Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Soul Threading- When the souls of a couple are split in two and the two separate halves are sewn together, which ensures the couple is connected for eternity. An ancient and most binding ritual, but cannot be performed without sacrifice in a time of great strife or despair. Though, there is one important piece of the ritual that is missing from Yelena's story- which comes up later on, for a very good reason.

Soul Mark- a unique mark that appears upon the skin either at birth or later in life, that appears upon two people and glows when those who share it are in the same vicinity

Written: 2019 - Licia

He awoke to Elsa curled on her side, tucked against his chest. Her long white hair was about her in a tangled mess, and she was sound asleep, for once. The insomnia that had taken hold midway through her second trimester had let up, at least a little, for the moment. A soft sigh escaped his throat as he gently brushed her bangs off her face, trailing his fingers down her cheek. He let himself soak in this beautiful image of his wife, completely nude except for the blanket about her waist, for they'd come to the alcove the night before for some time together. It was one of the few times she wasn't up constantly to empty her bladder as the baby kicked and stretched, and she was truly glowing; her skin had begun to plump and fill in even more, her features became much rounder, and her belly-

His gaze moved down, following his hand, a soft chuckle escaping him.

Her belly had seemed to pop overnight- she had gone from the noticeable bump, to a roundness that stole his breath when he looked at her. She was truly beautiful. Vanja had checked her the week before, and told her that it was normal to grow this much over the last several weeks, for this was the period where both Elsa and the baby were putting weight on, and that she would only get rounder as she got closer to the end of her second trimester.

Which is only two weeks away, and soon she'll be in her third trimester, and then that too will be gone, and she'll be giving birth to your baby. He frowned; that was what worried him, not the pregnancy itself, but the labor, the childbirth. If everything went according to the river's plan, Elsa would lose her life as their baby gained hers. He couldn't allow that to happen. But they didn't know where to go from here.

A tiny smile tugged at his lips. Her. Elsa was so confident she was carrying a girl- mainly because the diadem had told her she would, when she'd put it on that day. And while Hans had his doubts, he couldn't help but feel a small thrill at the thought of a little girl that looked like her mother, with her eyes and his hair-

Elsa shifted in her sleep, and he scoffed gently, reaching out to gently caress her tummy. The skin of her belly was soft, and gently, he stroked his finger over it, feeling the light kick at the pressure he was applying. He continued his stroking, Hello there, little one. Be gentle on Mama. His gaze went back to studying her, and it was then that he realized that even though she was twenty-five weeks- from what Vanja could figure, but even she admitted that pregnancy was not an exact science and that only the woman's body truly knew the date of conception and how far along it was, that everyone else was merely guessing at a common mystery- she didn't exactly look to be at twenty-five weeks. In two weeks, she would be entering her last trimester, but she looked as though she were already there.

Kristoff's right, she definitely looks bigger, maybe a couple weeks ahead of where she is. Could we really have miscalculated her conception date? Vanja did say that the advances countries like the Isles or Arendelle have aren't what the Northuldra use- that they follow the ways of the ancients, for women have been birthing for centuries, and something such as pregnancy and childbirth is considered an extension of nature; because like Mother Earth, a woman gives life. And looking at her, I'm inclined to agree. I'll have to ask Vanja about it next time I see her.

Her belly was becoming nice and round, and he and Elsa spent time talking to the babe, telling stories, singing lullabies; often, Elsa would wince as the babe stretched and kicked, and she'd taken to gently scolding the offending foot or elbow that poked her. He often couldn't take his eyes off the skin of her belly as their baby stretched beneath it. It was perhaps his favorite sight. After a moment, he leaned down, brushing a kiss to her belly, before moving up and kissing her cheek.

Elsa twitched in her sleep. "Christian." He smiled softly as her name for him left her lips.

"I won't be long, Charlotte. Get as much sleep as you possibly can." He then turned to her belly. "I know telling you to behave is like telling your mother not to go rushing into danger, which is basically pointless, but be gentle with Mama. Let her get some rest, okay, little one?" The baby kicked beneath his hand, and he chuckled softly as Elsa winced in her sleep and reached down to cradle her belly. And then he stood, quickly dressing before stepping out of the alcove. "Yelena?"

