Winter's Echo

Chapter Seven - Teach a Queen to Fish

The former queen hugged her sister close to her one last time with a tearful smile. Elsa was about to be on her way back to the enchanted forest after a pleasant couple of days visiting with her family. She was, of course, sad to leave her sister and a few tears were inevitably shed, but Anna had sensed there was a change in her magical sibling. "You're ready to go back home, aren't you?" the redhead asked, and Elsa bit her lip. Though there was a tinge of melancholy, there was no accusation or disappointment in her voice, so the wintery spirit simply gave her a small smile. "I know it's strange, especially since I've been there for so little time, but...yes. I do miss it," she admitted. Anna's smile turned a bit sly. "It or her?" she questioned playfully. Elsa blushed hotly and turned her head away. "I'm not going to dignify that with an answer," she muttered darkly.

Anna only laughed and squeezed Elsa tight again before shooing her down the dock. "Go on," she urged playfully. "And don't forget to ask Honeymaren about coming with you when you come back for the Solstice!" Elsa rolled her eyes in exasperation and shook her head, laughing as she jogged down the dock to meet Nokk, who had just emerged from the water with a graceful leap. The blonde affectionately caressed his muzzle before mounting him with practiced ease. Elsa flashed a dazzling smile at Anna. "I love you! I'll see you soon!" she called before Nokk let out a happy whinny and leapt off the dock, taking off down the fjord like a shot with Elsa waving behind her.

"Do you think it would be strange for me to ask Honeymaren to come to Arendelle with me?" Elsa asked after several minutes of leisurely cantering along the fjord. "Arendelle is so different from the forest, and castle life may as well be an entirely different planet. I don't want to make her uncomfortable..." Nokk slowed to a walk and steered them a bit closer to the shore. Elsa smiled and took a deep, relaxing breath as they walked quietly along the beautiful shores of the fjord, reaching out and gratefully caressing his neck. *I think your noaide is quite adaptable. She has impeccable manners and would represent the forest well,* came the water spirit's low, soothing voice. *I also think,* he continued, *that you want very much to show her your world.* Elsa gave a small, bashful smile. "You're not wrong, Nokk," she admitted. "I would love to show her Arendelle. It would be nice to treat her to a long weekend with no responsibilities for all she has done to help me since coming here, too," she thought out loud. "I suppose the real question is, how do I ask her?"

*You may have to think on your feet for that, mistress,* came Nokk's somewhat amused voice. Elsa looked down at him in confusion before the water spirit suddenly took off like lightning down the fjord. The queen yelped in surprise and it was all she could do to stay astride the suddenly possessed beast. Just as she was about to tell him where they normally sent problematic horses in Arendelle, Elsa saw a figure in the middle of the fjord in a small canoe. Nokk gave a loud nicker of greeting that echoed across the water, causing the figure to look up and around, searching for the pair before spotting them and carefully standing up in their vessel. Elsa's heart skipped a beat and she immediately smiled as Honeymaren waved happily at the pair. Honeymaren lifted her hands to her face and cupped them around her mouth. "Welcome home, Your Majesty!" the Northuldran crowed in delight. The winter spirit laughed and bid Nokk to run even faster, his mischief beyond forgiven.

"Maren!" Elsa cried in happy greeting as Nokk trotted up to the canoe delicately, careful not to disturb the water around it lest he cause Honeymaren to take a chilly, unscheduled swim. The noaide gave a graceful bow to the water spirit. "Thank you for bringing her back safely to us, Great Spirit," she said with a smile. Nokk bowed his head slightly in return, whickering softly. *See? Perfect manners, mistress,* he said in a pleased tone. Elsa giggled behind her hand, her eyes twinkling at the Northuldran. "He is pleased with you, Maren. He says you have impeccable manners," she informed the tan woman. Honeymaren grinned. "Well, you know what they say. 'Respect for yourself guides your morals, respect for others guides your manners.' And you are certainly well respected, Great Spirit," she replied. "I hope to continue to please you and the other spirits."

