Winter's Echo
Chapter Thirteen - Happy Birthday, Elsa
Honeymaren sighed as consciousness began to call to her, frowning slightly at the bright light that brought it as it crept across her eyes. She was more comfortable than she'd ever been in her life and waking up was the last thing she wanted to do. She was warm, the surface she laid upon was soft and thick, and there was a deliciously comforting weight in her arms. Honeymaren opened her eyes then to the most beautiful sight she had ever seen in her twenty-three years of life.
Elsa was sleeping soundly in her arms, the early morning sun making her beautiful features, peaceful and relaxed in sleep, glow in an angelic light. The queen's breathing was slow and even and this alone created a deep sense of peace and contentment within the Northuldran. Honeymaren stared at the beautiful winter spirit for a long while, memorizing every precious detail. Her high, soft cheekbones, the delicate slope of an adorable nose, every perfectly placed freckle. The Northuldran's heartbeat quickened as her eyes became fixed on Elsa's full, slightly kiss-bruised lips. It took nearly all of her self control to not wake the blonde just to kiss her senseless right then and there. Honeymaren bit her lip to stifle a chuckle so as not to wake her love - she was going to struggle keeping herself under control around the irresistible queen.
Unable to resist the urge to touch the sleeping woman, she instead very lightly brushed white-gold bangs from Elsa's face. The winter spirit sighed in her sleep at the touch, the corners of her lips tugging into a small, content smile. "I love you, Elsa of Arendelle," Honeymaren whispered to the sleeping queen, pressing her lips gently to the blonde's forehead. Elsa sighed contentedly once more, this time her eyes beginning to open as the Northuldran's lips brought her toward consciousness. "Maren..." she murmured with a sleepy smile, bringing her hand up to brush her fingers against Honeymaren's warm cheek.
"Good morning, my love," Honeymaren whispered, smiling brightly. She leaned in to press a gentle, loving kiss against the queen's lips, smiling to herself when she felt her gasp softly. Elsa's eyes struggled to open again after Honeymaren pulled away and the winter spirit couldn't help but laugh nervously at herself. "I don't know if I will ever get used to that feeling," she admitted with a blush before looking back into Honeymaren's warm, brown eyes. "But I do know I'll never grow tired of it," she finished with a playful smile. Honeymaren chuckled and placed another soft kiss on the blonde's lips, murmuring against them. "I agree whole-heartedly, Snowflake, but if we are not careful, I'll never let you leave this bed," she said with a playful growl before pulling the woman close and placing tickling kisses on her sensitive neck and ears, holding the queen hostage as she giggled and squirmed against her.
"Stop, stop, you win!" Elsa managed to squeak out in her breathless laughter as she rolled on top of the Northuldran, a bright, genuinely happy smile on her features. Her giggles slowed as she stared down at Honeymaren, the beautiful noaide's loose hair creating a dark, silken halo on the pillow behind her. 'I love you,' came the unbidden thought in Elsa's mind. She surprised herself with the admission, but had no intention of talking herself out of it, knowing it was her deepest truth. Over the past few months living in the enchanted forest, Honeymaren had been her anchor as she explored her true self. It was through her that the wintery spirit was learning not just how to heal, but how deep her wounds actually ran. If she were honest, she could no longer picture a life without the beautiful woman beneath her, who flashed a dazzling smile at her queen, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair, almost as if she could sense her thoughts. She tangled her fingers in white-gold locks and pulled the beautiful spirit down for a sweet, chaste kiss that left Elsa sighing happily. The blonde laid her head over Honeymaren's heart, tucked under the Northuldran's chin and snuggling into her. There was nowhere in the world she would rather be than in her noaide's arms, especially now. The shy queen wasn't ready to admit her feelings out loud to the woman who had stolen her heart, however, even as she was cuddled into her. An age old and deep-seated fear of rejection and being unworthy doused her courage like water to a fire. The empathic noaide understood this about her love, more than aware of how deep the scars of Elsa's upbringing dug into her gentle heart. One day, Honeymaren's patient soul would snuff the life out of the enchanting queen's fears once and for all and she would show her beloved spirit the depth of her devotion as many times as Elsa needed to do just that.