The chief turned from her examination of the water. A moment passed, before he made his way to the woman. He wasn't too prideful to admit that he'd been putting off and putting off speaking to the chief; Elsa and their growing baby had been his main focus the last two months, and he had done all he could to make sure his wife was as relaxed as possible. Elsa had asked Vanja the week after the visit to the North Mountain, but the healer had been unsure, only giving her a minor explanation that was pretty much what Elsa had come up with.

The couple spent more and more time at the alcove, which helped to keep the voice of the river at bay, and when they were back at the camp, the couple were deliberately focusing on each other, on the baby, on getting ready for its arrival. Having something to focus on helped to slightly drown out the pull of the river; that didn't mean they fully trusted the tribe and Yelena either, but they played optimistic, especially with the baby on the way.

"What are you doing here?"

The chief glanced back at him, her eyes going briefly to the alcove. "She is resting?"

He nodded. "She is. Finally. First time in... weeks where she hasn't gotten up at all hours of the night. I was half afraid she would never get rest."

"Creating life takes much out of a woman, but it is worth it."

They lapsed into silence; Hans chewed on his lower lip nervously. How the hell did he even go about bringing this up? After a moment, he opened his mouth, but Yelena cut him off.

"Do you know what a soulmate is, Hans?"

He shut his mouth. "Um... I've heard the term but... but I don't know what it means, exactly."

She nodded, making her way to the small campfire, and starting it. Hans narrowed his eyes. Yelena had chosen to come to the alcove. What was she planning? The older woman glanced at the young father-to-be, before he finally took a seat across from her. "She is glowing as a woman carrying new life should, and she will only continue to as she gets closer to birth. Cherish these days, Hans, for they will be gone and she will be in labor before you know it."

"We both know you didn't come here to talk about Elsa and her pregnancy. Get to the point, Yelena, why are you here?"

The older woman sighed; glancing back at the alcove, where her niece slept, body curled protectively around her belly. Something flashed within her gaze, and after a moment, she turned back. Hans could see a noticeable sadness within her eyes, and Hans felt a twinge for being so harsh, but it was quickly gone. Yelena may be Elsa's aunt, but she had still made a deal with the river, she had still chosen to put Elsa's life in danger- even though at the time, she hadn't even known if Elsa existed or not- and now, it was clear that she was doing all she could to impede their progress in figuring out a solution the curse that didn't include Elsa dying, from major things like destroying the medicinal ledger Honeymaren had started keeping during her studies with Vanja, to small, seemingly insignificant things, like Elsa's staff going missing.

That had pissed the Snow Queen off more than anything, when Elsa had gone searching for it two weeks earlier before she left on her rounds- whatever her rounds were, Hans never asked, knowing it was her business as the Forest's protector- only to find it gone. The hormonal rage that had overtaken her had sent many scrambling for the safety of the earth giants, as a very angry Snow Queen with a prominent belly stormed out of their hut and into the camp, ignoring the strains of her body as it tried to get her to slow down, for that was the point where her body had naturally begun to slow, at least, from what Hans had observed. Then again, the niggling feeling that there was something off with his wife's pregnancy wouldn't leave him alone, so who was he to judge. Elsa, out for blood over a very minor slight- at least minor in Hans' eyes- had gone in search of Yelena, but the chief had simply listened to her rant and then told her that she would just have to do her rounds without her staff for the day and then take it easy- "Because I know you have noticed you are starting to slow down, regardless of whether you want to admit it or not."

His wife had let out a screech of annoyance, turned and stalked off as fast as her body would allow, and she hadn't returned until supper, by then noticeably cooled down and refusing to speak to Yelena.

"My husband only lived long enough to meet Ryder before he was killed in an accident." The chief sighed. "We were not soulmates, nor were we destined as you and my niece were, but we were greatly in love, and it near devastated me to lose him."

Hans sighed. "Where are you going with this, Yelena?"

"I have a story to tell you, Hans. It's important." The young man sighed, rubbing his face.

"Why do I have a feeling this is going to be long? Let me go get the kettle; I'll make coffee." She nodded and he stood, going back to the alcove. Hans and Elsa had left a kettle, a couple cups and a sack of coffee beans for when they stayed over and watched something warm.

