Lots of secrets and future indicants in this chapter. Keep a lookout for them. You might just be able to guess where this story is going to go.
"Long ago, your mother and I made a promise to each other. It wasn't just any other thrown over the top promise which can be broken; but a magical, powerful one which one cannot break that easy. We swore to protect you and Anna with what evil had in it's mind. It bound us together, not to be separated again. The reason we had to do this is because of a powerful evil witch named Narsilla. Have you ever heard of a man named Demanitus?" Agnarr asked.
"Uhh... yeah. Rapunzel told us about him," Anna said.
"Wait, what? Rapunzel? She's... alive?" Agnarr widened his eyes in surprise.
"Yes. It's quite a long story," Elsa put some warmth in her voice but kept it cold and curt enough to suggest to him to keep going on.
Elsa didn't see it, but Alex saw a small upward quirk of his lips indicating his happiness that his daughter was calming down.
"Well, Demanitus was a man of skill. He was the one who taught Pabbie of all the magic he knows of," Agnarr told them.
"Taught Pabbie? Whoa!" Anna was impressed, forgetting to maintain her angry face.
It was just like old times. Anna would never stop interrupting and Elsa would always stay quiet to the end. It made a thousand more memories rush back to him. It made him smile inwardly.
"Yes. He was a gifted man. One of the best wizards of history and a good one too. But, some were evil. Ranking above him was such an evil sorceress named Narsilla. She was a dark one and chose to tutor only selective children in dark magic. Selective, in the sense that she chose those who had an interest in gaining power or... already had powers from birth," He looked at Elsa when he said it. "It was only a matter of time before she discovered these secrets of ours."
Anna was getting increasingly confused, "Hold on, I thought that she was dead or...or a myth?"
Agnarr chuckled, "Dark wizards and witches are not that easy to kill. It takes someone of great magical potential to do that."
Anna was still confused, "But what has this got to do with you staying here?"
"I'm getting there Anna," He responded.
He breathed deeply and steadied himself as he got ready to tell the most important part, "Elsa was the one with the magical potential."
"Me?" Elsa asked looking down at her hands frowning, the cold of her voice being completely replaced by shock.
"Yes Elsa," Iduna said, "You don't know it yet, but your powers exceed even the most powerful witches or wizards out there."
"But I'm just a spirit," She said adamantly, refusing to believe what she was hearing.
"An elemental spirit who is a bridge connecting the other spirits through your powers," Agnarr corrected.
Elsa stared at him in a matter of saying 'so what?'
"Elemental spirits are believed to be the most powerful magical beings in existence," Iduna explained.
She blinked trying to process all that information.
"Your powers are growing, aren't they?" Iduna asked further.
Elsa looked at her and nodded.
"And that... is the exact threat to the dark forces," Agnarr told her.
She looked at him understanding the situation she was in. Her eyes shifted between various different angles, trying to find a way to believe otherwise. The idea of being one of the most powerful was wonderful, but it did not fit well with her.
"The way to break this promise is to end the ones who made the promise. As long as the magic is still there, there is a cover that protects you both," Agnarr told them.
She recovered from the shock.
"It didn't. Anna was the one who always saved me from danger. She saved me when I was attacked, when I froze, when a Nattmara almost killed me, she's always been there for me."
Anna appreciated her giving credit.
The questions they now had were getting quite overwhelming. Nattmara? Elsa freezing? What the hell happened in these past six years! They kept calm and explained further.
"The shield doesn't act the way you'd imagine. It doesn't protect you from physical attacks; but only from the mental ones," Agnarr explained.
"The Nattmara did take control of me," Elsa quickly retorted.
"But could it hold on to you?" Agnarr asked.
"Anna was the one who brought me back," Elsa clarified once more.
"Anna was a catalyst. You would have recovered anyway. Anna just made it faster and easier," He smiled proudly at his youngest daughter when he said this, who smiled back at him.
"Did you ever come in close contact with it?" Iduna asked Elsa.
"Yes."
"Did you ever wonder why it didn't affect you like it might have on the others? If you know how it attacks of course," She asked again.
"We do know how it attacks, but..." She gave up when she couldn't find the right words.
"The reason we stayed away from you, is that there are only two ways to break this barrier. One is as I said, to kill those who made the promise or to use energy levels greater than the shield itself and shatter it completely. Of course, the latter one is a task that is almost impossible to do so, but the first one was a viable option for them," Agnarr continued.
Elsa was starting to see the situation while Anna was looking disturbed.
"We had to make sure that they couldn't get to you through us. The only way to do that was to disappear completely off the map," Iduna said.
"So you chose to go to the Dark Sea? Just to fake your deaths?" Anna asked, miserable.
"No Anna. That was not planned, but we...we improvised," Iduna told her gently.
