Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: I asked her if this chapter was supposed to be this abrupt. Her answer? 'There's a troll changeling on the throne of Arendelle, Ahtohallan is suddenly evil, and they don't have a lot of time. This isn't abrupt, this is real life.' My answer? 'Zani, honey, I love you, you're my only sister-in-law, which means you're automatically my favorite, but it's just a story.' She's not speaking to me right now.

Written: 2019 - Licia

Vanja had been a babe when the mist had fallen that day thirty-six years; she had grown up within the mist, had known nothing of the outside world, but feared the Arendellian soldiers trapped with them. Though, over time, she'd grown to build friendships with the soldiers- some of them not much older than their Crown Princess. She, like the rest of the tribe, had been suspicious of the young blonde with magic who had stumbled into the camp with her small party that day, but after all that had taken place, after the mist had been removed and the dam fallen, after Elsa had decided to stay, she had slowly begun to warm up to the woman. Now, after two years, Vanja had begun to see the young woman as a member of the tribe, not just by way of her birth and blood, but by right of her bravery.

Hans, she was still wary of, however.

Now though, she stood before the young pair, drinking both in. Yelena had filled her in after waking her from a sound sleep, and upon returning to the hut, she could instantly tell something was deeply off, with both of them. After a moment, she reached for the stone she wore about her neck; the simple Datolite stone was said to enhance psychic abilities, ease the mind and help with memory. She sighed, glancing at Yelena before kneeling before them. Gently, she reached out, lifting Elsa's chin, noticing the fear in her eyes. She didn't need to glance at Hans to know the same fear resided in his.

"The prophecy is already playing out." She turned back to Yelena. "Though... it's different this time. Something is distinctly changed." Her gaze moved back to the couple, and after a moment, she sat back on her heels as Yelena joined them. "You've been fighting it, this attraction between you, for weeks." Neither spoke, though the glance they shared was all the evidence she needed. "You know the prophecy, don't you? You know what happened to the Princess of the Spring, and how the agony and fear she felt during death cursed the river she was drowned in."

"I know she drowned, I never knew... I never knew about the curse. Mama... my parents never... never told me, growing up." Elsa whispered, and Vanja closed her eyes with a sigh.

"Then they very well may have signed your death warrant."

Elsa furrowed her brow. "I... I don't understand."

"You know the story of the tinderbox, the diadem, and the princess lost to the river and how she was forced to murder her beloved-"

"And the mad queen and her murder, her son's suicide and the Valley of the Trolls. But-"

Vanja cut her off, taking her hand in hers and trailing a finger over her palm. "Ahtohallan is ancient, left over from the last great age of ice. It not just holds the answers to the past, but the souls of those lost within the waters that surround it."

Elsa gasped softly, and Yelena caught her eye. "Mama and Papa."

The chief offered a tight, small nod, knowing the girl was thinking of her parents, and Yelena could not help but wish her beloved sister's soul had not been swallowed up by the darkness of the sea, that her soul did not reside at Ahtohallan, but she knew it was to be true, for those who searched for the ancient river in search of answers were doomed to reside within the very ice they sought.

"You are not completely of this world or the next; your death in the depths of the river was only partially complete that day. And since that day, the river has been trying to get you to complete it. You are bound to it, but not entirely; you still possess the will to leave when you wish. The river seeks to change that." Vanja moved her hands along Elsa's arm, up to caress her cheek as she spoke. "It calls to you, even though it knows you are not complete, which is why it is demanding your return- why it demands your death. Once the human half of you dies, only then will it be able to fully bind you to it, fully control you, as it wants to."

She trailed a hand down Elsa's throat, noticing how the younger woman winced. "And it nearly succeeded." She merely glanced at Hans, who lowered his head in shame. "But you fought against it." He slowly met her gaze, as she reached out, pressing her other hand to his chest. "Because you are in love, and you cannot imagine killing the woman you love." The healer's gaze darted between the pair, putting the pieces together.

