CHAPTER FOUR: THE NORTHWIND
Images of Elsa in trouble, being hurt and calling for her played in Queen Anna's head, causing her to toss and turn in her sleep wakening her husband, King Hans. She shot up in a cold sweat, "ELSA!" It took her a few seconds to comprehend that she was in the royal palace and feel the touch of Hans's hand rub her softly to comfort her.
"You had another nightmare again. You've been having them every night since Elsa left," Hans pointed out. "They're getting worse."
Anna moved the blanket so she could get up to get some fresh air on the balcony. Hans got up and followed her, wrapping his arms gently and resting his head against her red hair as he listened to her, "At first, I had a nightmare but wouldn't remember it the next morning. Each night, it gets worse. The images I see are becoming clearer and more terrifying. She's in trouble. I know it. I need to go after her."
"We can't leave Arendelle. Not know. Not after we just got the global alliance started. The council will be demanding our presence more and more," Hans replied.
"Are you asking me…to cast my sister aside for Arendelle? To abandon her when she needs me most?" Anna asked.
Hans turned her around so he could look in her worried teal eyes, "No. I'm asking you to have faith in her and Kristoff. After the death of your parents and Elsa giving up the throne, Arendelle's monarchy is now whole. The Council will not accept us leaving, let alone one of us," Hans explained.
Anna nodded, understanding how important their proposition meant and she rested in Hans' arms as he held her. "It's hard to have faith when your only family member leaves for a place I can't follow. I lost my parents, Hans, I can't lose her too."
"You won't. Not if Kristoff has anything to say about it," Hans replied.
Further north, in a clearing of wild flowers, a wind with a mind of its own blew close to the grass and swirled in one spot waiting. Next, the earth shook and opened up and a figure made out of rock and dirt stood tall. After that, a cloud of fire appeared, scorching the grass beneath it. Finally, a figure of water emerged from a small body of water nearby. There these four spirits gathered, but they weren't like the other spirits, because these four didn't possess the magic of goblin spells or fairies, but possessed the most powerful magic of all, the very magic of nature. Air. Fire. Earth. Water. These spirits embodied the very world itself.
If one was an elemental spirit like these four, one would understand the supernatural language in which they spoke. No human has ever heard this language and would never understand it. They spoke of a presence they felt years ago when they were trapped within a deep slumber, only to awaken when the magic that sealed them returned. They questioned what this could mean to them and their plans to purge the world of humanity and allow nature to prosper and grow. They knew they couldn't let this magic interfere again and the spirit of the winds flew off to face the approaching magic all four sensed.
Elsa ran north as fast as her legs would take her, using her magic to destroy dark spirits that lunged at her from the trees. The forest around her flashed a bright blue each time she did. She could hear the Ice Spirit calling her even north. Her body was growing faith from over exertion of her energy and magic, but her spirit was as strong as ever, willing her to keep pressing forward. For too long, she wondered about who she was, where her magic came from. Now she had a clue from Yelena. The Ice Spirit. Answers was almost within her grasp. Despite the excitement she was feeling, tears filled her eyes when she thought of Kristoff and Gerda. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
She didn't know this, but Kristoff was closing in fast after finally getting free and leaving Gerda with Yelena. He ran fast through the woods, relying on his knowledge of the wilderness to guide himself north. In his right hand, he held his Arendellean sword, which he used to slice through low branches and brush. "Elsa!"
Elsa slowed down and turned when she heard Kristoff and Kristoff exited the brush, stopping when he saw his wife. Elsa demanded, "What are you doing here?! You were supposed to remain with Gerda at camp."
"Really? I wasn't told that. I guess I'm not used to people making decisions for me," Kristoff talked back with attitude as he approached his wife.
"I did that to protect you both," Elsa explained, her voice rising as well with anger.
When he got closer, he held up her hand that carried wedding ring, "I made a vow, Elsa, and I don't intend to break it."
Elsa's face softened as she was about to say something, but an invisible force struck them both, separating them. When Elsa looked up, she saw a ball of spinning wind around Kirstoff, sucking the air out of his lungs as he dropped his sword and desperately clung at his throat for air.
"Kristoff!" Elsa screamed, rushing to him and placing her magic glowing hands against the sphere of air. As if her magic hurt it, the wind spirit withdrew and became much angrier. Elsa stood with a scowl as the tornado rushed her and Kristoff who was still gasping for air, finally able to breathe again.
Elsa's eyes glowed bright blue with anger, determined not to let it get to Kristoff as she unleashed a pulse of her magic to repel the wind spirit. Some of her magic got on Kristoff's sword, covering the blade with a thin decorative pattern of ice. The two stood, guarded, when it got to silent. "Did I kill it?" Elsa asked.
