Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: I'm so sorry about such a late upload! There was a lot in this chapter I had to weed through- and when I say a lot, I mean 600,000 bloody words to one 'chapter'. I fully admit that when I saw the word count for this one, I started to cry.

Took me this long- throwing in real life- to find a good stopping point for this chapter, and then finding good stopping points for the rest of what was left of this chapter. So this 600,000 word chapter is now a bunch of 2,000+ word chapters in between the previous chapter and the actual next chapter of this book.

So I definitely chopped it in half... okay, more than half... I also took a few things out that didn't seem relevant to the story, and had to double and triple check Zani's notes that some parts were accurate to earlier chapters, and ended up adding a couple little cut scenes. I've also been uploading a few of her smaller Eureka fics in my spare time.

I also fully understand if everyone who has been reading this fic wants nothing to do with it anymore; I'm to the point where I want nothing to do with it, but I've managed to get half of the 600,000 words down into bite-sized manageable chunks so. I do not blame any of you at all for abandoning this story after the wait.

Written: 2019 - Licia

"Let me get this straight- Great Mother crafted the trolls, they helped create my diadem-"

"It's my diadem, not yours!"

"Whatever! They helped you create the diadem, and then stole it? How could you let them do that?"

"I didn't know, all right? When my mother first crafted them, they were... stupid and... hideous creatures. Barely a brain between them! But they were fascinated by the ice, by me! And so I... I asked for their help. I didn't think they would go so far as to steal it from me!" She took a deep breath, as the others watched the small figure of Fifth Spirit craft her diadem with the help of the trolls, who then stole it when her back was turned and dashed off to the valley. "Somehow, they ended up underground, and that became their realm."

"So how did the prince get the diadem?" Everyone turned to the former king. Elsa cocked her head; Papa had a point. Supposedly, according to Hans, the diadem had been in his family's possession for centuries- but how exactly did the ancient headpiece leave Arendelle and end up clear across the Southern Sea in the Southern Isles? It didn't make any sense. Elsa knew from her studies of the maps of the regions that the Isles were exceedingly isolated- what had Hans told her once?

"A very small kingdom on a very small island."

An island, or rather, a cluster of islands, in the middle of the Southern Sea, known for its fishing trade and its Navy. Elsa knew that Hans' family had been upon the throne almost as long as her family had sat upon the throne of Arendelle, and that, if things had somehow changed, drastically, her husband would have been King of the Isles, as he wanted to be, despite what he said.

"I don't want the throne, Elsa, not anymore. Despite what you and others may think, the royal life doesn't interest me anymore. A crown, a throne? Materials, objects that project happiness, but in reality are simply cold, hard artifacts of pain and misery. Happiness is... is hearing your laugh, seeing our daughters smile, waking to you every morning and raising our girls... it's the simple things in life, that a throne and a crown can't give you, which is what my mother taught me, and somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that. But not anymore. I know where I belong, and who I belong with, and I'm content. I have a home, a family. Love. It's all I ever truly wanted."

"And if I succeed? In taking back my throne and my kingdom? Hans, I can't rule Arendelle from the forest, and we can't split our family, it wouldn't be right. It would do more harm than good."

"When we get to that bridge, Els, then we'll cross it."

At first, she had doubted his words, but over the months, especially before and after the girls had been born, she had noticed a change in him. He only ever mentioned the Isles in regards to stories about his mother, but never once did he ever mention his father or brothers. And Elsa, understanding that her husband had seemingly moved on, had stopped pushing, deciding to leave him be. He was content with their life.

"The legend said it was a wedding gift-" Elsa's thoughts were interrupted by her father's voice. He took a moment, going over everything he knew about the diadem and the lost princess of his ancestors, only to come up bare. Clearly, the answers- the true answers- lay with Fifth Spirit. They just had to make her willing enough to tell them. Fifth Spirit swallowed thickly, glancing between the four.