"Legend states they had not yet married when the princess was drowned in the river. And the river's goal, was for her to marry, and bear a child- but she would not bear it in her new kingdom. She would-"

"Bear it in the river, and upon her death, the river would keep her permanently as its guardian until her child came of age to take over in her place." Hans whispered, remembering the story he'd told Elsa. Vanja nodded.

"Upon her child's coming of age, it would take over as the guardian, and the princess would be set free." She sighed, studying the pair. "You are the partial bridge, the last remnant of your parents, who were the true bridge." Gently, she lifted Elsa's chin, meeting the girl's gaze. "The extension. The child you bear will be an extension of you."

Hans let out a strangled noise, and the three women turned to him. "A... child?"

Sadness filled the healer's gaze, as she reached down and gently pressed her hands to Elsa's abdomen. "You are destined for marriage- a unification of the Northern lands and the isles of the South... made possible by the marriage of the daughter of the People of the Spring and the son of the-"

"People of the Sea." Came Hans' soft reply. He knew the name well; it was what his people had been called for years, due to their small kingdom in the middle of the ocean. It was the one thing about the Isles he actually liked. A soft nod.

"Wait." Elsa finally spoke up, able to find her voice, no matter how soft and strained it was. She pulled away from Vanja. "Are... are you saying that... that Hans and I... that we're not only going to be married, but... but create... that I'm... that I will... I'll have to bear a child?"

Yelena watched as her niece slowly began to panic, taking short, quick breaths in attempt to calm herself down. She looked about to cry, and shook her head, even as Vanja reached out and caught her hands. Hans stayed back, knowing his touch would do no good in this situation, that it would only serve to further Elsa's panic. After a moment, Yelena slipped out of the hut, before coming back with a cup of coffee. Elsa, by now, was in full blown panic.

"No! No, Vanja! I'm not... I'm not meant to have children... I can't... I won't survive... My mother nearly didn't... she nearly gave up her life for me... what if that happens to me... I can't... I won't... don't make me, please... please, don't make me... please..."

"Shh... shh, Spirit... hush. It's okay. You are not- listen to me, you will- Elsa, listen to me," Vanja reached up, taking the girl's chin in her grasp. "You will not bear it now. Not right now, okay. Not right now." Taking a seat beside Vanja, Yelena held out the cup. She said nothing, knowing it was not her place to speak. She glanced at Hans instead, who met her gaze, tears glistening in his green eyes. "Thank you, Yelena." She turned back to Elsa, who Vanja still held, and held up the cup. "Drink, Elsa. Drink, that's a good girl." Hans watched as Yelena held the cup to the young woman's lips, Vanja's voice soft and gentle as she held the woman steady.

Once done, Yelena took the half-filled cup, listening intently as Vanja spoke. The younger woman was in a panic; clearly, the thought of bearing a child terrified her. How sheltered had Iduna kept her precious daughter? Yelena knew about Elsa's thirteen years of isolation, but had her parents never explained to her the duties of a woman- for regardless of race, class or status, it was still the same- as a wife, as a mother? Had Iduna never explained to her child that one day she would not just become a wife, but be expected to bear the fruit of her husband's seed? Or had she not had time to explain? Had they left in search of the answers to her daughter's magic, intent on returning, and would she then explain the duties her daughter would face upon her marriage? Something in Yelena told her that her beloved little sister had fully expected to return, expected that she would be able to explain the workings of marriage to her child upon her return, before her marriage to the Southern prince- for Elsa had told her of the betrothal that had been broken upon her parents' deaths- took place, as was custom among royalty.

Oh, Iduna, why had you not prepared the girl for it before you left? Once more, your stubborn, persistent nature won out, and you left behind a child stunted not physically, but emotionally, not mentally, but psychologically. She was your child! Could you not, just once, have accepted that you did not have the time you so deeply believed you had? Be it the forest or your own daughter, that was always your one shortcoming, beloved sister- your constant belief that time was on your side.

