Where Magic Flows

-M. Lauren

Part Three: A Bridge Between

All she could hear was the thundering of her own feet as she sprinted across the courtyard. Anna was there and running toward her. Her arms outstretched. Tears descended her freckled cheeks. Red hair matted to her face and she caught Elsa in a tight hug.

"Elsa," Anna breathed.

Elsa felt her own eyes well. They fell to the top of Anna's head, but she knew her sister wouldn't mind.

Sniffling, Anna pulled back. Her hands held their grip on Elsa's arms. "Where have you been? What's going on? You saved Kristoff, but Ryder said-"

"Maren!"

As if on queue, the younger brother had been beckoned. Elsa looked over her shoulder to find Honeymaren and Ryder amidst a similar reunion.

She turned back to Anna. "We should talk about this inside…"

She took Anna under her arm, guiding her back toward the open gates. Elsa could hear Ryder chatting excitedly behind her. The two followed the sisters inside where Elsa was immediately pulled into another embrace.

"I don't care where you're living," it was Gerda. She pulled back enough to flash Elsa a glare. "I hear everything that goes on around here, you know? If you don't start taking care of yourself, I will have Kai drag you straight back to Arendelle! Mark my words, miss!"

Blushing, Elsa emitted a small giggle. "Don't worry, I understand…"

"Elsa!" Someone shouted from above their heads.

As she looked up, Elsa could see Kristoff slowly making his way down the stairs. Anna quickly ran to his side, and Elsa knew he must still be recovering.

She met him at the base of the steps. "I'm so glad you're alright!" Elsa accepted his hug.

Kristoff held her for a moment longer than he usually would. When he released her, he stepped back. His pale complexion remained. The skin beneath his eyes was still swollen and he swayed as he placed his arm over Anna's shoulders for support.

"What's happening out there?" he asked. His brow furrowed.

Elsa's eyes scanned the hall. "Why don't we move this conversation somewhere more comfortable? Actually…" she turned to Gerda. "Honeymaren and I could really use something to eat."

She briefly met Honeymaren's tired gaze. She appeared grateful, however her sadness from earlier maintained. Honeymaren's lips pursed and she nodded in thanks.

"Of course, Miss Elsa. I'll set up in the dining hall straight away!"

Elsa watched Gerda go. She turned back to the group and motioned for them to lead after her. Wordlessly, they did as directed. When Honeymaren turned to follow, Elsa gently caught her arm. Her hand retracted as soon as she stopped, and it fell back cautiously at her side.

"I can have something sent up to the guest rooms if you'd prefer to lie down."

Honeymaren contemplated her for a moment. Her eyes lowered as Elsa averted her gaze. "I'll eat with you and the others. I should help fill them in on what's been going on as well."

Though she wasn't thrilled with her response, Elsa accepted it. She allowed Honeymaren to pass through the door to the dining hall first, and take a seat next to Ryder. Elsa chose the chair across from her. She sat at Kristoff's left, diagonal from where Anna had taken the head of the table.

Her hands fidgeted in her lap as she looked down at them. "So…" Anna sang.

Kristoff's hand, hidden by the table, joined at Anna's knee. She smiled at him. Her fingers slipped beneath his and she squeezed them affectionately.

"Why does this feel awkward?" Ryder attempted to whisper to his sister.

The table began to laugh. Anna laughed hard enough that tears slipped down her cheeks again. Honeymaren smacked Ryder in the chest before taking his arm in hers.

"Sorry…" he mumbled and hid his blush. "It really is, though."

Gerda broke the tension when she returned with her arms full. She carried a tray filled with danish and a fresh pot of tea. She set it at the center of the table, moving in to pour their mugs.

"I've got it, Gerda." Elsa offered and stood.

"There's more coming… Everyone here is much too skinny for my liking!" she tutted. Gerda's hand touched to Elsa's shoulder before she headed back into the kitchen.

