Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Iduna and Agnarr's truth sounds like a massive stretch, doesn't it?

Written: 2019 - Licia

Her.

The trolls wanted her. All this time.

Elsa had heard the stories of the trolls; ugly, cantankerous old beings who lived underground and brought more harm to humans than help. But that didn't seem to fit with Grand Pabbie and Bulda, or the other trolls of the Valley outside Arendelle- Pabbie had cured Anna after the accident, looked after her people after the spirits drove them out of Arendelle...

But other than that, those were the only two experiences she had with the trolls. And her parents had had infinitely more experiences with the magical beings than she did, regardless of whether Kristoff was raised by the breathing rocks or not. Add in that she had no reason to not believe her parents, and Anna's... behavior towards her...

She pulled away, meeting her mother's gaze through her tears. "What... why..." She stopped, unable to think. None of it made sense, and yet... it did. If she let herself think about it, it made a lot of sense, and filled in a lot of the gaps she had been trying to piece together, ever since she'd discovered Hans in that camp.

Hans.

Her heart began to speed up, as she realized that he must be worried sick, not knowing where she'd gone or how or why she'd vanished. She looked around, panicked, as she suddenly realized that she couldn't remember where exactly she was or how she'd gotten there. "Elsa? Elsa, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Hans... the... the prince of the... he has this... this box... we can't get it open... he said the... the box ended up back in the isles... that it... it was from the legend... I have to go! I have to get back and let him know I'm..." She stumbled to her feet, looking around, but there was no way out, nothing. Just the blackness of the void they were in.

"Elsa!" Her parents stood, hurrying to her but she backed up, suddenly on high alert, but to what, she couldn't be sure. "Elsa, stop! You have to calm down." Agnarr reached out of her, but Elsa pulled back, holding her hands to her chest, and for the briefest of moments, he was reminded of his ten-year-old daughter, terrified of herself and the harm she could do.

"Don't touch me! I don't want to hurt you!"

Tears sprang to his eyes, and he pulled away; Iduna pushed past him, hurrying to her daughter and pulling her into her arms. Elsa clung to her mother, sobs wracking her small body; it was too much, what she'd learned was too much, and she couldn't completely process it. Elsa had always had an issue with gaining too much knowledge- to the point where Agnarr had to set limits on her time in the library, lest she spend all night among the bookshelves. He'd had to set limits on what she learned, for too much would leave her with a throbbing headache and churning stomach, as she often forsought as much as she could, without a thought towards food or rest. He couldn't count the number of times he'd come into the library at night to find Elsa curled up in a ball on the corner of the sofa or in the darkness of the shelves, sobbing because she'd overstimulated her mind, become unable to fully process what she'd learned, and only succeeded in giving herself a major headache.

And in that sense, she was so much like him.

He recognized her reaction, saw how she'd clutched her head as Iduna had rushed to her, saw the relief flash across her face as she buried herself in her mother's chest, sobbing. It had been one of the few times Elsa had ever allowed him to touch her without fear of her powers- because she, like Agnarr, valued knowledge and learning, and so often found comfort in his sturdy embrace for he knew the pain of over-stimulation when it came to studying. But he also knew that this was something only Iduna could fix, for though Elsa loved him, she was first and foremost Iduna's baby girl; the bond she shared with her mother was one that could never be severed, it was one Elsa would one day share with her own child-

But will she ever be able to have a child? Or did her quest to break the curse and free the forest strip her of any possibility of that joy as well?

As the heir of Arendelle, it was Elsa's duty to bear a child that would on day succeed her to the throne; had the betrothal gone through as intended, perhaps she would have had her child by now, a little boy or girl who looked like her, with her personality and temperament-

He sighed. If it hadn't been for their carelessness, their forgetfulness, their relaxation, none of this would have happened in the first place; both of their daughters would be safe-

"Gitta, darling. Gitta, listen to me." Iduna stood holding Elsa's face in her hands, gently stroking the tears away. "Elisabeth." The girl hiccuped. "Listen to me. You need to go back-"

"No, Mama, I want to stay- I want... I want to be with you and Papa-"

"I know, darling, but you can't. You have to go back. Yes, you do." Iduna insisted, even as Elsa shook her head. "Gitta, you have to. You don't have a choice. You need to go to Hans and tell him what we've told you. And then you need to find the diadem," She stopped, taking a deep breath. "You need to find the diadem, okay? You and Prince Hans have to find the diadem, and stop that... that thing, and get our Anna back. Okay? You hear me? It's the only way to break the curse."

