A salty ocean breeze wafted up from the fjord, briefly sweeping away the unpleasant smell of the stables. Music and cheerful laughter drifted in from outside—the Spring Festival was in full swing. But right now, Maren's focus was on Daisy.
She ran her hand over Daisy's smooth white coat, over her ribcage and down underneath her belly, gently palpating as she went. Riding, brushing and simply caring for Daisy throughout her lifetime had created a familiarity with Daisy's body that Maren was very in tune with—and she could tell something was different. She continued to slide her hands over Daisy's protruding belly, searching for what she suspected was there until—a subtle, faint poking sensation greeted her hand, then quickly subsided. She left her hand in the same place, double checking, and—not a moment later, the soft poking sensation returned, much more pronounced than the first time. Maren smiled, sat back on her haunches and let out a long happy breath.
Daisy was pregnant.
'Ms. Maren, is… is Daisy ok?' Came Rune's quietly intrigued voice from over her shoulder. Maren turned to face him and nodded with a smile, resting an arm on her knee.
'She sure is—in fact, she's going to have a baby.' Maren said and watched with amusement as Rune's eyes went wide in surprise. 'Do you want to feel her belly?' His mouth dropped open slightly at the question, but slowly his head began to nod. Maren curled her lips in to suppress a chuckle.
'Ok, here.' She instructed and moved him closer. The top of his head barely reached the height of Daisy's shoulder, so he only had to reach forward to touch her belly. Reach forward he did, slowly, tentatively until Maren covered his small hand with hers and guided it to where she had felt the movement. Daisy snorted and shifted her weight, then turned her head around to look at them.
'It's alright, I'm just showing him.' Maren said softly and rubbed her nose. Daisy snorted and turned forward again, displeased, but seemingly in acceptance of the unfamiliar small person who was now prodding her belly. 'You're gonna have to get used to kids…' Maren chuckled under her breath and shook her head with a smirk. The soft poking sensation rolled under Daisy's skin again, strong enough that Maren could feel it beneath Rune's hand.
His eyes snapped up to hers, a wide toothless grin on his face.
'That's it,' Maren nodded. 'That's the baby reindeer moving—and pretty soon you'll be able to meet it.'
'Really?…maybe…tomorrow?' Rune asked hopefully. Maren shook her head and chuckled.
'No, no, not quite that soon—in a month, maybe two.'
'Oh.' Rune said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. Daisy moved away from them then, situated herself on a mound of hay before laying down on it. 'She's seeming tired.' He observed.
'Well I'm sure it's tiring carrying around a baby reindeer in your tummy.' Maren said and poked Rune in the belly, eliciting a giggle from him. Just then Sven trotted in from outside, greeted Daisy with a grunt and laid down next to her.
'Is Sven goin' to be the baby reindeer's Daddy?'
'I think he is, yes.'
'Oh good! Cause then the baby won't ever be lonely.' Rune added and Maren felt a pang of sadness hit her heart.
'Rune, do you remember your Mommy or Daddy?' Maren asked carefully. Rune shook his head slowly, his eyes turned down towards his toes. 'Hm. That's left you pretty lonely hasn't it?' Rune nodded slightly, still looking at his toes.
'Well, I have a favor to ask you.' Maren said, causing him to look back up at her. 'I think the baby reindeer will also need a friend to make sure it never gets lonely…do you think you could do that? Be friends with it once it's born?'
'Me?' Rune asked, a surprised smile growing up his cheeks. 'Oh yes, yes, I'm sure I could do it!'
'Good. You promise?'
'Yes! yes! I promise! I can be a real good friend!'
'I thought so.' Maren added with a smile. It took so little to make this boy happy, and she found herself wanting to do anything to bring a smile to his face. She couldn't quite place what it was about him that caused such endearment, but seeing the joy on his face ignited something within her that she only felt on the rare, private occasions when Elsa laughed or smiled only with her.
'I can't wait! Oh I'll take so good care of it!' Rune said excitedly then paused, contemplating something. 'Ms. Maren? How'd the baby get inside Daisy anyway?'
'Oh…' Maren cleared her throat, completely caught off guard by that question. 'Well, you see…um…'
'Mare!' A voice she knew well bellowed from the doorway. 'You are back!'
'Ryder?' Maren stood, surprised at seeing her brother charging towards them. She felt Rune skitter behind her and grab hold of her leg, but all she could do was brace for impact, not having a moment to protest before Ryder grabbed her in a bear hug, squeezing the air out of her.
'I heard you were back! They said Elsa was hurt, is she ok? Are you ok? Tell me what's going on, this fog is giving me the creeps…it looks exactly like…'
'Ehhh…' Maren hissed, pulling away from him and gesturing to Rune who was still hiding behind her. 'I'm fine, Elsa's fine… just… slow down for a minute.'
'Oh, sorry. Who's this?' Ryder asked excitedly and started to bend down, but Maren grabbed his arm, halting him.
'It's…Rune. Just…slowly. He's a little—afraid of men.' She whispered so Rune wouldn't hear. 'He really likes the reindeer.'
'Ohhh. I see.' Ryder whispered back with a knowing smile.
'Rune,' Maren knelt down so she was eye level with him. 'This is my brother Ryder, would you like to say hello?' Rune nodded slowly but kept a tight grip on her arm. Ryder slowly knelt down and sat cross legged on the ground.