"Somehow, and I'm not sure how, the Fae got a hold of it, embedded a touch of their magic into it, as had the trolls; while not as powerful as the Fae or Elementals, Trolls still possess some magic. It's unclear what exactly they embedded it with, but somehow, it ended up in the realm of the Fae, who then cast it out, towards the Southern Sea. It washed upon the shore of the Kingdom of the Sea."

"Which is how the prince got it." Elsa said; she nodded. It was slowly starting to make sense.

"You still didn't answer my question." Agnarr said. "The legend says that the diadem the prince placed within the tinderbox was a gift for his bride, the Crown Princess of the Spring, but she refused it, because the river had claimed her by then, and she was trapped. How could you have made it if it was supposed to be a wedding gift for a bride?"

His daughter's blue gaze met his, and soon, Fifth Spirit twisted her fingers, causing the atlas to turn once more, before standing. She soon began to pace, one arm around her middle, the other tangled in her short hair. She was agitated, unnerved, frightened even. Whatever it was about the former king's question, unsettled her, and she either couldn't- or wouldn't- answer. Elsa watched her mystical doppelganger pace back and forth, heard the soft mutterings that fell from her lips, things she often said to herself, that it was scary. "You endured it alone long enough. What's the harm in telling them? Because Humans don't understand the importance of mates. They believe it is all politics and land... they do not understand what true emotion is... you cannot trust them..."

"I understand."

Fifth Spirit stopped her pacing, turning to Elsa, who sat watching her. "I understand fully, what it's like, to not trust people. To be afraid."

"I'm not afraid."

"No, you're right, you're not afraid. You're terrified."

"And how the hell would you know that?"

Elsa shrugged. "Because I've been there. I know what it's like, to be completely alone with no one to turn to." She sighed. "I fled to the North Mountain, left an eternal winter in my wake, because I was terrified. I thought I had killed the only person who ever truly loved me, and then faced being beheaded by my own husband. I know what it's like, to be so terrified of something or someone you can't move, you can't think, you can't do anything but wish for it all to end."

Her eyes closed, and she swallowed, before opening her eyes and meeting Elsa's gaze. Several minutes passed, before finally, she spoke, glancing at Agnarr. "It was." She swallowed thickly. "It was meant for a bride, but not the Crown Princess. It was never meant for the princess, was it?"

"No, it had to have been for the princess-" Iduna began, but Elsa's words stopped her mother.

"It was for you, wasn't it?" She met Fifth Spirit's gaze, which promptly lowered, along with her head. "The diadem, it was meant for you. It was a wedding gift for you."

Tears filled Fifth Spirit's gaze, and she turned her head, forcing herself to gather her emotions and calm herself down. She shouldn't have made a big deal out of it; she should have kept her mouth shut, or at least tampered her emotion. And now... now her dearest secret was out, her pain was there for all to see, her ridicule and humiliation-

"I didn't know you were married-"

"I'm not." She cut Elsa off, refusing to meet the Snow Queen's gaze. "I was going to be. If only-" She stopped, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from appearing, and lifted her head. "- if only I hadn't been such a coward."

Elsa glanced at her parents and aunt, confused. Fifth Spirit seemed to be the least cowardly... Elemental... she'd ever met. She'd not only dealt with Elsa's breakdown after arriving at Ahtohallan after her death- no matter how harsh she'd been- but performed the Threading on both her and Hans, freed the princess, and managed to control the river; none of that- none of it- was cowardly. Not in the slightest. But this...

"Fifth-" Elsa stopped. This would be so much easier if she could address Fifth Spirit by her actual name as opposed to generalizations and her title. But then again, did Fifth Spirit even have a name? The other spirits did, which meant she had too to, right? But perhaps it was so ancient, it had been lost to time. After a moment, she stood, going to her and taking her arm. Forcing herself to ignore the fact that she was looking at her own face, she leaned close. "You can talk to us. If you don't want to talk to my parents and my aunt, you can talk to me." Fifth Spirit turned her head. "I won't judge, I promise."

