Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2019 - Licia

"Girls?" She nodded. With a soft gasp, he craned his neck, as Honeymaren brought the second over to show him. A watery smile broke out across his face, tears gathering in his eyes as his gaze fell onto his second daughter, who's cries had started to soften, before he turned to his wife, as the wind began to die down and the waves slowed. "We have daughters, Elsa."

She smiled softly at him, but didn't say anything; her gaze rested on the baby in Honeymaren's arms, before going to the baby in Vanja's. "If this doesn't change fate and weaken the river, then I don't know what will. I don't think the river anticipated two coming out of your womb, only one."

Hans chuckled softly at Honeymaren's confident reply, but something in Vanja's gaze caused him pause, as she lay the first baby in Elsa's arms and helped her to begin nursing. "Vanja," the healer met his gaze. "What's wrong?" She smiled softly, opened her mouth to speak. "Don't lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. Our baby girl- our baby girls- are here, out in the world, but... what are you worried about? The elders?"

She bit her lip. "More than just them, Hans." She whispered, nodding for them to step away lest Elsa overhear. Kristoff and Matthias had returned as the winds and snow died, ecstatic and surprised to see Elsa nursing one and Honeymaren cradling the other. Ryder, stayed where he was; despite his near obsessive love of reindeer, the younger man was quite a orator, and took the calm after the chaos and before the storm to try to talk some sense into the three elders.

"Vanja, talk to me, please. Is something going to happen to my babies?"

"Not your babies, Hans." She whispered softly, glancing back at the others. "Your wife."

He shook his head. "No, not possible. We changed fate; the diadem only showed one, baby not two-"

"The diadem shows what had been, and what will be, for it's crafted of the ice of Ahtohallan. There are things predetermined by fate that we cannot change- birth and death are two of those. It showed Elsa's death in the river after giving birth, however it did not show Yelena's poisoning, which I fear not only bought us time to get her here, time to help Elsa be somewhat safe to deliver the babies, but also angered the river, because Yelena was its vessel to do its bidding."

"And with her poisoning herself-"

"What the elders wish to do is what the river told Yelena to say, they are acting on the river's command, not Yelena's. We have to protect the babies, because that is who they will turn to now that Elsa has given birth."

"And by doing so,"

"The river will retaliate in the only way it knows how, the only way it can. Regardless of how confident we feel that we've changed fate- not just with Yelena but with the babies, Fate will always find a way. It will not be thwarted, no matter how clever we believe we are."

He furrowed a brow. "But... retaliate how? The river can't take our children-"

"No, it can't, but it can take the next best thing, the one thing it wants."

He paled. "Their mother."

A shout caused them to look up, as Ryder struck out at Egil; Matthias and Kristoff hurried to help and a scuffle ensued. It was unclear what was going on, but the men seemed to be handling it. Vanja glanced back at Elsa and Honeymaren, watching as the younger woman traded infants with the new mother, making sure the other baby latched onto her other breast before sitting beside her and cradling the one that had finished nursing.

"You don't... you don't really think that... that it would... that..." Hans couldn't formulate the words, nor did he want to.

Vanja sighed. "I don't know, Hans. I really don't. We have to wait and see." She smiled softly at him. "But for now, come meet your children."

They returned to Honeymaren sitting beside her cousin, cradling the baby that had finished nursing earlier. She looked up as Hans knelt beside her. "Meet your babies, Hans." He glanced at the younger woman, before gently accepting the newborn. A small smile tugged at his lips, and he choked out a sob as the baby stared up at him with unfocused blue eyes.

"Hello there, little one. Gods, they're beautiful." The baby gurgled, and he choked on a sob. "Are they identical?"

Honeymaren bit her lip as Vanja took a seat beside Elsa, checking on her; studying her eyes, checking her cool skin for fever; she was still slightly warm, but that could be because Bruni still sat on her shoulder, big eyes staring down at the baby at her breast. A moment passed before Elsa unlatched the infant who had finished. "I think so. They were in two separate sacs-"

"And the... placenta?"