"Elsa, listen to me!" Vanja grabbed the girl's hands, holding them firmly yet gently, as she met wide, frightened sapphire eyes. "It will not be now, but it will be soon. The pull you feel towards each other will not be denied much longer. The Fates set this in motion many millennia ago, and they will not be denied this time. There is no witch to steal the princess away, but the curse is very real. The prophecy is playing out, and we must let it."

Elsa shook her head, choking on a sob, even as Vanja reached up, taking her face in her hands. "Yes. There are very few things we can do to change what the Fates have set in motion, but one of them is marriage, and the other is a child. And finding the diadem-"

"And my sister-" Elsa choked out. Vanja furrowed a brow, listening as Hans quickly told her of the troll changeling upon the throne of Arendelle. She sighed, slowly, releasing her hold on the woman's face.

"Trolls complicate things. Nasty, vile, disgusting creatures they are. Been trying to wipe the tribe out for centuries, simply because we follow magic. The fact that one sits upon the throne of the People of the Spring..." She sighed, reaching up to fiddle with the stone around her neck. A moment passed, as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be open to whatever reached for her.

A woman in a white dress. A man with auburn hair by her side. Expanding skin. Heart stopping screams. Near-unbearable pain. A birth and a death within a river, followed by a resurrection. A box, resting upon a desk, open for the first time in centuries. The discovery of a crown within. A struggle, the true nature of an impostor. A violent, bloody death. Two. A young woman returned from somewhere far away.

Her eyes shot open, and she glanced back at Yelena, before turning back to the pair before her. "The past will repeat itself. There will be death, and birth, coexisting simultaneously within the same hour... blood will spill, and someone will return..." She met Elsa's gaze, before reaching out and gently resting a hand against the young woman's abdomen again. "The child borne of this womb will witness both life and death," The younger woman choked on a sob, reaching up to cover her face with her hands. "The river... will receive what it desires, but that does not mean we will give of it willingly. Neither the river nor the impostor of Arendelle will receive what they want willingly. We will fight as long as we can."

She glanced at Hans, reaching for his hand. A moment passed, as he hesitated, before giving it to her. She studied him silently, seeing the resolve in his green eyes. He willingly, openly, admitted his heart belonged to Elsa, though he said nothing. He has always loved her, even before they met, even when he tried to kill her, part of him still loved her. She reached up, taking Elsa's hand as well.

"The river believes it can drive you apart, that it can convince one of you to kill the other in order to fulfill what it wants. It does not believe it will drive you together. But that's exactly what it's done. In forcing such thoughts into your minds, such actions, it is only driving you both closer to one another. And with your admittance," The pair blushed; their eyes could not lie, could never lie. "it makes it harder for the river to force you to act on its whims. With your marriage," She stopped, thinking. "It will not break the hold the river has, instead it will strengthen its desire as it tries ever harder to drive you apart. You must not let it. It will get inside your heads, twist your thoughts, force you to turn on each other- you cannot let that happen. Especially once the child is conceived."

Elsa winced at the mention of a child, and Hans lowered his gaze. "You were destined for each other, tied together by stardust and moonlight, back when the prince and princess were separated. It was foreseen for centuries." She met Elsa's gaze. "You are the only one strong enough to break this curse and take back not just your throne, but your sister, from the trolls. It is time they were driven back underground, for good. Only you can do that, Elsa."

The Snow Queen nodded, biting her lip. A thousand thoughts swirled within her head, but not one stuck long enough for her to speak. "What do you suggest, Vanja?" The healer turned to Yelena, sighing softly. "Do we have time-"

"No." She turned back to Elsa, gaze going to her neck, to the slight bruising on her pale skin. "An attempt on her life is only the beginning. One attempt at the whisper of the river will only lead to more. As long as you are not bound by marriage, the river will see that as free reign to control one or both of you."

"But," Hans spoke now, his voice quiet, his words careful. "how would marriage... how would a child... stop the river? If the curse of the tinderbox is true... then-"

"Do you know the original purpose of the tinderbox?" The young prince shook his head. Vanja nodded. "The original, true purpose of the tinderbox was to capture the elements. Air, water, fire, earth-"

"Spirit." Elsa breathed, and Vanja nodded.