After Elsa served the tea and doled out the danish, she returned to her seat. She couldn't help but smile at Honeymaren and Ryder. Both looked down at their plate with dramatically confused faces.

"They're called danish," she explained. "Our bakers from Denmark sell them down in the village… They won't hurt you, I promise."

Tentatively, Honeymaren lifted the pastry to her lips. She took a small bite and her brown eyes enlarged. "It's jam!" she nudged Ryder.

He took his first bite as well. Soon he was wearing the same look of excitement and reaching for a second one.

"Ryder's been getting the whole Arendelle experience." Anna said as she turned her attention to Elsa. "Mattais had him helping out the Royal Guard. He's a natural at weapons' repair."

Ryder's blush darkened proudly. "Nah, it's nothing really… Arendelle has faster tools than we do in Northuldra."

"Speaking of Northuldra…" Honeymaren forced Ryder's stare. "How are Yelena and the others? Did you get them the amulets?"

He nodded and swallowed a large bite. "We sent Mattias' scout up to the North Mountain. He brought back Hilf and they've been investigating the mercury issue."

"That's right," Anna pointed. "You haven't heard about that yet."

Elsa shook her head. "I've been to Ahtohallan… I know more than I want to admit, but for starters- it's imperative we keep travel out of Arendelle to a minimum. Limit the roadways to guards and scouts only. Civilians should remain in the village until we've sorted out how to move forward. I'm afraid the journey out of town may not be safe…"

Frowning, Anna sat forward. "What do you mean?"

Elsa sighed. Her fingers brushed through her hair. "...where to begin…"

Over food and tea, Elsa filled her family in on what they'd learned. Honeymaren added details as needed- which did not go unnoticed by Arendelle's new queen. Anna ignored her suspicions, however, listening intently to what they had to say. With every detail laid out in front of her, Anna's concerns continued to multiply.

"You both took on those mages all on your own?" Her blue eyes held wide.

"Only Cleyo has magic. The other mages use the amulets to deflect mine." Elsa pulled the brim of the tea cup against her lips.

"They may not have powers, but they're not weak- that's for sure. I'm going to have a boot print embedded in my ribs for the next month!" Honeymaren groaned.

"Please remind me to take a look at that later…" Elsa met her eyes before turning back to her tea.

"So this Cleyo…" Anna's brow arched.

"She's scary…" Ryder grimaced.

"-but she's after what? Arendelle?" Anna asked, leaning her chin into her palm.

Honeymaren and Elsa exchanged another look. This time it was Honeymaren who turned away.

"Her motives are mostly...unclear." Elsa began. "She's upset and she feels abandoned by Arendelle. She's mad at mother and father for terminating her back when they closed the gates. I'm afraid she's had eyes on the kingdom for longer than any of us could have known. Cleyo and the mages- they learned of Ahtohallan… We think she believed it held answers about her past; perhaps information about how she could use Ahtohallan to her benefit. She led us to believe she would drain the glacier of its magic, but it doesn't work that way… It seems more likely now that Cleyo was only after information about how she came to be the way she is…"

"-and unfortunately…" Honeymaren continued for her. "What we learned wasn't… it wasn't kind… While rage brought Cleyo back to Arendelle all those years ago, it was her own curiosity that had her targeting Ahtohallan instead. Now with that curiosity squandered… I'm afraid Arendelle will be her main target once again…"

"That's why she sought out the alliance with Westleton…" Anna hummed.

"I'm afraid so…" Elsa pushed back into her chair. Her arms folded protectively over her chest.

"Perhaps it's best to deal with Russave and Westleton before Cleyo's return, then?"

Kristoff had turned to Anna sharply as she spoke.

Elsa sighed. She pulled her hands soothing down from her shoulders. "I'm not sure we want to exhaust Arendelle's resources before Cleyo arrives…"

"From the sounds of it, Cleyo is a lot like you, Elsa. I'm not sure Arendelle even has the power or strength to take someone like her on."

