Winter's Echo
Chapter Fifty – Wedded Bliss
"I know I will never have to with you."
Honeymaren groaned quietly, the echo of her wife's words pulling her from her dream and rousing her to consciousness, the light of the early morning creeping across her sun-kissed face. She opened her eyes blearily to glance down at the goddess of winter spooned into her and sleeping peacefully in her embrace, a content smile on her lips. 'Holy shit, what a dream,' she thought to herself with a sigh, snuggling a little closer to her heaven on earth. She was about to settle in again, more than content to cuddle up with her naked wife and sleep the morning away when an uncomfortable sensation near her hip made itself known. She huffed quietly in annoyance as she tried to shift her weight this way and that – it was like she was laying on a crumpled fold of the sheets that refused to smooth out, no matter which way she moved. With an inaudible growl, the fire maven reached her hand down to deal with the sensation once and for all when her hand instead found a surprising, yet unmistakable object instead. Her eyes widened as she quickly looked down to find she was, indeed, wearing the gift from the Duchess de Chagny.
"It wasn't a dream," she whispered in slight alarm, glancing back down at her sleeping wife as a surge of adrenaline cleared the sleep-hazed Northuldran's mind and brought the memories of their passionate night rushing back.
"I know I will never have to with you."
With that, Elsa very slowly began to sink down over the toy, her mouth open in a wordless gasp and her eyes shut tight as her brain tried to process the amazing sensation. "Oh, Gods," she breathed out, her hands flying to Honeymaren's abs to steady herself as her body began to shake. She barely registered the straining sound of both the silken bonds and the wooden headboard, overshadowed by a deep groan and uttered curse from her maven of fire as twilight eyes drank in the sight of the toy slowly disappearing within her wife. When the queen had taken nearly two-thirds of the toy's considerable length inside of her, an experimental roll of her hips had her nearly collapsing atop the bound noaide with a gasping moan. "M-Maren," she whimpered, planting her hands on the mattress on either side of Honeymaren's torso, hovering over her as shaking arms tried to hold her up. Half-lidded crystalline eyes met twilight pools on fire with lust for her as the queen began to roll her hips in a slow, leisurely pace, savoring the sensation of the seemingly impossible stretch and taking more and more of the toy's length inside of her each time.
Honeymaren couldn't believe the mind-numbing arousal she was experiencing. At that moment, Elsa was more beautiful than she had ever been – perfect porcelain features were flushed a soft pink, contorted in the deepest of pleasures as deep blue pools dark with arousal tried to come into focus. Her muscles strained futilely against her bonds as Elsa moaned above her, struggling desperately to touch her goddess of winter. The queen saw her noaide's efforts and flashed a small, sexy grin of approval. "'Shackle knots', indeed…" she panted with a breathless laugh before slowing her movements so she could lean forward to capture her love's lips in a soft, teasing kiss. Honeymaren leaned up to try to deepen the kiss only for the queen to pull just beyond reach, smirking as she teasingly brushed her lips against the fire maven's before she began to roll her hips again. Elsa quickly found a slow, wonderful rhythm, each roll of her hips causing her lips to barely brush Honeymaren's as she moaned softly.
Finally, the fire maven could take it no longer, thrusting her hips upward to meet Elsa as she rolled her hips again and fully hilting herself into the queen, burying herself deeply within her. "Fuck!" Elsa cried out as she felt the full length of the toy for the first time, the force of Honeymaren's hips driving her forward and nearly causing her to collapse atop her noaide. She caught herself with one hand as she pitched forward, planting it on the mattress next to Honeymaren's head. Now within reach, Honeymaren leaned up and claimed her wife's lips hungrily, swallowing the queen's whimpers and moans as her own hips began to meet the rhythm Elsa's had set. Both the headboard and the silk strained to hold back the fire maven as she redoubled her efforts, nearly desperate to grasp her wife's full hips and force herself deeper inside of her. A particularly rough thrust at the perfect angle caused the queen to break away from the kiss with a sharp cry of pleasure, resting her forehead against her love's and canting her hips to meet Honeymaren's. "Maren," she whimpered pleadingly, her hands grasping at the sheets of the bed desperately as she tried to angle herself to hit that wonderful spot again, her muscles clinging greedily to the toy that filled her. "H-harder," she begged. "P-Please, Gods, harder!"
