Chapter 2: In her waters, deep and true
Honeymaren woke up with a smile that day. Before her eyes even opened, she could feel Elsa's leg wrapped around hers. As she arose and was blessed by the sight of the floating candle jars above the bed, her hand slid to her wife's arm, and she was surprised to see that Elsa was holding her from behind. The Northuldra smirked when she felt her hand on her belly, like a passive hug. It was rare from Elsa to act as the big spoon, so the brunette swooned. She wanted to turn around and kiss her, but that would wake her up, and she preferred to give her some more minutes of sleep. Especially when, at the way she felt her breathing against her back, she was still deep into slumber.
Elsa loved full moon nights at the camp. The hut was built with all the Northuldra expertise and was thick enough to filter noises, but she liked how some sounds of the Nature could be heard sometimes. In addition to cricket chirps, every now and then, she would hear the calls of an owl, or distant wolf cubs yapping as they played with Gale. Somehow, those noises helped her find sleep, and Honeymaren wasn't surprised to find her in this state. Elsa wasn't this accompanied in her silent nights at the Arendelle castle.
The brunette had understood long ago that even if Elsa looked like she felt safer rejecting everyone, she actually craved for company, whether it be sounds or physical presence.
Sadly, the light in the hut passing through the slits of the wood gave the leader the indication that it was time to wake up. The smell of breakfast did as well, and when Honeymaren turned to wake up her lover, a disapproval moan escaped Elsa's lips, her eyes still closed but eyebrows knotting.
The brunette immediately stopped moving, freezing in her posture face to face with her, their bodies laying on opposite sides and symmetrical. Elsa slowly fell back to sleep, her breathing even again, and Honeymaren placed the blonde's hand back to her waist.
She could watch her sleep for hours. Firstly, because Elsa didn't always have peaceful leaden slumbers, nightmares and doubts being still recurrent to the blonde. Secondly, because Elsa had a very particular way to sleep, that Honeymaren never got tired of watching. The blonde always was a bit huddled, with a hand on her lover like she was afraid she would be taken away from her - once Elsa had asked her where she was going when Honeymaren actually only stood up to fetch water - and the other hand on the pillow next to her, on eye level. The fact none of her hands were under the pillow nor the pelts was symbolic. Though, was it to keep an eye on them at all times or because she didn't feel like hiding them anymore?
Reluctantly, Honeymaren slowly woke her wife up with gentle strokes on her cheek. Elsa moaned again. Yet, this time, she agreed that she had to get up, because she could smell the delicious cooking filling her nostrils.
"Why is it when I'm getting comfortable that we have to wake up?" She mumbled.
Honeymaren chuckled, and hearing that laugh was the perfect motivation for Elsa. She blinked slowly, so slowly that the brunette had to do everything in her power to not cancel the day and cuddle with her.
"Life is unfair." She smiled.
The Fifth Spirit simply groaned in return. Her hold tightened, her hand not letting go of her wife, her leg wrapping even more around hers.
Honeymaren blinked. "Why are you so possessive this morning, love?" She asked in a soft tone.
Elsa opened her eyes fully, but then blushed and diverted them. "I'm just a bit worried."
Honeymaren passed a hand in her hair. "There's no 'a bit worried' with Elsa Nattura of Arendelle. What's on your mind?"
The blonde sighed.
"I'm thinking about the attack. What if the person behind this wasn't actually planning to threaten the tribe while we're gone, but actually did it as a test?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if they took advantage of our absence to see if, with a magic attack of this sort, the Spirits could stop them?"
Honeymaren frowned as she caught her drift. "To see if the Spirits can't interact with dark magic, like ancient tales say."
Elsa nodded with sadness. The brunette resumed to stroking her hair. "So you're afraid that next time they attack, they'll do as they please."
"Not only that. I'm afraid... That the target is you."
Her eyes shone with an emotion that Honeymaren didn't like to see there.
"Why are you so worried that they were actually coming for me?" Asked the Northuldra, cuddling closer.
Elsa looked at her like it was obvious. "Because I don't want to lose you?!"
"You said the other day that you were persuaded I could face anything."
"And I was sincere! I still think that! But…"
"But what, Elsa."
The blonde straightened on her elbows to look at her more seriously. "Two people died, Honeymaren. Imagine what the monsters would do to you if they wanted to harm you directly."
The brunette could feel her deep concern. She also had called her 'Honeymaren' fully, which she only did in crucial times.
"Maybe they aren't planning to aim at me." Said the leader positively.
"Then if they are aiming at me, it's my fault if our friends died yesterday." Murmured Elsa, appalled.
Honeymaren blinked at her elimination process.
"You know it's not what I meant."
The blonde was however lost in her thoughts again. Honeymaren sighed. She wanted to make her lover feel better, and now it actually had turned worse. After feeling worried, Elsa now felt guilty.
"You are a difficult stress ball to love, you know that?"
Elsa frowned, so she continued. "Whether those creatures come for me or for you, you're going to take the blame, aren't you?"
The Fifth Spirit gulped. Honeymaren could tell by the way her throat tightened and her eyes blinked quickly that tears would arrive soon.
"Snømus, look at me."
She lifted her chin to make her azure blue eyes stare at her calming chestnut ones. When their gazes locked, she could already see that her wife felt better. "You said it yourself. We'll be ready. As long as we're together, nothing can stop us."
A smiled finally stretched the blonde lips.
"How about a massage before we start the day?" Smiled Honeymaren.
To her surprise, Elsa caught the brunette's wrist in her move. Even more surprising, she turned her body so that she faced her back.
"Why won't I massage you, for once?"
Honeymaren blinked. "You? How would you massaging me make you feel better?"
"Well, I like to take care of you." Muttered Elsa.
The Northuldra couldn't see her face, so she wondered if she had smiled tenderly or rather pouted, given the tone she had used.
"You often relax me with massages. Why can't I try to do it too?" Asked the blonde, sensing Honeymaren's reticence.
The latter turned around, and saw, as she expected, her adorable lover adorably pouting.
"Elsa, you're the softest person I've ever known and I know that you care deeply, and this might make you happy and I want to make you happy, but…"
"But?" Said the blonde, and she lifted her eyebrows, wondering what Honeymaren could possibly say after such a touching sentence.
"...You're really bad at finding pressure points or relieve muscles."
"What?"
"Don't take it bad. I come from a tribe where healing touch is literally taught. We know body energy points by heart. It requires years of practice."
"Then teach me." Elsa replied immediately.
"Problem is, you handle failure rather badly. Remember that time I had a sore back and you pressed a wrong spot too hard and I winced? Your touch got colder."
Elsa's face crinkled in a frown.
"Sorry, love, it's the truth." Grinned the Northuldra.
The Fifth Spirit now was sulking like a child. The truth was undeniable, so she couldn't say much, and her vexed eyes spoke for her.
"Don't make that face." Giggled Honeymaren.
