Winter's Echo
Chapter Twenty - Battle of the Forest
Riding Nokk along the fjord was something Elsa would never get tired of. Riding Nokk period was something she would likely never get enough of. But riding Nokk with Anna clinging tightly to her, laughing giddily as the mighty water stallion's tail playfully flicked to splash her? Now that was the kind of moment that Elsa needed to remind her that life was worth living. Elsa laughed for the first time in far too long as Anna buried her face in her sister's back to hide from Nokk's watery assault. She reached down with a pale hand to stroke the water spirit's broad neck, grinning as he nickered ethereally at her touch. For just a few moments, Elsa felt like she could take a breath without being in pain.
Between trying to be the fifth spirit, being in love with the noaide, and trying to balance her time between her sister the forest, she was being pulled in so many directions she felt like she may snap like a weathered old twine. It didn't help that her prolonged stay in Arendelle, coupled with the possibility that the life she had been building in the forest for the past several months was very likely about to shatter to a million pieces, reminded her constantly of the request from Anna and the council. The people and the council had been patient, but soon she would need to give a definitive answer to what seemed to be the unanimous desire of all of Arendelle - to break tradition and continue serving as a rightful queen alongside her sister. But, for now, she had her sister, her magic, and her freedom all in one glorious moment. For this brief moment, Elsa's burden felt a bit lighter and her outlook on life was brighter than it had been in weeks.
'For now,' the queen thought. There was still the matter of Honeymaren to tend to. She had been thinking of little else for the past two weeks, reminiscing on the bittersweet memories of her time in the forest and the development of her deep love for the woman. Since they had become friends, the Northuldran had always been affectionate toward the blonde - the very first night they met, the brown-eyed woman had been so bold as to rest her hand on her lap, showing her the secrets of their mother's scarf. The queen, surprisingly, not only didn't flinch away from the touch but rather welcomed it. Unbeknownst to Honeymaren, this also made her the first person outside of her family circle that Elsa willingly allowed to reach out and touch her...ever. Even after she had learned how to control her icy powers, thirteen years of fear-based, anti-social behavior wasn't a habit one simply kicked overnight. Not that the winter spirit had ever really tried to remedy the situation; she had been quite content with her sister and, occasionally, Kristoff being the only people she came into physical contact with.
Something had been different about the Northuldran, however. As the weeks passed, Elsa discovered herself craving not just the brunette's time and attention, but her touch as well. That yearning alone was a surprising and strangely welcome change of pace for the anti-social monarch. Elsa had yearned for the dark-haired woman's admiration, too, if she was quite honest with herself. In her first month in the forest, she had often caught herself fussing over her sometimes unruly white-gold locks or smoothing imagined wrinkles from her clothes when she knew the beautiful noaide would be near. This task had been made all the more unmanageable being that she had literally been learning to live like a wild woman.
Elsa had found herself more and more likely as time went on to retrieve small amenities from her visits with Anna in Arendelle like special hairbrushes, makeup, even a small bottle of her favorite perfume that she had tucked away in a secret spot in their lavvo. She felt silly afterward, of course - what use were things like these when one lived in the woods amongst reindeer? That is, until Honeymaren would absently play with her hair and comment on its silky softness, or tell her she looked particularly pretty that day. Elsa's secret favorite was when the Northuldran would hug her for just a few seconds longer than normal and the spirit would hear the woman take a deep breath through her nose, burying her face in the queen's pale neck. That particular memory brought a light blush to the blonde's cheeks.
"Helloooo? Are you listening to me?" Anna's voice calling to her snapped her out of her dazed musings, shaking her head a bit to clear it. "S-sorry, Anna. I kind of zoned out," she replied sheepishly. Anna leaned around to look at Elsa's flushed face as well as she could while riding on Nokk, eyeing her sister skeptically. "What were you thinking about?" she questioned suspiciously. Elsa looked straight ahead in feigned innocence. "N-nothing in particular, just...letting my mind wander. You know," she chuckled nervously. A single coppery eyebrow raised in an unimpressed expression, accompanied by a skeptical 'uh-huh'. Thankfully, the redhead dropped the subject, allowing her big sister to keep her secrets...for now. Though it made Elsa feel like she was being constantly watched at times, she couldn't help but smile at Anna's protectiveness, not to mention be incredibly grateful. She knew she could live a hundred years and still not understand how she deserved a wonderful sister like Anna, but she would die before she ever took her for granted.