As he stepped back inside, he found his wife sitting up, startled out of her sleep by a kick to her ribs. Her braid was a mess, and she was rubbing the sleep from her eyes, one hand cradling the bottom of her belly. It protruded out before her, an island of its own among the blankets she sat in, and now that Hans was facing her, it was definitely more evident that she was bigger than twenty-five weeks, at least from his point of view. "'orning..." She yawned, one hand automatically going to her belly.

He smiled softly at her. "Good morning, sweetheart. The baby wake you up?"

She nodded, a look of disgruntled tiredness on her pretty, full face. "She kicked me."

He chuckled, going back to the corner where they kept a few things; extra blankets, an extra lantern, the kettle, coffee beans and cups, a spare change of clothes- at least for him- and the tinderbox with the diadem. They had decided to leave it here because it was safer, especially with the tribe and Elsa's pregnancy. And when they were here, they were usually so focused on each other, their last thought was the box. With a soft sigh, he grabbed the kettle, cups and bean, and then went to her. "What were you expecting her to do, love? Talk to you?" She glared at him as he knelt beside her, setting the things aside and reaching out to splay his hands over her tummy.

Yes, she definitely looked to be closer to twenty-seven or even twenty-eight weeks.

"You're not funny. You try carrying a human being inside you, one that keeps growing and growing... it's taken over my body and I still have three months and two weeks to go, and it's not anywhere near done." She sighed. "If I'm this big now, how much bigger will I get? Pretty soon I won't even be able to stand."

"Yes you will, Elsa Dahl. With a little difficulty and a very prominent tummy, but you'll still be able to stand." He studied her a moment. "Though I'm afraid you may pop by then, if you keep growing as you are, you know how a balloon tends to do when it's overfilled with air." He chuckled at his own joke, only to stop at the glare that settled on his wife's face. "Darling, it was a joke-"

"I know it was a joke, Hans. And we are not amused." She stuck her nose in the air, hands moving down to caress her belly. His brow furrowed as he felt her skin go colder than normal, and he raised an eyebrow. She blushed. "It's really warm in here."

"I think you're really warm, love. The alcove is fine. I think it's just your baby body." He grinned and she narrowed her eyes before standing and leaning down to grab the things he'd sought, but Elsa grabbed his hand. With a wave of her other hand, a loose nightgown of silky ice coated her body, and he helped her up.

"Sorry, I know you were reaching for the kettle and coffee beans, but she's pushing on my bladder and I-"

"No worries, love. Go on." He followed Elsa outside, rubbing her back as she slowly wandered away, not having noticed Yelena by the fire. "Sorry about that." The chief chuckled.

"No apologies. These moments are precious, cherish them."

Once the coffee was made, Hans turned to her. "Now, you had something you wanted to tell me?"

She nodded. "You have heard the term soulmates, yes?" He nodded. "But you don't know what it means?" A shake of the head. "Soulmates are two people who share a deep, strong bond; they are connected at the heart, tied together by the red string of fate. What one feels, the other feels too. Soulmates cannot go without being in the same vicinity as each other; if they are together, they have to be constantly touching. The constant touching ensures that the other is still there."

"It sounds... lovely."

She smiled softly at him. "I would guess it is." She sighed. "There are two ways soulmates can come together- through soulmarks; unique designs upon the skin that can appear either at birth or later in life, and are more likely to glow when two designated to be soulmates are around each other for extended periods of time; or through a soul threading."

Unique designs? His mind instantly flashed back to the night he'd discovered the snowflakes upon his wife's skin. "The snowflakes... I've always had them... Mama used to say they were a birthmark, unique to me."

He smiled softly, before something caught his attention. "Soul... threading?"

Yelena nodded. "It's is when the souls of a couple are split in two, and one half of his is sewn to hers, and hers to his. It is the most binding form of soulmates, and ensures the couple is connected for all eternity. But it is an ancient ritual, and cannot be performed without sacrifice in a time of great strife or despair."

Hans furrowed a brow. "What.. type of despair?"