Honeymaren smiled lovingly and began to soothingly stroke Elsa's silken hair, nearly lulling the queen back to sleep before she finally spoke. "What do you want to do, Elsa?" Elsa sighed deeply at the question, knowing they would have to face reality eventually. "Is staying in bed for the rest of the day an option?" Honeymaren chuckled, planting a kiss on her head. "You are a queen, Elsa. Anything you want is an option, regardless of if it's the right option," she replied. "I'm not saying it's the wrong option," she joked after a moment, grinning a bit. Elsa hummed in agreement before sighing and pushing herself up onto her elbows to hover over the dark-haired beauty, smiling a bit when Honeymaren tucked her hair behind her ear for her. "I want to go home...but I know it would break Anna's heart, especially for us to leave today and I want even less for that to happen," she said quietly, idly toying with a lock of Honeymaren's hair. The Northuldran nodded in agreement, pursing her lips in thought for a moment. "What's so special about today?" she asked. "Nothing special at all," Elsa mumbled and shook her head, clearly not interested in elaborating. Honeymaren raised an eyebrow but decided not to press the queen; the point was to not stress the woman. "Well," she began with a slow sigh, "I promise I will play nicely with the other kids today if you promise to help me mitigate any misplaced guilt your sister may feel." Honeymaren's mouth curved into a coy grin. "I can quite literally just kiss you senseless to get rid of yours, but I'm sure my method would not be so well-received with Anna," she said with a laugh.
Elsa gave only a small chuckle at the jest, her face falling a bit before she took a short, steadying breath to steel herself. "About that..." the queen began, biting her lower lip. Honeymaren snickered, raising an amused eyebrow. "You want me to kiss your sister?" she joked. Her blood instantly began turning to ice in her veins when Elsa looked away from her rather than playfully protesting, clearly struggling with something. "You...you're not..." she tried, needing to swallow thickly to make her suddenly dry throat form the words. Elsa turned her gaze back to her questioningly at the sudden uncharacteristic fumbling of the normally stoic woman. "You don't...regret this, do you?" Honeymaren finally managed. Elsa blinked at her before sighing softly, a warm and loving smile replacing the troubled look on her pretty features. Rather than answer, the wintery spirit leaned down and captured the nervous Northuldran's lips in a deep, slow kiss, brushing her fingertips along the side of Honeymaren's face.
By the time Elsa finally pulled away, Honeymaren was struggling to open her eyes to look at the queen, the slightly dopey half-smile on her face making the blonde spirit laugh softly. She cupped Honeymaren's cheek, waiting until doe eyes fully opened before answering. "I will never...never...regret you, Maren," she whispered earnestly. Elsa made sure she gave that promise a moment to sink in before continuing. "But...I'd really like to keep this to ourselves for now, if that's okay," she said, gauging Honeymaren's reaction. Chocolate eyes looked up at her with slight concern but mostly curiosity, silently asking her to elaborate. Elsa bit her lip gently, trying to find a way to explain how she felt to the patient woman beneath her. "It's hard to explain, but...I want you all to myself for a little while. To be with just you. The moment anyone else knows - my sister, the kingdom, the Northuldra - it's not just you and I anymore." She stared down at her beautiful noaide fondly, a small smile on her face. "Maren...for so long, any kind of connection with another person was so out of reach, I never thought about how I would feel if it happened." There was a tinge of sadness in her voice that made Honeymaren instinctively tighten her arms around her, eliciting a quiet laugh from the queen. Elsa brushed the back of her fingers against Honeymaren's cheek, staring beseechingly into their warm depths. "Right now, in these moments, it's just you and I...and you and I is all I want to think about. Does that make sense?" Elsa asked, knowing the concept must sound strange to Honeymaren - saying it out loud it barely made sense to Elsa.
Honeymaren smiled warmly at her and sat up, tugging Elsa into her lap to hold her close. "What you're saying is you're not a very good sharer," she said with a playful smile, eliciting the intended laugh she was hoping for and calming the slightly anxious queen. "Yes, Elsa, I understand entirely. We will tell whomever you want to tell when you want to tell them," she agreed confidently. "As long as I call you mine, my dizziest dreams have come true - the world knowing or not knowing doesn't change that." Elsa blushed a bit at that, smiling gratefully at the dark haired woman and wrapping her arms around her neck, burying her face in her hair. "Thank you, Maren," she murmured, pressing a chaste kiss to her neck before pulling back with a sigh. "We should get ready for the day."