Honeymaren stopped. "I... I checked her after the baby came and it... it seemed to be working its way out, I think, it shouldn't take too long, it's nearly an hour, it should-"

"Elsa!"

Vanja's cry brought their attention from the conversation, and Honeymaren shifted over. He heard Kristoff, Matthias and Ryder behind him and turned. Without a word, Kristoff reached out and Hans laid the bundle in his arms before hurrying to his wife; he settled behind her, allowing her to lay back against him. Vanja nodded for Ryder to hurry over and after taking the second baby from Elsa's arms, laid her into his embrace before turning back to younger woman.

There was something wrong; she didn't look right, wasn't breathing right, it should have gone back to normal once the birth was over, but instead, it was getting shallower, slower. Her blue eyes were dulling, and the corner of her mouth quirked up at the mention of their daughters. She reached up to caress his cheek, but her fingers barely brushed his jaw. "Elisabeth? Elisabeth!"

And to add to it-

Honeymaren's voice broke through his thoughts. "Is she still bleeding?"

"Shit!" Hans jumped at Vanja's curse. "The placenta hasn't delivered; it should have delivered by now. It's not uncommon with twin pregnancies or pregnancy in general, but it's dangerous. "

"We can fix this, right?"

Vanja sighed. "We need to get her to deliver it now, otherwise it'll kill her."

Hans paled, Vanja's words coming back to him. It can take the next best thing, the one thing it wants.

He turned back to his wife as Honeymaren and Vanja worked on massaging Elsa's uterus to induce contractions to encourage her body to dispel it, a common practice among midwives; the nursing had helped to detach it, but not enough to fully dispel it. "Come on, Cousin, don't do this to us. You just got to meet your babies, you need to be here to raise them."

"What's happening to her? Elisabeth!"

"She's bleeding out, Hans. It happens when the placenta doesn't expel. Which is why we're working to get her to dispel it." Vanja turned back to the young mother. "Come on, Elsa, that's it. I know, I know it hurts, but it's helping to dispel it and that's what we want." It got colder, but it wasn't Elsa's doing this time; the waves began to pick up, as did the wind, but the Nokk and Gale hadn't moved. Elsa, half submerged in the water in the inlet of the river that led to the Dark Sea, shifted her head, whimpering. The water around her was stained red- from the birth and from the bleeding. Half an hour later, the placenta slid out her, and quickly, Vanja gathered it up. It was custom in the Northuldra to bury the placenta a baby had been born in to encourage growth and strength in the children, and the older woman hurried to be rid of it in earth not far from the shore.

Elsa looked up at Hans, her breathing becoming shallower with each breath; the blood she'd lost over the whole ordeal had taken a toll on her body, and it was shutting down; the river had found a way- a natural way, brought on by the dangers of childbirth and motherhood- to claim its victim. She whispered softly to him, blue eyes filled with pain.

I'm sorry, darling.

She turned her head, gaze drawn to something across the sea, and Hans knew what it was. He shook his head. "No. Elisabeth, look at me." He turned her head back to face him, before quickly lifting her further into his lap. "Honeymaren, I need your help!" The other woman took her cousin into her arms as Hans stood. "Get her out of the water! We have to get her out of the water! We can't let the river take her!" He turned his gaze back to Elsa, reaching down, wrapping his arm around her waist and then scooping her up beneath her knees.

But Elsa reached up, caressing his cheek. She gave the most minuscule of nods, eyes closing briefly. He shook his head. "No. No, Elsa. I won't let it take you. We need to get you out of the water. If you're not in the water, it can't take you." It was just a theory, but it was one he was sticking by, anything to save his wife. Though Elsa had not been fully submerged in the river when she'd given birth as the river had hoped- Hans had been sitting on the shore, Elsa half in his lap, and therefore on dry land, and half in the water, during the birth, but it didn't matter to the river.

