Chapter 14:
Carried in the drumming of war


The Sun shone bright upon Arendelle when everybody got ready to depart. The citizens even assembled in the heart of town, adults like children, to witness them leave.

Coronan and Arendellian soldiers packed their stuff to leave and interrupted themselves to bow when the royals walked past them. It was a subtle gesture compared to the applause from the people and castle staff present on the ramparts who observed as well.

As they walked to the wagons, Anna saluted a Northuldra who was taking care of the reindeers who pulled the coaches, and Eugene had never seen him before. Yet, they all seemed familiar with him, so he got curious, and stepped forward. He then realized that it was Ryder. He beamed in such a way and had a radically different behavior when he was around the reindeers that the Prince didn't recognize him right away.

"Is everything alright, Ryder?" Asked Eugene, approaching.

The Northuldra looked even more delighted to be asked about it. "They're in great shape! And excited to help. Believe it or not, they're willing participants. I could feel it in their eyes."

Eugene looked at him work with a smile.

"I didn't get to tell you, but we have our name in common. I mean… Made-up name. My thief name was Flynn Rider!"

Blue eyes blinked at him.

"Your… What now?"

Honeymaren arrived behind her brother as she lifted a crate and she gave him a nudge. "I'll explain later. You have nothing to fear. He's not linked to the thugs we're about to fight against. His name is Fitzerbert now."

"Well…" Corrected the latter as he cleared his throat, standing tall and proper, his hands holding to his jacket. "It's Eugene of Corona, now that I've married Punzie."

He was wearing a battle outfit and not a royal uniform, but his joking mannerism worked really well.

Ryder laughed. "I'm a bit nervous to meet yet other monarchs, but you're all very kind and funny, so it's nice."

Kristoff smiled discreetly from where he was. Ryder was a friendly person, but it was ironic that his only friends outside of his tribe were all members of royal families. Maybe that Mattias was an exception, but he never saw them exchange much more than classical polite conversations.

A small brunette walked past him and took him out of his thoughts.

"I will give all of you some vials to pocket and use on the battlefield if needed." Announced Rapunzel, putting her satchel on the border of the wagon and rummaging inside.

"That's a good idea." Complimented Eugene, quite surprised that his wife thought of that. She usually preferred to heal wounds afterwards, and was too optimistic to imagine injuries upstream.

"Oh, it's Anna's, not mine. She told me about that plan earlier - which is great."

The Prince turned to Anna, and nodded with an impressed pout. "Amazing prevention. You've grown up, Your Majesty."

"I had finished my growth last time we saw each other…" Frowned Anna, confused. Then her eyes snapped wide, remembering how careless she was in Corona. "Oh, you mean maturely."

Eugene nudged Rapunzel. "Nevermind, she's still a dork."

The Princess laughed, and Anna even more. "I missed you two. I swear, I'm feeling really bad that we meet each other in such a context. I'll invite you countless times afterwards to make up."

The couple assured that it was fine, and Rapunzel handed over a large amount of vials. Elsa widened her eyes at the sight.

"How did you fill the vials so fast?" She asked, astonished.

She knew that the state of Arendelle had made Rapunzel emotional in the morning when she looked at the town from the castle, but it's not like she personally knew all of the victims… How did she find something to cry so much?

Rapunzel smiled at her. "Olaf made me laugh to tears when we prepared together after breakfast. His humor is amazing. The crate of vials was right next to my war outfit in my luggage, so it came in handy."

They all turned to the snowman who was adjusting his coals buttons to imitate the soldiers next to him preparing their own suits. He looked up when he felt all the gazes on him, and lifted a twig thumb up. "Always happy to help."

They all smiled.

Anna turned to Rapunzel, and smirked. "Well, you could have asked and used onions from the kitchens."

Honeymaren frowned, trying to understand her intervention and why Rapunzel and Elsa giggled at her. Then she widened her eyes.

"Oh, because her magical tears can be created from any crying situation, including onion peeling, is that right?"

Anna gasped happily at the Northuldra's understanding.

"Finally someone gets it. Thank you, Honeymaren!"

The latter blinked in confusion. Was it that hard to get? Judging by Elsa's and Rapunzel's impressed faces, it was. Anna tapped Honeymaren's back with joy, and beamed at her sister.

"Elsa, I'm delighted to see that you're dating a smart woman."

The two lovers blushed deeply, quickly looking at each other then avoiding their gazes in embarrassment at the compliment.

The redhead turned to an amused Rapunzel. "Thankfully, she doesn't only have a smart brain. She's also very good at fighting. You'll see."

They smiled, then Anna clapped her hands. "Alright! I'll leave the lead to Kristoff. I'll meet you guys later. On the battlefield." She said seriously, but with an excited wink. "I still have several things to do here."

The others nodded at the wise Queen, and started to embark under Kristoff's supervision. Him and Ryder even had decided on the order of the wagons in the convoy, cleverly placing the two most guarded ones at the head and the tail.

The group of friends climbed aboard a ten-seater, which was completed by three guards, two surrounding the royals for protection, and one between Olaf and Ryder as the latter drove the reindeers. It gave the signal to depart, and the convoy left Arendelle.

Kristoff made a comment about how it was a good idea to all gather in the same wagon; maybe they would be an easier target in the unlikely possibility they get an ambush or a problem on the way, but he had heard Anna talking about her adventure novels enough time to know that a group should never split up.

Elsa smiled next to him. Even mere minutes without Anna, he already was talking about his wife. She couldn't blame him; her sister's aura beamed bright enough to shine in their minds and hearts even when she wasn't there, and the blonde would not be unhappy if he spent the entire trip praising her.


Elsa thought she would be bored on their way to the battlefield. Even if it was a shorter journey than the one to reach the Forest, she expected to internally sigh several times at how much slower the ride was with a wagon compared to being on Nokk's back.

However, meeting Rapunzel again brought her in utter joy, and the pair had a lot to talk about. Of course, through the years, they had many letter correspondences, especially ones where they talked about magic, but it wasn't the same than getting excited about it face to face.

"What was it again, the words Ahtohallan used at your self-revelation there?" Asked the brunette. "Was it 'grow yourself into something new' or 'throw yourself into something new'?"

Elsa was about to reply, but interrupted herself. Now she was doubting.

"I can't remember, actually. It was more of a feeling anyway." She smiled. "And I was way too busy being emotional about her using my mother's face and voice to think straight."

"Wait, it can use any memory?" Frowned Rapunzel. She then widened her eyes. "...Hold on, 'her'?"

Elsa grinned. "Oh, yes, I didn't mention it in my last letter about the glacier. I noticed a few weeks ago that she only uses archives of women's memories when she talks to me. So I asked her and actually, she goes by she and her pronouns."

"I see. It explains why the Northuldra refer to her as the All-Mother." Nodded Rapunzel.

"Exactly. And it enhances the belief in Mother Nature. And, yes, to answer your other question, she can use any memory of the past. She's like an unending river, truly, I'm forever fascinated by her magic. Depending on my mood when I step in, she will pick the right memories. I appreciate it."

"So, if you're looking for answers, she instinctively knows which ones you should see, and if you're feeling down and visiting the glacier to mentally recharge, she picks good memories of your past?"

Elsa grinned. "I missed talking about magic with you. It's like I don't have to explain anything, because you know."

Rapunzel had a smile, but it faded. "I wish I had a source to talk with, though. It could help me understand many things."