'Hi there Rune.' Ryder said with a smile. Her brother was unusually gifted with kids, presumably because he himself still acted like one—but for once, this was a good thing. 'So did you get to ride on any of the reindeer yet?' Predictably, this caused Rune to perk up and look at Ryder. He edged out from behind her a bit more, still holding onto her arm.
'Mm hm.' Rune said, nodding his head shyly. 'Yesterday, yesterday I gotta ride Sven and Daisy.'
'Wow! Were you scared?'
Rune hesitated, then shook his head. 'No, no I weren't scared. An we went rilly fast and I still weren't scared!' Rune released his grip on her arm so he could splay out his arms out to re-enact his rides.
'Well sometime you'll have to ride my Iskko and tell us who you think is the fastest reindeer of all, ok?'
'Mmmm…okay.' Rune said shyly and nodded, barely able to suppress a smile. Then he leaned to whisper in her ear: 'Can I go pet the baby again?'
'Sure, go ahead.' Maren chuckled and sat on the ground next to Ryder, resting an arm on her knee. At once Rune sprinted over and slid to his knees in front of Daisy, who was sleeping soundly next to Sven. Sven was awake and poked his snout at Rune who giggled and patted Sven's nose. Then he slowly reached out a hand and placed it on Daisy's belly. Not a moment later he turned around to face her with a huge grin on his face—clearly he had felt the baby move again. She smiled in return and watched him continue to pet and stroke Daisy's belly.
'So what's the deal with this kid?' Ryder asked, a suspicious smile on his face. 'And… is Daisy pregnant?'
Maren let out a long breath. 'Yes, and it's a long story. Everything is a long story actually…'
'Tell me. Somethings wrong, I can tell.'
She let out another breath, Ryder knew her too well. 'Elsa isn't safe. She's been attacked several times and… she was hurt really badly, twice. She almost died.'
'Spirits… how is she now?'
'She's better… mostly. It shook her up though. She won't really admit it, but it did… and, I'm just worried about her. I've barely slept and… I don't know.'
'And you love her.'
Maren let out a breath, then brought her eyes up to meet her brother's. 'Yeah. I do. So much Ryder.'
'I can tell—correction could tell. Months ago. I figured I'd let you two work it out before I went yammering on about it… you know me.'
'That was—surprisingly adult of you.'
'I have my moments.' Ryder chided and pushed her knee playfully. 'I'm happy for you though, really. Elsa is great and she seems really good for you. I can see it.'
Maren huffed a sigh. 'I know. I've never felt this way about anyone… I just… I can't lose her.'
Ryder nodded solemnly. 'I get it. So, tell me what's attacking her?'
Maren explained to him everything she knew about the Vættir, the creatures attacking Elsa, the crystals, Trolls, Iduna's journal, Rune, and the mist. It was best he knew everything, they could use all the help they could get and she wanted him to stay as safe and informed as possible.
'Spirits…tell me you have some kind of plan?'
'Well, after the festival we're going to see if Elsa can get us through the mist again, then we can get to the North Mountain to search for the air crystal. If all that goes well—and that's a big if—then we go to the volcano to look for the fire crystal.'
'That… sounds like a lot of if's.'
'I know, but it's all we've got to go on right now—and we don't have a lot of time. These diplomats are already breathing down Anna's neck, we can't let them figure out that they're trapped here too—those bastards will find anything to use against her to get what they want. And if the Vættir siphon off too much magic and it starts to affect Elsa…'
'What?' A quizzical expression formed on his face.
'If she loses her magic completely… she'll die.'
'Spirits. Are you sure?'
'The trolls think so—and the last fifth-spirit, you know the one from our legends?'
'Yeah?'
'I'm pretty sure that's how she died. I think the Vættir weakened her, and then she gave the rest of her magic back to the earth to restore it, and to send them away… and it was too much. It killed her.'
Ryder was silent for a beat. He blinked a few times before speaking. 'Does Elsa know that?'
'She does, and she's scared—I don't blame her.' Maren paused, feeling the weight of that on her heart. 'I hate that she has to go through this Ryder. I wish…'
'I know. But hey, she's not alone. I know you won't let anything happen to her, and neither will I. I'm coming with you.'
'What? No, you absolutely are not. Besides, if the four of us go, we need someone to watch out for Rune. I just, can't have him go back to that orphanage Ryder, or live on the streets any more.'
Ryder took a breath, and Maren realized she had probably won this one. 'Fine, I'll stay—for you. Björn and I will look after him.'
'Good. Thank you.'
'But you better get back in one piece, or I swear on all the spirits Maren.'
She took a breath, and had to break away from his sad eyes. Their parents had left on a trip and never returned, and she knew Ryder had never fully gotten over it. She hadn't either, if she was being honest with herself, but she was older and always had to pretend she was ok—for Ryder—even when she wasn't, and this time was no different. She loved him, but the thought of Elsa doing something as dangerous as this without her was not an option.
'That's not going to happen again.' She said as calmly and convincingly as possible. He was still staring at her with those sad, child-like eyes that normally would cause her to cave in to whatever he wanted. But not this time. Neither of them believed her words, she knew that, but right then he seemed to at least respect her decision. He nodded slowly and she threw him a reassuring smile.
A second later Rune came running over, breaking the thick silence between them and nearly bursting out of his skin. 'Ms. Maren I feeled it, I feeled the baby three times!' Rune said excitedly and held up four fingers. Maren chuckled at how much the kid loved reindeer. He reminded her of herself, in that way.
