Chapter 8: The future is calling
"To think you didn't want to even get near me anymore. Look at you now." Grinned Honeymaren.
Elsa moved her head, lifting her eyes from her wife's beautiful long dark hair which she was tenderly braiding, to stare at two even more beautiful eyes looking down at her with undying love.
The Snow Queen smiled. "You helped me to get to this point. In all meanings of the term. Your support helped me cope with those new powers, and your insatiable character currently is preventing me from leaving the bed."
The Northuldra leader grinned even more than before. "Don't worry, Anna will understand if she doesn't see you come down the stairs for a while."
Elsa playfully tapped her lover's shoulder. "That's exactly the problem! She will get ideas."
Honeymaren openly laughed, and the blonde was delighted to be this close to hear her laughter loud and clear. It felt like forever since they last shared a moment like that. That's why she didn't even force her way to leave the bed, and actually cuddled even closer.
The brunette noticed, and kissed her forehead as Elsa returned to her braids. With a playful smirk, she then surprised the Northuldra by briskly lifting her head and kissing her tenderly.
Honeymaren dove in the kiss with closed eyes, then once she opened them again, smiled deeply as she stared at her impossible wife.
"Ahtohallan, I love you so much."
Her smile then vanished. "Look, I'd love to kiss you all day, but we need to talk about what happened when you were heading to obtain more answers from Victor."
Elsa's smile vanished as well. She didn't like how serious and responsible Honeymaren had suddenly got.
"We can't obtain information with violence, you know that?" Frowned wisely the leader.
Elsa lifted an eyebrow. "Says the one who threatened to slice his throat."
Honeymaren rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well… You know."
The blonde smiled. She was only teasing; her lover had been acting impulsively because of anger and confusion as to why Victor transmitted his dark magic to Elsa, and Honeymaren's protectiveness actually turned her on a bit. That didn't change the fact that the Northuldra was right.
"In fact, when I went through my discussion with Anna during breakfast about his trial, an idea came to my mind…"
"Oh?" Simply said Honeymaren, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and admiration. She was looking forward to knowing what that idea may be. Elsa didn't always have clever plans because most of them included her sacrifice, but she was always willing to listen when she shared the thoughts of her brilliant brain.
"I didn't dare to tell her about my plan, because I'm still unsure about it. So, can you tell me what you think?"
"Of course."
An external point of view, especially the one of a tribe leader, was a great advantage.
Honeymaren took some time to evaluate Elsa's idea, and eventually admitted that it was a good thing. With joy and certain relief, Elsa went to Anna's study. She had to present her idea to the most concerned person around: the Queen.
"You can't be serious." Said Anna once the blonde was done talking.
"I absolutely am." Stated Elsa firmly, sitting down after standing up so long in front of her sister's desk.
The redhead placed her pen back in the inkwell to put her cheek on her fist and look at her elder with a smirk.
"Did Honeymaren muddle your thoughts when you went upstairs? This is an insane plan."
Elsa had a smile. "You'll be surprised to know that she actually approved my idea."
Anna blinked, indeed surprised. Honeymaren and her had clearly different roles, but were sort of equals in terms of leadership. She couldn't believe that the Northuldra accepted such a decision.
"She agreed?"
Elsa laid back on the chair, relaxing. "More than that: she even urged me to go meet you and tell you, because we have to act fast."
The Queen now felt panic rise. "Elsa, you must be kidding! I can't change the law just like that!"
She snapped her fingers for the image, but she was so stressed that her fingers slipped and didn't make any noise.
"You have until noon. I've done the maths, it will work."
"What, until noon?!" Repeated Anna, her voice however one octave higher than Elsa's.
She retracted from her posture to pass a hand behind her ear, tucking hair that didn't even need to be. "No, no, that can't… It's impossible! Elsa, you've been Queen! You know I can't do that!"
The blonde leaned forward to reach for her hand and calm her down. "You can. It's your call. It's entirely up to you, you're the only person in the realm who can change that. It's not about the possibility, this is a simple law and as the Queen, you can change them. It's about will."
"A simple law?" Repeated Anna, still tense. "You're asking me to remove Arendelle's death penalty!"
A silence passed. Elsa understood how big of a decision it was, and she respected her sister's anxious state.
"Do you have any idea how long this sentence has been in, in Arendelle's history?"
Elsa allowed herself a sarcastic expression. "I've been in the same classes than you growing up, of course I know it."
"So you know it's imposs-"
"So I know it's time for a change."
Anna scoffed in a gasp, and dropped to the back of her seat. "This is crazy. This is completely crazy. My sister has gone crazy. And Maren too. Great."
"Anna, think about it."
"I am thinking about it! That's all I'm doing right now! My brain is filled with panic at how much this is about to change the future! We can't just… Lift that law and place it back afterwards. If we cancel death penalty, we cancel it forever."
"And there may be criminals in the upcoming years who deserve direct death instead of prison, yes, I admit it." Completed Elsa, already a thought ahead of her younger, knowing her by heart. "But it's the perfect key to make Victor talk. We announce to him that he's no longer about to get hanged, and that we instead condemn him to spend the rest of his life in prison… But on one condition: he tells us everything he knows, especially what he tried to hide the last time we talked."
Anna had a long nervous laugh. "This is insane. I must be hallucinating."
She grabbed the mug that was on the right side of her desk, and gulped its entire content in one go. Elsa widened her eyes and prayed for it not to be scorching hot coffee, but given Anna's face when she dropped down the mug after gasping for air, she wouldn't even care at all if that were the case. The Fifth Spirit also noticed that it did some good to the redhead.
Anna calmed down a bit, and Elsa resumed to hold her hand. "It will work. Trust me. I can tell."
The monarch sighed dramatically. "Of course it will work. You're a genius. But I need some time. This is a groundbreaking decree."
Elsa nodded wisely. "It sure is. I'll let you have some time to think about it."
She was about to stand up, to leave her alone in the study. When she felt a hand grab her forearm.
"Wait!"
"What?"
Anna inhaled and exhaled slowly. "I… I prefer you to stay here while I think. Do you, uh… Did you plan some stuff this morning?"
"Of course not, why?" Replied Elsa, who naturally would have emptied her agenda instantly at the vision of Anna's state.
"Because I might… I might need your presence in support here until I finally take my decision. You don't even need to talk! I just…"
"The last thing you want is to be alone." Smiled Elsa. "I get it. I'm staying."
She sat down, and Anna sighed in relief. It was a good thing that their communication reached perfection now.
"Do you want me to ask Kai for another coffee, though?" Invited Elsa. "This might be a long morning."
"Oh my goodness, yes."
Anna accepted with one condition: her elder letting her refine and finalize this change. The blonde couldn't help but smile at how her sister brought a lot of effort into it, endeavored to do it at best. She therefore let her all the time she needed to write down the new law, and before noon, they went to the Arendelle prison.
It was difficult to explain that decision to the guards there, but all of them knew well that contradicting the Queen was pointless. Not only because she had power against them, but also because she was the most stubborn monarch of the kingdom's entire history.
The two sisters walked down the corridor to Victor's cell, and when they arrived, the prisoner first thought that his hanging had been brought forward, and time advanced. He trembled a bit, yet accepted his fate.
However, Anna reassured the man quickly, and delivered the good news.
Elsa had seen several men cry in her life - on top, were Mattias and Kristoff - but the way Victor then burst to tears really was something unique. She got amused by it for a second, then melted in comprehension. Who wouldn't be relieved to escape death? Even people who survived from the jumps of their suicidal attempts attested that they found a solution to their problems during their fall.
"There still is a time for administration and everything." Warned Anna, keeping her tone serious despite the clear emotion of the moment. Even the guards surrounding them felt a bit touched.
"Of course, of course." Blabbered Victor with a sniff.
"We'll come back tomorrow with news." Smiled Elsa.
The redhead added some authority. "Think about everything you have to reveal to us until then."
"Yes, yes. Thank you so much." Cried Victor.
When they left, his happy sobs still echoed in the corridors.
On their way back to the castle, Elsa passed her arm on her sister's shoulders. She could feel how tense she still was, but the sole affection and warm touch relaxed the redhead. She smiled when her head dropped against hers as they walked.
"Anna, that decision requires a tremendous amount of courage. You should be proud of yourself."
The Queen scoffed modestly. "Don't go 'You're the bravest person I know', you already told me that a thousand times this year."
