2 months later


Chapter 3:
For these people I know, this place that I love so


Honeymaren looked for Elsa through the Forest.

"Elsa?"

It was odd that she still hadn't received any answer so far.

"Elsa?" She called louder, this time using her hands around her mouth to have a bigger reach.

Still no answer.

The brunette walked through the glades and between the trees, still finding no sign of her.

She almost thought about using the Spirits Call, but it was, as Anna once renamed it, 'a frequency only used for emergencies', a concept to which Honeymaren entirely agreed. There was no need to worry the Fifth Spirit.

"Elsa!" Called Honeymaren again.

At some point, she passed in front of a very large pond, and heard cracks coming from it. Her head jolted as she turned to the surface. It was odd for it to crack when nothing was weighing on the ice. And she knew that Nokk was busy in the river where the Northuldra were fishing.

Or maybe was it something lifting the ice from underneath instead of weighing over it…

Suddenly, the cracks went larger and wider, and the head of a smiling blonde emerged, letting out a deep and heavenly sigh of content.

"Ahtohallan's sake!" Let out Honeymaren, her jaw dropping.

Elsa shook her head to move her hair around like a horse who shook her mane, and opened her eyes to smile at her girlfriend. "You called?"

Honeymaren's hand went over her heart. "Yes, and I'm not sure that I'll ever get over such an apparition."

"I didn't use magic." Smirked Elsa with rolled eyes. "It's not like I traveled through space or something."

Honeymaren actually scoffed. "Says the one apparently having the habit of taking a dip in a pond that has a frozen surface. You just paddled in water that is so cold that the ice reformed behind you when you went underwater!"

Elsa chuckled. "Don't exaggerate. I'm the one who reformed it behind me."

The brunette shook her head in astonishment. "I suppose that I shouldn't be worried, and that Nokk made you a bubble of air for your face?"

"Precisely." Grinned the blonde, her forearm on the solid surface of the pond while her other hand was holding her amused face, like it was a perfectly casual place to lay on. "And I closed the space after I walked in because I like to feel like in a cocoon."

Her lover nodded. It was like when she went in Ahtohallan to recharge her energy. Got it. Now she mentally took note that if another Northuldra is looking for her, they should check ponds.

"It may sound odd for you, but it's really relaxing. I know that the temperature will start to rise next week now that Winter is getting to an end, so I wanted to enjoy one last bath in a–"

"Uhkh– You–!" Briskly gulped and gasped the brunette, and she twirled around, because Elsa had moved forward when she talked, and the surface of the water suddenly reached her navel as she walked out.

At first, the Snow Queen thought that Honeymaren was embarrassed, which was weird given their relationship, but the brunette actually was making sure that no kid was around.

"I'm wearing my outfit, Honey."

"Oh. Okay."

The brunette turned back to a smirking Elsa, who was making her way out of the pond. She indeed was wearing her bright white outfit that looked like a second skin. The Spirit hummed happily and stretched with closed eyes, the paddling in negative temperature water visibly replenishing her.

As she stretched her arms up, she slightly frowned in focus, and all the water drops present on her skin, her hair and over her ice outfit rolled up, like reversed pouring rain, to float in the air at the end of her fingers and vanish in the sunny sky.

Honeymaren's jaw went slack again. Sure, she had seen this trick countless times. But just like Anna, she would never get tired of it. She quickly closed her mouth when Elsa opened her eyes.

"Why were you looking for me?"

Honeymaren nearly forgot, actually, because now Elsa was running her fingers through her perfectly dry hair, which had regained some fluffy volume and yellow tones, to brush it.

"I uh… Wanted to inform you that lunch was ready." Blabbered Honeymaren, her tone a bit too formal as she was flustered.

She wasn't helped by a humming Elsa in front of her who casually put a layer of ice in the locks of hair that could get in her face, while she sat on a rock and dangled her legs in the air to craft herself new ice sandals at her bare feet.

The Northuldra's throat ironically was as dry as her girlfriend now. After gulping, she sighed amusedly and walked to her.

"You know, other people need a full suit to go under icy water that long. What is it you told me about again, showing me those illustrations in the Arendelle's library books? They have scaphandres?"

Elsa grinned, though she couldn't help but snort. "Funny how you remember the complex word. They're simply called diving suits."

"Ha. See?"

The blonde kept smiling. "Thanks for the compliment. But you know, lots of people have apnea competitions in cold regions. I'm not that amazing."

Honeymaren frowned at the word.

"It's when you hold your breath for a long period of time." Explained Elsa.

The brunette put her hands on her hips. "Alright. But I'm pretty sure that you're the only human in the world who breaks the laws of physics like that. I don't know about records, I'm ready to bet that no one could stay as long as you under there. I don't even know how much time I would be able to hold my breath."

Elsa didn't answer and instead grinned, walked to her, and stood right in front of her face. Honeymaren lifted an intrigued eyebrow, then Elsa kissed her all of a sudden. Her lips were cold but welcoming, and Honeymaren naturally fell into it and shared it intensely, closing her eyes. It was longer than any kiss they casually shared, however. And it wasn't out of passion, as the kiss came out of nowhere, but rather to prove a point. When Elsa eventually stepped back, the brunette gasped audibly.

"You… Dork! What was that for?" Exclaimed Honeymaren in disbelief, panting.

Elsa laughed at her reaction. "See? You're perfectly able to hold your breath when you want it."

Honeymaren shook her head at her lover's shenanigans.

"Except I don't have the ability to ask for the Water Spirit's help and create a bubble of air for my lungs!"

The blonde shrugged as she walked past her. "I could ask him to make one for you. We could swim together when Spring comes."

Honeymaren grinned after she retrieved her breath.

"Nice idea."

She then trotted in glee to join her. "What a bummer that you do it so easily, though."

Elsa frowned amusedly as they walked. "What part? The swim in extreme cold water or the magical breathing?"

"None of that, you bragger, the fact that I can't help you dry and dress after you bathed because of your quick clothing and drying skills."

Elsa smiled tenderly. "I will let you do it next time."

They grinned as they held each other's hands on their way to the camp, Honeymaren telling her how she would rub her hair with the softest towel for a head massage then tie her hair in plaits.


Elsa didn't go to Ahtohallan on a daily basis; not that she didn't want to, she could hang in the magical source all day, but rather because she loved to spend time in the Northuldra camp and help the Spirits protect the Forest or solve various issues.

That was why, that day, she climbed on Nokk to cross the Dark Sea with a wide smile only once she made sure that she had checked everything.

In a good mood, she even hopped at her arrival and slid down with her bare foot for the entire distance between the entrance of the glacier and the core. The Snow Queen even took a mental note that she should record her speed when she reached the entrance of the dome of memories and bowed to the entity there.

On her first steps into the room, the blonde was welcomed by the crystalline version of her girlfriend's voice. Elsa grinned, loving how the magic source always selected beautiful memories for her on her visits. After all, she was her only visitor, so she always made sure to make it a pleasant reception.

"Don't worry, baby." Said the ice statue of Honeymaren, her voice echoing with magic. "It's just the wood of the goahti cracking with the wind. Gale probably is playing with flying squirrels."

Elsa remembered when this scene had happened. It was the first night they had spent together after they started dating. They had taken the opportunity of the Northuldra tribe moving to another location to build one less goahti, and for her to move to Honeymaren's. However the chosen area was new to the Spirit, and she did not expect the valley to be that squally.

Elsa was amused to see that Ahtohallan had formed the bed as well as the two statues representing Honeymaren and her, and shook her head. The brunette - though her hair was light blue like the rest of her body - tucked the pelts up to Elsa's chin, protecting her. The latter gave her a stare.

"What? I know that you're not bothered by the cold, I just want you to feel safer." Smiled the Northuldra.

"That's not why I'm surprised."

Honeymaren frowned, so Elsa kept going. "Did you just call me 'baby'?"

Now the real Elsa giggled as she imagined the blush appearing on the Northuldra's blue cheeks, as she remembered what happened.