'That's great kiddo. Well then, what do you say we go out to the festival? Maybe play some games and look around while we wait for Queen Anna and Elsa?' Maren asked. Rune nodded enthusiastically.
They spent the next half hour wandering the cobblestone streets, browsing the bazaar full of different Arendellian merchandise and food. Festive purple and green bunting emblazoned with the gold crocus flower lined the storefronts, while banners with the same imagery hung from lampposts. The air smelled of sweet cakes and piped tobacco and the streets were alive with music, laughter and conversation. Shop owners had their doors propped open, freely chatting with potential customers as they walked past.
Ryder and Rune led the way, both more familiar with these streets than she, leaving her free to observe the surrounding festivities. Ryder's knowledge of Arendelle impressed her—as he pointed out various shops where he either delivered ice and other goods, or was a frequent customer. He fit in well here, she decided with a bittersweet pang of sadness. It would be strange not to have him at home, but as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered. She smiled proudly as he pulled out a pocket of gold coins to pay for a game of bucket toss with Rune. An Arendelle man indeed.
'You're certainly doing well for yourself here.' She observed, and snatched a coin out of his palm.
He shrugged. 'I am a man of many entrepreneurial talents.'
'Right.' She said flatly and turned the gold coin over in her hand. It was embossed with Elsa's profile and around the rim it read: Queen • Elsa • 1842. The reverse side read: Kingdom • of • Arendelle. In the center, a large number 5 was embossed in a crocus, surrounded by fancy rosemaling detail that she was accustomed to seeing everywhere in Arendelle. The word Kroner arced beneath the design. She flipped it over to Elsa's profile again, which looked so similar to Anna's, that had Elsa's name not been engraved, they probably could've gotten away without minting new coins for Anna.
It still seemed surreal to her on occasion, that the woman she was in love with had been the ruler of a kingdom. Not that it didn't suit Elsa, it did, very much, but when she was reminded of how men literally fell to their knees in her presence, how she had commanded armies and armadas and had her face forever engraved on gold currency—surreal was the best way to describe it. Larger than life. Yet beyond all of that, beyond her magic even—she was just Elsa. And it was this, just Elsa, that she was truly and madly in love with.
'Would you like to be left alone with that coin?' Ryder snickered and made a kissy face, pulling her from her thoughts. She rolled her eyes and flipped the coin back to him.
'No, thank you. I have the real thing to look at.'
'Cute.' He said dryly, catching the coin and turning his attention back to Rune, who had started jumping up and down.
'I made it!' He said excitedly, and Maren saw that he had successfully tossed a ball into the second bucket of four.
'Just two more buckets Rune, you can do it.' Maren encouraged. Rune smiled at her, took the ball eagerly and turned to focus intently on the third bucket.
'What a sweet child, is he yours?' The woman running the stall asked her.
'Me? Oh… no, he's not.' Maren responded, caught off guard by the question.
'My mistake. It's just, he quite looks like you with that hair.'
'Oh. Yes, I suppose so.'
'Ah, I so look forward to this festival every year, don't you?' The woman asked enthusiastically. 'It really brings the whole kingdom together.'
'Well, actually this is my first time. My brother and I are from Northuldra.'
'Oh I see! How exciting, are you enjoying it here?'
'Yes, yes very much so.'
'I say, Queen Elsa and Princess—excuse me, Queen Elsa and Queen Anna have done such a wonderful job opening up the kingdom in the last few years. Between the festivals, all the new immigrants such as yourself… I'm so proud to be Arendellian. And it's all due to those two young ladies. Forgive me, but I could simply go on and on about them.' The woman said with a laugh.
Maren was smiling. The woman was rambling, but in this case she absolutely loved hearing every word she had to say. 'No, no it's alright. I agree with you. They have improved relations with my people tenfold, I owe a great deal to both of them as well. They are very special ladies, I'm glad to hear the people of Arendelle approve of them as rulers.'
'Oh they are simply adored here. It was a very sad day when Queen Elsa announced her abdication, I think we were all hurt and confused, but thank the stars for Queen Anna. Personally I believe Queen Elsa never would have left us if it had not been for the fact that she trusted Queen Anna implicitly to take her place.'
'I believe, you're right… I am sorry though, that there was so much sadness over over her departure.'
'Well it's to be expected anytime something one loves gets taken away. And in this case, the whole kingdom truly loved her. Nearly everyone approved of her policies, the young men were enamored by her, she was an icon for all the young ladies—even the children adored her. I never met her personally, but she just seems like such a kind, intelligent young woman. We were all so proud to be Arendellian under her reign.' The woman said, a sad smile on her face.
'Yes. I can… I can see that…' Maren said, barely above a whisper. A pang of guilt had slunk its way into her chest.
You belong up here.
Her own words suddenly rang in her mind as the guilt coiled further in her chest. Was it fair that she got to keep Elsa all to herself, when all these people clearly loved her too? Even if she had had some sway over Elsa's decision to live in the forest, in the end it had been Elsa's decision, and she respected it. No, Elsa did belong in the forest with the spirits… with her…
Didn't she?
'Can I… may I ask a rather intimate question?' The woman asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and leaning forward confidentially. Her blonde braid was draped casually over her shoulder—exactly like Elsa wore hers.
'You can ask, I'm not entirely sure that I will answer.' Maren chuckled, trying to lighten the strange mood.
'Is it true that, people—that it is acceptable for people of the same sex to be together in Northuldra?'