"I don't think you want to hear it, Elsa." The Snow Queen started, surprised that Fifth Spirit knew her name, and after a moment, the other woman smirked. "You think I don't know your name? You're a part of me and I'm a part of you. Don't look so surprised."

"Actually, I do. If it'll help us figure out how to defeat the troll queen, then I absolutely do." She met the other woman's gaze. "You know, it would be a lot easier to connect with you if I knew your name."

One slender eyebrow rose. "Oh, would it?" Elsa nodded as she pulled away and returned to the others. "What makes you think I have a name?"

"Everyone has a name. Our siblings all have names, I have a name, why shouldn't you?"

Fifth Spirit stopped; surprise flitted across her face to hear Elsa refer to the other spirits as 'their' siblings, but then she cast it aside. They did share a soul, so therefore, it was only right that Elsa refer to them as her siblings, too. A soft sigh escaped her throat, and then she returned to sitting before the atlas. After a moment, Elsa joined her, sinking to the floor beside her. She ignored the Snow Queen. "The mask was my idea, but being able to see the past- I meant for it to show memories, not the future. That is something the trolls did, from what I can figure. I'm not entirely sure what the Fae did to it, I still haven't been able to figure that out." She sighed. "It was not intended for the princess, not originally."

"It was intended for you, wasn't it?"

"It was not a gift, I crafted it myself." She glanced at Elsa, before turning back to the atlas and twisting her fingers, causing the atlas before them to rotate. "I was going to... to wear it on my wedding day." Her voice was soft, and she lowered her head, sniffling. "It never happened, even if the diadem hadn't been stolen, Mother would never have let me marry him anyway."

"Marry.. who?" Iduna asked softly. Fifth Spirit sighed. How did she possibly go on to explain-

"Jarl." Blue eyes darted to Elsa, before the others, and after a moment, she stood, turning away from them. "His name was Jarl. Son of Ríg. I loved him, and he loved me, but because we..." She swallowed. "Because he was the son of a god, and I am the daughter of an element..., because I am Elemental, our marriage was forbidden. Mother forbid our marriage-"

"But... but you're a goddess, therefore, wouldn't you-" Yelena started, but Fifth Spirit waved her words away.

"Mother forbid it, and I was not to go against her." She whispered. "He married someone else-" Elsa could hear her voice crack, and soon her shoulders began to shake. They watched as she seemed to curl in on herself for the briefest of moments, before recovering. "I was prepared to run, to leave behind all I knew, the glacier, my siblings, my work... Jarl promised me so much, and we had plans. And then... she discovered what we were planning."

"Look." Slowly, everyone turned to watch what Elsa had turned back to on the atlas. A small figure that resembled Fifth Spirit was being stopped by something. No, someone. She was being locked in.

"Mother... she bound me to Ahtohallan, forbid me from ever leaving. Essentially, she cursed me, and in cursing me, cursed your line."

"She couldn't bear the thought of you making your own life." The other woman shrugged, turning back to them.

"Perhaps, but after a while, I began to accept that she was right, and that I had been foolish. I knew my place. And when Jarl came for me, on the night we'd planned, I... I turned him away." They watched as the two figures met up, as one turned from the other, and the second left. Fifth Spirit's lower lip began to quiver. "By then, the trolls had stolen my diadem, and-"

Elsa sighed. She saw so much of the closed off, sheltered girl she'd been in Fifth Spirit; afraid of her own shadow, let alone other people. She feared rejection from others, and so rejected herself first, believed herself to be the source of all pain and heartache and so locked herself away, drinking from the cup of warm lies given to her to continue her solitude.

And then Anna- who she believed to be Anna- had sacrificed herself for her, and her world had started looking better. She came out of her shell more, and by now... well, she was married to a- mostly- good man, who had given her two beautiful daughters. As she looked at Fifth Spirit now, she could not believe that at one time, she too had been as closed off. Until love had stepped in.

