oO Ahtohollan Oo

Run! Faster! Not enough! Go! The trees around bent and warped as Elsa did her very best to escape the fires roaring behind her. No longer standing on the outside of the memories to which she'd bore witness to but directly inside. The battlefield torn and haggard with the sounds of screams the likes of which she had never heard before. The call of children to their mothers, the sound of husbands looking for their wives. Pure Chaos.

It was nothing like the fairy-tale version she'd been told when she was young. This was hell on earth and every single element present was bound and determined to wipe every living thing from the earth.

Her heart pulsed, the dream so real she could actually feel the scorching heat along her cheeks. Her eyes awash with tears and her lungs tight with smoke. She turned, lost. No way out. Her entire body feeling as though the stone giants themselves were standing upon her shoulders.

Then, a dark shadow appeared over a cliff's edge. Large antler's adorning their head reaching towards the sky like a demon's fingers. Her heart was sure to leave her any moment as she stared up into the featureless face of a man she somehow felt she knew but could not name. The call of another—a child— ringing in her ears. The deathly scream of a mother without her firstborn.

Elsa jolted into the waking world with a choking gasp. Though she had a resistance to the cold laying directly upon it was not very comforting to her lithe frame. Every muscle in her body screamed out in protest when she dragged her hands down to push herself from her stomach to her back. Another jolt of discomfort rocking her frame and screwing up her features.

Her dream still vibrating through her frame, leaving her without comfort. As though they weren't merely inside her mind but as though she had lived through them. It was an odd feeling for her normally clear and succinct thoughts. It truly felt as though she'd falling headfirst down a deep well and crashed at the bottom.

When Elsa finally managed to open her eyes, the world around her was gleaming with beams of sunlight. The tall pillars that had held such devastating memories, now clear and breathtaking in their natural states. She didn't remember falling asleep among the cries of war and perhaps—given her state of rest—she hadn't fallen asleep at all. With as much grace as she could manage, she made her way to her feet. Her throat raw and burning and her stomach quivering for sustenance.

The ice around seemed to glimmer and flicker in silent greeting as she carefully weaved her way through. Though the light that had accompanied her from before was not present. Hesitantly, she moved to where she believed she had come through. Her eyes still blurry from sleep. She made to rub at one of her eyes when a figure—a shadow—appeared just in front of the doorway to which she was headed.

Everything in her body jolted to a stop, her hand still raised as she furiously blinked to try and see the man clearly. Surely, it was a man based on the size and shape though his face was completely obscured. Though before she could call out or make any sort of movement towards them, they were gone. As though they'd never been there at all.

"I need to get out of here…" A small whisper to herself, her hands retreating from her face to wrap around her arms. The chill of the ice around her that hadn't bothered her before, bothered her now. A very unfamiliar and disquieting feeling.

With great care and sharp eyes, she pushed herself through the large archway. Though what she had expected she was not presented with. The corridor that had led her to the forest of ice was not before her now. Rather another path. A darker, deeper path.

She paused for a moment, looking back from where she came. Her heart torn between the two directions. She had sent word to the Northuldran leader Yelena that she would be arriving on the evening of the day before. Would they be concerned that she had not yet appeared? Would they send word to Anna somehow that she was not where she had intended to be? Would her sister send out the entire fleet in search of her?

She had promised…

Promised…

Another look down the dark passage turned her back into the forest of ice. Her head still fuzzy with fatigue that she could not identify and a frame sore and aching from laying in a crumpled heap upon frigid ice. She moved as quickly as she dared, her eyes scanning the tree line for the proper pathway to lead her out.

oO Northuldra Oo

"Honeymaren, I'd like for you to go to the beach, take Yanuk with you. You'll need your strength." Yelena stood as tall and strong as she ever was. Her keen eyes looking out into the forest, "Ryder, you shall take the path towards the cliffs over-hanging where the dam used to be." She turned slightly on her heel to address a man that could have been born of the trees given his height and build, "Applen, you shall take the path leading towards the Arendellian road. Though we had expected our guest to come last night. We cannot rule out that something may have delayed her. While I am not presently concerned. It would not do us well to leave her on her own, possibly in need of our assistance."

"Which one is it we're looking for again?" Applen asked a little sheepishly, he'd been out hunting when they had received their visitors from beyond the mist. He'd only heard the stories passed on about the Fifth Spirit coming back to the forest.

"The blonde one." Honeymaren interjected with a small chuckle, "Tall and thin, can't miss her. She's got skin the color of snow and a dress to match."

"Blonde one…Right. Looks likes snow. Shouldn't be too hard to spot in the winter." Applen grumbled, he wasn't meant for rescue missions. He was a warrior, a hunter. Not a babysitter. If the forest wanted to swallow up the new Fifth Spirit who was he to say no?

"Oh don't be so grumpy Apps, once we get back you'll be able to go back into your little mud-hole." Ryder snickered and ducked the swing of Applen's large club-like staff.

