As Elsa approached Yggdrasil the tree hummed even louder, so loud that Ratatoskr ran down from its heavenly branches and was about to scream at the intruder, and then recognized Elsa. The insulting squirrel squirmed under her curious stare, and finally stopped moving when she looked away.

Elsa closed her eyes and stretched out her new wings as far as she could, and they spread out beyond her body by several feet, much longer and thicker than her previous ones. "Yggdrasil..." She reached out and touched the massive white tree, and a low rumble spread out from the three roots, causing a minor quake.

The four stags shook where they stood, their eyes wide and mouths hanging open. When Elsa placed her other hand on the tree they broke from their trance and moved to stand next to her, placing their antlers on the tree itself, absorbing its magic.

Anna looked on in amazement as the stags began to grow until they nearly doubled their size. "Elsa, did you do that?"

Jörmungandr did not acknowledge the question right away, and continued to commune with Yggdrasil. A soft light emanated from the tree and trailed up the tips of Elsa's fingers, imbuing her body in an amber luminescence. After a short while, she finally lowered her arms and turned around to face the princess. There was a peculiar otherworldliness about her. "Yes, Anna, along with the white tree. This is the way of things, as you can see."

The princess shrank back a bit when the stags moved away from Yggdrasil to stand next to her, but then remembered that these animals were to be her protectors. She looked expectantly at her sister and noticed that she was, again, made taller. "Elsa, you've grown again."

Jörmungandr nodded, and walked over to the princess. She was now a full head taller than Anna. "Does this frighten or confuse you? Again, there is no need for you to be afraid, Anna."

Anna shook her head. "I suppose I ought to be, but I trust you."

Elsa smiled at that, and for a moment, it was only her that looked down at the princess. "Thank you, snowflake." She reached out and placed a hand on Anna's stomach, and the serpent arose again. "My child…"

"What?" Kristoff, who had been standing at a distance along with Hølje, attempted to walk closer to Anna. But his progress was halted by a pointed look from Dáinn. "Anna, what is going on here?"

"Enough!" Jörmungandr growled, and would have pounced on the mountain man, had Anna not stopped her. The wyrm continued to glare at Kristoff, and its wings fluttered and stretched.

They were at a momentary standoff, but Elsa struggled past the dragon and looked down on the mountain man with compassion. "Kristoff, I do not expect you to fully comprehend the prophecies at this point; or to understand how Anna could be expecting my child, as it complicated. But I am asking you to trust me, please, and know the things that have been done were never meant to hurt you, ever. There is a lot that has happened, and to explain it all would take more time than I have to give at the moment. All I can do right now is assure you that you will know the truth to all things, I promise."

The mountain man struggled to comprehend, and fought a losing battle with himself. "You ask for a lot, Queen Elsa," he blurted after awhile.

Anna could not bring herself to look at him, and continued to stare at Elsa, who offered her a comforting look.

Hølje finally stepped over to Kristoff and gently nudged him into moving along. "Come with me, Kristoff. There will other moments to talk with Princess Anna and Queen Elsa, but right now they need time at Yggdrasil."

"Alright, Master Hølje." Kristoff looked imploringly at Anna for a few moments, but she did not return his glances. He turned abruptly and walked away, not knowing where to go.

The shaman looked pointedly at Elsa. "Do not disappoint me—or him."

Anna stepped forward when the dragon growled. "Please look after him, Hølje."

The young troll nodded. "We all will." He raised his head and a peculiar sound came out of his mouth, almost like a dirge. The other trolls who were scattered about the great white tree came out of their trance-like chanting, and followed him as he led Kristoff away from the center of the Valley, the young man stunned and grieving.

Elsa and Jörmungandr settled into a comfortable truce, melding and blending until there were no seems left un-mended, and both their essences were made whole. She watched Kristoff and the trolls leave, then leaned heavily on Yggdrasil, careful not to ruffle the new wings. "That was exhausting, yet exhilarating."

Anna rubbed her stomach, and then walked over to the slumping creature. "Are you okay, Jörmung—"

Without looking up, the creature reached out and took Anna's hand. "Please, Anna, I am just Elsa for you."

Anna nodded. "Alright, Elsa."

Elsa sniffed at the air and shook her head. "I am in need of a cleansing."

"You mean a bath?" Anna looked about Yggdrasil for a hot spring, but couldn't spot any.

Dáinn lifted his massive head to the west. "Follow me."

The four stags led the way away from the white tree towards the west, where the conifers were less dense and the land sloped downwards at an easy angle. After about twenty minutes they reached a rocky outcropping, and just beneath the overhang lie hot springs.

Duneyrr lowered his head to Anna. "Will this do…" He squinted at the princess. "I am not sure how to address the mate of Jörmungandr."

Anna sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "I am just 'Anna.'"

"I will retrieve your wagon, Anna." Dvalinn turned abruptly and leapt towards the center of the forest. After only about twenty yards he stopped and called after the other stags. "Brothers!"

The remaining stags bowed towards Elsa before running off to follow the other red deer. When they were gone, Elsa wearily removed her pants and fell into the babbling springs to clean herself off. She hissed when her new wings hit the water, and then recoiled.