Suddenly, a strong wind whipped across the fjord and the mighty water spirit bellowed a ghostly war cry that echoed from shore to shore, surprising both of his charges. Nokk's normally rhythmic canter turned into a flat-out gallop before either woman could react and it was all they could do to hold on. Elsa's arm shot back to secure her sister against her as best she could, squinting her eyes against the wind now whipping against her face. A sharp whistling noise echoed across the fjord and the sisters looked up to search for the sound.
"Gale!" Elsa cried. "What's wrong?!" *Invaders in the forest, mistress! They come for war! The Northuldra are under attack!* she heard the wind spirit's whistling voice in her mind. Elsa's eyes grew wide at the news and she quickly turned to her sister. "Anna, hold on! Someone has invaded the forest; we have to hurry!" The redhead nodded after the briefest moment of surprise, her face instantly hardening as she mentally prepared herself for anything they may encounter. Elsa leaned forward against Nokk, urging him on earnestly. *Please, my friend, faster. Faster! We have to protect them!* With Gale at his back, the powerful water spirit let loose another mighty bellow and ran faster than Elsa had ever felt before, nearly dislodging his riders at every bump or too-sharp turn.
After what felt like hours but was, in reality, only mere minutes, the party reached the bay of Northuldra. Elsa laid one hand flat against Nokk's neck, her other hand stretched out over the bay in front of her and loosed her magic upon both. Ice crystals quickly made their way through Nokk's body, giving him a more tangible form on land while the water and shore froze to an icy runway up the coastal cliffs and into the forest. As they flew ever closer, both sisters could hear the sounds of furious shouting and the clamor of metal and wood clashing. "Anna, give me your hand!" Elsa shouted to be heard above Gale's furious whistling.
Anna reached out her hand for her sister and the winter spirit quickly grabbed it, carefully pushing her powers through her fingertips. A dangerously sharp looking blade about three feet in length took form in the redhead's hand, complete with an icy guard that nearly covered her entire hand. Anna looked up at her sister, the blonde's face serious and stern. "This is to protect you, Anna," she yelled to be heard over the whipping wind, "not for you to intervene if you mustn't. I don't know what's up there, so I need you to be smart and be safe. If you trust me, I will trust you. Please, promise me."
Anna nodded resolutely. "I trust you, Elsa. I love you," she called back, squeezing her sister hard with the one arm she still used to cling to her. Elsa covered her sister's hand with her own, entwining their fingers together. "More than life itself, Anna," she replied, squeezing her hand tightly. They waited until they were just at the ramp before finally releasing their hold on each other, ready to face head-on whatever awaited them at the top of the cliffs. Nokk whinnied furiously to announce their arrival as he leapt onto the cliff, dashing madly into the forest.
The scene in the forest was absolute chaos. A large platoon of at least one hundred heavily armored men, each armed with large broadswords, were scattered about the scene. Several dozen were fighting furiously with the impossibly out-armed and outnumbered Northuldra while the rest were quickly making their way through the forest to prevent any of the nomads from outflanking them or escaping the chaos. Elsa saw Bruni dash about the soldiers like a bolt of lightning, setting the forest on fire as he went and creating barriers and blockades of tall pink and purple flames between the invaders and the Northuldra. From the look of things, it appeared as though the sisters arrived just mere moments after the military outfit did as both Northuldra and soldier alike scrambled to regroup.
Elsa drove her heels into Nokk's flank, bidding him forward and into the chaos. With a mighty leap, the water spirit fearlessly leapt into the fray, rearing back on his hind legs and releasing a mighty, ethereal bellow, dozens of the soldiers scrambling away and gasping in awe at the divine sight. "ENOUGH!" Elsa commanded, her voice carried throughout the forest by the wind spirit as she raised her hands high in the air. A deep boom seemed to echo through the very ground followed by the loud, tell-tale crackling sound of ice as the winter goddess whipped her hands toward the ground. Soldiers screamed in terror as thick, slippery ice suddenly coated the forest floor beneath their feet, nearly all of them falling to the ground in unison in a cacophony of painful sounding, heavy, metallic thumps. The ground where the Northuldra had been forced to make their stand remained clear of the icy magic, save a protective shield of long, deadly looking spikes of ice pointing toward the soldiers as they cheered their savior queen.