"But I want to relax you too. I know that the attack stressed you as well. I can feel it. Let me just-"
She got interrupted by a finger on her lips, sealing them.
"Being in your embrace already fills me with delight, snømus." She chuckled, cuddling closer to her. "I don't need anything else than being in your arms."
Elsa's pout melted in a cute smile.
"And that adorable-" She booped the blonde's nose "-face to admire."
Her lover giggled. Honeymaren's eyes stayed locked on her face when a thought crossed her mind.
"Say, would a visit to Ahtohallan lift your spirits?"
"It always does." Smiled Elsa widely, her face already lightening up at the idea.
"I know. So let's get ready to go."
She shifted from under the pelts to sit up, when Elsa held her arm.
"But the people… We swore to protect them…"
Honeymaren smiled reassuringly. "I talked to Jongu yesterday. If we have to go away for an emergency, he and the strongest men and women of the tribe will place themselves in strategic points around the village for a flawless defense."
"Emergency? How does my worry constitutes an emergency?" Frowned Elsa.
The brunette smirked and passed a hand in her hair again. "It always does."
Elsa still frowned. "You're smothering me again. We have to stay here."
Honeymaren sighed. "For information, the strategic points we're talking about were your idea. You picked them yourself. You're the genius who built the plan of defense. Also, I would sincerely trust Jongu with my own life. He know how to deal with those monsters now. Trust me. Especially now that his wife got hurt from one of them and that his daughter's hut got destroyed."
The blonde remained mute at the strong arguments. In both cases, Honeymaren had such faith that she took it for granted. Elsa sighed.
"If that can make you feel better…" Added the brunette, "We're not going to Ahtohallan only for you."
"Uh?"
"We'll get the answers we need."
Elsa looked resolute. "You're right. The glacier is a good place to take a break, but also where we will be able to learn more about what truly happened. We can ask Ahtohallan to show us memories of the attack and see who orchestrated it, and why. I forgot for a moment that it was the source's main asset. I thought that you suggested a visit just to make me clear my mind."
The brunette giggled. "Indeed, it's really blurry right now."
"I got distracted by something else." Murmured Elsa, fidgeting with Honeymaren's night tunic collar.
"My cleavage?"
"The idea of losing you, idiot!" Laughed the blonde, and she slapped Honeymaren's arm while the latter cackled. "Can you please stop being a flirt that early in the morning?"
Her lover scoffed.
"Says the one wearing pretty much nothing to bed."
Elsa blushed and pulled up the pelts to hide her skin-like gown.
"Oh, come on. Don't play prude on me. I had a crush on you the second I saw you in your white Spirit outfit."
Elsa's lips stretched in a huge grin.
"Aww, you had a crush on me?"
Honeymaren smirked. "Babe, we're married."
"Still…" Smiled Elsa.
The brunette tenderly shook her head, and they kissed.
Honeymaren stared at the wall of ice in a speechless admiration.
"Lost your tongue?" Teased Elsa, surprised by the contrast between their chat on Nokk on the way and her still posture now.
"In the name of everything's holy… I'll never get used to this entrance."
Elsa smirked and looked up at the magical glacier. "They say you never forget your first… Well, I feel like no one is ever over the sight of Ahtohallan."
Honeymaren sighed happily. "It also is a privilege to walk this sacred place. I'll never thank you enough for that."
"Honey…"
"No, I'm serious. Elsa, you're no less than a goddess. I don't just love you with all my soul, I also worship you."
"Isn't it the same thing?" Teased the Fifth Spirit.
"No, this isn't just pure and unconditional admiration." Assured the brunette while Elsa absentmindedly checked on her winter gear, making sure that Honeymaren wouldn't feel cold. "I devote my life to you. All the Northuldra do. You are the representative of a deity. Since we're married, it leveled to another dimension, and I'm overjoyed to worship you every day I spend by your side."
Elsa stopped examining her outfit to look into her eyes. "That is extremely romantic and I think I'm gonna cry, but once again I am no deity. Do I need to remind you that I am not responsible for the Winter season?"
Honeymaren chuckled. "I know. But let me bathe in that illusion for a few years more, please?"
Elsa laughed, and opened the way to the inside of Ahtohallan.
They walked down the ice tunnels in silence, until Honeymaren massaged the back of her neck, and her wife could tell that she was struggling to ask something.
"What is it?" Smiled Elsa.
Honeymaren cleared her throat. She knew her by heart, uh?
"Once we get answers about the attack, can we… Can we go through memories of Yelena?"
"Of course." Assured Elsa right away.
She took her hand in hers, and wondered why she hadn't done it before.
"I get what you feel." Murmured the Fifth Spirit tenderly, her voice echoing against the magic ice of the source as they made their way down to its core. "We all lost someone dear in the past years. You lost Yelena, we lost Sven…"
Honeymaren inhaled longly, trying to hold her emotions. In such a stunning place, it was nearly impossible. Elsa squeezed her hand affectionately, and she smiled.
"How is Mattias, by the way?" She asked to divert the topic a bit.
"Oh, he's great. Him and Halima visit us when I'm in Arendelle. I had a meal with them not so long ago. You know, baldness suits him."
Honeymaren burst out of laughter, and it echoed in the chambers like it did with their voices. Her unique laugh resonated until Elsa's heart, making it leap.
"I don't doubt it. I miss him."
"He does too. He may have known you all your life, he somehow miss your face." Playfully shrugged Elsa. "I don't know how that's possible. In 4 years of marriage, I'm starting to get bored to see it."
Honeymaren nudged Elsa so hard she lost her balance, and laughed as she held herself to the narrow wall. It was a good thing she had ice powers and fused with the floor, otherwise such a blow would have made her slip and fall to the bottom of the corridor.
"Speaking of missing…" She said, more serious. "I know that you're very busy with your leader duties, but I'm often asked about when you'll come back to Arendelle."
Honeymaren frowned. "What are you talking about? I saw Anna, Kristoff and the kids a month ago."
Elsa smiled. "I mean the Arendellians. The citizens miss you too, you know? You're a model to them and you inspire and lot of people. Not only children, adults as well."
The brunette gave a 'How?' expression with lifted eyebrows.
"They admire the Northuldra lifestyle, and love to hear you talk about it from your point of view. I'm not kidding! They love you so much, Honey. I wish you could see it."
The brunette had a thinking moment. "Well, I guess that at the end of the season, I can visit the town…"
The grin on her wife's face already made this a great idea.
Elsa suddenly raised her hand in front of her, and Honeymaren puffed as she kept walking.
"What are you protecting me from? What can possibly happen to us h-"
The end of Honeymaren's sentence escaped her throat as she suddenly slipped on the ice, and almost fell forward. As the tunnel was going down and soon headed to a bottomless pit, Elsa's reflex was welcome, and she clinged to her arm.
"Phew. Thank you, dear."
Elsa giggled as she helped her stand up. "You often trip here. I swear, one day I'll have to pick you up from the abyss."