The Snow Queen bit her lip. "I imagine well. It took me a long time to finally hear her call, though. Maybe… Maybe that you haven't heard yours yet?"

The brunette winced. "Is it really how it goes?"

"I don't have a textbook or anything." Scoffed Elsa. "And you're the only other human I know with magical powers. I'd say it's like… A process. Thanks to Anna, I had found the way to control my magic, and it was love, hence the Great Thaw… And from that moment, I enjoyed my magic and learned from it. For several years, I ruled over Arendelle and played with it, trying new tricks, new creations… But it felt dull. I tried to share my feelings with Anna, but it was hard to come with words for it, and… I ended up ignoring that weird intuition that my ice and snow magic actually was meant for something else. That I was meant for something else. I loved to take care of the kingdom, really, but it wasn't… Fulfilling me."

Rapunzel smiled at her rambling, and nodded wisely.

"When I saw how much time Anna was spending with the townspeople," continued the Fifth Spirit, "and the attention and care she gave to everyone, and how glad they were because all those years they had been shut out of the castle without any explanation… I felt bad to not be that extraverted person with a listening ear they were looking for as a leader. I wondered if actually, I would not be helpful somewhere else. As… A protector. I started to imagine what it would be like… And that's when I heard it."

"Your mother's Spirits Call." Said the Princess tenderly, recalling her letter. She had been really touched by the story.

"Yes." Sighed Elsa with emotion. "That's the voice Ahtohallan had chosen to talk with me, to bring me to her. A reassuring voice, familiar, but which also tugged to something deep inside of me that I couldn't even name back then, an alluring feeling… The duty of a Spirit. In a way, my mother called me for help that day."

"It's beautiful to see it like that. Her voice went through time." Commented Rapunzel, and Elsa smiled with her gaze lost in the horizon.

The blonde then turned to her friend. "So, have you ever had a similar experience?"

The Princess snorted. "Not even close, no. Even if I had my content in life changing moments. But I will travel a lot in the next few years, with my royal duties to come, so who knows, maybe I will find a place to reflect and find myself."

"Hopefully, you'll find your source." Nodded Elsa.

"Well, technically…" Thought Rapunzel, then she pointed at the sky. "My source is the Sun."

Elsa looked up. "Huh. Yes. Quite a hard place to reach."

"Yep."

They giggled together, and spent the rest of the next hour talking about magic.

"Do you think that Ahtohallan was made– Well, I mean, in the legends," smiled Rapunzel, "with a tear of the Moon?"

Elsa shrugged, though she smiled at the theory. "Who knows? She never mentioned anything about it. But maybe…"

A few minutes passed, and she saw the Coronan Prince in front of her lifting his eyes and smiling at Gale twirling above the convoy of wagons. He then frowned.

"There's something I can't grasp. If you have the Spirits on your side, and can command them with your new role, then why don't you send them to mess with Hans' army? Wreak havoc? Go on a rampage?"

Elsa was quite shocked by his implication at first, then she smiled when she realized how clueless he was.

"Well, it would be bad, don't you think?"

Her simple answer and sarcasm brought Eugene to bite his lip, and he realized his mistake. But before he could take back what he said, the Snow Queen put her cheek against her fist as she laid her elbow on the edge of the wagon, and smiled at him.

"If I sent the Giants to crush them, or asked Nokk to form a giant wave to drown them all, Hans' army would be killed in no time, you have my word on that. But the Spirits would never kill humans. They can maim or seriously injure however, and I intend them to do so." She grinned. "This being said, I'll disappoint both of you… They won't do anything spectacular. Gale can't sweep the whole battlefield in a tornado or Bruni rise huge walls of fire, that would put our side in danger. The Giants also can't distinguish who is who from their scale, so I have forbidden them to cross the battlefield. In general, I asked every Spirit to limit their range."

The Coronans looked at her with dropped jaws.

"Yeah…"

"Yeah, I didn't think of that." Said Rapunzel, just as speechless as her husband.

Honeymaren smiled at their shock.

Eugene gulped as he mused. If Elsa had frozen an entire kingdom accidentally in a few seconds, and they were about to go in a war with restrained Spirits, what would happen if the Fifth Spirit decided one day to unleash her whole power?

He preferred not to think about it.

"Quite a phenomenal woman, your girlfriend." He said with a nervous grin, looking over to the Northuldra.

He then lovingly cuddled with his wife. "We both have taste for powerful gals, I see."

Honeymaren and Rapunzel smiled, and Elsa blushed deeply. The confidence she had just before when she talked about the Spirits vanished. It was different when she was the center of attention.

"Tell me…" Asked Eugene, comically bending forward to Honeymaren. "When did you first fall in love with her?"

Rapunzel grinned, actually curious about her answer, and the Northuldra smirked. She gave a quick glance at Elsa, who pretended to stare at the landscape but was fooling no one.

"You first."

"Alright." Shrugged the Prince. "I'd love to say that I fell in love with Punzie the minute I met her, but I was welcomed with a frying pan and a threat, so…"

He smirked when Rapunzel rolled her eyes.

"I would say it was when we visited the kingdom. When I saw her having so much fun with people for the first time, I… I don't know, it's hard to explain."

Honeymaren nodded with a smile.

"I knew instantly." Smiled Eugene lovingly. "All I wanted was to make sure that her smile would never leave her face, ever."

"Aaaw." Melted Rapunzel, and she put a quick kiss on his cheek.

"If Anna were here, she would have loved the romantic story." Said Honeymaren.

Elsa, who had actually turned to listen, smiled and nodded in agreement.

"And you?" Asked Eugene, wiggling his eyebrows.

Elsa immediately wanted to turn to the landscape again, but her lover's chestnut eyes caught her gaze, and she froze.

Not because she blamed herself for escaping the conversation, but because she instantly read deep, burning love in them.

"I think that the very first time I saw her, something happened, indeed…" Smiled Honeymaren lovingly, her eyes not leaving Elsa's face, where a touched smile stretched blushing cheeks.

"But truly, the… The moment, the spark, happened when she came back from Ahtohallan. And from death, as well." She added, like it was a detail.

"Ooooh, I heard this story a thousand times from Anna, but you have to tell us your point of view." Beamed Rapunzel.

After an amused smile and a quick glance at her girlfriend to check if she was okay with it - however Elsa's eyes were sparkling with emotion - the Northuldra complied.

"It was right after the Mist lifted." Recalled Honeymaren. "Anna had just announced to everyone that Elsa had sacrificed herself to free us all. I was overwhelmed by both the sight of the blue sky for the first time in my life, and to know that she did such an act for us, even though she had just met our tribe."

She continued when she saw Elsa's modest smile.

"And then she appeared. We saw Anna run to a nearby cliff… Not gonna lie, I thought for a second that she was going to jump, as she didn't smile once since the bad news… And then we heard a neigh. And the elders of the tribe gasped, because they recognized it as the Water Spirit's. I followed their run to the cliff when I saw their excitement, and…"

She lost her breath for a moment, the sole memory bringing her soul to another plane.

"That's when I saw her."

Elsa's face was on fire again. Of course Honeymaren had confessed about it countless times, but hearing her say it that way to someone else was moving.

