A/N: Happy holidays everyone! This is a sweet Agduna oneshot I wrote as a Secret Santa for a good friend of mine. Prompt: "their first time visiting it after Elsa was born and wondering if it has something to do with her powers"
Dedicated to Lily, the funny, sleep-deprived, creative person I am happy to call a friend. This one's for you!
Where The Path Begins
Secret Santa Lapland Dec. 2020
Agduna Shippers
From Me to You :)
"How're you doing? Comfortable?"
Iduna yawned, trying to blink away her drowsiness. She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. "You always ask me that."
Agnarr chuckled from his seat in the front. "Then you know what I'm going to say next." The two shared a laugh.
He sighed, looking up at the clouds and their white powdery essence. They were distant, but he could still see each of them in great detail. Towering, but friendly and welcoming, bestowing upon them the blessed rays of the sun and the promise of a new day. Illuminated behind them lay the endless blue expanse of air, settling aglow the clouds in a light-blue fluorescent outline. Wisps of a gentle breeze floated past his ear, echoing the calls of the wind from millenia past.
Agnarr grinned. He wondered, as he'd always had on these journeys of theirs he so loved, what mysteries lay up there, beyond the skyline. Many times before had he leaned back in the cart, gazed up at the fascinating ocean above him, and breathed out a sigh of wonder. It was magical.
But then he looked back at the three beautiful girls in the cart behind him, and his smile grew ten-fold. Iduna, sitting quietly and struggling to keep her eyelids open. 8-year-old Elsa, tucked snuggly into the crook between the wooden cart's side and her mother's neck. And little 5-year-old Anna, fast asleep and drooling in Iduna's arms.
He gave his wife a soft smile. "Chocolate for your thoughts?"
She yawned again. "I'm doing okay. Just tired, is all."
He nodded. "Maybe you should get some rest."
"You're right. Let me guess… you're thinking about the clouds again?"
He laughed, shrugging nonchalantly. "You know me too well. It always reminds me of our destination." Gulping, he cleared his throat. "Maybe… maybe the mist will be different this time."
She leaned as far forward as she could and pecked him on the cheek. "Maybe."
Agnarr stared ahead at the sloped mountain trail around them. That word. That one word always seemed to characterize their trips to the wall separating them from Northuldra. Maybe. No doubt it had become a custom by now, to cling to the little hope that maybe, just this time, it might open. Or something. He didn't know.
Iduna stirred from behind him, but then she paused. "Agnarr…?" He turned to look at her. "How are we planning to… you know, do this?"
Agnarr exhaled. This was the first time they were bringing their daughters to the mist. Countless times the two of them had trekked out here, since their childhood. Since Agnarr had followed her out here himself, with nothing but his father's cloak on his back and a seed of passion growing in his heart. True, it had been a while since their last visit, but the trip was nothing new to them. But now, Anna and Elsa would get to see it for themselves. Touch it. Marvel at it. And… always, leave with questions. So many questions.
He twiddled his thumbs. "We'll just… take it one step at a time. Go slow. And, you know, see what happens."
The truth was, he was terrified of what might happen. Elsa's magic was truly something to behold, and he'd always feared what the mist would do if it came into contact with her ice. But he had to be strong. For them.
Iduna took a deep breath. "I know you… didn't want to come here. But I'm glad you chose to. It's time, I think."
Agnarr ran a hand through his brown hair. "I just hope everything goes okay."
Iduna reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it once. "It will." He saw the ardent determination as it sparked in her eyes, flashing for a second before fading. But he knew it was still there. And would be forever.
Three Days Ago...
The bedroom door shut softly, its wooden hinges only betraying the faintest squeak. That was the result of years and years of practice, on his part.
"How much longer until you're done?" his wife called. He looked up. Iduna was sitting on their bed, book in her hand, mouth curled upwards in a smile.
He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Actually, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Now that the chaos over the agreement with Balkove has died down, the council has had less and less work for a change."
She perked up. "That's good news! You can finally take a breather for a second. I still think they're giving you too much…"
"I know, my love, but I can handle it. You don't need to worry about me," he said, then inhaled deeply, his eyes widening in exaggerated surprise. "Oh Lord! I swear, where on Earth are you getting these new perfumes?"
She giggled, to his delight. "Do you like it?"
It was amazing. She still made his heart flutter, just as she had when they were kids. "I love it," he told her, leaning closer and tucking a strand of hair out of her face. "But I wouldn't want it to cover up any part of the true scent of my wife. My Iduna."
"Even the spilled-chocolate-fudge part?"