Honeymaren held to her as they continued to walk. Elsa made sure that the stairs that she had built there instead of pillars were stable, and they kept going.
"You know, you can let go off my arm now." Grinned Honeymaren at the bottom, her face overflowing with tease and sarcasm.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Apologized Elsa.
She was about to let go, but her wife held her body even tighter.
"What are y-"
"I can't resist. You look gorgeous at the light of the crystals."
They were going down the path where pink and purple hues particularly highlighted Elsa's skin tone and made her hair look magical in its bright white. Her light cheeks turned red quickly.
Honeymaren laughed. "Don't blush that hard, or Bruni is gonna be jealous of the fire on your face."
That remark actually made Elsa blush even harder.
"Then stop being so… Flirty!" She mumbled, giving her a tap on the arm.
She nevertheless didn't pull away from her, and the Northuldra smirked. Elsa's hand actually even wandered along her strong arm, Honeymaren's biceps clenched with the embrace posture she had, noticeable despite the thick coat.
"What's the matter? Ashamed of being horny in a sacred place?" Teased Honeymaren. "Come on, snømus, I can almost hear your heart beating faster."
She took Elsa's hand that wasn't busy feeling her muscle to take it to her lips and kiss it. Maybe it was an effect of the glowing lights, but Elsa's blush seemed even redder than before. Honeymaren purposely kept kissing her hand, and Elsa's mouth pressed in a thin line, none of them breaking eye contact.
The stress that had seized Elsa that morning completely vanished away; now, it felt like she was floating. With her bare foot in contact with the magic ice under them, and both her hands on her wife, with her gaze lost in hers, she truly felt like she was in another plane of existence. Maybe reached the place she's never been more herself.
Honeymaren delighted in the sight of seeing Elsa quite literally melting. Anna once had mentioned how the brunette was the only one who made Elsa's ice walls completely go down. In their embrace, in the privacy of this silent glacier, nothing about Elsa's aroused behavior reminded that she was the Queen of Ice and Snow. The way her breathing sped up and she stood close to Honeymaren also didn't suggest that she once was a reclusive and socially anxious person.
Elsa cleared her throat quietly, swallowing as well as she realized it got very dry. "We… Uhm… We probably should keep going."
Honeymaren smirked. She however didn't insist. She never did. If Elsa wasn't in the mood or found it inappropriate, so be it. She gave her a warm kiss anyway.
Azure blue eyes, that looked slightly more arctic with the light, gave her a stare when she stepped out of her arms.
"You are impossible." Murmured Elsa, her voice wavy as she tried to calm her feelings.
"And you are a very tempting goddess."
Elsa's eyes filled with touched tears, and she smiled shyly. Honeymaren giggled.
"My, forget Bruni. If Nokk ever goes missing, we can use your numerous emotional tears as a replacement to form a new water horse."
Elsa sighed in a scoff. "Do you ever stop? Also, that's rude."
"You're the one getting emotional when I compliment you!"
"Yes, because I'm still touched at how much you love me!"
A silence passed as they walked down the chambers.
"Sometimes I can't help but think that you say all those things to make me happy and you're just being nice."
Honeymaren shook her head. "Sure, and I actually forced myself to marry you."
Elsa looked away with a smile, and passed a hand along the ice wall to pretend that she was admiring it.
"What did I do to deserve you?" She mumbled after a while, looking at her.
Honeymaren smiled as she met her eyes. "What did I do to be blessed by your arrival in my life? I'm the lucky one."
She saw the way Elsa opened her mouth to sigh or disapprove. "No, really. I'm not flirting here. Love, I was living a classic life trapped in an enclosed area because of that magic barrier that had been there since I was born. Until you passed it with nonchalance, like it was nothing but fog, literally stepping in my world and turning it upside down. A barrier that I always knew was impassable, crossed by a stunning woman with a god tier aura? Who then restored our relationship with the Spirits? You're a damn miracle, Elsa. And I was just the witness."
A silence passed. And obviously, Elsa's emotional tears fell. Abundantly.
"See? What did I tell you. A whole horse." Smiled Honeymaren to lighten the mood.
She received a slap on the arm, and her laugh echoed down the magical source.
Honeymaren stumbled two other times on their way down, and Elsa laughed at her struggle.
"Hey, we don't all have magic feet." Frowned the brunette.
"Sorry. You're just so funny."
The lights around them fluttered.
"Is she mocking me?" Frowned Honeymaren, referring to Ahtohallan.
Elsa felt the emotion of the source, and nodded. "A little."
"Let me guess, when you come alone, you go to the memories chamber way faster?"
The Fifth Spirit grinned. "I slide all along."
"Show-off."
A rumble ahead went above their voices, until now set in silence.
"Ah, here there are." Smiled Elsa.
A thousand of snowgies made their way to them, tickling Honeymaren's legs and ruffling Elsa's hair like every time they did on their visits.
"Yeah, I'm happy to see you too." Laughed Elsa, trying to pet as many as she could.
They met Marshmallow several meters below, and he fiercely hugged them. Sometimes, Elsa had troubles remembering that he actually was threatening in the first place. Here, he acted as a really good guardian, even if Ahtohallan was sentient and perfectly able to trap people with bad intentions.
"Where Olaf?" Asked the enormous snowman as he put them down gently.
"Oh, he's gone exploring in the West. Anna sent me a letter about him. He will be traveling for a long time, so don't expect any news from him for a moment." Elsa informed, petting his leg.
His giant smiled turned to a pout. Since Olaf had gained in maturity and had found himself a passion in exploration, the other creations saw him less often.
"Do you miss him?" Worried Elsa with a soft voice.
Marshmallow answered right away. "No a lot. He very talkative. Here silent, and good."
Honeymaren and Elsa laughed at his answer. Indeed, she could tell that the giant snowman preferred Ahtohallan to the ice palace because it was under the sea level and there was no wind sounds. As for the snowgies, they had way more fun here than they did when the palace stood; the glacier had tons of slides and tunnels they could play into. Sometimes, Elsa wondered if she had been wrong to not rebuilt her ice palace after it collapsed due to her freezing, but none of her snow people seemed bothered by it. She felt that Ahtohallan was a better bubble of tranquillity, as it was the source of her magic, and not a structure she had built to isolate herself from the world.
"Elsa, you're coming?"
"Yeah, sorry, I was lost in thoughts."
She walked with Honeymaren in the room, where transparent pillars stood proudly.
"Hey, was your theory correct, about those pillars?" Asked the brunette, remembering she had forgotten to ask after Elsa's last visit to Ahtohallan.
"Oh, yes. I asked to see memories of who built them, because they're clearly human made, and she showed me images of the previous Fifth Spirit crafting them. I gotta say, he got creative. And had lot of fun, according to the memories." She smiled.