"Then make it a thousand and one: you're the bravest person I know."
They giggled in the sunlight as they walked on the cobblestones.
"I'd never have dared to rethink the laws when I was Queen." Admitted Elsa after a moment. "If you were the one who came to me and submitted that idea of lifting death penalty, I'm sorry to say, but I would have refused. You've got the guts it takes to boot up the anthill."
Anna smiled at the special compliment. "Thank you. It's also due to you being a good arguer."
Elsa startled and stopped her walk. When Anna worried and turned around to understand why, she saw that her elder had dropped her jaw in a sorry expression, and was about to say something. The redhead chuckled and raised a hand.
"Don't panic, you dork. I didn't remove death penalty just to make you happy, or because you asked. It's genuinely a good decision. Arendelle needs to change. Other countries and kingdoms are removing this law as well. I'm willing to make our government grow into something better."
Elsa closed her mouth, for it was exactly the answer she had been looking for. Her lips twisted in an emotional smile. Anna saw that her last sentence had impacted her, because she had a really proud gaze.
"Now the day is far from over. We have a ton of people to warn about this change. And, uhm, let's start with my husband and King, shall we?"
Elsa chuckled, and they walked energetically to the castle's doors.
Anna spent the afternoon walking around in a feverish race to see counsellors, to inform Mattias, to talk with judges, to go check the archives, to meet the law publishers, and so on.
Through the day, and Elsa had been following her everywhere, she realized that Anna was more and more happy talking about that law change. It even reached a point where she was boasting with pride when she announced it to a new person, and she started to reply with sarcasm if that person was an old white man who started to doubt her decisions as Queen.
The blonde was amused to see the evolution despite Anna's growing exhaustion, and when the day was finally over, Elsa was happily summarizing it to Honeymaren.
The brunette had respected - and even encouraged - that the sisters spent the day together, so she had prepared a picnic for Elsa in a private patch of grass she had found near Arendelle's village.
The Sun was long set behind the mountains when the two lovers decided that it was time to go sleep indoors. They packed up their food and tablecloth to return to the castle. Elsa laughed out loud when Honeymaren shook it and grass blades ended up in her mouth with the night wind, then the Northuldra got her revenge by not holding back the branch of the tree behind which they had hidden on Elsa's passage.
They kept teasing each other until they reached the castle's kitchens where they stored what Honeymaren had picked up.
When they arrived in front of the guest bedroom, Elsa noticed that there was some light passing under the study door. She exchanged a gaze with Honeymaren.
"I'll meet you in a minute." Whispered the Fifth Spirit.
The brunette nodded. Elsa walked to the study, and knocked gently to the door. It was late, and she didn't want to wake anyone.
"Anna? Are you in there?"
There was no answer, so she frowned and pushed the door. She almost didn't see where Anna was, because she expected her to be sitting at her desk; that's until she noticed that the orange patch among the piles of papers wasn't part of the wood, and belonged to her sister's head.
"Anna!"
She nearly ran to the unconscious Queen, worried for her state. However, when she was near, she heard Anna snore like a saw cutting wood, and she sighed in relief to see that she actually had a healthy sleep. Yet, that was no place to sleep…
Anna clearly had fallen head first on her desk, a small pool of drool thankfully staining the wood and not a sheet of paper. That was lucky, because almost all of the surface was covered with law texts, letters, scrolls and books.
Elsa blinked at the mess. She still couldn't believe how her sister worked. While she constantly made sure that everything was straight and organized when she was Queen, Anna seemed to only be able to focus if everything was spread in front of her. Elsa had observed her work numerous times, and it truly was fascinating. She took a mental note to ask her advice on multitasking.
With a tender smile, she bent to observe her younger. Her head was tilted on one side, her hands with relaxed fingers on each side of her face. The pencil she seemed to have been holding in her hand had rolled along the desk, and got stopped by her nose.
"You dedicated soul…" Sighed Elsa with admiration.
The Snow Queen was then stunned to see that the papers she had been fainting asleep on weren't laws or official papers at all; it was the draft of a speech. Elsa read several lines here and there, and saw that it was for the talk she would eventually give to Arendelle's people to announce the new law and Victor's fate change. However, Anna still had many days to think about that speech, for the treaty change wasn't going to be made public for at least a week. She was so excited about it that she threw herself in a long wording.
"Oh, Anna…"
She passed her hand against the papers, admiring her sister's lovely handwriting. Somehow, that's the sound that stirred the Queen out of her dream.
"Hmm…"
"Hello." Chuckled Elsa.
"Wh't'm zit?" Mumbled the redhead, slowly lifting her face and rubbing her eyes.
"Very late." Answered Elsa, understanding her tired language. She preferred not to tell her the actual time to not alarm her. "I'll help you go to your room. Kristoff must be worried."
Anna muttered a long sentence that was a mix of weird noises and seemed to only be made of consonants, which Elsa interpreted as 'He came earlier in the evening to tell me he supported me but that I should try not to overwork myself.'
Elsa looked around at the papers that decorated the desk. "Well, he knows you well, that's for sure."
Anna had a big yawn that nearly unhook her jaw, and the Fifth Spirit chuckled. "Let me lift you up."
The redhead complied, too tired to even insist that she could walk. Her legs felt like cotton after going here and there all afternoon and then spending hours sitting still. Elsa had difficulty making Anna walk along, but finally managed to find a rhythm.
She smiled when she felt that the redhead's weight was lighter in the stairs. Anna was waking up.
"Thank you."
"Please, it's nothing. You've been carrying me to bed a lot of times when I was Queen. Looks like commitment runs in the family."
"I'm not thanking you for that." Said Anna, her voice now clear.
It surprised Elsa, and what was even more surprising was that she stopped at the end of the stairs.
"Thank you for tolerating me."
The blonde blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"Tolerating me." Repeated Anna, with a higher voice, thinking she hadn't heard because they adopted a low tone to be quiet.
However, Elsa was thinking her sister was raving, half-asleep again. Yet, the redhead seemed to be completely awake now, so it wasn't because of it.
"Anna, why would you say that?"
The Queen looked down, and it seemed contradictory to the regal attitude she had all afternoon. "I keep ruining your plans, and I'm sorry. If I didn't take so long to think about the sentence change this morning, we wouldn't have wasted time and I wouldn't have been working this late and…"
"What? No, Anna, I'm fine. What do you mean, 'keep'?"
The redhead looked sad. "Well, remember all those years ago when I came to find you in your ice palace up the North Mountain?"
Elsa smiled at the memory. "Yes, of course, how could I forget that?"
"You created Marshie to bring me outside. But I got upset and threw a snowball at him. He's super nice, the nicest, but because of my arrogance he got angry, and chased us down the mountain. We ended up running and jumped down to the bottom of a pit."
Elsa was about to say 'And I still feel so sorry for that, and Marshmallow too', but Anna kept going.
"And that time when you wanted to head to Ahtohallan for the first time. You sent me and Olaf on a boat, and crafted a path to lead us back to the Northuldra camp for protection, but I once again ruined it by diverting the course of it, also leading to a dark pit."
Elsa saw where this was going. Nevertheless, she couldn't say a thing before Anna continued. And now, tears had started to form in her eyes, and her lips trembled.
"Every time, you have a good plan to make things better, but I make everything worse by being my stubborn self."
She blinked, and tears started to roll down her freckled cheeks. Elsa went forward to hold her face in soft hands.
"Hey, hey, shhh. Look at me. That stubborn Queen you're talking about, she has changed the world today. She disrupted Arendelle's history for the greater good. That's the Queen we admire. That's the Anna we love."
The redhead sniffed.
"I don't want to sound like Honeymaren, but you think that because you're tired, Anna. One good night of sleep and you'll laugh at your own words in the morning."
"It's not funny!" Moaned the Queen.
"I know, I know, it's not what I mean." Apologized Elsa. "Here. Take that."
She was glad to have crafted pockets in her magical outfit, and to have put a paper napkin in one of them while Honeymaren and her tidied their picnic. Anna blew her nose in it and seemed to calm down, especially after they laughed at the noise it made in the silence of the corridor.
"Great. Now, to bed with you." Smiled Elsa, erasing the remaining tears on her face. "Tomorrow is important too."