Anna removed her boots and sat on the edge of the spring, dangling her feet into the hot water. She watched, fascinated, as Elsa slowly and carefully dipped each wing into the water. The dried blood and grime immediately came off. "Does it hurt, Elsa?"

"Yes, they are sensitive." Elsa dunked her head into the water to clear off her new horns, her hands making quick work of the task. She quivered slightly when she surfaced, and then eyed her sister. "Please come in."

Anna saw the look in Elsa's eyes, and understood her quiet desperation. After quickly undressing she lowered into the hot water, and groaned at the sensation. "Oh, yes…"

Elsa submerged completely for a few seconds, working out the kinks to her tired and overstressed muscles. She tentatively opened her eyes while immersed, and was shocked that she could see perfectly, and that it didn't hurt. But after only a few moments two hands ran under her armpits and lifted her upper torso out of the water.

"Elsa, what on earth were you doing?"

Elsa stared into Anna's concerned eyes. "I was fine, Anna." She ran her arms around the younger woman's waist, pulling into a fierce hug. "Your concern for me warms my heart."

Anna rested her head on Elsa's shoulder. "How can I not worry, you are going through so much that it hurts my heart."

The Queen nodded, allowing some of the dragon its strong sense of possessiveness. "Mine."

The princess understood clearly the meaning behind that simple word, and felt it keenly in her soul, as well. "Yes."

Elsa's heightened senses felt as well as heard the stags approaching in the distance, along with the wagon and horses. "They are returning." Her deep voice resonated around them, causing a stillness in their surroundings.

Anna opened her eyes when the forest quieted. "It feels as if the forest is holding its breath."

"The forest does not tremble when Jörmungandr is near, it falls into quiet reflection." Elsa winced when she reached up to touch her new horns. When she looked at her hand there was fresh blood on her fingers. Her brows furrowed, and her arms tightened around the princess. A low growl emanated from deep in her throat.

Anna quickly lifted her head. "What is wrong?'

"The blood—it stirs something deep inside me. It touches the place that is ready for war—that aches for the rewards of a good battle. Please don't misunderstand, Anna. The part of me that is just Elsa is terrified of what is to come, but the dragon is so eager… so full of the lust for combat." The creature's eyes changed again as the dragon melded, once again, with Elsa.

The princess saw Elsa's eyes change and immediately felt a brief flare of fear. "Elsa?"

"I am here, snowflake. Do you not trust me when I tell you that you mustn't fear me?"

"I do trust you... Elsa. But sometimes I'm just a fool, and I'm sorry for that." Anna got off of Elsa's lap and scooted back into the hot spring. She dunked her head for a moment, and when she resurfaced, she felt much better. "Are you ready to get out?"

"Yes."

Anna watched as Elsa slowly exited the pool of water. Her physique was different, her muscles more prominent, and she looked like she was not only taller, but stronger. She swallowed as her body reacted to the vision before her, and she had to turn away from the alluring sight.

Elsa, whose back was turned, suddenly stood straighter. The Queen's head turned almost imperceptibly at Anna's reaction, her senses easily registering the princess's clear arousal. She turned around, her eyes aflame. "You want me." She looked down at her hardening flesh, and her hands fisted.

Anna looked at Elsa's reaction to her, and she swallowed hard. But a part of her was a little afraid, as she had never been with Elsa when the dragon was actively a part of her. "I'm scared, Elsa."

The dragon's eyes narrowed in confusion. "I will not force myself on you, snowflake."

Anna slowly climbed out of the hot spring and took Elsa's strong hands in her own. "I know, Elsa." She offered her sister a small smile. "You look so good to me right now."

The sound of hooves approaching broke them out of the spell they were under. Elsa gathered Anna into her arms and turned her around to hide her nakedness. Then she reached down and pulled her pants up, but they didn't hide her arousal, so she kept her back to the advancing stag. "Duraþrór!"

Duraþrór was, perhaps, the most timid of the four guardians, and he bowed uncertainly towards the pair. "We have brought the horses and wagon, Jörmungandr. Do you require any further assistance?"

Elsa kept her back to the stag. "No, you and your brothers may leave us." Both could hear the horses whinny as the stags galloped away. When they were gone she quite suddenly picked Anna up and walked towards the wagon.

Prince Hans sat confidently on his warhorse, calmly inspecting his soldiers as they fixed bayonets to their muskets. He lifted his sword into the air and they readied themselves for a charge into the targets about twenty yards ahead. When he dropped his sword the soldiers gave out a raucous yell and ran forward. At first they dropped to their knees and fired their muskets, and when each rifle had been drained, they rose up and charged towards the targets themselves, hacking away at them with their bayonets.

Fingaard, who was on his own horse beside his brother, nodded his approval. "I'm very impressed, Hans. The training has been going well."

Hans sheathed his sword. "Have a little more faith in me, brother?"

"It wasn't so much that I had little faith in you; it was father's grandiose plans that troubled me."

Hans turned his head and regarded his oldest brother. "How so?"

