Where Magic Flows

- M. Lauren

Part Two: Fire and Ice

"I'm Honeymaren."

"Elsa," She extended her bare hand.

Sitting beside her at the fire pit, Honeymaren accepted the gesture. Cold fingers braced against warm skin. Honeymaren shivered, but she didn't pull away.

"It's lovely to meet you…" Elsa grinned, and turned to the calf snuggled against her leg.

Caught beneath the branch and the trunk of the tree, Honeymaren groaned. Her pant leg snagged against the bark. She dangled helplessly above the ground, and Elsa stared up at her; muffling her giggles behind an open hand.

The sun was setting over Northuldra. Honeymaren left her hut. The wind lifted the braid from off her back as she glanced downhill toward the fire-pit. There, Elsa was seated on a log surrounded by young children. She was regaling them with stories, using her powers to bring them to life. Each pair of eyes held wide in astonishment. Honeymaren could hear their 'ohs' and 'ahs' every time small drifts of snow took shape into something new.

Feeling eyes on her, Elsa looked up. Her cheeks turned pink when she caught Honeymaren staring. The two shared a brief smile, and both quickly turned away.

Elsa opened her eyes in the morning to find a basket placed at the foot of her bed. Curious, she raised from the sheets, surprised to find its contents filled with assorted fruits.

She leaned down. Taking a fresh plum in her hand, Elsa stepped from her bed. Magic swirled over her nightgown and transformed it into her ethereal white dress. When she left the hut, Honeymaren ducked in hiding behind a tree.

Elsa took the fruit between her teeth. Her lips closed around over the soft skin. Honeymaren turned her head, blushing, and smiled to herself.

"Plums…" She whispered, nodding slowly. "Got it."

"You are out of your mind!" Honeymaren shouted.

"What? Why?" Ryder gawked.

"Elsa is the Fifth Spirit! She walks like a goddess amongst our people! Why would she want to wed a Northuldra like us?"

Elsa smiled warmly at Ryder. Her hand rested above his against the cot. She laughed, shaking her head, and Ryder's eyes glowed as he beamed back at her.

Beyond the entryway, Honeymaren's hand clasped over her heart. Her forehead wrinkled. Brows, tucked, and her lips curled downward. Slowly, she began backing away from the fire.

"Perhaps I was wrong… Maybe you will want to wed a Northuldra like him, afterall…"

Adorned in the same dress her mother had worn on her wedding day, Anna stood facing Kristoff. She smiled at him. Their fingers laced together. Toes, touched.

"True love," she whispered. "I used to believe I had none. Now, I see my life is filled with it."

Anna turned briefly. Her blue eyes met her sister's and she winked. Elsa returned the sentiment with a smile of her own.

A sword unsheathed from its scabbard. Anna's head snapped to find Elsa laying amongst the frozen fjord. A blade extended over her head, and she didn't move.

Sprinting to her side, Anna shouted, "No!"

Her skin layered in ice. Anna's hair turned white, and her eyes held wide with passion. As the edge of the sword came down, it shattered against her hand.

"This child is special." Iduna whispered to her husband. She took his hand and placed it over her swollen belly. "I know it sounds crazy, but I can feel it... This baby will change the world."

The cape at her back lengthened into the air. Diamonds pulled from the walls of Ahtohallan. They fell to the hem of the white fabric, and froze to its icy threads.

Elsa spun in a full circle, with her hands clasped over her heart. "I am found!" She cried.

A solid blast of magic suspended mid air. Washing Cleyo in its vibrant glow, Elsa's powers froze before her face. She sneered. Cleyo's hands braced at her chest. With a push, she set the magic reeling back at Elsa, while at the same time; Honeymaren slid in front of her.

As the power connected with her chest, Honeymaren's skin ignited in bright white flash. It burst from her, creating a shield of light. The magic in her chest absorbed, and was transported back into the earth beneath her feet.

Ahtohallan rumbled, shaking the floors on which they stood. The memory of Honeymaren's sacrifice appeared to have roused the glacier from its frozen state.

"How does Ahtohallan decide what to show you? Is there no controlling it?" Cleyo's voice was sharp as it surfaced over Elsa's shoulder.

She turned to her, pulling her eyes from the memories dancing amongst the dome. "Ahtohallan responds to me, what I feel; my needs and my desires. Ahtohallan is attuned to me, and nobody else."

As Elsa snarled and turned her back on Cleyo, the imagery above them began to shift. Memories swirled around the dome. The spiral motion had Elsa feeling faint, but finally they settled.