"She was riding the Water Spirit. Whereas I had been told in many tales around the campfire that he never allowed any human on his back. And then it hit me. The Fifth Spirit. It was her!" She exclaimed, her realization of the moment coming back to her, and the Coronan couple grinned at her joy. "She arrived on the shore and dismounted and her outfit was floating in the wind… It was like time itself had stopped to stare along with me. I couldn't grasp reality anymore. She was breathtaking. That outfit… She looked mythical, for the lack of a better word. After embracing her family, she climbed up the cliff with them to tell us that she was alright, and Arendelle too. She walked to Yelena and I - we were so shocked we didn't move - and she took our hands and said that she had been to Ahtohallan… And seen how beautiful it was."

She smiled fondly.

"In that moment, when I saw how beautiful she also was, I knew that I was linked to her. Like you, I knew that I would never want to leave her side, and that I would follow her everywhere, to the end of the world if needed, and for crying out loud, she had been to Ahtohallan! I… I couldn't help myself but ask her to stay."

Rapunzel was enchanted by her story, and nearly clapped when she finished. Eugene did not regret any second to have asked the curious question, especially when he saw the two partners exchange a loving gaze, and Elsa's hand came to take Honeymaren's in her.

The Northuldra tilted to place a kiss on her lips, and the Spirit's blush disappeared to be replaced by a large smile, before she closed the space between them and kissed Honeymaren deeply.

The wagon eventually arrived, but not to the actual valley that would be the battlefield; the army of allies had made the clever decision to stop the convoy of wagons in a small forest a kilometer before, to unload its people, weapons and supplies without being targeted by long range shooters or spied on by possible bandits.

Once everyone was ready, Elsa's group headed to the field, walking between two platoons, to be protected as much as possible while also being dissimulated among the troops. They weren't that discreet though; Kristoff was the only one wearing a color that was identical to the Arendellian troops, the deep pine green of his battle outfit giving him royal prestance. The others however wore distinctable clothes. Eugene and Rapunzel had silver armors that matched but differed from the Coronan army's golden ones, Honeymaren wore beige like the other Northuldra but they were at the back of the troops, and of course Elsa was a walking glow, sparkling and shining in the woods.

As they moved forwards in pairs along the path, several conversations started, this moment being the last to chat before they all got into the action.

Elsa and Eugene were walking side by side while the blonde recalled the events of her poisoning.

"Wait, for the first time in your life?" Exclaimed the Prince, his voice attracting Honeymaren's attention as she walked in front of him, next to Kristoff. She however didn't turn her head, pretending that she didn't hear anything but listening closely.

Elsa smiled sadly at the man. "Why, yes. You of all people know that I'm called the Snow Queen for a reason."

The Prince chuckled at her humor. "Oh yeah. I'm still shivering at the fact we had a snowy coronation in the month of July."

"And I'm still sorry." Winced Elsa.

If Honeymaren didn't know that they both were joking, she would have jumped at her lover's rescue; instead, she just listened to their conversation curiously.

"So you got cold. But didn't you freeze in Ahtohallan when you went too far? Why was this time different?" Frowned Eugene, kindly asking to not push the Spirit.

The latter shrugged. "Because in Ahtohallan, I was too preoccupied by the situation to actually take notes on how horrible cold is. I only got the time to freeze entirely in less than a minute. It sounds like an awful lot, but it was really quick. Then I lost consciousness, just like Anna did on the fjord."

"Cold isn't horrible." Assured Eugene. "Okay, I'll admit that I'm always having this running gag between us about that time you froze the kingdom over, but you know I don't mean it."

"Thank you." Smiled Elsa with a chuckle.

Honeymaren mentally thumbed up the Prince for his kind words.

"The difference is, when I got poisoned," the blonde kept going, "I felt it fully, every hour, every day, every night. I sincerely have no idea how you all go through that every Winter without turning crazy. Really, it's a mystery to me."

Eugene laughed. "I'll have you know that cold days also start at the end of Fall."

"Terrible situation." Joked Elsa.

They all laughed, even Honeymaren, who then immediately slapped her hand on her face to shut herself up. It actually was her gesture that made Elsa startle and turn her head to her, so she shouldn't have done that.

"Honey, were you listening?"

The brunette slowly turned. "...Maybe. Sorry?"

The Spirit snorted. "Don't be. It's okay." She then smiled. "It's kind of cute that you betrayed yourself when you laughed at my joke."

Honeymaren had a guilty expression while she slowed down her walk to be at their level. The Prince was amused by her joining in the conversation, and he lifted his chin towards the Northuldra. "So how was it, mothering her?"

"I beg your pardon? I'm not a baby." Blinked Elsa, and Honeymaren smirked.

He had identified the brunette's personality really well, understanding how protective she was.

The latter played his game. "Very funny. You would think that as the Snow Queen, she would take notes on the sensation of cold, such as 'So this is what it's like. Interesting.' but she rather complained the entire time."

Eugene bursted into laughter, and Elsa dropped her jaw with a scandalized gasp.

"I swear," continued Honeymaren. "She was a real dork about it. She reminded me of those times when tourists come to see our camp, and grumble at how cold the weather is up North and how they didn't think about bringing warm clothes. Anna is right, her title should rather be Drama Queen."

Elsa crossed her arms, staring at her lover. "Okay, I take back what I said before. You are not cute."

The two others giggled.

"Honeymaren not only is clever and protective…" Laughed Eugene, retrieving his breathing with a hand on his chest. "She's also very funny. Good pick, Elsa."

The Spirit blushed, unable to prevent her lips to curl in a smile.

Rapunzel trotted to them, and smiled sadly at the blonde when she turned at her presence.

"I wish I could have helped you with my magic, Elsa. But sadly, and ironically, it can only heal physical wounds."

Elsa tried to smile back despite her cringe of discomfort. "I know. We thought about it with Anna. But hey, don't diminish your talent. You can bring people back from comas, this is a miracle you should be proud of."

Eugene looked at her with emotion. To think that for the longest time, Elsa called her powers a curse… And when she saw magic in others, she called it a gift… His heart clenched. Both his wife and the Spirit had been through hell for their powers, didn't they? He could remember the dinner at Corona when the sisters came for their vacation and Rapunzel and Elsa had compared how many years they had been trapped due to their powers, prisoners of their own home.

However, despite his reflection, he was amused by his wife's appearance. "Is it 'Eavesdropping day' today? What is going on?"

The women laughed, and Elsa shrugged. "And we're not even in the Enchanted Forest. Imagine how many conversations Gale reports in her domain."

The Wind Spirit tingled above her, and gently twirled her hair as a smiling nudge.

Elsa smirked and lifted her eyes to inspect the clouds above the battlefield, the group growing quiet as they approached their destination.

"Thankfully, it's not gonna rain. I've never fought in a war before, but I suppose that doing it in the mud is a nightmare."

Rapunzel frowned. "How do you know it's not gonna rain?"

The Fifth Spirit turned to her. "I don't feel a change in atmospheric pressure, and I didn't sense Nokk and Gale being bickery today. Which is a good thing, we need them to cooperate as a team to– What?"

"Nothing." Smirked the Coronan.

"There's not nothing." Frowned Elsa. "You're mocking me."

"I'm actually not, quite the opposite. Did you just hear yourself?"

The blonde blinked for a moment. Did she make a grammar mistake? No, Rapunzel said that she was admirative. About what?

The Princess kept smiling, then shook her head in disbelief at her cluelessness. "Nevermind."

'Mental note: ask her to forecast the weather for the day we go back to sea.' Thought Rapunzel with amusement.