"So you just left us alone. With nothing to hold on to," Elsa asked anger trickling through her voice again. Her tense muscles and eyes deadlier than a thousand daggers made her look surprisingly like a wolf, ready to attack at the slightest hint of weakness.
They had nothing to say to that. There was no way to get out of that trap. They just looked down ashamed, closing their eyes to hide their suffering.
Elsa understood their situation. She could imagine what it must've been like for them. She forgave them for all the choices they made as there were no other options. They had suffered as much as she had, if not greater, and hadn't given up. They deserved better. She looked at Anna who was looking at her...hopefully, almost pleadingly. She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath.
"Will you come home...please?" Elsa asked warmly and smiled gently.
The sudden change in her tone and face and question threw them off. They looked completely astonished. Their faces showed unbounded happiness for a split second, but was quickly wiped off as they registered the question she asked. They seemed distressed now.
"I...We can't," Agnarr told them somewhat bluntly.
Anna frowned. "But...why not?"
"We can't risk your lives through ours," Iduna said defensively.
Anna and Elsa were going to argue when Alex interrupted, "You don't have a choice."
All of them turned towards him.
Alex explained further, "There's no other place that you will possibly be able to call home, hide, or stay safe. And I don't think that those guys back there are particularly intent on leaving any of us alive."
They hesitated. So Alex pressed more.
"If you go out there now, there is nothing standing between you, and evil. If it gets to you, there is nothing standing there between them," He gestured towards Anna and Elsa, "and the darkness. It's your choice now."
He knew that his last sentence had hit them hard. The tearful eyes of Anna and hopeful ones of Elsa added the seasoning on top, which they couldn't possibly resist. He knew they'd won even before the teary but uncertain nod from the couple.
Anna squealed and jumped with joy and ran to hug them and Elsa ran straight into them, hugging tightly as if she was never going to let go even though it was hurting her back where the gash was. They weren't going to let them go either.
"Happy birthday Anna," Agnarr and Iduna said together.
It certainly was the best and also the bumpiest birthday present ever.
They broke apart after a while.
"Promise me, we'll always be together," Anna asked Iduna.
"We... promise," She replied, taking Anna's hand.
Iduna felt something on Anna's finger. She looked down and her heart fluttered in joy as the ring on her finger seemed to smile at her. She looked at Anna incredulously.
She smiled when she saw her mother's questioning gaze, "His name is Kristoff."
Agnarr also noticed it and looked at her stunned and delighted. His littlest daughter little no more.
"Wha...how...when? Iduna couldn't quite find the right question so Anna answered all of them.
"We met three and a half years ago on a small trip to get Elsa back to the kingdom when she froze Arendelle.. We both fell for each other and well...we just got married today."
They both couldn't quite comprehend what to address first. The fact that Elsa froze the entire kingdom or their marriage.
Damn, they'd been gone for six years and these two have had an adventure of a lifetime already.
"Congratulations!" They wished her pulling her into an embrace once again.
When they broke apart, Iduna turned to Elsa.
"You really froze the entire kingdom!? What happened?" She asked, laughing even though she knew it was no laughing matter.
"Oh well... It was mainly my fault... I," Anna began to say, when Elsa cut her off.
"No Anna, it was my faul..." Elsa began but Alex cut her short too.
"It was no one's fault," He said with a tone of finality and almost laughing at the same time.
Agnarr and Iduna looked at him slightly amused at their conversation.
"What? That loop just never ends!" He told them adamantly, laughing hard through his exasperation.
Anna and Elsa laughed shaking their heads.
Agnarr and Iduna smiled weakly, but knew very well whose fault it was. If they'd just told Anna sooner…if only they had the courage to face those challenges...
Elsa as if hearing their thoughts put a comforting hand on their shoulders.
"Let's go home," She suggested.
They smiled and nodded tiredly.
"Gale, put us down in Anna's room will you?" Alex requested.
He had introduced himself to them midair and had offered a shake of hand...but they'd both embraced him and thanked him for saving Elsa's life back on the island. He was glad to hug them back.
"Gale?" Iduna asked Alex. "How did you know his name?"
Alex was confused.
"Wait, what? Olaf was the one who named him that," Anna told her. And then realization dawned on her face.
"Y...You mean... whoa! That's a huge coincidence."
Elsa looked at her open mouthed. "You mean his real name is Gale as well!?"
"Yes I originally named him that, didn't I buddy?" She asked Gale, waving her arm in the wind and balancing herself gracefully.
The short chirps were an indicative of a 'yes'.
"Wow!" Anna exclaimed.
"That's so cool," Agnarr was impressed.
"Wait, but who is this Olaf?" Iduna asked, curious.
"Hmm...you'll see," Elsa kept her hanging and smirked.
Iduna smiled and looked down towards Arendelle.
