The sounds of childlike laughter filled the air.
Her aunt looked on indulgently as she chased imaginary butterflies and fairies.
Her father was busy negotiating something or other and he felt they would only be in the way. So, he magnanimously gave them permission to spend the day and night in the nearby woods.
She enjoyed her times with her aunt.
The kindly woman would cook her favorite foods and entertain her with stories.
Only the older woman was aware of the guards setting up camp a discreet distance away. But not so far away they couldn't keep the females within watching distance. The girl's father was still grieving. But he hadn't lost all sense when it came to his only child. Yes, she found the guards' presence rather irritating.
But it was an unfortunate truth:
Women needed protection.
It was heavily frowned upon for women to learn how to fight, unless she was the only child in the family or if she lost her husband and son to battle.
It was only when she was the last line of defense could a woman learn how to fight.
Once again, she chafed under the restrictions placed upon women.
Even among their people, women didn't enjoy as high a status with the men, even if they were the leader of a settlement. She had argued with her brother-in-law about this.
Especially since he didn't intend to remarry.
But he refused to go against tradition.
Knowing there was little she could do, she did her best to provide her niece with a tender love and care that only a mother was supposed to provide.
Losing her older sister was a blow she never fully recovered from.
Her niece was a happy girl, for the most part.
But losing her mother at such a young age caused scars and damage she would never fully recover from. She suppressed a rude snort. They said that time heals all wounds.
But they said nothing of the scarring it leaves behind.
At least she could distract her niece.
Her brother-in-law was a good man. But losing his precious wife, whom he prized above all things, was a blow he never fully recovered from. He buried himself in his duties.
Very rarely did he even bother to remember he had a child to care for.
There were times it seemed like his grief was going to consume him.
Yes, she could definitely empathize with the man. After all, she lost her sister, who was like a second mother to her. One would wonder how her older sister could have a younger sibling.
It was simple.
They didn't share the same mother.
Her own birth would have been a major scandal, IF people learned the truth. She was the embarrassing product of a one-night stand. One night, her father was deep into his cups when he went to the local tavern. It was the anniversary of the day he lost his father and oldest brother to war.
He got into a conversation with another grieving woman.
She lost her own husband to the same war.
One thing led to another and soon they were renting a room upstairs to alleviate their passions, to find a distraction from their grief, bitterness and anger.
Both were mortified when they came to the next morning.
They agreed to pretend the incident never happened.
All would have been well, if her natural mother didn't conceive that night. Her father was forced to tell his wife, who was naturally hurt and angry over the betrayal.
But they dutifully attended to the woman as she gave birth.
Unfortunately, she died from childbirth.
Her stepmother agreed to raise her as her own. But she knew the woman never cared for her. There was a growing anger and resentment in her eyes everytime she looked at her. She treated her wounds rather indifferently and refused to listen to her woes. She vastly preferred the company of her own children. As soon as she was old enough to understand, her stepmother told her the truth. So she knew from a young age that she was unwanted, a living, breathing reminder of her husband's infidelity.
It didn't help that she was the spitting image of her birth mother.
With her father's eyes.
When the village was attacked that fateful night, her father managed to spirit her away to a hidden location before the Arendellian soldiers arrived to pillage and slaughter.
She would have remained lost and hidden in that location.
If it wasn't for her sister's visions.
Soon, she found herself in a new home. She never saw her stepmother again and both sisters felt they had a new lease on life. Both were over the moon when her sister got married. Within a few years, she was with child.
She was happy over the impending birth of her daughter.
But there was a grim, resigned sadness as well.
At first, she didn't understand. Could it be she was destined to die from childbirth? But the entire process happened without incident and she gave birth to a lovely baby girl.
For a while, all was well.
Then, came the fateful day barely a week after her daughter's fifth birthday.
The entire family was shattered when some huntsmen stumbled across her sister's body barely two weeks into her trip. Now she understood why her sister felt a grim resignation.
She knew her end was coming.
She was glad when her brother-in-law left her niece's care to her.
The little girl was the last bit of her sister left here on Earth. She was so lonely and desperate for someone to spend time with her, especially since her father couldn't be bothered to step up to his paternal responsibilities.