"Don't call me 'Apps'. It's Applen. Say it with my now, Ap-len." The large man grumbled as the young man chuckled off his frustration, "Insolent little pup."

"Enough." Yelena gave a warning glare to Ryder, who immediately straightened and tried to keep the laughter off his face, "Go now. If you have nothing by mid-day return to camp."

A chorus of, 'Yes, ma'ams' sent them all in their various directions. The elder woman turned to look up into the tall trees. Her eyes closing as she tried to listen for any words of wisdom from the spirits. All around seemed to be calm, the wind gently blowing through the trees, the river nearby softly trickling away. The earth giants slumbering the day away. The fire crackling under an iron pot.

A soft chittering noise raised her brow and lowered her head. The small fire spirit having come from the forest to gently run it's heated body around Yelena's ankles, "What do you know?"

The little salamander merely smiled its goofy smile and rolled onto its back for affection. The sage woman shook her head before lowering herself down. Her aged fingers gently rubbing the spirit's tender belly, "Which way shall she arrive?"

The little creature chittered happily rolling back onto its feet. A small full-body shake gave way to a small flare of fire as the spirit dashed off through the tracks left behind by Honeymaren. Yelena smiled to herself as she came back to her feet, idly resting against her staff, "Excellent."

oO Ahtohollan Oo

Elsa groaned softly as she climbed her way up through the narrow cavern. The bright light of day shining down from the entranceway seemed to grow farther yet nearer with every step. Her path through the icy glacier had felt like a maze with changing walls. Only furthering the weight that pulled her body with fatigue that she had never known. Her head was beginning to ache now. It was an odd feeling that left her toned frame expressing its need for nutrients.

"Just a little farther…" A soft, stubborn mumble passed her lips as she pushed herself forward. The doorway ahead letting in a soft sea breeze to lift her spirits. As soon as she'd breached the threshold she let herself sag down to her knees with relief. Her head falling back to let the warm winter sunbathe her skin in its brilliant light.

oO Enchanted Forest Oo

"Okay, Yanuk. How about this? 'Hello, my name's Honeymaren. We met before? You know by the fireside. We sang a lullaby together and then I invited you to stay with us here in Northuldra and then you left for a while but now you're coming back!'" Honeymaren cringed as her words tumbled out without an ounce of control or grace. The reindeer beneath her even snorted in response shaking its head in the semblance of a chuckle, "Too much?"

She sighed and groaned, pressing her palms into her eyes, "I just…want to make a good impression you know?" Honeymaren whined leaning down to catch the reindeer's eye, "I mean that's all we get right? One? I just…ugh…" She grunted and leaned back as the reindeer continued to walk on, "Why can't I think of anything but her impossibly soft hands…."

Once more Yanuk grunted in response, making the young herder narrow her eyes, "Language mister."

Another heavy sigh left her chest as she looked on through the decreasing trees, the soft smell of the sea starting to be carried along the wind. Her eyes looked out at the beautiful pristine plains of snow before her. So perfect, so beautiful, so white...Her thoughts drifted again and she let out a sharp grunt of frustration, "This isn't natural! I met her for a total of like….forty minutes! I can't have a crush on her already!"

As though in response to her exclamation, the wind whipped up around her, small flakes of snow caught in its grasp. Honeymaren shielded her head for a moment as the soft flakes seemed to caress her features before pulling away once more to run through the fresh powder, leaving behind a small trail of sorts for her to follow. "Wind spirit? Is that you?"

A soft twinkling through the snow-capped trees came as a response and she smiled brightly, "It is! Do you know where she is?"

Attention fully gathered, she took hold of the reins properly and narrowed her eyes through the glaring sun. The path she was sure she was meant to take shadowed perfectly, "Come on Yanuk, yip-yip!"

oO Arendelle Oo

"Elsa? Elsa where are you?" Anna's voice carried eerily along the walls of her distorted home. The paintings and other beautiful adornments twisting and warping with every turn she made. Her heart hammering in her chest as she desperately searched for her sister.

Turn after turn she took, with only a fleeting glance around each corner. A soft silhouette of a diaphanous train, or the wisp of sun gold hair. The faster she tried to run, the further away Elsa seemed to be.

"Queen Anna?"

"Anna!"

"Elsa! Where are you?!"

"Your majesty?"

"Elsa!"

Anna jolted to the feeling of a firm hand along her arm, her face wet with tears and her heart racing as though she'd actually been running down the halls of her home. A dark silhouette appeared in front of her and she squeaked softly before bolting straight up in the bed. The book from the night before falling from the tossed covers.

"Gerda! Oh, my goodness you scared me!" Anna put her hand to her chest, her eyes still wide as she tried to take in enough air to keep her head from pounding any harder than it was.

"So sorry about that, your majesty." Gerda responded kindly though she'd already begun pulling the sheets away from the bed, "It's well past the time you needed to be up, if you hurry I think your bathwater will still be warm."

"Thank you…thank you…" Anna muttered as she pushed herself clumsily to her feet, her body aching in ways she didn't expect.

