Chapter 1
"Race you!" cried Ryder to his sister Honeymaren, as they rode across the vast meadow outside of the Enchanted Forest on their reindeers. It was a beautiful spring day.
"First one to the elemental shrines wins!" Ryder cried.
"We'll see about that," said Honeymaren, urging her reindeer to move faster. In the months that had passed since the mist had lifted, a lot more exploring and adventuring had been going on. The world seemed so beautiful now, now that everything had changed. There was so much to see and discover.
Yet Honeymaren was a bit nervous. Before she had never seen the clouds or sky, nor had she seen other non-Northuldra people. She had never seen society outside the forest. But now that things had changed, it all took quite a bit of adjusting to. None-the-less, she was glad that the spirits were happy again. She loved them, and they loved her.
"I'm going to get you!" cried Ryder. His reindeer was gaining up closer to Honeymaren.
"Oh, no you don't," said Honeymaren. She could see the shrines up ahead and was determined to get there first.
Ryder was right behind her, and Honeymaren couldn't urge the reindeer on faster.
"Come on! Come on!" Honeymaren thought. Ryder was now reaching her speed.
Honeymaren leaned forward, as if doing so would make her speed up. Ryder was beside her, and slowly getting faster. Honeymaren eyed her target, and wished with all her might that she would reach it first.
Five seconds, four seconds. Ryder was going to pass her if she didn't hurry. She leaned even more forward. Three seconds, two seconds.
"I'm almost there!" Honeymaren cried.
"Not if I can help it," said Ryder.
One second. All at once, Honeymaren's reindeer's hooves leapt over the boundary, and they touched the Wind Spirit shrine. Just like that, she had won. Honeymaren let out a howl of excitement as she jumped down from her reindeer and heard a growl of disappointment from her brother behind her.
"See, I told you I would beat you," said Honeymaren.
"Yeah, for now," said Ryder. "Next race, you might not be so lucky." He looked up at the sky before speaking again. "Come on, let's get bac to camp and get something to eat, I'm hungry."
"You go on ahead, I'm going to sit and enjoy the sky view for a little while," said Honeymaren.
"Oh, alright," said Ryder. "Well, I'll see you back at camp." And with that, he turned his reindeer around, and rode off bac towards the forest.
Honeymaren sighed in delight as she took relish in the sunny sky. She could never get used to seeing the clouds and sun, after all, she had gone from birth until now without it. Seeing that she was twenty-four now, it had been that long.
And now that the spirits had blessed them the gift of being able to see the outside world again, Honeymaren was going to take every chance she had to enjoy it. She stood next to her reindeer, admiring the clouds, when suddenly, she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her that caused her to turn around in alarm.
Out from behind the foliage came a well-dressed man in black, wearing a hat and matching leather shoes.
"I'm sorry lady, I didn't mean to startle you," said the man in a gentle, smooth, voice.
This man was clearly not Northuldra, and judging by his clothing, he had to be Arendellian.
"It's okay," said Honeymaren, in somewhat of a nervous tone. Even though she was now exposed to the outside world, she was still weary of outside people.
The strange man gave her a look-over. "It's not everyday that I see a Northuldra person," he said, still in a smooth tone, as he took off his hat and slowly walked towards Honeymaren.
Her breath caught in her throat and she felt frozen in place as she stared at the handsome man coming towards her. He had raven black, shoulder-length hair, and golden-brown eyes. He was smiling as he came towards her and Honeymaren felt butterflies and nervousness at the same time.
"Especially no one as stunningly beautiful as you," said the man.
And now Honeymaren stood there with her mouth open and her cheeks flushed red. No man had ever called her beautiful before. And certainly not an outsider.
"You-you think I'm beautiful?" asked Honeymaren.
"Yes," said the man. "You look like a fairy, especially when you were riding across the field on your reindeer."
And here Honeymaren continued to blush when she realized the man had been watching her and her brother race.
"I never had a man compliment me like this before," said Honeymaren, playing with a strand of her hair.
"Well, you deserve them, because you're stunning," said the man. "So, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vernon. Vernon Nilsen. What is your name?"
"Oh, um, it's Honeymaren," said Honeymaren. "Honeymaren Nattura."
"Honeymaren? Such a sweet, lovely name for a sweet, lovely woman," said Vernon. "I like it. It suits you."
Honeymaren felt the blush in her cheeks and the butterflies In her stomach again. "Thank you."
"So," said Vernon. "That other man I saw you racing with, who is he?"
"Oh, that was my younger brother Ryder, he's always wanting to race me," said Honeymaren.
"Ah, I see," said Vernon. He looked relieved. Then he asked another question. "Forgive me for asking, but do you have a boyfriend?"
"No," said Honeymaren. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Nope," said Vernon, with a grin on his face. "I suppose we're in the same boat then. With that being said, maybe it'd be alright with you if I take you out sometime?"
Honeymaren looked up in excitement, hardly not believing her ears. "You mean like, out of the forest?"
"Yes," said Vernon. "Just to dinner, so that we can talk."
Honeymaren's mind was racing. Part of her wanted to say no, while another part of her wanted to say yes. An outsider could come with a risk, depending on the person, and Honeymaren didn't want to potentially bring danger to her people.
On the other hand, here was a handsome, seemingly charming man who was polite, seemed interested in her, and wanted to show her the outside world, something she had never done before. Also, he appeared to be wealthy. Decision, decisions…
"That sounds like a splendid idea," said Honeymaren.
Vernon broke into a huge grin. "Great, meet me here this Friday at six o' clock in the evening. I'll be waiting here for you."