"Oh, please. Especially the spilled-chocolate-fudge part."
She sighed happily. "Agnarr, sometimes you're too much."
Raising his hand in an if-you-say-so gesture, the King of Arendelle walked over to his side of the bed and sat down, giving her a genuine grin. "I'm just glad to be able to spend time with you."
Iduna swallowed, then she propped herself on her elbows and rubbed her neck. "Actually, I've been thinking about something."
He closed his eyes, relaxing. "Anything." A momentary silence.
"I want to bring Elsa and Anna to the mist," she blurted out, glancing carefully at him to test his reaction.
He frowned. "What?"
"I want to bring them to the mist. To see it. It's… It's time."
He sat up, mustache twitching. "Don't you think we should space this out? We only just told them the story of the forest an hour ago."
"Yes… but… I- I want them to know. To know what it's like. And you're, well, you have less work at the moment. This is a chance for you to come with us. To spend time with the girls." She tilted her head at him and raised her eyebrow. "You know how they get when you turn down one of our adventures."
Agnarr pursed his lips. "I think they're too young, Iduna. Anna's not six years, and the mist… well, the mist… it's something they're not old enough to handle."
"Why not?" she pushed. "We told them… part of the story tonight. And you know how Anna is. Eventually, her curiosity will drive her to run over there and figure it out herself."
He ran a hand through his brown hair, an uneasy expression finding its way onto his face. Scooching over, he wrapped a reassuring arm around his wife's back, the fabric of her nightgown feeling soft and smooth between his fingers. "I just… I don't want this to be a burden on their shoulders. They should get to be kids, free from the wrongs of the past."
She seemed to blush at their contact, then gratefully accepted his request for a hug. "I don't want them to learn about this from someone else, Agnarr. I want it to be from us. So that… so that we can teach them the right things. To help them grow into the people they want to be." Iduna's body felt warm and solid against his, ripples of soothing comfort emanating from the embrace.
He paused, thinking. "Are you sure about this?"
The response came quickly, short and decisive. "Yes."
A brief nod. A squeeze of a hand. A trust, stronger than that of the mist itself. "Then let's do it. Saturday works best for me. Is that okay?"
Iduna pulled back, elated and thankful. She leaned into his ear and whispered a small token of gratitude, a tiny star that, despite its miniscule size and level of volume, packaged a love greater than the galaxy. A little piece of Agnarr's heart melted inside. Her happiness never ceased to bring him joy. Had never ceased. Was not ceasing. Would never cease in the future.
He stood up. "I'd better go tell them, then. Who knows? Maybe they'll behave from now until then." They both scoffed, knowing that was completely impossible, then Agnarr squinted at the grandfather clock down the hallway. "You think they're awake?"
Iduna rolled her eyes playfully. "At this hour? Of course!"
Agnarr walked down the castle corridor, humming softly to himself. It was the tune he'd heard Iduna singing to Elsa and Anna. A soft one, small but defiant, quiet but flowing and true in its melody.
Suddenly, the sound of high-pitched giggling caught his attention. Two miniaturized figures, clad in black from their surrounding shadows, crept somewhat-sneakily along the wall. Shaking his head, Agnarr chuckled to himself. So they were doing it again. Why was he surprised? He'd have to start tying Anna to her bed at night or something.
Having filed away that mental note, he cautiously slinked over to the stairwell pedestals, careful not to step on the few floorboards that creaked. Hearing them draw near, he popped out, raising his hands in a not-so-terrifying gesture. "Boo!"
"Eek!" Anna shrieked in surprise, her little eyes widening. "Papa, not cool!"
Elsa, giggling, put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Anna. Let's go back to bed."
His youngest daughter's face twisted. "Awwww, but I wanna build a snowman."
Agnarr chuckled. "Maybe tomorrow, Anna. But for now, let's try and sleep." Sending a grateful smile Elsa's way, he guided a still-pouting Anna back to their room. Her eyebrows were still furrowed as he tucked them in. "Hey, Anna, look at me."
She didn't budge.
"Anna."
Nothing. Agnarr laughed to himself. Where did his daughter get her stubbornness? It was definitely from his wife. Not him. He wasn't stubborn, was he?
"Anna, I've something fun planned for this weekend. Don't you want to hear what it is?" At her upturned glance, his gaze softened. "We're—the four of us—going on a family adventure. This Saturday."
Their heads turned. "Really? Where? You never come on adventures with us. Does it-"
He smiled. "As long as you two know how to behave." He eyed his youngest in particular as he said the words. She winked at him.
Elsa paused, then cast him a knowing look. "Does it have something to do with…?"
