Winter's Echo
Chapter Forty – Finally Forever
"That's so sweet, I wish I would have been there. You know, the so-called "modern world" could really learn a lot about love and acceptance from the Northuldra," Anna said dreamily as Elsa finished her story about Honeymaren's appearance in the Northuldran camp, propping her elbows on her desk and resting her head in her hands. Elsa had been unsure whether or not Anna had even mentioned the queen was no longer in the castle, so she had stealthily entered the castle the same way she and Honeymaren had left, just in case. She had come straight to her sister's study, knowing her poor younger sibling would be drowning in missives and paperwork concerning the fiasco with Ulrik's escape and Revontuli. Luckily, her instincts were correct – Anna had apparently 'ordered' the queen to a day of bed rest and had been making a show of personally tending to her absent sister in an empty room to keep up the ruse. Honestly, Elsa was impressed with Anna's solution. After all, it wouldn't have been unusual for the queen not to have left her room, especially after the stressful night that had preceded her absence. Nor would anyone question the redhead's protectively possessive attitude toward her compromised sister, even without the life-threatening occurrences, Elsa had thought with a fond smile.
"How did Ryder take it?" Anna asked, folding her arms across her messy desk and leaning forward like a child waiting to hear the rest of a fairytale. Elsa chuckled a little and leaned back in the chair across from Anna's desk, a small smile on her lips. "He handled it a lot more gracefully than I did, that's for sure. There must be a gene somewhere in the Nattura line that enables them to simply accept the world as it is," she mused. Anna's brow creased in confusion, tilting her head slightly. "Nattura?" she parroted. Elsa nodded, reaching forward to grasp her teacup and saucer from her sister's desk before leaning back in her chair once more. "Their surname," Elsa answered before taking a sip of her chamomile tea, sighing softly as its soothing warmth blossomed in her chest. Anna tilted her head the opposite direction, reminding Elsa of a confused puppy before catching the playful little glint in teal eyes. Elsa rolled her eyes good-naturedly even as an adoring smile graced her lips. "What?" she asked with a chuckle as she raised her cup to her lips again.
"Just thinking I like the sound of Elsa Nattura. Although, Honeymaren Árnadalr sounds lovely as well."
Elsa nearly spit out her tea, quickly setting the cup and saucer on the desk once more as she coughed. The moment she could breathe properly, Elsa fixed her sister with a glare. Anna simply grinned, shrugging innocently. "Hey, these are questions that need to be answered. I'm wrestling with the same one, myself. There's no precedent for a queen to marry a commoner, so it's sort of up in the air for what name to take. On one hand, I am expected to honor my soon-to-be husband and take his name, but on the other I am expected to continue the Árnadalr name as the royal bloodline of Arendelle. At least you are marrying a woman!" Elsa gave Anna a blank, dead-panned look. "...did you really just suggest that me marrying a woman is less unprecedented and complicated than you marrying a commoner?" she asked, raising an elegant eyebrow. Anna propped her head in her chin, her face scrunched up in thought. "Point taken," the redhead murmured.
Elsa shook her head, a small adoring smile tugging at her lips before she sighed and leaned heavily in her chair. "Honestly, a small part of me wonders if we should get married," she admitted quietly. Anna blinked, lifting her head from her hand and giving Elsa her full attention. "Are...are you having doubts about your feelings for each other, Elsa?" she asked carefully. The blonde immediately shook her head, a small chuckle escaping from her at the sheer absurdity of the possibility her feelings for the beautiful Northuldran dwindling. "No," she answered confidently, toying with the icy band on her finger, her smile widening slightly. "Honeymaren is more than my match in every way. The starlight would fade from the sky before my love for her faded from my heart." Anna smiled warmly at the happy sentiment before her brow creased in concern. "Then...why would you doubt a marriage?" she asked, unable to help the slight incredulity from seeping into her tone. Elsa bit her lip and began nervously wringing her hands in her lap, her smile fading slowly. "I just...wonder if I would be doing her a disservice. I..." Elsa sighed sadly, looking down at her pale hands contemplatively. "Her life was stolen from her, Anna. Now that she has a chance at life again, she deserves everything she has ever wanted from it...and I can't give it to her," she said quietly. Anna frowned and stood from her chair, immediately coming around her desk and kneeling in front of her sister, taking her pale hands in hers. "Elsa, what are you talking about? You know how happy you make Honeymaren, how ridiculously in love with you she is. You are a queen and a spirit of the enchanted forest. What could you possibly not be capable of giving her?" she asked skeptically.