"Mama, I can't. I can't leave the forest, I'm the Fifth-"

"Elisabeth, you can be Odin himself, and it wouldn't matter. There are bigger things at stake than the forest right now!" She relaxed, realizing she'd only shaken her daughter more. "I'm sorry, I just..." She stopped, meeting her husband's gaze over his shoulder. "Please, Elsa. You have to break the curse."

"Besides Anna, why is it so import-"

"Because the trolls have had a hold on our world for too long, Lisbet." She turned to her father. "The tinderbox isn't a legend, it's very, very real. And if what you say is true, then the gypsies Hans was found with were planning on taking the box to the trolls in the valley. If they get their hands on the diadem, they will have all control over Arendelle. Your-" Angarr stopped. "The first Elsa was the one who put restrictions on the valley of the trolls, for she knew what they could do." Gently, he reached up, stroking her chin.

"The first?"

"The one you are named after, Queen Elisabeth the Brave. She rose to power after her father died, knew the story of the tinderbox; it was her great-grandmother who had gone mad with desire for her sibling. Her grandfather who had beheaded the mad queen in the valley before killing himself, it was their deaths that brought forth the trolls from underground, and they fed on the blood and emotion that permeated the air. She ruled for only eight short years before-"

"Before what, Papa?"

Agnarr glanced at his wife. He sighed. "She had married at the tender age of sixteen, bore two sons, one of whom died at birth, before bearing a daughter. The little girl was said to be beautiful, with long platinum hair and striking blue eyes like her mother." Elsa couldn't help noticing the similarities between herself and the child her father spoke of. "She knew the valley of the trolls, and did all she could to protect her baby girl. And while she was able to protect the baby she was unable to protect herself. Her husband came to bed only to find his wife among the blankets with her throat slit and vocal chords tore out, preventing her from screaming. The slit was so deep, she was near decapitated, and it was determined that she drowned in her own blood. The baby was unharmed, still in her bassinet."

Elsa shuddered. "She knew then?"

He nodded. "She had tried to find the diadem, but no luck. Her children continued her search, to no avail. The little girl did not live long after her mother's passing. She died at twelve, drowned in the bath, when her maid left to fetch something; she was gone but a few minutes, but the girl was gone. And so it has been every day since the Crown Princess disappeared and was found drowned in the river."

He saw his daughter swallow thickly. She didn't want to hear it, but he knew she had to. She had to be aware of the danger she faced- more than just the changeling in her sister's place. She had to know the real threat the trolls posed to her- to her body and her person- regardless of whether she was the Fifth Spirit or not, she was still in great danger, and would be until the diadem was found and the curse broken.

"Every princess descended from the King and Queen of the People of the Spring, born of blonde hair and blue eyes, born of impeccable beauty, is suffered the same fate as the the Crown Princess did that day."

"Drowned." Elsa breathed, and he nodded. "But... but the lullaby-" She turned to Iduna, who smiled sadly.

"The legend is known in the Northuldra. It was told as a reason to avoid contact with people outside of the tribe. The lullaby was borne of the legend." She took her daughter's face in her hands, gently stroking her cheeks. At her daughter's quizzical look, she added, "Think about it, Gitta." She stroked her daughter's cheeks, "'Where the north wind meets the sea, there's a river, full of memory. Sleep, my darling, safe and sound, for in this river all is found.'"

Elsa swallowed; she remembered this part of the lullaby; it had rung and echoed in the ballroom of Ahtohallan the day she'd discovered who she truly was. It was special to her, for no matter what had happened in her thirteen years of isolation, Iduna had always come to her at night, cuddled close with her among the frost and ice, unafraid, and sung to her, reminding her just how important she was, when she so deeply doubted herself and her worth in her family.