The sounds of fighting reached the winter spirit's ears from a distance to her left, several yards past where any of the other soldiers were. Her eyes went wide with terror as she saw Honeymaren, armed only with her wooden staff against a large, gristly soldier wielding a sword that looked to be as long as the Northuldran was tall. "No..." Elsa breathed, immediately urging Nokk forward to the scene, her heart racing painfully in her chest as the beast of a man swung wildly at Honeymaren. The soldier may have been massive, but what the dark-haired woman lacked in strength against the brute, she more than made up for with brains and speed. She danced to the side to avoid a heavy downswing that missed her by a mile and wound up driving the huge weapon deep into the earth. Honeymaren spun on her heel to the side of the soldier, hair flying like a whirlwind around her as she swung her staff as hard as she could at him, aiming for his head.
The soldier brought his arm up just in time for the staff to smash against his armored forearm, the sound of broken wood echoing through the forest. Honeymaren didn't skip a beat as she spun away from the giant again, abandoning her shattered staff and pulling her dagger from its sheath on her belt, slicing at the exposed ligaments just above his knee. The soldier put just enough distance between them to narrowly avoid being incapacitated, catching her wrist on her following backswing attempt. The brute grinned maliciously, twisting her wrist in one swift motion and eliciting a sharp cry of pain from Honeymaren, forcing her to drop her dagger. The Northuldran reached out with her other hand to catch it as it fell before driving it deep into the soldier's thigh with a loud grunt of effort. The massive man roared out in pain, but rather than releasing his grip on her as she had hoped, the soldier spun his body around, dragging Honeymaren off the ground by her wrist and flinging her through the air with a mighty yell.
Pain lanced through Honeymaren's very existence as her back made vicious contact with a tree before she fell to the ground face down in a crumpled heap. 'Move! You have to move, NOW!' her addled mind screamed at her. She hissed through the searing pain that wracked her body as she scrambled to stand, looking for her attacker in a frantic daze. It was just the opening the soldier had been waiting for. A forceful, armored backhand to the Northuldran's temple sent her flying several feet to the side, skidding to a halt in the dirt once more. Honeymaren groaned in agony, shaking her head groggily as she forced herself up onto her hands and knees. The soldier growled in pain as he pulled the dagger from his thigh, giving a frustrated yell as he threw it into the dirt. 'MOVE! Move or DIE!' The nomad knew she had to move, and fast, for her life depended on it, but her unyielding strength finally abandoned her as the edges of her vision faded in and out from the devastating blow, collapsing back to the ground.
The mountainous man laughed cruelly as he stalked over to her, retrieving his sword as he did. He dragged the tip of it menacingly along the ground, the metallic song of the blade ringing out as he lifted it in the air before kicking her in her side and knocking her to her back. "Any last words, savage?" he sneered. Honeymaren coughed, trying to refill her lungs with air as he stared down at her sadistically. With one last feat of sheer willpower, the injured Northuldran rolled away from her tormentor to her hands and knees. Her eyes squeezed shut as she pushed through the pain and forced herself to stand, using the tree she had collided with to steady herself as she turned to face her fate head-on. Honeymaren spat at the behemoth, her blood splattering across his face. "Not for a bastard like you," she panted hoarsely as he growled, wiping the blood from his face. She stared up at the monster fearlessly as he gave a mighty heave, the giant blade swinging down with all his might. Normally soft, doe eyes set in a hard and defiant glare as she waited for the final blow. 'I'm sorry, Elsa...'
But the blow never came.
A flash of white and blue light engulfed the area, blotting out Honeymaren's already hazy vision. When the light faded, she looked up to see Elsa in all her majesty standing protectively in front of her with a single hand outstretched. A giant snowflake made of thick ice stood between the goddess and the killing blow meant for the noaide; the sword itself was embedded in the icy crystal, the tip mere inches from Elsa's hand, much to the soldier's bewilderment. A strangled gasp made Honeymaren look to her right to see Anna collapsing against Nokk's back in relief, her hand flying to her head and running her fingers shakily through her bangs. It had been close then, she surmised as she watched the redhead slide off of Nokk's icy back and make her way toward them. Far too close, if Anna's unsteady stumble was any clue. With an angry growl, Elsa made a pushing motion with her hand and the large, icy shield exploded outward, sending the brute flying several yards back to make particularly solid contact with a thick tree, falling to the ground in an unmoving heap. She felt hands on her shoulders as Anna appeared at her side, though her eyes never left her angelic savior.