She got distracted by a very loud Olaf who was explaining to a soldier how he intended to use his grappling hook. He was very graphic in his mimes, and even the guard, who had years of experience in battle, widened his eyes in terror at the plan of action that just went out of the childish snowman's mouth.

Elsa winced as she heard him too, despite the distance - Olaf had asked to be at the head of the troops - and Rapunzel turned to her.

"He's very… Explicit." Noted the brunette.

"Sorry about that. He always puts his foot in it, even literally."

They chuckled nervously.

The snowman had actually reminded them how dark the situation was turning. Elsa felt kind of bad for her friend's role to come. "I don't want to be negative, but just so you know, we're about to see a lot of injuries today."

She wondered for a moment if the healer princess had already seen someone being mortally hit or only their resulting lesions. However, the brunette smirked.

"Don't worry for me." She assured. "My only regret is that I didn't pick a frying pan from Arendelle's castle's kitchens so I could use it as a weapon."

Elsa laughed. "Gerda would have scolded you, royalty or not. They already had trouble reassembling the cookware after the Collapse."

Their mutual effort to light up the mood failed again when Elsa brought up that other dark topic. The two women looked down in shame.

Why were they so bad at this? They usually were optimistic…?

The Fifth Spirit came to the conclusion that no one was ever ready for a war, after all. She didn't know how much time she got lost in thoughts as they walked, but a gentle hand squeezed her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, I'll save all of you, whatever it takes." Assured Rapunzel.

Elsa smiled back at her.

"Though, it is my understanding that death has tried to meet you several times and kept failing, huh?" Smirked the brunette.

The Snow Queen had a light scoff. "I can't deny that. You know how it went when you came to Arendelle to heal my ribs. I'm grateful for my magic though, the cold saved my life in the past. Several times, with how I used it to defend myself against murderous blows... It's more than just a part of me, something that makes me whole and happy, it... It resonates with me. Like we're on the same wavelength, you know?"

Rapunzel nodded. "I do. And it's really interesting that you intertwined magic and science, again."

Elsa blushed. The Princess cackled out loud. "See! That's what I pointed out earlier. You're so excited - gosh, Anna is so right - about both technologies and your powers that you mix them both. Quite a visionary…"

Elsa blushed deeper at her mockery and frowned. "How many letters does Anna send you compared to me, exactly? I can tell she's having way too much fun talking behind my back."

"Oh, mostly praise." Grinned Rapunzel.

"...And?" Inquired the Spirit, who knew that it was true, given how much Anna put her forward, but she also knew her mischievous sister.

Rapunzel then extended her grin. That was all Elsa needed to understand, and she widened her eyes.

"Oh no."

"Oh yes."

"Please tell me she didn't tell you about… That."

"Oh, she definitely did." Grinned the Princess, who didn't need context nor clues to know they were mentioning the same thing.

Elsa recoiled on herself with a cringe and a moan.

"Gods, this is so embarrassing…"

"Embarrassing to what extent?" Grinned Kristoff, slipping next to them.

"To the point where I am on the verge of asking a Giant to pull me into the ground right now." She mumbled, her face in her hand.

She mentally sensed a frown coming from the closest Giant. 'But that would hurt you a lot.'

Nokk nickered from where he was. 'She didn't mean it literally. Don't you sense that she is ashamed?'

Elsa blushed even more. "Nokk!" She scolded out loud, but no one heard her behind her hand.

'Yes, I did sense it.' Answered the Giant. 'As well as her strong wish to disappear. Sadly, if I hide her underground, it will hurt her. I can't obey that order.'

Nokk let out an expression that was like rolling his eyes, and Gale tingled as a laughter. Elsa was too embarrassed to note the adorable care from the Earth Spirit. She mentally told them that it wasn't an actual order, and looked up to Kristoff.

"Or maybe I should summon one to pick me up and throw me with all their strength to the sky until I lack oxygen in the atmosphere."

The King blinked in legit surprise at her answer.

"Waow, I was not expecting that."

Elsa sighed and he crossed his arms to hold his chin with a smile. "Now that's interesting too. You would go for a magical solution but then rely on science."

He winked at Rapunzel, who was delighted to see that he had joined the fun.

"I'm pretty sure that she would have an identity crisis if we asked her to pick what she preferred between magic and science."

"I don't have an identity crisis," said Elsa with an eye roll, though she made a slip of the tongue by using present tense.

The King then smirked. "Oh yeah? Then tell me, what creates an earthquake? Is it the Giants when they're angry, or the tectonic plates moving around? And how about storms?"

Elsa blushed deeply with wide eyes.

"What–? It's– Now you cannot ask me that!" She blabbered. "It depends on many factors, and you'd need context, and…"

"Because last time I checked," continued Kristoff, deliberately ignoring her defense, and the others giggled, "you are the kind of person who would find her way using a sextant, and on the following day, focus on Ahtohallan's position to find out where the North is. Though, the sextant would be made out of ice, so that's a paradox on its own."

The blonde stared at him with a pout, then went 'Hmph' and crossed her arms.

"No need to call me out."

They all laughed at her and he bumped her gently at the shoulder, which made her stretch her lips in a smile.

"I'm just teasing you." Assured Kristoff. "Who else would I make ice puns with?"

She bumped him back, and looked down at the huge axe that was at his belt. "Speaking of, it's a good thing that you have ice harvester experience. I pity the skulls you'll split in two."

He followed her gaze. "I would have loved to use my pickaxes to stab a few guys, but Anna gifted me this axe for our anniversary and I won't miss the opportunity to use it."

Eugene widened his eyes. "Arendelle has a very different culture about love gifts."


One of the bandits with a spyglass tugged on the arm of another thug.

"There! There! I see a sun!"

The other snorted. "Great. How freaking useless of a news is that. You know, Hans told us to make actual observations–"

"No, no!" Insisted the bandit, showing him the direction and handing his spyglass. "Corona's sun! Corona's crest!"

They both witnessed the battlefield flags brought by the Coronan soldiers, purple and gold colors bright as the banners moved in the wind, and the pirates rushed down the hill to inform their leader.

They easily spotted Hans's red hair in the crowd of thugs.

"Coronan flags! The army of Corona is with them!"

"What?" Said a bandit, astonished, before Hans could even react. "First the Northuldra, and now them?"

Hans however wasn't impressed in the slightest. He had thought about this eventuality.

"Of course. Arendelle has a long relationship of peace and alliance with Corona. She asked them for a favor, and they returned it."

None of the men surrounding him had had political courses growing up, so they just looked at him without a word.

"How many troops were there? How many platoons?" Asked the fallen prince to the two pirates who brought the news.

He had to force himself not to sigh when they started counting on their fingers with mumbles. However, it didn't go beyond their hands.

"Alright, only nine. That isn't much." Concluded Hans. "So it's just a minor part of their army. We don't have much to fear, we're still very numerous."

'Too bad', he thought nonetheless. 'I'd have loved Anna to request Corona's full forces so I could attack their kingdom and burn it down and blame their weakness on Anna's stupid decision.'

"It makes us even more outnumbered now." Pointed out a bandit. "Are you certain that we have the advantage?"

His concern was legitimate; nobody in Hans' side had expected the Queen to have such an addition to her army, and they turned to him with frowns and worry.

"Think about it." Said the fallen prince, though he mostly was surrounded by idiot thugs. "They're the good guys. Sickening nice. They'll try their best to not kill anyone. But us, however… We'll have no issue killing them. We'll bring those damn royals to their knees."