Honeymaren nodded as Elsa climbed off the bed, reaching her hands above her head to stretch before following suit. "Do I have a special dress code today?" She asked Elsa with a playful smirk as she straightened out the tunic she had fallen asleep in last night. Elsa chuckled as she pulled a simple green gown with a black bodice and purple trim, tossing it over the changing screen near the wardrobe. "Whatever you would like, though I must say you cut quite the figure in that tunic," she replied coyly before walking past her to take a seat at the vanity, giving her cheek a sweet kiss as she walked by. Honeymaren grinned at the show of affection as she began to comb her fingers through her hair, making sure she looked somewhat decent should a servant see her while she made her way back to the room she was supposed to be staying in. "You're awful chipper for so early an hour," she teased the queen, walking over to stand behind her chair at the vanity and meeting her eyes in the mirror. She put her hands on the back of the chair, leaning down to whisper in Elsa's ear. "Did you sleep well, my goddess?" she asked before leaning over to place her lips lovingly on the queen's bare shoulder.
Elsa smiled warmly, glancing at Honeymaren in the mirror before turning her head slightly to regard her with a loving gaze. "I don't think I've ever slept so well in my life, actually," she answered, turning back to the mirror and reaching forward to grab the brush that laid on the vanity, beginning to slowly and purposefully run it through her white-gold tresses. She paused her movement for a moment as a thought came to her and lowered her gaze, smiling to herself. "Your arms, your touch...your very presence, really," she began slowly. "It...soothes me." Elsa laughed a bit, shaking her head at herself as a light blush colored her cheeks. "You're like my shield against myself. You protect me from all my worst thoughts and feelings and nightmares. Really, it's a wonder how I ever slept without you near me," she finished with a bashful chuckle, shaking her head once more and resuming brushing her hair. She kept her eyes on her task, too shy after her admission to look up at the Northuldran.
Honeymaren raised a mischievous eyebrow at Elsa in the mirror, a grin slowly growing on her lips. She leaned over and pressed her lips once more to Elsa's shoulder. "You are safe with me," she murmured against the queen's cool skin. "And you always will be." Honeymaren began to plant soft, warm kisses along the beautiful spirit's shoulder, very slowly working her way toward her neck. Elsa stared at their reflection in the mirror, subconsciously lowering the brush as she became transfixed by the image of Honeymaren's lips touching her again and again. She watched the rise and fall of her own chest quicken along with her breath and her heartbeat as red blossomed across her face. "What are you doing...?" Elsa asked in a whisper, her eyes fluttering closed when Honeymaren's warm fingers reached around and pulled the white-gold curtain of her hair back, exposing her neck to the Northuldran's wandering lips. Honeymaren grinned devilishly at Elsa's half-lidded gaze in the mirror as they continued their agonizingly slow and sensuous journey. "Well..." she spoke between kisses, "if my touch is your shield...and I'm to keep that a secret...I need to layer you with extra protection while I can, now don't I?"
Elsa sighed quietly, closing her eyes and biting her lip as Honeymaren began to press tender, warm kisses up the side of her neck, subconsciously tilting her head to give her noaide unrestricted access. She gasped softly when Honeymaren placed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the sensitive skin of her throat, her brush falling from her hand and clattering to the floor as she gripped the arms of the chair. Suddenly, Elsa felt a strong tugging sensation in her lower belly, as though someone gave a string deep inside of her a sharp yank when Honeymaren's tongue and lips found her pulse point. "Maren!" she gasped, one hand flying up to tangle desperately in dark tresses in an attempt to both ground herself and to keep the Northuldran exactly where she was. Honeymaren smiled into Elsa's neck and sucked sharply at the sensitive skin, eliciting a pleasurable hiss from the queen before bathing it soothingly with her tongue. Elsa struggled to open her eyes as she saw their reflection in the vanity, biting back a moan at the intimate image of her and the gorgeous Northuldran in their moment of passion.
A moment of heat that turned to ice in a split second when a very familiar knock sounded at her door, followed by an equally familiar voice.
*Knock, knock, knock-knock, knock*
"Elsa? Are you up yet? Brunch is ready!"