Maren's heart leapt up into her throat at those words. Why had the woman asked this? Perhaps she was just curious. It was a perfectly normal thing to ask.
'Yes, it is accepted. Though I gather that has not been the case in Arendelle.'
'No, unfortunately not.' The woman said wistfully. Maren noticed a sadness in her eyes, but said nothing.
'It's ok, that was just practice. Try again.' Ryder encouraged. Maren glanced over and saw that Rune had missed his toss into the fourth bucket. Ryder retrieved the ball for him.
'Why do you ask?' Maren tried, still a bit confused over this new line of questioning.
'Ah well. I suppose the rumors that Queen Elsa abdicated to be with a beautiful Northuldran woman have me wondering. Forget I said anything, it really isn't my business, curiosity got the better of me.'
'Wait, wait. People think Elsa abandoned the kingdom to run away with a lover?'
'Well the rumors circulate, you know how it is.'
'I don't actually, I'm not from here.' Maren snapped harsher then she meant to. 'But I can say that her decision to abdicate was a very difficult one for her, and had more to do with the welfare of the forest, her kingdom and the safety of everyone except her own self. She would never run away from her duties simply to be with a woman… or a man.'
A small knowing smile crept up the woman's soft features. It made Maren uncomfortable, but it was simultaneously kind and understanding in its own way. 'I believe you.' Was all she said, then reached out and squeezed Maren's forearm gently.
'I got's it!' Rune shouted and Maren turned to see him jumping up and down, the ball having landed in the fourth and final bucket.
'Well done young man!' The woman congratulated. 'I think you are our youngest fellow to win this game, which prize would you like to choose?'
Rune wasted no time in pointing at the prize he wanted. Maren looked at what he pointed to and smiled, unsurprised. 'The knitted reindeer, an excellent choice.' The woman said and handed the little stuffed toy to Rune, who immediately showed it to Ryder with a huge grin.
'Great job Rune!' Maren congratulated and bent down as he ran to hug her. 'Wow, what a great toy, it looks just like Sven.' She said and tugged on the ear of the thing.
'I think, I'll name him Sven. Then, when the baby comes we can play together with my Sven doll.'
'I think that's a great idea.'
'Alright Rune, where to next?' Ryder asked. Rune spun around, grabbed Ryder's hand and started pulling him down the street.
'Thanks for letting him try a few times.' Maren said and stood up, brushing herself off.
'Not a problem. It's Honeymaren right?'
'What… yes, how did…?'
'Rumors circulate.' The woman shrugged, the warm smile returning to her lips. Maren just stared at her, unsure exactly how to respond this.
'Mare, c'mon lets go!' Maren glanced down the road towards Ryder, relieved for the interruption.
'Thank you, I hope to see you again sometime.' Maren stated with a quick nod.
'Likewise.' The woman said with a smile and Maren turned to hurry after Ryder and Rune, eager to end that conversation.
'Hurry up! Anna and Elsa are coming out, it's apparently a big deal.' Ryder said as she joined them in the market square. Rune was sitting atop his shoulders, clutching Ryder's chin in one hand and the stuffed reindeer in the other. The square was filled with people and she could barely see over most of them.
'Do you have a good view from up there Rune?' Maren asked above the chatter of the crowd. He nodded excitedly and pointed towards the center of the square where the new statue of Anna and Elsa's parents now stood.
Maren strained her neck to see above the crowd, but all she could see were the backsides of taller people in front of her. However, Anna and Elsa must have arrived because the crowd suddenly erupted into earsplitting cheers and applause. Finally, she saw them emerge from the crowd and step up onto the stone dais in the center of the square. Anna was once again dressed in full regalia, while Elsa wore a sleek blue outfit that was similar to the one Maren had seen her wear the day they met. It was simple, elegant, and beautiful. It also covered her back and shoulders which Maren knew, still showed signs of heavy bruising.
The sisters held hands beneath the monolithic bronze statue of their parents holding hands. A union of the people and nature, which Anna and Elsa were now the living embodiment of. The bridge. That surreal feeling wrapped itself around her again, seeing the two of them up there, but all she could do was smile and stare at Elsa. Somehow, though she knew she must have been buried behind throngs of people, Elsa found her, locked eyes with her and smiled the half-smile that made Maren feel like she was the only person on the planet. She winked to let Elsa know she'd seen, and saw Elsa's smile grow wider at that.
'Welcome, everyone!' Anna bellowed for all to hear, releasing Elsa's hand and stepping forward to speak. That was one thing, Anna definitely had a booming public speaking voice, whereas Maren couldn't begin to picture how Elsa had ever made addresses like this. Elsa was many things, but loud was not one of them.
'Thank you all for coming out to celebrate our annual Spring Equinox Festival, and for sharing with the world the great spirit of Arendelle!' The crowd erupted into cheers again, cutting off Anna's words.
'Long live the Queens!' Came a shout from somewhere in the crowd.
'Yes, thank you.' Anna said, and Maren could see her cheeks go red even from this distance. 'But, it is truly thanks to all of you. Each and every one of you work hard every day to contribute to this great kingdom that we all call home. Through thick and thin, your loyalty and spirit has been what gives me the strength to wake up every day, to do my part to ensure that everyone is safe and well cared for. If that means I would have to lay down my life for any one of you, I would do it in a heartbeat. That is the vow I took, when my sister passed the crown to me, and I will continue to uphold it every day for as long as I live.'
'Long live the Queens! Long live the Queens! Long live the Queens!'