All grinned around him, toothless smiles and greasy laughs spreading.


Elsa admired the outfits of her family and friends. She couldn't help observing the details of their clothes and their choice of battle gear; this kind of musing eased her mind, which was very good to do before, well, starting a war.

Rapunzel and Eugene's were the ones she loved the most. They had matching gorgets, with a beautiful coronan sun engraved on it, and the brightness of it highlighted their beaming confident smiles while they had a happy chat together. Elsa was relieved to see that the battle didn't concern them much; after all, how could they not win? Rapunzel had a battle hammer at her waist, which contrasted with the light leather protection she wore on her belly, and the blonde smiled as she remembered when the Princess had talked about using a frying pan as a weapon. Maybe the steel was similar? As for Eugene, he had opted for a short sword, which was slightly curved and looked like a cutlass, a weapon they would be about to face very often given it was the pirates' favorite. Having the ex-bandit on their side actually would help a lot.

The couple had steel cuisses, greaves and poleyns to protect their legs, which also matched between them. Elsa tried to remain serious so she didn't ask, but she was certain that Rapunzel's love for fashion played a big part when she ordered pairing outfits. The Spirit was ready to bet that despite the horror of leaving the kingdom to go to battle, Rapunzel was delighted to have taken them out of the armory.

Olaf, who was preparing further in the valley, had loved his idea of wearing an arendellian shield as a plastron during the Collapse and was doing it again, giggling in excitement as he tied another one in his back as well.

Next to him, Kristoff emanated both ice harvester and King energies, and Elsa discreetly grinned when her eyes scanned his gear. He wore leather protection too, but it was way thicker than the couple's, and it reminded her of the harvesting outfits. The axe he twirled in his hand to warm up definitely added to it, while also giving him a medieval vibe. The vambraces he wore also enhanced that impression; they were made of steel and fur, and decorated with the same patterns than the ones on his belt.

However, to Elsa's eyes, nothing could top Honeymaren's outfit, which she had admired for a full hour that morning. It may be the simplest of them all, but sweet Ahtohallan, did it make the blonde's heart beat faster at the sole sight. She tried not to be seen, but the hungry way she stared would fool no witness. Honeymaren was wearing a light version of her usual tunic, which was sleeveless and left her arms exposed. Elsa however was a bit disappointed that they were covered with padding pieces here and there, and most of Honeymaren was hidden that way, the battle components changing her silhouette. Nevertheless, the Spirit was very glad of her protection choices; the thick additions would protect every critical part of her body, which was too precious to her to receive any more cuts - even if she loved her scars. Her thighs, belly and back had thick bumps and Elsa remembered when she had filled the padding with cloth along with Ryder, who was wearing the same protection. The quiver at her hip, in addition to matching her bow, matched the pattern at her belt and proudly showed her tribe's culture. There was a large Northuldra hexagon at the center of it, and Elsa had to restrain herself in hooking a finger under the belt to pull Honeymaren to her and kiss her lips soundly to bring her courage before the fight began. Her partner didn't need any boost anyway; she was a skilled archer and excellent at close combat too, and Elsa had blind faith in her.

The brunette was tying up a large leather protection above her left breast so she wouldn't hurt herself with the numerous arrows she was going to shoot. She then dipped her hand in her quiver and started to check each of the heads attentively. Elsa melted as she observed her.

"Excuse me, uhm… Madam Snow Queen?" Asked a Coronan soldier.

The blonde blinked and turned around with surprise. She had been given many odd names in the past years, but nobody had ever called her that way. When she saw the blush on the man's face, despite his helmet hiding a part of it, she understood that he felt a bit clumsy about it.

"Elsa will suffice." She assured.

"Right. Uhm. Elsa. Should we be careful in the movements of our troops to not obstruct the Spirits' movements?"

The leader smiled. "They are used to moving around humans, don't worry. Besides, they won't actually fight. They will help, for sure, but not be as frontal as we will. During the Collapse, they acted in defense of a surprise attack. Yet today, this is a human war declared on purpose. It's not their business."

The man took some time to take in the insane information she had just dropped with seriousness, then nodded. He bowed and jogged back to his platoon.

The armies were getting into positions, and Elsa continued walking to join her family and friends who observed the alliance further.

The Arendelle and Nattura siblings had done their strategy right upstream; each group was positioned based on skills, with short range soldiers taking their spot next to Northuldra warriors while archers and crossbowmen formed a line in the back of the army.

Ryder, who was the one who had been the least introduced to the concept of an armed guard, whistled in astonishment at the scene in front of him, but also surrounding him. The soldiers had received orders on close defense as well, and a group of men were placing themselves next to the herder.

He was surprised that no redhead was in front of the army, where the leader would naturally stand. "Anna still hasn't arrived yet?"

"She's coming soon." Immediately answered Elsa near him, and the soldiers overhearing could understand that she made sure that nobody had the impression that the Queen was a coward. "Gale just told me she's on her way with the last soldiers and supplies."

Honeymaren smiled next to her, first at the confidence that her lover had in her sister, but also with curiosity because she wondered why Anna was running late.

She noticed along with Ryder that all their Northuldra friends had finished taking positions on the battlefield.

"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's a good thing that pirates have a good sense of honor and won't attack us as long as she's not there." Said the brunette. "Ahtohallan's sake, I just said 'pirates' and 'honor' in the same sentence. What life am I living?"

Her humor made Elsa chuckle next to her.

"I think it's rather because we're twice as many with the Northuldra, the Arendellians and our army." Smiled Rapunzel.

"That too." Admitted Honeymaren with a proud shrug.

She glanced behind her and admired the sea of green uniforms as well as the golden armors and beige tunics that accompanied it. She then looked up to the distant hill where she knew Yelena was watching. The heart of the old lady must be beaming with pride, she thought, remembering the chief's confession about how beautiful it was to finally see the Northuldra fighting side by side with Arendelle for a common objective.

A bit more than twenty minutes later, a horse neighed at the edge of the battlefield, and Elsa and Eugene stopped their preparations with the commanding officers to turn and see. The horse was accompanied with warning yells between soldiers to move out of the way.

However, it wasn't because the horse was loose or galloping or anything; in fact, it calmly walked down the troops.

Elsa frowned at the paradox, and also because she recognized the horse but not the soldier on its back. It was Anna's mare, but why was there a knight riding it?

His armor was splendid, but why were all the guards standing at attention as he made his way down?

"Who is he?" Asked the Spirit to Kristoff, her curiosity aroused by the mysterious presence, the knight making his way to them.

The King didn't answer anything, only smiling at Elsa's reaction.

The knight turned to one of the Arendellian soldiers who was walking next to his horse, and the guard raised his hands. In a slow gesture, the rider removed his helmet to give it to him to keep on the side for the moment.

Elsa widened her eyes and dropped her jaw at the sight.

If she weren't connected to Ahtohallan, she would have sworn that the magical entity had stopped time.

A beautiful woman with a mane of fire tied in buns at the back of her head smiled at the alliance army, her face as glowing as her beaming armor. She directed her horse and made her way through the crowd with the most majesty possible on Earth, and smiled down at everyone who saluted her. It was that warm and sincere attention that gave Elsa the proof that the unbelievable sight she had was real, and attested that yes, that knight woman exhaling a blasting aura was her 22 year old sister.