Both women's eyes went wide, staring at each other in shock for a split second before flying into action. Elsa leapt from the chair and scurried across the room to disappear behind the changing screen just as Anna walked in. The redheaded queen blinked in surprise to see Honeymaren standing before her instead of Elsa. "Oh! Good morning, Honeymaren!" she said cheerfully, looking around the room. "Where's Elsa...?"
"I'm here, Anna," Elsa called from behind the screen, clearing her throat when her voice cracked. "I'm just getting ready." Anna smiled, then raised an eyebrow as she spied the hairbrush on the floor. She looked at Honeymaren and the Northuldran gulped as she saw the wheels in Anna's sharp mind begin to turn, watching anxiously as curiosity slowly morphed into suspicion. "No rush at all. Today is your day, after all, take all the time you need," she said as she walked over to pick up the brush, her eyes never leaving Honeymaren's. "Anna..." came Elsa's voice in a long-suffering, warning tone. Anna rolled her eyes then, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, yeah, I know, don't make a big deal of it, blah, blah, blah," she grumbled as she set the hairbrush down. The redhead turned her gaze back on Honeymaren, eyeing her for a moment before a light dawned in her astute teal eyes. "...why are you still wearing your clothes from last night?"
Honeymaren blinked, looking down at herself quickly before looking back to Anna. 'Because I fell asleep after kissing your sister senseless', she thought. "Oh. Um, yeah...I was really tired last night and I sort of fell asleep before changing," she half-lied out loud. Anna crossed her arms, cocking her hip to one side and raising an eyebrow. "And you haven't changed yet...why?" Honeymaren cursed herself inwardly, fighting really hard to control any nervous movement that would give her away too easily. 'Because I care more about taking your sister's clothes off than putting mine on!' "I...wasn't sure if I needed to wear anything special today, so I thought I would check with Elsa before I got changed," she answered, grateful she didn't have to truly lie about that, either. She really did ask Elsa about her clothes...even if the timeline was a bit off.
"I see..." Anna replied, narrowing her eyes. She could tell something was askew, but couldn't find any plot holes in the Northuldran's story...yet. "Well, I will help you pick out something for the day since Elsa is still getting ready. We'll see you downstairs, sis!" Anna called before opening the door and waiting for Honeymaren to follow. "I'll be down soon," Elsa called, unable to mask the relief in her voice. Honeymaren doubted the winter spirit would have sounded so relieved if she could see her sister's face, however. The Northuldran took a deep, steeling breath before following Anna outside, the queen shutting the door behind her.
Anna simply looked at Honeymaren for a moment with an expectant look. It was clear she was waiting for something, but the noaide was having enough trouble silencing her less than innocent thoughts; she was quite sure that she was far safer not to speak unless directly spoken to. Anna's eyes narrowed slightly before she shook her head and walked down the hallway with quick, purposeful strides. It was quite obvious the feisty redhead was a bit worked up, though Honeymaren couldn't quite peg in what way. She didn't seem angry, per say. Irritated may have been a better description, but that wasn't quite it either. Anna opened the door of Honeymaren's room and walked in wordlessly, leaving the Northuldran to follow her inside and slowly close the door behind them. Honeymaren said nothing as Anna stood there silently with her back to the dark-haired woman.
"Why don't you two trust me...?"
Honeymaren blinked at the pained tone of Anna's voice. "Wait, what?" she asked in a knee-jerk reaction. She...she saw this going very differently in her mind. Anna simply sighed, her shoulders visibly slumping in defeat. "Forget it," she mumbled, walking over to the wardrobe and pulling it open a bit more harshly than needed before beginning to rifle through it, even as her shoulders began to shake slightly. Honeymaren immediately walked to her side, placing a hand on Anna's shoulder and turning her around, the young queen quickly trying to wipe away her tears. "Hey, hey now," Honeymaren cooed softly, immediately pulling her into a tight hug that Anna couldn't help but return whole-heartedly. "What's wrong, Anna?"