Ahtohallan had designated what it would take and would take it, no matter who it was or who tried to stop it. It had claimed Elsa as its own long ago, and the prince she had married, the man who's children she had just borne in hours of painful, difficult labor, would not deter it; he would not keep the river from claiming its guardian.

Slowly, they moved further up the shore side, but not far enough; still half in the water and half on the shore, Elsa turned her gaze to her husband's. She could feel the pull of the river, hear the voices of the dead trapped within the walls of Ahtohallan, calling to her, begging to be set free. She could feel Fifth Spirit and the small portion of the princess within her, warring for the last sliver of her soul that still resided within her body. Their features flashed over her face, and after a moment, Hans reached out, taking her face in his hands. "No. You don't get to come out, you stay away, both of you! You leave my wife be! Give her back to me! You hear me! Give her back to me!"

"Hans..." Her voice was soft, near a whisper, and he choked on a sob, resting his forehead to hers. I love you.

"I won't let you. We have babies, Elsa. Two beautiful little girls just born that need their mother. I need my wife. I need you. I won't let you go. I won't let it take you." Her lips moved, brushing lightly against his as she spoke, despite the loss of her voice. He looked up at the river, noticed how it seemed to glow and pulse as Elsa continued to fade away. "No! You can't have her! You don't get to take her! You hear me? You don't get to take her from me! She belongs to me, not you! Just as I belong to her-" He turned back to her, brushing his fingers over her forehead. "There has to be a way... some way... what was it Yelena told me... soul... exchange or... no, soul..." It took several seconds for his distraught brain to catch up before he finally remembered what Yelena had told him that long ago afternoon, midway through Elsa's pregnancy

Threading. Soul Threading. Split each soul into two, and thread two opposite halves together; it was the original creation of soulmates. But it's only to be used in exceptional circumstances, and not without a great sacrifice.

Among his tears, the grief that was filling him as his wife slipped away despite her place in his arms, all due to a medical issue, he frantically searched the shore for something, before his eyes lit on the knife Honeymaren had used to cut the cord after the babies were born. After several seconds, he grabbed it. Honeymaren, having gone to update Kristoff, Ryder and Matthias on what was going on while Vanja took care of the placenta, hurried to him. "Hans! What are you doing? No!"

But he ignored her, adjusting the knife blade down. He turned back to Elsa, who lay in his arms, watching him as her eyes began to go glassy, her life fading out of them and taking the beautiful sapphire with it. He choked on a sob. "I'm so sorry," He kissed her tenderly, savoring her mouth on his, the faint pressure of her response. "I love you, Charlotte. Please, please forgive me."

And with his mouth gently pressed against hers, he buried the blade of the knife in her chest, yanking it from her body as he broke the kiss briefly. A grimace flashed across her face, the briefest hint of betrayal. "I had to. And I promise, I'll bring you back, I swear it." Gently, he lay her upon the shore. Her head lolled to the side, though her eyes didn't close, the last of her life faded from them as she bled out on the shore.

"Hans, how could you!" Honeymaren rushed to him, Vanja on her heels; however, they stopped when he looked up at them, the blade he held dripped with her blood. The look in his eyes told them clearly to stay back. A moment passed, as the younger woman's dark eyes darted between her cousin's lifeless body on the shore, the knife, and her husband, suddenly realizing what Hans was trying to do. "No. Gods, Hans, no! A Soul Threading is an ancient, forgotten ritual for a reason! There's no guarantee it'll work! You could only succeed in killing you both! And then what would happen to your babies?"

She hurried to him, but he lashed out at her; the grief causing him to turn to madness. The more Honeymaren and Vanja tried to get close to stop him, the more he lashed out, until he managed to strike the younger woman, forcing her scamper back before he tried anything else. "We were destined, weren't we? That's what everyone's told us from the beginning- we were destined to be together." He choked out, meeting her gaze. Tears slid down his cheeks as he turned back to Elsa, who's glassy blue eyes saw nothing anymore. "I have to try."

And without another word, he tilted her head up, brushing his lips against hers as he turned the blade on himself, driving it, stained with her blood, into his own heart.