"Elsa..." Honeymaren whispered, not entirely believing the impossibly beautiful image before her. Could she really have died so quickly? Was this the afterlife she had earned? With the thought of final, eternal rest, both Honeymaren's strength and consciousness finally began to leave her. "Elsa!" Anna cried as she tried to support the Northuldran's weakening form. Elsa quickly turned upon hearing her name just in time to see the dark-haired woman's knees buckle. "Maren!" she gasped out, reaching out to try to steady the woman, both her and Anna sinking to the ground with her. "Maren?! Can you hear me?!" The blonde couldn't keep the panic out of her voice as she cupped the Northuldran's face in her hands, noting with dismay that one side was already turning black and blue. Anna knelt behind her, cradling the Northuldran against her and peering worriedly from her to Elsa as her sister tried desperately to rouse her back to consciousness. "Please, baby, open your eyes, please, please," she begged quietly, gently pressing her cold hand against the already swelling bruising. The noaide smiled weakly at Elsa's intimate endearment as she fought to stay conscious. "It's okay...I've been worse," she said hoarsely. "I've been better, too, though," she joked. Anna gave a small chuckle of relief, wrapping her arms around the brunette's shoulder and waist in a hug. Elsa gave a wet chuckle of relief at the joke and brushed dark tresses aside to get a better look at her love's face.
Honeymaren hissed in pain and winced as Elsa's cold fingers ghosted over what was sure to be a nasty gash. Elsa pulled her hand away quickly upon hearing the wince, then froze as she looked down at her hand. It was covered in hot, dark crimson blood - Honeymaren's blood. Normally clear, deep blue pools glazed over to become harder than the ice the blonde wielded as Elsa stared at the sin of the soldier she dispatched. "Elsa...?" Anna asked uncertainly as she saw the eerie change come over her sister. The redhead reached out to gingerly touch the silent queen's shoulder, only to recoil as though she had been burned. Elsa was freezing. The spirit of winter was always naturally cool, but right now she was so cold the air around her began to turn to a chilled mist, dusting the whole area with tiny, suspended ice crystals.
"Anna," the blonde stated quietly, still not taking her eyes off of the blood that had frozen on her fingers, the droplets crumbling to icy dust as they were cold evaporated. "Stay with Honeymaren," she commanded. Anna blinked at her sister. "Wait, what?" Elsa stood up in a swift, fluid motion and looked at Nokk, the icy beast standing stoically where he was when Elsa had leapt from his back to throw herself between the Northuldran and certain death. She nodded to the mighty spirit, who bowed his head in reverence to his mistress before trotting over to Anna and Honeymaren to stand protectively in front of them. He leaned down and blew a gentle breath into the prone brunette's dark tresses, whickering quietly to her before he nuzzled Anna's cheek reassuringly.
Elsa took one last look at the wounded noaide in her sister's arms, fighting to sit up to look at her despite the clear struggle to even keep her eyes open. Elsa's features hardened impossibly further, her eyes full of grim and dutiful rage before she turned on her heel to march steadily toward the fallen soldier. The man had finally roused and was trying to pull himself to his feet, using the tree he had collided with for support just as Honeymaren had moments ago when the tables were turned, save for one detail...
The Queen of Ice and Snow was not coming to his rescue.
With a flick of a delicate finger, several hard ropes of ice wrapped around the huge man and bound him to the tree, squeezing so tightly that his armor dented and crumpled in several places. Another rope wound similarly around his neck, nearly strangling him as he struggled in vain to free himself. His dark eyes went wide as he gasped for breath, fear now clear in their dark and shallow depths.
"For your unconscionable sins against this innocent woman, your life is forfeit," Elsa stated with cold, dark authority. She held her hand out to her side and a deadly looking sword similar to the one she had made for Anna began to form as she glared in disgust at the soldier. "Speak your last words, savage...before I rid this world of your filth." Anna cried out her sister's name, though she held tight as Honeymaren redoubled her efforts to move. The noaide tried to scramble to her feet, intent on intercepting the incensed blonde; she couldn't let Elsa spill blood for her! Anna's cry was stolen by a whistling wind as Gale bustled around the two women, causing Honeymaren to fall back to the safety of the redhead's arms. Nokk stomped furiously on the ground, moving between them and his mistress to block both their access and their view of her.
Anna looked bewilderedly between the water and wind spirits, not understanding their sudden ferocity. "What are you doing?! Stop her!" she cried at them imploringly. "The spirits demand retribution," Honeymaren said breathlessly. Anna whipped her head to look at Honeymaren, the brunette staring up at Nokk in reverent awe as he stood stoically before her. "They will not allow history to repeat itself." The noaide swallowed thickly. "This...this is beyond mortal intervention," she whispered.