Anna pulled back from the hug after a moment, wiping away the tears that were already slowing. "I don't understand why you two are lying to me. I'm not stupid. Not once in our entire lives has Elsa ever been up after me so she wasn't 'just getting ready' - it's pretty clear you never even came to this room last night." Anna gestured at the untouched bed before crossing her arms over her chest, looking away from the Northuldran. "I'm trying so hard to show you both that I completely accept the two of you and that I'm absolutely ecstatic you have found each other, but..." Honeymaren's gaze softened as the pieces fell into place in her mind. "You feel like she's shutting you out again," Honeymaren finished for her. Anna just sniffled quietly, which was all the confirmation the noaide needed. She inwardly cursed herself for not accounting for this scenario. Elsa was shut away from her for so long for her own safety and now that the blonde lived in the forest she was separated from her completely, only a few short years after they had reconnected. Of course Anna would be especially sensitive to being kept in the dark when it came to something like this.
"I just want to support her happiness the way she supported mine with Kristoff," she said quietly. "She defended and fought for our relationship over and over, even making Kristoff a lord so we could be together. She deserves the same," she insisted. Honeymaren smiled and gently lifted Anna's chin with the crook of her finger, lifting teal eyes to meet hers. "Yes she does," she agreed, "but that's not what she needs from you right now, Anna," she explained, gesturing for Anna to sit on the bed, taking the seat next to her when she did. "She wants to keep what we have to herself for a while. You know how private of a person she is; you also know firsthand how little experience she has with romance. So, you can imagine how confused and uncertain she must be about everything, especially when those feelings are for a woman." Anna chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. What Honeymaren was saying made sense, but it didn't necessarily make the redhead feel better. She wanted so badly for Elsa to want to share her feelings with her that she couldn't help but be a little bit jealous of the Northuldran; this was just one more of her sister's secrets she would be late in discovering. "Anna," Honeymaren's voice called to her, pulling the young queen put of her thoughts and causing her to meet understanding brown eyes. "She wants nothing more than for this new happiness she's found to stay in a secret bubble between the two of us for a little bit to explore her feelings without prying eyes or questions. Surely, you understand how precious privacy is in positions such as yours?"
When Anna nodded in understanding, Honeymaren placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling warmly at the redhead. "Anna, Elsa loves you more than anything and she would never want to hurt you. She is not trying to keep her feelings hidden to hurt you or because she never wants you to know, I swear it. She just wants this one facet of her life to belong to only her for a while because she never thought she'd get a chance to experience it as you have. Can you be okay with that for now, and pretend we never had this conversation?" Anna nodded again and offered a small smile to the Northuldran. "So does that mean you've finally admitted your feelings to each other?" Honeymaren laughed and nodded; she chose to leave out the blonde's struggle to actually vocally admit her feelings. The redhead nearly squealed and threw her arms around the noaide's neck. "I'm so very, very happy for you two, truly," she said sincerely. Honeymaren smiled brightly and returned the hug with a chuckle. "Thank you, Anna. That means a lot to both of us."
Anna released Honeymaren with a short sigh, standing up with a sudden enthusiasm. "Alright, let's do what we came here to do and pick out an outfit for you. Let's find something else blue for you to wear - you ought to wear Elsa's favorite color on her birthday," she said as she went back to the wardrobe. Honeymaren nodded in agreement before her brain caught up with what Anna just said. "Wait, what? Did you say today is Elsa's birthday?" she asked incredulously. Anna lowered her head and mumbled something under her breath, turning around with an exasperated look on her face. "Did she seriously not tell you?" She threw her hands up in frustration when Honeymaren shook her head decisively. "Sometimes I just wanna..." she made a show of violently squeezing something in front of her before going back to the wardrobe, rifling through it with more force than was probably necessary, muttering in annoyance.
"She specifically told me today was 'nothing special'," Honeymaren quoted, a bit miffed herself. "Of course it's not special, she doesn't think anything having to do with her is special," Anna groused, pulling out a light blue tunic with white trim and handing it to Honeymaren. "Hence, my desire to throttle her and squeeze her to death at the same time. Welcome to my world," she mumbled in annoyance. Honeymaren couldn't help but chuckle at the queen's frustration, un-cinching her belt and pulling off her rumpled tunic from last night before pulling the clean one over her head. "Well, what should we do about it?" she asked as she changed. "I don't know!" Anna huffed, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I always feel like she's just tolerating the things I try to do to celebrate," she said with a sad tone, sitting on the bed again in defeat as Honeymaren redid her belt.
