"And this big man over here is the little baby that cuddled on your lap the first day we met."
"Really? After just a few months?"
"He's basically a teenager now."
The large clearing was damp with melted snow. The sizable herds roamed freely and prodded at new grass they hadn't seen in a season. A very simple fencing of wooden posts surrounded them, rather obvious to any human observer it could be easily knocked over by a reindeer with enough willpower. However, the animals were tame enough under Honeymaren and her brother's guidance, and Elsa learned these structures were always temporary and seasonal; they would soon be moving to pastures fresh with new grass as the weather continued to warm.
The buck before them huffed, as if aware his shepherd spoke of him.
Elsa reached forward and gently brushed her fingers down the length of the beast's snout. Huge eyes turned and looked at hers.
The smell of grass and flowers overwhelmed her nose. Her legs suddenly felt tense, eager, ready, and green bled into her vision as images of meadows weaved in and out.
"He's ready for Spring," Elsa confirmed, smiling at the reindeer.
"I think they all are. Warm weather, better food, and um, friendly engagements with the ladies," Honeymaren chuckled next to her.
"Hm, it's not that," Elsa said as she tilted her head, as if in deep thought, petting the reindeer's face, "I think he just wants to run."
There was a pause before Honeymaren whispered, "Can you talk to animals?"
The blonde laughed, "No, not yet anyway. But I can feel them now. Sometimes there's not always clear separation between myself and the forest," she trailed off before turning to her companion, "That must be so odd to hear."
She shrugged. "Is it odd to you?"
"No. I may not understand it, but it actually feels very natural and normal. For once in my life," Elsa admitted sheepishly.
"Then it's not odd," Honeymaren stated with a nod, turning to the buck and giving him a firm pat on the back, "Don't worry, buddy, you'll get to stretch your legs soon."
Elsa busied herself with continuing to stroke the animal's head. The other woman's confidence and easy acceptance was somehow always a surprise. While delivered quite casually, the implication was intense, and the once queen struggled not to blush at the act; it hinted to an intimacy the former shut-in did not often experience. Acceptance was still new, and seeing it done so with such a charming smile made one feel flustered.
"Would you like to go for a ride?"
"On him?"
"Sure, you said he wants to run, and he's big enough for both of us now."
A familiar and instinctual mantra of conceal, don't feel was chanting inside Elsa's head. The other woman's playful smirk was too much. She simply nodded in affirmation, moving to tie her hair up with an icy twist in preparation of riding.
A sudden surge of wind collided directly with Elsa's back, and she lurched backward. Directly into Honeymaren. The pair managed not to fall to the ground; strong arms surrounded her waist. Elsa was suddenly overly aware of how muscular the other woman was from working in the fields.
Giggling floated on the breeze as the grass moved, showing Gale's joyful retreat, the spirit's goal of mischief and chaos completed.
"Gale's in high spirits today. You alright?" Honeymaren asked, steadying Elsa to her feet, hands still securely gripping and supporting her forearms.
Conceal, don't feel, conceal, don't feel.
"Yes, thank you. I feel I've gained more younger siblings recently."
"You want mine too? I'll give you a discount for him," she shot back with a snickering grin.
Again, it was too easy, too comfortable. That damn smile. It didn't help as they hopped onto the beast's back, feeling Honeymaren's arms surround her, gripping the reins, body pressed against her back once they were in their shared saddle.
Elsa gulped as she grabbed the saddle's pommel. At least her riding companion seated behind her couldn't see her face as she stared forward, through the reindeer's horns.
The buck, for his part, behaved extremely well. As if knowing his unspoken cry for exploring had been magically heard by the duo, he obeyed Honeymaren's commands easily in exchange for the chance to run. Elsa was impressed by the work the herder had clearly put into training the animals for the more equestrian needs of the village.
Indeed, Honeymaren was a skilled rider, and despite the simultaneously delightful and terrifying feeling of her forearms tensing with control and command of reins against Elsa's frame, the blonde deeply enjoyed the ride. She had taken to exploring the forests with Nokk during the past Winter months, but what was once white was beginning to see bright greens and yellows.
The meadows further north held few trees, and the sun reigned more freely than in the thick of the forest. Snow was gone, and the grass was an almost luscious gold. The reindeer beneath them was allowed to sprint fully, and specks of color, newly budding weeds and flowers were passing by in a blurr. Harmony of the spirits and the natural magic of the seasons changing was truly beautiful for the mistress of ice, and somehow, she knew this was a gift Honeymaren had wanted to show her.