"I… I didn't pay attention. If you don't like it, I can…"

"No, no, I like it. I love it, in fact." Smiled Elsa timidly, touched by the slip of her girlfriend.

"It's not too weird?" Winced Honeymaren. "I noted on our trip to Arendelle the other day that you people have these kinds of nicknames in your language, that you use affectionately. At first I thought that 'baby' was an odd word to pick because that's what Arendellians call young children but… I like the ring to it, actually. I… I like sweetheart and dear too, if you want to change…"

Now Elsa grinned fully, an expression that was mirrored on the real Elsa's face. "Don't bother. I love baby. On one condition though."

Honeymaren's statue's gulp could be heard through the magical room. "Y-yeah?"

"You let me call you baby too."

The Northuldra melted in relief and adoration. "I'd love that."

They cuddled and smiled together, Honeymaren kissing Elsa's neck as she spooned her under the pelts. The memory stopped moving, announcing its end.

Beaming in emotion, Elsa continued to walk, passing by other iconic moments of the past weeks since her last visit in Ahtohallan. A Northuldra-Arendellian class in the town school with children from both places… The new merchant roads layout that crossed the Northuldra land with their approval… The official signing of the peace treaty and the end of colonization for the protection of the Sami territories… Elsa noticed the ice statues of Anna, Yelena, and many other leaders, including the one of the Sami tribe which Kristoff used to accompany when he was an orphan before he got adopted by trolls. They all were joining their hands on a scroll of paper while a photographer captured the moment.

A few steps further, Elsa met another memory of Honeymaren and her, and she understood that it was a moment that had happened the morning after. Which made sense, given how they were placed. To admire this one, she laid against the bed crafted in ice with a smile, next to a laughing Honeymaren, as both women were under the pelts.

"Did you… Brush your teeth?"

The statue of Elsa pouted a bit. "What? I didn't want to have a bad breath."

"But… How? You clearly haven't moved, otherwise you'd have woken me up."

She indeed had been spooning her all night.

"I used magic to pick up wild mint leaves from outside and made them float in by the opening in the roof. And chewed it quickly before you woke up."

Honeymaren chuckled. "Impressive. No, really, I have to say, doing such a feat by only moving your fingers is impressive. I hope you didn't ask the Spirits for help in this…"

Elsa looked offended. "No! I wouldn't dare to ask Gale such a thing…"

"Bruni then."

The blonde frowned, lost. "Why?" Did she really think that the salamander would agree to pick up leaves in his mouth and bring it all the way here?

"Because your cheeks are on fire right now."

She gasped at her tease. "You little–"

Honeymaren giggled and kissed her bare shoulder. "I'm kidding."

She then looked at her lovingly. "You always smell amazing, Elsa. What makes you think you have a bad breath?"

Elsa sulked. "I don't know. Nothing. It's just that… It's the first time that I sleep with someone else… I didn't want to ruin it."

Honeymaren rolled her eyes. "You can't ruin anything for me. Besides, didn't you sleep with Anna several times?"

"She always wakes up way later than me. When I come over, she takes the day off and to her, it consists of sleeping in and eating all day. Which is great. I don't stay in bed long anyway. With you, however…"

The Northuldra lifted a surprised eyebrow at her rambling, especially the last part. "Yes?"

Elsa gave her a timid look, then stared elsewhere. "Oh, come on, do you really want me to say it?"

Honeymaren feigned innocence. "I am nothing but a pure idiot who has no idea what you're talking about."

The blonde sighed. "Fine. But it's only because you're making it adorable. When I'm with you in bed, I feel like I could stay in forever."

"Oh, really?" Murmured Honeymaren, still in her fake clueless tone. "Why so?"

Elsa grinned, not without rolling her eyes. "Because your arms are impossible to leave."

The brunette had a happy groan. "And you, my love, have lips that are impossible to quit."

She jumped on her knees, making Elsa exclaim a giggle, and kissed her deeply. They started to exchange a long series of kisses, and the real Elsa cleared her throat lightly and darted her eyes away, feeling awkward watching it. Which was odd, given it was her own privacy, so it wasn't really broken. She preferred to walk elsewhere anyway.

Further, Honeymaren's voice attracted her again. This time, it was a way older memory, and Elsa lifted confused eyebrows at its presence.

"What's this?" Asked the crystalline voice, looking at something in the blonde's hand.

Elsa saw her own self laugh. "Money."

"Oh, I heard about it from Mattias. Wait, that's money? But it's just metal."

The statue of Elsa laughed again. "It's not only that. It has value."

"Yes, of course, sorry, I didn't mean to be unrespectful." Quickly added Honeymaren. The memory dated back from the first week they had met each other, and at that time, the brunette really didn't want to make any mistake in their relationship. "You can melt it and turn it into a blade."

The ice statue of Elsa bit her lip to not laugh at that. "No, it's not for that."

"Right, right, you can make many other things than a blade. In fact, there's not enough in your hand to make more than the one of a pocket knife. So…"

"We add value to it, Honeymaren, we don't melt it. We do have blacksmiths in Arendelle, indeed, but this kind of metal is only used to be exchanged for products, or services."

The Northuldra was confused, but shook her head as she tried her best to understand. "Hold on, what do services mean? Aren't they free? I thought that you bartered, or offered help without anything in return, like us. And what do you mean, 'products'? You just said that you don't turn them into something else."

"We use the money to buy things." Said Elsa, and she took a big breath in at the end of that sentence, because she then realized she had to introduce the Northuldra to the whole concept of economy.

She then proceeded to explain to Honeymaren, as gently and calmly as possible, what supply and demand meant, what buying consisted of, and so on, ending up in using the same vocabulary she would have done with a five year old, minus the patronizing.

They spend some time talking, and Honeymaren eventually grasped the idea, not without finding it horrible.

"It's such a weird and unfair concept." She concluded.

Elsa shrugged. "In a way, yes."

Honeymaren inspected the coins closer, bending on the lying tree trunk they were sitting on.

"Hey, is that your face on it?"

Elsa looked at the coins. "It is indeed. On one side, there's me, and on the other, it's a landscape in Arendelle. It changes depending on the value."

Honeymaren's jaw dropped. A silence followed, and Elsa winced. "You want me to explain why identical coins have different values to them, right?"

Honeymaren still didn't respond. She was staring right at her.

"What?"

"You used to have your hair in a…"

She showed the gesture of rolling her hair up on her head.

"In a bun?" Completed Elsa.

"Yes! That. Did you?"

The Spirit blinked. "Uh, yes. It's been a long time, though. I'm not sure it would fit me anymore."

Another silence.

"Show me."

Elsa blushed. "Show you what? The bun?"

"I have long hair, it would work, right? Would you mind teaching me?"

The blonde blushed even more. "N-no, not at all, with pleasure, I… When do you want to… Oh, you mean now?"

The Northuldra nodded enthusiastically. She was so adorable doing so that Elsa absolutely couldn't say disagree.

"Alright, then…" She mumbled, putting the money back in her pocket.

When she looked up again, Honeymaren had turned on the trunk and was offering her back, so that Elsa could do her hair.

The Spirit blushed even more than before. She folded and unfolded her fingers nervously, slowly reaching Honeymaren's untied dark hair like she would never dare to alter such a beauty. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but really was mere seconds, she started touching her hair, and both women melted in smiles before the memory stopped moving.

It had been the first time they got intimate.

Elsa kept walking, lost in the daydream, then frowned as she noted that all of the memories that were placed in her way - in other words, every scene displayed in a line from the entrance of the room to the center of the dome - were moments in hers and Honeymaren's shared life.

Elsa stopped walking with an amused smile. She put her hands on her hips and looked up at the magical wall. "Is there a common pattern that I'm supposed to see there?"

The lights of Ahtohallan changed. The blonde snorted.

"'Maybe'? What do you mean, 'maybe'? I thought that today's memories were going to be selected randomly, but clearly you're trying to tell me something."

Her tone was teasing, like she was joking with a friend. Being familiar with Ahtohallan while devoting respect and admiration for the glacier through the past year allowed her to do that, and the entity was happy about it.