The blue hue of light bringing Ahtohallan to life, suddenly darkened.

"But I should be excited!" Anna cried. "-and I can't because the children in Arendelle are sick, and Elsa can't hear my call! There's something wrong, can't you see it? We can't have a baby right now!"

Elsa's eyes drove wide. Air caught painfully in her lungs. Honeymaren's hand slipped into hers, and she soothed Elsa from the shock.

"Why don't I go?" Kristoff took Anna's hands in his. "I know how much you need her here. I will find out what's going on in Northuldra, and see to it that Elsa makes it back to us right away."

"Mercury?" Doctor Laugen handed Anna the small vial from his pocket. Squinting, she lowered her eyes to the silver liquid behind the glass and frowned.

"It was discovered along the shore by one of our merchants, your majesty." Mattias explained. "It appears to have spread two kilometers south of the town."

Anna blinked. She turned to Doctor Laugen. "You believe this to be the culprit behind the illness? It looks harmless!"

A half dozen ships anchored in the entry to the estuary. The North Sea was a long mile behind them. Waves carried the large shipping vessels inland with the tide.

"We've emptied the barrels, your majesty."

"Good…" Came the compliments from a person in hiding. "May Arendelle finally experience the hell they've put us through."

Footsteps were heard ascending from below deck. Out of the darkness, a man appeared. The man stood like a mountain in the doorway. He was tall, and his shoulders, wide. Dark facial hair lined his jaw, and buried beneath his nose. His tailored coat was navy, and a sash of red bore across his chest. His shoulders padded with fine yellow ribbon. Black boots pulled to his knees, and his pants were tight and grey.

"That man?" Elsa questioned. Her eyes scanned across the hilt of the dome. She could feel Honeymaren's eyes on her face, and Elsa ignored them.

She was searching through memories for that oddly familiar face. Elsa had seen that man before, but when?

Ahtohallan responded to her confusion with a quick turn of images. Elsa's eyes were held low when, finally, she could see the truth.

A blast of magic shot the crossbow from the man's hands. He dodged, and two walls of ice surrounded him. Scrambling, he tried to escape. A third barrier conjured beneath his feet. At speed, it was cast toward him, and he ran until his back connected with a set of frozen doors.

The barrier continued nearer. It braced against his chest, and the combined pressure shattered the walls of ice at his rear. Shards were sent flying into the air. A rush of cold wind entered the palace. The man fell back into the railing, and his eyes grew wide as he witnessed the lethal height of the balcony from over his shoulder.

Elsa's frowned at the memory. Her brows pinched beneath her hairline.

"Weselton…" She said to no one.

However, hearing her whisper, Honeyman tightened her grip on Elsa's hand.

Elsa turned again to find the images had shifted once more. The memory of the ships was now replaced by another she had never seen.

Fire surged beneath black boots. Panicked, the Duke of Weselton cried out for help. He and his two guards hurried for the barred-doorway. As their hands slammed against the bars, flames ignited along the length of its frame.

All three men instantly scrambled backwards. They collided with each other, and fell onto their rears. Huddled and frightened, they watched the flames draw nearer. The heat from their ascent tickled against the fabric of their pant legs.

Yet as quickly as the fire had appeared, it was gone. All that remained was the haze of smoke, and the scent of burning wood.

All three flitched as the bars were pulled from their hinges. A cloaked stranger, held in shadows, casted the barred-door aside and it bounced loudly against the floorboards. The stranger stepped forward. Their hands went to their hood, and they revealed their face to the men.

"Weselton…" Cleyo sneered. Her lips pulled to the side and she smirked.

"M-m-me?" The Duke's finger jammed into his chest.

"No…" Very slowly, Cleyo turned her head. "Your son."

With a snap, the Duke's eyes shot to the large man beside him. The guard stared back for a long moment before lowering his gaze. He returned to his feet, and stepped toward Cleyo.

He nodded. "I am Francis Weselton."

Cleyo's cheeks lifted as she smiled. "I am Cleyomey from the country of Russhave, and I believe you now owe me a favor."

"I will teach you about illusions- about how to trick the eyes into seeing things that aren't really there. I will show you how quartz can balance natural energy, and how tourmaline deflects it. I will provide to you the ways in which you can send the earth, and your Ice Queen, into a world of chaos and unbalance." Cleyo leaned across the table with her hands folded.

Across from her, Francis flinched; feeling the heat pouring off her skin. "Together, we will create a union between Russhave and Weselton. We will overthrow the royal family of Arendelle, and we will get our revenge!"