The female prison guard felt like she was going to faint due to the amount of times she was close to Elsa in the past days. When the King, who accompanied the two sisters along with Honeymaren, informed her that it might be the last time they visited Victor, she felt a little pinch to the heart.
As they passed by, the captain of the guards noticed her flustered state, but smiled with no comment.
The group of four presented themselves in front of Victor's cell once more. However, this time, Victor was standing properly in front of the cell, respectful of the decision they had taken, and willing to act in consequence.
"Now that we changed your sentence and that you're not going to die, you must tell us. How did you get your dark magic?"
The man winced. Clever plan, indeed.
"I…"
"Please, Victor, I need to know." Smiled Elsa.
The man remained silent. Honeymaren frowned, not as patient as her wife. "Tell us! You killed two people and fully deserve to be hanged for your crimes, but you're not going to, so you better talk right now."
She was too aggressive to her own taste. Besides, she had supported Elsa's idea to remove his condemnation. Yet he needed to be pressured.
"I fully deserve that treatment, the trial was right." Muttered Victor. "It's just that…"
He sighed heavily, like it pained him to think about the past. Then he gave up on resisting. "This being said, if you took such a decision towards me, I guess that it's worth it for me to tell you."
He looked up to stare at the visitors, and they were listening close.
"I think that to explain everything to you, it's best that I tell you who Niks was."
"Your wife, yes. We're aware." Kristoff frowned.
Anna raised a hand to calm him down, and gestured to the man to keep going.
"She was a Fifth Spirit. Not your previous incarnation, may I precise; she was another Fifth Spirit."
Everyone blinked or gasped of surprise.
"Niks… Was a Fifth Spirit? Another Fifth Spirit?" Repeated Anna in utter confusion.
They all were shocked by the news, and a concert of dropped jaws faced the prisoner.
"But… I'm the Fifth Spirit." Frowned Elsa.
"You're the one of your cluster." Smiled Victor. It wasn't out of sarcasm, but because he had expected her comment. "There isn't just one cluster. The Fifth Spirit isn't unique, and depends on the cluster it represents each time."
Elsa felt dizzy and held to a bar of the door to stabilize herself. Honeymaren, who was just as stunned by the reveal than anyone else, noticed and rubbed a gentle hand along her back.
"Wait, wait… Then she was like me?" Asked the blonde.
"Not exactly."
Victor lifted a hand, dirty by the conditions of the cell. "You're the guardian of Ahtohallan, and the magic side of the Bridge between humans and Nature."
Elsa nodded slightly, too shocked to firmly do. Victor lifted his other hand.
"And Niks was the guardian of Piruluola, and the magic side of the Bridge between humans and Sins."
Anna blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Piruluola. It's normal that you've never heard of it. First, because it's kept secret, and second, because through centuries, humans got persuaded that sins are their fault."
The Snow Queen nodded.
"Yes, it does make sense… After all, we only heard about Ahtohallan in rumors. Even the Northuldra thought it was a long lost river until I reached it."
Honeymaren nodded wisely too. Anna shook her head in disbelief at their exchange. "Wait, that's the part you focus on? What the heck do you mean, between humans and sins?"
Victor turned to her. "Why do you think we chose to become merchants? It's the best way to study and influence people. With trades and markets, we regularly saw the same persons."
Kristoff made a 'Oooh.' of understanding, and despite his disgust of knowing that a Fifth Spirit of Sins existed, he admitted that it was a clever plan of them.
"She influenced people with her magic, and I helped her do so on the human side. It was a two-person job."
The Queen lifted her hands, wanting to grab this train of reveals that went way too fast to her taste.
"Hold on… You and Niks form a Bridge like Elsa and I do?"
Victor smiled sadly. "Formed. My wife is dead."
All gulped.
"Right. My apologies."
Elsa and Honeymaren were stunned. So two Fifth Spirits had faced each other that day?
"Now it all makes sense." Muttered Kristoff. "But then… Why do you have magic? I mean, had magic…"
He gave a wince to both Elsa and Victor when he corrected himself. The prisoner explained.
"The Bridges are formed with the strongest bonds. Each time, one has powers and the other is powerless. I mean, not in the vulnerable way. Elsa and Anna were purposely chosen because of their mother, and because destiny would reveal they're close sisters despite that difference. For Niks and I, life would make us childhood friends, then young merchants together, then partners, and then a married couple. And it worked the same: she had powers, I had none. While Elsa's cluster represents light, life and nature, hers represents darkness, death and blasphemy."
Elsa shuddered at the summary. What a horrible role.
"Wait, that's why you said you didn't always have your magic… You weren't born with it." Noted Honeymaren, who started to put the pieces together.
"It was transferred from Niks when she died." Confirmed Victor.
Kristoff let out a sound that was a mix of a scoff and a gasp. Elsa squinted at the memory of what she saw in Ahtohallan.
"So that's why I never saw you use your magic before the incident. You weren't keeping a low profile like I thought… You actually had no magic at all."
Victor wanted to ask about what she saw, and wanted to hear about details of his wife again, but Anna approached.
"Does that mean that when the magic side of the Bridge dies, the other side inherits their powers? Does that mean that I get Elsa's powers if she dies?"
The sisters exchanged a look. Anna looked alarmed, and Elsa was sad to see the pressure in her soul.
"If I didn't know you, I'd think you're thinking about an opportunity right now." Said Honeymaren to loosen up.
Anna needed some time to digest that information. She kept a regal attitude, however, and slowly laid against the stone wall near the cell door. She used the freshness of it to chase the thousand thoughts that made her brain boil.
"Hey. Don't think about my death, okay?" Whispered Elsa discreetly, walking to her. "We'll talk about it another time."
The Queen nodded, gulping, and her teal blue eyes were resolute again.
"Tell us more, Victor. Now Elsa has both magics in her core, right?"
"Exactly." Replied the man, not seeing any interest to lie. "And those magic are opposites."
"That explains your mood." Murmured Honeymaren to her wife.
Elsa was glad to hear she wasn't sassy, and rather heartbroken to understand more of her situation with this new perspective.
"You said that the other cluster is made of sins, just like mine is made of elements. Are there four too? What are they?"
Victor nodded and started counting on his fingers. "Lust, Gluttony, Sloth, and Hate."
Anna frowned, then smirked in mockery. "Hate? You must be wrong. There are seven deadly sins, and hate isn't one of them."
"Yes, there are also pride, envy and wrath, isn't it?" Retorted Victor, expecting her intervention. "But aren't they all linked to the same feeling of hate? Aren't those three connected?"
Kristoff widened his eyes. "He's right. Envy as its extreme is jealousy, which also is kind of fueled with pride. It's a mean feeling towards someone you don't necessarily know, so it's basically hate."
"And both pride and envy are revendicated with wrath…" Completed Honeymaren.
"Oh gods…" Murmured Anna, massaging the top of her nose as her mind hurt. "This is the cluster of elements of life versus the cluster of elements of doom." She pointed out and summarized at the same time.
"Opposite forces that bring Nature's balance." Added Elsa, on the same tone than her sister, also underlining as they understood more and more.
The redhead sighed, then turned to Victor. "Wait, does each sin then correspond to an element on Elsa's side?"
"Yes." Nodded the man. "The two clusters are meant to be equal forces, after all, so they actually go together. Sloth has an energy matching with Earth, Lust is intertwined with Fire, Gluttony is linked to Water, and Hate is accentuated by Wind."
Kristoff frowned, confused and amused by the entire craziness of the reveal. "Gluttony with water? What, is it linked to saliva?"
Anna gave him a stare, so he cleared his throat.
"Sorry."
Honeymaren was too busy admiring the cleverness of the bonds between the two clusters to note the King's joke. "Nature is so beautifully made… It palliates on each side."
"And the fact that each sin is linked to an element makes a lot of sense." Admitted Elsa, who now completely saw the pattern. She turned to the others. "Nothing can stop wind once it starts blowing... Just like hate."
Honeymaren nodded wisely. "It's bursting and rising like a hurricane."
"And fatigue brings the body down to the ground, just like doing nothing makes one as still as a tree..." Kristoff added in.
"And the body heat additionned with warm thoughts makes it logical to be linked to fire." Said Honeymaren.
Their tones were serious and grave, the time for jokes long passed. All of them knew how strong the Elemental Spirits were, so they really were apprehensive about the strength of the Spirits of Doom… If that was their name. The thought made Anna shiver.