"I thought they were too ambitious, and in some ways, I still do. The old dotard is too beholden to the wishes of Weselton, wants to appear just as capable as them even though we are a small kingdom." Fingaard turned his horse so he was facing his younger brother. "Hans, there is something you need to know."

"Is it about Ingleif and his grudge against me?" Hans took a flask out of his jacket pocket and downed a large swallow. "I know all about it, brother. He finally—saw the error of his ways and confessed everything. I wasn't at all surprised, though. He is as weak as I'm hoping Arendelle will be."

Fingaard was silent for many moments, pondering Hans' words. "How did he see the error of his ways?"

"Let us just say I doubt he will be fathering any more children."

"Hans…"

The younger Westegaard shook his head. "I don't want to hear it, Fingaard. He's lucky to be alive, and was especially lucky I was in a good mood the day he confessed. I know he tried to enlist you in his scheme against me."

Fingaard stiffened. "What are you going to do about it?"

"If you mean am I going to have you arrested the answer is no. You are far too valuable to me alive and well—you know, unharmed." Hans replaced the flask in his jacket. "But I would suggest you stop scheming against me, Fin, as I plan—"

He didn't get a chance to his sentence, as a royal guard approached them on a fast horse. "Prince Hans!"

Hans, clearly aggravated, turned his horse around to face the messenger. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I bring a message from General Hilfred." The messenger steered his horse to fall in line with Hans' and handed him an envelope.

Hans took the parchment and waved the royal guard away. He furrowed his brow as he read the message. "Well, well… I should have known."

Fingaard fidgeted in his saddle. "What is it?"

"Remind me to commend the General when we return to the city. His usual sweep of the city has uncovered a spy from Arendelle. Hmmm, what to do—what to do?"

"What will you do?"

"I wonder if he has children…"

The Ninth Duke of Weselton strode down the main castle hallway towards the giant mahogany doors that led outside. Two guards stood ready and the entrance, and opened the doors just as the duke reached the threshold. Just outside the massive castle doors the Weselton cavalry, two hundred men with their horses, waited to receive the duke's command. At their helm was a young, brash Lieutenant named Aleksander, who was as ambitious as he was talented.

The Lieutenant saw the duke and spurred his horse so that it reared up on its hind legs for a moment before he steered it in the duke's direction. "Your bidding, my Liege."

Magnus eyed his Lieutenant suspiciously, easily recognizing the power-hungry look in the young man's eyes. "Tell me, Aleksander, what would you do to please your Sovereign?"

"I would undertake any task that my Lord would wish me to do, always." He captured the duke's stare, and didn't relent in any way.

The duke nodded, and then took a moment to light his pipe. He stepped forward slightly in the pretense of examining his cavalry. "Good. There is a small hamlet on the northwest border of Weselton—mostly farmers, you know the type—who appear to have sympathies towards Arendelle, and have refused to send their young men to join my army. How would you deal with such people?"

"Whatever you command, my Liege."

Magnus glanced over his shoulder and eyed General Voljor, who nodded imperceptibly. He walked over to his Lieutenant and took the reins of his horse. "Not good enough, boy. You see, such people are a bane to this noble duchy, and I would rather see them perish than continue to tarnish my stern reputation."

Aleksander faltered for only a moment, and then unsheathed his sword and presented it to his Lord. "I would burn the village, my Lord. That would send a clear message to Arendelle that their sympathizers are not welcome in Weselton, or any of its environs."

Magnus handed the sword back to Aleksander. "See to it, Lieutenant. But I would like you to send an even clearer message." There was coldness in his eyes that forced the young Lieutenant to look away. "The town leaders are the real culprits, don't you think? Send their heads to the court in Arendelle—I'm sure Queen Elsa would love to receive a present from me." He turned around and started to walk away with General Voljor when he heard the thunderous sound of many hooves galloping away.

Voljor smirked. "That went better than I expected."

The duke continued to puff on his pipe. "What were you expecting, my good man. He is the perfect pawn for this game."

"Is that what we are doing, my Liege? Playing a game with Arendelle?"

"No, not Arendelle, General—the Southern Isles. When they hear of our feat they will want to best us in any way they can. We'll keep them so distracted with Arendelle that they will fail to see our plans against them."

"A dangerous game then, Magnus."

"When the pawns distract the knights the King will be deceived. We will prevail, I know it."

General Voljor kept his tongue, and did not acknowledge his Sovereign's analogy, but kept in mind that the Queen was the most powerful of the chess pieces.

Elsa ascended slowly into the waking realm, and first noticed that the sun was sinking below the tree line, indicating that it must be late into the afternoon. She turned her head slowly and felt a weight on her left side. Anna was wrapped around her body and was quietly snoring. Her stomach growled, and she realized she was hungry. "Anna?"

The princess mumbled something in her sleep and turned her body away from Elsa's; her snoring grew louder as she rolled onto her back. Elsa watched her for a few moments before sitting up and stretching her arms and wings.

Elsa noticed that her pants were bunched up around her ankles, so she pulled them up and clasped them before crawling over to one of the food baskets. She opened the lid and found the piece of cake that she had discarded earlier and picked it up. Her eyes drifted over to Anna again as she began to ravenously devourer the dessert. "Anna?"