The chief sighed, sipping her coffee as she gathered her thoughts. "Once, long ago, when Great Mother created the five spirits, she was looking at the world and decided that there needed to be someone upon it. And so, from the earth she made the first Northuldra, a man who learned to care for the land, and accepted the help of the spirits. But he showed no emotion, and so Great Mother took a very small piece of the Fifth Spirit and placed it within her human creation."

"She gave him a soul."

She nodded. "Suddenly able to feel emotion, Man looked around and realized that he was alone. And so he asked Great Mother for another of him; a mate, to keep him company. Great Mother tried, but every one she made was not the same. And then it came to her. Though she was greatly pained in having to destroy her beloved creation, she split him in half, taking the other half of Man and creating-"

"Woman."

"Yes. And for a while, they were content with each other. They built a life in the forest, accepted the help from the spirits, and soon, Woman began to grow round and big. She was pregnant, and soon gave birth to a son. But something went wrong, and though the baby survived, she did not." Hans swallowed thickly; the parallels of Elsa's expected destiny weren't lost on the disgraced prince. "And Man, distraught at the loss of his mate, turned to Great Mother. He begged and pleaded for her to bring Woman back, but Great Mother refused, saying she could not. Man saw nothing but despair, and in great pain, ended his life, so that he could be with his mate."

"Left their child alone." He shook his head. He himself having been all but abandoned by his father after his mother died, Hans understood the pain of losing not just one, but two- for his father was all but dead to him by the time his mother had died. He had sworn, from that moment on, that were he to ever have children, he would not act so selfishly as to orphan them in favor of being with his wife.

"Both Man and Woman arrived on Ahtohallan, and were overjoyed to see each other again. But when Man told her what he had done, Woman had screamed at him for leaving their child alone. Man explained that he could not see living without her, and Fifth Spirit, witnessing the argument, hearing the pain in both voices, stepped in. She took both souls and split them, and once they were split, she took half of Man's and half of Woman's and, taking the stardust from the heavens above, threaded them together. Once she had done so with the other two pieces as well, she sent them back, returning them to their bodies."

"They returned from the dead? And they were okay?"

Yelena nodded. "Though they found that they could not be far from each other for very long, nor go without touching, lest they feel the loss. And when Woman once more brought new life into the world, Man felt it in sympathy-"

"They were that connected."

"They were. From them came the first Northuldra, and when Man died, their children found Woman by his side,"

"She couldn't go on without him, because they were linked."

"Joined for eternity; what one felt, the other felt. So when death came for Man, she went too. And they returned to Ahtohallan, and Fifth Spirit greeted them as old friends, guiding them towards peace and eternal happiness. The mystery of Man and Woman's return to the living was lost to time, and Fifth Spirit's part in it wiped away. It has been designated an ancient ritual, never to be used unless under dire circumstances, and ofttimes, it does not always work."

"How would-"

Yelena froze, unsure if she should tell him, but then she realized that it was just a question, and there was no harm in answering. "In order for a Soul Threading to commence, one partner must end the life of the other, and then use the same means on themselves. It is the mixing of blood that creates the threads which bind their souls. Supposedly."

Hans let the information sink in, but before he could say anything, a shadow fell over them both. "Hans? Yelena, what are you doing here?"

The pair turned to see Elsa standing before them in her nightgown, hands on her back. Setting his cup down, Hans stood, going to his wife as Yelena climbed to her feet. She still looked so terribly tired. He slid his arm along her waist, pulling her close. "You should be resting, Els."

"She won't stop kicking me. I can't rest with her moving like she is."

Yelena smiled, going to her niece. "I simply came to see how you were doing, Elsa."

The Snow Queen nodded, not fully trusting her aunt's words. But she let it be, and sighed, reaching up to lay a hand on her belly. "I don't see how either you or Mama did this twice. I don't think I'll be able to do it more than once."

Yelena chuckled, reaching up to cradle her cheek. Something flashed in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant. "You just need to focus on now, Elisabeth. In a couple weeks, you will start your last trimester, and then your baby will be here and you will be missing the moments she was inside you." The look on Elsa's face told her that she highly doubted it, and Yelena smiled softly. "Enjoy this time. It will be gone before you know it."