Anna continued to stride down the army troops, the reflected light on her shiny armor embellishing the three different colors of the allies as it shone on them. Elsa was in awe. The largest piece of Anna's armor, her breastplate, was adorned with a large engraving of Arendelle's crest. Despite her crushing knight poise, the outfit wasn't entirely made of steel; she was wearing a large brown belt made out of thick quality leather adorned with numerous details, a craft that Elsa suspected to be Northuldra-made. It led to golden faulds that tinkled in the sunlight while Anna hopped with the movements of her horse. Wide bands made of linked metal plates and joined with leather fasteners spreaded over her ribs and joined her back.

Her arms were covered with a beautiful pair of vambraces that seemed to be decorated with illustrations of mountains, and Elsa made herself the promise to definitely inspect it up close later. She felt a bit of anger in her heart towards the redhead since she didn't show her outfit in detail that morning so she could admire it thoroughly, but it was drowned under the immense pride she felt as she watched her sister trot down the battlefield with grace. Also, the blonde couldn't stop the smirk that replaced her dropped jaw as she admitted that this was the best way to reveal her bespoke war gear.

Elsa sometimes called Anna 'sunshine', and the nickname had never been so accurate with how much she glowed, her bright smile matching her golden armor. Queen Anna of Arendelle's heart of gold wasn't a metaphor anymore. Even her greaves, which were at eye level just above the stirrups, had golden touches on them.

The armor was perfectly symmetrical and yet not at all, something that could actually encapsulate Anna's personality. It was strong and chivalrous while remaining eccentric. Her right spaulder had Arendelle's colors painted on dense metal, while her left one was made out of leather similar to her belt but thicker, and had Northuldra patterns. Despite the odd choice, which badmouths could critique as irregular since it looked like her left shoulder was more vulnerable, it was clever, as Anna was right handed and likely exposed her right shoulder more often, hence the steel. She could use her other arm more flexibly with the pliable fabric on the other side.

Elsa then spotted Anna's golden chainmail that covered all of her torso underneath, and protected her as well as sparkled in a thousand places like stars in broad daylight.

The ensemble likely was very heavy, but Anna absolutely had no issue moving around with it, a fact that stunned the army even more. She was lifting her arms here and there to point and give some last orders to her people in the distance, and sitting straight and tall on her horse despite the lack of back support on her saddle.

If Honeymaren were in a teasing mood, she would have closed Eugene's dropped jaw with her hand, but she was as stupefied as him.

However, none of the friends could meet Anna, yet tell her anything when she finally arrived close to them. Because the Queen turned her horse to the front of the army.

She reached for something at her hip and Rapunzel noticed a large sheath, with a wide sword hilt which Anna grabbed. Her glove only covered half of the grip, and when she pulled it out, the Princess widened her eyes as she realized how gigantic the blade was. In a satisfying and epic 'sling' that repercuted through the valley despite the distance, she drew the sword entirely and lifted it in the air. Everyone stopped their murmurs of preparation or admiration, and the army's attention was total.

"People of Corona, Northuldra, Arendelle!" She exclaimed, her voice strong, and her teal blue eyes landed on hundreds of faces. "Today is our day of victory!"

Many roared in agreement, lifting their weapons with war cries, and Elsa was astonished. Firstly, she didn't expect Anna to make a speech. Sure, the redhead always dreamed of doing such an epic thing, and Elsa was an instant admirer, but to see it become real was incredible. Secondly, she didn't expect Anna to choose such words. Though, they were efficient, given the general enthusiasm, and of course her optimistic sister would approach the topic like that.

"I trust every single one of you to be the best at your specialty! I trust every single one of you to avenge your land or make it proud!" She roared with a fierce expression, and other yells emerged from the army.

"Holy molly." Muttered Olaf at Elsa's feet, and despite the lack of reply from the others, they all agreed with slow nods.

"Today, we prove Hans and his pirates that they were wrong to attack us! To challenge us! Today, we WIN!"

A new roar of war cries and praise to the Queen sounded from the crowd of soldiers, and she yelled back in courage.

Several Arendellian soldiers repetitively hit the flat of their blades on their shields as an applause and source of noise to accentuate the fervor of the ranks. Their impeccable uniforms on their proud torsos and the banners of the crocus floating in the wind really enlightened the epic scene. Anna sheathed her sword and directed her horse to the center of the first row where her family and friends stood.

"What a beautiful speech." Complimented Honeymaren while the Queen approached.

"Nothing surprising from her." Said Elsa and Kristoff with one voice and one smile, and they exchanged a chuckle as they looked at each other.

"What's surprising me the most is that she can lift this freaking enormous sword with just one hand." Blinked Eugene.

Honeymaren laughed. "She could fight a bear with her bare hands."

Elsa would have made a comment on her accidental pun if she weren't transfixed by her sister's arrival, and she even instinctively walked forward to her.

Anna grinned and hopped down her horse. Now that she was on the ground next to the stoic soldiers, all still saluting and standing proud, it was funny to compare their sizes. The woman looked small since her armor was bespoke, but she exhaled something that gave anyone the clear warning to not underestimate her. Even if her face reached the level of their chest, or at most at their neck, they still kept their eyes fixed on the horizon with respect.

Rapunzel admired it. She was no fool and knew that Anna had the same impact on Coronan soldiers. She hoped that the Queen felt it too, but she was no fool on that either. The redhead may be wearing a royal mask, it was clear that she was enjoying herself. Kristoff seemed to enjoy it too, because he hurried past Elsa to tenderly hold her cheeks and kiss her senselessly. Anna had a gasp of happy surprise and a moan of delight, which made Elsa smile. The King clearly had grasped the opportunity to express his love before she put her helmet back on.

They stood in each other's arms for a moment, and the blonde didn't want to break their bubble, too admirative of their love. She also didn't dare to make another step closer when Anna parted and gave a sign to the soldier holding her horse's lead rope, her aura too powerful. The guard nodded and walked with the mount to the edge of the battlefield.

"You're not going to ride your horse to battle?" Asked Kristoff.

"No. All of the bandits are on foot, as they will fight in pirate style. I'm afraid that they will quickly come to her legs and cut them. Besides, she needs to rest. She was the one pulling the wagon I came with."

She was given her helmet back, and once again she thanked the soldier who had approached, always saluting their service. She pulled out her large sword again and twirled it in the air, leaving the others impressed by how large and heavy it looked up close. Its blade shone like gold in the sunlight, though it was made of solid gray steel of the highest quality. The pommel was actual gold however, and represented a three dimensional crocus. There were engravings on the fuller, but they were subtle, contrasting with the bright pine green of the grip.

Anna planted it in the ground and placed her helmet on the pommel.

Elsa didn't get the time to admire the gesture because Anna moved to grab something that was attached to her back. The Spirit, who was already feeling dizzy at the possible rain of compliments she was about to give to her baby sister, missed another heartbeat when she saw what she now presented.

Passing her arm through one loop and holding the second one, she raised a shield that was twice as tall than the average heater shaped Arendellian one, though it proudly displayed the same colors. Nonetheless, the pattern was different; golden crocuses shone along the line that went along the edge of the shield, while it was displayed wide in the center on the soldiers'. Anna's shield had the specificity of having a large steel bump in the middle of it to be used in punching techniques or simply to deviate a blow. They usually were present on round shields, but Elsa easily imagined that Anna had insisted on having it that way, so the manufacturer made a custom balance for her. It would be very hard for a bandit to handle the shield if Anna happened to drop it during battle and they picked it up from the ground to borrow it, and Elsa liked the concept.