"No," Cleyo shook her head. "The Ice Queen is still but new to her powers. We must wait, wait until the timing suits our needs. For now, we will continue to watch in secrecy; as I have been doing in Arendelle for years..."

"Enough!" Elsa shouted fiercely.

The memories above them froze in time. When she spun to face Cleyo, the woman did not flitch. Her arms were crossed, and her eyes lowered at the sight of Elsa's fury.

"You've been watching us. You've poisoned the fjord! You created an alliance with weselton, and you're trying to overthrow Arendelle. Why should I continue to show Ahtohallan's secrets to you, when you've put my sister and our peoples' lives in danger? You've threatened my family, me, the people I care most about! Why should I allow this to continue?"

Slowly, Cleyo walked away from her. With her finger, she reached out and traced the tip along the perimeter of the dome. Beneath her touch, the ice began to sizzle.

"Francis Weselton was- what would you call it… convenient... Yes, he and his father's hatred toward you and the Kingdom of Arendelle was exactly the kind of support I needed to put my plan in motion."

"Your plan…" Elsa sneered. "Revenge… If you wanted revenge against my parents, you've waited too long. They're already dead! And why waste time in Northuldra? How did stirring the spirits help you to take over Arendelle?"

"Sweet child…" She sang. Cleyo came to a halt a fair distance from Elsa before turning to face her. "Plans change... I thought I wanted revenge against your family. I believed that killing you and taking over your Kingdom would bring me joy. However, through watching you all these years, I discovered I can have more than I ever imagined possible.

"My mages reported when the mist had lifted from Northuldra. They watched while you returned in full-power. You foolishly handed your sister the throne, and so… I lied." Cleyo shrugged, and turned her back once more.

"I led Francis Weselton to believe we were moving in to takeout Arendelle. I needed the illness to provide a distraction, knowing you would never really walk away from your home... This allowed me time to rally my coven amongst the dark caves of Northuldra. Weselton and Russhave rallied the fjords, all while we began breaking down you spirits... one finely placed crystal, at a time."

Elsa laughed. "So you've come here searching for power, then? Is what you have not enough?"

"No Elsa, powers I have… what I want to know, is why I have mine…" Fire burst beneath her palms as Cleyo drew closer to them.

Honeymaren extended her spear, and Cleyo came to a stop.

"Everything I touch burns to ash at my feet! I have slayed those I loved, and I've destroyed many cities! Show me, Elsa; show me how I came to be this way! Show me how love can breed a magic that ignites everything living in its wake!"

Elsa didn't respond. She didn't have to. Her own curiosity bested the power of Ahtohallan. Memories overhead began to spiral once more. Images swirled back to life. A spark of fear bloomed in Elsa's chest, and she shivered with anticipation.

She knew better than anyone that the truth was very rarely accompanied by a feeling of acceptance.

"We can't go on like this!" A woman cried. Her face, hidden by dark curls, awashed in the light from the lantern.

A stern faced man slowed from his sprint. Breathless, his eyes lowered to hers and he shook his head. "Tereza, no. We must keep moving!"

He moved from her side, but Tereza remained standing.

"She's a danger to us all!" She shouted.

The hands clasped against her chest, withdrew to reveal an infant swaddled in scorched rags. The child slept calmly. However, the mother did not share in her daughter's contentment. Her body shook with fear, and Tereza held the child out for the man to take.

"No!" He frowned. "It is your secrets that have cursed our life with this evil! That child is your burden, and I will only do my part to help you both get out of here."

"Secrets?" Tereza's head shook dejectedly. "But I've done nothing- I know nothing!"

"Lies!" The man bellowed. His anger burned within him like raging flames. "I've seen what you've done to deserve this, but I've played my part in it, and now we must go!"

Tereza stiffened. Her fists tightened around the infant and she lowered to her knees. "No…" She whispered tearfully. "You are right. I'm responsible for this burden."

Shaking, Tereza placed the infant at the edge of the trail. The child never stirred as the cold Earth set into her back.

"It's my burden…" Tereza whispered again before standing. "It's my burden, and I am choosing to run from it! I don't want this responsibility! I never did!"

In one swift motion, Tereza had spun on her feet and was quickly running away. She headed through the dark forest, cutting through trees. She was out of sight before the man could stop her.

"Tereza! Wait!" He shouted after her. "You can't run from this!"

But she had.

His eyes stared in Tereza's direction until a sigh pulled passed his lips. He looked to the ground. The child in rags stirred. The man slowly approached the infant and crossed his arms with a sigh.