"Are you all done being gloomy?" She grumbled with an authoritative tone. "You're giving me chills."
"Sorry." They all collectively replied.
Victor gently continued his explanations. "Every balance must be respected, that's why none of the Spirits has the right to intervene in the course of the other. Except, of course, the Fifth Spirits."
Anna snapped her fingers. "That explains why Nokk never helps you when Bruni goes crazy and burns a whole patch of the Forest."
"More generally, it explains why they couldn't fight against your monsters." Also underlined Honeymaren, pointing at the man, not missing the occasion to send a murder look to him.
He noticed, and stared down. Elsa was still confused at his sentence.
"Wait, so I had the right to intervene all along? I asked Ahtohallan… Was it useless?"
Her worry then turned to shame, and she groaned as she closed her eyes with a pout. "She must have been thinking I was stupid to ask for permission…"
Honeymaren had a discreet laugh, and smiled as she pressed against her wife. "Don't say that. At least you were honest with her and respectful of Nature's laws. I'm sure she appreciated it."
Kristoff had walked close to the bars, and his presence there surprised the women. "Eiglatson, what is the next step? You were talking about destiny earlier. Surely you know what Elsa can do."
Victor had a wince.
"Tell us." Frowned Honeymaren, ready to force things again. "We withdrew your sentence, you owe us a solution now."
That was true, and Victor sighed. "I can give you the location of Piruluola. It's meant to be secret, but now that Elsa has Niks' magic… I guess that it's the only way to end this."
"End? What do you mean?" Frowned Elsa.
"You'll have to go to the magical source and place yourself in its core, so it can get its magic back."
A silence followed his sentence.
"That both sounds and seems like a risky task to do." Commented Kristoff.
"He's right." Scoffed Anna. "How the hell do you think Elsa can do this?"
Victor gave an honest pout and shrugged. "I sincerely don't know. Niks has never done it before. But she told me it was possible."
Honeymaren put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so we're supposed to take your word for it?"
"I admit that it's tricky. And I'm sorry. But she could tell, believe me. It's like… The source had been giving her this knowledge, just in case."
No one trusted him, except for Elsa, who turned to her family.
"I believe him."
"What?!" Blurted Anna.
"Ahtohallan does the same for me. I can't really explain it, and it's very cryptic, but sometimes, when I visit the glacier, I obtain some… Information, and I clearly remember that she didn't actually tell me. I just know new stuff by the time I go out."
Honeymaren and Anna seemed dubious, so she searched for an example.
"Remember that time when I froze?"
She immediately winced at that choice of example, and raised her hands to calm any possible groan. "Hold on, I got a point. When I froze, the floor of Ahtohallan melted, and I fainted. I fell into the water, and soon Nokk went to pick me up. Well, in that short moment, and it was barely a few seconds, I somehow got the information that Anna broke the dam, that the Spirits agreed that the debt was paid, and that Anna was a legitimate ruler for fixing the mistakes of the past."
The redhead was stunned. "All that before you even reached Arendelle to stop the wave?"
"No, all that before Nokk even picked me through the water and dragged me down the current."
Honeymaren gave an amazed smile. "That's incredible."
"Don't ask me how it works." Shrugged Elsa, though with some admiration too. "It's magic, after all. And I was literally bathing in it, so it surely is an easy thing to do for the source. Piruluola probably works the same way. I might get instructions there."
Anna stared at her with a fierce smile. If Elsa was confident, then she followed without hesitation.
They exchanged a look, then Elsa nodded resolutely. She turned to Victor and the others. "Okay. I will go with Anna, as the Bridge."
"I'm coming too."
The blonde turned around, almost gasping. "No, Honeymaren, this could be dangerous…"
Her wife frowned. "Great, you just said exactly why I should come. It's dangerous, so I'm not leaving your side."
"But…"
Elsa sighed when she saw the insistence in her lover's gaze. She didn't even bother continuing her sentence.
"You think I'm gonna stay nicely in the Forest after what happened in Ahtohallan? And on the shore?"
Elsa looked down at the first evocation, and Victor looked down at the second, both ashamed. Honeymaren's tone also had some power in it, and she easily made people realize their mistakes.
"She should come, Elsa. It's her right." Smiled Anna in a soothing tone.
Elsa grumbled.
"Yeah, fine. The three of us will go." She said, rolling her eyes. "Victor, in which direction should we head?"
The man smiled. "The two sources are complete opposites. So, as you probably expect it…"
He pointed down with his finger. "Piruluola is located in the far South of the land. If the guards bring me a map, I can show you."
The Sun was setting over Arendelle, ending another tiring day filled with revelations. After spending some time with Honeymaren - which mostly consisted of quiet cuddling, the two lovers being too shocked to even say a word - Elsa went down to the stables, in great need to talk to horses. She met Kristoff there, and they exchanged a few words as well.
"You know who would love to have a long talk about it?" Smiled the man after a while, noticing that they really hadn't been addressing much the situation and rather preferred to pet the animals.
"My sister?" Guessed Elsa.
"Your sister."
She smiled too. Anna wasn't really far; she met her in the courtyard, her red hair particularly enhanced by the orange rays of the lowering Sun. She was observing the lamplighters replacing the street posts tops by incandescent light bulbs all along the bridge, and she was fascinated to see what changes electricity would bring. However, her brain was too scrambled by Victor's revelations to actually admire the new technology.
When Elsa approached, she winced. "Weird day, isn't it?"
"That you can say." Sighed the blonde.
They observed the lamplighters, yet their gazes got lost in the memories of the conversation with Victor.
"You know, there's a way to avoid going to that other source and escape that so-called destiny he talked about." Said Anna after some silence.
"What way?"
"Maybe you can try doing the transfer of magic…"
Elsa was annoyed to hear this suggestion again. "I told you countless times, I don't want to. I don't want to impose this dark magic the same way it had been done to me."
"But you can do it! Why don't you give it at least one try?" Insisted the Queen.
Elsa slammed her foot on the ground.
"I said no! Why do you keep saying that? This is driving me crazy! What makes you even think I can do it?!"
"Because I have faith in you!" Replied the younger.
"Well, don't. I never learned how to do it, and I never want to, Anna. Now stop having false hopes."
The redhead gasped, aghast. "How dare you say that?! Am I not allowed to be positive? To believe in my big sister?"
The Snow Queen sighed. "Those are desperate times, Anna. There's no room for optimism."
"Excuse me?"
She dropped her jaw, then scoffed and shook her head. "The difference in our personalities is something I cherish in your relationship every day, but Elsa, sometimes, I swear…"
"What?!" Groaned the blonde.
"You do everything to stay negative!"
"No I don't!"
"Yes, you do! See? Another negation!"
She had a heavy sigh. "For heaven's sake, have faith in yourself! In your skills! You haven't even asked Victor to teach you about the transfer."
Elsa gave her a deathly frown.
"I don't know if you're aware, but he gave new facts today, and I was a bit busy trying to cope with them. Now I have to accept that there are several Fifth Spirits and that the magic I am currently forced to master actually belonged to my opposite."
Anna got upset by her sentence. "Hey, you're not the only one who's going through a bad moment, okay? I also learned that I would inherit your powers if you die, that's also a burden."
"A burden?" Repeated Elsa, her voice twisted in shock.
Anna rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. It would be a lot to deal with, and I don't want-"
"You don't want my magic, that's what you're saying?!" Blurted Elsa, outraged. "Oh, so you're the first one to tell me that I should do my best, but you wouldn't want to be in my situation, uh?"
Anna frowned furiously.
"I meant that if you die, I don't want sudden magical powers in addition to my mourning!" She yelled, now as upset as her. "If you didn't interrupt me all the time, you'd see that I actually say nice things."
They exchanged a look, filled with anger. Ice cold azure blue eyes met teal blue ones filled with fire, and sparkles almost popped in between them.
"So you think I'm not nice to you?" Frowned Elsa.
"There we go." Groaned Anna. "Why are you always over analyzing what I say? I'm just saying that you cut me all too often."
"And you interrupt all of my actions." Retorted the blonde. "We're even."
Anna's scoffed. "Excuse me?! Who's the idiot who almost died countless times lately? If I weren't there, you would…"
She didn't finish her sentence. A silence floated between them.
"Yeah, say it." Dared Elsa.
"You'd be DEAD!" Blurted Anna.