In response, he kissed both of them on the head and walked over to the bedroom door. "Goodnight, you two." Before he'd closed it, Anna was already asleep.
0o0o0o0
The cart felt smooth and solid underneath her as it bumped over the sloped terrain. Fancy embellishments of swirling silver were carved neatly into its fine mahogany wood, and try as she had to convince Peter that such elegant designs were the least bit necessary, he'd refused, as usual. Save them for his real woodworking, she'd said, like the delicate bodies of violins he was so good at molding, each F hole fine-tuned with the ultimate caliber of care and precision. But no.
She'd only woken up a few minutes ago, having been greeted with brief shards of the late morning light shining down on them every now and then. She looked around. The mountainside trail looked back at her, in all its newly sprouting twigs, resolute, unchanging rock formations, and blades of the early spring grass.
Her husband turned to look at her. "You recognize where we are?"
She smiled, casually pointing to two shrubs lining the edge of the trail. "Yes. Was it really 9 years ago that you drove off the cliff here? It feels just like yesterday."
"Ahem! I seem to remember a hand reaching over me? Grabbing the reins?"
Iduna smirked. "You wish. You know it was you." They both chuckled, reliving memories of the times they'd traveled here. Together. In a cart. On this same path. As lovers. Yet… now they were going as a family.
They were almost there. Sighing, she reached down and caressed her daughters' faces with a warm, gentle touch.
Elsa stirred first. "Are… are we almost there?"
Iduna nodded, then ran a hand through Anna's hair, humming softly. She eventually woke up, groggy and dazed. "Wh… what?"
"We're here!" Agnarr announced as they turned the final bend. "Enter: the mist."
0o0o0o0
"Whoa! This is so cool!" Anna shouted, running again and again into the impenetrable wall of fog, shrieking with delight each time it bounced her back. "Elsa! Come on!"
"I'm coming, Anna," Elsa said, walking up to the mist. Her platinum blonde hair shivered in the slight breeze, rippling along her lithe blue outfit and finally settling on her back. "You just… reach out?"
Agnarr watched with baited breath. This was it. What was going to happen?
His and Iduna's strained, apprehensive gazes met each other at the same time. Two blinks of agreement. Two nods. Two deep breaths.
With a curious smile, Elsa gingerly stepped forward, reaching out into the mist. Her hand disappeared into the barrier's foggy depths for a second, and she stumbled, having expected to be shot back like the others. "Whoa!"
Every single muscle in his body tensed. Agnarr rushed forward. "Elsa!"
But she quickly got up and looked back at them. "I'm okay. But… what's- what's going on?" To his building concern, she extended a hesitant hand, further in, her face a mix of wonder and excitement.
The mist shimmered and shook, and suddenly, for a fraction of time so brief that Agnarr thought he must have imagined it, it seemed to dissipate. The wall of clouds retreated. The inklings of a dirt path started to form at Elsa's feet.
And then it was gone. The mist reformed itself; the clouds took up their stance; the path was erased. It had lasted maybe a second. He hadn't gotten a good look at it. But, from the shocked expression on his wife's face, it appeared as if she had.
"Elsa, how are you doing that?" Anna cooed, tilting her little head in fascination as Elsa paced in her spot, surrounded by the fog. "It kicked me out."
"I- I don't know, Anna. It… feels like it's not pushing me back." Elsa kept walking forward.
It was getting to the point where all Agnarr could see of his daughter was her faint outline. The rest of her body was covered with the mist's swirling particles of snowdust. It was very worrying.
"Elsa, hang on. Stay right there," he said, alarm seeping into his tone despite his best efforts to sound calm. Maybe the mist had changed? For once? Exhaling a short, disbelieving breath, he marched forward, only to be propelled back by the familiar pink bursts he and Iduna were so used to witnessing. The wall's magenta swirls glittered in the air as he backed away, brushing off his shoulders. Clearly, he still wasn't allowed through. But nothing like this… nothing like this had ever happened before.
His wife put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Elsa?" she said, her voice shaking, "Are you sure you're alright?"
The young girl cocked her head from side to side. "I'm fine. This is cool!" Then she paused, seeing their anxious faces. "Is… is something wrong?"
Iduna shot him a glance. A look, filled to the brim with the liquid tremors of fear and uncertainty they were both holding inside. An unsaid question, housing a million thoughts and worries in every twitch of the eye, every syllable of the phrase.
What do we do?
He didn't know what to do. What did they do?
"I'm very confused," Anna piped up, standing with her arms crossed a few feet away. "Why is Elsa allowed to walk farther than me?" She humphed in slight disapproval.