Blinking, the child stared up at him. Tiny flames began to dance above her ember eyes.

The man flinched, and stepped back. He tiredly shook his head. "I'm sorry, kit, but it just can't be done..."

Turning as quickly as Tereza had, the man too, ran away. The infant then waited in the forest while the evening shadows crept in.

"Tereza…"

Hearing the whisper, the woman turned to her back. Above her, a woman with long red hair looked down at her. She was smiling sadly. Her face was flushed and mused from the bed sheets. Very tentatively, she reached out a traced her finger along Tereza's jaw.

"You must leave your husband if we are to continue seeing each other…" The woman's touch lingered, falling to the length of her neck.

Tereza sighed. Her gaze flickered. "I- I'm pregnant..." She told her lover, and quickly looked away.

"Pregnant?" The woman reeled back, taking the sheets with her. Anger etched across her fair skin, and her hands drew into fists at her side.

Sitting up, Tereza's eyes widened pleadingly. "No! Please! Don't be upset! You know my family arranged this- this marriage, this future! It's not mine!"

"This is different now…" Red hair shook against her shoulders as she turned her head. "You cannot be with me while you father that man's child!"

"I never wanted it!" Tereza defended. "I never wanted this marriage, and I never wanted his child! Please! I am the victim here, remember that! You were meant to save me from this horror… but now I am trapped in it!"

The woman was back at Tereza's side faster than she could blink. "No, you were meant to run away with me! Remember? Before the wedding, I gave you that choice, and it was you who turned it away!"

Tears pooled in Tereza's eyes. "We can run away now... together!" She told her. "We can hand the child over to the church, and move to the countryside like we always planned..."

The redhead was backing away again. "No! That is not what I want. You made your bed, and now you will lie in it. I fell in love with you- not that man, and never his child! I gave you your out, and you chose compliancy instead. You were so afraid of the unknown, Tereza, but look what the 'known' has done for you now! You would damn the infant growing inside of you to orphanhood because fear drove you to play it safe?"

Tereza's skin heated, turning vibrantly red. Feeling anxious, she began to sweat. Her eyes glazed, and she faintly tried to lift herself from the bed.

Beneath their feet Ahtohallan began to rumble once more. A flash of light erupted from its center and emmited through Tereza's memory…

Cleyo now stood before Honeymaren and Elsa, both crestfallen and broken. Her eyes had darkened. Her skin tinged as red as her mother's memory. Cleyo drew in a deep breath, and very softly; she began to laugh.

Her laughter grew louder and louder until she nearly doubled over her knees. Her hands shook against her thighs, and when Cleyo stood; her laughter persisted. The wash of sadness over her face entirely faded.

In its place, something demonic had taken over.

Elsa was certain she could see real flames alight behind her iris'. Cleyo's white hair began to glow as it shook back and forth against her shoulders.

"I should have known…" Cleyo began, her laughter fading into a chuff. "I should have known the magic of nature ensures balance, as does the men of earth…"

"Light and Dark…" She continued. Cleyo turned her back and looked up at the memories fading from the walls. "Night and Day, Noise and Silence, Right and Wrong… Good... and Evil… I see now, Elsa, what your palace of secrets was supposed to show me. I suppose after all these years, I was searching for what I already knew.

"I was designed to be the villain here- made to take down the hierarch. I am the bad here to balance your good… but now... what to do with that knowledge…"

Elsa stepped toward her, ignoring how Honeymaren's hands tried to catch at her waist. "Ahtohallan shows you what you need to see, but it does not always provide the reasoning. No one knows how or why we were gifted the powers we were- when Ahtohallan decides to respond, that is up to the spirits themselves… You cannot draw conclusions from fear, Cleyo! Good and Evil… they hold no weight in the magical world!"

"Then answer me this, wise one... why was a child so neglected from love, given the power to manipulate flame?" Her head cocked at Elsa.

Her mouth drew to respond, but the words stayed stuck to Elsa's tongue.

"If love gifted you ice, then it is hate that produces the flame!"

"You don't know that!" Elsa shouted back. "That's what you've decided, but it isn't the truth!"

Laughing again, Cleyo backed into the center of the chamber. Fire ignited beneath her feet and against her hands. "The only truth I know now- is what I will do in honor of vengeance! I will burn your glacier back into the sea! I will set Arendelle aflame! I will kill your sister and the child growing inside of her, and I will be the evil I was always meant to be!"

Cheers,

-M.