The Snow Queen stared at her intensely with a furious pout, her clear eyes contrasting with the red blush forming on her cheeks.
"I've had enough." She grumbled, walking away.
"Elsa…"
It was useless. The blonde already was heading towards the village. Anna's behavior changed. She regretted her words, and her frown vanished. In a trot, she went after her, and grabbed her arm.
"Wait, Elsa."
The blonde twirled around in deep fury.
"Don't touch me or I FREEZE YOU RIGHT HERE!"
Anna got stunned and went still. Elsa's eyes had gone darker, and the black of her pupils had taken over the blue of her irises. She was staring at her in a way that made the redhead shudder through her entire soul, and the redhead got astounded by this new sensation.
It was the first time in her entire life she had such a feeling.
It was the first time in her life she got... Scared of Elsa.
Anna kept her eyes wide opened, in disbelief of what just happened, disbelief mixing little by little with terror.
She didn't dare, or she simply couldn't, say a word. She remained silent, and Elsa twirled around, walking away from her, leaving her speechless and still in the middle of the courtyard.
Anna looked through the window of the library, seated at one of the alcoves. As her thoughts wandered, she turned to the spot where Elsa had conjured Olaf the other day, and smiled sadly. She would love one of his warm hugs right now… But she couldn't make him appear out of nowhere, of course. Yet, that would be something to happen when she inherits Elsa's powers, wouldn't it?
The redhead rapidly shook her head.
"No, I can't think of that…"
Someone knocked at the door, which made her jump in surprise.
"Come in!"
Her tone was joyful, delighted, because she recognized Elsa's pattern. When the blonde opened the door, something seemed off about her, but Anna didn't pay much attention; she was so happy to see her that she stood up from the cushions.
"We need to talk, Anna." Said Elsa, in a serious voice.
The younger found it a bit scolding. But instead of being angry, she accepted Elsa's lecture. "You're right. I owe you an apology as well, though, I didn't act- What are you doing?"
She saw that Elsa was locking the door behind her. She thought at first that she checked that it was properly closed, to have a private moment between sisters, but no, she clearly was turning a key in the lock. Where did she get this key? Anna had long ago discarded it because it was of no use, and the staff eventually told her they had lost it when they rearranged the shelves due to numerous new contracts since she became Queen. She squinted at the key. It seemed to fit, which was odd.
"I think that no one should interrupt us." Explained the blonde.
Anna pushed away the thought, thinking Elsa had made an ice duplicate. "Okay. You're right, Eydis often comes barging in to pick up another book about fauna and flora. Do you remember that time she came in too fast and slipped on the scrolls we were archiving?" Laughed Anna. "Poor sweetie. She had a bruise on her butt for weeks."
Elsa however didn't laugh, so she cleared her throat. "Sorry. Bad time for jokes. Look, I've been thinking, and you're right, positivity maybe isn't the right mood to adopt now."
The Fifth Spirit was slowly walking towards her, and kept eye contact with her all along. It was so weird that Anna forgot what she was going to say next. The library wasn't that large, how come she hadn't reached her level already?
"And… Uh…"
She was lost. "Sorry. Elsa, are you okay? You seem… Weird."
Everything looked weird indeed. The length of the library seemed to stretch. The books on the shelves seemed to be thicker, like they had been tugged, and the way Elsa was coming through seemed endless. And it made the whole moment way more awkward and kind of scary.
Anna stopped looking around to stare at her sister, and when she saw her eyes, her expression, her body posture, she didn't even have the force to gulp.
Her mind was filled with one, unique, and terrible certitude:
'She's going to kill me.'
Her eyes widened.
It wasn't just a feeling. It was the truth. It was the next step, as clear as day. Speaking of day, wasn't the light turning… Low?
Anna detached her terrified eyes from her elder to look around. The candles in the room had been blown, and she had no idea how. Did Elsa make an icy wind to extinguish them? Anna's breathing went faster and faster.
"Elsa… You're scaring me."
The blonde's smile went larger, impossibly large, like she had turned inhuman.
"P-please stop, you're really scaring me, I…"
She had walked backwards away from her, but hurt her back against the edge of the table on which they read documents.
Elsa's hands lifted to her, and Anna's instincts screamed to her to run on one side or the other because they were directly aiming at her throat.
In a roll, she dodged away from her elder's hold, and stood up quickly in a hitched breathing.
"Elsa, what the hell are you doing?"
"What, isn't it obvious?" Replied her elder, in a voice so gloomy that Anna's entire spine trembled.
What's worse than having the feeling one is about to die, is when the potential murderer confirms that theory to be true.
"You… You can't be serious. Are you mad at me for what I said earlier? We have to talk about it. I'm sorry, and-"
She stopped talking to let out a scream. Elsa had just jumped on her, both hands first, to strangle her. Thankfully, Anna's reflexes were excellent, and she escaped her reach by running a bit further between two shelves.
"Elsa, listen to me, please…"
The blonde's head swiftly turned to her in a jolt, her horrible smile still widely stretched. And she suddenly dashed. Anna let out another scream, now giving up on the idea to keep eye contact with her sister to run for her life away from her. She passed by the door, tried to open it, but obviously it was locked and Elsa had kept the key.
"Shit. Elsa, you have to listen…"
When she turned around, she expected the Snow Queen to be further. She in fact was right behind her, and if she hadn't turned around, she would have clenched her hands on her neck from her back. Anna dodged again and screamed for help. Something in her guts told her that she had no chance. How could she even fight against someone with ice and snow magic, with a recent dark magic addition?
"Elsa, please!"
The blonde didn't care at all. As Anna kept running, the distance between them seemed to have no importance at all. The younger wanted to grab some books and throw them at her, or even grab a shelf and tilt it on her to block her way or knock her down, but she would never dare to hurt her.
"Don't… Please don't… Kill me..." Murmured the Queen, terrified.
"Oh, I will." Grinned Elsa.
The Snow Queen had blocked her in a corner of the room. She couldn't make a move now, she was too close. She couldn't make a sound as well, too paralyzed by the terror it gave to face her sister with such an expression.
Anna felt like she was about to cry, when suddenly her whole body felt like it was seized by an invisible force. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't move, and all her muscles tensed, every member and organ turning still like they had cramps. It was a terrible feeling, and Anna was shocked to discover that her blood was no longer running through her; she started to feel cold, really cold, and she looked at Elsa with terror. The Fifth Spirit had both hands raised and clearly was at the origin of that sensation.
"You feel that?" Grinned Elsa, still with her devilish expression. "The water in your blood… It stopped moving."
Anna let out a whine of dread.
"Yes, I'm in control of your entire body now. I can do…"
She swift her hand to the right, and Anna's entire body flew and floated to that direction, like a puppet with no strings.
"Whatever…"
With a wince of pain, Anna felt her body lifting up to the ceiling, her veins getting played with.
"I want."
Elsa sent both her hand forwards, and the redhead was slammed against the wall in an aching move.
The blonde slowly, so slowly, came closer, her hands still up.
"And now… I want to kill you."
Anna's eyes widened. Her throat was blocked, so she couldn't beg one last time. She felt like her lungs and her heart simultaneously surrendered to death… She saw blur then everything faded to black.
Then the darkness suddenly turned to light.
She felt like she was pulled from the cold and lonely darkness of death by strong, warm and caring arms, in a stunning contrast. When she realized that she now was in Kristoff's arms in their bed, relief fell on her and made her shiver.
She needed some time to look around and reactivate her brain to realize that no, none of what just happened had ever happened, and it was all created by her mind. Kristoff caressed her agitated face, his large and soft hands covering all her cheeks as she panted for air.
Several seconds passed, and the blond took care of her.
"You're safe, you're safe. What is it? Did you have a nightmare?"
Anna nodded firmly. She then shook her head in disgust of herself.
"Why would I think she would ever do that… How can I be so cruel? How can I even dream that she would become that, even in such conditions?"
She passed her hands on her face, so he moved back while she mumbled to herself.
"Anna, what are you talking about?" Asked a confused Kristoff, who really wanted to know what possibly happened in the nightmare to help her cope with it.
"Elsa!" She yelled, so loud it nearly woke the children.
The King nodded. Now her state made a lot of sense. However, she wasn't actually replying to him.
"ELSA!" She screamed once more, and she started to cry.
She pushed the sheets away from her and jumped out of bed. The blond followed behind, overtaken by the event.