She hastily ran a hand through her hair as she turned towards the door leading to where her bathroom door would have been having completely forgotten that she'd stayed in Elsa's room the previous night. There was a small murmuring of confusion before her brain finally supplied her with the information she needed and she was once more rushing towards the door leading out into the hallway.

Unfortunately, her bathwater had not retained as much heat as she would have liked though it had provided her with a very clear head to take on the day's tasks. In no time, she'd scarfed down a moderate breakfast, caught up with Kristoff and Olaf who were about to make a run to the North Mountain for more ice, and had herself dressed and ready to receive the guests that had just docked in the harbor. Her nightmare quickly turning into nothing more than a faded memory.

oO Dark Sea Coast Oo

The wind blew wonderfully, dancing through Honeymaren's long braided locks raising and dropping her braid in a sort of playful keep away. She reached up towards the sky as the wind spirit continued it's dance around her limbs before a small glimmer over the edge of the water finally caught the herder's attention.

"Is that…?" Half-amazed and half in shock, Honeymaren pushed herself away from resting against her reindeer and onto her feet. The small stones along the beach crunching under her boots as she shielded her eyes to look out better over the gentle waves, "No way…"

As the figure grew closer-riding atop the waves, her back straightened up. Her mind quickly running through all the things she'd practiced to say when she met the Fifth Spirit once again. Her heart fluttered excitedly as the large water spirit came to a gentle stop just at the water's edge, the beautiful woman atop his back slipping down to the stones.

"Wow…"

Elsa blushed softly, as she settled her feet into the stones of the beach. She hadn't expected to meet anyone along the way but the sight of the woman before her instantly sparked her memory. Her name instantly coming to the front of her mind. Though before she could speak to greet her, the younger stuttered first.

"Ah! Right, Hi! Uh-Hello, my name's Ho-Honeymaren and I'm here to escort you back to the village!" Honeymaren could have curled herself up in a rabbit's burrow at her poorly delivered words. Her voice rising and falling as though she was nothing but a child excited to see a baby reindeer for the first time.

"It's a pleasure to see you again," Elsa inclined her head politely, her shoulders straightening despite the fatigue that threatened to pull her down to the stones, "Please," She took a small step closer towards the pair, her eyes turning towards Yanuk before reaching out to rub his muzzle, "Lead the way."

"It's a bit of a long walk…" Honeymaren started, her eyes lowering to the hand that gave her reindeer a touch of affection, the latter easily milking it for all it was worth by nuzzling his head just a bit closer, "I rode here so you're welcome to ride Yanuk if you want or we could ride…together?" She sucked in air as the last of her sentence tumbled free, desperately hoping inside that the Queen would want to ride together.

"I've never ridden on a reindeer before," A slow smile grew over Elsa's lips, her eyes sparkling with the idea of trying something new, "You'll definitely have to help me."

"Yep, I can do that." Honeymaren let her shoulders fall and she took a deep breath to calm herself. A small adjustment brought her closer and she could almost smell the taste of winter on her tongue, "Okay, just climb on up,"

Honeymaren knelt down in the stones offering the palms of her hands as a means to step up onto the reindeer, though to her surprise the Queen was easily able to pull herself up without any aid. A smirk curled the corner of her lips as the blond attempted to settle onto the reindeer's back, "A little more forward, that's it. Go ahead and take the handholds on the harness there." Honeymaren pushed herself up as soon as she'd finished, her body easily falling into place right behind the taller woman's but maintaining a polite distance between them. She glanced around the blond's shoulder making sure she had a good grip.

"Okay don't squeeze your legs too tight, here we go." Honeymaren reached around slowly, her hands bumping slightly with the Spirit's before moving out of the way to rest just beside the handholds. Another hissing breath left her throat as she gave a gentle pull, "Yanuk? Home, yip yip."

oOo

The ride back to the village was relatively peaceful. The Northuldran woman having reclaimed her normally calm demeanor as she took the time to talk about the lands they passed along the way. Her confidence regrowing as she answered every inquisitive question.

Slowly, however, the questions being asked became softer and softer causing Honeymaren to have to lean into the woman in front of her to hear. She'd not even noticed that she'd done so until the soft blond hair wafted along the wind beneath her chin. She cleared her throat a little as she directed them down a small slope ready to begin another story when the softest of hums filled the air.

Curious, she leaned herself around just enough to try and see the Spirit's face. Her brows rose as she watched the blond's head slowly lower down until her chin was resting against her own chest, her eyes closed and her brows beginning to relax. Though she remained sitting up, her shoulders had begun to droop as well, leaving her to bend her normally perfectly straight back.

Honeymaren smiled to herself, a small chuckle bubbling up the back of her throat as she pushed herself just a bit closer to keep the taller woman from sliding off, her hands coming to gently press over the ones that had gone lax over the handholds.

"Don't worry, I've got you." She whispered into the soft breeze, her eyes turning forward once more as she turned onto a well-worn herding path that she knew would lead them both home.