"At what point did the loving scholars of Arendelle conquer this land?" A haughty, taunting voice rang through the clearing. Elsa's blood that had boiled with rage now turned to ice in her veins. She recognized that voice and it froze her in her tracks mere steps away from the doomed soldier. Her grip on the icy blade tightened as she slowly turned her head to see a tall, ornately armored man making his way through the trees, flanked by half a dozen similarly outfitted, dangerous looking men; his personal guards, no doubt. Elsa eyed his smug features coldly, her own carefully apathetic of all emotions save for complete contempt. She cut quite the terrifying figure as the group came to a halt a mere few yards from where the blonde stood.
Though his chiseled features and broad shoulders made him undeniably handsome, something about this newcomer screamed 'ugliness' to Honeymaren. The noaide's senses revolted against everything about this man's existence. What she knew far too many people likely saw as charisma and charm she could see to be manipulation and deceit. Her instant abhorration turned to rage when the his dark eyes traveled up and down Elsa's form appreciatively, the hungry grin on his face making her nauseous. "I never thought it possible, but you've grown even more beautiful since our time together years ago," he said with a dangerous grin, revealing perfectly white teeth with uncommonly sharp canines that gave him an unmistakably intimidating look.
"Ulrik." She spat the name as though the word itself tasted vile on her tongue. The smug grin fell from chiseled features, eyes that were so dark they were nearly black narrowing dangerously at the magical queen. "That's King Ulrik, witch," he growled, his hands balled into fists at his sides. Elsa remained eerily still, clearly unphased by the insult. "Arendelle does not recognize your treasonous claims, murderer," she growled back. Ulrik's jaw tightened in rage, everything about him screaming his hatred for the beautiful spirit before him.
After a short moment, his features suddenly lit with sadistic humor, the intense hatred gone as quickly as it had come as he confidently took another step toward the dangerous blonde, running his fingers through short, black locks. "I thought you no longer spoke for Arendelle? Rumor has it you abandoned your crown and your people to your fanciful twit of a sister over there so you could play with your unholy magic in the woods." Ulrik grinned snidely at her as he casually inspected his fingernails, as though she wasn't the single most dangerous creature in existence - increasingly so, the longer he was in her presence.
Anna's grip tightened around Honeymaren, anger coursing through Northuldran's veins the moment his name was spoken. Her rage brought with it a surprising strength despite her condtion, along with a colorful string of curses she was no doubt taught during her childhood by the Arendellian soldiers. Anna didn't blame her, having a few choice mental comments running through her own mind. She didn't want to admit it, but Ulrik had hit a tender nerve with that malicious remark - the fact that it bothered her at all made her even angrier. She had grown so much in the past three years and had blossomed into what she thought was a good, prosperous queen. Her first eighteen years of content being the carefree, often ditzy 'spare' was a hard cloak to shed, however; not to mention that her magical sister was quite the role to live up to. How could she ever compensate for the loss of Elsa's natural grace and poise in the council chambers?
The redhead suddenly felt a hand rest on her thigh and squeeze it reassuringly, Honeymaren ceasing her movements for a moment to comfort the young queen. Teal eyes met light brown in surprise and softened when she saw the warm and loving reassurance there, the dark-haired woman's natural calling pushing aside her own anger and pain upon sensing the battle within Anna. She smiled slightly, despite the situation, before she was brought out of her musings as Elsa mounted a defense that made her want to cheer and hug her sister, despite her currently terrifying state.
"Anna is ten times the ruler you could ever aspire to be, you dishonorable cur. As for myself, I will speak for Arendelle and the Northuldra until the day I no longer draw breath to speak with, though nothing need be said by either of Her queens to a regicidal prat such as yourself," Elsa spat defiantly. Ulrik's rage came back full force at the queen's backhanded comment. The song of metal rang through the trees as the enraged man drew his sword, followed suit by his six guards. He pointed his blade at Elsa threateningly, staring down it's sharp edge at her with soulless black eyes. "You dare insult me so?! I am a KING!" he roared. "So you've said, which proves you are nothing more than a traitor and a coward," the blonde replied smoothly. She moved not a single muscle at the threatening display, save for an unimpressed quirk of an elegant eyebrow. "After all, a lion need not convince the gazelle that he is a lion," she finished with a taunting smirk.