"Fetch my slippers, will ya…" Anna rolled onto her side and opened her bleary eyes; but she was still partially asleep.

"Were not at the castle, Anna." Elsa finished the cake and turned towards the basket again, this time retrieving some dried sausage, cheese, and bread. "Anna, time to wake up."

Anna groaned before yawning. "I'm up." But her eyes closed again, and blew out a rather loud snore.

Elsa put down her food and crawled over to her sister, placing her lips over the young woman's. "Come on, Anna…"

Anna's eyes flew open at the kiss, and she startled Elsa by sitting up abruptly. "Elsa?"

Elsa scooted away and returned to her meal. "How are you feeling?"

Anna regarded her own nakedness, and felt her satisfaction keenly. She shyly turned away from the blonde to gather her clothes. "You were amazing, as usual."

"I was." Jörmungandr growled, satisfied that it could please its mate. But Elsa quietly scolded the beast, and it settled down quickly. "Come and eat something, snowflake. The sun is sinking and Yggdrasil awaits."

"I almost forgot why we are here." Anna finished buttoning her blouse, and moved over to the food basket where she grabbed the nearest pastry and finished it off in three bites. She licked her fingers clean. "I guess I'm hungry."

Elsa chuckled. "It would seem so." She turned to the basket for something to drink but found only water. "No brandy?"

"I'm sorry, I don't remember telling the kitchen staff to pack any." Anna took another pastry out of the basket.

The blonde nodded and reached up to undo her plait. When her hair spilled over her shoulders she shook her head to loosen it further. "I think I rather like my hair down and free. What do you think, Anna?"

Anna smiled at the sight, already believing that Elsa looked very beautiful, no matter what she did. "You already know that you are beautiful, don't you, Elsa?"

The blonde tilted her head to the side, contemplating the notion. "No, I have not always seen myself that way. I always thought myself a monster, for many years." She put down her food. "I'm a monster now, aren't I, snowflake?"

"No." Anna's tone was empathic, and certain. "You could never be a monster. No matter what decisions you decide to make."

"But, Anna, I destined to be Jörmungandr, a dragon…!"

"But, not for evil, Elsa!" Anna implored. "You are fated to do good, to stop a war, and free Arendelle and your people." She put down her own meal and grasped Elsa's hands. "You and I are going to have a child, is this evil?"

Elsa hesitated for a moment, and realized that the beast within was filled with uncertainty. This surprised her, as she thought Jörmungandr was resolute in all things, and was morally unambiguous. When she looked up there was fear in her eyes, and hesitation. "I don't know, Anna. We—the dragon and I—are afraid."

Anna gathered her sister into her arms. "Feel me, Elsa, let me be your beacon of righteousness." She grasped Elsa's hand and placed it on her swollen stomach. "Let our child be your shining light—we are your greater good."

The blonde nodded, and closed her eyes. "You think me eloquent? You far surpass me today, Anna." Her arms wound around the princess's waist, and she looked up to the darkening afternoon sky. "Hurry and eat, Anna, we are running out of time."

Elsa and Anna stood at the base of Yggdrasil and marveled at how the great white was glowing with a faint luminosity. The humming coming from its eternal branches like an otherworldly chant; it called at the dragon, and Jörmungandr responded by gently touching it. The ground shook indiscernibly, reaching down into the three roots to the nether springs, and the creatures therein.

Elsa stepped back from the tree, and called out, "Fimbulvetr!"

The chanting raised one octave, and the ground shook some more. A branch lowered to the ground, beckoning Jörmungandr to climb.

The blonde turned towards Anna, and took her hand. "I have to go, snowflake. I don't know when I will be back."

"What? What do you mean by that?"

Elsa brought Anna's hand to her mouth and kissed her knuckles. "I do not know how long I must remain at Yggdrasil, or how far up I must go to find my answers. Perhaps you ought to go back to the wagon and take it to find Kristoff."

"Take me with you!"

The blonde's eyes went wide. "Anna, you could fall off and get injured, or killed. I cannot risk that."

Anna started to panic. "So could you, Elsa!"

Elsa stiffened, and Jörmungandr growled a bit. "I am a dragon, I could never fall off Yggdrasil as it is part of me."

Anna relented. "Okay, but I'm not going anywhere. So don't tell me to go!"

Yggdrasil's lower branches shook somewhat, and Ratatoskr appeared from the three roots. "Jörmungandr hesitates on the threshold of knowledge." The creature thrust his head out towards Elsa. "Perhaps you're not the great wyrm we all thought you were."

Jörmungandr whirled suddenly and leapt to the nearest branch, closing in on the messenger squirrel. "Oh, I am more than just Jörmungandr. Come a little closer, and I'll explain it to you."

But Ratatoskr fled up the trunk of the great tree, laughing as it went.

Elsa shook her head, and looked down on Anna. "I'm sorry, snowflake. I'll return, I promise."