No one had any answers.
"Papa? What's the matter?" His eldest daughter's voice came again, this time accompanied by an underlying sense of concern, like she knew something was up.
Iduna stepped forward, wringing her hands nervously. "Elsa…" she started, but then her eyes darted to him. She was about to stop, but Agnarr encouraged her to continue. So she did. "Elsa… how far can you go?"
Wait a minute. Agnarr's eyes widened, visions of his daughter being swallowed by the mist, never to be seen again, flashing across his eyes. Mattias… "Hang on-!"
Elsa took a deep breath and plowed ahead before he could stutter a response. Thankfully, she was stopped just as her body completely faded from view, the mist finally putting up some resistance. Pink flurries of contagious fire rippled along the mist's entire perimeter.
A small bell rang out somewhere, loud and clear in the still morning air. It startled everyone for a second, but that was all. No resounding gong. No flare in the sky, of the colors of the spirits. No change in the mist.
Elsa tentatively smiled back at her mother. "Not too far." The smile was returned.
As soon as she had backed out of the fog, Agnarr and Iduna hugged her tightly, held her, made sure she hadn't been sucked away. They held the embrace for a full minute.
Curious, Anna wandered up to the mist, observing its bright pink shimmer. "Whoa. Pretty." She waved a hand inside its depths, trying to get the flakes to land on her arm. No luck. Then, putting her little hands on her hips in typical Anna fashion, she fixed the others with a suspicious frown. "Alright, now what's going on here?" Slowly, Elsa turned to gaze at Agnarr as well, her large innocent blue eyes looking to him for comfort.
He and Iduna both cleared their throats at the same time. Glanced at each other. Nodded. Sent a silent message to the other, one carried by the winds of agreement, a messenger floating on the barren landscape's dry breeze.
One step at a time.
Agnarr spoke first. "Your- your mother and I have- have come here multiple times before."
His wife continued. "We've… we've never seen this before. The mist allowing anyone to get farther than, well, a few feet in."
"You're the first one, Elsa, to ever have done anything like this. The mist hasn't fallen in 18 years. Not since it trapped everyone inside. And locked everyone out. But now-"
"But now," Iduna spoke, cutting him off, the beginnings of an exuberant grin forming on her face, "Now it might be possible, Elsa." She caressed her daughter's face lovingly, her fingers tracing patterns of warmth and courage along her cheek, her eyes buoyed with a newfound sense of… what was it? Joy? Energy?
Agnarr found out in her next words.
"Hope, Elsa. Now, we have hope."
0o0o0o0
"What does it mean?" her husband asked quietly, holding her tightly against his chest, his voice barely above a whisper.
Somehow, through the whirlwind of emotions flying through her head, Iduna managed a half-hearted response. "I- I don't know." She felt dizzy.
"That… that was scary," he continued. "Seeing Elsa disappear into the mist."
They turned to look at her, not far away, playing with Anna. At the moment it seemed the two were creating figures from the snow and running them into a pretend mist. Iduna smiled. Even when there was real magic, a literal crystalline wall of fog, right next to them, the only thing her daughters cared about was each other. Her heart melted a little at the sentiment.
"They're doing okay."
"I know," he said. "I just- I remember the day the mist formed. And…" His voice trailed off.
They were both silent for a moment.
"You… you saw the path, right?"
"Yes…" Agnarr said, distantly. "What about it?"
Chuckling lightly to herself, she squeezed his back. "Can- can I just say something crazy?"
He chuckled. "You know me. I'm the King of crazy." But then, seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he stepped back and tilted his head forward in that very annoyingly cute gesture of his. "What are you thinking?"
It can't be, her mind told her, doors opening, gates unlocking to let out thoughts that hadn't seen the light of day in decades. The mist… Elsa… the bell. Was it really possible…?
She almost screamed and let it all out. As in, everything. Her past, the real reason behind her excitement. But fortunately, she had the caution to check her words before they rolled off her tongue. "I… I… We don't know anything yet, but…" Fixating him with an intense gaze, she could feel an energy rumbling in her chest that she hadn't felt in years. "Elsa was able to partially open the mist. No one has ever managed to do that before. It might not be forever closed! We- we could open it! And-"
"Wait, hang on," he said, brows furrowing in confusion.
"Agnarr, listen to me!" Iduna said, clutching his jacket in hysterical laughter. "We can free the mist! We can save the ones we lost!"
"Why? How?"