Honeymaren smiled. When Elsa had announced to the Northuldra that the leader preceding Yelena was in fact the previous Fifth Spirit, and that he had kept his double identity secret to protect everyone, the tribe was completely astounded. Elsa had then felt deep shame; her grandfather had killed him, and in the process, without even doing it on purpose, stopped the Fifth Spirit from existing, until she was born herself. Honeymaren remembered how she apologized for hours, stating that it was unfair that the granddaughter of his murderer got to inherit from his powers, and how she had then melted to tears when all of the Northuldra forgave her, and accepted her among them without hesitation.
It made sense then why the tales Honeymaren had been told since she was a child talked about the Fifth Spirit as a legend, for he was long dead and nobody knew if he ever existed. His visits to Ahtohallan were done in pure secrecy at nights, and he was covered by the Spirits who would act as distractions. That way, the leader would make sure that he would stay modest and not be worshipped as superior. Elsa often looked at memories of him, and was inspired by his humility.
A few meters further, they arrived at the memories dome, plunged in the dark. The blonde walked to the center of the room to walk on the united Spirits symbol and activate it.
"So, memories of the attack first." She murmured. "Ahtohallan!"
The symbol lit up in bright white, and the glacier seemed to wake up from a standby sleep. It greeted them in the main chamber with memories of both Elsa and Honeymaren displaying on the gigantic wall of the dome in sparks of colors.
"Hello, little snow." Chimed Iduna's voice, and Elsa's heart squeezed with emotion.
She was certain that Ahtohallan purposely chose the most beautiful memories of her mom to communicate with her. As the magic source could only talk through memories of the world and felt to Elsa's soul like she was a woman, it made perfect sense.
Honeymaren liked the nickname her mother gave to her when she was little, but remained serious as she stood next to Elsa and faced the deity.
"Ahtohallan, we wish to see memories of yesterday, before the Northuldra village got attacked."
The magic source didn't need more details; after all, it was an omniscient glacier. It replayed memories of the few minutes before the creatures raided the camp, and it gave Elsa and Honeymaren the feeling to see several scrapbooks getting rapidly flipped at the same time. Their eyes darted from one to the other.
Honeymaren knew every member of the tribe even better than Elsa, so she was the first one to tell when something odd appeared.
"There!" She exclaimed, pointing at someone who was standing behind trees. "I've never seen this man before. He's not a Northuldra."
Elsa looked at the silhouette her wife was pointing at.
It was a rather old man, standing stoically, and he had messed-up brown hair. He looked determined and frigid, and his attitude somehow reminded Elsa of her grandfather, which gave her shivers.
What surprised Elsa was that this stranger wasn't even hiding. He simply observed from where he stood behind the trees, the Northuldra too busy in their daily tasks to notice him, Kristoff also busy helping some children. He simply waited in the distance, and wasn't wearing a hood or anything.
"Ahtohallan, who is this man?"
"Victor Eiglatson." Answered the source in Mattias' voice.
Honeymaren widened her eyes as they saw a memory of Mattias saying that name. "Mattias knows him?!"
Elsa was stunned as well. She squinted at the general. "He's not much younger than present time in this memory. This might have happened a few years ago."
"You're right."
"Do you think that he's a friend of Mattias?" Inquired Honeymaren, and Elsa heard a bit of disappointment in her voice. If the two men were allies, then it would be a really tearing situation.
"No", assured Elsa. "Look at the way he said his name. He's disdainful."
They nodded, and kept observing the memory of the mysterious man.
"Victor Eiglatson…" Muttered Elsa, thinking out loud. "He's an Arendellian, that's for sure."
She tilted her head, squinting. "But why would an Arendellian attack the Northuldra?"
The two lands and people were at peace since more than 15 years.
Honeymaren shrugged, and they continued to watch. They clenched their jaws as the moment went on and he started raising his arms, creating monsters made of a sort of dark goo, exactly like Kristoff depicted them, and the humanoid creatures made their way to the camp like ramping ink.
The Northuldra clenched her eyes shut when the Northuldra's camp got destroyed, and turned away. "I'm sorry, I can't watch this."
"It's alright", assured Elsa in a soft and caring voice, taking her in her arms so she could put her face against her shoulder, which she did.
The blonde nevertheless kept staring at the way dark magic came out of his hands, just like ice and snow one came out of hers. It was the same kind of gesture, only this one was cruel and malevolent, she could tell. Why would someone with magic use it to do something bad? The concept escaped her completely.
She soothed her lover with a rubbing hand in her back. "Hey... It's over. Ahtohallan stopped the memory."
The blonde lifted her head to the deity. "Were there Northuldra who saw his face?"
"None…" Started the voice, using a memory of Gerda.
"...that day", she finished in the voice of Oaken.
Elsa blinked, both at the funny choice of faces to say that, and the actual answer. "None that day? What do you mean?"
She took a mental note to tell Anna that she was right when she complained about how ambiguous the magic glacier was. 'I swear, you get your drama queen side from her gifting', had once said the redhead, and she was probably right.
"Who saw him, then?" Inquired Honeymaren.
"The Fifth Spirit did."
Elsa pointed at herself, a bit confused. "You mean, me…? Or…?"
"The previous Fifth Spirit." Specified Ahtohallan.
The two wives exchanged a gaze.
"He did?"
"Wait, could you show memories of the moment, or moments, when he saw him?"
New memories displayed above the ones already on the wall of the dome, and they were oddly blur. Elsa found it weird, but also realized that it wasn't how they could find a solution to stop that man. They also had to know what drove him to commit such an act.
"Can we see memories of this Victor before the attack?" Therefore asked Elsa. She then urged to lift her hands. "But only general ones. Not intimate."
The Northuldra leader wondered if Elsa had once forgotten to sort Ahtohallan's results and ended with inappropriate memories.
"Actually, specifically search for moments that could have led him to plan this attack." Continued the blonde.
Ahtohallan gleamed, and now used and mixed several memory sentences to answer. "I can show you memories of his deepest anger."
Elsa felt a bit bad to do so, but she nodded.
The dome wall suddenly exploded in a hundred different moving images, juxtaposing with the memories of the Fifth Spirit. With its multiple colors, it was beautiful, but a real mess.
"That is confusing." Admitted Honeymaren. "Ahtohallan, could you remo-"
"No, wait." Interrupted Elsa, and she held her arm. "I got an idea."
The blonde inspected the timelines closer. "Actually, it's more of an intuition…"
She spent several seconds staring at all the images, her experted eyes matching the ones of a lynx as she gained experience from the numerous times she visited Ahtohallan.
"Look." She suddenly pointed with both of her hands. "There was a time when the Fifth Spirit and Victor interracted. They knew each other."
She showed how two memories matched perfectly by the landscape behind and the time of day.
"Well done, snømus." Complimented Honeymaren with a grin and a proud side hug.
Elsa smiled. So they had a common past… She lifted her eyes to the magic source, still pointing.
"Can we know more about what happened that day?"
Ahtohallan sparkled. "There is a way. You can see through the repressed memories of the Fifth Spirit."
Elsa and Honeymaren widened their eyes.
"Excuse me… Repressed?"