Honeymaren thought for a moment, crossing her arms and pacing slightly. "Well," she began slowly. "If Elsa is in great need of one thing it's a chance to truly relax. If she is going to truly relax, she's not going to want anyone outside of your family there." She leaned against the bedpost, her brow furrowing in thought as she looked at Anna. "I brought her to the hot springs my people use once and she loved it. Do you have anything like that here?" Anna's eyes went wide with excitement as she jumped up from the bed. "We can do a spa day at Oaken's!" she cried happily. "It's a sauna and spa! We could do a day with just us three. We'll drink wine and eat chocolate and have a great time!" Honeymaren blinked curiously, not quite sure what those things were. "Umm..." she managed to utter, her confusion clear on her face. "Oh," she said in realization as she looked at the Northuldran's expression. "It's a room that's filled with steam and they offer other services like skin treatments and massages." Honeymaren scratched the back of her head thoughtfully. "I doubt she'd appreciate a massage, especially if it is from someone she doesn't know, but the steam and wine I'm sure would relax her. Plus," she said with a smile as she looked at Anna. "I know she'd be more than excited to spend the day with just you. She misses you terribly, you know."
Anna smiled brightly, taking Honeymaren's hands in her own. "Thank you, Honeymaren. For everything," she said genuinely, squeezing her hands. "I already made sure my schedule was cleared, so I will send word ahead to Oaken's to make arrangements for the three of us." Honeymaren blinked, raising her eyebrow. "Three of us, Your Majesty?" Anna smirked and smoothed a wrinkle from the Northuldran's tunic. "You know as well as I do that she's going to want you at her side all day. I promise I won't say anything about the two of you. I'll be on my best behavior," she said with a sly grin. Honeymaren sighed and gave a slight shrug, smiling indulgently at the young queen and nodding. Arguing would get her nowhere and she wasn't too keen on being left on her own for the day either, if she was honest. She wasn't ready to mingle with the general population of Arendelle quite yet. Anna clapped her hands together once in excitement. "Excellent! Let's go have brunch and then we will head out straightaway!"
When they made it to the dining hall, Elsa was already waiting for them at the entrance. Elsa had chosen a more conservative outfit for the day consisting of a dark green, floor length dress with a form fitting, black velvet bodice, some well-placed bead work giving it an elegant touch. It covered more skin than Honeymaren appreciated, having a high neck that kept the winter spirit's excessively attractive shoulders and collarbone hidden from her view. It appeared the Northuldran was not the only one that noticed as Anna raised a brow as they approached. Elsa had told Anna years ago that she had hated the constricting outfits she had worn in her 'conceal, don't feel' days. "I don't think I've seen you in something like this since...well, since before your coronation," she ventured gingerly. "It's a little...traditional, don't you think?" Elsa shrugged at Anna's question, her eyes intently fixed on Honeymaren. "I guess I was feeling a bit nostalgic. Maren, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Elsa asked pressingly. Honeymaren blinked, shooting a questioning glance at Anna before nodding. Was she in trouble? She couldn't remember doing anything wrong. Anna only shrugged, heading into the dining hall. "Don't be too long or I'll eat all the chocolate croissants!" she called over her shoulder as Elsa grabbed Honeymaren's hand and pulled her to a large, ornate door, pushing it open and nearly dragging the Northuldran inside what appeared to be an office of some kind before closing it behind her.
Honeymaren turned around to ask the agitated queen what was wrong, only for Elsa to hook a finger in the collar of her bodice and yank it down, revealing a modest but quite noticeable love bite on her neck. "Look what you did to me!" she hissed, though there was no real malice in her voice. Honeymaren blinked at her for a moment before laughing openly at the annoyed spirit. She coughed and tried to stifle her laughter when the blonde queen glared at her sharply, clearly not amused. "Don't panic, Snowflake, I can help," she reassured her, looking around the room before her eyes settled on a metal paperweight on the desk. "Here, make this nice and cold," she instructed as she grabbed it and handed it to the queen. Elsa raised an eyebrow skeptically but did as she was asked, a light frost appearing on the outside of it. Honeymaren took it back from her and pulled Elsa's collar down again, pressing the cold surface of the paperweight against the dark red mark on the otherwise flawless, creamy skin of her neck. "Don't worry, my love," she reassured her. "This will take the mark away in a few moments."