"She wants children, Anna," Elsa said so quietly Anna almost didn't catch it. Teal eyes widened slightly before she clamped down on her own surprise, her face returning to a carefully supportive neutral expression. Elsa's breath hitched as the floodgates holding all the stress that had been building since Honeymaren had broached the subject began to open, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to keep her emotions in check. "Do you want children, Els?" she asked, her thumbs gently stroking the hands in hers. The blonde bit her lip and immediately nodded, not having the strength to even try to hide her secret desire from her sister. Though there was nothing Anna could do to change her circumstances, Elsa knew this was a conversation she needed to have lest her frustrations and dark thoughts begin to fester. Anna reached up to gently wipe away the tears pooling at the corner of the blonde's eyes. "Okay," she said in a soothing voice, returning her hand to Elsa's and squeezing them gently. "Then what's wrong? If you both want children, there is no shortage of those in need of loving parents." Elsa sniffled and shook her head. "Anna...I could never trust myself with a child again after what happened to you." Just as Anna opened her mouth to argue, Elsa shook her head again and quickly pushed on to silence her. "Please, I know what you are going to say, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how many times you or Honeymaren tell me I can do it and that everything will be okay, it doesn't change the reality of how scared I am." Anna sighed and bit off the instant reassurance on her tongue, looking down at their hands. She wanted so badly to comfort her sister through this difficult emotion, but knew Elsa's mind and heart were not easily swayed when it came to her magic. "No child deserves to have a parent who is constantly afraid to touch them," Elsa continued bitterly. Though it was quiet, Anna quickly looked up at her sister's face at that, her heart clenching to see the pained, faraway look in her eyes as understanding dawned in hers.
All of Elsa's fears about children made horrible, dreadful sense to the redhead and for the millionth time, Anna couldn't help the sense of righteous anger toward her parents that flared in her heart. Elsa would never let a child feel like that because she knew exactly how horrible of a feeling it was. Despite her anger with them for their horrible choices, the younger queen still, for the life of her, couldn't fathom surviving the lack of physical and emotional connection with her parents as Elsa had. As it always did, a wave of guilt washed over Anna as she recalled her constant complaining about a lack of friends or a social life while her sister had been exiled in her own home for nearly her entire life without a friend or a comforting touch in the world. It was no wonder she could scarcely be found out of Honeymaren's embrace, even before the blonde had admitted her feelings for the charming Northuldran. It was clear to anyone with eyes how desperately Elsa craved that physical contact and it made the younger queen's heart feel like it was cracking like her sister's ice. Anna swallowed the emotional lump in her throat, pushing her own emotions to the side for now – their parents had failed miserably in properly loving Elsa and she would do everything in her power to prevent their mistakes from robbing her beloved sister of the family she so clearly wanted.
"What...what if it were your own child, Els? It's not ideal in any way, but it's not unheard of for women to...well, you know...for the sake of procreation," she suggested, her face growing redder than her hair as she did. "You've experienced...intimacy now and have yet to have an accident with your magic. It's entirely possible any child you bear would be born with the same powers and you would have nothing to fear." Elsa let out a quiet laugh at her sister's uncomfortable expression, pulling one of her hands away to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes and sighing. "I'm afraid that's not a possibility, either," she said sullenly, though Anna was glad to see that the blonde had grown calmer now that she was able to talk about it. "Honeymaren would murder the father, hm?" Anna joked, trying to keep the mood light. Elsa shook her head, chuckling at the thought of her possessive lover's face if she even suggested such a thing. "No, it just wouldn't work. I learned years ago I could never be a mother," she said in a detached voice. Anna blinked, frowning in confusion. "What? How could you know that? It's not like you ever tried, after all," she reasoned before narrowing her eyes at Elsa suspiciously. "...you never tried, right?"