Elsa sat down at her usual place at the center of the Spirits unity symbol on the floor, and relaxed. "So what is it?"

'It is linked to the reason of your visit.' Said the magical source.

Elsa blinked, then blushed as she averted her eyes from the wall of the dome. Though it was a bit dumb because the deity was present in the floor too; it was like trying to escape from a million eyes.

She gulped. "So you can tell."

'I can always tell.'

The Fifth Spirit chuckled. "Of course."

She then sensed that Ahtohallan was gathering energy, like she was about to say something long and heavy with importance. Until now, she had talked with her in a magical way similar to the bond Elsa shared with the Spirits, and the Snow Queen felt that the glacier was about to be very maternal with her.

Last time she had felt such intense might was on her very first visit, a milestone in her life that she would never forget, and the blonde let out a soft gasp at the familiar sensation.

Even the colors of the room changed to Elsa's favorite ones, acting as a soothing blanket.

'You have nothing to doubt about.' Assured the magical source, not actually talking but making Elsa feel like her own mother was talking to her in a soothing way. She gulped in emotion, a timid smile stretching her lips.

"You think so? But…"

She sighed. She didn't need to go further; Ahtohallan could scan her soul, and feel what weighed her heart.

'You are worthy, Elsa.'

The blonde's whole essence lit up at that confident declaration. Her eyes filled with happy tears.

'I am not regretful of my choice to pick you as the Fifth Spirit.' Continued Ahtohallan, still genuine and certain. 'I still think that you are worthy of those powers.'

Elsa remembered the time she had asked 'Why? Why me?' to the glacier, and the source could feel that this doubt had lately come back to Elsa's mind.

'To thank your mother for her remarkable selfless gesture, I granted her first born, you, powers that would allow to be able to explore the memories I keep, and learn the truth that she couldn't see that day. When you arrived in the Forest, Fire noticed your presence and alerted Wind, that for the first time in those numerous human years, humans had been able to cross the magical barrier they had conceived by mutual agreement to protect the land. When Wind met your snowman, it was intriguing, because it had been built in a similar way than my magic: with a memory. It became clear that one of the new visitors that crossed the barrier was the child I had chosen. When Wind challenged you all as a test to see which one of you was the first born, and saw that you used your powers to protect your sister, it attested that you were the one; selfless, careful, heir of my magic. I had sensed your existence when you made your first creation based on a memory, up what you call the North Mountain, in the name of Olaf. I had been patiently waiting since. To sense you command Wind for the first time in the way you did confirmed my decision in being the right one. You were destined to do this, Elsa. You are the perfect fit to be the Fifth Spirit.'

Elsa wiped her tears with a happy but wet giggle, sniffing. She was glad no one was seeing her. Actually, she enjoyed this bubble of confession.

'I remember everything, and the fact that your two first deliberate acts of magic were based on love forever seals my decision.' Concluded the magical glacier.

She showed two moving images on the dome wall, one of a very young Elsa waving her fingers above Anna's cradle when she was a baby, efficiently stopping her sister's cries and turning them to happy playful giggles as she tried to catch the floating snowflakes. The second moving image was the one of a young adult Elsa in her coronation dress, smiling in the North Mountain as she created a snowman with a flick of the wrist for her first free and deliberate act of magic in a long time.

Elsa smiled at the memories, definitely important points in her life. The images slowly dissipated, and only the soothing colors remained.

"Thank you for your kind and wise words, Ahtohallan."

She gulped as she cleaned her face.

"But… Why did you show me all those memories of Honeymaren and I on my way here then?"

The lights of the dome changed, testifying the source's change of tone, switching from maternal to teasing.

'Isn't she the one human who makes you see yourself as you truly are, while devoting you a deserved admiration for being my avatar?'

Elsa's eyes widened at the astonishing impact of that sentence. She felt crushed by it, but in the right way. Nobody could say it better than that. Honeymaren was her lover, her worshiper, her follower. And much more. Honeymaren was the one who encouraged her to live with the tribe. She also was the one who made Elsa realize that she loved women, and this before the Northuldra even confessed through their friendship that she loved women as well. Basically, while Anna was Elsa's best supporter, Honeymaren was the one who propelled her to be who she truly was.

"That's… Actually very true, yes." Nodded Elsa.

Ahtohallan sent her a magical nudge from the floor to take her out of her reverie, and the Snow Queen chuckled as she bounced.

'Then I hope that you use the regained energy that you get on your visits here to love her even more each time.'

Elsa gave her a beaming smile. "I do, Ahtohallan. I really do."


Honeymaren watched her lover riding Nokk with an immense smile on her face. She always found Elsa beautiful when she came back from Ahtohallan. She loved to observe how the sun or moon light always gave her a halo, an aura, that she could legitimately classify as divine. Elsa had been in her element, she was riding back from the place that recharged her mental and magical energy like a home; and she arrived in her other new home, so she was always smiling in joy. But what Honeymaren loved above all, even more than to see the bliss on her girlfriend's face or her confidence as she moved, something she dearly wished would never leave the woman because she deserved it, was how Elsa's face looked even more happy when she spotted her in the crowd.

The Fifth Spirit hopped down in one swift move from Nokk and saluted him with prestance, the Water Spirit returning it, before she ran to Honeymaren.

What changed this time compared to the others was how Elsa immediately wrapped her arms around her.

"What is it?" Wondered Honeymaren in a giggling voice, the smell of salty water and natural scent of her girlfriend invading the brunette's senses.

"Ahtohallan's memory selection." Simply answered the blonde, closing her eyes with tenderness.

The Northuldra lifted an eyebrow. "She always chooses good things. What was different this time?"

Elsa grinned. "I'll tell you later."

She then parted from the embrace and rubbed her lover's cheek tenderly, then looked around. "What are you doing here?"

They were on the riverbank. Smiling, she saw Nokk observing a group of beavers assembling branches and vegetation across a stream. The magical horse had placed himself a bit further, watching from a distance, and it amused both women.

"Observing the beaver dam." Answered Honeymaren. "Which seems to be his new activity too. Say, when is he going to prank them by jumping from underwater to interrupt them?"

"If I didn't know you, I'd think you're making a cynical reference to the old actual dam." Smiled Elsa, who invited her to sit back down, like she was until she arrived.

Honeymaren snorted. "No, I meant that you probably sensed his tension and how soon he would burst. After all, as cute as beavers are, they're blocking his river, aren't they?"

The Fifth Spirit smirked. "Precisely. He's just trying to find the right moment. Nature has its dilemmas. They're building their habitat, and his job is to make the stream go."

They looked with amusement at the horse shape moving at the surface, squinting at the beavers that still worked without a care in the world.

"I'm pretty sure that "Il faut se méfier de l'eau qui dort" is an idiom that was made based on the Water Spirit's behavior." Laughed Elsa.

Honeymaren however didn't laugh. She stared at her girlfriend, speechless. The blonde frowned at her lack of reaction, then turned when she interpreted that the Northuldra didn't understand. Elsa explained that it was a French saying that meant "Beware of sleeping water", meaning that still waters run deep, to say that a calm person may have a lot of character inside. She then explained that she had read about this idiom in other languages, like in Greek textbooks and Shakespearian works.

But nothing in Elsa's long nerdy ramble about the expression made Honeymaren's jaw go more slack than the initial moment she had said it.

"You speak French?"

Elsa blinked, then blushed at the muttering and loving way the Northuldra had asked that, with the admiration in her eyes.

"Uh… No, I just… Understand it a little. I'm far from being able to speak it correctly… I simply know how to use some sayings. I…"

But she now was losing herself in her modesty.

"And Greek?" Asked Northuldra, still astonished.

"Y-yeah, but it's nothing. It's a dead language anyway." Mumbled Elsa, dismissing the importance with a 'peh' gesture of the hand.

"Is this the infamous bookworm humility Anna talked about?" Teased Honeymaren, recalling the tease she had heard in one of their visits in Arendelle.

"Please. Anna read more books than me when we were teens." Replied Elsa with an eye roll, recalling the moment too.

"She did?"