The chanting erupted louder than before and only quelled when Anna raised her hand to begin speaking again. 'Change is never easy, and though I know you have had, and may have, many mightier and wiser leaders sitting in this seat,' Anna paused to take up Elsa's hand again and pulled her forward. 'I can tell you, that you will never have any that love you as I do.'
'Queen Anna! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!'
The chanting and applause was deafening at this point. Maren glanced up to see that Rune had covered both of his ears to block the noise. Something else caught her eye, high up in the cloudy sky just beyond Rune's head. It glinted for a moment, then disappeared, sending a rush of nerves and adrenaline though her. She squinted, waiting to see if it would appear again, but it didn't. Perhaps it was simply a strange trick of the cloudy mist. Perhaps she was just being paranoid.
'And I will do my best to continue to uphold the values set forth by my sister, those of equality, acceptance, justice, and peace for all who live under the flag of Arendelle. May truth and love always reign and may our flag always fly!'
The crowd erupted again, but Maren's focus was still on the sky. There again was the glint, lower now—much lower. A moving, sparking glint that she had never seen in all her years of observing the mist. She squinted and tried to follow it with her eyes this time, as whatever it was was descending rapidly from the heavens. A sense of dread enveloped her, but she pushed it away and tried to focus on whatever seemed to be flying invisibly above them. If she didn't know better, the pattern of flight seemed to suggest these were some kind of birds—large birds perhaps, if the speed of descent was any indication. She picked them up again with her sight, just barely and—they were heading straight for Anna and Elsa. Panic hit her full on and she glanced around, but no one else seemed to notice the strange phenomena in the sky.
'Rune, I need you to stay here with Ryder ok?' She said above the crowd noise and squeezed his leg. He looked at her with confusion. 'I'll be right back alright?' She said with a smile, trying to convince him to stay. He nodded but still seemed confused. Ryder turned to her, a quizzical look also in his eyes. 'Stay with him, something isn't right.' She said near Ryder's ear then started shoving her way through the crowd. She'd lost sight of where the invisible things were, but it didn't matter. She just needed to get to Anna and Elsa before it reached them.
Just then someone in the crowd—a woman—screamed a scream that was not in line with the other chants of joy. It was a cry of terror and a knot formed in Maren's stomach.
'Move, please!' She shouted at the large men obstructing her path who didn't seem to hear her over the chaos. She managed to shove her way past them and finally, between the throngs of people, was able to catch a glimpse of Elsa again. What she saw caused her heart to race. Anna had fallen, or fainted? She was on the ground for some reason, propped up on one arm, holding her head with the other. Elsa too was on the ground kneeling protectively over Anna, her eyes frantically searching the sky.
What had just happened? She could barely see anything! Maren's eyes rose to the sky again, but she saw nothing. Frustration and fear flooded through her and she once again made an attempt to shove her way through the rapidly panicking crowd of people. The guards that were near Anna and Elsa had already formed a circle around them, attempting to shield them from whatever was attacking. In the back of her mind, Maren knew this must have something to do with the Vættir, but she couldn't formulate a cohesive string of thoughts about that right now. She just needed to get to Elsa.
A loud thud resounded—one of the guards surrounding Anna and Elsa had fallen to the ground. The others closed the gap, frantically searching around for what had caused the man to fall. Then another guard went down, only this time Maren saw the same sparkling glint flash by just moments before he was hit. In the space left open by the fallen guard, Maren caught another glimpse of Elsa, who was still hunched over Anna. Elsa took notice of the fallen guard and turned, determination and rage in her eyes. She stood up, slid out of the ring of guards, splayed her hands skyward and immediately Maren felt the temperature drop to subzero levels.
She was still fighting her way through the crowd of panicking people and for the life of her, had no idea what Elsa had just done. The air was thick with cold and it burned to take a breath, but there was no snow. Above the entire square hung a clouded mist of what appeared to be millions of tiny collated ice crystals. Light refracted off the icy mist creating a strange rainbow luminescence that hung suspended in the air. Maren let out a breath which created a visible puff in front of her face. Her eyes returned quickly to Elsa who stood staunchly, staring at something. Maren followed her gaze and saw what Elsa had honed in on. Flying directly towards her were what appeared to be two large ravens, only they were invisible? Rather, the only reason they were visible now was by their silhouette, the path they cut through the cold cloud of rainbow-ice, and Elsa's eyes were following it like a hawk. She locked onto one of them and fired a cold blast of icy air. The thing squealed, then slowed down dramatically, coming to a fumbling landing on the ground. A hazy cloud of black mist escaped from the thing, rose into the sky and disappeared. Elsa wasted no time in growing an ice cage around the bird, before returning her gaze to the other invisible raven. This one had already lost altitude due to the cold, and it too came to a tumbling stop on the cobblestone. A black haze escaped this one too, rose and dissipated into the sky. Elsa encapsulated this one in a cage too, then rushed back towards Anna.
'Move, move!' Maren shouted and shoved her way through the last grouping of people. Finally she reached the stone steps of the platform, only to be halted by two guards.
'Move out of my way.' Maren hissed, not in the mood for this.
'It's ok, let her through.' Came a deep voice Maren recognized.
General Mattias.
Maren didn't wait for the guards to respond before shoving her way past them. She rushed forward and fell to her knees next to Elsa who was holding Anna. Anna was sitting on the ground leaning heavily into Elsa. She was awake, but seemed dazed. Mattias was kneeling on the other side of her, holding a cloth up to her head. Anna's forehead was bleeding.
