either admitted or—well she didn't want to think of what these trolls did to people who were not admitted or who did not pass their tests.
'GRA —TU — CUN — HET — SU — A — KA — YA!'
The trolls stopped chanting with an abrupt finality that jolted her out of the trance-like state. Silence engulfed the place for a beat, until one boulder rolled forward towards them, the ground rising to meet it—her? It appeared to be a female troll, unfurling before them and standing eye level atop a stone platform that had risen out of the earth. She had white flowers growing out of her grassy—hair? Red crystals adorned her neck and soft dark eyes took them all in. It should've been unnerving, but something about this one's eyes was warm and kind—motherly even.
'Kristoff.' The troll said finally and smiled. 'Welcome home. We've missed you.' Her voice was oddly pleasant—not at all the kind of voice Maren was expecting to hear from a rugged creature such as her.
'I missed you too.' Kristoff said and stepped forward, placing a kiss on the troll's cheek. It was an odd gesture, one Maren was not expecting to see—almost as a son would greet his mother.
'Come here dear. Let me look at you.' The troll said, motioning to Anna. Anna stepped forward and the troll took her hands. 'Is it Queen Anna now? You did not announce yourself as such?' She asked and tilted her head at a strange angle.
'Bulda.' Anna said with a smile and hugged the troll. 'Yes, technically.' Anna answered the question somewhat reluctantly and glanced back at Elsa. 'But I prefer just Anna still, if you please?'
'Very well.' Bulda stated casually then motioned Anna closer. She whispered something into Anna's ear which caused a smile to spread across her face. Anna whispered something back to her and Bulda too smiled with an approving nod, then turned her gaze to Elsa.
'Come.' Bulda beckoned Elsa forward. Maren reluctantly released her hand as Elsa stepped forward. Bulda stared at Elsa for a beat before speaking. 'It has been a long time since I've seen you here.' She said and took Elsa's hands in her own. Bulda closed her eyes and hummed as if listening to something, then opened them and looked at Elsa with a twinkle in her dark eyes. 'Your magic has grown. You are at one with it now.' Bulda stated matter of factly. 'It has been a long road, but you have come out the other side of the tunnel now.' Bulda added with a knowing stare.
'I think so.' Elsa said quietly.
'Your fear is greatly diminished. In its place, I sense great love.' Bulda added, her eyes flicked to Maren for just a moment before returning to Elsa's. Elsa smiled and nodded. 'Good.' She said, then without looking down, turned Elsa's hand palm up and ran her stubby fingers over the crystal on Elsa's wrist. 'Ahhhhh. This is why you've come.' She announced knowingly as she inspected Elsa's wrist. Her dark eyes danced bright with the reflection of the turquoise crystal—her expression that of fascination and lust.
'Outsider!'
'Outsider!'
'Outsider!'
Chanting voices abruptly rang out from around them, startling Maren.
'Hush!' Bulda commanded, silencing the voices. Then she cocked her head towards Maren, staring at her. Bulda's glassy black eyes bore into her, causing her to shiver—as if the woman were reading the depths of her soul. But she held Bulda's gaze, standing still with her shoulders back, trying to project more courage than she felt. No fear—she recalled Kristoff's warning. 'Why do you bring this outsider?' Bulda asked, turning her gaze back to Elsa.
Elsa took a breath and turned to look back at her, locking Maren in a gaze that said trust me. She then reached out her hand and Maren took it without hesitation, letting Elsa pull her forward to stand next to her. 'She's my partner.' Elsa stated calmly, resolutely. 'Where she goes, I go. Where I go, she goes.' Elsa paused for just a brief moment then added: 'I love her.'
Maren found herself staring not at Bulda, but at the side of Elsa's face—a small smile crept over her own lips. Hearing Elsa announce her love out loud in front of everyone like that, so boldly and unafraid, stirred a love within Maren so deep, so profound it was almost painful—and she felt as though she might burst from it.
Bulda's eyes flicked to her then back to Elsa 'True love.' She hissed quietly. The red crystals around her neck glowed bright for a moment then dimmed, causing a creased smile to crawl over her weathered features. 'Yessss. Love is indeed a force that is powerful and strange. You may stay.' She hissed in a whisper then rolled back off the pedestal into her place in the circle or boulders. Elsa squeezed her hand and smiled. Maren was surprised—if that was a test, it hadn't been hard at all. She'd expected mind twisting riddles or mental torture. They are considered love experts by many—among other things. Kristoff's words suddenly rang through her mind. Perhaps love trumped all of their other tests? Or perhaps Kristoff's teasing had been overly dramatic as Anna had suggested. Either way, Maren was relieved.