"Is that the Coronan flag?" She asked, pointing to the huge ship in the docks.
"It certainly is," Elsa told them. "Rapunzel and Eugene still seem to be in Arendelle."
"Who's Eugene?" Agnarr asked.
"He's her husband. Quite a handsome fellow," Anna explained.
Alex raised an eyebrow at her, making her scowl playfully at him and then giggle.
"Hmm... time really did move fast," Agnarr grumbled.
They took a detour as they didn't want anyone to see them drop from the air. It would raise a lot of questions. It was almost dark, but still...
They landed on the balcony. Elsa thanked Gale as the wind spirit left.
Kristoff was pacing around in Anna's room waiting for them to return. Elsa could also see Olaf's hair-sticks and Sven in the room. They all had their backs to them, and Olaf was reading a book to an asleep Sven while leaning against him.
Anna opened the balcony door from the outside. As soon as he heard the click, Kristoff turned around and Sven awoke with a jolt.
"Anna!" Kristoff exclaimed as he took in the state his wife was in. His eyes widened in horror. She looked like she'd come from a battle. Her clothes were splattered with blood, her arms and face were bloody and bruised. She looked exhausted. He ran over to her.
"Anna! Are you okay!? Are you hurt? W...What happened?" Kristoff was extremely worried for her.
"Kristoff, I'm fine." She told him, smiling. "In fact, I'm better than just fine," She gestured towards those behind her.
Kristoff looked behind her. Yes they were all covered in blood and pain, except Alex, who looked tired but didn't have a new scratch on him. But they were all alive. His eyes rested on the two people who they all had believed to be dead just a few hours ago.
Alex was looking closely at Agnarr and Iduna. A moment ago they were fine, but as soon as they saw Kristoff, they looked like they had seen a ghost. Though they caught themselves pretty quickly, they weren't quick enough to dodge Alex's gaze. Alex dismissed his thoughts for now, and concentrated on the situation.
Kristoff's eyes widened as he saw Agnarr and Iduna. His expression of shock quickly turned to that of joy. Alex was one of the only two people in the room who knew that whatever little things that Kristoff had cooked up to say when he met them, lay forgotten in the deepest voids of his mind. The other one who knew this was of course, Sven.
"H...Hi. I'm K...ristoff. It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesties," He said bowing down to them slightly.
Agnarr and Iduna were completely shocked by his words and gestures. No one had addressed them as 'majesties' in a very long time.
"Oh no no no no son! We would really prefer it if you called us by our names," Agnarr told him going over to finally embrace his son-in-law. Iduna joined in too.
'Son'. No one had ever called him that before; especially in a fatherly tone as Agnarr had done then. He truly felt at home. Anna encouraged him to hug them back.
When they broke apart Olaf jumped in to introduce himself.
"Hi! I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!"
Iduna gasped and almost jumped away in surprise. Agnarr looked at Olaf with disbelief in his eyes. It's not all the time you see a talking snowman in mid summer, is it?
"Aww he's so cute!" Iduna was touched.
She knelt down and hugged him too.
Elsa laughed. It was certainly not the reaction she had been expecting, but at least she didn't kick his head off like Anna had the first time they'd met.
"You made him?" Agnarr asked her, still quite astonished.
She nodded.
"Wow."
He knelt and embraced him too.
"Hi, Olaf, I'm Agnarr," He said shaking his hand as they broke apart.
Olaf giggled, "It's nice to meet you Agnarr."
He smiled and got up. He didn't realize that Olaf had still not let go. Olaf's arm came off...and Agnarr saw that...and he panicked.
"Whoa oh no! I'm so sorry!" Agnarr apologized and looked desperately at Elsa for help fearing he had done permanent damage to Olaf. Elsa only laughed hard clutching her belly and wincing slightly as pain shot up her lower back.
"Hey," Olaf called out to him laughingly, "No borrowing my arms without my permission!"
He took his twig arm from Agnarr and attached it back to his snowy sides where his shoulders would have been. Agnarr couldn't believe his eyes. Of course! Olaf was a snowman; with easily detachable twigs for arms!
Agnarr laughed with relief with everyone else.
Sven walked up to Iduna and nudged her gently.
"Oh! Hi there. What's your name?" She asked the reindeer, turning to scratch him under his jaw.
"My name's Sven." Kristoff imitated without thinking first.
Iduna looked at him incredulously.
Kristoff was about to beat himself up in his mind for acting so weird in front of the former queen of the kingdom to which he was a supposed heir to, and his mother-in-law, when she said something that blew his mind away.
"You talk for them too?" Iduna asked Kristoff with curious eyes.
"Yes...wait, what!?" His mouth gaped open. He had never imagined that Iduna could ever ask him that question. He looked at Anna and Elsa who were looking quite as surprised as himself.