"Not the same type, but yeah. I swear!" She insisted when she saw her smile. "Ask Nokk!"

The brunette frowned. "What does it have to do with the Water Spirit?"

Elsa smirked.

"Why do you think Nokk is so cranky all the time? That's because he knows when one is lying."

"Oh, I thought that it was because he was stubborn, like all the Spirits." Teased Honeymaren. "Wait, what did you just say? He knows when you lie?"

"When anyone lies."

Honeymaren blinked. As a Northuldra, she knew how amazing the Spirits were and she gave them genuine respect with all the incredible tales about them, but she had no idea.

"Oh, that's right, I told Anna but not you." Remembered Elsa at her girlfriend's surprised expression.

She placed her hand on Honeymaren's chest. "Blood contains water, and when we lie, our heartbeat changes. He can feel the pulsations."

The brunette was speechless, though it also was because of Elsa's touch there.

"When I think about it," added the Spirit, "it's very likely that during his challenge, on our first encounter, he didn't just defy me physically; he probably analyzed my true intentions as well. My genuine search for the truth probably won him over."

"This is incredible." Breathed out the Northuldra. "I'll never cease being amazed by them. Mother Ahtohallan, you are amazing." She added, closing her eyes like a prayer.

"As respectful as she is, Anna doesn't have the same opinion." Smirked the blonde. "She hates it because she's still resentful and angry at him for having tried to drown me that day, and he knows it, so every time they meet, there's palpable tension in the air."

Honeymaren laughed. "Don't you think the same with the Giants for nearly crushing her to death?"

Touché.

"That was stupid of her." Simply said Elsa, not really answering.

Honeymaren wanted to reply, but the blonde got distracted by laughter and turned. Kids were playing with fishnets, running along the shore a bit further to where they were sitting, next to the adults who were angling in the stream.

Honeymaren frowned with care, turning as well. "Watch out with those nets! You might tangle yourselves in them!" She warned.

She was right, for a few minutes after they continued talking, a sudden 'ouch!' sounded nearby.

One of the kids had fallen over after tripping in the fish net, too big for him to not step on it despite holding it with stretched arms. Elsa saw that he had hit his head on the ground.

"Ow! Are you alright?" She winced, immediately standing up.

She apologized to Honeymaren for her leave, but the brunette smiled, actually happy to see her girlfriend so concerned for the small Northuldra.

She liked to see that the Fifth Spirit acted like a genuine protector to the tribe. She lovingly watched Elsa rushing to the kid.

"Hey, buddy, it's alright, don't cry." Reassured the blonde when she arrived at the child, and she crouched to be at his level.

She helped the upset and pouting Northuldra to take the net off, and noticed that he was in fact pouting to fiercely hold back his tears, rubbing his sore forehead. Elsa couldn't tell if it was because she told him not to cry or because he wanted to look brave to the Fifth Spirit.

"You're a strong one, aren't you?" Smirked the blonde. "Hold on, let me put some ice on it."

She waved her fingers and a layer of blue appeared on her hand, then she gently applied it on his forehead. The kid's eyes sparkled in amazement, his jaw dropping at the sensation.

"It's beautiful. Thank you." Murmured the Northuldra.
Elsa chuckled. "Don't let this become a habit. I'd be mortified if I found out you hurt yourself on purpose just to have me taking care of you."

He laughed, and she removed her hand after a while. "There. It should be better now."

He was still admiring her, in a way that was adorable and reminded the blonde of Anna when she was his age.

"I wanna be like you when I grow up." He muttered.

Elsa melted in a smile. "Aw, thank you, but…"

"I know, I know." he said with an assured expression. "You have been chosen by Ahtohallan. But I wanna help like you do."

The blonde tilted his head. "That's… Very touching, thank you." She then had a thought. "Have you talked with Sonya, the healer, about it? I'm sure that she would love a little assistant."

He shook his head no.

"You look adventurous. You could help her when she goes to the plains to fetch medicinal herbs."

"You think so?" He asked, then grinned. "Thank you, Fifth Spirit!"

His sudden joy surprised Elsa, but that was how kids were, so she melted in a smile. He immediately was about to run away like nothing had happened.

"No no no wait, I'm taking that." She said with a more scolding tone as she grabbed the net, however keeping a caring voice. "Go tell the others to stop playing with them, or they can hurt themselves like you did."

He nodded guiltily, then ran away.

Elsa smiled and she looked at him go, and stood up with the net in hand.

She searched around for Honeymaren, but after admiring her talk with the kid, the brunette had walked closer to the beaver dam to see what Nokk could do. Elsa knew that growing up, Honeymaren couldn't observe the Spirits as much as she wished because of their behavior with the Mist, so she smiled as she simply observed her from afar.

"Thank you, I'll take that back."

"Gods!" She exclaimed as she jolted, not having noticed the presence of a man right next to her. "Biejan! I didn't see you, you scared me so much."

"Sorry." Winced the Northuldra.

She handed him the net while her other hand was on her chest, trying to retrieve a normal heartbeat.

"I couldn't help listening to your conversation with him." Said Biejan. "I was about to scold him more severely than you did, but I prefered to wait. You had the right approach."

Elsa smiled with a light blush. "Thank you. I… I only improvised."

"Then you improvised well." Concluded the fisherman.

They stayed like that face to face, a bit awkwardly. He fidgeted with the loops of the net while he prepared his question.

"Do you… Uh… Do you want to come with me? To go fishing."

He blushed and looked elsewhere, then awkwardly pointed where the other Northuldra were working.

"Yes, with pleasure." Smiled Elsa.

Then she realized that maybe she wasn't the one he needed. "Wait, you want me to call Nokk, isn't it?"

He widened his eyes. "No! Not at all. I was inviting you."

Elsa was touched by the idea. "Th-thank you then, I'll… I'll follow you."

During the few steps they made on the shore, the blonde blamed herself for still being so socially awkward. When she met another socially awkward person, it was a disaster.

Biejan showed her how to use the net, and eventually, they both forgot how tense their dialogs were by simply losing themselves in the passionate task. After a while, Elsa caught a fish, and she was beaming with pride, showing it to the surrounding Northuldra with a giant grin. The other adults' baskets were filled with fishes bigger than the one she had in her hands - or rather, was struggling to keep in her hands, for how much it jumped, how slippery it got, and how clumsy she was - but they remained polite and supportive because it was her first time.

"Uhm, Fifth Spirit…" Muttered her teacher.

She turned to Biejan. Normally, when the Northuldra called her as such, it was to announce or ask something of significance.

"You need to drop the fish back into the water."

Elsa was devastated. "What? Why?"

She had been planning to proudly show it to Honeymaren, and her soul got crushed.

"Because it's small. See?" He said, measuring it with his fingers. "It's still a young fish. If we let it out, we can come back next year and it will be bigger. Do you understand?"

He was very timid saying it, but he had strong beliefs that made Elsa immediately agree and obey. She gently put the fish back into the water and it swam at high speed away from them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know…"

"Don't apologize, it's okay. My mother is the one who taught me fishing. Once, when I was a kid, she was sick, so I went to do her task for her. She yelled at me when I came back home only with small fishes. She made me release all of them. I never made that mistake again." He laughed.

Elsa smiled. "Thanks for teaching me then."

She looked at the stream. "And as the bridge between Nature and humans, I must respect that choice."

He nodded.

She wanted to continue the conversation now that he had opened up to her, and was about to ask where his mother was now. Then something struck her.

His mother was one of the Northuldra who had died during the attack orchestrated by her grandfather.

'That's why his face is so familiar.' She realized in shock, finally connecting the dots. 'I saw a memory of him as a kid in Ahtohallan once.'

She almost literally froze with stupor, and it must have been visible because he blinked at her. "Is everything fine?"

Elsa shook her head to return to reality. "Uhm, yes. Yes. I was just…"

'Gods, what can I talk about now?'

"Lovely weather, isn't it?"

'Oh, great. Stupid. Talk about the flowers while you're at it.' She thought, mentally slapping herself.

