Winter's Echo
Chapter Six - Good and Solid Ground
Elsa felt giddy as Arendelle came into view along the fjord, shining in all her beautiful majesty. Nokk whinnied cheerfully, his ethereal call echoing across the harbor and announcing his mistress's arrival. By the time the pair of spirits had arrived at the docks, a crowd of Arendelle's citizens had gathered, eager to welcome their magical queen home. Nokk made a mighty leap from the water to the dock, eliciting awed gasps and noises of excitement from the Arendellians. His mistress laid her hand lovingly against his broad neck, a blue aura pulsing from her as his watery form was slowly replaced with ice and frost. Both spirits sparkled dazzlingly in the bright sun as they trotted down the dock to the applause and cheers of the people. A cry of "Long live Queen Elsa!" rang out amongst the crowd and was quickly parroted, much to Elsa's confusion. She smiled anyway, waving at her people as her and Nokk trotted by. They probably just needed time to break the habit of the title she once held.
The crowd that followed them through the open gates to Arendelle proper grew larger and larger by the minute as word spread that Elsa had returned and was astride her magnificent elemental steed. Most had caught only a faraway glimpse of him when the pair of spirits had saved Arendelle from a watery grave and were eager to see the majesty of the mythical being up close. As Elsa and Nokk came into the courtyard, the doors to the front entrance of the great hall opened wide, revealing a beaming Anna. Elsa felt her heart soar with pride and love as she drank in the sight of her beloved baby sister in all her regal glory, laughing as it all came undone when the new queen leapt the few steps from the door to the courtyard, making a mad dash to her.
Happy tears filled Elsa's eyes as her sister drew near, bidding Nokk to kneel. She swiftly dismounted him and held out her arms, just in time to catch the excited redhead in her arms and pull her close, hugging her with all of her might. A mighty cheer sounded from the citizens of Arendelle as the royal siblings reunited. Elsa heard a unique, high pitched giggle just before she felt a solid form crash into her legs, laughing as she looked down at Olaf. "I missed you too, little guy," she said lovingly, kneeling to give him a warm hug. Kristoff and Sven came jogging close behind, though with slightly more decorum than either the redheaded monarch or her snowy little charge. Elsa laughed as the mountain man enveloped both his fiancé and his soon-to-be sister in law in a giant hug, spinning them around once as the siblings laughed. When he set them down, Elsa was sporting a rare grin, reaching out to scratch Sven behind the ear, using her other hand to itch under his chin as well when he leaned into her touch before waving to her people and their cheers. Their beloved magical queen had been returned to them and the kingdom felt whole again as it saw the sisters embrace once more.
"Long live Queen Elsa! Long live Queen Anna!"
A stray cheer from the crowd quickly built into a resounding chant. Elsa pulled back a bit from Anna, confusion plain in her icy eyes as she eyed the crowd, though she kept her well-practiced public smile on her face. "Anna," she asked under her breath. "Why are they-" Anna waved a hand dismissively, interrupting her sister. "Don't worry, Elsa, I'll explain in a bit. Come on, let's get inside!" Anna looped her arm through her sister's and waved back at their people lovingly as the family disappeared inside the castle. As the doors shut behind them, Elsa grasped Anna's hands, looking her beloved sister up and down in admiration before meeting teal eyes, her own swimming with pride. She reached one hand out, gently lifting her baby sister's chin. "This suits you, Anna. You were born to be queen and I couldn't be more proud of you," she said lovingly.
Anna beamed at the high praise from the sister she had looked up to all her life. "Thanks, sis," she said quietly before embracing her again. "I missed you so much," she murmured as she squeezed Elsa tight. "Now," the redhead said with a quick breath to reset herself, pulling away from the embrace. "Tell me all about what you've been up to!" Elsa laughed at her bubbly sister, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Slow down, Anna, I'll be here for a couple of days. First, tell me what's going on? Why do the people still call me queen?" Elsa frowned briefly as a thought crossed her mind, reaching down to squeeze Anna's hands. "Have...have the people not accepted you in your position? They seemed fine in the courtyard..." she mused to herself more than to Anna as her mind began to whirl with possibilities, looking from her to Kristoff and back again as her mind searched for clues.