Elsa smiled a bit at her sister and shook her head, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her freckled face. "No, Anna, I didn't "try". I went through the same coming-of-age physical you did when my first blood came. Doctor Hjorn told Mother and Father that my body temperature was far too low for me to ever bear a child." Elsa shrugged nonchalantly, though she couldn't keep the bitterness from her voice. "It was just one more way for my magic to isolate me." Anna looked up at her sister sadly, unsure of what to say. She sighed softly through her nose, shaking her head a bit – it seemed her sister would forever be the butt of the cruel jokes of the universe. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked quietly, squeezing the blonde's hands. Elsa shrugged, her thumbs lightly caressing the warm hands that held hers. "It never came up, I suppose. It doesn't change anything, anyway," she answered in a quiet voice.
Elsa sighed and stood from her chair, walking over to the window in Anna's study and sitting on the windowsill, leaning back against the cool stone wall. She wrapped her arms around herself and gazed up at the stars in the cloudless sky. "I know how deeply Honeymaren loves me, Anna. I know she would choose me over having children without batting an eye. I just..." Elsa lowered her gaze for a moment, catching her reflection in the glass. "I can't help but feel like I'm forcing her to settle for less than what she deserves. She's happy now, but...what if I'm not enough for her? I'm just...me..." she mused in a quiet, nervous tone as she reached out to touch her reflection. Anna smiled softly, walking over to her sister and wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders from behind, standing on her tip-toes to lay her chin on her shoulder and meet her reflected gaze.
"Honeymaren loves 'just you', Elsa. She loves you so much she would have rather not had a life at all than live it without you. You said it yourself - if all this craziness has shown you one thing, it should be that the love you and Honeymaren share is as permanent as the stars themselves – not even death could separate you two. If you were meant to have a family, then you will have one. If not, then take it from my personal experience," she said, kissing her sister's cheek softly and turning her head to smile at her. "I waited for you for thirteen years...and you were more than worth the wait, Elsa." The blonde queen blushed and smiled bashfully at her sister, placing her hands on the arms around her shoulders and squeezing gratefully. "Thank you, Anna," she said sincerely, resting her head against her younger sisters. "You were worth the wait, too." Anna smirked, squeezing her shoulders once more before releasing her and walking back to her desk. "Of course I was. I'm awesome! So awesome, in fact, I'm going to finish this paperwork like the responsible monarch you taught me to be," she piped pleasantly, eliciting a small giggle from Elsa. Anna grinned as she straightened the papers on her desk, pausing as she looked at a particular pile that had been stressing her out more than any diplomatic missive could before her mouth curled into a devious grin as an idea formed in her head.
"Elsa...speaking of things worth the wait," she began nonchalantly as she moved her papers about. "As I'm putting the final touches on the wedding, I can't help but be curious. What does your dream wedding look like?" Elsa blinked in surprise, turning from the window to fix Anna with a bewildered gaze. "W-what?" Anna shrugged as she sat at her desk with her back mostly turned to Elsa, dipping her quill in ink before bringing it over one of the remaining parchments. "I mean, I kind of missed out on that sisterly 'dream wedding' conversation. With mine only a week away, I'd like to hear what yours would be like in case I want to steal something," she said, reaching across her desk to retrieve her sister's teacup and throwing a playful wink over her shoulder as she leaned back to hand it to her. Elsa took the offered cup with a blink before she rolled her eyes and smiled, sitting on the windowsill again and going back to her stargazing. "If I'm honest, I really couldn't say. I never had a reason to think about it much – it was never an aspiration of mine before I met Maren. As long as she is at the altar waiting for me, I'm not terribly obsessed with the details," she said with a small smile and a shrug, taking a sip of her tea.
Anna smiled to herself, scribbling something onto her parchment. "Well, think about it now. That right there tells me you see Honeymaren in more of a groom role than a bride for her to be waiting for you at the altar. Would you rather see her in a suit or a dress?" Anna asked. Elsa bushed a bit, smiling into her cup of tea as she imagined her lover on their wedding day. "Honestly, Anna, she would be gorgeous in whatever she wore – I'm sure she would be more comfortable in a suit." Her blush deepened a bit and she bit her lip to stifle the small smile tugging at her features. "I must admit, she would cut quite the impressive figure in the royal uniform." Anna grinned as she wrote, chuckling a bit. "I've asked twice for her to allow me to knight her. I bet she would reconsider if she knew that interesting little tidbit."