"Yes, it is!" He joyfully answered. "It's perfect for fishing. And the Wind Spirit is happy today, moving the clouds in front of the Sun from time to time so we don't get too hot."

That was an answer Elsa didn't expect at all, and she thought for a moment. The Wind Spirit could be an excellent topic of discussion that would cross both of their worlds.

"Did I ever tell you about her favorite time of the day?" She smiled.

His face lit up at the gossip to come. "No, do tell!"

She grinned, and they started talking about Gale until their basket was filled to the brim.


The weather indeed was ideal for the Fifth Spirit to find an isolated spot in the woods to sit down and reflect.

When she meditated, Elsa truly felt like she had become one with the Forest. Physically and mentally, she let her five senses and magical power merge with the woods and connected with Nature. She would not exaggerate in saying that she could feel every fauna and flora being in this setting, and she enjoyed her position with her legs crossed and forearms resting on her thighs, seated on a large stone in the middle of a quiet clearing.

Suddenly, something disturbed her concentration, and she frowned.

"Whoever you are, show yourself." She said, not even opening her eyes.

No Northuldra would ever have dared to interrupt her meditation, and there was no danger as the Spirits were calm. The person who had just approached and made themselves heard with a twig snap on the ground was from outside of the tribe.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere in this Forest." Reminded the Fifth Spirit. "Just in case you forgot who you're trying to attack. Either way, you're pathetically indiscreet at it."

A moment of silence followed her scolding, then the stranger continued to step forward.

"What a rude way to welcome your sister."

Elsa's eyes snapped open and wide at Anna's familiar voice. She twirled around, quickly unfolding her legs and standing up, nearly losing her balance in surprise. The redhead's chuckle that followed filled her heart with an immense warmth.

"Anna!"

"Hi!" Smiled the Queen, approaching her elder and opening her arms, an embrace invite to which the blonde quickly agreed, hopping down the stone and launching herself in her arms.

"I could have frozen you, you dork." Puffed Elsa on her shoulders, wrapping her arms around her.

Anna giggled. "I should have known how dramatic you are when you meditate. How are you?"

"Very well." Smiled her sister tenderly, looking at her when they detached their hug. "And you? It's been a while!"

The Queen gave her a sarcastic smile. "You're the one who insisted that I didn't need to visit you often because of all the royal duties I have to take care of since the new year."

Elsa remained speechless, her jaw dropped, realizing the trap she had set on herself.

"I'm just teasing you, Elsa." Nudged Anna, grinning.

The blonde shook her head. "How are you, you dork?"

"Awesome. Lots of new stuff are happening in town. New technologies, new facilities, new Arendelle." She then sighed dramatically. "I thought that some fresh air would do me some good."

Elsa chuckled. "You live near a fjord. The air is pure."

"I meant some time in the countryside. Or in the woods. Or any place that you guys settle in, I'm truly open-minded. The Northuldra told me that I would find you here. I barely heard them though, the kids were super excited when they saw my horse and were yelling in my ears. It's a new one, and they were over the Moon at how big it is."

Elsa looked at her with a loving smile, so she frowned.

"What?"

The blonde chuckled. "I missed your rambles."

Anna shrugged. "What, there are no talkative Northuldra in the tribe?"

The sisters laughed.

"You're one of a kind." Winked Elsa.

They headed back to the camp together, laughing as they caught up on each other, filling the woods with their happiness. When they rejoined the tribe, Anna took the time to actually greet everyone, and it took a long time given how many people were working outside today. Elsa shook her head with an amused sigh but wasn't resentful; Anna loved to take the time to meet people, to talk with them, and the Northuldra had a special treatment because the redhead really liked to learn about them, given she spent much less time than her sister in their mother's tribe.

Feeling awkward just standing there when the others worked, and Anna was starting a long conversation with Yelena, Elsa looked around to see how she could be helpful, and saw that a group of Northuldra was working on a wagon, assembling boards of wood a bit further. She headed to the goahti that served as a workshop and grabbed a belt of tools.

She put it on and adjusted it, then stepped outside to admire herself with a smirk, never having worn one before. "Hey, it actually looks good on me."

Sure, she would have done the design of the toolbelt differently, and the brown and gray leather band with the many implements looked odd on her sparkling and magical ice outfit. And the whole thing was heavier than she thought, something she had to get used to after wearing light clothes for so long. But apart from all of that, she liked it.

"You put it on backwards." Smiled Ryder, leaning against a tree.

Elsa jolted her head up and looked embarrassed. "I did?"

He walked to her with a kind expression. "You had good logic, though. Placing the tools on the front."

"I mean, yes." She defended herself.

"But we place it with them in the back, so we can easily lift crates and pots and boards without pushing on the tools and hurting our bellies."

He showed how his was placed, and she blamed herself for not having observed the workers earlier. She turned the belt in the correct position and admired the frontal pattern, which had the hexagonal symbol of the Northuldra tribe stitched in the middle. Now that made more sense.

"I'm ready to help with the wagon." Proudly said the Fifth Spirit, her hands on her hips.

Ryder smiled then told her to wait before he went to get something in his goahti.

In the meantime, Elsa awkwardly tried to reach the tools in her back, and thought she would first have to memorize the shape of each of them, because she couldn't see.

The man came back with something he handed to her.

"Put these on." Ryder said, offering a pair of protection gloves that were made of the thickest reindeer leather.

The Spirit startled at the gesture and the items, and gave him a sorry pout that definitely was made to avoid a wince. "I'm… Not really comfortable with the idea."

Ryder frowned, eyeing her and the pair. "They're really comfortable, I assure you, they're made with the finest attention by the skinners of the tribe, and I always use them when I'm building a new wagon for the reindeers. They're good to avoid splinters. You should try them on!"

He enthusiastically waved the gloves in front of her, and she gulped as she nearly took a step back.

Suddenly, Honeymaren appeared next to Ryder and gave him a gentle slap at the back of the head. "You idiot."

"Ow! What was that for?" He blinked, giving her a stare as she walked between them. "I was being nice."

Honeymaren's chestnut irises planted into his eyes as she stood by Elsa's side and slowly placed her arm around her waist. She did the gesture slowly to make sure that the blonde allowed it, willing to retract her hand if the blonde was feeling queasy, but she welcomed it.

"Elsa doesn't like gloves, Ryder. At all. You should know that by now."

He frowned in confusion. "But… Why?"

Honeymaren sighed. Elsa timidly looked away.

'Fine. Might as well tell him, so he'll know for next time.' Thought the brunette.

"Remember when we talked about her isolation in the castle?"

"...Yeah…?"

That 'yeah' was heavy. Elsa wondered how long and intense that conversation got. She knew that her girlfriend took her past at heart, but how dedicated was she that it marked Ryder this much?

"Well, she had gloves. She wore gloves all the time."

"Ooooh."

Ryder connected the dots and definitely marked 'Hates gloves' in a corner of his mind. "Sorry then."

"It's alright." Shrugged Elsa with a sad smile.

The herder then pouted, gave a pointed look to Honeymaren, and turned around to go help the others.

"How was I supposed to know that?" He mumbled, tucking the gloves under his belt as he walked away. "I can't talk with her, you take all of her free time…"

The mumble didn't go unnoticed by the two women, and Elsa had a touched smirk while Honeymaren blushed.

The blonde placed a hand above the one that was at her waist. "Thank you."

Honeymaren remained silent, so she kept going. "It's always difficult to explain to people that there are some simple things that bother me, like dancing in front of a crowd, or wearing gloves, or…"

She searched for other examples, but actually, since Ahtohallan, she was way more comfortable with everything.

"Do I?"

Elsa tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

"Take up all your time?"

The blonde nearly teared up at Honeymaren's devastated expression. She smiled tenderly and put her forearms above her shoulders.

"Baby, we are a couple. Of course we spend most of our time together."

Honeymaren didn't seem convinced, and she fidgeted with the tools at Elsa's belt while they were embracing. "But you don't have much free time between your Fifth Spirit duties, the balance you have to maintain between Nature and Humans that keeps getting challenged with all the new merchants crossing the land, and the round trips you make to Arendelle to teach Anna about Queen paperwork and to have official meetings to transfer the last powers to her."