'Is she ok?' Maren whispered, panic rising within her at seeing the bloody cloth.
'She will be, Your Majesty we need to get you inside.' Mattias stated urgently.
'Take her.' Elsa said, her voice commanding.
'I can walk.' Anna mumbled and took the cloth from Mattias, pressed it to her own forehead and started to rise. Elsa and Mattias caught her under the arms and lifted her the rest of the way to a stand.
'Are you sure?' Elsa asked.
Anna nodded. 'I don't want everyone to see me being carried off.'
'Alright, let's just, get you out of here.' Elsa said, still supporting most of Anna's weight. Anna leaned quite heavily into Elsa, but she held herself as stoically upright as possible, eliciting cheers from the crowd. Elsa glanced skyward again then waved her arm, dissipating the misty cloud of ice. The temperature rose to normal levels once again.
'Form a guard around them.' Mattias announced. 'Don't break formation until she's in the castle.'
The walk across market square and across the castle causeway was a relatively short one, though it seemed to take forever. Maren walked just behind them, scanning the skies for any new signs of an attack, ready to hurl herself on top of them at the first sign of anything that looked remotely suspicious. Mattias led their small group, and a ring of guards surrounded them all. The crowd had started to disperse, the remaining groups of onlookers gossiped quietly. Maren wondered briefly where Ryder and Rune had gone. Hopefully Ryder had taken him away somewhere where he wouldn't have witnessed anything disturbing.
Eventually they made it into the courtyard without incident, just as Kristoff came running down the steps. 'What happened?' He boomed frantically and rushed to Anna.
'There was some kind of attack.' Mattias stated calmly.
'I'm fine, I'm fine.' Anna stated, but Kristoff ignored her and picked her up anyway. 'Kristoff this really isn't…' Anna's words trailed off as Kristoff rushed her into the castle, ignoring everyone else.
'Are you ok?' Maren asked, taking Elsa's hands in her own, looking for any signs of injury. Her eyes looked tired and worried, but other than that, she seemed alright. She nodded and squeezed Maren's hands in reassurance. It felt like there was something she didn't want to say in front of the guards. Elsa then turned to Mattias.
'Thank you.' She said and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Please make sure the men who were attacked are seen by a physician. I'll deal with the creatures later, just make sure they're guarded and no one goes near them.'
'I'll see to it.' Mattias said with a nod then paused. 'Is there anything else I should know about what just happened?'
Elsa shook her head. 'I'll let you know when we find out more. For now, encourage people to stay indoors. I don't think they are in danger from these creatures, but I'd rather be cautious.' Mattias nodded in agreement, then left them to coordinate with his guard.
Elsa took up Maren's hand and walked them into the castle. Before reaching the stairs, Elsa swayed a bit, then caught herself on the banister.
'Els, what's wrong?' Maren asked, grabbing hold of her shoulders to steady her.
'I'm fine, let's just go see Anna.' She responded unconvincingly.
Maren ignored this answer and ushered her off into a small empty room, shutting the door behind them.
'I want to go see Anna.' Elsa said again, a confused expression on her face. Maren could see that dark circles had formed under her eyes and this worried her.
'I'm sure Kristoff already has the physician looking at her. Els, what is going on? What are you not telling me?'
Elsa let out a breath then found Maren's eyes with her own. She bit her lip and seemed to contemplate something, then shook her head and gave in. 'I feel…tired.' She said, a confused expression on her face. 'That's all.'
'You look tired...'
'But I shouldn't be… using my magic has never tired me before…'
'What do you mean?'
'It's… I don't just feel tired, I feel drained, weak. I can't really describe it but it doesn't feel normal…'
A knot twisted its way through Maren's insides. 'Do you think… do you think your magic is being affected already?' Maren asked in the calmest tone she could muster. Her heart thudded in her ears.
Elsa shrugged. 'I don't know…maybe…I really don't know…' She whispered. The worried look in her eyes told Maren that she did know, and this scared her more than anything yet.
Maren stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Elsa, holding her tightly. If she just held on to her, everything would be fine. Elsa returned the embrace and rested her head on Maren's shoulder. 'We'll figure this out, I promise. I'm not going to let anything happen to you.' Maren said softly. She felt Elsa nod into her shoulder at the words. Maren closed her eyes and held Elsa tighter.
'I love you.' Elsa whispered next to her ear before pulling away.
'I love you. We're going to figure this out.' She added with a reassuring smile, still holding onto Elsa's shoulders . Elsa nodded, then suddenly her brow knitted together, worried again.
'Where's Rune?' She asked, suddenly a frantic edge to her voice.
'He's fine, I left him with Ryder.'
'Oh good, good.' Relief painted its way across Elsa's features as she relaxed.
'C'mon, let's go see Anna.' Maren said and took hold of Elsa's hand to lead her from the room.
'Maren?' Elsa's voice stopped her before opening the door. 'Don't tell Anna, about this.'
Maren took a breath. She disliked secrets, but in this case with Anna injured, it was probably best not to worry her further. She nodded reluctantly, then turned to open the door.
By the time they reached the top of the stairs Elsa was struggling and had to stop. 'Alright, lean on me.' Maren said and Elsa complied, slinging her arm over Maren's shoulder. Maren held her around the waist, and pulled her up the last few stairs.
'I'm fine.' Elsa said as she caught her breath at the top. She didn't look fine, she looked as though she might pass out at any second.