"Anna!" Elsa chided with a laugh. "There is far more to being a knight of Arendelle than simply looking good in a uniform, especially if you were to knight her. She would be a royal knight, after all. That carries far more responsibility than just swearing an oath and continuing to be...well, her," she scolded lightly before bringing her cup to her lips once more. Anna shrugged, scribbling something down and underlining it pointedly. "Well, she keeps saying she is loyal only to the queens of Arendelle, but if she is going to marry one of them she would need to swear an oath anyway. Is she aware of that?" she asked, turning in her chair a bit to fix Elsa with a curious look. She smirked when the elder queen pointedly avoided her gaze, busying herself with her teacup. "Mmm...didn't think so. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation," Anna said with a snicker as she turned back to her papers. "Go on, then. Your knight in shining armor is waiting for you at the altar. What else?"
Elsa sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the cool stone of the wall and resigning herself to planning her imaginary wedding. "Like I said, I don't really have many preferences, but..." Anna turned to look at her once more, smiling when she saw the serene smile on her sister's face. "Buuuut?" she led on, now intrigued by the thoughts that elicited such an expression from her stoic sibling. Elsa's smile grew a bit wider and she hummed pleasantly. "I can imagine a day that would perfectly embody her." Anna sighed dreamily, folding her hands across the back of her chair and resting her head on them as she stared at her contentedly daydreaming sister. "Go on," Anna urged quietly, afraid to speak too loud and risk interrupting this rare moment of fantasy her practical, down-to-earth sister was allowing herself.
"She'd be surrounded by the nature she loved so much. Vines with little white flowers would be everywhere, glowing with the warmth of the sunlight streaming through the open windows. Garlands of white wisteria would be swaying gently in a crisp, light spring breeze and swirling about the petals that would carpet the dais and the altar." Elsa's hand twitched, almost reaching out as though touching something in her imagination. "She would have a single winter breath tucked in her hair." Anna smiled and turned quietly in her chair to make a few more notes, unable to help but think that the white and blue of Elsa's favorite flower would go beautifully with the twilight flecks in Honeymaren's eyes. Luckily for Anna's plan, winter breaths were currently in season.
"You'd definitely have to serve lefse at some point," Anna said with a chuckle. Elsa laughed and nodded, opening her eyes and finishing off her tea. "Luckily, Honeymaren has liked most of the Arendellian food she's had so I don't think she'd be upset at anything we had, but yes. Definitely an assortment of lefse. And I would love for her to try some of Kari's cake," Elsa said with a grin. "I will turn that woman into a chocolate fiend if it's the last thing I do." Anna laughed and finished up her work, putting the rest of her papers away in her desk and locking them up, tucking the key away in the secret compartment beneath her desk known only to the royal family. "Well, when the time comes, I'm sure your wedding is going to be beautiful – if for no other reason than it is to celebrate a love as transcendent and well-deserved as yours and Honeymaren's," Anna said with a sincere smile, causing Elsa to smile brightly at her.
"Don't forget the most important part, Anna," the elder monarch said as she walked up to her sister, leaning over her in her chair and wrapping her arms around her lovingly. "My day would never be complete without you standing right next to me through it all, just as you always have." Anna grinned and hugged the arms around her, rocking slightly. "I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else for the rest of our lives, Elsa. Now, let's get to bed - you have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow and I'll be waking you up first thing for the meeting that you're going to do it at." Elsa groaned, burying her face playfully against her sister's hair and sighing deeply. "Right. As though you were going to be up before me?" the elder monarch teased before pulling away. "So I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning?" she asked as she stood, though her hands never left Anna's shoulders. Anna nodded and leaned her head way back to look up at her sister, grinning goofily at her. "Only for you, dearest sister."