'DOM — SAM — KA — CHI — SE — KA — HO — RA!'
The trolls started chanting again, their crystals and the auroras oscillating light in tandem with the chant. It grew louder this time, the lights flickering much more dramatically as the trolls parted ways to create a pathway.
'RA — RA — RA — RA — HO — CHI — KA — RA!'
All at once a sizable boulder, larger than all the others rolled down the incline where the trolls had made a pathway, coming to a stop and unfurling on the stone pedestal before them. Deep, dark wise eyes stared back at them with such an appraising gaze that Maren nearly turned away from it. This troll was ancient and imposing both in appearance and presence. In Maren's limited experience with rulers, (one being Yelena, the other Elsa) she had come to find that they all possessed a particularly confident type of regal air—almost as if they floated above the very ground that everyone else simply walked upon. In Yelena's case, it could be unusually annoying—in Elsa, it was unnaturally attractive. Whether learned from an early age or simply born into their very being—it was not hard to recognize, and this troll was no different.
He was clearly the King of the Trolls.
'My son. Welcome home.' The troll king stated in a low, gruff fatherly voice.
'Pabbie.' Kristoff said and bowed his head respectfully. The troll put his hand on top of Kristoff's head briefly—a gesture of welcoming. Maren suddenly panicked—should she bow or something? Elsa and Anna were probably exempt since they were royalty, but should she? Before she could do anything, Pabbie spoke:
'I know why you have come, and it was a wise decision.' He stated then turned to Elsa. 'Here, come, come. Let me see it.'
Elsa stepped forward and once again held out her wrist, revealing the crystal. Like Bulda, Pabbie closed his eyes and ran his fingers over it—listening to something that only he could hear. He shuddered slightly then opened his jet black eyes. 'Such power.' He whispered. 'Where did you get this?'
'Ahtohallan.' Elsa answered.
'Hmm. So it has begun.' Pabbie stated cryptically.
'What—what has begun?' Anna chimed in, her voice nervous.
'The rebalancing of nature. Your sister is the catalyst. It has begun.'
'I don't understand, I already brought the spirits back into balance. We broke the the dam…' Elsa added, a confused expression on her face.
'It is so much bigger than that, Elsa.' Pabbie stated and shook his head. 'The Vættir have not left this world as they should have. You must send them away, they are wreaking havoc on magical beings.'
'I'm sorry, the what?' Anna asked a look of confusion spread across her face.
Pabbie glanced at Anna then returned to Elsa. 'The Vættir. They are—what is the correct term—anti-spirits if you will. The shadow counterparts to the elemental spirits. One cannot exist without the other, just as a shadow cannot exist without light. They are meant to keep one another in balance.'
'But I thought, keeping nature in balance was Elsa's job?' Anna asked.
'It is.' Pabbie responded flatly. 'The Vættir act only on primal instincts—they do not have emotions or human empathy as Elsa does. They take necessary steps to balance the damage done by their counterparts—but these measures can sometimes lead to even greater disaster.'
'So then—these Vættir—were they the ones to put up the mist and make the spirits go dormant all those years ago? Before Elsa re-awakened them?' Maren asked, starting to put the pieces together.
'Yes, I believe so. When the spirits become chaotic, or destructive—out of harmony, then the Vættir are activated.' Pabbie answered. 'But if left unchecked, the Vættir have the potential to destroy the world—they must be sent back to their own dimension. They are no longer needed here.'
'How?' Elsa asked. Maren could hear the uncertainty in her voice, so she squeezed her hand in reassurance.
'Just as the elemental spirits breathe magic into the world, the Vættir equally have the power to breathe magic out of the world—and that is what they have slowly been doing. I have felt the repercussions of this myself—my magic weakens as we speak.' Pabbie said and shook his head. 'You see, they act on instinct—like a child, they have no way of knowing when they have done too much until it is too late. It is only the fifth spirit that has enough power to balance both the elemental spirits and the Vættir—to send the Vættir home.'
'I haven't felt any problems with my magic?' Elsa added, confusion in her voice.
'No, but I fear it is only a matter of time Elsa. The Vættir seem to be siphoning magic from the weaker creatures first—there is no stronger magic I know of than that of yours. It was strong enough even to override the Vættir and re-awaken the elemental spirits from their slumber. It will take longer, but eventually your magic will be affected. Which is why you must act quickly.'