A rumble echoed across the plain, but Elsa saw no dark clouds in the sky.
When it happened again, seemingly from the mountains, Elsa shouted against the wind and force of their riding, "Was that the Earth Giants?"
"Probably," Honeymaren loudly replied.
Another boom reverberated from the cliffs in the distance.
"They aren't usually that excited," Elsa called back, somewhat concerned.
"Not recently. But they've been known to stumble around."
Suddenly, the explosive noise was bursting her head.
SHADOW. DESTROY.
Anger exploded in Elsa's chest like a massive fissure cracking her in half. It was blinding and absolute. She felt the power to destroy a hundred Arendelles ripple just at her fingertips, tearing through her veins. Thunder-like bangs echoed in her ears as the ground shook.
All the rage and blind emotion vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and Elsa's energy was sapped with it. She swayed in the saddle as her grip failed, slipping towards the speeding earth below them.
In her dizziness, she felt the arms around her tighten as they jerked to a stop, halting her plummet to the ground.
"Woah, are you alright?"
Was it real? What did it even mean? Vague images and random emotions, even for a partial spirit, was not generally a reliable source of information. The reindeer's mood had been one thing, but who or what was this?
Was she simply going crazy?
"Yes, I'm sorry, just a little light-headed," the blonde replied, regaining her sitting position atop the now stationary mount.
Honeymaren expertly hopped off the saddle to the ground, immediately outstretching her hands, gesturing for Elsa to dismount.
"I know riding reindeer is a bit rougher than horseback."
"It's not that," Elsa replied, sliding off the reindeer's back with the assistance of Honeymaren's steadying hands. She tried to swallow her embarrassment as the other woman kept a light touch to her waist to ensure she was steady on the ground. With a reassuring nod, she took a few steps forward to demonstrate her balance and full consciousness.
Honeymaren patiently waited, traces of concern still left on her countenance. The reindeer started prodding at the ground for a grassy snack, easily left on his own to behave.
"Before Arendelle, before the fog," Elsa asked, glancing across the vast valley before them, "Were there any enemies of the Northuldra?"
Honeymaren frowned at the seemingly random question. "Not really, I think the cliffs make it hard for anything human. You probably know more about our geography than I do," she finished with a chuckle.
The former royal easily tapped into her training, almost picturing the words of a common history book, explaining, "The region that surrounds Arendelle is mostly forest and mountains. Makes it hard to infiltrate by land. Trade is mostly via the fjord and the Southern Sea. Our armada is one of the greatest in the world."
"Makes sense. Plus, we have Earth Giants. So. Pretty hard to sneak a whole army in here. Everything else is just myths and legends," Honeymaren grinned walking forward to stand next to Elsa as she perused the landscape, "You still seem worried."
She was. But of what? A couple of odd visions and dreams hardly explained any concrete fears.
"Some would say I was a myth. That this whole forest was a myth."
"And that's why I do not worry about what's to come, real or myth. We have the spirits. We have you."
Elsa huffed, "I worry."
"You always worry," Honeymaren chided softly, taking the other's hand, "I'll just have to distract you. Come on."
With a slight tug, they were suddenly standing face to face. Elsa's hand was guided to the other woman's shoulder, and she felt a light pressure against her lower back.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't this how they do it in court?" the brunette questioned before her eyebrows shot upwards, "Oh wait, I forgot the important part first."
Honeymaren immediately let go, taking a large, comical step backwards. She made a sweeping, dramatic bow, mimicking the most formal of the lords of Arendelle.
Elsa found it rather adorable. The Northuldran looked up expectantly, still more horizontal than vertical.
With a chuckle, Elsa flourished the most queenly of courtesies. Barefoot. In the middle of the valley. After suffering hallucinations. Smelling of reindeer. To a lady shepherd she was trying desperately not to fall madly in love with. Perhaps she really was going crazy.
Honeymaren eagerly returned before her, standing tall, placing hands in the designated positions before leading them into a rather popular waltz very familiar to the former noble.
After a few successful circles, Elsa questioned, "How did you learn to dance like this?"
"Don't laugh. Olaf."
"I'm surprised."