Anna smiled and squeezed Elsa's hands back in reassurance. "No, Elsa, our people have been wonderful, they are wonderful. But..." she trailed off, her gaze drifting to the side a bit. Elsa dipped her head to get Anna to look at her again. "But?" she prodded. "But so are you," came Kristoff's deep voice as he stepped forward to put a comforting hand on Elsa's shoulder. "The people accepted Anna with open, loving arms, but they are not quite ready to give up on you yet. For now, Arendelle's people consider themselves citizens of a true family monarchy." Elsa blinked at the mountain man before looking back at her sister, who gave a small smile and shrugged sheepishly. Elsa shook her head, and gave a small groan. "Anna," she began warningly, but the redhead grasped her sister's shoulders before she could launch into a lecture of propriety and chain of command. "Please don't worry about it, Elsa. Everything is fine, I swear to you on my life. You took an oath to do what's best for Arendelle when you were crowned, and so did I. Let's just...give the people a chance to decide for themselves what they think is best for their country...okay?" she asked.
"I think Arendelle likes having two queens. It's double the fun! Who wouldn't want two amazing things?" came a cheery voice from hip-height, followed by a gasp. "Like, what if we had two noses? We have two arms and two eyes and two feet. Just think of all the flowers you could smell!" Olaf finished with a giggle before bouncing away down the hall toward the library where the family usually spent its time. Elsa sighed and ran her fingers through her loose, blonde hair before looking at her sister with a small, defeated smile. "Fine," she grumbled good naturedly - it was hard to stay too serious with the cheery snowman near. "Who am I to argue with a queen?" Anna grinned and hooked her arm through Elsa's again, leading her to the library. Kristoff gave a small sigh of relief, before looking at Sven. "That wasn't so bad," he said with a little grin. Sven gave him a skeptical look and a small grunt before following the two sisters and the bouncing snowman down the hall.
Hours later, both sisters made their way to the throne room to discuss the state of the kingdom with their trusted council. Much to Elsa's relief, everything had been going quite smoothly under her beloved sister. An hour into the meeting, the council was ready to adjourn, the two sisters standing to leave when one of the more senior members cleared his throat to draw the attention of the room. "Your Majesties, before we adjourn it might be prudent to discuss how you will rule Arendelle together. A system of checks and balances, if you will. While Queen Elsa resides in the forest, I assume we will naturally defer to Queen Anna for most affairs, but what if-"
Elsa held up her hand to gently interrupt the elderly man, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me, Lord Hermann, I fear I have misunderstood. Are you under the assumption that Anna and I will rule Arendelle...together? With two Queens?" Elsa parroted skeptically before narrowing her eyes at her sister. "Anna, you said this was just an adjustment period." Anna winced a bit at having been outed and sighed, turning to face her sister. Though she had hoped to slowly bring her quite traditional sister around to the not-so-traditional idea, there was no point in hiding it now. "So, when I said adjustment period I may have been trying to buy myself some time to ease you into the idea," she admitted in bashful guilt. Elsa gave a short, disbelieving laugh, holding her hands up in a pausing motion. "Anna, you can't be serious. Arendelle can't have two queens! Lord Hermann is right, we would have to devise nearly an entire new system of government for checks and balances between us, not to mention not only is it not normal, but it's never been done before!"
"Yeah, hi," Anna retorted in a somewhat sarcastic tone, her frustration rising at Elsa's immediate dismissal. "A queen has never been discovered to have magical powers that froze and thawed a kingdom within the span of a couple days, let alone basically ascended to goddess status upon discovery of her rule over the spirits of the elements before, either. Yet, here we are. Our kingdom, our people are not concerned about 'normal'," she finished with a smug smile. Elsa's heart constricted painfully for a moment at the mention of her magical slip, the memories of the chain of events that followed rushing unbidden to the forefront of her mind. Perfectly white teeth nibbled anxiously at her lower lip, her gaze dropping thoughtfully to the floor. While she would not have put it quite so bluntly, her feisty sister had a valid point. Elsa had startled awake in the middle of the night more times than she cared to count, plagued by nightmares of what most people would do to a person suspected of sorcery, let alone a proven magic that created the chaos she had. Though increasingly infrequent, she was loathe to admit she had yet to completely banish those dark dreams. She was convinced that, had she been the ruler of a people any less loving or loyal than hers, she would have been murdered on the spot - something Hans had tried to condemn her to - in an effort to end the unnatural winter she had created. The blonde wrapped her arms around herself anxiously at the flow of memories.