'But if Elsa's magic is taken away, she will still be ok right? She'll just be normal like us?' Anna asked hopefully, if rather frenetically. Pabbie was already shaking his head.
'I'm afraid beings who possess magic are so inherently tied to it, that without it, many of them would not survive.'
Immediately Maren's heart sank into the pit of her stomach and she felt sick at hearing those words. 'We're not going to let that happen.' She whispered into Elsa's ear.
'No. No. That, that is not going to happen. Tell us what we need to do to stop this. Why, why didn't these things go away when Elsa calmed down the spirits and lifted the mist? Shouldn't that have sent them away? Balance restored! Job done, over, kaput?' Anna practically yelled in a frantic tone that frightened even Maren.
'To answer that, we must consult the sky…' Pabbie stated and raised his arms. The auroras flickered and danced in unison with the troll's crystals—and for the first time that night Maren realized that Pabbie had some sort of connection or control over the auroras. The dancing lights began to to take shape, creating imagery in the sky—and Maren watched in awe as the lights and colors swirled into a picture of—Elsa? A woman that looked strikingly like Elsa stood atop a mountain, battling against an unseen shadowy mist that Maren couldn't identify.
'The Vættir have emerged before, in ancient times.' Pabbie stated as the imagery continued to dance in the sky. 'By siphoning too much magic from the earth, it was they who ushered in the great age of ice. Without magic—to solid ice will the world freeze once more.' Pabbie continued, his dark eyes glazed over in a trance like state.
The imagery continued to unfold—the woman had defeated the mist that was attacking her, but it had weakened her. She fell to her knees and splayed out her hands, sending something into the sky in four directions.
'They arrive on the wings of chaos. Only can they be sent away on the bridge of crystals.' Pabbie continued, still in trance—his warnings becoming more cryptic each time he spoke.
Maren watched as the woman in the sky finally collapsed in a heap, seemingly unconscious or—dead. She rubbed her thumb over Elsa's hand—something was very wrong with this and she did not like it. It made her uneasy—this woman reminded her too much of Elsa. The ice age, the fifth-spirit of ancient Northuldran legends—Elsa. Whatever she was witnessing in the sky, prophetic past or premonitory future—she was not going to allow anything like that to happen to Elsa. No, she would not.
'She cannot do it alone. One was not enough. A bridge is stronger but only on four pillars does it stand. You cannot do it alone.' The words Pabbie spoke were arcane and unclear but his dark trance-like eyes bore into Elsa as he spoke them. 'The spirits were re-awakened by the power of crystals—it is by the power of crystals that the Vættir must be put to rest.'
Finally the wispy imagery in the sky dissipated and the auroras returned to their normal undulating state. Pabbie sighed, coming out of his trance state. 'Even now, the power of sight weakens me.' He said finally after catching his breath. 'There isn't much time left.'
'Elsa and I saw that same vision in Ahtohallan. Tell me what it means Pabbie—is Elsa going to die?' Anna spat out, her voice panicky.
'Anna.' Elsa hissed in the tone she used when she was aggravated. But the words were not lost on Maren—Anna and Elsa had seen this same vision in Ahtohallan—and Elsa had not told her. At least not directly. Suddenly all of Elsa's cryptic questions about reincarnation and changing destiny and her uncharacteristic outburst made much more sense. Elsa thought she was going to die, and she was scared.
'No Elsa, don't Anna me. I'm not a child—this is insane. What was that vision Pabbie, I want to know—a premonition that Elsa is going to die isn't it? I can't do this again—' Anna said flinging her arms in the air, her voice cracking and dangerously close to breaking.
'Anna I am not going to die.' Elsa said, her voice softening.
'It was a vision of the past, Anna.' Pabbie chimed in calmly and immediately Anna relaxed. Maren felt herself relax with Anna.
'Then, what does it mean?' Maren tried, searching for some answers on how to fix this.
'I believe it was a warning—showing you what not to do Elsa. Whatever course of action you choose, you must not go at it alone, or you will suffer the same fate we just witnessed.'
Elsa nodded. 'I think, I understand that now.' She said quietly. 'But, how do we send the Vættir home? With this?' Elsa asked and held up her wrist. 'A crystal bridge?'
'It is the crystal of the sea. One of the four elemental crystals—together they form the crystal bridge.'
'How do you know for sure?' Maren asked.