"The Fifth Spirit had memories he didn't want to remember?"
They exchanged a gaze. Their priorities were a bit different.
"Yes. Encrypted memories." Ahtohallan answered naturally, like it was something completely ordinary.
"Encrypted?" Repeated Honeymaren.
"That means that they can only be accessible through a code." Explained the blonde. "Like when you use Northuldra symbols instead of letters in your messages."
"Yeah, I know what it means, thank you, nerdy head. What I don't understand it, why the hell would our past leader want to hide something?"
"It's not about hiding." Clarified Ahtohallan before Elsa would even reply. "Those aren't memories that the Fifth Spirit wanted to keep away from the world, but keep away from himself."
A silence passed, accentuated by the natural quietness of the room.
Honeymaren scoffed. "That is really creep-"
"Show me."
She twitched at Elsa's words.
Ahtohallan's lights changed, like a warning. "Seeing memories of your past life might affect you grandly."
"I don't care." Frowned Elsa.
Honeymaren widened her eyes. "No, love, wait. That can be dangerous."
"I said I don't care."
"But I do. Do you know how many times you threw yourself into something utterly dangerous and it didn't end well?"
Elsa was about to contradict her, then her mouth shut. Indeed, she didn't have enough fingers on her hands to quote them all. Her wife was right. Once again. However, Elsa was stubborn and curious and she had to know.
"How will it affect me?"
"ELSA!" Scolded Honeymaren, but the blonde ignored her.
"Side effects can vary." Answered the source.
"Yeah, no, uh-uh, that's way too large for an answer." Grumbled Honeymaren.
"But that will allow us to know more about the past!"
"Please for the love of gods don't tell me you haven't learn a lesson from what happened. I know that it can be alluring, but you shouldn't-"
She stopped talking when Elsa's two hands pressed her shoulders. "It's not about going too far this time."
Honeymaren blinked like she had simply lost her mind. "How is that not going too far? This is actually even worse than going through secret memories of the day the mist fell. This period is even earlier, we're talking about when the previous Fifth Spirit was alive. Furthermore, those are memories he didn't like…"
Elsa gave her a reassuring smile. It was so odd given the situation that the brunette found herself calmed down before even knowing why she was so positive.
"This is different because those are, in a way, my memories."
"That's right." Assured Ahtohallan's voice, echoing above their heads in the sound of others, and it cut Honeymaren in her reply. If she weren't worshipping the magic source and devoting eternal respect to it, she would find that habit very annoying. "It is physically harmless."
"Physically harmless, uh?" Frowned Honeymaren.
Elsa eye rolled. "Don't over-analyse everything she says."
"So now, you're the cocky one and I'm the anxious one?"
The blonde grinned. "Seems like it, yes."
Honeymaren started to groan, so Elsa's hands were on her shoulders again, tenderly pressing. "It's okay, Honey. This is my area. I know she doesn't lie. I can feel in my magic that this won't be dangerous. I can tell."
The Northuldra leader was pulled between two choices. She wanted to protect her lover and grab her hand to drag her out of this alluring proposition, but also trusted Elsa no matter what, and knew by those confident blue eyes that she wasn't pretending; she genuinely knew that nothing deadly would happen. Also, Honeymaren was with her, so she could have a say if needed.
She sighed longly and heavily. "Fine. Go on."
Elsa smiled at the approval of her dearest advisor. She squeezed her hands and kissed her on the lips. Honeymaren barely had the time to blink before Elsa turned to the dome wall.
"Ahtohallan, I'm ready."
The lights of the magic source changed.
"Those memories are encrypted. An access code is needed."
Both women blinked. "Pardon? I don't have one." Said Elsa.
Honeymaren smirked. "Are you sure that you can't remember it, given that it's your past life?"
Her wife heard the sarcasm, and only answered with a death glare. She turned to the glacier's wall again.
"The previous Fifth Spirit had a password to get to his repressed memories? How am I supposed to know about it?"
Ahtohallan didn't answer. The brunette really struggled to restrain herself from laughing now.
Elsa nervously fidgeted with her hands.
"Okay, uhm… Is there a clue?"
Honeymaren lifted a sarcastic eyebrow. A clue? What did she think this was, a game?
Ahtohallan lights changed. "Only time itself will tell."
A silence passed.
"What?" Muttered Elsa.
Honeymaren burst out of laughter, then coughed and retrieved her serious behavior to not be disrespectful in such a sacred place.
"Well, snømus…" She giggled with a bitten lip. "Looks like we're gonna have to wait."
Elsa pouted. "I guess that the truth will come by itself…"
Honeymaren passed a hand on her cheek. "Come on, we got all the answers we needed. No need to push destiny."
The Fifth Spirit stopped pouting and nodded as she melted in the touch.
"Ahtohallan, there is something else I must ask you. No, beg you."
The glacier got very attentive, bright lights shining.
"I understand that it's a sacred law that Nature magic must not interact with dark magic… But I've just seen what Victor can do. And what consequences his attack had. Can I ask you… No, you must… You must allow me to use my magic against him and his creatures."
The magic source went silent, and she could tell she was thinking.
"Please, I understand that the four elemental Spirits can't intervene, but I'm begging you. Let me protect my people. Let me protect my wife."
"Snømus…" Murmured Honeymaren.
Elsa's hand passed in hers, her eyes still staring at the wall.
Another moment of reflexive silence passed.
"You get my blessing." Suddenly said a voice.
Both women widened their eyes. That voice…
They turned to the moving image of it. Honeymaren grinned. Elsa was a bit disoriented. It was odd to see a photograph of oneself, but see a memory of herself always made Elsa feel awkward.
A giant display of her own face stood tall in front of them, a moment that had happened when Elsa had supported Anna and Kristoff's marriage.
"Nice choice of memory." Commented Honeymaren.
Elsa blushed bashfully. "So, that means you allow me to use my powers against dark magic?"
The memory switched to one of herself nodding. Now Elsa blushed completely.
"It looks like the answer was inside you all along, love." Noted Honeymaren. "You just had to take a decision."
The Fifth Spirit inhaled deeply to chase tears, and instead of bowing to the source, nodded strongly. Indeed, there was a reason for Ahtohallan to choose this way to accept. Now Elsa was determined.
They saluted the magic source and thanked her for her help, and were about to depart.
"Wait, before we leave." Suddenly said the blonde.
"What?" Twirled around Honeymaren, worried that something wrong happened on top of all that.
"You wanted to see memories of Yelena." Smiled Elsa softly.
The brunette's features smoothened, and she smiled. "Yes. Please do."
Honeymaren and Elsa hopped down Nokk, and the blonde scratched their nose as they turned to water again. They hopped in the river with a happy marine sound, and went to play with the fishes.
The wives made their way back to the village, and Honeymaren trotted to a particularly muscular Northuldra, Jongu. He nodded respectfully to his leader.
"Did anything happened?" Asked Honeymaren.
"Nothing at all." Assured the man.
