Where Magic Flows

M. Lauren

Part Three: Of the Water

Nokk remained at Elsa's side until the sun set; when the stars began to twinkle amongst the night sky. Only when full darkness surrounded her, did Elsa start for camp. Watching her go, Nokk was sadly forced to return to the sea. His lost eyes pulled back to her, only briefly, and then he faded into an incoming wave.

Regretfully, Elsa had to wonder if that was the last time Nokk would truly be her ally? As with the others, his time to rebel would come. Nokk would revolt against the forest, and leave this place behind. He would be lost to these lands, searching the seas for somewhere new to live out his days.

As she walked back to her hut, Elsa considered what might be coming next. After Nokk turned, would she call back the village, or should she wait and see if someone stepped forward? If this was all a ruse to render the forest defenseless, leading an attack after Nokk would be the logical ploy.

And how would their villain enter the picture? Elsa's thoughts continued to spiral amongst her mind. What face would this enemy have, and what was their end goal? Would they lead an attack, or would they make the time to explain? There was so much Elsa hadn't considered before now. Yet, her time was up. She was at the brink of the end, and she could feel it. Her days had been filled with so much turmoil lately, she failed to realize just how many had gone by.

Feeling anxious, Elsa knew sleep would be a moot attempt at passing the time. She wasn't certain her mind was even capable of resting at this point. Still, there was nothing left to do but wait; wait for Nokk's rebelion, and wait for their villain to appear.

Upon returning to camp, defeated and stressed, Elsa dragged her feet toward her hut.

She fell back on the bed with a thump. Her eyes held wide at the ceiling, stomach unsettled and appetite, low. What she did next made no difference in the grand scheme of things. The only guarantee Elsa had, was that she'd face whatever she needed to when that time came. She could plan, and she could worry. Yet, neither would help her in the long run. Elsa knew she should gather her strength; prepare herself to do the next right thing. However, she hated not knowing. It made her impatient and uncomfortable.

Despite the thought that she would be unable to sleep, Elsa decided she must have. One moment her eyes were open, and the next; she was fighting a haze of fatigue to push herself to sit. Rising, Elsa didn't know how long she'd been unconscious. Only the desperate need for more proved that it couldn't have been for longer than an hour or two.

When she was fully alert, Elsa spun against the mattress. Her feet were planted into the floor. She dragged a cold hand over her face and stretched into her arms. She was awake now, but the question was why. For as tired as she suddenly felt, Elsa considered that waking could not have happened unprompted.

Her eyes raised slowly. Elsa listened to the world outside her hut. She expected wind in the least, but remembered Gale had gone away. She was on her own out here, and only Nokk remained.

That thought filled her with a tinge of fear.

The earth and its waterways were silent. Everything around her was incredibly still. There was no sign of threat, nor spiritual disturbance, just as it had been before she fell asleep.

Elsa was alone.

Or was she?

A fire popped and crackled beyond the walls of her tent. At the sound, Elsa's eyes drove wide, and she leapt up quickly from her bed. She hurried for the exit, feet unsteady over the ground.

Elsa threw back the tarp and ran out into the dark night.

Relief coursed through her instantly, but then she was met with anger; pure unbridled rage. It barreled deep in her chest as it rose to the surface.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The words burst from her throat. She stomped across the clearing. Sitting at the fire pit, with her face awash in an orange glow, was Honeymaren. She didn't look up as Elsa approached. She knew it would not take long for Elsa to sense her arrival, and so she expected anger; even as quickly as it came.

"Have you eaten anything?" Honeymaren asked her calmly.

Elsa blinked. Her fists drew tight. "What? Have you lost your mind? What are you doing here?"

Drawing in a sharp breath, Honeymaren released the contents of her canvas sack into the pot above the fire. "I'm assuming you haven't... Afterall, you are terrible at taking care of yourself unless forced to."

Infuriated by her nonchalant demeanor, Elsa placed herself between Honeymaren and the flames. Her hands were wide on her hips, but Honeymaren looked right through her.

Elsa snatched the spoon from her hand. "I'll ask you again, what the hell are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Her eyes pulled up to Elsa's. "I'm making lentils."

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose. Her arms folded over her chest. "You know what I mean! What are you doing here instead of at the North Mountain?"