Pabbie chuckled. 'Oh my dear. I am nearly twice over five-hundred years in age—our colony, even older than that. I know.' He said with a wise smile. Maren felt her face flush with a twinge of embarrassment, but she was not sorry she'd asked. The more information they had, the better equipped they would be to deal with this.
'So, if Elsa has one of the crystals—where do we find the other three?' Anna asked in a much calmer tone of voice.
Pabbie did not immediately answer, but considered them all with his wise eyes that saw much more than Maren understood. Then he reached up under his scruffy mane of foliage and pulled something out. He held it up for all to see and dangling from a necklace made of tree roots—was a purple diamond shaped crystal.
'The crystal of the earth.' Pabbie stated and Maren felt her mouth drop open and immediately closed it. 'Passed down through our colony for generations. My father gave it to me and now, the time has come for me to pass it to my son.' He stated and motioned Kristoff forward. Kristoff looked surprised but stepped forward. 'You are part of the bridge my son, and also a part of our family. Keep this safe until the time comes to use it.' Pabbie said and placed the necklace over Kristoff's head.
'You know I will.' Kristoff said then hugged the old troll. Maren smiled and saw Anna fanning her face out of the corner of her eye. Elsa looked on with a smile and clasped hands.
'Elsa.' Pabbie said and gestured for her to take his hand. 'You have come such a long way since I first met you all those years ago. Your path has been most difficult and as turbulent as the raging sea, but take heart, for you are not alone. Never forget that.' He gestured for Anna to take his other hand. 'Anna, you are the other side of the bridge. Remember to stand tall and confident, free as the air flows through the open gates—for without you, there is no bridge at all.' Pabbie then turned his attention to Kristoff, motioning him to take Anna's hand. 'I knew of your destiny many years ago my son—for you were born as strong as the earth, meant to support and give strength to the human side of the bridge. I have every faith that you can and will do it.' A proud smile curled over Kristoff's lips and he nodded once.
'Honeymaren Nattura—the last pillar of the bridge.' Pabbie stated, turning his attention on her. Elsa reached out and took her hand. 'The brave and fiery warrior of the Northuldra people, it is on the spiritual side of the bridge that you will assist and maintain stability.' Maren glanced at Elsa then returned to Pabbie with a smile and a nod. The words were cryptic, but something about them tugged warmly at her heart. 'A bridge has two sides, but remember, it cannot stand strong without proper support. Take care of each other, and be well.'
All four of them glanced at each other and smiled, nodding in agreement at Pabbie's words. 'Pabbie, where can we find the other two crystals—air and fire?' Kristoff asked.
'Unfortunately, I know not where the other two crystals are—but they will call to you—just as the crystal of the sea called you to it, Elsa. And as the crystal of the earth called you home my son.'
Elsa removed her hand from Maren's and took a small step back from the group. Kristoff and Anna continued to talk with Pabbie, but Maren's eyes followed Elsa. Her brow was creased and she had reached a hand up to her temple then quickly removed it. Maren stepped aside so she was close enough to whisper near Elsa's ear. 'You have a headache?' She asked. Elsa looked at her, worry in her eyes then nodded and glanced around as if she didn't want all the trolls to notice. 'Ok, maybe we should leave.' Maren whispered, then slipped her hand around Elsa's waist and pulled her back towards the group.
'Pabbie what's wrong?' It was Kristoff's voice she heard immediately and snapped her head around. The old troll looked tired, drained and also had a hand to his head as if he were in pain.
'I—I don't know.'
'Outsiders!'
'Outsiders!'
'Outsiders!'
Several trolls cried out from around the basin. Maren's eyes snapped around to search for what they were talking about, but before she saw anything, Elsa slipped from her grasp and fell to her knees clutching her head in her hands.
'Aha..' Elsa moaned and shook her head, her eyes scrunched closed in pain as Maren dropped to her knees beside her.
'Elsa!' Anna turned in the same moment, startled when she saw Elsa on the ground and dropped down on the other side of her. 'What happened?' She asked with wide confused eyes.
'She has a headache—it's worse than I've ever seen before…' Maren trailed off when she saw something flicker just beyond Anna. A glimmer of green in the distance. She couldn't be sure—it could've been another strange light reflection from the troll's crystals. But then the green orbs moved and she saw that they were attached to a tall dark shadowy body—much taller than any of the trolls. 'There's draugr's here.' She whispered and scanned around looking for more but didn't see any immediately.
'Oh no…' Anna said, turning to look where Maren was staring and locking the draugr in her sights.