Elsa scaled Yggdrasil for a long while, listening to the receding laughter of Ratatoskr, using the sound as a means knowing which branches to cling to. The humming from the tree itself seemed to lessen the farther up she went, until it stopped altogether. When she reached a particularly large and flat branch, she stopped to rest, panting from her exertions. She leaned against the trunk and looked around her, at the swaying smaller branches and the mists surrounding them. There was a rustling in the thick leaves to her right, and she turned towards the sound.

A creature emerged from the mist, winding and twisting around the large branch, and looked at her with a strange expression on its face. "They call me Ófnir—you may call me Ófnir, strange creature."

Elsa swallowed hard, as a brief flare of irrational fear enveloped her. "You may call me Jörmungandr, Ófnir."

"You don't look like the Midgard wyrm." The creature sniffed at her, and its serpent eyes went wide. "But—you smell like him!" It cowered on the branch, twisting its body around in fear. "Please do not harm me, o great wyrm. I did not mean to insult you, please…"

Elsa raised her hand in the hopes of calming the beast. "I mean you no harm, Ófnir. Perhaps you can help me."

The creature stopped its erratic winding and twisting. "Me? Help you? Yes…oh great Jörmungandr, how may I help you?"

"I have some questions I need answers to."

The creature stared at Elsa, dumbfounded. "But I have no answers! Only the horses may answer and judge—the horses of the Æsir!" Ófnir squirmed, and slowly backed away from Elsa. "Only the horses…" With a scream, it was gone.

Elsa blinked, her body tense, and blew out a ragged breath. "Good gracious…" She leaned heavily against the trunk, and wished she had brought some water with her, as her thirst was great. She pondered the creature's words, and wondered where she might find these "horses" that Ófnir mentioned.

Elsa looked down and couldn't see the base of Yggdrasil, as the mists swirled around the branches. After a short while she stood and grasped the nearest upper branch, and hauled herself up further. The tree was now completely quiet, not even the branches that were being buffeted by the wind made a sound. It was a little unsettling, but the blonde persisted in her climb, hoping to find something, anything to ease her mind. There were just too many uncertainties.

As she climbed her mind wandered in all different directions, and she wished to be home in Arendelle, with Anna at her side, and all this unpleasantness behind them. In fact, the more she thought, the more desolate her heart seemed, and she wished that all of her involvement in the Fimbulvetr were over. Elsa stopped climbing and leaned heavily against the trunk of Yggdrasil, her mind overwhelmed and her soul hurting.

There was a small rustling beside her, and something peeked out from a tight bundling of branches. Elsa turned her head and eyed the beast as its head fully emerged into the dimming light. "What do we have here?"

The blonde sighed, too exhausted to move. "Jörmungandr."

Sváfnir cackled a bit, and then its tone softened. "You are so tired, aren't you, great wyrm?"

Elsa let out a ragged breath. "More than you could ever realize…" She turned towards the creature. "You are…?"

Sváfnir offered the blonde a compassionate smile. "Perhaps I can offer you something you need?"

Elsa eyed the creature warily, and her reptilian mind sounded off an alarm. "First, tell me who you are?"

"If you must know, my name is Sváfnir. But that is unimportant, is it not? I can offer you rest, Jörmungandr, and make all your troubles go away."

Elsa hesitated, but the dragon refused to let her consider the proposition, as it knew not to trust this creature. "No, thank you, Sváfnir, I am—"

She did not get a chance to finish her sentence as Ratatoskr, the insulting squirrel, scampered up the trunk of the white tree, and hissed violently at the creature. "Go away, sly one! I will not let you deceive Midgard's great wyrm. Sleep, you say? You don't offer sleep, but death!"

Jörmungandr growled, and would have pounced on the creature had not Ratatoskr moved between them. "Do not give in to death, Jörmungandr. The One Who Puts to Sleep must be avoided, and remain untouched. Go on, now… go back to the hidden world!"

Sváfnir hissed at Elsa and the insulting squirrel, and crawled back the way it came, growling and heckling as it sank to the three roots.

Elsa relaxed, but continued to growl deep in her throat. "Thank you, Ratatoskr. I am in your debt." She turned towards the messenger, but it was gone.

The climb up Yggdrasil continued for Elsa, and was made terribly slow by the swirling of the mist in and around the branches. She could hear creatures scurrying about her in all directions, but they remained hidden from her sight. After a long while she began to give up hope of finding the answers she was looking for. But she decided she would not give in to pessimism, and stopped at a branch to rest. Elsa closed her eyes for just a moment.

"Queen Elsa?"

The mists parted, and a spectral aberration floated towards her. Elsa sat up and peered intently at the ghost-like creature. The figure swirled and flipped over on itself until it finally coalesced into a recognizable form. Elsa took in a sharp breath. "Pabbie?"

The old shaman nodded, and finally settled onto the branch that Elsa was sitting on. "Your heart speaks to me, Queen Elsa. I can feel your anguish and uncertainty."

But Elsa was also angry. "Why did you leave, Pabbie? There was no one else to explain the Fimbulvetr to me, or help me make sense of it all!" The tears flowed unbidden. "You put a lot of responsibility on my shoulders." She slumped against the tree trunk. "And my body is changing; I'm slowly turning into a dragon! Anna needs me to take care of her, not a monster."

"You are not—and never were—a monster, Elsa."