The blonde then couldn't handle it anymore. As soon as the Queen lifted her head back from her fastening, she walked forward, and smiled at her with glistening eyes.

"Anna, you're absolutely stunning. This armor is magnificent. And that speech?! And you look so beautiful with that hairdo, and…" She gulped, fighting back tears. She had wished to say more, but if she did, she definitely would start crying in front of the whole army.

"I am so… So proud of you." The Spirit murmured, breathing out with a waving emotional voice.

Anna had a tender smile. "Thank you."

Elsa lifted her hands to hold her cheeks with joy, admiring her fierce teal blue eyes, then her fingers went along her outfit to admire every detail of the armor, roaming on every surface to touch the different fabrics and subtleties.

"I wanted to scold you for not telling me earlier about it, but I like the surprise."

"I knew you would." Grinned the Queen.

"I love the duality concept." Praised the blonde, stepping away to gesture at her whole top. "You're mixing Arendelle and Northuldra with notes of knighthood and traditional tunic at the same time. Do I discern some Joan of Arc inspiration too?" She smirked.

Anna bumped her gently with her shield. "Maybe so. Though, you're the dramatic one who made a juxtaposition of the Northuldra hexagon symbol and the six branches of a snowflake on your torso." She said, pointing at her chest.

The Snow Queen indeed had been playing with her double culture like Anna, but in a different way.

When the soldiers had been taking positions an hour earlier, she had crafted herself a battle outfit, changing her sandals to actual combat boots. Her torso indeed was covered with a large sky blue plate, though it was one of the rare solid parts of her outfit. The rest was uniquely flexible with a customized mix of snow and ice that seemed to be a second skin on her and yet protected her from close or distanced attacks. Her arms, thighs, back and shins were covered in diamond patterns that acted like scales, forming layers and layers of defense. Blades from the enemies also would get stuck in those diamonds, and she would just have to freeze their metal to snap them in half.

In Elsa's usual style, she had a light see-through cape which draped to the ground and was attached with two fist size snowflakes on her shoulders pads, but it floated with the wind behind her. It wasn't the kind of cape that could be grabbed by a thug to tug her down; it was as fragile as thin frost and could be ripped apart in a second. The Snow Queen had made it just for show and Anna grinned at it.

Elsa blushed when the redhead busted her artistic intention.

"Yeah, you thought I didn't see that cape from up there when I arrived? We can spot you kilometers away, ma'am Fifth Spirit." Smirked the Queen.

The denomination was teasing, and Honeymaren walked close to nudge her girlfriend with amusement when she saw Elsa's blush getting deeper.

"In sibling language, it means that she loves it."

Anna smiled. "I do."

Elsa had a shy smile and muttered a thank you. Of course she had crafted herself those details to have fun and be noticed, but it was another thing to have her sister actually underline it.

The sisters spent a few minutes admiring and complimenting each other's outfit, as they had time during the final positions of the army.

"The Spirits all agree." Said Elsa with an honored smile, acknowledging the voices that had been insistent in her mind. "They say that your armor is incredible. And it really shows your fulfillment in both your Arendellian and Northuldra sides."

Anna grinned. "Well, I'm half-half and proud."

She eyed the Spirits in the distance, who were taking a symbolic stand at the back of the troops, calm and waiting.

"Thank you, friends." Bowed the Queen.

Anna was then showered with compliments from Rapunzel and Honeymaren, especially the latter who said that, even in her wildest conception of what the redhead could wear to be a badass, she didn't imagine such an armor. The Queen loved the remark. She then smiled even more when the Princess complimented her style and Arendelle's craft.

"You must be very proud of her." Said Ryder to Elsa's ear.

The latter smiled at him.

"Every second of every day." She confessed, her elder eyes glistening again.

Though, was it truly a confession when everybody knew how admirative she was? Lady Elsa's pride for Queen Anna of Arendelle was famous in all the surrounding kingdoms.

Olaf and Eugene approached the group last after discussing with Corona's strategists, who had planned traps on the back sides. The ex-thief and the mischievous snowman made quite the pair, and found themselves actually bonding well while they set them up.

"What's this I heard from Coronan soldiers? Anna, you took the last garnison wagon to come here? What kind of Queen is that?" Teased Eugene, a bit too blunt.

Kristoff defended his wife right away. "She's not always late."

The redhead put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. Besides, I believe that the King was already here, wasn't he?" She teased in return, but with seriousness, her hand not leaving Kristoff's shoulder.

The Prince smiled. "It's true. I'm just biased because your army couldn't wait for your arrival any longer, Your Majesty. They're very excited, it looks like you're a model to them and they have been waiting a long time to fight by your side. When I see the energy of your speech, I no longer wonder why."

Anna grinned.

"Why the delay, if I may ask?" Came Rapunzel, who took her position next to her husband.

Anna tapped her chainmail with her gloved thumb, the golden links tingling.

"I had to grab this. It was in the attic above my room."

Eugene blinked. "Isn't your fighting equipment in the armory? With the weapons?"

Anna grinned guiltily. "This chainmail was a little gift I made to myself last year. Elsa and Kristoff would go crazy if they learned I bought it just for fun so I hid it. But now there's an actual reason for me to wear knight stuff, so they can't say anything!"

Kristoff had an eye roll, like he actually had an inner debate earlier, and she grinned at him. Her sister, on the other hand, hadn't said anything, and it surprised her.

"Wait, Elsa… You're not angry that I bought it?" Blinked the redhead. "I even thought you were going to be mad at me for putting myself in danger in such shiny armor, because it makes me an easy target…"

Her elder smiled tenderly at her, and put a reassuring hand on her pauldron. The redhead let out a small sigh of relief at the gesture, finally free of the only concern she had.

"I love it. You've never looked more epic." Grinned Elsa. "And wearing shiny armor is one of your life goals, isn't it?"

Anna smirked. "Definitely ticked that off my bucket list before leaving the castle."

The blonde laughed, and the Queen hugged her. "Thank you. For the compliments and your trust in me." She murmured over her shoulder as she squeezed her.

"It's just an outfit." Chuckled the Spirit.

"Don't fool me. I know that you care about clothing." Mocked Anna once they parted, and she gave her own outfit a pointed look.

The Snow Queen shook her head. "Well, at least, with knight protection, and it has proven its efficiency through time and wars, I know that you're safe. A beacon for the enemies to aim at indeed, but safe."

"As if you are going to leave your eyes out of me for the whole battle."

"Actually, I will. There's a high chance that you will count how many thugs you take down and I need to focus because I am not going to lose that game."

She obviously was kidding, being a way less competitive person than her and also not the type to game on such a cruel thing. But it made Anna laugh even more, which was the point.

Honeymaren and Ryder observed them together.

"It's nice that they're taking care of each other like that." Smiled Ryder. "Lifting each other's spirits before the fight."

"Yes." Smiled Honeymaren fondly, and in this simple answer, the man could hear all of her affection for the siblings.

She then turned to her brother. "Do you need some pep talk as well?"

The herder shrugged with a sincere pout. "Nah, I'm good. Since we prayed Ahtohallan together, I'm looking forward to punish those bandits."

"Good." Smiled the brunette, remembering when the warriors of her tribe had said their prayers earlier. She always shared an intimate moment with her younger brother when they recited their mantra side by side.

Honeymaren looked up at the sky, and mused. "The weather is incredibly clear. It looks like the gods are on our side."