They had a lovely day together.
The sun was shining without a single cloud in the sky.
They spent the day having a wonderful picnic and with her chasing her niece, pretending to be a dark monster. She would shriek with laughter and pretend to be scared.
Or at least, she tried to be.
Her laughter negated the effect.
Finally, evening was settling in. With practiced ease, she had a tent sent up that was more than big enough for the two of them. A roaring fire was going after they went hunting.
Soon, they had a pair of rabbits on a spit over the fire.
It wasn't long before her niece couldn't contain herself and begged for a story.
There were times her niece needed something to distract her. Or her own grief over losing her mother would consume her as well. So, she would tell stories.
Her niece's favorite was about a very dark demon.
A demon that required years of sacrifice, war and toil to defeat.
At first, she didn't want to retell the story. But her niece begged and pleaded, until she finally gave in. The little girl squealed over her victory and leaned forward.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful land." She began. "It was called Frodige. The sun always shone, with only the occasional rain needed to keep it going. The seas were plentiful and full of delicious fish to eat. The land was rife with forests that had plentiful game. The trees were sturdy and strong. The flowers bloomed. It was a literal paradise of milk and honey. Some of our cousins emigrated there long ago.
"They created a thriving series of settlements and villages. Peace abounded and the villages prospered thanks to a thriving trade and bustling economy.
"They could even trade with other countries, due to the seas.
"Then, it all turned around one day.
"One day, something dark and evil attacked. The helpless villagers were either slaughtered, raped or turned into slaves. The entity hoarded all of the wealth and food for itself. That was the day the sun stopped shining.
"Ever since, the once sapphire blue sky turned greyer than storm clouds.
"Using its own unnatural abilities, it kept the forests and lands thriving, but for its own evil gain. But it wasn't content with conquering Frodige.
"Its appetite for spreading pain and chaos knew no bounds.
"Even its avarice only slightly paled in comparison.
"But make no mistake, child. The entity was thirsty for blood, gold and conquest. To that end, it forced its slaves to train day and night to become a relentless war machine. The other slaves were conscripted to make deadly weapons and fearsome looking ships. This would go on for months, even years, on end.
"Finally, it deemed its army ready.
"No one was prepared for its army and deadly, formidable armada. Making matters worse was the fact that the entity would create fearsome demons to act as soldiers.
"It never put a human general or captain in charge of the armies or ships.
"Instead, it would create powerful demons to put in charge.
"Their loyalty to their creator and master was absolute. They couldn't be bribed into changing their allegiance, much less tricked into trying to seize power on their own.
"No mere human could have stood up to these demons.
"For decades, nothing stood in the entity's way.
"Lands were conquered, entire villages were slaughtered or pillaged and people were enslaved. Once again, the entity hoarded all of the wealth and even turned beautiful women into his personal playthings as they were forced to join his growing harem.
"Finally, the gods had enough.
"They knew they had to step in-albeit indirectly-to stop this vile abomination.
"For you see child, for all of their power, the gods are bound by limits. They can only intervene in limited ways as there are powerful boundaries keeping the mortals separate from their divine counterparts. It is Nature's way in order to keep the balance and the world in general harmony.
"So, they gave Man the necessary means to defeat the entity.
"Working in tandem with powerful Sorcerers and the Elemental Spirits, they won. It took years of war, gathering allies, finding the necessary spells and recruiting large enough armies to do so. But they eventually triumphed through desperation and perseverance.
"Eventually, the entity was bound to a tree. Eternal chains were created with the help of Ahtohallan to keep it at bay. The entity was trapped in Frodige as a result.
"Word was spread to make it forbidden for anyone to approach. Spells were created to keep most of the people at bay.
"As a result, the name changed from Frodige to Forbudte.
"It was a wise decision, child. The entity is powerful, clever and cunning. It would use any means necessary to become free, wreak vengeance and continue its plans to devour the entire world. Even the lands once known as Frodige became a desolate environment.
"The seas dried up.
"The forests withered and died.