"Wait, Anna!"
Did she know that it was 3 in the morning? He then thought that she wouldn't care anyway. She was craving for Elsa's touch to heal from that terrible dream.
She was in the stairway in no time. When she arrived in front of the guest bedroom's door, she rushed to knock politely, but in her panic, it sounded more like she slammed her knuckles on the wood.
The loud sound made Honeymaren and Elsa startle in their sleep, and they were slowly sitting up and blinking in confusion when Anna suddenly barged in, her face covered with tears.
"An-?"
The rest of Elsa's sentence turned into a strangled noise, because her sister had basically jumped both feet on the bed and clamped to her body. If Anna wasn't surrounding her with her arms and they weren't caught in their move backwards by the pillows behind Elsa, it would have hurt a lot.
Honeymaren blinked at the state of her sister-in-law. Someone came to the door panting heavily, and the Northuldra recognized the King despite the darkness, who looked alarmed too, though way less than his wife.
"Anna, what is it?" Worried Elsa, who however brilliantly erased any panic in her tone to adopt a calm and soft voice, passing a hand in her sister's red mane.
It took a while for Anna to form any coherent word. "I'm… I'm so sorry…" She blabbered on her shoulder, and it was on Honeymaren's side, so the latter frowned, then turned to Kristoff.
"What happened?"
"She had a strong nightmare." Explained the man, who had approached the bed and was looking at Anna, gently being rocked in her elder's arms. "It involved Elsa."
Anna sobbed loudly in the blonde's ear, so the latter barely heard when her wife asked what Elsa went through in the dream, and when Kristoff replied that it rather was a question of what Anna went through in the dream, because of Elsa.
The redhead's cries were long and intense, and she had trouble breathing, her heavy tears rolling down her cheeks, then on Elsa's skin, then on the bed. She clenched to her elder so hard that the magical matter of her ice nightgown was nearly ripping in the back. Anna couldn't stop crying, and the Fifth Spirit didn't make her stop as well; she knew that it did some good to let out the anxiety of the moment through sobbing. She figured quickly that the tears weren't only because of the nightmare. Anna had been bottling up her emotions towards Elsa's dark magic for the past days, to be the one remaining positive. It was too much to bear, everyone knew it, and soon or later she would have burst. Now seemed to be that time. It didn't take long for Elsa to understand that what triggered her younger's anxious dream was the argument they had earlier, and her heart gained the weight of lead when she concluded that it actually was all her fault.
She held her sister tightly, closing her eyes and whispering support and love to her ear. Honeymaren passed a hand in Anna's back to help her go through her sobs, which she also knew were healing and would stop when her heart eventually felt lighter. Kristoff observed the scene and was touched for one more time in his life to see Anna being surrounded by so much love, especially when he knew how much she had been deprived of it during her childhood.
Long minutes passed until Anna calmed down, and she felt a bit ashamed for her behavior. She was a full-grown adult, she was Queen, and so she hurriedly rubbed her tears and her nose when she detached from Elsa to appear at least a bit more regal. It made Honeymaren smile tenderly. Anna sat on her heels on the bed in front of the two lovers, and Elsa hadn't detached her eyes from her.
"Are you okay? Do you want me to get you some chocolate in the kitchens?"
The redhead had a nervous laugh. "It's not worth it, don't bother."
Those words were precisely why Elsa stood up.
"No, Elsa, it's the middle of the night, and there's no need!" She insisted.
"Stay here, I'll be right back."
She quickly walked to the door, already thinking about bringing her the best treats she could find and inviting her to stay in the bed with her until she found sleep again.
The blonde turned one last time before going down the corridor.
"You know, Honey is really good at massages. Do you want one?"
Anna blinked. "Uh… Maybe…"
"Good."
She didn't add anything else, and when she was gone, Anna melted into tears again. It was less impressive than before, but still seemed linked to Elsa. Honeymaren noticed, and approached the Queen.
"Do you want to talk about it? Now that she is gone."
Anna curled up a bit.
"I thought… I thought…" She hiccuped, still having troubles retrieving a normal breathing. "That she had become a murderer."
The word was strong, so the two others startled at it.
Nevertheless, Honeymaren smiled at her sister-in-law. "Would a murderer give you the hug she just gave you?"
Kristoff smiled and followed her way. "And fetch you chocolates in the kitchens at this time?"
Anna looked down. "Of course not." She mumbled.
The Northuldra kept smiling.
"Turn around, I'll massage you."
On the following day, and despite everyone's care, Anna's thoughts kept haunting her. After breakfast, she was trying to read a novel, but noticed after ten minutes that she had been reading the same paragraph in loops. She couldn't focus at all, and sighed heavily.
She didn't intend for her expression to be noticed, but it surely didn't escape the attention of Elsa, who was present in the room. The Snow Queen was reading registers of deliveries between the Northuldra and Arendelle territories and making sure that the amounts were correct. Honeymaren had already checked the registers before, in her quality of Northuldra leader, for their presence in the kingdom was a good opportunity to do so. Nevertheless, Elsa was a stubborn maniac doubled with a curious and devoted person, so she often checked them too after her wife. The brunette didn't take it badly, and actually saw this familiar mood as a sign of Elsa's health.
The blonde lifted her eyes, her brows lowering in worry. When she saw Anna massaging her temple, she had a sad smile.
"Hey, how about we go on a walk?"
Anna looked at her intensely, and the elder thought she did something wrong. "I mean, only if you want. You're not obliged to say yes, of course, I would understand…"
"Elsa, I'd love to. In fact, I've been craving for it. Let's go!"
She nearly tossed the book aside and stood up in a swift move that would have made anyone else go dizzy. Elsa chuckled.
They went to the gardens, which was the perfect place to be distracted from their respective thoughts after the event of the night. Honeymaren was right: the castle was filled with smells and activities that captured the attention.
While they were surrounded by bright green grass, colorful flowers and wandering bees, they tried their best to talk about random topics such as weather instead of addressing the elephant in the room - or rather, the gardens. But, despite their efforts, they came back to talk about Victor.
"Now Arendelle is no longer in danger, and it relieves me infinitely." Admitted Anna, her head up to watch the clouds. "Neither are the Northuldra or Ahtohallan, thank goodness. Since Victor genuinely surrendered, we're all at peace again."
Elsa looked down at the grass, the magical hem of her dress shining at the corner of her eye.
"But now I am the threat."
The redhead briskly turned from the sky to her sister's face. "Elsa, don't be ridiculous. You know that you will never lose control now."
"But people can still fear me…"
"No one is scared of you." Assured Anna.
"Yet you had a nightmare about me!" Pointed out the elder.
Oh. Here we go.
Anna sighed. "Nightmares often make no sense at all. You know my imagination often goes wild."
Elsa bit her lip. "But what if I've become the villain now."
The Queen groaned. "Stop with your 'buts'! I'm not scared of you, Elsa, I swear on… Hell, I swear on Ahtohallan like you two always do. I'm not scared of you, Maren is not scared of you, Kristoff, Isak and Eydis either, and nobody in a thousand kilometers radius is. Your new magic may be evil, but you aren't, Elsa. That's where the whole difference resides."
A silence fell. The Fifth Spirit still had a sad expression. She wanted to argue once more, when some pollen flew up from a patch of flowers as a bumblebee took off. The dust passed in front of them, and Elsa suddenly sneezed before saying anything. Three happy snowgies popped out of nowhere in bright snowflakes symbols, and dropped to the grass. With big grins, they jolted and ran around the gardens. They rolled in the fresh loam, bounced on lily pads of the duck pond, and sled down the wheelbarrow that the gardeners had put against the stone wall.
The two sisters observed the scene, then Anna smirked as she turned to Elsa. "Does that look like you're a villain?"
The Snow Queen scowled a bit. "Snowgies don't count."
"Of course they do. They are your magical boogers."
Now Elsa blushed. "Stop calling them that!"
Anna giggled. She invited her to sit on the bench facing the duck pond, which was her favorite spot.
A few minutes of silence passed, but the redhead didn't mind. She could tell that Elsa was thinking about something she wanted to say.
"Anna…" She said after a while, and the younger smiled before turning. "I'm so sorry for talking to you like I did yesterday. I… I didn't mean it. I figured that it's why you had this dream last night."