"He's pretty observant and an expert on city culture, though he doesn't have a good height for hands-on teaching," Honeymaren admitted with a pointed look, and Elsa laughed at the hypothetical teaching sessions with the snowman that popped into her imagination.
"No, I mean, I'm surprised at how good you are. Given probably limited practice."
Honeymaren grinned, "Well, you've adjusted quickly to being with us in the woods. I thought I'd try and pick up some of the things you likely had to learn growing up to keep it fair," she briefly glanced around the field before muttering, "Probably could do with some music though."
Learning to dance had been particularly difficult for Elsa. Only one or two instructors had been allowed in her presence for schooling and other matters of royal etiquette, and it was certainly a risk to require her to touch one in order to learn the lesson in question. Back then, she had been quaking in her gloves as an overly skinny, old, balding man had reprimanded her for every misstep. After all, a queen would need to entertain and do so gracefully lest she disgrace the kingdom. Little did he know then all she could focus on was trying not to kill him with an icy death.
In comparison, this was much better.
Honeymaren smelled like pine, and her fur-lined tunic was soft to the touch. Glittering, golden-brown eyes eagerly darted from feet to face. The novice seemingly relied on her proficient dexterity more than inherent knowledge of dance, making some of their movements clumsy. However, an excited smile remained ever constant on the shepherd's face, and Elsa found herself bubbling with laughter at each misstep or dramatic turn.
After countless spins and twirls, Honeymaren concluded their dance with another sweeping bow, promptly collapsing on the ground.
"How do you not get dizzy?" she exclaimed, leaning back to rest on her hands and stretching her legs.
Elsa's mouth was beginning to hurt from how much she was smiling, and as she sat down on the grass next to the shepherd, she found it difficult not to imagine a more perfect partner, for dancing or otherwise.
"Why aren't you married?" The question bubbled from her mouth before she could stop it.
"How do you mean?"
What did she mean? "Is someone courting you?"
"Don't you think I would've mentioned them in the past few months we've known each other if I was with someone?"
Elsa blinked. "That's a valid point."
"Trying to marry me off?" quipped the brunette, signature smirk in place.
"No," she replied slowly, eyebrows furrowed, turning to stare at the ground before them.
This was a new feeling. A terribly confusing one. So many of the wonderful things in Elsa's life were often met with bitter disappointment or some twisted cosmic punishment. Certainly she was misunderstanding whatever was happening between them.
When she glanced back up, Honeymaren was sitting calmly, playing with a blade of grass, small smile in place. Space to change the subject. Sensitivity to listen if the topic was pursued.
Elsa inhaled deeply and tried to focus on the logical flow in her mind.
"You were trapped in the forest your whole life with the same people. There wasn't anyone you fancied?"
"I mean, fancied, sure, I guess. I found people attractive, but there wasn't anyone I wanted to be with, you know, forever. Preferred to wait and hope maybe one day the fog would clear and find my soulmate rather than just settle," Honeymaren explained with a shrug.
"Oh."
Maybe...maybe Anna could be right. Maybe she could finally give herself permission to be fully happy.
"What about you?" the voice questioned, interrupting her thoughts.
"I was always too busy worrying about freezing the entire kingdom into a snow globe to think about being with anyone."
Honeymaren chuckled as she replied, "Makes sense. And now you're not so busy worrying about that?"
"Something like that," Elsa murmured in response, finally turning to fully face the woman beside her. She didn't stop the smile that bloomed on her face or attempt to hide the warmth she felt blossoming on her cheeks.
Elsa noticed Honeymaren's fingers paused from their twirling of the grass, but the beautiful, dark amber eyes never left hers. There was a sweetness in her smile that seemed to grow wider and closer.
They were sitting quite close.
Maybe the universe was finally on her side; maybe she could enjoy the new spring that followed a hard winter.
The buck's head suddenly appeared in view between them, eagerly nudging and licking the side of Honeymauren's face.
Elsa giggled. Maybe later.
"I know, I know, how dare I forget dinnertime," the shepherd cried histrionically, swatting away the large, furry head, "I'm going to need you to really learn to talk to animals so you can tell them to calm down."
"Kristoff is rather fluent in Reindeer."
"He's been giving Ryder lessons. I catch him mooing at them sometimes."
They shared a laugh, and Honeymaren stood from the ground. She wordlessly held out her hand, the message clear. Elsa beamed as she accepted, allowing herself to be pulled up.
Let's go home.