A half-hour later, Elsa emerged from her bathroom dressed in her favorite dark purple silk nightgown and drying off her freshly washed hair with a towel, glancing out of her newly fixed balcony door at the starry night. She bit her lip and sighed softly, feeling the weight of her lover's absence heavily on her heart. She shook herself out of her thoughts with a small smile, the promise of seeing her beautiful Northuldran tomorrow lifting her spirits. The corner of her mouth quirked in a small, mischievous smile as she paused in her walk to her vanity. After a brief pause, the queen walked to her balcony doors and opened them wide, breathing deeply as the salty breeze blew against her face. She released it in a soft sigh, smiling up at the stars and nodding to herself before walking back into her bedroom and sitting at her vanity to brush out her hair.
She was nearly done when she heard a soft whistling outside and she smiled brightly, quickly finishing her last few strokes before setting her brush down on the vanity and rushing over to her window, giggling as Gale whirled around her before her beautiful, feminine outline of petals and leaves perched atop the stone ledge of her balcony. The wind spirit's petal lips smiled as she held out her hand and offered a single flower to the queen. Elsa smiled adoringly as she gingerly reached out to grasp it, delicately caressing the wide, soft petals that were white as snow and faded into an icy blue toward the center – a winter breath. Elsa brought the flower to her nose, breathing in its sweet scent and closing her eyes in pleasure. *A gift from your noaide, mistress,* Gale said warmly. Elsa couldn't stop the broad grin that broke out on her face if she wanted to. The wind spirit floated around the happy queen playfully, sharing in the joy a simple flower and loving thought brought to her beloved mistress. *Is there anything you would like me to bring her in return, mistress?* she asked in a lilting voice.
Elsa thought about it for a moment before grinning and hurrying into her room and to her desk, pulling out a blank piece of parchment. She wrote out a brief message in her elegant script before a thought struck her and she smiled to herself, walking over to her vanity. Gale watched her mistress curiously from the balcony as the queen quickly applied a little lipstick before pressing it to the parchment. A quick spritz of her perfume and the queen folded the note into a little bird as her and Anna had always done before taking it to her balcony and handing it to the smiling wind spirit. "Thank you, my friend," she said with a smile. *It will forever be my pleasure, mistress,* Gale responded, and Elsa could hear the smile in the spirit's voice. Elsa waved as the wind spirit disappeared down the fjord – she still missed her beautiful noaide, but her heart was wrapped in the warmth of the fire maven's love and she knew it would help her find peace and rest as she slipped under her duvet, her curtains blowing gently in the breeze through her open balcony doors.
"Ryder, it was amazing. I couldn't even breathe. The world is so impossibly huge, endless, even. By the spirits, I hope I can take you there someday," Honeymaren gushed to her brother as she told him of Elsa taking her to see the ice castle and the unfathomable view the queen had treated her to, waving one hand about enthusiastically as she tried to convey the sheer wonder of all she had seen. She sat on one of the large logs around the communal fire holding the braided end of a long strip of leather, Ryder straddling the log a few feet down from her and methodically braiding the loose ends. Sky blue eyes watched in wonder as his sister described the North Mountain, his hands absentmindedly working on the leather braid with practiced movements that were second nature to the nomads. "And that doesn't even touch how impossibly wondrous her ice palace was! Ryder, it's got to be twice as tall as the castle in Arendelle and it's made of the most perfect, beautiful ice you've ever seen. The things Elsa can do absolutely astound me. I mean...she can create life! Walking, talking, thinking, sentient life! As long as the Northuldra can remember, only Ahtohallan has ever been able to do that with the exception of the lost spirits of Flora and Fauna, yet Elsa has done it without even trying!"