Elsa smiled warmly at Honeymaren. "Well, you certainly please me," she said without thinking. When the Northuldran raised an amused eyebrow, the blonde woman immediately realized how that must have sounded. "N-Not like that! I mean-" Honeymaren folded her arms over her chest, cocking her hips to the side. "So I don't please you, Snowflake?" Elsa buried her cherry-red face in her hands and dropped her forehead to Nokk's mane. "By the Gods, just be merciful and drown me," Elsa muttered. Honeymaren laughed loudly, Nokk whickering right along with her. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you two," the queem muttered darkly, folding her arms across her chest and turning her head away. "You know, I was happy to see you, but now I can see I was premature in my feelings," she huffed. Honeymaren grinned and gave a playful bow. "A thousand apologies, Your Majesty. Please, allow me to make it up to you," she said, extending her hand to her. "Come fishing with me?"

Elsa pretended to think it over, as though she were considering something far beneath her before she couldn't stop a full, pretty smile spreading across her features. "Alright, but no tricks from you, Northuldran, or you'll wake up with snow in your bed every night for a week," she threatened, delicately swinging her leg over Nokk so she was sitting sideways on him. She took Honeymaren's hands, the noaide carefully helping her to slide from the great stallion into the canoe. The canoe rocked a bit from the movement and both women held very still, breathing a small sigh of relief when the movement stopped. "That went better than I thought," she admitted with relief.

She should have known better than to say such things.

Nokk nickered mischievously before leaping away into the water, causing a sizable wave to rock the small canoe and send both women stumbling. Honeymaren quickly wrapped an arm around Elsa's waist to prevent her from falling over the edge only for both of them to end up tumbling into the bed of the canoe. Honeymaren groaned as Elsa landed fully on top of her. "Are you alright, Elsa?" she asked, opening one eye and breathing through the discomfort of the less than soft landing. "Glue," The queen growled, lifting her head slowly. "Somehow, someway, I will turn him into-" Elsa stopped short when she opened her eyes and realized how close her face was to Honeymaren's.

"H-Hi..." Elsa mumbled intelligently, staring into the Northuldran's large, laughing doe eyes. Honeymaren raised an amused eyebrow and chuckled. "Hi," she replied, brushing white-gold bangs back from Elsa's face. The queen blushed at the touch and smiled dopily for a moment before her brain started working again and shocked her into reality. She scrambled back madly, spewing apologies for her impropriety. She would have fallen out of the boat had Honeymaren not reached out and snagged her wrist just as she was about to go overboard. "Oh, how I've missed you, Snowflake. It's been quite dull without you," she said with a laugh as she tugged the queen back into the safety of the canoe. Elsa groaned in embarrassment and buried her face in her hands. "Gods, why can't I function around you?"

Honeymaren grinned and carefully baited a pole for Elsa before offering it to the flustered queen. "I'll try to be less charming, my beautiful queen," she said with a wink. Elsa glared at her as she took the pole. "I'm going to do something to you later," she muttered darkly. "You're not going to know when or where, but it's not going to be pleasant." Honeymaren just laughed and picked up her oar, beginning to paddle them down the fjord. "Whatever you say, sweet spirit. I am a servant at your mercy." Elsa rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway, propping her elbow on her knee and resting her head in her hand as she watched the scenery pass slowly by.

"So, how fares the city of Arendelle without you as it's queen?" Honeymaren asked. Elsa frowned a bit at the question, turning her eyes to the Northuldran. "Actually, it turns out I still am their queen, apparently," she replied. "The people were quite happy to accept Anna, but neither they nor the council have agreed to my abdication yet. For now, Arendelle has two queens, I suppose," she finished with a small, helpless shrug. Honeymaren simply smiled and pulled in her oar, taking the pole from Elsa's hands and dropping the line in the water before handing it back to the queen who took it uncertainly. "I've...never actually fished before, Maren," she admitted sheepishly. The Northuldran just chuckled. "It's easy. When you feel something yank, yank back harder. Ta-da," she finished in a flat tone, a sly smirk on her face.