"By capturing the spirits, the person who had complete control; they could control what lands received rain, what lands could grow crops, what lands deserved warmth-"

"So by... stealing them, they could... essentially control the world." Elsa slowly put the pieces together.

"Hence the three hounds who guarded it. When the princess was drowned in the river, the Fifth Spirit- Soul- found a body to reside it. The princess already controlled the spring, and when she was taken to the river, the Fifth Spirit saw its chance. It had been bound to the river without a physical body for centuries, and it took the princess as she struggled at the witch's hands. It may have looked like the princess, had her emotions, but it was not the princess that stabbed the prince. Not truly. With her death, her soul was taken over by that of the Fifth Spirit, and they mixed and mingled until all but a sliver of her original soul remained."

"I don't understand." Hans narrowed his gaze. "Are you saying that... that the elements... are evil?"

"No. They're not. They are good, but they are all bound to the Fifth Spirit. The Fifth Spirit itself is not evil." She glanced at Elsa as she spoke. "It is the soul that resides in Ahtohallan. It is the guardian of the glacier, something that was set in place millennia ago. But it cannot command the other four elements without a body, and so it looks for a body, for another soul to take over." She reached up, taking Elsa's chin. "Because you alerted your sister to the truth of the past, you did not fully drown that day. You did not give it all of you, which is what the river wanted; and so, it gave you the soul of the Crown Princess- your true namesake- in the hopes you would remember and finish the job."

"But it had her soul-" Elsa started.

"Doesn't matter. Once a soul is taken over by the Fifth Spirit, it's taken over. The Crown Princess of the Spring was weak, so much weaker than thought; she would not have survived the journey to the South, she was never destined to live to marry, let alone bear a child. The river realized this, but accepted her anyway. And it waited. She waited." She tightened her grip on Elsa's chin gently. "She has been waiting for you, Elisabeth. You are one in the same, two sides of the same coin, separated by centuries, but carrying the same blood. She was not strong enough to stop the river, but you are. That is why she's been waiting for you." She glanced at Hans, gathering her thoughts.

"The ultimate goal of the Fifth Spirit, is to command the other four spirits, and, in essence, control the river. It is a goddess among mortals, as ancient as the glacier it resides in and controls, benevolent to those who respect her. But the river-"

"It's gotten out of control, hasn't it? That's why it's doing this, that's why it's whispering such vicious things." Hans spoke up, and Vanja nodded.

"Right now, you only control the other four elements, but your true purpose, is to control the river. That is the reason for the Fifth Spirit- that is the reason the Fifth Spirit is soul. Ahtohallan is the resting place of the souls lost to the Dark Sea. That many souls, that many memories, in one place, needs someone to protect them and guide them to the depths where they can enter the afterlife. As long as they reside in Ahtohallan, they can never find peace, and the river itself will never set them free. It believes it is owed the souls taken by the Dark Sea, and the princess that was its guardian was too weak to challenge it. She could not control the river, and therefore, she could not free the souls trapped within, nor guide the new ones that arrived, for the river wouldn't let her."

"Wait a minute, hold on." Hans held up a hand, struggling to get his thoughts in order. "Are you... are you saying that... that Aha-who-whatever it is," He stopped at three identical glares, but couldn't care less, his brain was working on overdrive to put everything together before he lost his train of thought. "is really just... just... basically just the River Styx from Greek Mythology?"

"Oh, Gods." Elsa pulled away from Vanja, burying her face in her hands. After several minutes of listening to Hans stammer and argue with Vanja, she finally spoke up. "So what you are saying, Vanja, is that I'm not necessarily the guardian of Ahtohallan, so much as I am the guardian of the souls within Ahtohallan. That that is my purpose, that is why I am the... Fifth Spirit, or part of the Fifth Spirit or... the uncompleted Fifth Spirit or... the half-mortal-half-immortal. I'm to control Ahtohallan, and guard the souls that are trapped there, guiding them down to the underworld so that they can find peace. That is what you're saying, correct?"

Vanja nodded, silent.