By this time, all eyes in the forest were on the two elder monarchs, not a soul entirely sure how this scene would play out. Even the soldiers still struggling on the ice had ceased their attempts to right themselves and rally to their king, simply watching to see what happened next. Anna smirked as all but Ulrik's personal guard were either looking at her sister in terrified awe or at Ulrik like he had lost his mind to be poking at this particularly magical bear. "Have it your way, witch," Ulrik growled, shaking with rage. "You will speak until you no longer draw breath, you say? Then let's shut that whore mouth once and for all!"
Ulrik raised his blade and charged at the winter spirit with a roar, his guards at his back. Elsa calmly stood her ground, her own sword held at her side, eerily calm as she waited for the hotheaded king to reach her. "NO!" Both Honeymaren and Anna cried in a panic. Elsa had never held a sword in her life beyond the rare knighting ceremony! Honeymaren ripped away from Anna's grasp and scrambled to her feet, ignoring Anna's protests and dodging around Nokk to run to the queen, disregarding his ethereal whinny. She knew she would not reach her in time, but she had to try, reaching out for her as she ran. Elsa stood fast and waited, her eyes cold and unyielding as she stared down the men that charged her.
Relying entirely on brute strength and wanting nothing more than to cleave her in twain, Ulrik raised his sword high and brought it down as hard as he could, similarly to how his ogre of a soldier had tried to murder Honeymaren only minutes ago. His predictability was laughable; it was child's play for Elsa to raise her sword over her head to block his. Both Honeymaren and Anna screamed Elsa's name, both women's eyes wide with terror for the blonde they loved so much, for she could not hope to match his strength with a blade. What was she doing?!
Their worry was for naught, however, for Elsa needed no strength at all to fend off the men that should have easily overpowered her - she needed only an opportunity to show the disgusting fiend how little power he truly had. The moment Ulrik's blade touched her magical one, a giant pulse of magic exploded outward, sending all seven men flying backwards and toppling upon one another in a painful sounding heap. Honeymaren stopped short and stared in disbelief at the scene. Her hands dropped to her sides as she sank to her knees in relief before bringing them up to cradle her now spinning head. She thought she heard her name being called by Anna, but everything was fuzzy and muffled, as though her head had been packed with wool. Anna scrambled to kneel at her side once more, trying her best to steady her.
Elsa, still in her defensive position, simply righted herself as though nothing had happened, her blade disappearing in a flurry on the wind. "You dare attack me, foolish blackguard? I should kill you where you lie - your existence is a crime against the world." Ulrik snarled viciously and shot to his feet. Enraged eyes as black as night took on a mad quality. Boyish locks were strewn haphazardly about, framing a face red with fury. "These lands will be mine and so will Arendelle as recompense for your actions! I swear on my life, I will end you, witch! Slowly, painfully, in every way you most fear. I will end your line and your kingdom. I will slit your idiot sister's throat and that of that mongrel savage you saved and drown you in their blood. You-"
Ulrik's vicious tirade was cut off when a forest of sharp, deadly spikes shot up out of the ground all around the foolish king, trapping him where he stood. He cried out in agony, looking down in horror as bright blue ice began to creep up his legs, encasing his body at an alarming pace. He flailed wildly, cemented to the forest floor while his guards watched in horror for the briefest of moments before turning and running, abandoning the idiot to his fate. Soldiers that laid scattered across the forest renewed their efforts to escape the impossibly slippery ice, many of them releasing screams of terror as they watched their king slowly become entombed in ice.
Elsa stalked slowly, gracefully toward the panicked fool of a man like a wintery tiger, one glowing blue hand held palm up in front of her. As she walked, a single deadly spike near the king began to grow, it's needle point heading straight for Ulrik's neck. The black-haired man froze figuratively while he continued to freeze literally, focusing only on the ever-nearing skewer of ice. Only when Elsa stopped a few paces away did the spike stop growing. It's sharp tip pressed against the man's vulnerable jugular, a tiny rivulet of dark red blood running down his neck where it pierced his skin. Ulrik had to use all his will power to resist the deadly urge to swallow.