Guiltily sensing her sister's dark thought spiral, Anna tried to call her gently back to reality. "Elsa?" The wintery spirit didn't respond, white brows furrowing further in distress. "Elsa, you said the spirits told you we were a bridge...right?" Anna asked in a quiet, but firm voice. Her tone, devoid of the previous teasing lilt, caused Elsa to look back at her sister. Teal eyes stared confidently into questioning blue. "A bridge is not just two parts, two lands, two peoples meeting in the middle," she continued insistently. "A bridge is one structure solid and powerful enough to create a reliable connection. We don't need to be separated to bring the people together - that defies the very meaning of our purpose. We are supposed to stand together, as one. In everything. That is what you promised us, Elsa. You promised our people. You promised ME. Neither Arendelle or I want you to break that promise."
Elsa stared at her sister in awe for a moment, once again shown in full force just how much Anna had grown into herself. When had her headstrong, irrational, energy ball of a baby sister become so wise and empowering? Not for the first time, the blonde took in all the small changes that seemed to have occurred overnight in her mind's eye. Shoulders that were once hunched, formerly uncertain in their own skin now squared confidently, ready to stand against the world. Round, baby face features slimmed into sharper, more angular lines of a beautiful young woman sure of in her place in life. Laughing teal eyes that once broke Elsa's heart, so accustomed to searching and scanning the room for any sign of companionship and validation as they were - these same eyes now stared confidently back at her, full of the same love and laughter as before, but now brimming with the newfound realization that she had great potential and even greater worth in this world.
Elsa glanced around the council room after a long moment of reflection, taking in the expressions of its members. Most of these men had served her father before her and had helped groom her for the Crown currently in question. While her reign obviously began with a magical stumble, she knew beyond a doubt she had more than earned their confidence in her ability to rule Arendelle as well as the respect to be honest and open with her when the need arose. As she scanned the aged, wizened faces of the council her heartbeat quickened - there was no uncertainty or hesitation to be found about this new possible arrangement. Her searching eyes settled on the kind face of a man whose opinion she found she trusted the most to give her an honest response, biased though she knew he was. The man was, for all intents and purposes, a father figure to her. His trusted presence had been a boon to the shy, nervous queen during her reign.
"Kai." Her implied question hung heavy in the air as she bid him to speak.
"It's true, Your Majesty," the older gentleman stated gently from his standing position near the thrones. "The people were thrilled to welcome Queen Anna into her new role. They are not, however, prepared or willing for you to leave yours." Elsa nodded to him thoughtfully, thanking him for his honesty. The loyal servant had more to say, however. "Your Majesty, if I may...?" At her consenting nod, Kai took a deep breath before striding toward the torn woman, speaking in a softer, more private tone.
"Your Majesty, since the...unfortunate events of your coronation, it has been clear to the kingdom that, while you were Queen in name, our kingdom has since already had two monarchs. The people of Arendelle have always seen both you and your sister as a single ruling pair, working together for their betterment, just as they did your parents before you, may they rest in peace. Through your reign, you and your sister have always brought out the best in each other and prevented the other from making hasty decisions. The people believe that, while each of you is more than capable of ruling on your own, any future Arendelle could hope for would be lacking. A kingdom that retained its heart, but somehow lost its soul." Elsa shook her head absently as she processed what Kai was telling her. "Anna is more than capable of being everything Arendelle needs and more," she retorted. "She has always been the heart AND soul behind everything I was."
"This isn't about what we can do, Elsa. It's about what we should do," Anna chimed in, reaching out to gather her sister's hands in hers and turning her to face her and what she had to say head on. "This is about what Arendelle deserves. What we deserve. Can you honestly say you are happy being so far apart? Because I most definitely can't."
Elsa lowered her gaze, opting for silence over admittance. Anna knew well enough that no answer from the enigmatic blonde was a definitive answer on its own and pressed her point. "That's what I thought," she said quietly. Anna squeezed her sister's hands gently, dipping her head to catch Elsa's eyes. "Have we not yet had enough separation to last us a lifetime? Don't you want to be together as a family again? Don't you miss being close to me?"