Iduna released her daughter, taking the shawl from her slender shoulders and shaking it out. "'In her waters deep and true, lies the answers and a path for you.'" She draped it over Elsa's shoulders, smoothing it down before tucking it about her. She pressed her forehead to Elsa's wrapping her arms around the young woman's waist, dipping her slightly and Elsa giggled softly, memories of the night Iduna had first sung the lullaby to her coming back. "'Dive down deep into her sound, but not too far or you'll be drowned.'"

Elsa gasped softly, reaching up to caress her mother's cheek as she'd done that night Iduna had taken her into her arms as a child. "'Yes, she will sing to those who hear, and in her song, all magic flows,'" She straightened, and Elsa curled into her mother's embrace; Agnarr watched his wife and daughter, relishing this moment, however brief, for it could very well be the last time they saw their beloved little girl. "'but can you brave what you most fear, can you face what the river knows?'"

A soft sniffle reached Iduna's ears, and she swallowed, knowing that her daughter had done just that, and braved her fear, diving into the depths of Ahtohallan to uncover the betrayal that had felled the forest, sacrificing her own life in the process. "'Where the north wind meets the sea, there's a mother, full of memory,'" She pressed a kiss to Elsa's head, breathing in the scent of her beloved daughter, a scent she had missed so. Tears began to gather in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to keep from crying as she continued to sway.

Elsa's voice, beautiful and strong despite the quietness of it, reverberated against Iduna's chest as she joined in on the last line. She briefly, was glad that she had cultivated her daughter's voice, for the child had shown a talent for it at a young age, and Iduna had decided then and there that her beloved princess would cultivate and grow her natural gifts, for Elsa, far more than Anna, possessed the skill and vocal talent to sing. It had been piano lessons and vocal lessons, and Iduna had discovered that the only time Elsa's powers did not get out of control had been when she'd been at the piano, playing or singing or both. And so Iduna had had one of the smaller pianos moved into her daughter's room; it wasn't uncommon to hear music and singing coming from behind her daughter's door over the years...

And then, the week before they left, the music and singing had stopped. Iduna had gone in one night to find the piano iced over and Elsa curled up on the floor beside it, sobbing uncontrollably. When she'd pulled the girl into her arms, Elsa had told her through her tears that she would never again touch the smooth, ebony and porcelain keys, never again sing, because it would do no good if her parents were not there to hear it. Iduna had brushed it off as over-practice and mental exhaustion, unaware that what her daughter swore would come true in two weeks' time. They had left the next week, and never returned; the wild, dangerous rogue waves of the Dark Sea had crashed over their ship, dragging them down into its depths, stealing their lives, leaving their daughters orphans, their crown, and a substantial amount of guilt on the shoulders of their oldest.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she cradled her daughter close, pulling all the love she held for the girl into her embrace. Elsa's voice, choked with tears, rang out softly, mixing with hers, in a beautiful melody that Agnarr, standing back and allowing Iduna to care for her little girl, wished he could bottle and keep for the rest of eternity. Elsa's fingers worked to play with her the material of her mother's dress, and slowly, she lifted her head to meet her mother's gaze. "'Come, my darling, homeward bound, when all is lost, then all is found.'"

Without a word, Iduna pressed a firm kiss to her daughter's forehead, breathing in her scent. She knew she would never see her little girl again, and it pained her to have to let her go, but she knew that she could not keep her. It would do no good for her and Agnarr to keep Elsa within the void, for she did not belong; she had not passed over, and so could not join them. Besides, her fate was far greater than what she had faced those near three years ago at Ahtohallan, and though she had discovered her true self, she had not discovered all. There was more to Iduna's little Gitta than what the girl thought; the gift the spirits had rewarded the Northuldrian-born Arendellian queen had a greater purpose to serve than just being the Fifth Spirit, the Goddess of the Elements, the Protector of the Forest. The blonde babe's destiny had been tied long ago by the red string of fate to the tinderbox and the diadem it held; the legend was not just legend but truth, played out hundreds of years before this child's birth and left unfinished, waiting for the one who would come along and brave the perils set before her- both magical and non- in order to break the curse that befell the first of her color and name, and every one of identical color after.