"And that I cannot do that until I am fully dead, correct? So in order for me to control Ahtohallan, I have to die completely. Then if I have to die completely, why do we need to marry and why do I have to bear a child? Because I really don't want to do either of those things! I'm scared too! If it wants my immortality so badly, I'll go out and drown myself in the river now-" She stood to do as she said, but both Hans and Vanja grabbed her arms, yanking her back down.

"Elsa, no!"

"Sit down!"

Yelena watched as Elsa broke down, bursting into sobs, and realized that Vanja had spoken enough. She gently nudged Vanja aside, taking her place, holding the cup out to her niece. "Drink, Elsa. Come on. Drink." After several minutes, the girl did as ordered. "You were always meant to be together; it was predetermined. The child you will bear was also predetermined. You cannot stop what is predetermined. And the Fifth Spirit is not just the guardian of the souls, the controller of the river, the Fifth Spirit is connected to the other spirits, the other elements. In controlling the river, the Fifth Spirit controls the elements, for the river was the one thing Great Mother could not bear to destroy when the great age of ice fell."

"Great... Mother?" She whispered, and Yelena nodded. "She made-"

"Ahtohallan. Long before the Northuldra walked the earth, she created the river for the spirits to reside in, for the spirits themselves were pieces of her. Everything, even spirits, have souls, Elsa, which is why we call them spirits. It was their home, once, long ago, and they waited until she would have need of them. And then she created the Northuldra, and took the four elements from Ahtohallan and gave them to the Northuldra, gifts to the people she had created, the people she loved."

"What about the Fifth?" Hans asked, as Elsa glanced at him. Once Elsa finished, Vanja took the cup and slipped out of the hut, returning moments later with two. She handed one to Hans and the other back to Yelena, who pushed it into Elsa's hands again. The chief sighed.

"Great Mother left the Fifth Spirit within the river; it was far too fragile to be allowed out among the Northuldra. It was her greatest creation, her most precious gift, and she feared what would happen if she released it into the world. But then she noticed that her people had no life to them, no desire. And so she plucked a very, very small part of the Fifth Spirit away, and gave it to her people. The change was instant. They were lively, curious, they had desire and fulfillment."

"She gave them souls." Elsa breathed; Yelena nodded.

"But that was all she could afford; were she to give everything a soul, there would be none of her precious creation left. And so she left it at Ahtohallan, where it was safe. And then suddenly, one day, something else arrived at the river. It was a spirit, but not one of the other four. This one was a man, and he was lost and confused with no understanding of where he was or how he'd gotten there. The Fifth Spirit took him into Ahtohallan, cared for him, showed him her home. And while they explored the depths, they came across a brilliant..." Yelena sighed. "A brilliant white light; the man was drawn to it, even though the Fifth Spirit tried her hardest to pull him away. But he simply turned back to her and thanked her, and went through, disappearing. He had found peace."

"When the Fifth Spirit told Great Mother what had happened, she realized that perhaps Fifth Spirit had found her purpose. She was not only to be the one to command the other spirits- her younger siblings- but care for the souls of those who arrived on the banks of Ahtohallan. But after years and years of caring for the souls of the dead, Fifth Spirit became tired. She asked for Great Mother to give her something that would make her job a little easier- for caring for her siblings and countless souls had begun to wear on her. A body, like she had given the fire spirit, and the earth spirit, and the water spirit. Something that could take a bit of the burden of her work. And so Great Mother gave her a body."

She glanced at both, nodded to the cups, and after a moment, Hans did as ordered, though Elsa waited. "That's good, right?"

"Unfortunately not. The body Great Mother gave Fifth Spirit could not hold up to the cold of Ahtohallan, or the depths she had to go to escort the souls. In the end, Great Mother realized that only another soul would be able to give Fifth Spirit what she desired, but finding a willing soul to remain at Ahtohallan, always watching as others passed on... was next to impossible to find. And so Fifth Spirit continued her work, and she continued to tire, until the Crown Princess of the People of the Spring was kidnapped by the daughter of the witch and brought to the river. Great Mother watched as she drowned the princess in retaliation for her mother's stolen box, and decided that the girl's soul would be a perfect fit for her beloved daughter. And so she brought the princess's soul into Ahtohallan, and presented it to Fifth Spirit, who took it gladly."