She turned back to the atlas, memorizing as much of it as she possibly could. There was more to the story, she could sense it, but she knew that she would not get it all tonight. Not only was Fifth Spirit having a difficult time keeping herself from a complete breakdown, but there was only so much information her own brain could hold, and if the pounding at the base of her skull was any indication, she had reached her capacity. So she turned back to Fifth Spirit, who was forcing herself to take deep breaths. A moment passed, before Fifth Spirit spoke again her voice shaky but steady.

"The diadem was supposed to be worn on my wedding day. I crafted it from the ice of Ahtohallan with the trolls' help, infused it with my magic, and when I wasn't looking they stole it from me, fleeing the glacier to the underground near the Fae realm. When Jarl came, I turned him away, after Mother caught wind of our plans. I can only think... that the trolls..."

"That they told her." Elsa whispered, and Fifth Spirit nodded. She reached up, brushing away the tears.

"Lustful, disgusting creatures. I don't understand why Mother made them in the first place. They coveted me, desired me the way a man desires a woman. I scorned and stopped their advances at every turn. It was..." She stopped, thinking, trying to remember. A shadow crossed her face and Elsa rested her hand upon her stomach feeling half sick. She had quickly discovered that they were not only connected by souls, but by emotions too; whatever emotion she felt, Fifth Spirit felt as well and vice versa. "One of them... tried to kiss me... he grabbed me and... attempted to shove his tongue down my throat and... I slapped him and told him that they would never have me, that I did not belong to them, and I never would. He swore he would get vengeance, if not on me, then... then on..."

"Your descendants?" Elsa asked softly, the knot of dread exploding in her stomach; Fifth Spirit nodded.

"But that does not make sense." Yelena spoke up, glancing between the two. "You do not have descendants. You have not had children-"

Fifth Spirit turned to her, gaze steady. "Not in the traditional way," She glanced at Elsa. "But the People of the Spring are my descendants; Mother... when she gave Humans souls, she gave the People of the Spring... a bit more than others. She has always had a soft spot for the People of the Spring."

"It's why we have always thrived on the water," Elsa muttered, her brain working a million miles a minute to put the pieces together. "Isn't it? It's why we were able to thrive so long in Winter, why our symbol is the crocus, why until me we were able to survive despite the harshness of Arendelle winters. We're not People of the Spring, we're People of Water, People of Winter, aren't we?" Fifth Spirit lowered her head. "We thrive on the water, more than the Isles do. It's why my kingdom is on an inlet, it's why our countenances are so pale, our eyes... either blue or green, our hair between blonde and red but rarely dark. Why the majority of my kingdom's prosperity came from the fjord, why we're fishermen and seafarers and..." She turned to her father. "And why you built up our Navy. We thrive on water. We thrive on Winter. Yes, we thrive in Spring, but we are stronger in Winter." She turned back to Fifth Spirit. "It's because of you."

A moment passed, before Fifth Spirit met her gaze, nodding. That was all the confirmation she needed; she stood, and began pacing, waving her hands excitedly, the skirts of her dress swishing as she walked. "We are not just People of the Spring but People of Winter. We are two opposing seasons wrapped into one, we thrive and prosper in the cold even when we hibernate, and then fully blossom in the spring. We are harsh like Winter and soft like Spring, we are wary of outsiders but accepting once they prove their loyalty to us... to me..." She stopped, thinking. "Matthias." She turned back to them, her gaze landing on her father.

"Matthias. He was not born in Arendelle was he? And Halima? She was not born of Arendelle either, was she? And others, of their color?" She moved closer to her parents, twin braids tumbled loosely down her back. Despite her years away from the throne, she still exuded the air of a monarch. "How did they arrive in Arendelle, Papa? Slaves? From the trade?" Her voice was soft, yet harsh, disgusted as she spit the words, crystallized gaze narrowing in disgust. She loved her parents, but the more she learned of their reign, of the rulers who had come before not just her but them, the more she despised the throne she had once sat upon. "Tell me, Papa."