'I know where Anna gets that from now…' Maren mumbled and kept a secure arm around Elsa's waist as they walked. 'Elsa, Anna is going to figure out something is wrong with you, the girl is more in tune with you than you are with yourself.'
'I'll tell her later. I just don't want to worry her right now.' Maren rolled her eyes.
Eventually they made it to Anna's room. Elsa extracted herself from Maren's grip and opened the door without knocking.
Maren followed her in to find Anna sitting up in bed, with Kristoff perched on the edge of it next to her. Anna was leaning back on the pillows holding a fresh cloth to her head.
'Anna.' Elsa said and whisked over to sit on the edge of the bed opposite Kristoff. Maren followed and stood behind Elsa.
'It's really not that bad—' Anna started, but Elsa cut her off.
'Did you call for Dr. Anders?' Elsa asked Kristoff.
'He should be here any minute.'
'Good.' Elsa announced and moved to reach for the cloth. Anna waved her off. 'Anna, let me see it.'
Anna sighed and let Elsa remove the cloth. The same gash from Anna's previous injury on the side of her forehead had been reopened. It wasn't as large as Maren had suspected, but it certainly was still bleeding.
'Here.' Kristoff pulled a clean cloth from a stack that had been brought in, folded it and laid it carefully on Anna's head. 'I should've been out there… instead of dealing with Reis.' He added bitterly and shook his head.
'Honey no, don't. I asked you to do that. Did you get rid of him?'
'He had no papers on Rune as we predicted, so he's out of here on the first ship set to leave—once the mist is clear. For now he's in the dungeon and... I don't think he will cause anymore problems.' Elsa gave him a quizzical look to which he shrugged.
'Good.' Anna announced. 'I don't want him anywhere near Rune ever again.'
'Anna lie down and rest, we have to get the bleeding to stop.' Elsa said, and helped Anna scoot down to lie on the bed. Elsa then laid a hand gently on Anna's forehead over the cloth. Maren could just barely hear the crackle of cold around Elsa's hand. Anna sighed in relief at the coolness and closed her eyes. 'Is that ok?'
'Mmm hm.' Anna mumbled. 'So what were those things? After I got hit I had no idea what was going on.'
'Some kind of bird, I think.' Elsa answered. 'I'm not sure.'
'I'm pretty sure they were birds too, but the fact that they were nearly invisible… well, obviously they possess some kind of magic.' Maren added. Anna's eyes snapped open at that.
'Do you think it was the Vættir again?'
Elsa paused, then nodded. 'I think I saw them leave the birds once I had trapped them—they looked like those same black wisp forms from—'
'From Ahtohallan, I remember.' Anna finished, then let out a long breath. 'But, what I don't understand is why they attacked me? You were standing right next to me, they just as easily could've gone for you, isn't that their whole thing? They've attacked you three times now.'
'That was strange, it was like they didn't even care I was there.'
'Well the first time, technically the Kraken attacked you both.' Maren put in. 'The second time was with me—the draugr in the woods.'
'And the last time was with all of us. In the valley.' Kristoff added. The room was silent for a moment.
'So then, maybe they're after something else, not just Elsa?' Anna added, an idea flickered in her eyes. 'Like… wait.' Anna reached up to the top of her head, searching for something. 'Where's my crown?'
'I don't know. It must've flown off when the bird attacked you. Why?' Elsa asked.
'Elsa!' Anna burst out excitedly and slapped her hand on Elsa's thigh. 'The Vættir are trying to prevent us from getting the crystals! The Kraken attacked right after you got the water crystal, right? That draugr tried to get it from you when you were alone with Maren in the woods, and then they tried again when Kristoff got the earth crystal!'
'Anna slow down and relax. Even if that's true, what does that have to do with the bird attack? Kristoff wasn't there with his crystal and I put mine in the secret room—I didn't want to risk losing it again.'
'My crown Elsa!' Anna practically shouted. 'We need to find it!' Anna again was shouting and swatting Elsa's thigh to get her attention. It briefly looked like she was having some kind of fit. 'I think the blue crystal in my crown is the air crystal!'
'What?' The three of them said in unison and stared at Anna as if perhaps the head injury was causing delusions.
'Think about it, that bird smacked me straight in the forehead—I didn't see it but I felt it rip at my crown. Why else would it do that and ignore you completely?'
'Oh Anna…' Elsa mumbled. Something had clearly dawned on her. 'You got that crystal from my crown…'
'And you got it from mother's!' Anna shouted. 'She must have went to the North Mountain and found it years ago! Then she put it in her crown for safe keeping. That's why in her journal she had marked the air crystal as being in the North Mountain and Arendelle, it all makes sense!'
'That actually does make a lot of sense.' Maren chimed in excitedly. 'Anna I think you are on to something.'
Just then a knock on the door threw the room into silence. 'Stay with her, I'll go find Mattias and make sure we have the crown.' Kristoff said in a low hurried voice. Then he got up and answered the door.
'Good to see you Dr. Anders.' Kristoff stated and shook the man's hand.
'Likewise, although I wish it was under better circumstances.' Dr. Anders stated then turned his attention to Anna.
'I'll be right back.' Kristoff mumbled and slipped out as Dr. Anders walked over to the side of the bed where Kristoff had sat.
'I'm afraid I saw how this happened. Let's take a look.' He stated. Elsa removed her hand and the cloth, exposing Anna's wound again. The bleeding seemed to have subsided somewhat, which was a good sign.