"Not even Ryder burning up pine needles?" She smirked.
The Northuldra chuckled. "No, not even."
"Then it's perfect. I'm never gonna leave again anyway, especially after what we've learned."
"What have you learned?"
"I'll tell you at the council this noon."
Elsa observed him go, and her eyes diverted to every Sami that the leader had cleverly picked and placed in a strategic way, but also depending on their individual skills.
"I like how you managed that. Very clever." She noted.
"See, that's also what being a leader is."
Elsa looked at her with curiosity.
"Recognizing your people's strength." Stated Honeymaren. "I knew that now we're prepared, our most fierce people can ensure our protection."
The blonde smiled. When Honeymaren exhaled such wisdom, she felt enriched.
When the Sun reached its highest point in the sky, it was time for the council. The Northuldra placed themselves in a big circle, even more compact than the one they formed when they ate together. Indeed, their presence there was mandatory, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, in opposite to eating times when they could have their meal wherever and however they pleased.
Just like every time the day after the first full moon, the tribe assembled in their monthly reunion under the brightest Sun. Honeymaren stood up in the center of the circle and naturally opened with a summary of the situation, and all the Northuldra listened closely, even the distracted souls. Elsa looked at her wife with an odd emotion; hearing her explain the whole story of Victor Eiglatson and how the events will possibly turn out and how to palliate to his evil ways made her shiver, but by the confident way the Northuldra leader spoke, her heart filled with reassurance, and, undeniably, a certain attraction.
Once Honeymaren was finished, she invited the other Northuldra to talk about their issues for the past month. Of course, that excluded the attack, and she insisted saying that they could debate or make a complaint about anything, and that no problem was too small compared to the assault, not even a shortage of dye color. They had to speak freely. Ryder and another man therefore stood up and started talking about lichen for the reindeers, and Honeymaren finally sat down, sighing discreetly at the exhaustion that had taken her after speaking for so long. Elsa passed a hand in her back to soothe her, and could feel the tension in her muscles.
She thought with determination that she must ask a Northuldra healer to teach her pressure points to relieve her wife in moments like those. It had been a long morning, and the trip to Ahtohallan, additionned to the revelations, and now the council, started to make Honeymaren feel sore. Even if she hid it, Elsa could always tell. She tilted on the side as both women were sitting on their heels, to be on Honeymaren's ear level.
"We should take a nap afterwards. In the camp, of course."
She could hear Honeymaren sigh in content at the idea, and saw her jaw moving in an approving nod. Elsa figured that, as long as they stayed inside the village, the brunette would agree to relax.
She returned her attention to the tribe, listening to an elder who was talking about using discarded animal skins to make drums, that he suggested to carve and make himself. He argued with emotion saying that it would be a nice touch to make music out of the tragedy, and that the first piece should honor the Spirits, to show them that the Northuldra aren't resentful for their impossibility to help. Most of the tribe jolted in happy and supportive reactions, nodding and approving his idea. Elsa nodded brightly, and the man noticed. His face covered with a blush as he smiled proudly at the approval of the Fifth Spirit.
Gale tingled above them, making the edge of the trees dance, a way for them to clap their hands. They all grinned, and Elsa chuckled.
"They say it's a lovely idea. And I join them."
Now the man was overwhelmed with joy, and he took off his hat that he clenched above his heart with both hands, bowing to Elsa and smiling at Gale.
Honeymaren beamed at the scene, happy to see during her leading years the same harmony with Nature she had witnessed all her life. While the council went on and another person spoke up, she looked at the blonde, forever stunned that she could call the Fifth Spirit her wife. She heard a little a content whir, and turned to look down to see that Bruni was peacefully sleeping in the camp fire at the center of the circle, nearly invisible for how much he merged with the fire flames. He had just changed his posture by the way his tiny paws were moving, and Honeymaren suspected him to have bounced in joy at the song news, though nobody had actually seen the flames flutter.
'Nature is always listening', she thought with a smile. The Spirits always shown themselves to be attentive, and Honeymaren wasn't surprised, when her eyes diverted to Elsa again, that she was listening closely to the tribe's issues. In fact, she could sense that the whole Forest was listening closely. As a folk that lived sustainably with the fauna and flora, it wasn't that far-fetched to imagine that the animals were listening to them. She smiled at the feeling of unity that entered her heart.
It made her realize how Elsa's bond with the other Spirits had gotten more and more intense with the years. Long ago, she would use only Nokk for her nocturnal missions in the woods, but now, she used the characteristics of every Spirit, like she had become one with the four forces of Nature. When Elsa rode Nokk at nights, she used the help of the Giants to create a clear path ahead of her to go faster, asked for Gale to create a draft in their back to give them impulsion, and Bruni lighted their way like a beacon they could follow until the end of time. The fact that her nocturnal missions always ended well and actually got shorter and faster with the time made Honeymaren proud, though she always felt a bit upset because that meant that she had plenty of ways to cheat on their next race.
The council ended in a friendly atmosphere, and all issues got resolved.
When all the Northuldra stood up and resumed their activities, Elsa hooked her arm under Honeymaren's to lead her to a calm patch of grass that was away from the noise of the village, but still technically in it. The brunette didn't resist any second; she was tired and would never refuse to lay down next to her lover.
"Next step is, after the nap, we message Mattias to ask him who is this Victor Eiglatson and how he knew him." She mumbled.
"Yes, but first, the nap." Smirked Elsa.
They walked together under the warm sun.
"That was a great council." She then said, and Honeymaren hummed. "You were right. Being a leader also means having faith in the people. Did Yelena teach you that?"
Honeymaren chuckled tenderly. "Yelena taught me a lot. But this… You can thank your sister for it. Anna is the one who made me see the world through the people's eyes."
Elsa smiled deeply.
Indeed, Anna of Arendelle was the Queen to turn to for leadership wisdom.
Anna watched helplessly her son break her royal equipment.
"That is… That was… My favorite pen."
Isak gasped with all the force of his little lungs.
"Oh, Mama, I'm so sorry!"
Yep, Pabbie was right. Clumsiness is hereditary.
The boy panicked, his lips trembling. He quickly started to cry, slightly cowering at the scolding he saw coming.
Anna's hand lowered to him, only to place her fingers softly on his shoulder.
"It's fine, sweetie. I have plenty others."
She opened one of the drawers of the desk, which seemed to contain at least ten other similar pens.
The sight and twist were so surprising that Isak forgot his falling tears. With a dropped jaw, he looked at his mother take out one of them, opening it and dipping the tip in the ink. She even started to write right away. It was like she had done this very sequence of gestures countless times.
Her son kept staring at her with an opened mouth, and closed it quickly when he remembered how his elder sister had once joked about how little flies could easily enter his throat if he kept being in awe like this so often.
He came closer to Anna, his hands on the desk next to her, his nose barely going over the wood. The look he gave to his mother made her giggle when she noticed.
"I have a whole stock of them. I often break pens."