Elsa grumbled something and crossed her arms poutingly, which only made the Northuldran chuckle as she held the cold object to the queen's neck. She leaned forward and placed a sweet kiss on the spirit's cheek. "I'm sorry, Elsa. You seemed to enjoy it at the time, but I won't do it again." Elsa's eyes flicked up at that, a small blush crossing her features. "I didn't say I didn't enjoy it..." she mumbled. Honeymaren smiled and shrugged a bit. "Even so, if we are going to keep this a secret I need to learn how to control myself around you," she said with a small sigh, pulling back the paperweight to check on the progress of the mark before turning it over and using a freshly cold side. "It would be easier if you'd stop being so irresistible," she joked as she met Elsa's gaze again, surprised to find concern there rather than the humor she was expecting. "What's wrong?" she asked, gently brushing the back of her warm fingers against Elsa's cheek. Elsa just shook her head a bit, flashing a small, forced smile that quickly fell from her face. Honeymaren sighed in disappointment, but bit her tongue. She would get nowhere with the beautiful queen by forcing her into things she wasn't ready for. There was an uneasy silence between the pair as Honeymaren continued to monitor the slowly ebbing mark on Elsa's neck.
"I love it when you touch me," Elsa admitted after a quiet moment with a small shrug, glancing away from Honeymaren. "I love that I want you to touch me. I love the way it makes me feel..." she trailed off. Honeymaren craned her neck a bit to try to catch Elsa's gaze again - clearly there was more Elsa had to say on the matter and she would be damned if she didn't tell her now. "Go on," she encouraged gently, pulling the paperweight away and setting it back on the desk before leaning against it, taking Elsa's hands in her own and lightly caressing them with her thumbs. Elsa gave a short sigh with a little half smile that was a mixture of sadness with a decent dose of embarrassment; but it was the hint of excitement hidden there as well that made Honeymaren's heart flutter. "It's just...I never thought I would ever get to feel like this, if that makes sense," she began, never looking at the woman who had caused said feelings. "For the majority of my life, I thought I would never be able to make a connection like this with anyone...and I gave up on the idea of someone caring for me long ago. I couldn't touch anything without freezing it solid, how..." Elsa took a short moment to collect herself, having to swallow the emotional lump that had formed in her throat. "How could someone ever touch me, let alone kiss me? Who would even want to try?" Elsa laughed wryly, shaking her head, a slightly bitter smile on her face. "But now," she said, finally looking up at Honeymaren with a shy, but unashamed gaze. "Now I finally understand the stories and fairytales because I'm experiencing it for myself," she said as happiness and excitement began to creep into her voice. Elsa stepped closer to Honeymaren and cradled her noaide's hands against her chest adoringly as she looked earnestly at her. "Maren...when you kiss me, my heart does skip a beat. When you hold me, I can actually feel the weight of the world falling away. When this happened..." she trailed off as she ghosted her fingers across where the barely existent love bite was hidden beneath her collar, a small, elated grin on her face. "Gods, I can't even describe it..."
Elsa shook her head, sighing softly. "My point is I think the one who needs to control themselves is me. The trouble is that, quite honestly, I don't want to stop feeling like this..." Elsa chuckled a bit at herself, shaking her head again. "I'm sorry, I know it doesn't make sense. I can't have both discretion and constant contact." Honeymaren smiled and tugged her hands free to wrap her arms around Elsa's slim waist, pulling the queen close to her. "Though I will do everything in my power to give you what you wish, you may be right about not being able to have both, Your Majesty. How you're feeling makes complete and perfect sense, however, and I understand entirely." Elsa smiled gratefully and sighed, an adoring look on her pretty features. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Honeymaren nodded before she came to a quick decision, seeing an opening to solve a mystery that had been bothering her for the past half hour. "There is something that doesn't make sense to me, though," she said calmly. Elsa tilted her head in curiosity, her brow furrowing in askance. "Why would you not tell me about your birthday, Elsa?" The queen blinked for a moment at the sudden subject change before she pressed her lips firmly together in annoyance. "Anna..." she growled lightly before closing her eyes and shaking her head, pulling back from the Northuldran's embrace. "It's not a big deal, Maren, it's just a day." Honeymaren caught Elsa's hand as she tried to walk away, firmly tugging her back into her arms and preventing her from escaping. "Hey now," she chided gently, surprised by the sudden emotional wall that was slammed shut before her. "It obviously is a big deal, which makes it important to me. I'm not going to tell you that we should go scream it from the treetops or anything, but why were you so against even me knowing?"