'That's why she gets these headaches—every time she's near one of these things.' Maren stated, trying to keep the rising anger and panic out of her voice. 'We need to leave.' She said hastily. Anna nodded in agreement and wasted no time helping her drag Elsa to a stand.
To her surprise Kristoff was hunched near Pabbie who also seemed to be in a tremendous amount of pain. The old troll winced then clapped his hands above his head. Maren watched as the light from the auroras swirled down from the sky to form something of a dome shaped shield around the whole valley—the trolls started chanting again and the shield pulsed in rhythm with the chants. Elsa was quivering as she leaned heavily into Maren, but as the shield came down Maren felt her relax instantly.
'There is strange magic here. You must leave at once—' Pabbie said as he scanned the valley. Maren followed his gaze—besides the one she first noticed, there were three other draugrs spaced around the valley. All just outside of Pabbies shield, each blocking an exit path.
'Wait, wait. Why do these draugrs—and creatures keep following and attacking her?' Maren asked, the pitch in her voice rising.
'It is not the creatures themselves doing this—it is the Vættir I sense here right now. Somehow they are inhabiting these lower magical beings such as the draugrs, and are using the creature's magic for their own purposes.'
'So the Vættir are inside of these draugrs?' Anna asked in disbelief. 'What do they want?' Her tone was verging on desperate.
'I do not know—as we speak I feel their presence. They are probing my mind attempting to gain access to me—to invert my magic. This is a gift only the draugr's possess—part of their shielding abilities—to reverse magic. I can feel the Vættir harnessing it from them.'
'Then that's what they've been trying to do to me—the headaches.' Elsa said, her brow creased in recognition.
'I do not know why they have been targeting you Elsa, unless they see your existence as a threat to their own—which is very possible. Your magic is very strong, it is unlikely they will be able to fully take command of it—but they will certainly try, and the attacks could weaken you. Stay away from them and leave this place. I cannot hold this shield for very much longer. I am truly sorry, but you must leave now.' Pabbie said and grimaced—the shield flickered but remained intact.
'Thank you for everything Pabble.' Elsa said and placed a hand on the troll's shoulder. He nodded resolutely. 'I need to find water.'
'There's no water in the valley, the trolls don't need it.' Kristoff stated and shook his head.
'Then how do we get her out?' Maren asked, glancing around again at the draugrs blocking all the visible exit points she could see.
'Follow me.' Kristoff stated and started leading them up the steps of the valley. The draugrs cocked their heads and followed them with eerie green eyes as they hurried up the steps. She took Elsa's hand in her own and stared directly at one of the draugrs. I dare you to try. She thought and squeezed Elsa's hand. She and Daisy had fought one off before, and she could certainly do it again if the need arose.
'It's a shortcut, but it's very narrow.' Kristoff said as he led them to a narrow rocky pass between two of the main entrances to the valley. Narrow was perhaps an understatement—it was so slender, the only possible way through was to shimmy sideways through it—she wasn't even sure Kristoff would fit. 'It's the only other way out.'
Maren could feel her own panic rising again thinking about being in that enclosed rocky space, but Kristoff was right. This was the only way. She could feel Elsa studying her so she took a deep breath—now was not the time for fear. 'Let's go.' She said, far more confidently than she felt.
'Just follow me, and stay close—it's easy to get lost.' Kristoff warned.
Fantastic. Maren thought wryly and took another breath full of thick steamy air. She could do this—she had to do this. There was no other option. Kristoff slid into the crevice—fitting by some miracle—followed closely by Anna.
'Stay by me, I won't let anything happen to you.' Elsa whispered then turned Maren's face toward her and kissed her. It was brief but passionate and it nearly took her breath away. She could do this. With Elsa near her, she could do anything. A cold hand grasped her own and led her into the narrow fissure behind Anna. As predicted she had to turn sideways to fit, and moving was excruciatingly slow going, but not as bad as she feared. Perhaps because it was dark and she really couldn't see just how closed in they were—or perhaps it was the soothing presence of the cold body pressed next to her. Either way she tried desperately not to focus on the looming sense of dread that the walls were closing in, and instead focused on the fact that she would be out of it soon. They wound and meandered their way through the dark pass, scraping and bruising themselves on unsuspecting rocks that jutted out at odd angles as they skirted through. Finally Maren could see a small bit of dim light coming from up ahead and she breathed a sigh of relief—they were almost out.