"You talk to them too!?" He asked Iduna disbelievingly.
"Yes. Northuldra talk to reindeer. It's like a tradition, but a forgotten one."
Kristoff gasped, "I just had a crazy idea. What if I'm Northuldra too!?"
Anna laughed while Elsa chuckled.
"No of course not!" Iduna exclaimed, "I mean, if you're older than thirty-five and somehow managed to get out of the forest before the mist dropped by, then, you might have a small chance of actually being Northuldra."
"Hmm. I guess you're right...didn't think of it that way...but it's so cool..." Kristoff was excited.
Alex wasn't paying attention to Kristoff who was thinking of crazy ideas of him being Northuldra, but was paying attention to Iduna and Agnarr.
They were having rapid conversations through their eyes. He kept looking at Iduna. She felt his gaze upon her and she turned. Big mistake. As soon as she looked into those silver-blue eyes, she felt her legs suddenly betray her. He locked her with his powerful gaze which wiped the smile off her face replacing it with fear, as she couldn't hold back her secrets pouring from her eyes. She struggled to stay upright. She blinked lightly 3 times in rapid succession and looked away, shaken by the way he locked her when she was at her most vulnerable. She looked back at him ready to face his soul-shattering gaze this time, but when she looked into those eyes, they were completely normal. He looked at her curiously. She smiled uncomfortably at him and looked away yet again. She stammered as she tried to change the topic, but she knew it was no use. He already had what he wanted. They were at his mercy now.
"But what happened while we were...gone?" She asked Anna and Elsa.
It was a very strong topic, so none of them noticed the absent smile on her face. It came a split second later as Anna somewhat subconsciously noticed something wrong and looked at her, but everything was completely normal with her mother. Maybe just an illusion.
'She's an excellent liar'. Alex smiled to himself as he thought about what he had experienced. She wasn't uncomfortable, like all the others. She was scared of something, or for someone. Interesting.
"Okay, so it's gonna take a long time. So maybe we should all sit down first," Anna was excited.
"Yes but before that," Alex said.
Iduna looked at him sharply, hoping, praying, willing him not to bring up what had just happened.
"...perhaps it would be best if we get a few bandages for ourselves; and if Gerda doesn't mind, a few mugs of hot chocolate and a cup of strong coffee should make everyone a bit more comfortable," He looked at Iduna when he said this, his eyes passing the message 'Trust me'.
Kristoff clapped once, "Yep! Great idea Alex! I'll bring those over."
"I'll help you," Olaf seemed ecstatic as he bounded out into the halls toward the kitchens.
They stayed silent, each one to their own thoughts.
Iduna was simply ecstatic hearing the word chocolate, but she still was quite uncomfortable around Alex. She struck up a conversation with Anna about health of every person in the kingdom.
Anna flopped down on a couch and started some small tales of her rule. Agnarr walked over to the windows overlooking the entire kingdom.
Alex felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look towards Elsa who was looking concerned.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm great," He said smiling at her.
She wasn't about to reveal that he hadn't slept for 5 days straight, in front of everyone as it would completely freak them all out, but she wasn't about to let him stay up another night either.
"I...uh...never got to say thankyou for saving my life back there..." Elsa started but Alex had already understood.
"Hey, it's okay. It's what friends do for each other," He told her soothingly, placing a hand over her shoulder..
She slid her arms around him and hugged him as a small gift. He pulled her into his arms, careful to avoid hurting her back where the slash had penetrated deep. Any deeper within millimeters, and it could've been fatal.
They broke away just as Kristoff entered with some mugs on a tray and a cup, while Olaf carried the bandages and spare clothes. Of course, they could've just called the nurses or the castle staff, but they didn't want to frighten them out of their wits.
They all changed into something more comfortable and sat down as they patched each other up and drank their hot chocolate after treating each other in pairs.
Kristoff, who was the guy for scrapes and light scratches bandaged Anna while Agnarr and Iduna, who had sustained minor injuries, patched each other up. Alex and Elsa who were more experienced in larger wounds like gashes and stabs treated each other. Alex, being the one who had trained her to fight with weapons had also made sure to teach her advanced first aid techniques.
After everything was done, they all got comfortable and Anna started the narration of the events that happened starting from three and a half years ago.
"It was Elsa's coronation day, and I was oversleeping already..."
Yeah, I know. Too many hugs in this chapter. You can expect the next one to be a bit delayed. Afterall, recalling three and a half years worth of memories and writing them all down in a format you may like isn't an easy task. I am also gonna have to balance some of my other stuff, so there's that. I hope you are liking the story so far, and if not, reasons are more than welcome. I haven't decided on the stuff that happens after the next chapter, but I'm pretty sure that my brain will cook something up. If not, the story will be fast forwarded by a few months.