Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: So Elsa has 1) broken the curse of Ahtohallan, 2) had her soul threaded with Hans', 3) given birth to her daughters (surprise!), 4) freed the princess, and 5) become the physical manifestation of the Fifth Spirit- meaning that while Fifth Spirit works to control the river and guide the souls trapped within Ahtohallan to peace, Elsa, as her physical manifestation, controls the other spirits and walks among the people.

Essentially, Elsa and Fifth Spirit are two sides of the same coin: Fifth Spirit is the ethereal manifestation, and Elsa is the physical. While Fifth Spirit is fully immortal, because she's an element, Elsa is only about a quarter immortal- not a full goddess or even a demi, she only really has the power to heal herself- because Fifth Spirit knew Elsa would not be able to handle immortality if she had to watch her mate eventually die. So while she is an elemental, she is not entirely immortal.

Think it ends there? Not quite. Remember, there were two main objectives- break the curse of Ahtohallan, and take back her kingdom and crown from the troll queen. Elsa's done one, but not the other. So she still needs to confront the troll upon her throne (and possibly save her sister- jury's still out on that one).

Written: 2019 - Licia

She awoke around two in the morning, slipping carefully out of Hans' arms and checking on the girls before slipping out of the hut and going to the fire, her shawl loose around her shoulders. A flash of blue caught her attention, and after a moment, she crept closer, taking a seat beside Honeymaren. The other woman glanced at her, flashing a tired half-smile. "Couldn't sleep?"

The young chief shook her head. "Did the babies wake you?"

"Nope. We've managed to get them on a regular feeding schedule now. Hans woke me about midnight when the girls woke up for a feeding. They should, hopefully, sleep through the next couple hours." Elsa sighed. She was tired, but having a regular schedule for the girls was helping. Honeymaren noticed that both Hans and Elsa seemed to be doing better; they weren't as exhausted as they had been, and the girls were growing, as babies tended to do, especially in their first months of life. With heads of downy blonde hair and blue eyes that would definitely change as they got older, Honeymaren had a difficult time telling them apart, and Hans and Elsa often wouldn't say which was which, probably because they didn't think to, and often referred to them as 'their girls'. "I swear, I spend the majority of my time nursing."

Honeymaren chuckled softly. "They were only born a month ago, Cousin. You're both doing great as parents, especially since it's your first time." Elsa snorted softly, rolling her eyes. "Thea is doing better, I take it?"

Elsa nodded. "Vanja said that sometimes babies may not have figured out how to breastfeed; that she hasn't fully grasped it yet. She said that... it's nothing to be worried about, and she does seem to be doing better. Or, at least, making me hurt." The Snow Queen gently pressed against the side of her breast, wincing. Honeymaren chuckled softly, tugging her shawl closer around her shoulders. They lapsed into silence, both wrapped in their mothers' scarves, lost in thought. Eventually, Elsa spoke up again. "You're doing well."

Honeymaren's dark eyes widened and she turned to the other woman. "Sorry?"

"As Chief. You're doing well."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Cousin, but... I'm not."

Silently, Elsa reached out, taking her cousin's hand and squeezing. "Don't ever doubt yourself. I've done it plenty of times, trust me. Doubt is the worst thing in a ruler's head. It can weigh heavier than the heaviest, jeweled crown. It can ruin a reign. Trust me. It ruined mine before I even took the throne. Took me years to recover." She turned her gaze back to the flames. "I still don't know how my people think of me. My reign was so short-"

A moment passed, before Honeymaren squeezed her hand, shifting closer, until their knees brushed. "You are great queen, Elsa."

"Was, Honey. I'm no longer on the throne, remember?"

"No. Are." Elsa furrowed a brow. "You will always be a queen, whether you die or abdicate or are overthrown... you will always be a queen. Just like a Chief will always be a Chief, regardless of death." She sighed, thoughts of her mother filling her head; Elsa squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Do we have a plan?" Her cousin turned to her. "To defeat the troll queen?"

The other woman sighed. "Elsa, we aren't even sure if she possesses powers, let alone-"

"All trolls possess some form of magic, Honey. They're not human, gods or elementals-"

"Like you and the other spirits."

"Right. They're something else. Something... ancient. They belong in the relative world of mythology, like the ancient Norse gods, not... not among the modern world of science." She replied matter-of-factly, gaze locking on the flames that popped and crackled in the pit. "It just depends on what kind. These trolls belong to what some call the Valley of Living Rock-"

"Rock trolls?" The look that crossed Honeymaren's face was one of confused disbelief. Elsa shrugged, watching her cousin through half-lidded eyes that she quickly blinked wide.