"But the princess wasn't glad, was she?" Hans asked, and Yelena shook her head.

"She was distraught, made it difficult for Fifth Spirit to continue her work, and that in turn, set Fifth Spirit's siblings off, to see how their sister was being treated. The princess's desire to return to her prince, her agony and being separated from him, her hatred at Great Mother for stealing her away, poisoned the river; it poisoned Ahtohallan, turning it dark and selfish and desperate. And when it ordered her to kill the prince, to drown him in the river as she had been drowned, the princess rebelled. It was the first taste of rebellion Fifth Spirit had ever experienced, and she relished it. But upon driving the ice through his heart, the princess broke down, and her anguish at once more being separated from her love tainted Ahtohallan. It tainted Fifth Spirit, turning her against her siblings and Great Mother. And that, in turn, tainted her siblings against her, turning them cold to all but the Northuldra, who had lived beside them for centuries."

Yelena swallowed thickly. "And then strangers came to our land, bringing promises of peace, building a dam, which did not strengthen the waters but cut off the North. At this point, the princess had been separated from her love for centuries, and could not take it. The murder of the chief sent both the princess and Fifth Spirit over the edge. She called on her siblings to turn on not just the Arendellians, but the Northuldra as well, forcing the mist to fall. The same moment the mist fell, Fifth Spirit, trapped inside the princess's soul, felt her give up. The scream heard at the moment the mist trapped everyone within the forest was Fifth Spirit's cry for help; for the princess abandoned Fifth Spirit, fading into the walls of Ahtohallan, trapping herself forever in the river, waiting for another to come and take her place. And Fifth Spirit waited, as trapped as the princess. The other four spirits abandoned the Northuldra, returning to Ahtohallan to be with their sister, until another daughter of the People of the Spring would return; one who would break the curse and free those trapped in the mist."

Elsa lowered her gaze, sipping her coffee. She had heard so many versions of the legend, she didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore. "Elsa." Her head lifted up, and she met Hans's gaze; Yelena nodded.

"By then, Ahtohallan had absorbed so much of the princess's pain and anger, had been so poisoned by it, it was near unrecognizable. With each spirit tamed by the Snow Queen, Fifth Spirit felt her chances at freedom slipping further and further away, for Ahtohallan had slowly begun to taint her over the years with the princess's never-ending pain. So when the Snow Queen dove into the depths of Ahtohallan, Fifth Spirit saw her chance- but so did the princess. Fifth Spirit had already chosen the Snow Queen to be her bearer, for she was strong enough and getting stronger every day. And the princess..." She sighed. "She saw the Snow Queen as a way out. But her pain and anguish had tainted her soul, tainted the most ancient of rivers. The depths of Ahtohallan is for the souls of the dead, not the bodies of the living."

"Which is why she froze." Hans glanced briefly at Elsa, who refused to look at him. Vanja nodded for him to drink, and he did, paying careful attention to Yelena's tale.

"The princess had planned on trapping the Snow Queen, gaining her use of her body to escape, while Fifth Spirit planned on using her soul to continue her work, but when she got the message out about what had truly happened the day the mist fell-"

"It ruined both their plans."

"The princess found she could not go through with it. She could not condemn another innocent to a fate similar to hers. And so she removed half of herself from the Snow Queen, but Fifth Spirit, recognizing the Snow Queen as the body she had so desired for so long, stayed. The princess's hesitation did not drown the queen fully, which is why when the dam fell, Elsa survived."

"Your mortal body remains, but I suspect your soul feels gone." Vanja spoke up, and Elsa turned to her, sipping her coffee.

"Kind of. It... it feels like... like there's more than just me inside my body. As though I have... more than one soul-" The pained look on her face caused Hans to reach out and take her hand.

