~Chapter 11~

Elsa

Adrenaline kept me moving faster and faster whizzing and zig-zagging through the expansive network of trees. Only stopping once to catch my breath. The voice kept pushing and pushing me forward until I was looking down upon a coastline to a beach. The smell of the salty ocean filled my mind as I blasted a slide of ice to quicken my descent down to the coast. Again I heard the call again and I sang back in the same tone that seemed to echo across the shores. I rounded the bend toward a small cove and what I saw shipwrecked upon the shore stopped me in my tracks. It was the remains of an Arendelle ship. The flag of my country still remained waving in the wind on the back end of the ship. How was this here? Getting through the barrier would be one thing, but still the ship drifting pattern didn't make sense of how on earth it ended up here. My heart was racing as I raced toward the huge hole in the side of the ship. Anna called after me, but I couldn't wait for her. As I went inside, my stomach yanked around in knots. My sister joined me moments later grabbing her knees to catch her breath.

"You must be in really good shape to take off in a sprint like that." Anna muttered between all her panting. We promised to do this together, right?"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's the voice. The farther and deeper we head through this forest, the clearer and more pronounced its calls."

"I get that, but we left everyone behind. It's not right, Elsa. Marcus, your husband, he's our family. Along with Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf…"

"I know that!" I snapped, harsher than I intended to.

"Well your actions would say otherwise. If I know Marcus, he's probably out of his mind with worry for you and he's already have a lot going on himself."

"Enough, Anna. I know what I'm doing."

"I know you think this voice is good, but I don't want you to feel the need to push us all away again."

I glanced at my sister with remorse in my eyes. She spoke the truth and the pang of guilt that hit my stomach made me immediately nauseous.

"Forgive me, Anna. I'll try and do better."

"That's all I ask." She smiled quickly hugging me, "So, who do you think was on this ship to make it through the barrier?"

"Search me, it doesn't make sense."

As we glanced around, we tried to spot anything from the wreckage that might indicate who had booked passage on this ship.

"All of Arendelle ships have that compartment, right?" Anna suddenly asked.

"Compartment?"

"Yeah, Marcus told me about it. It's supposed to be waterproof. Maybe there is a manifest or something. Here help me look." Anna pressed.

We moved around the room at a swift pace looking at any closed door and any nook or cranny on this rig. It wasn't too hard either since this ship was in shambles and we couldn't find anything. Anna searched the back and ended up calling me over after she found a small hidden compartment. I helped her pull out a cylindrical case with a tight lid over the top. Anna yanked it open and slid out the contents inside. There were two large pieces of parchment. One covered in tons of symbols that Anna and I couldn't make heads or tails of. On the other was a detailed map of the area. As I scanned over the page, I noticed a dotted line etched starting out from Arendelle leading north. There was a circle around the ruins of Kalde, but the dotted line continued up even further north.

"Elsa, look someone wrote on this page." Anna pointed out.

I glanced at the writing my sister pointed out and immediately recognized it.

"That's mother's handwriting," I muttered.

"Really?" Anna questioned.

The inscription read: Answers weren't found in Kalde, but Agnarr and I continue north across the Dark Sea to find Ahtohallan. We need answers to find the source of Elsa's power.

"The source?" Anna questioned.

If I could figure out the source, it would benefit my husband too. His powers clearly were sealed from birth. It would give us both peace of mind knowing where these elemental powers came from.

"Anna, they never mentioned where they were going on that trip when they left that day, right?"

My sister shook her head solemnly. Recalling those dark days still stirred up unpleasant memories for the both of us.

"Olaf said that water has memory, right?"

"He mentioned it, but what does that matter right now?" Anna shrugged.

I quickly knelt down pressing my hands against the floorboards below our feet. I clenched my eyes shut feeling gentle stirring beneath my fingertips. As I sat here doing this, my wounded hand began to throb, but I persisted.

"What happened here…" I said, as my hands started to shake.

Beads of water began taking form and rising from all areas of the ship. I opened my eyes as they began to merge. In a matter of moments, Anna and I watched as an ice statue formed depicting our parents' fate. They clung to each other as waves surrounded them. Anna hugged me tight as my eyes began to water. I ran from the ship not wanting to look at the statue a minute more. I ran up a small hill before my sister stopped me.

"Elsa! It's not like we didn't know what had happened." Anna muttered.

I turned slowly to face her.

"I know, it's just hard seeing it visually." I replied, sheepishly, "And even worse, knowing they boarded that ship pursuing something about me."

My sister quickly grabbed my shoulders looking intensely at me.