Ryder grinned at his sister, looking down to check the length of the partially completed braid before continuing his task and looking back up at his sister. "It sounds like it wasn't the view or the castle that really caught your attention up on the North Mountain, Mare," he teased, waggling his eyebrows at his sister. Honeymaren smirked and reached out to pull is hat over his face playfully. "Shut up, you," she retorted with a laugh. "You're not wrong, I'll give you that," she conceded with a smile, glancing around the empty encampment, eyes naturally scanning the area for danger. "I hope I'll fall in love with someone that deeply one day," he said with a dreamy sigh as he propped his head on his hand, the unfinished braid forgotten for the moment. Honeymaren chuckled and took the lengths of leather from his hand, replacing them with the finished end to take over the braiding. "Well, as you know, both royal sisters are now spoken for, but maybe I should take you into Arendelle with me one day to see if we can get another blue-blood woman to fall for the Nattura charm, hm?" she suggested with a laugh as her hands made quick work of their task. The noaide was never very good about sitting idly and without her goddess of winter to distract them, her hands felt rather twitchy if she didn't keep them busy. This same anxiousness is what had caused her to take up woodworking as a young child, even more so when she became the noaide. While the creative activity helped, Honeymaren found only the beautiful queen could completely calm the hidden restlessness of her soul and the monarch's absence was sorely felt by the dark-haired woman.
Just as Ryder was about to suggest a plan of action to help him find a girlfriend, both siblings looked up as an airy whistling sound echoed through the empty camp. Honeymaren grinned and looked around, trying to spot the wind spirit in the dark. "Hello Gale," she greeted warmly as her beautiful, flowery outline appeared next to them. "Thank you again for helping me this evening. Did she like the flower?" Gale smiled adoringly at the noaide and reached out to her, a light breeze affectionately playing with Honeymaren's dark locks. *She did, indeed, sweet noaide. It made the mistress very happy. She sent me back with this,* she replied in a lilting voice, offering the folded note to Honeymaren. The noaide grinned and eagerly unfolded the note, blushing a bit when she saw the lipstick mark. The queen's enticing scent wafted from the parchment as she opened it fully to read her love's elegant handwriting.
May the stars guide you, my dearest love; from the sweetest of dreams and into my loving arms.
Finally and forever yours,
Elsa
Honeymaren beamed, her heart skipping a beat as she read the Northuldran saying in the queen's handwriting. A soft chuckle from a few feet away brought her out of her happy little moment, twilight-flecked doe eyes flicking up to meet amused sky blue. "What are you still doing here, Mare?" he asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Honeymaren raised an amused eyebrow at her younger brother, lowering the letter. "Tired of me already? I'm sorry, is miraculously coming back from the dead not exciting enough for you, dear brother?" Ryder rolled his eyes and sat up straight, stretching his arms over his head and leaning to the side, sighing deeply when a loud series of pops came from his back. "I mean, resurrected or not, you're still the same temperamental old bat you always were, sis." Honeymaren raised an single eyebrow at her brother as he stretched, stealthily sliding her foot along the length of the log before hooking it under his and kicking upward, sending Ryder sliding off the smooth and worn timber to hit the ground with a graceless thud. A satisfied smirk crossed her features as she heard Gale's lilting laugh, turning to watch as the wind spirit pointed a petaled finger at her fallen brother in blatant amusement. Ryder looked up haphazardly from his new spot in the dirt, fixing his hat on his head and glaring at his sister who simply crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged unapologetically.
Ryder chuckled and scooted around to lean his back against the log comfortably before looking back up at Honeymaren. "Seriously, Mare. You know I love you and I can't tell you how happy I am that you're okay...but we both know this isn't where you need to be right now." Honeymaren bit her lip slightly and glanced up at Gale, a knowing smile on her petaled lips. "What about you?" she asked in a low voice, glancing back at reassuring sky blues. Ryder smiled and stood up, grabbing her hand and pulling her up as well. "I've been lucky enough to have you my whole life...but Elsa lost you just as she was beginning to love hers. I love you...but she is the one that needs you, Mare," he said quietly. "You didn't see her after you were gone. Trust me on this." Honeymaren sighed and gave her brother a small, lopsided smile. "When did you get to be so wise, hm?" she asked, playfully pushing at his shoulder. Ryder grinned and dramatically wrapped his arm around her shoulders, walking with her away from the fire. "I've always been wise. It's not my fault no one listens to the true genius in this family," he said with a smirk.