Just as Elsa was about to suggest a much colder, wetter way the smug Northuldran could collect her fish, Honeymaren spoke. "I can't blame them, you know." Elsa blinked in confusion. "E-excuse me?" Honeymaren smiled sweetly. "Your kingdom. Your people. I can't blame them for not wanting to give you up. You were only here for a week and I was dreading getting a message that you wouldn't be coming back. I can't imagine giving you up after a lifetime," she said as though it was the most logical thing in the world before laughing a bit. "I must confess, when you spoke of Arendelle when you first came here, I couldn't imagine how the kingdom had become so prosperous. All we knew of Arendelle and its people were the lies of its king. I'm rather ashamed to admit we were all quite skeptical about the virtue of your kingdom," she admitted sheepishly. "Once I got to know you, it made perfect sense." Honeymaren looked into the blonde spirit's icy blue eyes earnestly, a sincere smile on her pretty features. "You were, are, a fantastic queen, Elsa of Arendelle. This world is better for you being part of it."

Elsa stared at Honeymaren in adoration, her heart feeling like it might beat out of her chest. "I...I don't know what to say. No one's ever said anything like that to me before," she admitted. She sniffled slightly and gave a quiet, happy laugh at her own emotional reaction. "Thank you, Maren...truly." Honeymaren smiled and wiped away a stray tear from the queen's cheek with her thumb. "No need to thank me for the truth, sweet spirit - I swear to you it is all you will ever hear cross my lips." Elsa smiled at the charming woman before her heart and her mouth ran away with her. "Come to Arendelle with me, Maren."

For once, it was Honeymaren who was caught off guard by the wintery spirit. "Wait, what?" Elsa blushed and immediately dropped the fishing pole in her lap to begin playing nervously with her loose hair. "There's this celebration we hold for the Winter Solstice...the whole kingdom comes together for a giant party in Arendelle proper. There's lights and food and music and dancing...I was...well, I was hoping..." Elsa trailed off, her sudden courage leaving her as soon as it had come. Honeymaren smiled and leaned forward toward the nervous blonde. "You were hoping..." she prodded. Elsa's eyes flicked up the warm brown and she laughed, shaking her head at how silly she was being. "Maren," she began again after a deep breath. "Would you accompany me to the Winter Solstice Festival in Arendelle? I would love to share my home with you as you have shared yours with me and...take you on a relaxing mini-vacation, if you will, as thanks for all you have done for me."

Honeymaren flashed a bright, beautiful smile at Elsa that made the Snow Queen's heart melt. "I would be honored to go with you, Elsa, but spending time with you is the only gift I need or want. As long as I am with you, I will consider my hard work rewarded." Elsa blushed hotly, but smiled at the Northuldran's tender words. "You're incorrigible," she mumbled good naturedly. "Well," Honeymaren said in mock thought. "I suppose if you really wanted to give me something...I could use a new fishing pole. Seeing as mine is now gone." Elsa blinked and looked down, genuinely surprised to find the pole no longer in her possession. She looked about wildly for a moment before following Honeymaren's gaze into the water where the end of the pole was floating away before being pulled under in a sudden move. Elsa slowly looked back at Honeymaren, chuckling sheepishly.

Suddenly, Nokk's head appeared behind Elsa in the water, Honeymaren's fishing pole in his mouth. Elsa smiled brightly at him and turned in her seat, taking it eagerly. "Thank you, my friend. Consider us even, then." Nokk nickered before melting back into the water and Elsa yanked on the pole with all of her might, falling backward into the canoe and Honeymaren's arms. The large trout at the other end of the line came flying into the canoe as well, smacking Honeymaren in the face before bouncing off her head and into the bed of the vessel, flopping about in in front of the women. Elsa grinned and craned her neck back to look up at a flabbergasted Honeymaren. "You were right - fishing is easy."