"Lisbet-" Agnarr stopped, sighing. "It was many, many years before you were born-"

"Tell me the truth." She bit, gaze never leaving his.

"What does this have to do with the diadem, Elisabeth?"

"It has everything to do with the diadem!" She snapped. "The diadem was stolen because of lust and desire! The Crown Princess was murdered out of hate! Her sister went mad with desire for her dead sister! She expanded my kingdom and destroyed it at the same time! What did she do, Papa? Turn to the slave trade to expand her reach? Steal innocent people from their homelands simply so she could gain some semblance of control over herself because she had none! She could not have the one thing she so desired so she turned to stealing people and treating them like chattle! Is that how people of Matthias and Halima's color ended up in Arendelle? As slaves? Or descendants of slaves? Answer me!" Agnarr remained quiet. "You answer me Agnarr of Arendelle and you answer me now!"

Tense silence settled; so thick it could be sliced and served on the finest of China as a four-course meal. Everyone slowly, very, very slowly, backed away from the young mother. Elsa had never once raised her voice to her parents, never in her nineteen years and though Yelena had witnessed Elsa losing her temper on occasion in the tribe, it had never been to this extent. Her crystallized gaze shone in anger, and her hands were balled into fists. A moment passed, before the soft 'Yes', broke the silence. Agnarr met his daughter's gaze, two former rulers caught in a standoff.

"Everything, that has been done in my country has been done out of hate and lust and desire." Elsa turned to Fifth Spirit. "That diadem, what was the intent, when you made it?"

"I was," Fifth Spirit swallowed thickly as she stood, arms crossed over her chest. "I was to wear it on my wedding day. The mask was to show memories of the past- happy memories. There was no ill intent behind it when I crafted it."

Elsa let her words sink in, before turning to everyone else. "Okay, so that means at some point, the intent was changed. Could it have been changed after the trolls stole it and fled?"

"It's possible." Fifth Spirit whispered. "It spent time in the Fae Realm, but the Fae... they do not mess with things that belong to Elementals; Fae are subservient to Elementals. We are the only beings of magic that the Fae will bow to. They bow to no one but us, but we do not bow to them. We never bow to Fae." She met Elsa's gaze. "It had to be the trolls. The magic they possess... is dark in nature. Selfish. Everything they do is for themselves, no one else."

"So the trolls most likely added something of their magic to change the intent of the diadem, and..." Elsa sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "But how did it get broken?"

"Easier to control?" Yelena offered. Elsa licked her lips.

"Kristoff said that the crown she wears looks as though it fits exactly into the gap in the diadem. That... he thinks it could be part of the reason she's got control." She stopped, her mind running through all the possibilities. One of the few things people knew about Elsa was that her mind could process things faster than others. Having spent so many years in isolation, she had turned to study, drinking in the written word like it was water in a desert, absorbing complicated theories and philosophies and making sense of them in a way she could understand. Exceedingly well-read and well-educated, Elsa had often been the bane of her Counsel's existence as well as the bane of every country she had ever built any sort of treaty with, for she could read a document and capture the smallest details- more taxation on specific goods from her country to thiers, less leeway for Arendelle in regards to expansions, the blocking of certain aspects of deals that favored the other country over hers- and often brought it to the others' attention, demanding either equality in the deals and treaties or none at all. She was ruthless, in that regard; her people and country came first. She always made sure that every deal or treaty that passed her desk was fair and equal to both parties or she would not sign; she would send back with a list of what needed to be fixed before she would even think of signing.

She turned back to the others. "Breaking the diadem and keeping the smaller half would mean she could keep the magic of her half central to her. They would question an elaborate crown like the diadem... no one is going to question a small, fan-like crown. It's just a simple headpiece, beautiful in its simplicity and her signature. Which means the trolls had to break it, and once they had the piece they knew they could use to control someone, they threw the rest away, too stupid or too ignorant to understand the significance of the rest of it. Which could be how it got to the Fae, but the Fae threw it towards the Sea, which is how it washed up in the Isles, and came into the prince's hands."