The breath of air Maren took once out of that tiny little hole was one of the best breaths she'd ever taken in her life—no matter how thick with steam it was. Elsa turned and gave her a small proud smile. It appeared that this shortcut had led them back to the same pass from which they ventured in—the wagon must be up ahead.
'Never again.' Anna breathed a sigh of relief once they were out, blowing her bangs up out of her face.
'What? I used to play in those tunnels all the time, it was fun.' Kristoff said with a shrug.
'Of course you did.' Anna mumbled and shook her head.
They started hurriedly walking down the dark, steam filled pass—the aurora light the only illumination. 'Wait. Stop.' Kristoff said quietly, stopping abruptly and holding up a hand. Anna nearly toppled into him, Elsa nearly fell on top of Anna and Maren just barely caught herself from tripping on all three of them.
She suddenly felt Elsa's hand tense and glanced over at her—she was holding her head again, her eyes squeezed shut. Maren looked ahead and through the steam she could make out two beady green, glowing eyes. Damnit! 'Another one?' She hissed exasperatedly and snaked her arm protectively around Elsa's waist again. 'We can't go back that way.' She whispered, gesturing back towards the valley. Elsa groaned and Maren felt her slipping again, but was prepared and able to support her weight this time. The draugr started walking towards them with its unnaturally jerky movements, almost taunting them—their only choice, to back slowly away from it.
'Maren!' Anna hissed and pointed behind her. Maren jerked around to look, finding another pair of green eyes staring at them through the steam. She glanced forward again, that draugr was still approaching, and now another one from this side—they were trapped.
'Ah!' Elsa let out an agonizing cry and pulled away from her, again falling to her knees and gripping her head. Maren rushed to her, followed shortly by Anna. 'No, no get away from me.' Elsa gasped through gritted teeth and eyes scrunched closed.
'Elsa we are not leaving you.' Anna said and tried to help her up. Elsa yanked away from her.
'I'm going to—ahhhhh.' Elsa tried but was cut short by another wave of pain. 'Blast them.' She finally choked out, frost already starting to crackle and spread across the ground beneath them. 'Get away from me.'
'Elsa no. We don't know—' Maren started but was cut off by Elsa.
'Please!' Elsa shouted in desperation, her eyes suddenly wide and frantic, tears of pain streaming down them. Her outburst startled Maren but before she knew it Anna was beside her pulling her away from Elsa.
'You have to listen to her when she's like this—she doesn't have full control.' Anna said as she pulled Maren off to the side of the pass where Kristoff joined them. Maren ignored Anna, never taking her eyes off Elsa. She wanted to run back to her, to haul her away from here, away from the pain that was causing her to writhe and scream, but Anna and Kristoff held her in place.
Snow started swirling around Elsa and ice cut out from beneath her like jagged teeth. She screamed again, more fractured ice splintered out from under her as she clutched her head. Slowly, she pushed up off the ground, and forced herself to a stand. She turned on the draugr that was blocking the wagon with eyes so focused, so deadly, so icy that a chill ran down Maren's spine. As she turned, her hands became coated in ice, leaving a frosty trail of air in their wake. Maren felt the temperature drop to a bone chilling level and knew instinctively that anything that touched Elsa in this moment would die on the spot. Elsa used the momentum of her spin to gather her magic and in one explosive blast, she released a shockwave of ice so jagged and so cold that Maren had never seen or felt the likes of anything like it before in her life.
It was designed to kill.
The ice flowed from Elsa as effortlessly as breathing and Maren couldn't help but feel awed and tiny in the presence of such magnificent raw power. It soared through the air towards the draugr on the wings of excellent aim—time seemed to slow down as she watched, waiting anxiously for the ice to hit its mark—but it never did. Instead it slowed down, nearly stopped just short of the draugr and inverted its flow—back towards Elsa. It all could've happened in no less than two seconds, but it felt like two agonizingly long hours.
'Elsa!' Maren screamed, but it was too late.
The murderous blast meant for the draugr was redirected back towards Elsa, slamming into her chest with such devastating force that it sent her sprawling backwards, and into the rocky cliffside.
No sound.
No thoughts.
No feeling.
Nothing existed.
Numbness—and the desperate need to get to her.
A/N: Ok there was a lot here, I hope it all made sense and that it was at least somewhat interesting!
I'm working from home due to the virus, so depending on how that goes I may be able to update more frequently, which I would like to do for all those who are also stuck at home, bored and ready to read! Stay safe out there everyone, and enjoy some good fics during this quarantine time!
Here is the music that inspired the trolls chanting music: Dha Werda Verda