"Instead, the skies became grey and the sun refused to shine. The tree itself is surrounded by vast, dangerous deserts. But the entity, trapped as it is, is still dangerous.
"Like I said, it is clever and cunning. Time has a spell of weakening spells. And time was on its side, as it is immortal. Even memory of the entity faded until it was little more than myth and legend.
"The entity needs to feed on the blood of humans to free itself from its prison.
"To that end, people have been lured to their deaths by rumors of a false treasure. It creates war and conflict so that the blood of innocents and soldiers become soaked into the earth. It was somehow able to spread its roots, which would in turn collect the blood.
"It has tricked people into accepting deals that would damn their souls for eternity.
"Never trust the tree, Iduna, for it would only lead to your doom."
Iduna's eyes snapped open.
She hasn't thought about her childhood in years.
Quickly, she glanced in Agnarr's direction. Fortunately, he wasn't aware about her lapse in concentration. Instead, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. She could sense that he was hiding dark secrets.
But she wouldn't judge him, as she had dark secrets of her own. But in the future, she would curse herself for being so quick to forgive her husband. As much as Ahtohallan and the afterlife has shown her, there is MUCH she didn't know about. Like, for example, the attempt on Anna's life mere weeks after she was born.
Their search for their second child lay in silence.
For Iduna, the guilt was increasing by the hour.
It didn't help that her daughter was named for her favorite aunt. While Vaettir had sisters of his own, they were much too preoccupied with their own families and domestic duties to really worry about their orphaned niece.
Only Aunt Anna stepped up to the plate.
She became the mother figure that Iduna desperately needed.
Every Northuldran child knew about the tales regarding Forbudte and the entity that was trapped there. For most, it was merely a myth and legend.
A spooky story that mothers told to keep their children in bed at night.
So they wouldn't get into mischief and sneak around.
Deep down, Iduna knew this wasn't the case. Aunt Anna would repeatedly warn her to be careful. After all, she would reason, if the Elemental Spirits were real, this certainly proved the entity wasn't the byproduct of a made-up story.
Unfortunately, time would dull the memories of her earlier childhood due to a series of traumatic events:
Escaping the accursed Enchanted Forest and rescuing Agnarr.
Learning how to live among the Arendellians and their strange culture.
Concealing her Northuldran origins.
Doing her best to learn from the tutors Agnarr arranged to help her learn how to read and write in the Arendellian language. How to change her accent so that no one would be able to determine her whereabouts.
It was a deadly dance.
Runeard's laws about making anything Northuldran illegal still stood.
As Iduna adjusted to her new life, she would do her best to forget about the past. Her memories of her dearest aunt would fade. Iduna would eventually marry Agnarr and start a family of her own. It seemed like her life was complete when Elsa was born.
But her past returned with a vengeance.
Especially when Elsa revealed she had elemental powers of her own.
Iduna inwardly grimaced. She hated to admit it, but she and Agnarr didn't necessarily react well to the knowledge that Elsa had powers over ice and snow.
They were fortunate they had loyal servants like Kai and Gerda.
It was so difficult, hiding Elsa's abilities from the outside world.
Iduna lost count of how many hours they spent in the royal library, trying to research methods to help Elsa control her powers. They didn't dare make inquiries with other countries, royal families or libraries.
They were fearful of even a hint of Elsa's powers becoming rumor.
For it would spread like a virus.
Hatred and prejudice against magic and the Northuldra as a whole were at an all-time high. Even then, she reflected grimly, Runeard's propaganda machine worked far too well. Both were fearful of a possible rebellion on their hands if people learned the truth about the crown princess. It was a delicate dance, ruling Arendelle and distracting foreign dignitaries, ambassadors and leaders as Kai and Gerda would take Elsa somewhere else.
Especially when she threw a tantrum and her powers would get out of control as a result.
In between, they tried to find time for their research.
By the time Iduna was with child a second time, the royal couple was exhausted.
They were stressed out from their royal duties, concealing Elsa's powers while at the same time, trying to help her gain at least some measure of control. The stress effected Iduna heavily as the child inside her grew.
So much so that she became bedridden the last few months of her pregnancy.
She winced as she thought about that terrible time.
