"Could you please give me some assignments?"
Seated cross-legged opposite the newest arrival, and sharing a blue, knit quilt by the embers of the morning bonfire, Yelana nearly spat out her tea. She squinted at Elsa, then sniffed her own tea before responding slowly. "What. Do. You. Mean?"
Suddenly self conscious at being on the receiving end of one of the stoic tribal leader's special tones, as evidenced by the curious stares from passers-by that followed, Elsa stuck her index finger in her tea and chilled it immediately. "Um, what I mean is...you know I've been trying to learn some basic skills. Things that any...any Northuldran...would know. Should know."
Yelana bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep a chuckle in check. "Well, you have step one of arrow-heads down nicely. As Fifth Spirit, what else do you think you should know?"
A heavy shrug from Elsa, but a small smile returned as Bruni hopped up onto her lap and kneaded paws against knees. "There's just so much, I don't know where to start. I mean, there weren't any records of culture, customs, any...anything...about the Northuldra in the Arendelle library."
Yelana cocked an eyebrow as she rustled the fire's glowing embers with the end of her staff. "Aside from your Spirit responsibilities and regularly counseling your sister on her queenly duties, you do plenty around here. I see you gathering berries. I see you washing clothes for our elders. I see you trying to work up the stomach fortitude to help clean the fish the forest provides us." An amused smirk followed, and Yelana watched as ember flecks sailed up over her head. "Most Northuldra learn by doing, but if you have another idea…"
Just then, Elsa smiled broadly at the memory of her seven-year-old self with a French tutor...and Anna peeking in the door, eyes wide and nodding along. "I'd really like to learn the language. That's not really something I've been good at just picking up on the fly."
"You would like to attend lessons with our young?"
At first, Elsa pictured herself crammed into a seat-and-desk far too small for her...and she cringed. Next, she imagined the under-ten children seated around her...and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Even they would be too advanced, and I don't want to slow down their education. I just…"
"We can set you up with an evening tutor. Some of us are more eloquent than others, but anyone here can teach you the basics of our language." Yelana took a long sip of tea, and did her best to hide the sudden swell of pride she felt for the flustered Spirit. "Who would you feel comfortable learning from?"
HONEYMAREN! The thought came with such warm enthusiasm, that Elsa clapped a hand to her mouth, fearing she'd just blurted the name right out. A moment later, she let out an awkward set of coughs, before tapping her chin and feigning non-chalance. "Maybe Ryder could teach me? I mean, if he's not too busy. I mean I also speak a little Reindeer, so we have that in common and that could maybe help me, I mean I'm not saying Northuldra is Reindeer and anyway I don't speak speak it but well with Sven you can kind of understand what..."
"It's done, then. I'll let him know to expect you after dinner." Nodding shortly, Yelana rose to her feet and regarded Elsa a few seconds more. She smiled again. "This is a good step for you. Your mother would be proud."
Elsa mustered a bewildered smile and waved, even as she internally grumped at her mental snafu.
Mouth, how could you betray me like that?
Elsa decided that Northuldran was much, much more challenging than French. It didn't help matters that she had to practically beg Ryder to give her a list of grammar rules to memorize. He had stared at her long and hard then, mouth opening and closing in perplexion.
"I mean, I guess I could try to...rules. That's weird. Like, I can speak and read it...but I just sort of picked it up and...well, I'll give it my best shot. You put your trust in me and I won't let you down!"
Elsa, far too polite to request another teacher, summoned an enthusiastic nod and clapped her hands together. "That's very kind of you. I...just…"
"Know what I'll do? I'll get a list from Maren. She's got more of a head for that nitty gritty stuff."
Elsa did her best to wrangle the whine she let out and turn it into another cheer.
An hour later, mind buzzing with words upon words and sounds she didn't even know the human throat could make, Elsa mader her way back to her tent. Despite the circumstances, she already found herself diving right in, and flipped through several pages of hastily scrawled notes as Gale trailed playfully behind. Low murmurs followed.
"These letters. This sound...and that sound...me. I. I...you…"
"A lot on your mind, looks like."
Startled, Elsa tossed her notes in the air and squealed brightly.
A blur of darting hands and a dark, swishing braid.
She's so quick.
Thankful for the low dusk light shrouding her cheeks a bit, Elsa drummed her knuckles together before waggling both hands anxiously. "Hah. Hey. Um...hi."
Honeymaren giggled, low and raspy, as she presented the notes she'd snatched out of the air. "Maybe I should wear a bell."
At that, Elsa hung her head and chuckled as well. "Maybe I should pay more attention." Elsa pinched the corners of the parchment, but a teensy tug didn't budge them...and her blush darkened.
Honeymaren wiggled the notes gently, eyes flicking down at the crunchy, leaf-covered forest floor. "My brother isn't going off on reindeer proposal tangents every five minutes, right?" She let out a bubbly giggle as Gale swirled around her and knocked her cap lopsided.
Elsa's face went crimson, and she whispered hotly. "Gale!" She quickly cleared her throat, though, and grasped for a fitting compliment. "He's fine! Great. It's, you know...I really appreciate it. I'm not afraid to...to put my nose to the...thing…"
Sensing tension, Honeymaren let go of the notes and patted Elsa's left arm lightly. "Hey, so your sister's coming up to visit, end of the week...right?"
Elsa visibly slouched and audibly sighed. "Yeah."
Thank goodness. If there's one person who I could talk to. Who I could...ask...about…
Honeymaren's warm smile didn't falter, and snatched Elsa's two quills off of the darkened forest floor in the blink of an eye. "Well then, I'll have that list of grammar rules ready for you tomorrow." She set the quills on top of Elsa's notes-stack and winked. "Maybe you can learn the Northuldran to ask your sister, where's the cheese?"
Elsa stared, again dumbfounded, until she finally managed to blurt out. "Wait! Um...how did you know I...I needed...that I asked for…" Trailing off with a rasp, Elsa shivered, as the familiar sensation of Nokk thundering around the Dark Sea in excited expectation of a long ride the next day, made the hairs on the back of Elsa's neck stand on end.
Or is it the way her eyes twinkle...in any light.
Honeymaren folded her arms, cocked an eyebrow, and kicked a little pile of leaves over to Elsa's feet. "You strike me as a book-learner. And Ryder's a lot of things, but a book-teacher isn't one of them."
Elsa giggled self conscious and nodded, but quickly found herself preoccupied with the other question. The one on the tip of her tongue. The one she couldn't quite give voice to. At least, until Honeymaren bid her good night and turned towards her tent.
"Where's the cheese?"
Honeymaren's shoulders shook with laughter, and she shot Elsa an amused smile over her right shoulder. "The most important question in any language. Cheese just makes everything better."
Biting down on her bottom lip to keep any strange sounds from escaping, Elsa nodded quickly and waved. She waved as Honeymaren took several steps backwards, returned the wave, and finally headed through the dimly lit village.
After standing in that spot for a full minute, Elsa was finally roused when Gale spun around her and tickled her face with leaves. And in that tickle, Elsa sensed the hint of a question. She blushed brightly and shook her head, before heading to bid the rock giants good night.
"No, Gale, I'm not gonna write Anna some desperate note that makes me sound five years old and hysterical!"
An hour later, a note was on its way to Arendelle.
'Anna. Things are perfect and absolutely nothing is on my mind. And that is absolutely a lie. See you on Friday. Love, Elsa.'