Honeymaren rolled her eyes and grinned deviously when she realized Ryder was walking them toward the reindeer. He blinked when she turned around and walked the opposite direction toward the stream that ran through their camp. "Um...I thought you were going to go back to Elsa?" he asked, trailing after her while scratching his head in confusion. "I am," she answered, smirking at him over her shoulder. When she reached the stream, Honeymaren took a deep breath and closed her eyes, reaching out with her heart and her senses and smiling brightly when she felt an answering call. Within seconds, Nokk leapt gracefully from the water, his ethereal whicker announcing his arrival. Ryder stared openly as the magnificent spirit bowed his head in respect to Honeymaren, the noaide nodding in return.
"You really are a spirit now, aren't you...?" came his quiet voice as he stared at the pair. Honeymaren turned and smiled warmly at him. "Does that mean I'm finally going to get some respect in this family?" Ryder grinned slightly and shrugged nonchalantly before walking over to her. "Meh. You said yourself you're nowhere near as powerful as Elsa. As long as I stay on her good side, I'll be fine," he said with a chuckle before reaching out and wrapping his arms around her. "Just because I'm sending you to her doesn't mean I don't want to see you again soon, you know," he murmured as he squeezed her tightly. Honeymaren smiled and returned the hug, squeezing back. "I'll be sure to see you soon," she promised before releasing him and walking back to Nokk. *The whole of the world awaits you, fire maven. Where shall we go, my friend?* his low, soothing voice echoed in her mind as he bowed low to allow her to mount him. Honeymaren grinned and gently laid her hand on the side of his broad neck.
"Home."
Honeymaren grinned as she scaled the wall surrounding the castle and caught a glimpse of the queen's wide open balcony windows, her heart fluttering that Elsa had, indeed, left it open on the off chance her noaide would come to her. She dropped silently to the ground and sprinted across the lawn, keeping a sharp eye out for any Arendellian guards. She would really have to have a conversation with Mattias about this whenever she finally spoke to him, presumably tomorrow. She would have hours of entertainment poking fun at his less than stellar security, though she was sure she would not be so blasé about it if she didn't have full confidence that both royal siblings were more than capable of handling themselves should a situation occur. Even more so, now that Honeymaren was back in the picture. She scaled the ivy on the walls that led to the queen's bedroom easily and, within minutes, dropped noiseless onto the stone of her lover's balcony.
Honeymaren crept into the room carefully, smiling adoringly as her eyes alighted on the goddess of winter. The noaide sighed softly in relief to see that the queen was actually asleep, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her - Elsa's health was ruled by her heart and rest would not come to the queen if it was uneasy or fretful. Honeymaren removed her boots and left them near the balcony doors before padding quietly across the room to Elsa's wardrobe and opening it carefully. She smiled triumphantly when she found a neatly folded pair of nightclothes the queen had taken to keeping in her room for when Honeymaren would come to Arendelle with her. Honeymaren changed quickly and released her hair from its long braid, running her fingers through it a few times to free it from any tangles before she crept to Elsa's bedside. The fire maven carefully slipped beneath the duvet behind her sleeping goddess before sliding one arm beneath the queen's head, the other wrapping around her and pulling her close in a protective embrace.
Elsa sighed softly, sleep-laden blue eyes opening and blinking blearily as she turned her head to look at her lover. "Maren...?" she asked sleepily, her face scrunched up in an adorably confused frown. Honeymaren chuckled and kissed her forehead before snuggling into the sleep-addled monarch. "It's just me, baby. Go back to sleep," she murmured to her. "But Ryder..." the queen tried to argue, despite being slowly lulled back to sleep by her lover's soothing warmth and comforting presence. Honeymaren smiled and buried her face against the spirit of winter, breathing her in deeply and sighing in utter contentment. "I'm right where I belong, Snowflake," she whispered.
"I'm home."
AN:
Guys. It's getting harder and harder to find time or energy to write now that I work from home at a computer 50 hours a week. Random reviews trickling in give me little sparks of inspiration and energy to write a few paragraphs every time I get a notification and I'm not lying when I say hearing from you all makes my day!
I am sorry for the sudden screeching halt in quick quarantine updates. I miss you guys and this story and hope to get back to speed soon.
Stay safe and remember, when things get hard: "Do the next right thing. Take a step. Step again."
-Volchise