Iduna was never aware of the moment she gave birth to her daughter. She was oblivious to the effects of her impending doom would have had on Agnarr and her children.
When she was alive, she didn't remember much.
She would dismiss whatever fragments she could recall as mere fever dreams.
But now that she was dead, she could remember everything.
FLASHBACK
"Where am I?" Iduna muttered.
She wasn't in her chambers, struggling to give birth.
She wasn't anywhere in the royal palace.
Nor was she in the Enchanted Forest.
She couldn't see Agnarr, Elsa or the baby.
There wasn't anyone else around, not even the servants or her loyal subjects.
Instead, she found herself in a lush and lovely forest. The sun was shining and there wasn't a single cloud marring the sapphire-blue sky. Birds were chirping, flowers were blooming and she could see several woodland creatures racing by.
Such as deer, squirrels and rabbits.
Despite the peacefulness of her surroundings, she didn't feel at ease. She rubbed at her arms, feeling a sudden chill.
Even though the air was balmy and warm.
A dark, primitive premonition was forming on the edges of her consciousness. This awareness came from a time when Man paid more heed to his animal instincts. A time when civilization was primitive and there were other manlike species around the world.
Like the Neanderthal.
Iduna knew she wasn't alone.
The "fight or flight" response kicked in as she instinctively froze, like one would in the presence of a predator. She looked around warily, her legs tensing to run.
"Do not be afraid."
Iduna whirled around, startled.
Even though she had no fighting skills or powers to defend herself with, Iduna instinctively got into a defensive stance. Her imagination ran wild with possible images of the threat she was facing. Was it a monster?
A demon?
More than one?
Instead, she found herself facing an admittedly handsome man. Despite herself and her love and loyalty to Agnarr, Iduna was blushing. She couldn't say she was immune to his charms, for that would be a lie.
"Who are you?"
"Call me Ginnarr."
FLASHBACK ENDS
Iduna would come in and out of consciousness.
She would either find herself in a dark, shadowy void or the forest.
Despite her initial misgivings, she preferred the forest. The void was nothing but a vast, scary chamber of black ice and a thick miasma of dark, wispy fog and threatening shadow.
Ginnarr was great company.
He was so friendly and charming.
Looking back, Iduna knew she had been a right idiot. She never wondered how she ended up in the void or the forest. She never once thought about her husband and her children.
It was as if the painful, scary hours she spent in labor were no more than a dream.
A nightmare she could happily dismiss in the light of day.
Eventually, like all good things, it had to come to an end.
FLASHBACK
One moment, Iduna was walking through the forest with Ginnarr as they often did, but then she felt herself start to weaken.
All of a sudden, she felt hot and cold at the same time.
She could feel blood gushing out from between her legs like a violent torrent of water after a dam overflooded.
Then she fell to the forest floor, unable to support herself anymore. Ginnarr raced to her side and gathered her into his arms. He had fear and concern marring his handsome features. Even then, she thought bitterly, he was a good actor.
"Oh no." Iduna realized. "I'm dying."
Even then, her voice started to weaken and lose strength.
At that moment, it all came rushing back:
Being bedridden.
Losing blood as she struggled to give birth.
Grabbing Agnarr's hand.
Feeling herself lose consciousness as the agony became too much for her.
"It doesn't have to be that way, my dear." Ginnarr stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. She latched onto his vague promise like a lifeline.
"It doesn't?" Iduna asked timidly. She grasped at his fingers with ever slackening strength. She gazed at his face, trying to find hope, a way out even as the aged-old instinct of self preservation kicked in. She was so desperate, she didn't notice the weak fissure of annoyance and contempt that briefly crept into his face. It was gone just as quickly.
"No, I can help you."
"You can save me?"
"Yes." He gave her a seductive, charming and tempting smile as he gently released his hand from her fingers to stroke her cheek with the back of his digits. "But I must warn you, my dear Iduna, it comes at a price. Nothing ever comes for free."
"Whatever you want, it's yours." Iduna was too desperate and afraid to die to properly take heed of his warning. Nor did she see the dark yet blissful triumph briefly filling his features.
"Then the bargain has been struck."