Meeting her sister's eyes Elsa bit her lip. "I know… I just- I'll have to come up with something…"

"Arendelle's not your responsibility anymore, you know? I mean, not really anyway."

Her brows lowered. "Meaning?" Elsa asked.

"It's my responsibility to make decisions for Arendelle. While we are powerless against Cleyo, I can handle our foreign dignitaries."

As her expression continued to deepen, Elsa's hands clasped tighter in her lap. "I'd argue that Arendelle is still just as much my responsibility now as it was when I was queen. Arendelle is my home, Anna… That hasn't changed because I'm living someplace else now."

Anna's face mimicked Elsa's. "I never said it did. I just don't think it's fair that you come back here after all these weeks and demand to call the shots!"

"Woah! How did I do that?" Elsa's eyes enlarged.

"When you said you would figure something out! I'm the queen of Arendelle now, Elsa! I will make the plans for how we should respond to the invasion!"

"Well, this conversation certain took a turn…" Once again, Ryder's whispers were overheard by the entire table.

Kristoff leaned forward and rested a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Ryder's right… Neither of you are acting like yourselves right now… tensions are high. You're exhausted. Why don't we pick this up later when you've both had a chance to rest?"

Anna swiftly stood from her chair, pulling angrily from Kristoff's touch. "None of this matters anyway. I have a meeting to attend to."

"Anna!"

"What meeting?"

Both Kristoff and Elsa's voices surfaced at the same time.

"The meeting to discuss how Arendelle will move forward against the invasion." Anna explained dryly. Her arms crossed as she stood at the head of the table. "They didn't respond to our call for a negotiation. Therefore, I will be meeting with them myself out on the fjord."

"Anna!" Elsa found herself standing, too. "Be reasonable! We have to think about this first."

"I have been, Elsa! For the last three days, I have been thinking about this! I've been planning, and discussing, and doing everything I can to keep Arendelle safe. While you weren't here, I did my job! You can't come back now and demand I stop doing it!"

She turned from the table. Anna kept her back to the group as she marched toward the door.

"Anna, wait!" Elsa pleaded and moved to follow.

Kristoff stood, catching her arm. "Let me handle this," he sighed.

Elsa stared at him for a brief moment. Her eyes screamed of sadness, but also understanding. Finally, she nodded. Elsa watched Kristoff make his way from the room and disappear behind the wall. Only then did Elsa fall back into her chair. Her head tipped forward and she caught it deftly in her hands.

"On the bright side… family dinners in Arendelle are way more entertaining than the ones we have back in Northuldra…" Ryder sang.

Honeymaren ribbed him and silenced her brother with a stern glare. After he'd shrunken down two sizes, her attention turned back to the broken woman across from them.

"Elsa…" she whispered.

Blue eyes raised. Elsa's face was stern. She stood again and her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'll have Gerda show you where you'll be staying." Her voice was void of any emotion.

Honeymaren moved to follow her, but Elsa quickly raised her hand. When she left the room, Honeymaren remained frozen against her feet. She was frowning, and her eyes slightly glazed.

"There's something going on between the two of you…"

Her attention snapped to Ryder.

"I'm just saying…" his hands raised in surrender. "-the last time I saw you, there were a lot of feelings floating around in the air…"

Glaring again, Honeymaren turned away. "Leave it be, Ry." she commanded him with a whisper.

With a deep breath, she sheltered herself in her arms and stole quickly from the room.

Up on the second floor, Elsa was seated outside of Anna and Kristoff's bedroom. Her head had fallen back against the door. Her eyes held closed. She listened as her sister and brother-in-law grew harsher with their words.

She hadn't meant to start a fight between them. In fact, Elsa hadn't meant for this to be a fight at all. She and Anna rarely butt heads. It was Anna who was often the more collected of the two sisters. She was always willing to work through their issues and come to some sort of an agreement.