Standing, Honeymaren stole back her spoon. Her expression layered between spirited and mad. "Did you really expect me to go there without you? I never even made it to the trails before I circled back this way."

Groaning, Elsa fell to the log where Honeymaren had sat. "Mare… No! This is not what I needed from you! Do you not understand what's coming?"

"It's because of what's coming that I decided to come back."

"No! That is foolish. Don't you get it? What if I can't protect you, Honeymaren? What if Nokk floods the village? What if he throws waves that take down the trees? I can't defend Northuldra like I would without you here! What were you even thinking?" Elsa's breathing came in short gasps. Her hands tugged through her hair, threatening to snap each strand from its root.

"Hey, woah! Relax, would you? I can swim. I'm a fighter, you know!" She sat beside Elsa with a hand to her knee.

Too tired to remove it, Elsa glared instead. "This isn't about knowing how to swim, Honeymaren! This is about having no where to swim to, and having no way of protecting yourself against the Nokk!"

Her hand defiantly pulled away, and Honeymaren leaned forward to stir the pot. "Well, I'm here now, and by my own rights, so you might as well get over it. Besides, I am not looking for you to save me from drowning. I am here trying to protect you, in case anything goes wrong!"

"How?" Elsa fought back. "How do you expect to do that? You don't have powers! You are defenseless against the spirits. Not even twenty-four hours ago you were more frightened than I had ever seen you before, and all because you nearly drowned in the river! Do you not understand that is an actual reality for you if you stay?"

If the question scared Honeymaren, she didn't show it. Her expression held stern and her gaze on Elsa never faltered.

"I don't need powers to protect you. Don't you understand that?" Her brow arched coyly as she sat back on her hands. "The way that I feel about you, the lengths I would go to keep you safe; that makes me more powerful than your magic could ever be."

Sighing, Elsa shook her head. "I wish that were true. I do, but I'm afraid that caring for me is not going to help you here!"

Finally drawing her eyes back to the flames, Honeymaren pursed her lips. "It doesn't matter. I'm here now. You'd save yourself a world of energy if you'd just shut up about it, okay?"

Honeymaren never failed to surprise Elsa with her actions, and with her words. Unlike those she was raised beside in Arendelle, Honeymaren wasn't afraid of her. She took little care in how she spoke to Elsa, never worrying she might push her into reacting dangerously. She trusted her, and though that sentiment was sweet; Elsa wished that it could be enough to calm her in that moment.

But it wasn't. Elsa was too upset to feel the warmth of Honeymaren's trust, and she was too angry that she might be forced to see their friendship come to an end; if only things didn't pan out well for them, that was.

"So, lentils?" Honeymaren didn't wait for her to respond. She handed Elsa the spoon and positioned the pot between them.

Elsa stared at her for a long moment, not moving an inch. Finally, she sighed. Elsa leaned forward over her knees and took a small bite. She returned the spoon to Honeymaren, who decidedly did the same.

"Does Yelena know you've returned to the forest?"

Honeymaren refilled the spoon and held it teasingly against Elsa's lips. "By this point... I am certain she does."

The lentils waggled before her mouth. Elsa rolled her eyes and stubbornly accepted the bite.

"You are insufferable." She told Honeymaren.

Honeymaren shrugged. "No more than you are for refusing to leave with us."

Elsa frowned, shaking her head. "You know, I will never forgive myself if something happens to you."

"Good," Honeymaren nodded. She placed the pot at her feet and touched a finger to Elsa's chin. "-now you can fully understand why I had to come back here, then."

A slow smile worked its way across Elsa's cheeks. She didn't pull away from her touch. Elsa's eyes began to brighten and she simply stared. The way Honeymaren was looking at her caused Elsa's heart to flutter.

Her lips parted to respond as a powerful crack came barreling out from the forest.

Bright flashes, like lightning, spiralled around them. Thunder clapped loudly as smoke traveled in; billowing thick and dark amongst the evening air. Honeymaren and Elsa were overtaken by the haze. In unison, they leapt to their feet- Elsa's palms awashed in magic, and Honeymaren with her staff extended in her reach.

The smoke continued to grow, stealing their sight.