"This is awesome." He murmured. "That means you can be Queen and clumsy?"
"Why of course!"
"How do you break them? Do you break them in two like I did?"
"No, and it wasn't your fault. They are very fragile, it's easy to snap them in two. You couldn't know that it was it was a different pen than the one you use."
He had a familiar blink that meant 'tell me more'. So she smiled and turned her right hand. "See, this one is a fountain pen. You put ink on its tip from time to time, and write with it for elegant purposes, not just taking notes like Eydis and you do during lessons."
Isak let out a quiet admirative gasp, and he looked at her work on kingdom laws.
"I like your handwriting." He sighed dreamily.
"Thank you. Your dad and aunt sometimes compliment me on it too. Though I really don't see why."
"How did you break your other pens?" Asked the boy, returning to the topic without filter like all children do.
"For example, when I'm tired, I don't look at what I'm doing, and sometimes I step on them."
"You slept on them?"
"No, I… Well, that, too. Yes. But what I meant is that I sometimes forget to put them on their holder, so they roll off the desk and fall on the floor."
Isak giggled.
"Also, it happened that I broke some when I'm with signing contracts for dumb politicians. I lose my nerves and hold them too hard."
She sighed. "You know what's the good part?"
The boy shook his head in a vivid no.
"Arendelle's stationery will never go bankrupt with me in command."
As they laughed - though Isak didn't understand the joke - someone knocked to the door. The redhead recognized the pattern.
"Come in, Kris."
The King barely made two steps in that his son ran to his legs.
"Papa!"
The blond let out a happy exclamation and lifted the boy in his arms with a twirl. "Hey, buddy! How was your working session with your mother?"
"Awesome! I broke her pen, and I got to help her with the purple papers, and I also did the thingie, and…"
Kristoff chuckled at his nonsense, and he kept going, talking about all his father missed while he was away from the castle.
"He uses 'awesome' quite a lot, uh?"
"At least twenty times today." Sighed Anna.
"Wait, did I just hear that you broke Mama's pen?" He frowned, and gave a look to his wife, to understand if he had to scold him. She gave him a dismissing hand gesture. "It's okay then, she has plenty. But be careful next time, okay?"
"Yeah…" He mumbled, toying with his beard.
He looked at Isak, then Anna who had her head down into her paperwork again.
"Hey, buddy, why don't you go play with Eydis. I need to talk with your mother."
"Okay!" Jolted the kid, happy to see that he didn't get into trouble for his clumsiness.
In a storm, he left the room, and Kristoff closed the study door behind him.
"If it's to talk about the word 'awesome', just know it's Eydis who taught him that." Said Anna absentmindedly, her focus on the laws she was proofreading.
He smiled. "No, it's not what-"
"I'm sure that she learned it from the ice harvesters she spent most of her time with. Or sailors. I don't know. For a girl who dream to either be one or the other, she sure absorb a lot of vocabulary from both groups."
"Anna…"
"But it's fine", she assured, still not lifting her head and dipping the tip of her pen in ink again. "As long as she doesn't say rude things or sing smutty chanties."
"Anna."
"Hmm?"
"I didn't want to talk in private to chat about slacked parenting." He smiled.
She finally lifted her head, and saw that this smile was forced.
"Oh. What is it then?"
He rubbed his beard as he walked forward to her desk, which was a sign of nervosity, and she squinted. Her teal blue eyes widened when she saw the scar on his cheek. It would eventually fade, but her heart froze.
"What happened?"
He sat down in one of the seats in front of her desk.
"Stay on your chair." He incited, seeing the way she stood with a worried frown and was about to walk around to check his face. He insisted on his gesture, and she complied, though confused.
"I went to the Forest on my way to the outpost. And I… I need to tell you about an event that occurred. I think it's best for you to sit tight."
"I hate when she knows me this well."
"That is most of the time." Chuckled Kristoff. "Do you hate Elsa most of the time?"
Anna grumbled as they walked down the corridor. In fact, they were heading to nowhere in particular, but the Queen had to let off some steam.
"What did she say again?" She asked one more time, nervously tucking hair behind her ear.
"That you must stay put, and that she didn't need for your help in the Forest. Honeymaren and her are fine, and she'll send you a message via Gale if there's any problem."
"But she said that when you were there! Who knows what could have happened since!" Grumbled Anna, searching for reasons to be worried.
The man eye rolled. "Please, feisty, you're thinking too much. They are okay. And you would upset Elsa more than anything if you went there. She prefers you safe here, away from any danger."
Anna grumbled one more time, now stopping to clench her hands to the railing, as they had stopped by the mezzanine.
"And you have important duties tomorrow." Reminded Kristoff, nailing his final argument.
"Fine." Whined Anna. "But fair warning: I'll be very attentive to any incoming message from now on."
The King nodded with a smirk. "Noted."
"Mama?"
They turned around at the tired voice behind them. Isak was standing in the corridor and rubbing his eyes, his stuffed toy rubbing against the carpet. "Can you come read me a story?"
The redhead blinked and looked at the clock in the corridor. They hadn't seen time pass when Kristof told her about everything that happened. Also, Isak was a young child, and slept early.
"Sure, we're coming."
"Papa, can you make voices?"
"Always." He chuckled.
He gave a 'you're in the mood?' look at his wife, and she nodded, then they followed him to his bedroom.
They told the bed time story as a duet, to Isak greatest pleasure. Even Eydis listened to the story from the door frame she was laying against, her arms crossed.
When Anna closed the book, she gave her elder child a surprised and smirking stare.
"I didn't think that you would be listening tonight."
Eydis blushed a bit, but forced herself to appear rebellious. "That's only because I like this story. Not because of you and Father's… Stupid voices."
Anna eye-rolled at her daughter's teenager attitude. "Okay."
Kristoff kissed his son on the forehead as he tucked him in, and the boy whined.
"No complaints, it's time for bed."
"But I'm not asleep!"
"Yes you are."
"Well I don't wanna sleep." Pouted the child.
Kristoff chuckled, then looked at Anna then back at him. "Alright, then your mother and I will just stay here so you can watch us kiss loudly all evening…"
Anna grinned and they both started doing exaggerated kissing noises.
Eydis and Isak winced in disgusted "Blerghs" and "Ughs".
"Get out!" Said Isak, hiding behind his sheets.
"That's gross." Commented Eydis, and she walked to her room.
The parents giggled, then left to get some rest in the living room.
"My, this day seemed endless." Sighed Anna, dropping on the couch in a very un-queen way.
Kristoff was about to do the same on the sofa next to it, then suddenly stopped in his move, which looked like he got stunned by a thought.
"What?"
He chuckled, and turned around to look at the chair. "I just remembered… Yep, she left it there."
He picked a caliper from the cushion and put it on the coffee table nearby.
"Eydis dropped it earlier when I came back home."
Anna sighed again, relieved they escaped another danger. That was too much for a day, and her mind already filled with sadness at the idea of losing two Northuldra acquaintances in such a way.