The Queen smiled, comprehensive. She passed a hand on the back of the bench behind Elsa. "It's okay. I understand that your dark magic played a trick on you."
Her smile quickly vanished when the blonde suddenly brought her thighs to her, and buried her face in her knees.
"Hey, hey, hey… It's fine. Elsa, you didn't say that on purpose."
Anna went closer, holding her sister in her arms. "Come here."
The blonde accepted the embrace, and hid her face against the younger's shoulder. Anna passed a hand in her back to soothe her.
"It's a lot, uh?"
Elsa didn't lift her head, and simply nodded against her dress. "You have no idea. This is tiring me to no end…" She grumbled, devastated and angry.
Anna snorted. "Try having kids."
The blonde moved away from her shoulder to frown at her.
"What I mean is, having kids is a complete package of everything that tires you." Explained the Queen. "To think some people have more than two… I can't even imagine it. Do you remember when I had hormonal mood swings? When I was pregnant?"
Elsa smiled. "Yeah. But I think that Kristoff had to put up with you a hundred more times than I did."
"Well, allow me the comparison: I think that I went through the same thing than what you're going through right now. Mentally speaking. Each time I got angry or obsessed about something, it was like I was out of control. I could tell I was acting that way, but it was like my unconscious was acting for me. When I think about it, it's crazy. Even when I was pregnant with Isak and I knew that it was all going to happen like it did with Eydis, and I should be careful of the way I acted towards Kristoff and the staff, I still couldn't do anything about it."
"Like you're aware that what you do is bad, but you can't help yourself."
"Exactly."
The two sisters exchanged a smile. Elsa shook her head in a disbelief expression. "You're amazing."
Anna simply shrugged with her eyes closed, and she startled when she felt Elsa bending forward and kissing her forehead. When her eyes opened, the elder had retracted back to where she was on the bench, and was giving her an artic stare.
"But I still want to apologize."
The redhead sighed dramatically. "Will there ever be a time where I can prevent you from doing that?"
Elsa softly squeezed her hand.
"I'm serious. Those past days have been a lot for you. First you think that something bad happened to me because of my ice statue message, then you think that I'm in a coma after going too far in Ahtohallan, and finally you think that I'm dead on the Dark Sea shore. And now there's this whole magic issue… Everything is because of me and-"
"It's not your fault, you couldn't-"
Her hand got squeezed harder by the blonde. "Let me finish. I am sincerely sorry, for everything that you endured. But before you comment again, just know that I'll do all I can to make it up to you. If you also agree on your side to not deny that it's my fault."
Anna grumbled, seemed hesitant, tilted her head several times, but agreed eventually.
"It won't be easy with this dark magic in my veins, because I can feel that it brings to light all the mean thoughts I ever had."
"Yeah, I could tell with the arguments." Smiled Anna. "Now you're letting all your emotions go… And not in the beautiful way."
Elsa tilted her head in sarcasm.
They watched the ducks swim together with happy smiles.
"Do you think that I'm cruel to have thought that of you?" Asked Anna.
"Pardon?" Blinked Elsa, lost in her sudden change of topic.
"About the nightmare. I told you, I dreamt of you killing me…"
"This was your unconscious. Why would I ever think you're cruel?"
She was genuinely confused, and noticed that Anna didn't even hear her question. She was looking somewhere else and toying with her necklace.
The redhead rarely had anxiety attacks, and she was more of a bubbling person when stress hit her. Her elder saw the familiar signs and caught her gaze to make sure she would not reach a worse state.
"Hey, Anna, look at me. You're the nicest person in the universe, there's really no reason for me to blame you for one bad nightmare."
The redhead didn't seem convinced, so she thought for a moment. A smile then stretched Elsa's lips.
"Remember that day, long ago? When we got back from the Enchanted Forest after our first journey there? Remember how much you reassured me and were supportive when I stressed out as I was about to go up the stage in front of Arendelle people, to explain I wasn't feeling comfortable being Queen anymore, and longed to be something else and take my more suitable role of Fifth Spirit, and I was terrified of what they may think?"
"Yes, of course." Nodded Anna with a smile, finding her sister's rambling cute.
"I was so panicked that I kept pacing behind the curtain and because of how much I moved, my hair had fallen in front of my eyes."
The Queen giggled softly at the memory. "Yes."
"And right before Kai announced my arrival, you put your finger into my hair and combed it for me. And you know what? That's what changed everything to me. That's how I immediately found the courage to go on stage and talk to the people. That gesture you made was a warm, lovely trigger. Like nothing could ever happen to me as long as you kept an eye on me. I knew that, yes, there would be a hundred pairs of eyes widening in front of me once I would announce I quit my role as Queen, but I also knew that, behind me, you were staring at my back in support. You're a guardian angel, Anna, I swear on Ahtohallan. That's one of the reasons I deeply love you. Trust me, you're the complete opposite of a cruel person."
Anna's eyes now sparkled in the light, her mouth twisted in an emotional smile.
"Now, deep breath, chin up, everything's okay."
The redhead chuckled, and sniffed, like she had been internally shedding tears.
"That's what Father used to say when I felt down." She smiled, happy that she purposely used the sentence.
"Well, that's what you told me he told you, because the main mantra I remember him telling me is 'Conceal it, don't feel it.'" Replied Elsa.
Anna winced. "Yeah, it's not that great, uh?"
The blonde shrugged. "Mother was better for the wise words."
The sisters laughed together.
Elsa stood up from the bench. "Come. You made hot chocolate for me the other time, now it's my turn. It really heals."
"Actually, it was Maren's idea."
The Fifth Spirit's jaw dropped in surprised delight. "It was? Aww."
"So you're the one who was behind the hot chocolate that calmed me down the other day?"
Honeymaren smiled at Elsa's entrance in the bedroom. "Why, yes. You know Anna makes them better than me, so I figured I could submit the idea."
The blonde came close to her and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her from behind. Honeymaren had a smirk and looked at her reflection in the mirror, stopping her hair unravelling. With the braids Elsa had made before, it was all curly now and she loved it.
"To what do I owe this sudden affection?"
"Am I not allowed to cuddle you?" Murmured Elsa, her nose buried in her hair and smelling it intensely.
The emplacement of her mouth and the tickles it provoked against her neck made Honeymaren go wild for a second. "Well, not that I dislike it, you know I love it, but I'm intrigued. You're rarely the first one to get… Tactile."
She had meant to exaggerate that last word to emphasize it, but it got enhanced in another way; one of Elsa's hands had gone exactly where the blonde knew she was sensitive, and the Northuldra nearly buckled.
"Woh- Elsa!"
She caught her hand in hers, and grinned. Her wife still hadn't answered, replied or gave a sarcastic comment, and was only smiling as she kept kissing Honeymaren's neck.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Laughed the brunette, staring at her lover's reflection in front of her. "Is this to get your revenge on me for the hickeys?"
"Not entirely…" Murmured Elsa in a suave voice, and indeed, she only had been tender and soft until now, unlike Honeymaren who left marks. She even caressed the hand she now had in hers with her thumb.
"You're impossible." Whispered the leader, shaking her head in pleasured astonishment.
The move made Elsa straighten, and she stopped kissing her to look at her eyes. Honeymaren turned to her, still seated at the vanity, and looked up at her wife who now had her forearms on her shoulders and was staring at her avidly.
"I love how your eyes actually look like honey."
"What?" Chuckled the woman.
"Your irises. They're not just deep brown, they have a hint of gold…" Analyzed Elsa, her gaze not leaving hers.
"Is that a wealth, then?" Smirked Honeymaren, loving the way her lover was staring.
"I'm the wealthy one for counting you in my possession. I mean, calling you 'mine'." She clarified, looking down at her ring.
By bending doing so, they slowly turned to the posture of having Elsa sitting face-to-face with Honeymaren on her lap, and the brunette was enthralled. They now were almost nose against nose, and she could feel Elsa in all her essence.
"I love the way you describe my eyes. Are they really that striking?"
"Baby, you have no idea…"
Elsa slowly tilted her face, as she was higher than her, to meet her lips, but Honeymaren helped close the way with greedy ones. They kissed deeply, soundly, until they parted with delight in their hearts.
They stared at each other, and Elsa smiled when the honey-chestnut eyes sent back her love up close.
"Your eyes are the only ones that have ever looked at me this way."