Twin chips of ice shot up from their staring match with the floor to meet Anna's gaze earnestly, a determined spark behind them at the insinuation in the redhead's questions. "Of course I miss it, Anna. But we can't every time have everything tied off with a perfect bow and a happy ending," she tried to reason.
Anna's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm well aware of what it's like to not have a happy ending, Elsa," she stated in a voice a bit firmer than she intended, making Elsa wince inwardly. "But let me ask you something. Can you name me a time when you made a hard decision because it was what you wanted, not because you felt you had to? That wasn't to benefit someone else?"
Anna's near accusation was again met with silence, though the former queen had the dignity to hold her gaze this time. This was not the first time since they reconnected that Anna had hinted at this habit. She knew the fired up redhead was right and she wouldn't insult her with an attempt to deny it. To Anna's credit, she did not press the subject, unwilling to rub salt in an age-old wound. Throughout her many attempts to teach Elsa that a little selfishness was good every now and again, she subtly reminded her that their lives could have turned out so differently had Elsa not so often chosen duty over her own health and happiness.
"Look," Anna started gently. "I'm not asking you to give up the life you want to build in the forest. I'm just...asking you to not give up the life we've finally been able to build here - together. This isn't a decision that ought to be made lightly or need be made swiftly. Of course you know what I want, but I am serious in that I truly want you to choose what you want over what others want." The redhead paused then to take a slow, calming breath, clearly wishing to bite off her next words. "That...that includes me, Elsa," she said quietly. Elsa's body tensed at the statement. As she opened her mouth to vehemently disagree, Anna rushed to speak over her. "Elsa, I know you love me. I know all you want in the world is for me to be happy. But please understand, I have the same wish for you and I want it just as badly. I just...don't see why we can't find a way to both be happy at the same time," she finished in a small, defeated voice.
The winter spirit squeezed her younger sister's hands. She wanted desperately to comfort the woman who now more closely resembled her insecure baby sister of yesteryear. The resigned look on her sweet face sent a sharp pang straight through her heart. She was hurting the most precious person in her world...again. Elsa took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "I'm not saying yes. But...I will not say no. I will genuinely think about it. Is that acceptable for now?" Elsa asked, her eyes going back and forth from her sister to the council. Anna nodded, smiling a bit when Elsa reached forward to wrap her in a warm hug, pulling her close. "I love you, Anna. I promise I will think about it." Anna sighed and nodded, pulling back with a smile. "I know," she replied. "I trust you."
The family spent the next couple of days of Elsa's visit in relative normalcy, visiting about the town with the citizens of Arendelle, all of whom were thrilled to have Elsa back in the kingdom, even for just the short period of time. They were comforted by her presence and Elsa reassured them she would always be a part of them - Arendelle was in her blood and she would always protect Her. Though she still believed she made the right choice to stay in the enchanted forest, she did miss her home and her sister dearly and told Anna so on her last night in Arendelle before she was to return to the forest.
The sisters were lying in bed together, their hands clasped as they faced each other, soaking in the closeness. Neither woman was keen to be out of touch with the other and had spent the first night snuggled together as they had when they were children. Elsa had just finished telling her about almost meeting a bear in the woods, Anna watching her with wide, eager eyes that reminded her of when their father had first told them of the enchanted forest. "Wow, that's crazy," Anna said in amazement as Elsa finished her story about Honeymaren following the bears into the woods. "I'm glad Honeymaren was keeping an eye on them and you; she sounds very brave. I'm glad she knows what she's doing, too. I know you would have felt guilty if you had to use your powers on the bear, even if it was in her defense." Elsa smiled and nodded, impressed by her sister's ever growing ability to look beyond the obvious of the situation and into its future consequences. "You know, Honeymaren actually told me a couple days later that if I had used my powers, it would have been a pretty big deal," Elsa commented, idly toying with a lock of Anna's hair. The redhead blinked at her curiously, tilting her head. "How so?" Elsa sighed and recounted to Anna what the Northuldran had told her.
"Why would that have been bad?" Elsa asked curiously as they were stripping bark from a few fallen birch trees to reinforce the lavvos. "Nature is a delicate balance, Snowflake," Honeymaren replied seriously, pausing in her actions to give Elsa her full attention. "The spirits help us with their gifts and their presence, but it is a very fine line they toe and one you must be very careful to respect. It is the spirits' most sacred law." Elsa frowned a bit in confusion, both at the Northuldran's meaning and her sudden solemn attitude. "I'm afraid I don't understand," the queen said slowly. Honeymaren brushed off her hands and turned to Elsa, opening her mouth to say something before thinking better of it and biting her tongue, searching for different words to explain it to the newly ordained spirit.