"I don't know. The last time I saw them, I was... about eight or so, that I really remember. Well, they were there when I woke the spirits up, but I didn't speak with them. The changeling did. I know they came up from underground when the queen and her son's blood was spilled. I don't necessarily know that they were rock trolls, but I know they live in that valley, or, more likely underneath it. And the Fae realm can't be too far away from the valley; I think they coexist side by side as long as they don't cross into each others' territory."

The women lapsed into silence for several minutes. "So... how do we get rid of them? The trolls?"

Elsa shook her head. "They turn to stone in sunlight, but... any plan we implement has to be done at night, so that we don't raise suspicion and we catch her off-guard. Legend says to..." She sighed, tossing one of her braids over her shoulders. "To beat the changeling with a birch whip for three straight Thursday nights so that its screams draw out the troll mother, and she'll swap them back to save her own child. But that's... children, babies. Can't do that with adult changelings, which is what she is."

Honeymaren bit her lip, thinking. Those were very specific instructions, but they didn't seem to apply to their situation-

"Legend also states, that when an adult is returned, they are 'strange and often half-witted', a mark of living with the trolls for so long. But... but Anna was taken when she was a child... she would have spent... near twenty years in their realm. If we are lucky to find her, I... I don't know if she will be returned half-witted and strange or..." She sighed. "One of the methods of getting rid of a changeling child that doesn't involve beating is using kindness, which breaks the spell and then the real child is returned, because the troll mother also refused to beat the human child. But... again, those are children. And this... she... it... I can't just be kind to it in the hopes it will go away. It doesn't work like that, not with adults. Adults always want something, troll or not."

A dark eyebrow rose. "Why didn't your parents try to get rid of it when you were children?"

"I don't entirely know if they did or not. I spent most of my time in my room; they could have tried getting rid of her and I wouldn't have known... and if they did, neither Mama nor Papa were the type to harm anyone, least of all a child, changeling or not... they probably thought that if they raised it with kindness, the original mother would return to take it back and give us my sister in return."

"No such luck."

"Nope, no such luck." Elsa agreed, sighing. She tugged her shawl a little closer, hissing as it brushed against her still tender breasts. "I don't know that they will ever stop being tender." Honeymaren smiled softly at her as she adjusted her shawl.

"You've only been breastfeeding for, what? A month?" Her cousin nodded. "You've got a ways to go. They'll get better, just give them time. " She chuckled softly as the snow white-haired woman groaned softly. As if on cue, Elsa heard crying coming from the hut, and glanced at her cousin as she stood.

"That's my cue. Get some sleep, Honey, I'll see you tomorrow." The Chief waved goodnight, as Elsa slipped back into the hut to find Hans gently cradling Dorothea. She didn't say a word, just took a seat among the blankets and reached for the baby, of which Hans laid in her arms. "Bring Iduna too? I'll nurse them both at the same time." It had taken time, but eventually, Elsa had managed to figure out how to nurse both her daughters, which made it easier to build a schedule for all of them. Her husband furrowed a brow, but did as told as Elsa shrugged out of her nightgown. And after several minutes, both girls were cradled in her arms and nursing contentedly. With a sigh, Hans joined her, settling back at Elsa's request so she could settle against him.

"You are quite the wonder woman, Elsa Dahl." He whispered, kissing her head. She raised an eyebrow.

"Women nurse their children everyday, Hans. This is nothing new. I'm not the first, nor will I be the last." Her husband merely 'hmmed' softly in response. They kept quiet for several moments, just watching their children before she finally spoke again. "I talked to Honey. She was up, again. I swear, she'll spend the rest of her chiefdom up at night. She couldn't think of anything, and all I know is how to get rid of changeling children, not changeling adults."

"Most of the time they just... leave, there's no real rhyme or reason to it."

"I know, but this one won't. She sits on my throne. She rules Arendelle, which is what the trolls have always wanted, next to me. They've always wanted me. Get me, and they control..." She shrugged, taking a deep breath. "Get me, and they can wipe out the Northuldra, and then rule Arendelle."

"Hey, that's not going to happen, Els. I won't let it. And neither will Honey or Ryder or Kristoff or Matthias. They won't wipe out the Northuldra or get their hands on you, okay?"

She nodded, glancing down at her daughters. "Getting rid of her is going to be harder than if she were a changeling child." She pursed her lips, thinking back on something Papa had told her.

'I was just watching my sister sleep, Papa."

She shivered. "Trolls are lustful creatures, and she was always obsessed with me... I could play on that, but... I don't know what would happen after."

Silence fell between them, with only the sounds of their daughters nursing, before Elsa finally met his gaze; she knew he wouldn't like what she had to say next. "I think I may have to go to Ahtohallan to figure out the answers to this one."