Maybe Kristoff was right, though. Perhaps they had been too tired, and their combined stress certainly didn't help matters much. Moving forward, Elsa knew she should tread lightly. She needed Anna, just like Anna needed her. They could only face this challenge if they did it together. That was the way they did everything these days.

Elsa was started to her feet as the door was forced open behind her. Kristoff nearly stumbled into her. He jumped back with his brows high and his chest reeling.

"Sorry…" Elsa blushed. Her hands caught at her waist.

His face softened instantly. "I- I don't think she's quite ready yet…" He explained, and Kristoff's eyes fell uncomfortably to their feet.

"Could I try?" she asked. Elsa offered him a small smile.

"Go right ahead," he waved her forward. "Who knows, maybe you'll have better luck than me…"

Elsa squeezed Kristoff's hand as she passed through the door. He shut it silently behind her.

Her eyes then scanned the room. A flash of red hair on the balcony caught her attention and she slowly made her way toward it.

With a raised fist, she knocked against the glass. It felt silly, but it was their thing. Hearing it though, Anna didn't respond. Elsa told herself she expected that. Instead of dwelling, she forced in a deep breath, and opened the door anyway.

She came to stand beside her. Elsa's eyes followed Anna's and they both stared out at the overrun fjord.

"Hi…" Elsa whispered, after a long moment had passed between them.

"Hello." Anna dryly replied.

Sighing, Elsa stepped in closer. "Anna, listen… I'm sorry for what I said… I don't want to fight, and I didn't mean to step on your toes. I know you're the queen of Arendelle now and I will follow whatever decision you believe is best."

Anna said nothing. Her hands continued to grip the rail. Elsa's eyes pulled back from the fjord and she turned to her.

"Anna, please… don't shut me out."

Slowly, she extended her hand to her. Elsa's fingers hovered over the rail before settling over Anna's freckled ones. She squeezed them lightly.

"Shutting people is your moctus operande…" Anna softly laughed.

"I must be rubbing off on you after all these years…" Elsa teased and her arm brushed into Anna's.

Anna turned to her. Their conjoined hands swung between them. "I'm sorry, too. You were just trying to help, and I was jumping to conclusions…"

"No, but you were right… I need to respect your title as everyone else does."

Anna giggled and shook her head. "No you don't… you're my sister. If anyone has the right to put me in my place sometimes… it's you, Elsa."

She pulled her into a hug. Anna's head rested against Elsa's bare shoulder.

"We do this together, Anna." she whispered. "-just like everything else. We're the bridge, remember?"

Smiling, Anna pulled back. "You're right. I'm sorry we fought… I just missed you, and I've been scared…"

"Me too," Elsa brushed back Anna's hair.

"I guess I was also feeling a little bummed out… You and Honeymaren had this big adventure, and for the first time… I wasn't a part of it."

"You don't have to worry about that." She nudged Anna's cheek. "Unfortunately, this adventure is far from over, and we're here now… we're all about to be a part of it."

Anna sighed. She looked down at her feet. Her hands pulled from Elsa's and she bit down on her lip.

"Now, about that meeting…" Elsa's voice sang.

She shook her head. "I had Kristoff call it off. You're here now- that changes things… Why don't we talk about this more after dinner?"

Elsa nodded. "That sounds perfect. I should rest for a bit, and I need to check on Honeymaren… I was rude to her before…" She hid her blush into her shoulder.

Blue eyes thoughtfully traced Elsa's face. Anna studied her before smiling. "You do that…" she whispered knowingly.

Elsa frowned as Anna directed her back into the bedroom. Kristoff was there and waiting respectfully by the door. He appeared hopeful with his attention raised at the two sisters.

"Are we all good now?" he asked with a quirk of his brow.

Anna laughed. She squeezed Elsa's shoulder and nudged her toward the door. "Yes, we're all good now."

Playfully rolling her eyes, Elsa left the room. She offered Kristoff a confused shrug, and kept her shoulders raised into her ears. Elsa hadn't made it more than a few steps away before she heard Anna shriek.