"Well, let's say you had used your powers on the bear. Most likely, you would have killed it. Then, one of two things would have happened. Either you would have condemned her young cub to die, or it would have stayed in hiding until hunger drove it to desperation. It would not be unheard of for a hungry young bear to sneak into a camp at night and steal off with a sleeping child." Elsa blinked at her with wide eyes. "That's...that's quite extreme, don't you think..." she mumbled. "That's nature, spirit," Honeymaren countered and Elsa looked down at the bark of the tree she was currently peeling, fidgeting with the edge of it in thought. The noaide reached out to squeeze the blonde's hands, encouraging her to look at her as she gently explained to her the implications of Elsa using her powers to interfere in the natural order of things.
"You and the other spirits represent the balance of nature. Imagine Arendelle fell into war with another country, and the water spirit sent a tidal wave to destroy your enemies. Or maybe the earth giants carved a new path for a river to help the Northuldra, but in doing so redirected Arendelle's main source of fresh water? Or," Honeymaren continued gently, "what if your magic prematurely ended the life of not one, but two large predators in the area?" Elsa winced a bit, but nodded in understanding - she was well aware how delicate ecosystems could be. No predators meant too many grazing animals like moose and elk and wild reindeer would deplete the land. That meant less for the Northuldran reindeer or any other animal to eat. Eventually, they would move on to other areas looking for food and the tribe would have nothing to hunt.
Honeymaren watched with a small, sad smile as she saw the wheels in Elsa's mind turn. "I'm honored that you would have come to my rescue, Elsa, and I want you to know that I am eternally grateful. But, we never know how far the ripples of our actions will reach, let alone when they bear powers such as yours. Elsa," the noaide said gently, calling the queen's attention to her. "Will you promise me something?" she asked, lightly caressing soft, pale hands with her thumbs. Elsa blushed a bit at the caress and nodded. "Promise me you won't defy this law. Not even to help me." Elsa shook her head in disbelief, looking at Honeymaren helplessly. "How could you ask me to stand by and watch anyone, especially you be in danger and not help?" the queen asked incredulously. "Because spirits picking and choosing sides and favorites and putting their own desires above the laws of nature herself is courting chaos, sweet queen," Honeymaren explained. "And we have had quite enough of that, don't you think?"
"Wow," Anna breathed. "I never thought of it like that. Honeymaren is very wise...and very selfless. It's no wonder she was meant to be their leader," she complimented. Elsa nodded in agreement, a small, fond smile cementing itself on her features - a smile that did not go unnoticed by the redhead. They lay there in pondering silence for several moments before Anna reached out to gently run her fingers through the curtain of hair that fell across Elsa's pillow and smiled gently. "I like your hair like this," she said quietly. "You look so...free." Elsa hummed in happy agreement. "Honeymaren likes it too," the older sibling said absentmindedly, then blinked in surprise at what she had said. Anna raised her eyebrow, a tiny smirk tugging at her lips at the look of surprise that was there and gone in a flash. Anna continued to toy with her sister's hair nonchalantly. "It sounds like you and Honeymaren have become quite close," she commented, her tone purposely trailing to encourage Elsa to respond. The blonde shrugged noncommittally.
Sensing her sister's nervousness, Anna smiled reassuringly and decided to let her beloved sister keep her secrets...for now. "She sounds wonderful, Elsa. I wish I had gotten a chance to get to know her better. Oh! I have an idea!" Anna propped herself up on her elbow in sudden excitement. "Why don't you bring her to Arendelle for the Winter Solstice Festival! She can stay in the castle, we can show her around the kingdom, it will be wonderful! Oh, Elsa, say you'll bring her!" Elsa blinked at the sudden subject change. "I-I could ask?" she offered uncertainly. Anna smiled meaningfully at Elsa and laid back down, snuggling into her. "I'd like the chance to get to better know the brave woman who is keeping my sister happy. Queen's orders," she added playfully. "Now let's get some sleep, Elsa. You've got an invitation to deliver tomorrow."