"Elsa, no! This isn't your fault, don't even go there."

I wiped a tear from my cheek quickly growing serious as I glanced out at the horizon.

"I have to find it." I said calmly.

"But remember the warning from the song Elise reminded us about? Ahtohallan is dangerous." Anna replied.

"You believe in me right? I know I can do this." I nodded.

"Of course, I do." Anna said quickly.

"So it's time to finish what mother and father started and get some answers…"

"And we will." Anna agreed, "Together."

My heart was racing as I turned back toward my sister.

"Not this time, Anna." I muttered.

"What?"

With my right hand, I froze Anna's boots solid to the ground.

"Elsa? What are you doing?" Anna muttered as she tried yanking herself out to no avail.

Anna stared at me looking mostly confused, but definitely angry.

"I'm sorry." I muttered and quickly disappeared down the hill heading toward the coast.

Inhale. Exhale.

Focus was the name of the game right now. I stared out across the vast darkening horizon with white crests of waves crashing right in front of me. I removed my shoes and cape throwing them down on a nearby rock as I pulled my hair back in a low ponytail. I heard Anna screaming my name in the distance. She said she trusted me and I froze her feet to the ground just so she wouldn't try and follow. Next time I saw her, she would more than likely have some serious words with me, but I had no choice right now. I had to do this.

Salty air filled my nose as I took some deep breaths gripping my feet in the sand below me. I heard the voice again beckoning me forward and it seemed to echo across the waters in front of me distinctly louder than the crashing waves.

Then I took off, running straight across the water. My feet barely touched the surface before ice would form at my feet as I ran across. This wasn't the hard part. The farther I got away from the shore, the bigger the crests on the waves became. I tried running up one very tall crest freezing it as I ran, but it was too big and I was pushed back to shore having to start all the way over.

Frustrated, I began again this time freezing more ice on the way over to diminish or slow down the build of the waves power. It worked for half of my running distance, but as I got close, the ice was beginning to buckle. The ice was crushed just as I was underneath the crest, so in a split-second decision, I dove into the body of the wave all together missing the crest and I made it through. My victory was temporary because bigger waves and crests were waiting for me just beyond. The next wave built up quickly and I used the same strategy as the last getting through with no problem. As I broke through this second wave, my body was slammed into a large rock that took the wind out of me. I climbed to the top once I caught my breath a bit and blasted the water below me with ice sliding down to run again.

My heart was racing with excitement and adrenaline as I charged forward toward the incoming wave. Hopefully, this was the last. It was tiring only using my one hand, but I knew I could do this. Instead of freezing the crests again, I took a deep breath and dove down into the body of the wave like I did the last, but the current pulled me down. As I paddled through the dark abyss trying to get my bearings, in the distance I saw a glimmer of two small orbs of light in the distance. They seemed to be getting closer as I began making my way to the surface. I glanced down blinking once and those orbs became a pair of eyes that resembled that of a face of a horse. It swam around me but otherwise left me alone. My lungs were beginning to ache the longer I continued to hold my breath. Finally bursting through the surface as my lungs filled with air. I glanced around trying to pinpoint where I was headed. The shores where I started from were fading away in the distance, so I began paddling my way north. Though suddenly something hit me from below throwing me up in the air sending me down with a splash. This water creature pranced around me acting aggressively. It was more than likely protecting its territory that I had disturbed, and was clearly trying to kill me. I had read about legends of a horse creature in father's library at home called the Nokk. But until now, it was only a legend.

I was launched in the air a number of times catching me off guard each time. As I twirled in the air that third time, I blasted a small rectangle of ice to land on instead of splashing down again into the water. At least now I had an upper hand. Though my ice was no match for this creature breaking through no problem and sending me back into the water again. The Nokk jumped above me pressing against my shoulders and pushing me under with tremendous weight and aggression. It was intense and the creature was unrelenting. I could feel the pressure growing the farther this thing pushed against me. In a last ditch effort, I froze the Nokk from under the water and that seemed to stop it enough for me to swim to the surface for air. My lungs filled again as I breached the surface. Though the Nokk wasn't finished with me yet, it burst out from the depths and began to charge me. I fashioned some thin frosty reins and tried to tame this wild creature by swinging myself on its back. It kicked and reared as it ran around on top of the water surface. My heart was racing the entire time wondering if at any moment I would be bucked off again. No such thing happened. I had the power to tame this creature too? But why? As the Nokk settled, I began directing it toward the northern horizon where I saw the glacier of what I could only assume was Ahtohallan.