With a gasp, she turned back to Fifth Spirit, who shrugged. "Well?"

"The broken piece of the diadem is her source of control. It has the troll's magic, which is how she's able to keep my throne. But if I somehow manage to get it off of her head and put the two pieces together, that should cancel out the trolls' magic. Your magic is more powerful; it's what crafted the diadem-"

"But how would we possibly get their magic-"

"Easy!" Elsa cried. "Magic cancels magic." The others shared confused glances; they could not possibly understand, having no powers of their own. "Light cancels dark." She took a step towards Fifth Spirit, voice gaining strength as she spoke. "White cancels black. Elemental cancels troll." She grinned; a wiry, scheming, wolfish smile that Hans often knew meant trouble. It was the smile she wore when she was plotting something, the one she'd worn the night they'd created their daughters, the one she flashed when she'd managed to find a loophole slipped into a treaty to favor another country exponentially over Arendelle, the one she often wore when a plan had taken up residence in her brain and wouldn't leave. "I am an extension of you. You said it yourself, I am the part of you that can walk on land. I am your physical manifestation. My magic is stronger than hers because I am Elemental. I am the strongest Elemental on land. Stronger than the Fae, and certainly stronger than the Trolls. Once I get a hold of it, I can put it back together, because my magic, an extension of your magic, will cancel out their magic."

Fifth Spirit sighed. "That may be the case, but how do we get her half of the diadem? She is in Arendelle, and I cannot walk on land."

"You misunderstand." Elsa replied gently. "Arendelle is my country. It belongs to me. I can set foot in Arendelle. I can corner the troll queen, I can steal it away, and I can put it back together. Those are my people, and they are suffering and I have spent too long hiding away and ignoring their cries when I should have been fighting for them. And I have it on good authority that they still see me as their true ruler, not her. If I can get them to side with me, I can sneak into the palace, get my throne back, and defeat her. Only I can do it, no one else."

She turned to the others as they stood, her gaze darting between her mother and her aunt; both sisters met her gaze, small smiles on their faces. Her father pulled her mother close, and after a moment, she turned back to the entrance of the ballroom. "I need to go. I have to get back to my girls; I need to let Hans and the others know." She went to each of them, hugging them each in turn. "Do not leave me so soon, please? I need you, all of you."

Iduna glanced at Fifth Spirit, who nodded. "We will stay as long as you need us, Gitta, my love."

They followed her to the entrance of the glacier, staying within the ice because they could not step onto the beach. "You have a plan?" Fifth Spirit asked as they stopped on at the base of the glacier; Elsa nodded.

"The beginnings of one," She glanced at each of them. "You told me yourself, Elemental magic is the strongest magic there is; it's stronger than all the other realms combined, it's why we can control the other elements." She turned as the Nokk appeared. "Elemental magic defeats all other forms of magic, especially dark- especially a dark magic that is weaker, you taught me that."

Fifth Spirit smirked. "Interesting, cause I don't remember telling you."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Just because your voice is in my head, doesn't mean I don't always listen. I'll be back, and when I do return, I'll have a plan." She hugged each of her family members again before hurrying to the Nokk; she rested her forehead briefly to his snout in acknowledgement before climbing onto his back, taking the ice reigns in hand.

"Lærke."

Elsa turned back to her, surprised to find Fifth Spirit standing beside her. She reached out, stroking Magni's snout. "What?"

Fifth Spirit met her gaze. "My name. It's Lærke."

"Oh. Wh... why are you telling me this?"

Fifth Spirit- Lærke- met her gaze. "I know yours; it's only fair that you know mine." Then, she stepped back, watching as Elsa smiled softly at her before spurring the Nokk back across the Dark Sea.