"Elsa is special, Agnarr. We've known that, but I don't think we ever understood just how much. I don't know exactly why, or how, but maybe, one day, she can save them! Everyone!"
Slowly, it hit. She saw it in the way his eyes lit up, phoenixes of fire taking breath in a lost dream. She saw it in the way his eyes widened, revealing play by play of an epiphany taking place. And she heard it. In his voice.
"Iduna!" he gasped, blinking. "…Iduna!"
They both screamed and, in the heat of the moment, she jumped onto him and they fell to the ground in a heap of discombobulated elation. After rolling around for a good minute, Agnarr kissed her, his embrace of love sending waves of excitement and euphoria down her spine, like a single package, that, once unwrapped, erupted within her with the might of the sun. They lay there, heads touching, smiles reaching Ahtohallan, staring up at the clouds and the blue sky.
"We are crazy," he told her, his voice squeakily high in a tone she hadn't heard since their teenage years. "We are the craziest people on this planet."
She laughed, then reached out with her finger and booped him playfully on the nose. "Together. We're crazy, together."
Suddenly, next to them, a boom of sound and light made their heads swivel.
It had been Elsa's magic. As they propped themselves up on their elbows and watched, mesmerized, Elsa threw her hands up, launching another sparkling, diaphanous ball of ice-blue magic into the sky. It twirled in the air for a second, before exploding outwards in a turquoise surge, sending a cacophony of music across the plains.
Beside her, Agnarr grimaced. She could hear the sharp intake of breath through his teeth as he nervously glanced left and right, looking for anyone who might have seen it.
But before he could call for Elsa to stop, Iduna put a hand on his arm. "It's okay. Let them play."
He resisted her pull. "Someone's going to see her magic. We need to stop them."
She pulled harder. "No one's around here. You know that. And we're miles and miles away from Arendelle or any other tribe."
He could only groan as they watched Elsa project more flurries into the air, Anna racing about next to her, trying to catch the drifting flakes on her tongue. She squealed in delight with every success.
"Look at them, Agnarr. They're happy. I know we've tried so hard to keep her powers hidden, but I… I…" She locked her gaze on Agnarr's face. His mustache twitched uncomfortably. "What if we let her use her powers here? To see what she can do?"
He shook his head. "If Arendelle found out…"
She nodded, tilting her head forward. "No one is out here, Agnarr. This is where Elsa can be free. Free to be herself. Maybe we can come here more often. To help her learn to control her powers. Here. In a safe place. Suppressing them will only burden her."
Then she cocked her head to her left at the wall, still faintly rippling with pink flashes. "And, maybe, she'll learn how to unlock the mist. How to save our loved ones."
"And," she said, deciding to go for it, "maybe, how to mend our bond with Northuldra." His eyes widened, but he said nothing.
And, her soul reminded her, pulsing with hope and love, I can reunite with my people.
This was the first time in their history with the mist, she realized, that "maybe" had proven to be true. The first time that it had led to more "maybes." Had fed the growing blossom in her chest, given her an answer or two, or given them a lead. She welcomed the change.
Across from her, Agnarr got up, smiled, and hugged her once more. His voice came out deep and genuine as he spoke. "I trust you, Iduna. More than anyone or anything. I know we'll do what's best for them. You and me."
She nodded firmly. "Together."
He echoed her call to action, sealing the agreement. "Together."
Then, his hand falling off her shoulder, he turned to his daughters, picked up a snowball from the leftover piles of Elsa's magic, and tossed it at Anna. Easily dodging it, she yelled in a fierce battle cry and charged him, attacking him with snowballs from left and right. He yelped and ran away, jokingingly asking when on Earth Anna had gotten all this target practice.
And Iduna watched it all, her smile bright as the breeze twirled about her and, or had she just imagined it? A chirp, light and buoyant, fluttering down her scarf. The early afternoon light streamed down in rays of golden warmth, hitting her face and gleaming as she looked back at the mist. At her family. Somewhere in there.
I hear you, her mind said. And I'm coming.
With that, she bent down, rolled a snowball in her hand, and pelted Agnarr face-first mid-air.
A/N: Maybe Iduna's thought process is this as the story fades away: Boink! Snowball away! Destination: Agnarr's head.
A very special round of applause to anyone who got that last easter egg. xD
Once again, a HUGE thank you to Lily, for being the amazing person you are every day, and for whom this fic was written. PLEASE get some sleep. And try to stop procrastinating on your stuff so much. Yes, I'm being serious.
Thank you everyone so much for reading, and I hope I brought a smile to you this holiday season. Happy holidays everyone! Stay safe, and this is Collington, signing off.