"It couldn't have been that easy," Kristoff muttered but he was starting to wonder the same thing. "We should head north. That's where the Ice Spirit is, right?" They began to walk north, believing they had just won, but the malicious wind spirit rushed for them with their backs turned. Kristoff saw it coming and quickly slashed with his sword. A strange noise, like the final cry, filled the woods and the sudden gust of wind stopped. Kristoff stared at his ice-covered blade with surprise. "You're ice! You made my sword fatal to the spirits because of your ice. You know what this means? The Northuldra and Arendelle can fight back. We have to go back and-"
"No need," Elsa replied unleashing her icy magic in the direction of the Northuldra camp, willing it to return to the camp and cover the staffs of the natives.
Before Elsa and Kristoff could celebrate, the forest around them began to burn with a purple flame. Elsa and Kristoff became guarded when some of the fire became the shape of a man and a malicious evil whisper said, "Elllllssssssaaaaa."
Elsa quickly cleared a path for them to escape, but Kristoff stood his ground, "I'll hold it off. Go! Find the Ice Spirit!" He lunged at the figure of fire with his sword but the fiery entity just dissipated back into an incorporeal form of purple fire. Elsa was hesitant but forced herself to leave.
Kristoff struck through the clod of purple fire. Each time, the cloud of fire got smaller and smaller so he kept swing and stabbing at it. The fire was reduced to a pathetic campfire before Kristoff's eyes. He plunged the sword into the center of it and a painful cry echoed and then there was silence. Kristoff ran after Elsa in hopes to catch up with her, oblivious to the single spark of the fire spirit that still remained and flowed in the breeze towards the Northuldra camp.
Elsa stood on the sandy beach of the Dark Sea. The sight of the violent waves made Elsa think about how her parents could've died at sea and the emotions she felt when the news came to her and Anna long ago came rushing back. "Elsa!" The sound of Kristoff calling for her shook her out of it. She tried making an icy path to walk on but the waves were too violent and kept destroying the bridge she tried to make. Kristoff wouldn't be able to follow so she quickly ran across the waves with tears willing ice to form beneath her feet.
Kristoff appeared on the shore and yelled, "Elsa! Elsa!"
Elsa stopped and looked back, "Take care of Gerda!"
"Not without you!" Kristoff sheathed his sword and began swimming after her but the waves were tossing him around.
"Go back, Kristoff! You won't survive! You'll drown!" He ignored her pleas, desperately and fearfully swimming for her as fast as he could. The waves grew in fierceness as the water spirit revealed itself as a wild horse and attacked Elsa. Kristoff pulled his sword out and quickly swam to her to protect Elsa, but the horse became a large violent wave and crashed down on him. Knocked unconscious by the overwhelming force of the wave, Kristoff began to sink and his sword drifted out of his hands and into the deep with him. Elsa swam for him, alarmed, but the water spirit kept attacking her, knocking her away from him as Kristoff continued to drown. She tried to swim for him, trying to yell his name but her voice was muffled by the water
The more Kristoff drifted away from her, the more she panicked as she swam for him only to be knocked away by the water spirit. No! NO! YOU WILL LEAVE US ALONE!
Elsa unleashed all her magic in all her fury, freezing the horse and thus calming the waves. Elsa grabbed Kristoff and used her magic to quickly get them to the surface where she made a platform for them to lay on.
"Kristoff! Kristoff, please!" Elsa begged, seeing he was breathing. She began pushing down on the center of his chest and blowing into his mouth, she kept repeating. Desperation was rising and rising as she screamed, "Please! Please, Kristoff! Wake up! Please, wake up! Gerda needs you! I need you! You can't leave us! Please, don't leave me! You can't leave me! Your Queen forbids it!"
Finally, Kristoff coughed up the water and out of pure joy Elsa crashed her lips into his, kissing her husband with fierce intense happiness. Kristoff smiled after pulling away, startled. "Well, maybe I should drown more often."
Elsa hit him repeatedly, instantly getting triggered and very upset. She began to cry as she continued hitting him. "You-! I told you not to follow! You didn't listen! I thought-! I thought I lost you, Kristoff!"
Kristoff finally pulled her close and kissed her which gradually calmed her. She continued to cry in between their lips meeting. Kristoff cupped her face and cleared it of tears with his thumbs. "I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth. I love you, Elsa."
Elsa smiled and kissed him back. Kristoff's eyes widened and pulled Elsa behind him defensively. Elsa looked up and saw the Water Spirit standing before them as a horse. Elsa stood back up angrily and stood between her and Kristoff. Her anger fueled her magic and caused her to freeze the entire Dark Sea. Finally, the horse bowed to her, which surprised them both. It rose and came to her to allow her to get on. With the touch of her hand, she froze it again but the horse was still able to move. Elsa turned to Kristoff and offered her hand.
Kristoff took her hand and got up, "Can we trust it?"
"I don't know," Elsa replied. She quickly looked north when she heard the call of the Ice Spirit again and the horse gestured towards the sound. "It wants to take us to Ahtohallan."
Kristoff was hesitant but climbed onto the horse with Elsa. Elsa held onto the icy reins and Kristoff held onto her hips as they rode across the frozen Dark Sea.