"I knew it! I knew it! I told you so, I knew it!"

Though curious, Elsa ignored her sister's excitement. Shaking her head, she continued down the hall toward the guest wing. There, she found Gerda approaching, heading back to the main stairs.

"Is Honeymaren taken care of?" she asked, stopping briefly at her side.

Gerda nodded. "I put her next to the study. Her brother has been staying in the room across the hall. I thought that might make her more comfortable."

"Thank you," Elsa smiled kindly.

She offered a quick slight of her head before continuing on her way. Elsa waited for Gerda to round the corner. Once she had, she slowly approached Honeymaren's door.

She hesitated. Her hand froze before the rosemaling. Elsa couldn't be certain why, but it felt strange to have Honeymaren saying here. Their relationship had changed drastically in the short span of a week. They were still friends. That much was true, but the rest of it was more than complicated.

Finally, and with a sigh, she brought herself to knock. Elsa stepped back and listened as Honeymaren fumbled on the other side of the wall. It took a minute before the door was thrown open to her. Honeymaren stood in the archway, appearing confused and winded.

She had stripped down from her over-clothes. The appearance of her in only a thin white slip caused Elsa to blush madly.

"I- I'm so sorry…" she turned away. "I just wanted to make sure you were settled."

"Elsa…"

She turned to see Honeymaren frown.

"Why are you blushing?" lips quirking, she smirked at Elsa's embarrassed display.

"You were going to bed… I'm sorry…"

"Elsa…" Honeymaren said again. "It's fine… Would you like to come in for a moment?"

Stepping back from the doorway, Honeymaren's hands clasped at her waist. Meanwhile, Elsa continued to stare. Her eyes scanned between the barren hall and the room before her.

With a sigh, she obliged. Elsa slid into the room, and Honeymaren closed the door behind her. She moved no further than the entryway. Honeymaren decidedly left her there as she clambered onto the bed. She turned onto her side and watched Elsa with her head snuggled back into the pillows.

"It looks like you've settled yourself in just fine, then?" her arms crossed.

Honeymaren yawned and nodded. "This bed is wonderful… and the room… I don't know how you can stand being in a hut in Northuldra."

"I prefer simple." Elsa shrugged. Her feet itched to move forward, but she dutifully held her stance.

"Did you work things out with Anna?" she tiredly asked.

"We did. There's still more to discuss, but for now… everything's back to normal." Elsa's fingers flexed uncomfortably as they gripped tighter around her upper arms. "I'm here because I wanted to make sure you were alright. I know we have more that needs to be said about earlier, and I wanted to apologize for being rude to you downstairs. I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you when you were only trying to help. That wasn't fair of me, and I'm sorry-"

"Elsa…" Honeymaren yawned again.

Elsa's head tilted, hearing her whisper.

"We don't need to talk about anything right now. I'm not upset- just tired…"

Stiffening, Elsa nodded. "Of course, I- I'll let you rest…"

She tried to smile, but failed; and instead turned toward the door.

"Elsa…" Honeymaren called out to her once more.

Slowly, Elsa turned back. Her hand stuck to the handle, and her brow furrowed as Honeymaren sat up.

"Join me?" she simply said.

The request had Elsa shivering. Her heart rate increased and her eyes widened in shock; but then Honeymaren extended her hand.

Elsa's feet responded before her mind had collected. She followed them across the room, stopping at the side of the bed. Tentatively, her fingers slipped into Honeymaren's. Elsa kicked off her sandals as she was pulled forward onto the sheets.

When she was directed onto her back, Honeymaren's head joined against her chest. Her arm extended over Elsa's waist, and their feet tangled.

It took Elsa a moment before she could relax. She was certain Honeymaren could hear her erratic heart, and feel the uncharacteristic heat of her skin. However, when Honeymaren drifted off, which didn't take long; she felt herself quickly following. Just before she, too, fell asleep- Elsa's arms pulled tight around Honeymaren's shoulders.

Cheers,

M.