'The wound isn't large and seems to have started coagulating already, it should be fine to heal with bandages and rest. No stitches.' He announced and rolled up his sleeves. Anna let out a sigh of relief.
'You really need to be more careful in the future.' Dr. Anders said to Anna. 'If I'm not mistaken, this is the third major head injury you have received in your lifetime?'
'Well… third major at least.' Anna mumbled. Dr. Anders raised an eyebrow at her.
'My point, is that you were lucky it wasn't a concussion this time. I'm concerned that if you injure your head further, it could result in permanent brain damage or serious memory loss. We don't want to see that happen.' Maren saw Elsa tense at the words.
'I think I was born with brain damage.' Anna chuckled, then burst out laughing at her own joke. No one else laughed, causing Anna to trail off into awkward silence.
'That won't be a problem doctor, she won't sustain any more injuries, I'll make sure of it.' Elsa stated firmly.
'I hope not.' He said and dipped a clean cloth in the washbasin on the side table.
Anna's eyes had turned on Elsa with a concerned stare, then she glanced up to Maren. Elsa was going to blame herself for this again, Maren could already feel it in the way Anna was looking at her. That unfortunately, was the least of their problems currently.
Elsa helped Anna sit up while Dr. Anders cleaned and bandaged her head. 'Rest. That is most important. Check on her periodically and wake her if she's sleeps too long. One a day for the pain.' He added and set a bottle of capsules on the side table. 'I'll be back tomorrow to check on her, you know where to reach me.' Dr. Anders said and stood to leave.
'Thank you doctor.' Elsa stated.
'I trust you are healing well?' He asked Elsa. 'Since you cancelled our recent appointment?' Maren saw Elsa cringe slightly.
'Yes, perfectly fine.' She added quickly, to which Dr. Anders nodded. Anna shot Elsa a nasty glare which Elsa pretended not to see.
Maren walked him to the door. 'Take care.' He stated.
'You too.' She said, then shut the door behind him.
'Elsa get that look out of your eyes or I swear.' Anna sniped. Maren turned around to the sound of bickering.
'What look?'
'You are blaming yourself for this already I can see it!'
'Anna, don't do this right now.'
'No you don't do this, and you look dead tired. Why did you cancel your doctor appointment?'
'Because, I'm fine.'
'You don't look fine. You look terrible.'
'Likewise.' Elsa responded flatly.
'Maren?' Anna whined exasperatedly, pleading for an alliance that Anna knew Maren would probably concede to. Elsa cut her off blessedly, as she had no idea what to respond to Anna. She hated the idea of lying to her.
'Anna. Stop. I'm just tired alright. I don't know why, but I don't need to see a doctor about it. Now relax and rest.' Anna folded her arms across her chest like a petulant child but said nothing further.
'Where's Rune?' Anna asked curtly, after a long silent beat.
'He's with Ryder.' Maren put in. 'He won a stuffed reindeer at the festival and Ryder is his new best friend.'
'Oh that's so sweet.' Anna cooed, her irritation melting on the spot. Elsa smiled.
Just then the door opened again. Kristoff walked in holding Anna's crown. 'We've got it.' He announced excitedly and handed it to Elsa, then walked around the bed and kissed Anna before sitting down.
Elsa ran her fingers over the light blue crystal set in the gold crown. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. 'I think this is it. It feels just like my crystal.' She said, then handed it off to Anna.
'Haha! Thank you mother!' Anna chirped, her eyes fixated on the crown. 'So now what?'
'Well, this eliminates us having to go to the North Mountain. All that's left is the fire crystal.' Elsa stated.
'The volcano.' Maren added.
'Right, well I think we should leave as soon as possible.' Anna announced. The room went silent as all three of them stared at her in disbelief. But it was Elsa who was brave enough to speak what they all were thinking.
'Anna, listen to me please. You are now the Queen of Arendelle, the people are counting on you. And with your injury…'
'No.' Anna cut Elsa off abruptly. 'No, Elsa. I'm coming with. You can't stop me.'
'Anna did you hear what Dr. Anders said? Do you even care? Another injury and you could lose your memories permanently or worse, be reduced to a vegetative state. Is that what you want?' Elsa huffed in exasperation.
'That's a little dramatic.' Anna said and rolled her eyes. 'Look, I'm not letting you do this alone again so just forget it. If you want my crystal, it comes with me.'
'Your crystal?' Elsa said with a snort.
'Yes. You gave it to me remember?' Anna said defiantly and crossed her arms. Elsa was silent for a long beat as Anna's accusation sunk in. 'Besides, Pabbie said you aren't supposed to do this alone. Kristoff was given the earth crystal for a reason, you have water and now I have air. It's insurance so that you don't run off alone and get yourself killed again.' Anna spat harshly.
'Anna—'
'Which means—' Anna stated loudly, cutting Elsa off. 'We are all going to the volcano. No exceptions, no excuses. Queen's orders.'
Elsa let out a long exasperated sigh and shook her head. But said nothing further.
A/N: Ok, sorry for the long wait this was a long one! Hopefully the chapter length makes up for the long wait.
I pulled some of Anna's speech from the great Queen Elizabeth I speech at Tilbury. Look it up if you haven't, it's powerful. Or better yet, watch the Elizabeth movies with Cate Blanchett. Elizabeth was an absolute badass!
Song I was listening to while writing: Kings & Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars
Hope you are all staying safe and sane in these crazy times.