Holding her daughter close, Iduna said a silent prayer; she knew the danger she was sending her daughter into, the challenges she would face and the pain she would endure... and she knew that her beloved Elisabeth would meet each challenge with a clear head and a strong heart, for she had an advantage those before her did not. That was not to say she was immune, but she had a stronger chance of breaking the curse than any had before her. And Iduna prayed that it would be quick and that her baby would escape unscathed, even though she knew it would not be possible. Just as long as her beloved daughter came back alive, that was all she cared about, all she hoped and prayed for.

She pulled away, meeting her daughter's gaze. Her fingers came up to brush at the tears on Elsa's cheeks, and she smiled softly. "You have grown so much. We are so proud of the woman you've become, Gitta." She pulled Elsa into her arms, memorizing the feel of her child in her arms one final time before pulling away. Agnarr pulled Elsa close, kissing her head and whispering softly to her before releasing her.

"No matter what you think, Lisbet, you have made us so very proud."

Elsa choked on a sob, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks. She winced, a pounding starting in her head, and after a moment, she reached up. A whimper escaped her, and she pulled her hand away. A gasp worked its way out of her vocal chords, as her gaze landed on the sticky, wet redness on her fingertips. The scent of copper filled her nose, and she looked up, meeting her parents' gazes. Agnarr had his arm around Iduna's waist. "Mama... Papa... what's happening... my... my head hurts..."

"Let it happen, Gitta."

She shook her head. "... why does my head hurt? Mama..." Where once there was darkness, now there was light, creeping in around them, banishing the blackness that had surrounded them, until it became as bright as the sun on freshly fallen snow. "... why is there... so much light... Papa..."

"You can't stay, Lisbet, you don't belong here. Not now, not yet."

She reached for her parents, as the light began to envelope them, pulling them away from her, no matter how she stumbled after them, her legs weak and unable to hold her weight. "No! Papa... Mama... wait! Come back! Come back... take me with you... please... take me with you..." The light continued to envelope them, until only their voices remained.

"You are stronger than they who came before you, Lisbet. We believe in you; now you must believe in yourself."

"You can do this, my darling, don't ever believe that you can't. You are strong enough to break this curse."

The pounding in her head got stronger, sharper, the light now fully engulfed her, as her parents voices faded away into the distance.

"We will always be with you, Lisbet. We will never let you fall."

Slowly, against the pain in her head, her eyes cracked open.

"It's up to you to break this curse. Only then, can you truly be free. Have faith, and know that Papa and I will be with you, even when you cannot sense us. Have courage, and be brave, for only you can face what the river knows. And remember, Gitta, my darling, when you think all is lost, only then, will all be found."

As her mother's voice faded, she whimpered, "Mama... Papa..."

Her vision was soon filled with a pair of emerald eyes; the green orbs were overflowing with worry as they stared down at her. "Elsa?" Her named sounded strained and panicked, coming from the owner of the eyes, and she shut her eyes briefly before opening them again, slower this time.

"H... Hans..."

The person disappeared briefly, though she could hear their voice. "She's awake! Yelena! Honeymaren! It's Elsa! She's awake!"

A pressure was felt on her hand, and she tried to turn her head, but the pain stopped her. Instead, the eyes returned to stare down at her, and she gasped against the throbbing in her head. "What... what... happened?"

He swallowed thickly, bringing her hand up to press a kiss to it, though she didn't notice. "Do you remember anything?"

"Y... lena... the... Nokk..."

"You went to leave, I got in the way to try and stop you... it kicked me, and you..." He stopped, taking a deep breath. "It reared, and threw you. You... you hit your head... Elsa... we almost lost you... you weren't breathing... I thought you'd died..." She winced at the throbbing her head; footsteps were getting closer., and soon the flap of the hut lifted. "Don't ever do that again. Please. I... I don't know what I'd do if I lost you..."

But she didn't hear him, as the throbbing in her head took over, and she slipped easily back into unconsciousness.