Elsa wanted to reply, but the brunette urgently cut her. "And I'm so worried sometimes that I didn't ever let you enjoy your free time at your will… Like, I know, I know, and you're going to say it, you always tell me when you need some time alone or when you need to go spend the day in Ahtohallan on your own to unwind, and I know that you had several months to explore this new world of yours and your new self before we became a couple, but I can't help it, I just– I just want you to be happy."

A silence passed. Honeymaren had lowered her face, and her rare nervous ramble had astonished her lover. Eventually, Elsa smiled tenderly.

"It's funny how Anna was right."

Honeymaren's face lifted, and she met her eyes. At least the surprising interjection had made them look at each other again, thought Elsa.

"Uh?"

"On last Friday, she told me that she was fascinated by how we both complete each other and yet aren't so different."

Now Honeymaren was curious, and her attentive stare begged her to keep going.

"You are full of wit, you teached me and still teach me hunting, tracking, your wisdom, your open-mindedness about Nature's laws, your survival skills, and…" Elsa paused to sigh lovingly. "Everything that makes you amazing."

She tightened their embrace with love.

"But you're also just as nerdy and hesitant as me, sometimes lacking confidence, which I couldn't see coming at all. When we first met, you seemed to me like the most self-assured person in the world. And that may be surprising, but I'm kind of reassured that we share insecurity sometimes." Smiled Elsa. "It makes us more… Human."

Honeymaren finally smiled, and approached her face, their noses nearly touching. "And…" Her voice had turned seductive, and in that simple word, Elsa felt like melting. "What else did Anna say we have in common?"

The blonde gulped, nearly trembling with delight. She could feel Honeymaren's hands teasing her lower back. "Uhh- She… She talked about our singing skills, and our nerdy interest in astronomy, and… Uhh…"

Dark chestnut eyes stared at her, and she lost her train of thoughts. It was like her brain had turned to jelly. However, while she always preferred to be in full control of her emotions, she was enjoying to become dumb in Honeymaren's presence.

The latter tilted her head and kissed her lips hungrily. She then parted, leaving the blonde even more stunned than before.

"You're missing one last common element."

Elsa's breathing grew heavier. "Which one?"

"We love each other very, very much." Grinned Honeymaren.

They both giggled and shared another kiss, or maybe two, or three, or maybe they kissed a senseless amount of times with each time an even more growing warmth roaming their bodies, until they got interrupted by Ryder coming back with an insistent cough. They parted quickly then groaned as he formed a heart with his gloved hands.

"Are you coming then?"

"Sure, sure!" Said Elsa, squeezing Honeymaren's hand before trotting after him.

She liked to feel useful with the Northuldra through their traditional ways, something she rarely did because she was mostly requested to do magical tasks or communicate with the Spirits. She obviously loved to make people happy with her powers, but it lacked authenticity sometimes. She wanted to make her mother proud.


A goal she quickly forced herself to forget less than twenty minutes later.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" She complained when Honeymaren tugged on her injured hand.

The brunette sighed. "Let's go into the sunlight so I can see it better."

They walked further, then both cringed at the sight of the splinter. "Yeah, that's a big one." Said the Northuldra. "Wait here."

As if Elsa would go anywhere. She stood still in the beam of light, her injured hand lifted up patiently while her other arm was slumped along her body. She looked at the other Northuldra who kept working while she did nothing, and she felt a bit stupid. It was a good thing that Anna was in another clearing and not witnessing her.

Honeymaren approached with something shiny and small, and Elsa recognized tweezers. She invited her to sit away from the wagon, as if the wood would jump and attack her and she wanted to prevent it.

As delicate as the brunette was, trying to remove the splinter was a pain. Elsa hissed several times.

"Stop moving."

"I am very still!" Frowned Elsa, and she hissed again.

"Then how come I didn't take it out already?"

"I–"

"You should have monitored her better!" Suddenly scolded Honeymaren towards her little brother, and Ryder sulked in the distance.

"Easy now, he has nothing to do with it. I should have been careful when I started lifting the board, that's all." Smiled Elsa.

Honeymaren gave her a look. "You're supposed to back me up, as an older sister, you know?"

The Spirit started to laugh and stopped at the sharp sensation when the brunette finally succeeded in removing the splinter.

"Done! …Oh crap, you're bleeding now." Noticed the Northuldra, and the blonde looked down.

Indeed, a tiny pearl of red had appeared on her finger.

Honeymaren then did something that completely took Elsa by surprise and sent her brain up in the stratosphere. The brunette kept Elsa's hand in hers and brought it to her lips, then gently sucked on the wound. Some said that cloud nine was the ultimate feeling of delight, but Elsa was pretty sure that this was the equivalent of cloud fifteen.

If the Fifth Spirit weren't in complete control of her powers now, she would have frozen the whole ground within a five meter radius. She was unable to tell if her heart had suddenly stopped beating or, on the contrary, was beating really hard and fast and threatening to jump out of her chest. But her head felt dizzy like she was about to faint. And yet she was extremely conscious of what was going on, her finger very sensitive, increasing the feeling a hundredfold.

Honeymaren hadn't meant the gesture to be anything else than practical, but Elsa found herself blushing like they had both suddenly found themselves naked in the middle of the camp.

'Why is my finger so damn sensitive?' The blonde thought, her inner voice screaming in panic. She would have gladly tried to turn her blood to ice at the tip of her finger, but she didn't know if it was possible and she was afraid her girlfriend would feel it. How come her hand was this reactive? Was it precisely because she had been wearing gloves most of her life? Was it because of Honeymaren's warm, delicate, kind and loving touch? What was going on?

Before her brain could tell her that only two seconds had passed, Honeymaren inspected the wound, and smiled at the result.

"There. You've been quite lucky." She added, clueless of Elsa's state. "It could have been much worse."

The Snow Queen cleared her throat and urged to cool her face with magic to stop feeling and looking like she was on fire. Steam nearly appeared at her pores.

"Really, you could have cut yourself deeply on the palm, and that would have been a mess."

There was a silence, and they both admitted how clumsy she was.

"If I can't help with the handiwork, what can I do?"

Honeymaren noted the disappointment in her features and had a thinking pout. Then her face lit up.

"I may have an idea. And Anna can even tag along."


"You missed."

"Yes, I saw." Resounded Elsa's voice in the woods.

She muttered something to herself as she walked to the arrow that had been planted in the ground. Her steps were heavy and she nearly stomped her feet as she came back to the spot Anna was kneeled at. The latter noticed that Elsa passed a hand in her hair before placing herself again, and recognized that mannerism.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to cross you…"

"I'm fine." Lied the Spirit.

Anna had a sad smile.

"We can talk about it", she suggested, ignoring the lie. She knew that Elsa knew that she knew it was a lie anyway.

The blonde fidgeted with the arrow for a moment before notching it again.

"We shouldn't talk." She mumbled, the bowstring against her cheek. "It will scare the animals and we'll come back with nothing for dinner."

"That can wait. What is troubling you?"

"This!" Hissed Elsa, canceling her whole posture in anger. "I shouldn't be struggling as much as I am right now. Honey taught me. We trained for days. Why can't I succeed? It's like, now that I'm on my own, I can't do anything. I'm no good. Why can't I succeed? Why can't I do it like the Northuldra do?!"

"Hey, hey…" Whispered Anna, putting a hand on her forearm. "That's how life is, Elsa. It's tough and it's unfair. Sometimes we achieve something but it's out of luck, and we take it for granted, and then we do it again and fail miserably. Nobody can be– Nobody is perfect, Elsa. Everything takes time."

The Spirit looked at the leaves at her feet. "Did Mattias teach you that?"

"Indeed." Smiled Anna, for the man's wise words were something they both liked. "But that showed up to be true in my first months as Queen. I don't know how it is for you fitting into the Northuldra lifestyle, but I guess that it's an equal struggle. Not that I'm saying it's the same thing. But you know. Just… Always remember that you have to give it time. They have been hunting for generations and generations, and Honeymaren learned from the earliest age. You only have a few days of practice, in cumulated time. When she will teach me, I'll struggle too. Archery is super hard, that's just a fact."

