Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: So, Zani managed to pull in some linguistics into this, and you might end up hating her and refusing to continue reading after this chapter. Just fair warning.

Written: 2019 - Licia

Without a look back, Elsa turned and took off, her footsteps leaving a trail of perfectly beautiful signature snowflakes atop a thin layer of frosh in her wake as she fled. For the briefest of moments, Hans was reminded of the night of her coronation, when the mere act of her stepping upon the water's surface had frozen the fjord. For all the fear of that night, the ice had been beautiful, if deadly, but clearly, she'd gotten control over her powers and her emotions over the years, but this...

With difficulty- Honeymaren and Ryder helping him- he hurried to Yelena. The chief helped catch him as he stumbled to her side. "Elsa!" He stopped, trying to ignore the biting wind as it swirled around them. "Elsa, you can't run from this! Please! Come back!"

For the briefest of moments, the four watched her stop, as though she herself had frozen within her own storm, all but Hans unaware of what his words had done, what they'd triggered in her already distraught mind. The sound of a sword unsheathing, the feel of the hardened ice beneath her, the realization that she'd killed her own sister...

If only there was someone who loved you

But then her sister's words came slithering back into her head like a snake in the grass, as she remembered Anna's letter; that cold, heartless bit of parchment, accusing her and berating her and all but blaming her for being loved by their people, all but outright banning her in black and white, from the kingdom she'd been born in and to rule over. The kingdom her sister now ruled over; taken at first with reluctance, now believed to belong solely to her.

A kingdom she, the Beloved, the Lioness, the Snow Queen of Arendelle, no longer had a right to, by virtue of her sister's twisted jealousies. She took a deep breath, unable to stop her violent shaking. And then it was back, the realization that she had been lied to, that the truths she thought were true were actually lies, and that she'd had family here all along, that she had never been truly alone-

She took off again, heading towards the river, only to stumble to a stop when the Nokk appeared before her in his frosted form; he'd been waiting for her, but upon the building storm, had come looking for her; being as connected as they were. Hans moved to follow, but Ryder and Yelena's grabbing him to hold him back forced him to stop; they watched as the Nokk reared back onto its hind legs, letting out a neigh as it did so. Elsa threw her arms up, palms up and fingers spread wide-

"No! Elsa!"

"Hans, you can't! You can't walk-"

"She'll be hurt! It'll trample her-"

"No it won't!" Honeymaren cried. "That's the Nokk! It's the water spirit! It's connected to her!"

"What?" He turned to the younger woman, confused. Honeymaren stopped, thinking. She then shrugged.

"They're of the same element; it won't hurt her! It protects her! It's the Guardian of the Dark Sea, just like she's the Guardian of Ahtohallan! They work together to keep the river of memory safe!"

But before Hans to could wrap his mind around the words enough to form a response, another neigh was heard, and he watched as Elsa reached up, grabbing the bridle and yanking the horse's frosted muzzle down towards her. It continued to move in agitation, sensing her inner torment, it's frosted gaze darting to Yelena and the others standing at the entrance to the camp, seeing them as the reason for Elsa's pain, the swirling winds, snow and ice taking over the camp. And it was right, to an extent. Gently, Elsa rested her forehead to its muzzle and began to stroke it, speaking softly to it. "Det er greit, det er greit." Her words carried on the wind of the storm, back to them, and Honeymaren gasped softly, more from hurt than anything else. "Vi må dra. Du må få meg ut herfra. Jeg blir ikke."

It took only a few minutes before Hans realized what Elsa had told the horse. No! She can't leave! Running away isn't the answer! Didn't she learn that during her coronation? Running is never the answer!

The Nokk seemed to accept her explanation, and despite the storm raging around them, accepted Elsa onto its back. She settled, taking up the reigns and tugging gently to get it to turn. Hans glanced at the others, they didn't dare move, partially for the storm raging, and partially because they knew it was impossible to talk Elsa down when she was determined. But Hans, having spent the last several days down and in the hut recovering, hadn't witnessed Elsa's frequent bouts of flight like the tribe had, and he was determined not to let her run. She'd run the first time, taking refuge in the North Mountain, until he'd had to bring her back to Arendelle unconscious after attempting to defend herself against Weaselton's guards, and he was going to be damned if he let her run a second time.

"No! Elsa!"

Somehow, he found the strength to break free of Honeymaren and Ryder's grips, stumbling towards Elsa and the Nokk, just as she nickered for it to turn and flee. Thanks to the chaos of the storm, Hans wasn't sure how close he'd gotten to the horse; he could only guess that it was close, considering the frosted water spirit reared back on its hooves for a third time; the second time had been a minor rear, and Elsa had managed to calm it, seated upon its back.