The Northuldra lowered her gaze on her girlfriend who walked back to her, and she once again admired her in such a stunning outfit.

"But not even the brightest ray of Sun could be as beaming as you right now, mitt lys." She grinned.

Elsa returned her grin, though it was more shy and with a blush. "Incorrigible flirt. You call me your light even in such a time?"

Eugene suddenly widened his eyes as he listened to them, and twirled around.

"Wait, 'mitt lys' means 'my light'? I thought it meant 'my flower'!?"

Elsa chuckled. "No, it has nothing to do with a lily. I thought too at first, because it made sense. I mean…"

She blushed, not wanting Eugene to believe that she just said that she rightfully deserved a flower nickname. "As… A lover thing." She blabbered.

The man smirked. "Good then. Because I have copyrights on the flower nicknames with Punzie. Sooo… My light, uh?"

Elsa had a timid smile. "Don't you dare, it's cute."

"Oh, I find it very cute." Assured the Prince, who gave a look at Honeymaren, who had emotional chestnut eyes. "I'm only curious about its origin."

Elsa noticed that he purposely asked her instead of her lover, and she had a smiling sigh. "It's because of my white outfit and the way it looks in the sunlight when I come back from Ahtohallan."

Honeymaren nodded, proud of her inspiration. Eugene smiled slyly. "Don't fool me. That's when she came up with the nickname for sure, but I'm certain that the meaning of it has more depth… Am I wrong?"

Elsa blushed at his tease, and bit her lip. She eyed Honeymaren, who had blushed too. Of course Honeymaren referred above all to how Elsa was the light of her life, her savior, her guide, her beacon to follow. She was the glow at the end of the tunnel who finally ended her years of imprisonment in the Forest, the torch who unveiled the rest of the world to her, and a lantern in the dark who helped her as she tried to learn Arendelle's customs.

When Elsa had recovered from the poison, Honeymaren had confessed that, just like a plant, she found herself weak and deprived when her lover was unconscious and not shining her smile upon her.

However Elsa liked to keep these confessions intimate, and she remained mute with a blush at Eugene's waggling eyebrows.

Speaking of intimate, Anna had totally been eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I thought that it came from the French word too!" She told Eugene. "But then I thought that Honeymaren knowing how to say lily in French would make no sense. Quite a shame, though. As adorable as 'my light' is, I think that it was logical because a lily flower has six petals, just like a snowflake."

She had accentuated the last part of her sentence with a pointed stare at her sister, and the latter grinned.

"Someone's been taking notes from charades drawings."

Anna heard pride in the Snow Queen's remark, and smirked.

As she stared at her sister, she noticed movements in the distance over her shoulder. The medical team was getting ready on the edge of the valley. Her smile vanished, her expression now serious, as she recalled how Rapunzel and her had prepared the stocks and organized their interventions.

Olaf noted her distracted gaze and mood change and stared in the same direction. He frowned, and looked back at her.

"Say, Anna."

"Hmm."

"Why is there even a medical team?"

The Queen winced and turned. "Please don't tell me you forgot already. We talked about it, Olaf. It breaks my heart, but this is war. There will be injuries, or worse. That's how it goes."

"I know, I know." Replied the childish snowman on a half reassuring and half annoyed tone. "What I mean is, why don't you make a magical rain?"

Anna blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Well, Rapunzel's healing magic works with tears, right?" Shrugged Olaf. "So Elsa would just have to use the ones in her vials and make all the liquid float in the air with her magic then make it rain - or snow, if you're feeling poetic - on everyone in the battlefield, and then it would heal them when it touches their skin!"

Anna dropped her jaw at his idea, speechless in astonishment. Until she winced.

"It's a great plan, Olaf, and I'm genuinely impressed, but if Elsa does that, she will also heal the bad guys."

"Oh... True." Admitted the snowman.

While they were talking, Bruni hurriedly passed in between the soldiers to reach the Fifth Spirit. As soon as he spotted her, he jumped on the back of a Coronan who had one knee on the ground and was tying his shin pad, and bounced on his armor to perfectly land on Elsa's shoulder.

Thankfully, the latter had sensed his approach, and didn't startle when his paws suddenly clenched her shoulder pad. She smiled and looked down, and they exchanged a look.

"What did he say?" Asked Anna after a moment, waiting for the Spirits to end what probably was a telepathic conversation.

"He sensed the campfires and confirms Eugene's theory. More pirates will arrive from the East. And he also - despite not always being a fan of Nokk's strategy - agrees with him that we should wait for their arrival before starting the hostilities."

Anna nodded at the wisdom. "Well, they're not millenary old for nothing."

She complimented the Coronan Prince who smiled in return, and transmitted the news to the soldiers behind her, then those soldiers repercuted the information further back.

In the meantime, though his message was done, the salamander stayed perched on Elsa, observing the enemies who had already assembled in front of them. He enjoyed the high point of view, his neck stretched tall.

"He seems to love hanging on your shoulder." Noted Rapunzel, smirking at his adorableness.

"Yeah, he does that a lot. He likes to feel tall." Smirked Elsa, and she scratched his neck. "He also often glances at what I'm reading or writing. Really curious."

She wanted to offer him some snowflakes as a pre-fight snack, but preferred to keep her magical energy. The Fire Spirit sensed her musing and replied that it indeed was better to preserve herself.

Rapunzel happily scratched his tiny face as well. "Why do I feel like he's also the first for shenanigans?"

"No need for a magic bond to have that feeling." Chuckled Elsa. "Right, little fella?"

He chirped in return.

Then, Rapunzel smiled sadly. "He and Pascal would have been great friends."

A silence followed. Elsa didn't have to ask more; she had read enough books about fauna and flora when she was isolated as a kid to know that chameleons lived less than ten years. That also was why she wasn't surprised by the end of Sven's life a year ago. She felt awkward for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"It would have been a mess, though." Admitted Rapunzel.

Elsa chuckled. "They definitely would be chaotic."

She then looked at her encouragingly. "We can talk about it, you know. I'm not really… The kind of person who often opens up, and… I know that the last time we found ourselves alone in private to talk about our feelings, it was in Corona, and… I wasn't really fully comfortable with myself back then. Look, we can talk about Pascal. We lost Sven too."

Rapunzel inhaled and exhaled longly, and smiled. "I'd love to talk about it once we're at peace."

"It will leave you even more at peace afterwards." Nodded Elsa reassuringly.

She spoke from experience; confessing to Anna, Honeymaren, Kristoff and Ryder had helped her feel better in the past years.

Sensing the sad turn of the conversation and the emotion in Elsa's soul, Bruni took this as a cue and hopped down to the ground, zig-zagging between the troops to go take his position next to the other Spirits.

After following his tracks, the Snow Queen noticed that Anna had moved forward from her position. Elsa then looked at the horizon and noticed that Hans had done the same from his army, walking to the center of the battlefield.

The redhead gave a sign to her sister to follow her, which the latter would have done anyway.

They walked to meet Hans, even if the two sides weren't actually going to stand less than twenty meters from each other.

"So it's on." Said Anna to her elder with determination. "No way back now."

Elsa nodded and walked by her just as fiercely, and the two sisters headed together to their enemy.


Author's Note:

This chapter has Pocahontas drums vibes mixed with every layer of badassness and epicness ever! I had tons of fun describing how it goes down and how all our beloved characters get set for battle. Get ready for action! Did you like this chapter? :D