Gale blew furiously about the scene, carrying Elsa's clear, icy voice above the din of struggling men to be heard by all. "Listen well, ambitious false king." Her voice echoed eerily through the trees. "For every Northuldran tree that is felled or Arendellian stone that cracks, I shall reduce a piece of your kingdom to nothing but dust. For every drop of Northuldran or Arendellian blood you would shed, I shall forge a river through your lands with the blood of Calabria. For every life your dark ambitions seek to end, I will reap a thousand to ensure yours is snuffed from existence. If you so much as hint aggression toward our people or our lands, I will rain destruction upon your head the likes of which you could not fathom in your most bone-chilling nightmares. The terror you feel right now will be a sweet dream compared to the horrors that await you. The very memory of you and Calabria will be obliterated from the pages of history."
Anna stared, mouth agape at her sister. This ferocity was unlike anything she had ever witnessed before. The sheer venom in Elsa's threatening words was tangible and staggering, sending shivers down her spine. The presence before her was no longer her sweet, peaceful, and benevolent sister. This was the Fifth Spirit in all her glory - an entity that existed to be respected...and feared. She was convinced her hair was whiter than it was when they left Arendelle, her skin almost glowing in its paleness, and her eyes...no empathy or mercy could survive their icy depths. Anna shivered violently; it felt so wrong to see such an expression on her compassionate sister's face. She knew her sister's already considerable power and abilities had grown exponentially since what could only be described as Elsa's ascension on Ahtohallan, but it was never more clear than it became in that moment. Honeymaren had been right - this situation was far beyond the intervention of mere mortals. She just...couldn't wrap her mind around Elsa no longer being in that category.
Anna tore her gaze from the fearsome, disconcerting display as Honeymaren began to slump weakly to the side. She wrapped her arm around her waist to steady her once more before glancing around to measure the reactions of the clambering soldiers. She was unsurprised to find that nearly every single one was no longer scrambling in an attempt to stand and fight, but to run or even crawl as far away from this fearsome goddess's awesome presence as fast as possible. This is everything Elsa had feared about her powers and now it was a necessity to save all that the sisters held dear, a pang of guilt striking the redhead at that sobering thought.
"Now..." Elsa's voice ringing through the trees brought Anna's attention back to the scene between the two elder monarchs. Elsa walked menacingly up to the terrified but defiant royal, bringing her face within inches of his. Her words, though quieted to a dangerous whisper, were carried by Gale to the panicking ears of the throng of soldiers. "Get the hell out of our kingdom," she snarled.
With a simple flick of her delicate wrists, hurricane force winds carrying the sharp bite of frost beat down upon the soldiers and their foolish king, sending any man that had managed to gain some footing on the slick ice right back to the ground. The entire platoon was sent flying down a luge of ice back through the forest from whence they came. With no hopes of fighting the forces Elsa commanded, it was all they could do to steer in any way possible to avoid the onslaught of trees. A lucky few had some success; most did not, Anna noted with a small wince as a particularly loud clang of armor on thick wood rang out through the forest. She tilted her head to the side, squinting slightly into the trees in the direction of the sound - she was pretty sure that was the soldier Elsa had dispatched earlier, she realized with a slightly satisfied grin.
Elsa stared into the distance after the humiliated king and his company. As the adrenaline high began to abate, her hard expression slowly morphed into dismayed disbelief. 'What have I done...?' she thought, the seriousness of the likely consequences to her actions beginning to solidify in her adrenaline-drunk mind. She was roused from her thoughts by the ecstatic cheers of the Northuldra. From her time living amongst them, they had become accustomed to seeing Elsa's powers but had never witnessed such an awesome display of might. To have seen it for the purpose of their defense in such a manner was something that would surely become legend to their people.
Their cheers snapped Elsa out of her trance and she shook her head slightly to clear the adrenaline haze from her mind. With another flick of her wrist, the winds ceased and the ice trail began to slowly flurry away into the woods, following the path of the soldiers that were already long gone. She turned and frantically searched the throng of Northuldra for the face she longed to see to find Honeymaren sitting on the ground, still in Anna's protective embrace. She stared at Elsa with an expression she could not quite read and the blonde's heart sank, her stomach twisting painfully inside of her. Was she afraid of her now? How ironic that she had just single handedly faced down a platoon of heavily armed men without a second thought, but the idea of Honeymaren thinking she was a monster...this was straight from her deepest fears.
Her need to confirm her love was safe overpowered her fear of rejection as she quickly jogged over to her, falling to her knees before her. "Are you alright, Maren?" she whispered, reaching out to delicately cradle her head in her hands and gently inspect her still bleeding wound. To Elsa's great relief, the Northuldran woman did not flinch from her touch, but instead subtly leaned into it. Honeymaren closed her eyes briefly, relishing in the queen's attention for a split second before gazing up into worried blue pools and smiling reassuringly. "I'm fine, thanks to you," she said warmly, placing her hands over Elsa's and holding them in hers, giving them a gentle squeeze to cease their fretting.