Her head dropped at the back of the couch. From there, she could see the familial portrait upside down, which was hung on the wall next to the previous one, made before Kristoff and her had kids. A smile made her way to her lips at the sight of the evolution of her family.
"'dis, can you give me the strawberry jam?"
"What did you just call me?"
Isak blinked, wondering if he did wrong. "'dis. Like, Eydis."
His elder forgave him right away, especially with the cute face that came along this explanation. "I like it. It sounds like sis. 'dis."
She passed the jar of jam. "There you go. Do you want me to make you a toast?"
The little boy nodded timidly, and Eydis smiled as she took a slice of bread and generously spreaded the strawberry jam on it, as she knew he was so fond of it.
"Like that?"
"Awesome. Thank you." He blushed happily, holding the toast with two hands as she gave it to him, and he bit avidly into it.
Kristoff observed them with a smile as his daughter chuckled while the little curly-haired redhead hummed in delight. Eydis may be in her teenager years and made his wife and him live a hell sometimes, she still was a genuinely caring elder sister, and she gave a lot of attention to Isak. Just like he imitated her a lot.
"Your Majesty, here's today's newspaper." Announced a servant, holding the gazette on a tray.
"Thank you, Carl."
Kristoff took it with a smile, never forgetting his roots and still giving the man full respect and kindness despite his position as King.
As he unfolded it and started reading the headlines, he gave a sign to the staffer before he left.
"Oh, Carl, while you're here, could you make sure that the horses in the stables have carrots this morning?"
"Certainly, your Majesty." Bowed the man, and he made an exit, leaving the family have their breakfast.
Anna smiled from her seat next to him. "You know, I'm quite sure than only reindeers eat carrots. Horses are more into apples. And hay and granules are more than enough for the royal stallions. In fact, the only animal I've ever seen eat carrots this much was…"
Her quick tone and joyful face vanished as she interrupted herself. Kristoff didn't even raise his eyes from the newspaper as she heard her stop her sentence right in time, just like someone slid at the edge of a cliff and retrieved their balance to avoid falling down the precipice.
"Sven." He finished in a deadpan tone. "You can say the word."
Anna gulped loudly, and it wasn't because of the grapes she was eating. "Yes. Sven."
"I know horses aren't much into carrots, but the wheelwright has to visit this morning to fix my wagon. And his horse somehow is a real carrot cruncher. I figured that it was a way to make the wright happy without making him feel embarrassed."
The Queen smiled. "It's a nice touch."
Kristoff turned a page of his newspaper, and took that opportunity to look at her. He smiled too. "And you can say Sven's name, feisty. I don't mind, truly."
She seemed relieved.
Isak stared at them with a tilted head and a frown from the other side of the table.
"Who is Sven?"
As far as he remembered, nobody in the staff nor royal guard was named Sven.
"He was a reindeer." Explained Eydis, chewing on chocolate next to him. "Papa loved him very much. I was little when he died, I don't remember a lot about him… He spent a lot of time eating hay in the stables, like he was tired all the time. But Mama says that he used to be very energetic and he was very brave. The story about the big freeze that Auntie tell us about sometimes? He was there."
"Woooah." Muttered Isak, impressed. It was like he had learned about a legend.
"Yeeeah."
"So he was Papa's mighty steed?"
Eydis chuckled. "Sort of. A long time ago. Mama often refers to him as the best reindeer-dog she had ever met."
The boy giggled as he drank his glass of fruit juice.
"Sven is a weird name for a reindeer."
His sister laughed.
"You know, Mama told me once that when she was pregnant with me, Olaf kept insisting that she should call me Samantha."
Isak hummed.
"I prefer Samantha to Eydis."
The elder nudged him, and he chuckled. "You're only saying that to annoy me. Can you imagine it? Samantha of Arendelle… Nah, it's too crappy."
"What does crappy mean?"
"Uhhh… I'll tell you later." Said Eydis as she bit her lip, eyeing carefully her parents, but they were too busy reading each the Europe news and a fictional novel.
"If you don't take Samantha, then I will. I want to be named Samantha." Said the boy.
Eydis snorted. "You can call yourself like you want. But that's a whole other conversation, and I think you should talk to Papa and Mama about it."
It reminded her of a question she wanted to ask for a while.
"Mama, why don't we have a common flag with the Northuldra?" Asked Eydis.
The redhead blinked at the question. She often was stunned by the intelligence of her children, but didn't expect them to be curious that early in the morning. They definitely inherited that from their father.
"She's right!" Intervened Isak. "That way, we could unite them and ours and make a pretty banner together!"
He lifted his hands in joy, and Anna chuckled.
"Your artistic initiative would make your aunt green with envy."
He grinned proudly.
"It's a nice suggestion, only, Northuldra don't have a flag." Said Anna.
"When will they have one?" Asked Eydis.
"They don't ever intend to." Smiled the Queen.
Eydis pouted as she thought. "Hmm. Is it because they don't see the utility of a flag because they never will aim to plant it on ground?"
"What do you mean?" Inquired Anna, on the tone of encouragement, because she liked the direction her daughter was going.
"Well, the Northuldra are a nomad tribe. All Sami tribes are. That's why none have flags. They only have different clothing styles and belt motives. And Northuldra never will claim a territory as theirs. That's surely why they don't have a flag."
A silence passed, and everyone stared at her.
"...Right?" She finished, a bit worried by the exchange of looks that her parents made.
But her mother smiled widely.
"Remind me to bring you to my next geopolitical meeting."
Eydis' eyes widened. "Wha- Didn't you say the other day that I'm too young?"
"Oh, dear, I was deeply wrong. No you aren't." Smirked Anna.
Her daughter's face lit up. "Okay."
She finished her plate happily, radiating good energy.
Lying next to Honeymaren in the grass, Elsa smiled tenderly as she played with her wife's hair while she was asleep. In fact, she suspected Honeymaren to only be half-asleep, for how much she was smiling, and probably struggling to stay awake to enjoy her soft touch.
"Sleep, my love. Don't fight against fatigue. I'm watching over you."
The Northuldra leader smiled widely, her eyes closed. "You always will."
Her voice was groggy, and soon she fell asleep against Elsa's hand.
In the distance, behind the trees, something dark and slimy lurked in the shadows. It approached them slowly…
Author's Note:
Waow. Another LONG chapter. Okay, seems like we're going down the 'this fanfic will have few chapters but a LOT of words for each' hahah
It's totally due to my inspiration as I go through this plot. Elsamaren tenderness? In my brain? It's more likely than you think...
Thank you for the feedback y'all! I love how much you love this fic already. Thanks to everyone who follows me on Tumblr as well. This fanfic is a lot of drama (AS USUAL IN JLATS STYLE HOHOHO) and I hope you'll get hooked until the very end. Cheers!
Oh, and, you know the song: "Untangling the Frozen Knots", my 140K words novel fanfic, is available for prints - search for my website on Google! :D