"You possess not just Fifth Spirit, but part of the princess and a small sliver of your own soul as well. That many souls within one body... will feel crowded. It also explains the voice you've been hearing. The maliciousness- it's the river, tainted by the princess." Vanja sighed, studying her.

"If there's that many... then how do I know..." She glanced at Hans, the meaning clear.

Yelena spoke now, sensing the pain in her niece's voice. "Elsa, the princess's love is gone; she has no love left for the betrothed she lost. She is nothing but anguish and hate. What you feel- the love you feel- is yours and yours alone. And it is real."

"And the Fifth Spirit?"

She smiled softly. "All Fifth Spirit ever truly wanted was a body to help make her work easier. She has that, in you, regardless of how the princess's feelings tainted her, that was all she ever wanted."

"So... so why do I have to die, fully, then, if that's all Fifth Spirit wanted?"

Gently, Yelena reached up to cup the girl's cheek. "Because it is the only way to stop the poisoning of the river and return it to its true purpose, return Fifth Spirit to her true self."

"A willing sacrifice made for one made from love, in love will end the poison's course." Vanja whispered, and all three turned to her. "As for the troll upon your throne..." She sighed. "Only Fifth Spirit can defeat the trolls, for she is more magical than they are. She has the power to drive them back underground for good. The princess was the physical embodiment of Fifth Spirit, but she was weak, brought down by her own heartbreak, her own fear, she would never have been able to defeat them. The diadem would have shown her her true purpose, but there is no guarantee she would have accepted it. You already have, you are further ahead than she ever was. It's up to you to break not just the curse on Ahtohallan, but the troll's hold on Arendelle."

A moment passed, before Elsa finally spoke, her words soft, her voice void of emotion. "So that's why I have to bear a child- 'a willing sacrifice... made for one made from love... in love... will end the poison's course.'" She met Yelena's gaze. "What greater sacrifice is there than a mother doing so for her child?"

She thought of Hans's mother, who had nearly lost her life having him, and her own mother, nearly passed in her own birth, only to live to see Elsa's nineteen years before drowning at sea, in search of the very answers her daughter had sought and found. Yes, there was no greater sacrifice than a mother's for her child. And if that was what it took to break the curse, to return Ahtohallan back to what it had been and remove Anna from the throne, to banish the trolls back to the underground where they belonged and regain her kingdom and her crown, then she'd do it, even if it cost her her life in the process- which clearly, she would have no other choice.

She didn't like the outcome; yes, she could finally admit that she'd been in love with Hans for... weeks now, months now, if she were truly honest with herself, but could she really go through with a wedding? With bearing a child? Even though they loved each other, was this what either of them wanted? In all honesty, no. Not right away. But Elsa understood the warning signs when magic was getting too out of control; and the voice, the danger it suggested, it ordered, was the biggest warning sign of all. Yelena and Vanja were right. As long as they were married, they had the upper hand, and could control not necessarily the voice, but their reactions to it. And any child they had-

Any child they had would be beautiful, a little boy or girl with Hans' auburn hair and green eyes, or her hair and eyes, or a mixture of them both. Elsa couldn't deny that she didn't want children; she had always wanted children, but with her upbringing, it had always seemed out of the question; what if the child inherited her powers? What would happen then? How would it cope? Would it blame her? No, children had never been in the cards for her, or so she'd thought.

But now-

Be honest with yourself for once. You've been dreaming of having a child with Hans the moment you realized who he was, regardless of your feelings towards him at the time, you just never had the courage to admit it until now. Her blue gaze darted towards Hans, and she swallowed thickly. Honestly? She wanted that baby she dreamed of at night, the one she saw reaching for her from the edges of her dreamings. She longed for it, desired it, and prayed Hans felt the same.

Silence filled the hut, before Elsa forced herself the finish the last of the coffee. Forcing the bitterness of the drink down, she turned to Hans, Yelena and Vanja. "Okay, I guess this means we're going to do this." She glanced at Hans, saw the startled look in his green eyes before turning back to Yelena. "When should we get married?"