Elsa's face lit up a bit, but she then fidgeted with the bow, passing her thumb on the engraved pattern on it. It was her girlfriend's, and Honeymaren's face appeared in her mind as she looked at the inscriptions and the pine green feathers attached to the upper limb.

"She gave me this responsibility and I don't want to disappoint her."

Anna had an amused smile. 'Ooooh, so that's what it's all about.' She thought, intelligent enough to not make that remark out loud.

"Maybe you can try with your magic?"

Elsa gave her a long stare, and Anna wondered why. Then she widened her eyes. "Wait, is that disrespectful towards Nature or something?"

She then cut herself at her own words. "No, wait, I'm disrespectful by the way I said it. Sorry. I…"

Elsa noticed that the 'sorry' was given as much to her than to the wild surrounding her, and she started to get amused by her sister's rambling.

"...and I thought that you could, maybe, I don't know, make traps out of ice? No, that would be cheating…" Blabbered the redhead. "You have to play by natural rules, don't you? And–"

"Anna."

She stopped her long monologue, her breathing actually fast from her own exhaustion and panic.

"Relax."

Anna breathed in and out as suggested, and saw that the blonde seemed to have forgotten her anger thanks to her funny speech. In a way, it was a victory, and she prided herself in it.

Elsa placed the arrow back in Honeymaren's quiver and stood up with a sigh.

"Let's just go back to camp. We'll tell them that we couldn't find the slightest prey and that's all."

Anna doubted that this excuse would be believed by the Northuldra, but she also knew that they were kind and would probably be gentle for Elsa's first try alone. When Honeymaren had given the Snow Queen her bow and quiver earlier, she had been emotional and proud, but both lovers also had been very nervous. The redhead was ready to bet that she would apologize right away for putting such a weight on Elsa's shoulders.

She had been right, and politely looked away when the couple went into a long conversation about it. Anna also hid her smile when she understood that both girlfriends were sorry, and liked that mutual care.

She walked away so far in her allegedly-not-listening that she found herself facing the place where the Northuldra warriors stored their bows, and she passed a delicate hand on them. They had unique engravings on each of them, and the redhead played a little game of guessing which one was whose based on their personalities.

"You like them?" Said Honeymaren's smiling voice behind her.

"A lot. Your tribe has amazing handcrafting."

"Thank you. Say, your birthday is this Summer, right? How about I gift you one?"

The redhead grinned, then stopped to remain modest. "You don't have to."

Her beaming face didn't fool Honeymaren, however. "But you would love it."

"Of course I would love it."

The two women laughed together, and the brunette put a hand on her shoulder after storing her bow. "Come on, let's walk together. We'll prepare meals soon and we'll need wood. It's been a while, I missed you."

Anna had a touched smile, and followed her, chatting joyfully.

"How is the harvesting going?" Asked Honeymaren when she walked by a Northuldra woman who was checking several small buckets she had tied to trees.

"Really great!" She smiled back.

Anna turned and observed the sap gently falling inside the containers. "So that's your glue."

"Yep." Said Honeymaren.

She then noted how interested Anna was with the concept, as the Queen was twisting her neck to see how the harvest worked.

"Do you prefer to help her or keep walking with me? I can pick up wood on my own."

Honeymaren's tone was inviting and gentle, but Anna trotted behind her right away. "No, no, I'm coming with you. I'm way too clumsy to manipulate sap anyway. Elsa would also judge me really hard if I ruined the tunic you gave me."

Honeymaren laughed, observing the outfit which she indeed had lent the Queen to not stain her expensive travel clothes. "You know, we clean our outfits from time to time. And you wouldn't be the first one to pour sap on yourself. Ask Ryder. There's a reason why we keep my brother in charge of the reindeer above anything else."

They laughed together, and spent the next twenty minutes looking for small wood for the fire, the brunette teaching her which one to pick, to make sure that she didn't destroy a natural habitat for small animals or come back to the camp with wet branches.

Once done, Honeymaren inspected the ground of the Forest to check if they didn't forget anything, then her eyes widened as she smiled.

"Hey, Anna, grab this branch over there, will you?"

The Queen followed the advice that sounded like an order, picking up the long branch as Honeymaren had her arms full.

"What do you want to do with it? I thought that we only needed short ones for the fire. This branch is huge."

"Not that huge." Smiled the clever Northuldra with a sly smile. "Look. Put one end on the ground and the other against your leg."

A bit confused, Anna executed, and saw that the end of the branch reached her hip.

"It's the perfect length." Commented Honeymaren with a grin.

Anna then smiled widely when she realized what the natural curve of the branch would be perfect for...

"For my bow?" She asked excitedly.

Honeymaren chuckled. "Might as well craft you one to your size, no?"

The redhead only was slightly smaller than her, but she knew that the huntress meant that for practical reasons, and as a gift too.

"That'd be lovely, thank you."

"You'll have to be patient." Warned the Northuldra. "It takes a long time to make one. It's not just this part, many others have to be added."

"I can wait." Assured Anna, which was painful to her hyperactive heart, but she could tell it was worth it.

"See that part of the branch here?"

Anna looked down at where she was pointing with her eyes. A part of the thick branch had gone in a secondary, also thick branch, but it had been broken. Probably by prey or predators during their walk, very likely by reindeers' antlers. It now only was a few centimeters long.

"Yeah?"

"We could work it with a knife and make it a nice arrow rest. Perfect for a beginner."

Anna smiled. Indeed, once reduced to a perfect size, it would hold the arrow directly on the bow without the need to use the edge of her palm.

"Love this. I'm sure that you'll make something amazing."

Honeymaren shrugged modestly, and they walked back to the camp. The Queen proudly held her branch against her, making sure it would not bump into a tree.


Bruni pouted a bit when Anna decided with Ryder that they would cook with an actual campfire for once, and not the magical purple flames from the Spirit. Sticking out his tongue, though Anna was persuaded it was more out of a natural mannerism than anything else, the salamander went away in zig zags and chose to annoy Elsa and Honeymaren who were until now peacefully chatting in a corner.

"I'm very motivated to help you all today." Grinned Anna excitedly, rubbing her hands after she put her stack of wood on the ground and sat down in front of the Northuldra herder, who was preparing the place.

Ryder then widened his eyes.

"Wait, you know how to cook?"

Anna chuckled. "Why yes. I'm clumsy at it, but I know. Being raised in a castle doesn't mean I have the whole stereotype package. I learned how to sword fight with the guards after the Great Thaw, and I learned how to cook with the staff in the kitchens when I was young."

She smiled tenderly at her own memory. "I was often very bored when I was a kid. Elsa wasn't allowed to play with me anymore, so I walked around the castle a lot. One day, I was so bored I thought I was gonna cry. My parents were busy, and I had no classes that day, and my bike was still under repair, and it was raining. I remember it like yesterday. I had nothing to do and it drove me nervous, scared even. Maybe it was hyperactivity, but I had to keep my hands busy. So when I walked by the kitchens and saw them preparing lunch, I asked the cooks if they could teach me something."

She grinned. "They refused, obviously. Firstly, because it would be inappropriate for the Princess to make her own meals, and secondly, because they were scared I would hurt myself - totally legit reaction, if I were under their surveillance and lost a finger, they would be fired if my parents found out. But Gerda covered for me. Then it became like a ritual. Every time the weather prevented me from playing outside, I would actually be happy about it, because I would rush to the kitchens and the cooks would teach me the daily special."

"That's amazing." Commented Ryder with a grin.

He then looked down with shame, fidgeting with the wood as he placed it around with Anna's help. "Sorry for stereotyping you. I thought that princesses were… Nevermind."

The Queen smiled, and put a forgiving hand on his slumped shoulder. "It's okay. I suppose that your only knowledge of royalty is based on what Mattias told you when the Mist stood, uh?"

He nodded with a chuckle. "He's not very objective, I suppose."

"Not at all." Laughed Anna, remembering his reaction when Olaf summarized her childhood to them.