"Aww, snømus…" Melted the Northuldra. She then froze. "Wait, is it a good thing or a bad thing? Because it means that no one loves you as you should be loved, and I think it's really harsh that…"
She had a serious tone, and while she kept rambling, Elsa chuckled tenderly. She cut Honeymaren's words with a sealing kiss, and the brunette gladly stopped talking to get another dominant touch from her.
"We are married." Smiled Elsa when they eventually parted. "There is no stronger bond."
She saw that Honeymaren didn't reply, and looked dizzy. She had a happy idiot expression.
"Hey, are you listening?"
"Sorry, I've lost track." Admitted the brunette with a grin. "You're really mesmerizing, you know that?"
"I've been told a lot of times by a certain someone, yes." Said Elsa, clearly referring to her wife. "Now what is distracting you?"
Honeymaren smirked, pointedly staring at what was at eye level.
Elsa looked down. "Oh."
The morning when they had decided to go to Piruluola had arrived. When Anna, Honeymaren and Elsa met at dawn in the stables for their departure, the latter looked nervous.
"I wanted to ask… It's obvious that I will not ask for Nokk to be my ride to the magical source for safety reasons. So…"
She started to blush, and the two other women did not understand why.
"Can I pick Rask as my horse?" Mumbled the Snow Queen.
It was an absurd demand, and her tone was cute, like a child asking for a favor. Which was odd coming from someone who had god-like range powers. Anna and Honeymaren exchanged a smile, too polite to mock Elsa's adorable ways.
"Sure." Smiled Anna. "I'll have one of the royal horses. And same for Maren."
They split in the stables as they prepared. Soon, the blonde petted Rask's muzzle and murmured happy words to him as he excitedly neighed, stomping in a hectic way because he couldn't wait to share a new adventure with her.
Anna grinned as she observed them. "She really needed to have a strong bond with the horse she would have on the journey, uh?"
Honeymaren smiled tenderly, also observing the Fifth Spirit from the other box. "I should have bet on it. I get her, though. It must be weird to have a classic ride for once, and Rask is the horse she has the biggest past in common with."
The Queen nodded wisely as she scratched the neck of a horse, and showed it to the brunette. "That'll be yours."
She carefully picked this horse because it was a calm one, and Anna knew that the Northuldra preferred to be gentle with animals. It was a female, named Rolig, and she had been born the same year than Rask. Anna found it a great idea that the two lovers shared this in common. Their colors even matched.
Anna's horse, several boxes further, was her usual one when she had to travel, and their bond was perfect. Elsa often commented that her horse was an exact animal replica of her personality. After all, it was a female too, so maybe the mare was an Anna one. It was a beautiful beige, with a patch of white on the forehead, and her tail was slightly more red than the rest. Ivrig was older than the two other horses, but that didn't mean she had less energy. At the Queen's presence in front of her box, the horse got excited for what was coming, just like a child on Christmas day. Or rather, just like Anna in any epic situation.
Honeymaren tilted her head to see her wife from where she was.
"Snømus, if you lead the way, do you want to carry the map or do I put it in my bag?" She suggested.
"It's fine, you can take it. You know I can always tell where the North is." Smiled Elsa.
"That's right. My compass." Grinned Honeymaren.
In one swift and expert move, Elsa climbed on Rask's back. She then caressed the mount with thankful gestures, for the journey that was about to come.
Anna discreetly approached Honeymaren while she was picking up her saddle hanging on the wall.
"Hey, I never got to ask you where that cute 'snømus' nickname came from. I mean, I know that Elsa is a real weasel sometimes, but I know you enough to guess that it's not the reason why you name her that way. Where does it come from?"
Honeymaren was about to reply, when Anna suddenly rose her hands.
"No, wait, don't tell me anything!"
The brunette scoffed with a smirk. "It's nothing sensual or private."
"I suppose so, it's just... I changed my mind. Keep it a mystery to me, actually."
Honeymaren scoffed, and let Anna go back to what she was doing. The leader smiled. It was a shame she reconsidered, though. The main reason why the Northuldra had nicknamed Elsa that way was because, the first time she had been close to her, her hair had reminded her of the winter fur of least weasels. Her lover then turned out to simultaneously be the cutest person she had ever met, the most dramatic being she ever had to bear, and the fastest hunter she had ever seen. And her natural discretion and modesty equaled her sneakiness. So to nickname her 'snømus' was a no-brainer.
Honeymaren had a dreamy smile as she set up the last straps on her horse, lost in her thoughts.
When the three of them got outside, Kristoff and his children were looking at them from the balcony of the castle. It was funny to see the children in night clothes and barely awake, due to how early they were leaving, but they visibly had insisted on saying goodbye to the three women.
Honeymaren took the opportunity that Elsa was busy waving at her niece and nephew to approach her horse from Anna's.
"Say, do you think we should keep an eye on Elsa's behavior on the upcoming days? You know, her dark magic might be getting stronger the more we approach Piruluola."
"You're right." Murmured back Anna, who saluted the Northuldra's cleverness. "Ahtohallan is strong enough to allure her and reinforce her magic, so who knows what this opposite source can do. Even if we know she's genuinely trying her best to resist and not let that magic take over her, it's best to be careful."
Honeymaren checked that Elsa was still not following them to ask the next question. "And, uhm… Did you notice changes in her behavior due to dark magic?"
Anna had a nervous laugh. "You'll have to be more precise than that. I've noticed that she's more easily angry than before, that's for sure. But she's not actually turning evil, even in my nightmare it seemed a bit absurd."
Honeymaren blushed, looking down at the mane of her horse. "No, I meant… She seems a bit more… Teasing than usual."
"Yeah, she's nitpicking more often than before." Nodded Anna.
"No, I mean…"
The Northuldra still didn't have eye contact with the redhead, and it was rare, just like her current flustered state. Then it clicked in the Queen's brain, and she had a large grin and a long quiet giggle.
"Oooooh, you mean teasing in those moments."
She shrugged playfully. "Well, consider yourself lucky. Maybe that can play in your favor."
"Now you're making it awkward. It's just that she complimented my eyes in a really, really heavy way yesterday. That's all."
"Oh, you know, it starts like that…"
She didn't finish her sentence, not that there was the need to finish it, because Elsa arrived at their level.
"Shall we go?"
She saw how both of them had quickly closed their mouths. "...What were you two talking about?"
"Weather." Said Anna.
"Horses." Improvised Honeymaren at the same time.
They all looked at each other.
"We were debating about which weather is the best for horses." Smiled the redhead.
"Okay." Replied Elsa in all naivety.
She lifted her eyes to the sky. "Is today a good day?"
"Excellent."
"Yeah, couldn't be better."
The Snow Queen didn't even notice their embarrassment in their replies, and urged Rask forward, already dashing on the bridge, much to the stallion's happiness.
"Race to the fjord's edge!" Yelled Elsa, already ahead.
Anna and Honeymaren looked at her with amused expressions. Yep, their Elsa hadn't changed a bit. Still a clueless cutie. Still a playful trickster.
Author's Note:
Did you miss me? ME AND MY SUPER LONG CHAPS? What's hilarious is that I also post them on Tumblr and apparently it makes the app crash when my followers read it. Woops. Sorry not sorry.
Like this chapter? Like my style? You know what I always say: check out 'Untangling the Frozen Knots novel' on Google! :D
Now you might wonder why I called the other source that way. Well, Ahtohallan is possibly a name made from Finnish language, because "Ahto" is the Finnish god of waters, and "halla" = frost on the ground. So I figured that its complete opposite would be a combination of a demon god, and the word that means 'cave/grotto'. (You'll later see why :P) and so it's "Piru", a nasty demon, and "luola". Tada!
Lots of names I created for this fic are little puns and nerdy things. Victor Eiglatson is a good example too: 'victor' basically means 'victorious' in latin, so I hinted all the way that he would win his fight against Frohana (I made the fanfic with the precise idea of Elsa getting her powers ripped off, so I had planned their defeat since the beginning) and 'eiglatson', which I chose purposely because it ends in 'son' like many family names in this period, actually is the word 'nostalgie' in reverse. The French word of 'nostalgia', because it's the main emotion that make him act. YEP.
Oh, and Ivrig means eager and Rolig means calm. In Norwegian.
You're welcome for those stupid names. XD
Next chapter will be more about this dream team of 3 cute dorks, and a trip chapter, so with less drama. Though I know you love that, don't ya? :P