"Oh?" The blonde wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. "Look at me. The horns—these wings." She flapped her wings and lifted slightly off the branch.

"You accepted the responsibility of becoming Jörmungandr for the sake of saving Anna and Arendelle. Do you wish to have not made that decision?" Pabbie settled onto the branch, even though he still seemed like a spirit.

"But I feel like I'm losing myself, Pabbie. I mean, how will the dragon really help Arendelle? Its instincts frighten me, as I don't seem to be able to fully control it. And it hungers after Anna so much, to the point that I don't know if it's me that she wants or this thing I have become." Elsa wanted to vomit, but held it in check. "I know what the Fimbulvetr predicts, what it says will happen. That's why I'm so confused, Pabbie—am I doing things I really want to do, or am I just doing them because it has been prophesized? This troubles my heart so much."

The old troll nodded, and looked deeply into Elsa's eyes. "How long have you been feeling this way, my dear?"

"I don't know."

"Of course you do. You speak of concepts that has been troubling people since time's beginning."

Elsa was doubtful, as her heart was in turmoil. "What is that?"

Pabbie smiled. "Freedom of the will, for one thing. You are troubled that your actions are not of your own making, that it is destiny that rules the events of today. But you have always had a choice, Elsa."

"What of Anna, or the rest of the people and kingdoms that are involved? Are they just pawns to fate?"

"Search your heart, Queen Elsa. Does it not guide you to the truth in all things?" Pabbie's image began to fade in and out.

"I will admit to you that I haven't paid too much attention to it in the past."

"So, you are led by reason and logic? What does reason tell you regarding Weselton and the Southern Isles?"

"That they are in league against Arendelle. The old Duke held a particularly heavy grudge against me because I broke off trade with them. Also, Weselton has convinced the Southern Isles to follow them in their war against us. I can prove these things to be true because of empiricism, not feelings."

"Can pragmatism lead you into the Duke's heart, to really know what his motivations really are? Not everyone is driven by reason, Queen Elsa. To know his heart could be a great advantage to you."

Elsa looked up into the old troll's fading eyes. "My heart tells me that Anna truly loves me. Beyond that, it does not guide me. At least, I don't think it does."

Pabbie nodded. "Then, perhaps, you need to consider changing the way you approach life, Queen Elsa. If your heart is certain concerning Princess Anna, then it may be worth letting it guide you towards your future, and the events that are to come."

The blonde's wings fluttered a bit, her nerves on edge. "Trust my heart, you say? It flies in the face of logic, but I suppose I can give it a try."

"I do believe you have made the logical decision."

Elsa laughed bitterly at that last comment. "I guess we shall see."

"Urðarbrunnr is one of three wells existing beneath three roots of Yggdrasil that reach into three distant, different lands; the other two wells being Hvergelmir, located beneath a root in Niflheim, and Mímisbrunnr, located beneath a root near the home of the frost jötnar. You must decide which well you need to visit, because only one will impart the wisdom you are looking for."

"Wait… what? How am I to know which root to follow?"

Pabbie chuckled. "Which path will you take, Queen Elsa? The path of reason, or that of intuition, only you can decide. Now, I believe it is time for you to wake up."

Elsa blinked. "Hold on… you mean I'm asleep?"

Pabbie leaned in closer to her, his eyes a fiery red. "Wake up!"

Elsa's eyes snapped open instantly, and she realized she had fallen asleep when she stopped to rest, and that her encounter with Pabbie happened in a dream. Elsa looked around her and realized there was no sign of the old troll. The only things around her were the tree branches and the swirling mists. She could still hear the sound of scurrying beasts, but still could not see them. Her eyes darted to and fro, looking for any sign—anything—to help point the way.

Elsa ran her hand over her face and looked down, realizing it was time to descend below Yggdrasil, and seek out the three roots.

The blonde used the power of her new wings to almost float down the giant white tree, and landed on the lowest branch in less time than it took to ascend it. When she was just about to jump to the ground the insulting messenger squirrel appeared from the three roots to taunt her.

"Choices, choices, o great wyrm! You must make the right one, or perish trying."

"What? Pabbie said nothing of death!"

"Why would you speak of the fallen one; he is dead, and has moved on to another plane of existence." Ratatoskr sneered, and tried to nip at Elsa's heels.

Elsa blinked. "But I saw him in my dream. He came to me…" She kicked at the squirrel and sent him falling to the ground below.

Ratatoskr fell to the foot of Yggdrasil, and landed on the great circular, flat stone that surrounded its base. He panicked, and whirled about, not knowing what to do. "I have never left Yggdrasil! What have you done?"

The Queen leapt from the branch and flew to the ground. She landed just a few feet from the creature. "Welcome to my world, Ratatoskr! I rule this realm, and I command you to never treat me appallingly ever again, nor any of my kin!"

Anna, who was resting in the shack that Kristoff had built, heard the commotion outside. She quickly put on her boots and ran to see what was going on. "Elsa… is that you?"

The insulting squirrel whirled toward the sound of Anna's voice, and hissed at her. When it crouched down and prepared to attack her, she screamed. Elsa was on the animal in an instant, and tackled the creature. "Swear fealty to me!"