"How sweet this is…"

A low voice sang into the clearing. Elsa's head whipped over her shoulder, trying to decipher from where it had come.

"This reunion has been a long time coming." The mysterious words continued. "How lovely it is to be seeing you again, Elsa of Ahtohallan."

At the end of her first full day without Kristoff at her side, Anna laid awake in bed. With the window open, she listened to the waves lap against the shore. Crickets hummed songs at the base of the mountains, and the lone grey owl sat perched above the fjord.

Anna rotated against the sheets, relaxing in the sounds that were carried in by the night air. She considered how peaceful this evening would be if she were her child and snuggled up in bed; calm, without a care in the world.

At the thought, Anna placed a tentative hand over her abdomen. She hadn't the luxury of time to think about the life growing inside of her.

The funny thing was, a short day ago, Anna was completely perplexed by what was happening to her. Whether stress or sickness, she didn't have a clue.

Now, however, since Doctor Laugen explained to her that she might be with child; Anna knew it to be true. It was as if she could feel that life, heart beating, and sharing space within her. With eyes closed, she could make out the future beginning beneath her navel.

It was strange to have this happening to her now. Yet, what was stranger was feeling the state of bliss that had come with it; all while being overrun with concerns. For Arendelle, for her sister, and for Kristoff, too- the list went on and on. Wanting to relish in the excitement of parenthood had fueled Anna's motivation to solve the mystery. She would find out who poisoned her people, and she would punish them without caring why they had done it. Anna had never been so determined to make things right. The sheer weight of that desire had her losing sleep and making plans for her morning.

With Kai's assistance, Anna planned to face the royal guard. She would send scouts across the North Sea, and run inspections with any ship who sailed through, or near, Arendelle's waters.

Anna no longer felt fear in facing their culprit. No, now she was driven by the sheer force of rage; to hunt down whoever had taken the lives of the children, and she vowed to make them pay.

As the smoke cleared from view, and the night sky surrounded the camp in darkness, Elsa spun on her feet.

Honeymaren shuffled beside her. Her brown eyes pulled in a slow circle, and her hand tightened on her staff.

Out from the shadows, a figure stepped forward. Elsa adjusted her hands, and a second figure appeared. At the same time, Honeymaren's back tucked into hers. Across from Elsa, Honeymaren faced her own dilema. One figure appeared, and then another. She fought to turn her staff wide, bordering herself between the figures and her dearest friend.

They were surrounded by long dark cloaks. Their faces shielded under thick fabric, and while Honeymaren could not see through them; she had the fearful thought that they could easily see her.

Once their numbers reached eleven, the cloaks ceased to appear. They held their stance, creating a circle around both women. They didn't move, and they barely appeared to breathe.

When a final cloak stepped from the darkness, air caught painfully in Elsa's throat. The blood red silk and black mask caused Elsa's back to stiffen. Honeymaren felt the tension vibrate through her own spine. She turned beside Elsa, startled to find the red cloak moving toward her.

White gloves raised to them in warning. The fabric began to glow. Power surged beneath them, not at all dissimilar to Elsa's own.

Thinking quickly, Elsa's magic burst to life within her palms. The cloaks didn't move, nor did they appear to respond in any way. The red cloak, however, continued to come closer. Their fingers waggled, and their power only grew. Hands directed at Honeymaren, then. The red cloak turned from Elsa entirely as they came to face their target.

Drawing inside herself, Elsa conjured up a blast of Nordic winds. She aimed, firing at the red cloak. Her power barreled through the distance, nearing their oddly calm foe.

But then, something unexpected happened. Elsa magic slowed. Just before impact, her powers suspended mid air, but only briefly. The red cloak braced their hands together and forced Elsa's magic away from their chest.

The blast was sent reeling back at where it derived.

Panicked, Elsa winced. Her eyes drew closed. She heard the impact of her powers connect with something solid. Yet, that something solid was not her as it was intended. A different weight, a softer weight, had fallen against her.

Elsa's eyes reopened wide. She had Honeymaren holding herself up by Elsa's shoulder. Her other hand wrapped alarmingly over her own chest. Right before Elsa's magic was cast back at her, Honeymaren had slid in between them. She'd taken the full force of Elsa's ice powers… straight into the heart.

Cheers,

-M.