Elsa allowed herself a breath of relief. "Come on," she said with a small smile. She stood up, carefully helping Honeymaren to her feet. "Can you walk?" she asked, watching her noaide closely as she steadied herself. When the dark-haired woman nodded, she smiled a bit. "Let me take a closer look at that so we can get it cleaned up. Wait for me in the lavvo." Her tone brokered no room for argument as she turned to her sister, offering the redhead her helping hand as well. Honeymaren raised an amused eyebrow at the blonde's authoritative, take-charge attitude but did as she was told and began to walk slowly back to their shared abode, stopping only to retrieve her dagger along the way. Anna took the proffered hand and pulled herself up from the ground, but held fast when Elsa turned and tried to pull away.
"Elsa..."
"I know," the spirit replied sharply. The redhead held her icy gaze, unfazed by the tone. Goddess or not, she knew her sister too well to be any type of intimidated by her. Though it hadn't worked out so well the first time she had said it, she stood adamantly by what she knew to be true - Elsa would never hurt her...and Anna would never fear her. Elsa sighed tiredly and turned to face her younger sister, giving her hand a meaningful squeeze. "I know," she repeated quietly, her tone much more gentle and apologetic. "Give me ten minutes to see to Maren and then we will talk." Anna nodded, pulling the blonde into a tight embrace. "I love you, Elsa," she whispered into her sister's ear so only she could hear. "And I'm very proud of you." Tears sprang unbidden to Elsa's eyes at the sweet reassurance. She squeezed her beloved sister tighter and whispered back shakily, "I love you too, Anna. More than I could ever say."
After a long, much needed moment of closeness, Anna released the Snow Queen and took a quick breath, resetting the mood and getting back to business. "Should I send Gale with a note to collect Kristoff and Sven to come get me? Or do you want me to stay for a while?" Elsa chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, an idea that had briefly flickered through her mind beginning to take a more workable form. "Yes," she replied slowly. "To both. But have him bring his sled, and ask him to hurry. I have an idea." Anna's eyebrows raised in surprise at her sister's quick thinking, then furrowed slightly in worry. Elsa's first instinct was always to do everything on her own, so the redhead was sure she wouldn't like this 'idea'. The queen in question smiled and brushed back her sister's hair. "Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "We will figure out all the details together. We will do this, together...for our people."
The brightness of Anna's grateful smile melted away any remaining doubt she had about Anna's pleas. Both Arendelle and the Northuldra deserved to have the most prosperous future Elsa and Anna could possibly give them and there was no denying that both sisters always performed their best when they worked together. She knew she wanted to continue to spend a great deal of her time in the forest, for she knew in her heart that she belonged here with the other spirits. It did not sooth her ache for the closeness with her sister, however, nor had it even dulled in her several months with the Northuldra. For the first time, as she watched Anna walk quickly back toward the excitedly chattering nomads to prepare a message for Kristoff, she wasn't worried about their future. Anna was right all along - a bridge wasn't two separate sides. They were one, unbreakable entity; and nothing would change that.
Elsa took a deep breath to steel herself before she turned and headed toward the tent where Honeymaren should be waiting for her. She walked slowly, her gaze locked to the ground as she mulled over the uncertain possibility of a future with the noaide. She couldn't deny any longer that it was the only thing she truly wanted. Against her better judgement, she had very real and very deep seated feelings for the woman that she was not capable of setting aside, despite her best efforts. That much was clear, given her extreme reaction to the threat against her. Elsa was no longer in control of herself when she saw the noaide's sweet features morphed into grim acceptance, the blood running down her beautiful face, standing out starkly against smooth, tan skin. The memory of Honeymaren's large, doe eyes filled with terror and brimming with tears when the wolves came sent an uncomfortable shiver down her spine that made her whole body twitch. She quickened her steps now, the need to see the woman safe and in the flesh urging her forward toward the confrontation she both prayed for and feared with all her soul.
AN:
*gasp* The plot thickens...
So...Valentine's day is a-comin'. Shall they reunite or shall they go their separate ways?
What say you, readers?
Drop a review and determine their fates! I promise to work tirelessly to be able to post on Valentine's day their hearts' salvation or destruction.
Dun dun DUUUNNN!
-Volchise