The messenger squirrel stopped all movement, and then relented. "You have my allegiance, o great Jörmungandr…"

Elsa flapped her wings and set down on her feet. She picked up Ratatoskr and hurled him at the great white tree. The messenger squirrel landed with a thud, and then turned to sneer at Elsa. But it hesitated for a moment, and thought better of that decision, before taking off into the upper branches of Yggdrasil.

Anna ran into Elsa's arms and buried her head under her chin. "I thought that thing was going to kill me," she mumbled.

Elsa closed her eyes. "You know that is something I would never let happen." She held on tightly as Anna began to cry. "Hey, snowflake… everything is alright." At that moment the Fimbulvetr didn't matter, only Anna, and the dragon's insatiable hunger.

Anna continued to cry, and wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck. The blonde tilted the princess's head up and peppered sweet kisses all along her cheeks in an attempt to soothe her, and it appeared to work, until Anna turned her head forward, and their lips met. Elsa's eyes snapped open, and her hands fell to Anna's bottom. As she thrust her tongue into the younger woman's mouth she walked them until Anna's back was against Yggdrasil.

The princess's head lolled to the side and her breath hitched, her body now on fire. "Please…"

Elsa growled, and the beast rose along with her, until there was no division between them. Her flesh hardened immediately, hips thrusting forward of their own accord. She reached between their bodies and unclasped her pants, and continued to moan into Anna's mouth as she began to lift up her skirt; her hands shook with lust and anticipation, and she slipped into Anna's slick warmth with a grunt. Her thrusts caused Anna's body to slide up the trunk of the tree.

Yggdrasil's constant hum intensified, its lower boughs shaking, and the creatures therein scurrying away from Jörmungandr and its mate. The joining was felt all along the great white tree, even to the three roots hidden beneath the sacred stone at Yggdrasil's base. The four stags that were Anna protectors, who were waiting at the wagon, reared up and roared towards the setting sun before calming down enough to race off towards the deep forest, summoning their kin.

Anna could feel the tree shaking at her back, and begrudgingly opened her eyes. "Elsa… ah, please…" She clutched at the blonde's head until their eyes met. "The tree—oh gods…"

Elsa whimpered, and continued to pump her hips into the princess's. Her hands snaked around Anna's bottom, and she pushed her harder against the tree. "What—" She was cut off by a loud rumble from Yggdrasil, and the ground began to shake.

But instead of deterring her efforts, the reaction of Yggdrasil intensified her arousal, stiffened her beyond reason; and Anna could feel it, as well—that unbelievable sensation of lust as it slammed down into her with a force of a thousand colliding suns. Her groans increased as Elsa's thrusts caused her back to slide up and down the trunk of Yggdrasil, inches at a time. The blonde was relentless in her rutting, but Anna wouldn't have it any other way, as she, too, was caught up in the ferocity of the moment. She could feel Elsa's hot breath in her ear, as she panted and grunted.

Elsa lifted her head, and captured Anna in a libidinous stare, her legs straining with the effort to keep them both from falling.. "Oh… Anna, please…"

Anna lifted her hand and grabbed at one of Elsa's horns; she pulled sharply at it, and the blonde hissed. "Oh, so good…"

Elsa didn't respond verbally, as she was quite beyond words, such was the extent of her lust and passion; but her thrusting deepened, and a booming growl emanated from deep within her as Jörmungandr set a maddening pace.

Their bodies moved as one, each undulating precisely to give the other the sweetest pleasure; and great white tree hummed louder as their coupling was felt in and all around it. When Elsa squeezed her eyes shut Anna yanked on her horn again, not to injure, but to conjure her baser emotions, and to quicken her even more. A primal growl was torn from Elsa's throat as she reached the zenith of her pleasure, her seed mixing with Anna's essence to anoint Yggdrasil, and to bind them forever. Fimbulvetr.

Anna's spasms subsided, her body wilting from the power of her release. Her arms fell from Elsa's shoulders and hung limply at her sides. She felt Elsa's arms tightening around her. "Oh, Elsa… how can you hold onto me like this? You must be as spent as I am."

The blonde closed her eyes briefly, a sudden surge of power coursing through her veins, causing her body to tense, her muscles to tighten. She thrust her hips a few more times, and then buried herself deeply into Anna. "I'm more than Elsa, snowflake—and I love you too much to leave you." She, once again, held onto the underside of Anna's legs at the knees, keeping the princess from lowering her legs to the ground. "Anna… my Anna… you're too good to me."

Anna shivered, "Am I, now? Elsa?"

Elsa released a ragged breath. "Hmmm?"

"Please, I need to lower my legs."

The blonde nodded, then slowly lowered Anna so that her feet touched at the base of Yggdrasil, yet she did not withdraw right away, and sank further to her back, bringing Anna with her. Elsa blinked several times, trying to regain her senses. "You were amazing, Anna."

"Me? I think I ought to be thanking you. I mean, you did all the work." Anna chuckled, and continued to straddle Elsa's hips. "But if you really want to thank me, then I guess that's alright." She thrust her hips forward just a little, well aware of how the blonde was still buried deep within, and knew how the action would affect Elsa.