"I don't need or want any more special attention than I already have. I'm a queen with freak ice powers, I get quite enough time in the spotlight. You know I don't like being fussed over...it makes me uncomfortable," she admitted. Honeymaren smiled lovingly at the blonde queen and reached up to run her fingers through her silky curtain of white-gold locks soothingly. "What if it's me doing the fussing?" she asked in a playful tone, though her question was real. Elsa's brow furrowed a bit in confusion, her eyebrows raised in askance. "What if we were to spend a day with just you and I, reading or exploring or just not letting you out of my arms for the entire day? What if I wanted to wake you with a special breakfast or make you your favorite meal for dinner?" Honeymaren leaned up to press her lips lovingly against Elsa's in a slow, gentle kiss that instantly relaxed the tension in the spirit's body as she melted into the Northuldran. Honeymaren pulled away from the kiss slowly only to turn her head and gently nuzzle the winter spirit's cheek, whispering softly to her. "What if we were to never leave our bed? What if I spent the entire day and night making love to you over and over again and your birthday became one day of unending ecstasy?"
A deep, intense scarlet flared instantly across the pale queen's face that caused the Northuldran to laugh, a triumphant grin on her face. "See, it's not your birthday you have an issue with, my love - it's what happens on your birthday." Honeymaren took one of Elsa's hands in her own and raised it to her lips, placing a delicate kiss upon her knuckles as she looked earnestly into Elsa's eyes. "Elsa of Arendelle, your birth is something that is more than worth celebrating. You've changed the lives of countless people for the better, myself included. The world is a far better place because you are in it and I'll be damned if I let you spend a single moment more thinking otherwise, let alone an entire year. But today, it is going to be just you, me, and Anna. The three of us are going to spend some quality time relaxing, having fun, and just being near each other. No big parties, no appearances or obligations - just being with people you care about. I promise you'll have fun if you promise to let yourself. Do we have a deal?"
Elsa chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully as she mulled the idea over before looking into patient chocolate pools. "Just the three of us? Do you promise?" she clarified. Honeymaren smiled reassuringly and nodded in affirmation. "Of course, unless you would rather it be just you and Anna," she offered, laughing lightly when Elsa immediately pressed closer to her, clearly not happy with her offer to bow out of the activities of the day. "I will never leave your side if that is your wish, my love," she murmured lovingly as she pulled the blonde woman close to her. "That's the benefit of it being your day," she joked. "You can have or do anything you want. Except maybe those chocolate croissants Anna was talking about, I'm pretty sure those are gone by now," she said with a grin. Elsa laughed and wrapped her arms around Honeymaren's neck to return the embrace. "Thank you, Maren," she said quietly. "You really are perfect, you know."
Honeymaren chuckled and gave her love a gentle squeeze. "Well, not quite. Maybe if I can save one or two of those pastries for you, then I will have earned the title. But, on the subject of your sister," she began, pulling back from the embrace a bit to look into Elsa's eyes. "She loves you more than anything, Elsa, and I know you already know that. She genuinely wants nothing more than for you to be happy. I know you felt that by brushing off your birthday it would make it easier for everyone to ignore it, but, really, it just made it harder for Anna to understand." Honeymaren gently cupped Elsa's cheek, guiding the queen's slightly guilty gaze back to her. "You can't help how you do or don't feel about something, and it doesn't matter why, Snowflake. But, you've sacrificed too much of yourself for too long for Anna to simply brush anything having to do with you under the rug. If you really do or don't want something, just be honest with her and she will not only respect your wishes, but will very much understand, especially if it's important to you. Alright?" Elsa smiled gratefully and nodded in understanding, knowing deep down that her astute noaide was more than wise when it came to such matters. "Now," Honeymaren said as she released the blonde and stood, rubbing her hands together. "Let's see if I can steal you back a birthday treat from that feisty ginger sister of yours, shall we?"