It didn't take long for the duo to start the fire; the wood was perfect and Ryder's experience as well as Anna's motivation helped accelerate the process. The redhead mentally thanked Kristoff for taking her up the mountains on their first dates long ago and teaching her how to warm themselves at night, otherwise her frenzy state, additionned to Ryder's accident-proneness, would have set this part of the woods on fire. It wasn't a scary possibility anyway, as the literal Fire Spirit and Snow Queen were standing a few meters away.

He presented to the Queen what they would eat that day; generous reindeer ribs that had been spreaded with a homemade sauce made with beans and honey. She helped him cut the pieces and cover the meat with a basting brush. Even raw, it looked amazing.

Ryder thanked her once it was done, and she saw Elsa and her girlfriend walk by.

"Oh, Honeymaren, I just remembered! I brought you a gift."

The brunette frowned at her sentence, exchanging looks with Elsa, and they approached. She was about to retort that the Queen didn't have to bring anything on her visit, when she took out of her pocket something folded in four.

Honeymaren's eyes widened, a smile stretching her lips as she recognized the item, and Anna smiled in turn at her expression after spreading it out delicately.

Ryder bent forward with admiration. It was an elegant cloth napkin, white as snow, with beautiful woven crocus patterns, and the herder let out an impressed exclamation.

Honeymaren grinned. "Thanks!"

The two women hugged, and Elsa smirked. If she didn't know her girlfriend, she would have joked about how ordinary a napkin was. The castle had thousands of them - which was why it didn't bother anyone when Anna decided to offer one to Honeymaren - and it wasn't such an expensive thing. But the blonde remembered that royalty was like another world, and also remembered how admirative her partner had been when she had used the arendellian napkin during the meal. She had handled it with extreme care.

"It's a lovely thought. Thanks again." Grinned Honeymaren, and she gently placed the napkin aside so it would not be stained by anything while they ate.

Soon, the ribs on the fire smelled delicious, and Elsa could sense Gale twirling around in delight. She wondered if the Spirit had the ability to smell. One thing was for sure, she purposely was moving the air above them to spread the sweet aroma. Ryder handed around plates carved in wood, and added herbs on top of each serving.

"Agh!" Muttered Honeymaren with a brisk move.

It didn't sound alarming, but Elsa worried for her. "What is it?"

The brunette whined, regretting having jumped on food. "I burned my lips."

Ryder had a wince. "Sorry, I forgot to warn you, the ribs are very hot. As fire isn't magical, it couldn't be adjusted."

Honeymaren indicated that it was alright, though her lip hurt. She unfolded the napkin next to her, delicately tipped a corner of it in a bowl of water, being careful not to wet it too much, then dabbed her mouth with it.

Elsa smiled tenderly at the graceful gesture and took the napkin off her hands, surprising Honeymaren when she put it back next to her. Before the Northuldra could ask any question, the Spirit took her chin in her hand and lifted her face to her, then bent forward and kissed her lips.

It was just the right amount of cold to soothe her, and Honeymaren's eyes closed at the magical kiss. After a few seconds, Elsa detached her fresh mouth and sat back, smirking at her girlfriend's stunned expression.

"What? You said you burned your lips."

Anna laughed at her state. "I think that you froze her entirely."

Honeymaren blinked. "I wasn't expecting that at all."

The Queen smirked. "You'll learn that my sister is very unpredictable."

She wanted to add 'and deeply in love with you', but restrained herself to not make Honeymaren blush more than she already was.

"Was it efficient or not?" Asked Elsa.

"...Very, thank you."

"Here you go."

She smiled and blew on her ribs before bringing them to her mouth, tasting it with amazement. "Ryder, Anna, you've outdone yourselves!"

The concerned nudged each other, and enjoyed the meal.

Many conversations later, Honeymaren walked away to fetch some water. Elsa's eyes didn't leave her back as she admired her moves until she joined the river.

The Queen noted her starstruck gaze, and aligned with her sister with a smirk.

"You two are ridiculously in love with each other." Grinned Anna.

Elsa startled at her intervention, then rolled her eyes. "We're not ridiculously in love with each other." She mumbled, exaggerating Anna's own exaggerating tone.

From afar, where he was observing the humans, Nokk snorted in mockery.

He quietly moved to where Honeymaren was filling her jug, and popped his muzzle out of water to control a cloud floating above.

A thin rain started to fall on Honeymaren, though it stopped right above her head to not wet her, the drops moving in the air with magic. Sunlight passed through the delicate curtain of water and formed a wide rainbow, spreaded on top of Honeymaren.

Anna bursted into laughter, and Elsa blushed deeply at her fellow Spirit's tease. Honeymaren frowned. "What?"

She lifted her head to understand, but the refraction phenomenon didn't work at this angle. Elsa had a vexed grunt and moved her hand to form a splash of ice on the surface to push Nokk. The horse had a laughing neigh, and dissipated in the water after dissipating the color spectrum.

The Northuldra watched the cloud floating away to join the others and wondered what happened.

"He's supposed to be on my side, not yours." Grumbled Elsa, as Anna hadn't stopped laughing.

"For once, we are on the same page." She cackled. "Please give him a high five the next time you see him. If that's appropriate, of course." She added out of respect.

An hour later, as they all were chatting next to the campfire, Anna fidgeted nervously. She bent to her elder's ear.

"Uhmm… I'm so sorry to ask, but…"

The Spirit stopped her discussion, intrigued by how unusually embarrassed Anna was. The redhead was whispering very low as well.

"Is there a… A place where… You can relieve yourself? Last time I visited you, the camp was higher up the river, and there was a curve that gave privacy to…"

Elsa didn't reply right away, so Anna made hilarious gestures to be understood, clearly talking about going to the Northuldra equivalent of a toilet.

The blonde bit her lip not to laugh. "Sure. I'll show you."

She led her to a spot of the woods that was away, apart from the camp, while the place still looked like it was clearly set by the tribe. Anna kept throwing looks all around them and behind her back, to make sure that nobody was judging her, even though she knew that the Northuldra weren't the kind to do that. Also, it was a natural act, so she gulped resolutely as she shook her head and stopped worrying. She tried to catch up with her sister who was pointing at different elements.

"...and then you cover it with sawdust. There's a bucket of it right there, with…"

Elsa kept going on with her explanation, walking to grab a small shovel the size of her hand. "...a scoop, and you can use as much as you want."

She smiled at the end of her presentation, Anna blushing at her.

"But keep some for the others." Teased the elder with a wink. "It's a really good biological system, you'll see."

'I could tell her about the worms and the ecosystem and how sustainable it is for the soil, but I better do it step by step or she'll get scared.' Thought the Spirit.

Anna looked down in timidity.

"I'm gonna leave you alone, don't worry. Do you need anything else?" Asked Elsa.

The Queen shook her head. As the blonde was about to depart, Anna however turned to her.

"How did you even…"

Elsa frowned. "What?"

"I don't know. Caught up with all this? I mean, not how it works, you just had to follow indications, but… Living in the woods."

The redhead's cheeks burned again at the end of her own sentence. She clearly didn't refer to waking up at dawn and herding reindeers, but rather to managing intimate hygiene. Thankfully, Elsa simply replied with a smile.

"I lived up the North Mountain for almost three days, Anna."

That's all she said, and the Queen frowned.

"What does it have to do with- Ohh. Yeah, I see. I should have figured that your architect's mind found a creative way to make a flap system with ice, and water from melted ice to… Make a tunnel or whatnot."

Elsa didn't answer and just left, which was great because both didn't really want to deepen the topic.

"Why are you so red?" Worried Ryder when he saw her come back.

"It's fine." Assured the Spirit, forcing a smile to forget her embarrassment.

She tried her best to distract her mind by heading to her goahti to prepare the bed for Anna and her.


Author's Note:
Imagining convos between the sisters in the Forest regarding this new life for Elsa always is tons of fun lol. In the next chapter, the funny fluff with continue, with this time more focus on Anna's routines in Arendelle! And maybe a turn in the plot... :B