It all happened with lightning speed, and yet, time seemed to slow.

The horse reared again, for the fourth time, Hans lifted his arms to protect himself. In an effort to calm the horse, Elsa, on instinct, tugged on the reigns, attempting to get it to back up and turn, but the Nokk, seeing Hans as a threat to its rider, ignored her command. "Whoa! Rolig! Nokk, rolig! Whoa, nå!"

He heard her voice, saw a flash of her face as she wrapped her arms around the Nokk's neck in attempt to coax it back to the ground and get it under control, before he was knocked out of the way. Pain shot through his chest as he landed on the frozen ground feet away; the force of the Nokk kicking Hans as it reared back again caused Elsa to lose her grip. Hans managed to push himself onto an elbow as Ryder, Honeymaren and Yelena hurried to him, and all four watched in shock and horror.

The Nokk, as connected as it was to Elsa, sensed the turmoil swirling within her and around them, and reacted, much as Elsa had reacted upon first hearing Yelena's confession. Elsa, who's emotions were still raging wildly out of control, still boiled with betrayal and pain, struggled to keep her grip on the Nokk's neck. It was the one thing she remembered from her riding lessons with her father- if the horse began to rear, let go of the reigns and lean forward, wrap your arms around its neck and put your weight into it. Despite her riding lessons as a child being all of a year before Agnarr decided that a child with powers over ice and snow and horseback riding didn't bode well together for anyone, regardless of royal status, Elsa had, in the last two years or so, become an almost expert rider, for she'd tamed the Nokk that long ago day in the Dark Sea, and had developed a deep trust and respect for the animal that was mutual.

But for all Elsa's self-taught riding experience, she had made one major, if not fatal, mistake.

Instead of dropping the reigns and grabbing the Nokk's neck immediately, she'd tried to command the Nokk as she usually did. It had kicked Hans, and when it kicked, Elsa involuntarily tugged on the reigns again before dropping them and latching around its neck. Her swirling emotions had only gotten stronger as she'd realized Hans was trying to stop her, and as the Nokk rose to kick, Elsa conjured a ball of ice to force him to move so they could make a clean getaway; the horse kicked, jolting the Fifth Spirit, and she'd lost sight of Hans. The ice she'd conjured struck the Nokk, and it reared again in anger, even as Elsa wrapped around its neck- this time, its anger directed at its rider, even as she pleaded for its forgiveness against its frosted mane. But the whispered pleas did nothing to quell the raging emotions both were tied to, and in the end, it reared one final time; Hans, Yelena, Honeymaren and Ryder watched as Elsa lost her grip, and went flying off the frosted water spirit.

Her scream echoed through the forest as she was thrown, they weren't sure how far, but they all watched as the famous Snow Queen of Arendelle flew off the Nokk, landing with a sickening thud!; her small, slender body lay crumpled on the ground, head to one side. Instantly, the storm that raged ended and faded away, the ice melted, and silence fell. The turmoil now gone, the Nokk snorted and turned, dashing over to the fallen woman. Others slowly came out of their huts to see what had happened.

Hans' heart leapt into his throat, as he and the others stood; Yelena and Vanja, the healer, rushing towards Elsa. The other three followed; he watched as the Nokk knelt down behind Elsa, nickering softly and nudging its snout against her head, as though it were trying to rouse her. They closer they got, the more Hans searched for a sign.

A sharp inhale, the shuffle of a leg, the flutter of lashes, the rise of her chest.

Nothing.

The Nokk continued to nudge at Elsa, as though it were apologizing for its part in this debacle, as Vanja knelt by her side. Yelena went to the horse to pull it away, but it refused to leave Elsa's side; they were connected, after all. Honeymaren gasped, and Hans glanced at her before turning back to the scene before him. From where he stood, he couldn't see if her chest was rising and falling, but he could see the blood, trailing down the side of her head, staining her skin and turning the white strands red.

Vanja's voice barely penetrated his brain. "Ryder! I need you! Get her up, hurry! Into the hut, now!" He felt the younger man move away, but couldn't register anything except the red that trailed down her face, even as the younger man scooped the unconscious- was she unconscious?- young woman into his arms. She hung limp in his arms, one arm hanging down, swaying gently with the movement as Ryder passed, following Vanja towards Elsa's hut.

No.

Blood... that meant...

Hans felt his legs giving out; Honeymaren and Yelena rushed to catch him, to help slow his decent to the ground. He choked on a sob, the sight of her unconscious and bleeding forever etched into his mind. He was unaware he'd said anything until Honeymaren pulled him close, whispering softly to calm him.

"Elsa!"