"I'll be sure to be there," said Honeymaren. Then her smile faded. "But I don't have any fancy clothes to wear."
"It's alright," said Vernon. "Just come as you are in the clothes you're wearing. You're still beautiful."
Honeymaren blushed again. Normally, she wouldn't be so easily swayed by compliments, but she wasn't used to them, and so to hear them now from a man like Vernon was alluring. Why not give it a chance? Sometimes, chances had to be made in life.
"Alright, I'll come as I am," said Honeymaren.
"I'm so glad to hear that Honeymaren," said Vernon. "It's official then, I'll meet you here Friday at six."
All at once, he moved forward, grabbed Honeymarens hand, and leaned down and kissed it. Butterflies and shivers rode up Honeymaren's body.
"See you soon angel," said Vernon. And with that, he smiled and walked away back into the bushes, leaving a very flustered and excited Honeymaren.
later that night, Honeymaren lied in her hut excitedly as she thought about everything that happened earlier that afternoon. She couldn't believe a handsome man had chosen her like that. She couldn't wait until Friday, to see where Vernon was going to take her.
But she also thought about Yelena. She knew Yelena likely wouldn't approve of Honeymaren seeing an outsider, since Yelena herself was still very weary about some outsiders. After all, Yelena was there the day the mist fell.
Honeymaren decided that she was going to do something she normally didn't do, which was not tell anyone where she was going. She felt bad just thinking about it, but she didn't want to disappoint Vernon by not showing up. She wanted to explore more of the outside world, so that's what she was going to do. Smiling, Honeymaren rolled over on her pallet, and drifted off to sleep.
As the days passed by, the more excited Honeymaren felt. As she went about her daily life, she was in her daydream world, imagining all the exciting things that could possibly happen with Vernon. At last, the day came and was finally here. It was Friday. Honeymaren could hardly wait until nightfall. The morning and afternoon seemed to take forever to go by.
At last, the sun began to slip behind the trees, and evening was coming. While the other Northuldrans were getting ready to prepare for their evening meal, Honeymaren freshened up at a stream, then she ducked away inside her hut to change clothes. She changed into the special attire that her and her people wore only for ceremonial occasions. Adorned with patterns and beads, Honeymaren felt stylish, but she didn't know how Arendellian townspeople would react to her. She just hoped it wouldn't turn Vernon off.
Honeymaren crept away from the camp, Yelena was sitting with a few elders in a circle by the fire, they were talking amongst each other as the stew was simmering around the fire. Honeymaren turned, and continued walking away, only for Ryder to step out from a tree with his arms folded.
"Ryder! What are you doing following me?" Asked Honeymaren, startled.
"I think the better question is where are you going dressed up in the ceremonial outfit?" Asked Ryder.
"Nowhere, now, let me be on my way," said Honeymaren, trying to storm past him, but Ryder blocked her way.
"Want me to tell Yelena? You know she'll wonder where you are." Asked Ryder.
Honeymaren widened her eyes. "You wouldn't."
"I would," said Ryder. "Now tell me."
Honeymaren sighed. "Fine. But please, please, please, don't tell Yelena anything. At least not yet."
"I swear on Ahtohallen I won't," said Ryder.
"Alright," said Honeymaren. "After you went home from our race a few days ago, this man showed up, he was dressed very nice, and he wore a hat and everything, and he-"
"Woah, woah, woah. You talked to some random strange man in the forest?" Asked Ryder.
"Yes," said Honeymaren. "And he asked me to dinner tonight, and I said yes."
"What? Honeymaren, why would you do that?" Asked Ryder.
"He seems nice," said Honeymaren. "And he complimented me a lot."
"So? That doesn't mean anything," said Ryder. "You know nothing about this man. He could be a crazy person for all you know. What's his name?"
"His name's Vernon Nilsen," said Honeymaren.
"And where does this Vernon Nilsen man live? What does he do for a living?" Asked Ryder.
"I don't know what he does for a living, but I'm hoping to find out tonight," said Honeymaren. "And, I assume he's Arendellian."
"Well, actually knowing is better than assuming," said Ryder. "You need to be safe Honeymaren."
"I will," said Honeymaren. "But once again, please promise me you won't say anything to Yelena."
"I won't," said Ryder. "And please promise me that if this guy starts acting weird or saying strange things to you that you'll run away from him and never see him again."
Honeymaren chuckled. "I will."
"Good," said Ryder. "Have fun, be safe, and don't be out too long."
"I won't," said Honeymaren.
Brother and sister parted ways, and Honeymaren continued to walk until she reached the clearing where the spirit shrines were. The full moon overhead was casting an ethereal glow over them. Vernon hadn't arrived yet, so Honeymaren busied herself with checking over her outfit to make sure everything was in place while she waited.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. Honeymaren felt a little concerned. Was Vernon running late? Maybe he had already come by and she had missed him. Suddenly, she heard the sound of horses hooves, and Vernon came from through the trees driving a horse and buggy.
"Hello angel," said Vernon, as he pulled up and Honeymaren had a big grin on her face. "My, don't you look splendid this evening?"
"It's not much, but it's the only nice outfit I really have," said Honeymaren, as she tugged at her garment shyly.
"I think it's perfect," said Vernon, smiling at her. "It's you."
The blush rose to Honeymaren's cheeks again. "You look very splendid yourself."
"Thank you my dear," said Vernon. "Now, shall we go partake in the evening meal?"
"We shall," said Honeymaren.
Vernon helped Honeymaren into the buggy, then he climbed back into the driver's seat, flicked the reigns, and off they went; Honeymaren was headed into the unknown, and she couldn't wait to see where it would take her.