Elsa threw her head back, a strangled cry torn from her throat. "Now, that's hardly fair, princess." She lifted on her elbows and smiled at her sister. "But I like it."

"You are such a slave to your passions, Elsa. I'm never going to let you forget it." But Anna's smile faded slowly as a new notion occurred to her. "What are we doing, Elsa?"

The blonde sat up immediately. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I just had a strange thought. Please don't take this wrong, because if this is true I'm just as guilty as you—"

An irrational flare of fear stole over Elsa. "Anna, what are you trying to say?"

Anna lifted herself off of Elsa's lap, and then helped her to raise her pants and clasp them. But she hesitated after that, an strange expression on her face. "I don't normally have insights, do I, Elsa?"

"Please don't degrade yourself like that, Anna." Elsa now stood and brought her sister up with her. She helped her to straighten out her clothing. "You are just as capable as I am."

"Oh, please, Elsa, we both know I wasn't raised to be a Queen like you."

"Maybe not, but please tell me what's on your mind."

"I don't know, I just suddenly got a bad feeling—about things."

"About things?" Elsa's heart sank. "Are you talking about us?"

Anna realized that the conversation was spiraling downwards. "Well, not precisely. Like I said, it was just a notion, nothing more than that."

The Queen stared at the princess, her heart already telling her that Anna was having regrets. "Do you wish that nothing happened between us?" She gently ran her hand over her sister's swollen belly for emphasis.

Anna looked down on that hand, not quite believing what Elsa was suggesting. Her eyes locked with Elsa's, and she tried to convey exactly what she felt. "I'm happy to be pregnant, I thought you knew that." She grabbed her sister by the shoulders. "I'm not eloquent, like you. But what I want to say is I'm a little worried that we are being distracted from our duties—or more like, you are."

Elsa thought about Anna's words, and then finally nodded. "Are you concerned that I'm not paying enough attention to the war to come?"

"Yeah, that's it, I guess."

"I see." Elsa took hold of Anna's hands. It was not hard to see the younger woman's blush, so Elsa reasoned her concerns must have involved matters most intimate. She chucked a bit, then smiled. "Are you worried I'm being distracted too much by sex?"

"Well, I guess you don't need me to figure these things out; I knew you'd get it!"

The blonde wrapped her arms around Anna's waist and held her close. "Don't worry, snowflake. I think I've got a good handle on how to handle the war. In fact, while I was up in Yggdrasil, Pabbie came to me in a dream and tasked me to travel beneath Yggdrasil to its three roots. There is a well down there that will grant me wisdom. All I have to do is find it."

"How long will you be gone?" Anna instinctively held onto Elsa tightly. "I'm all alone here."

"What about Dáinn and the rest of the stags, aren't they your protectors?"

"Yes, they are." Anna rested her head under Elsa's chin. "But they aren't you."

"I know I must be trying your patience, Anna. But I'm asking you to please wait a little bit longer. When I get back, we return to Arendelle, I promise." Elsa lowered her head and kissed the younger woman, trying to convey all her love and devotion into that one small gesture. But her attention was distracted by the sudden appearance of the stags. She lowered her arms from around Anna as Dvalinn, ever eager to please, brazenly trotted up to the princess and nudged at her belly with his nose.

"The little one is restless." The stag looked up and quickly bowed to Jörmungandr. "There is no need to fret about the present, great wyrm. We will see to your mate as you traverse Yggdrasil and its many worlds."

"Right now I'm only interested in one world. Perhaps you can help me discern exactly where I need to go?"

Dáinn stared intently at Elsa, his deer eyes betraying a stark intensity. "You have been visited by the old shaman, have you not?"

Elsa stared back, and begrudgingly nodded out of respect. "Yes, what of it?"

"He revealed to you the secret realm below the three roots. Three different lands there are, each containing a well. But which one to chose—this your dilemma, Jörmungandr."

Elsa nodded again, and finally found her voice. "I seem to have—a certain intuition that I lacked before; and it is telling me that I must seek out the frost jötnar."

Duneyrr calmly walked up to Yggdrasil and sniffed at the great tree, intending to gnaw at its lower branches, but his keen nose picked up on something else. Elsa saw where his nose was and she blushed a deep red. The stag's head snapped up abruptly, and it whirled towards Elsa, pinning her with a strange look.

Dáinn ignored his kin, and continued to address Elsa alone. "And where will you find them?"

"I think I must travel to Mímisbrunnr, and seek out the jötunn, Vafþrúðnir." Elsa glanced at Duneyrr before walking over to Yggdrasil. "Please see to Anna's comfort while I'm gone."

Dáinn shook his antlers. "Keep your caution steady, Jörmungandr, for the jötnar are elemental beings—the first of the many races—and may try to trick you."

"I will." The blonde turned to face Anna. "Please let your protectors comfort you while I'm away, and know I will return to you as soon as I can."

Anna briefly looked to Dáinn, and he bowed to her. "I will, but—" She didn't get a chance to complete her sentence, because when she turned again to face her sister, Elsa was already gone.

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