In the very back of what was left of her rational mind, Elsa faintly registered the sound of cracking wood. All she could focus on at the moment, however, was a sudden whirl of motion that left her on her back, pressed deeply into the mattress by her wife's familiar weight and the mind-numbing pleasure that consumed her as Honeymaren hilted herself into her roughly. Elsa wrapped her arms around her and pulled her as close as possible, calling her name to the heavens as the fire maven nearly completely pulled out only to quickly thrust forward to bury herself deeply within her again. Honeymaren nearly growled in pleasure with every sharp cry that escaped her queen when she thrust into her, burying the fingers of one hand into silken white-gold tresses while the other held her aloft just enough to give her hips full range of motion.
Honeymaren pulled her hand back up from the toy still firmly attached to her to see a swathe of light blue silk attached to her wrist, the other end frayed from being ripped in half. She winced before angling her head back as best she could, her wince deepening when she confirmed the several shattered slats of the heavy wooden headboard. She counted the splintered slats silently, groaning quietly to herself – nearly the entire middle section of the headboard was irreparably snapped. She had been joking when she told Elsa she might break all of the furniture. Well, at least she thought she had.
Actually…now that she thought about it, she was having a hard time remembering breaking free of her bonds. She remembered struggling to touch Elsa, yearning to put her hands on her full, gorgeous hips as the winter goddess rode her slowly, but it was like watching it happen from beneath a pool of water – a dream she could reach, but not quite hold. Honeymaren closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath and concentrating as she tried to entice the memories to the forefront of her mind.
Suddenly, Honeymaren's mind registered a familiar tingling sensation coursing through her, causing twilight eyes now swirling with color to widen in alarm as the barest hints of flame began to crawl along her arms against her bidding. She tried to clamp down on the magic rolling beneath her skin that was begging to consume her, but it seemed the harder she tried to restrain it the more it rebelled against her. An incredibly rare feeling of panic began to creep into the noaide's mind as she realized she was quickly losing control over herself, swiftly pulling her hand from Elsa's hair to prop herself up above the queen and freezing all motion as her fingers gripped the sheets in her effort to concentrate and clamp down on her magic.
"Maren."
Her wife's calm, soothing voice and a reassuring hand on her cheek brought wide twilight eyes streaked with pink and purple to arctic crystalline pools full of love and understanding. "It's alright, baby. You're okay," she panted, reaching up to brush a sweaty lock of hair away from Honeymaren's face. "Trust yourself. You won't hurt me." Maren took a shuddering breath, closing her eyes tightly as she reflexively tried to control the growing sensation to no avail. "But-" she tried to argue, only to be silenced when Elsa leaned up to kiss her softly. "You won't hurt me," she murmured against her lips in a quiet voice full of calm confidence before kissing her again and again, her lips slowly luring her mistress of fire back down to her like a siren of the deep, whispering the reassuring words over and again between kisses. "Let it go," she purred as she canted her hips forward and moaned softly, trying to entice her wife into moving her own. "Let me feel you..."
Honeymaren closed her eyes and bit her lip to stifle her moan when she felt Elsa's hips move wantonly beneath her, feeling both her traitorous body and her magic responding to their goddess of ice and snow. She opened them once more to find crystalline pools darkened with passion and pleasure gazing up at her with complete trust, white-gold tresses splayed beautifully across the pillow and forming a silken halo about the queen's head. As she contemplated what to do, the night they had reconnected in Elsa's ice palace after Honeymaren's death flashed in the noaide's mind. She had used her magic freely that night and it had been the key to healing them both - perhaps the Fifth Spirit truly did have nothing to fear from her mistress of fire. With a soft sigh, Honeymaren nodded slightly and leaned down to capture Elsa's lips with her own – a kiss Elsa eagerly returned as the queen wrapped her arms around her wife's neck, breaking away with a moan when Honeymaren began to move her hips once more.
Elsa moaned in delight when she felt the deep, intimate tingling sensation of her wife's magic begin to spread across her skin, enveloping her in a passionate warmth that could only ever come from her noaide, even without her command over flames. Her wife was the embodiment of fire long before she was ordained a spirit – she was passion, warmth, protection, and love. The purest, most impossible love that Elsa could ever imagine.
And she was hers.
Honeymaren's eyes snapped open.
Her magic. She was such an idiot! She could have set the whole house on—
Honeymaren narrowed her eyes as she peered a bit closer at the jagged remains of the headboard slats, her brow furrowing in confusion when she found no scorch marks. She lifted her arm to hold the tattered end of the scarf up to her face to examine it more closely, once more finding no evidence of her fire. 'Alright,' she thought to herself. 'My fire was at least somewhat under control. But then how did I…?' Honeymaren gazed at the headboard once more. It was made of a hard, heavy wood with each slat having to be at least a few centimeters thick. Going by the number of destroyed boards that the silk had been looped behind, Elsa had ensured her arms were decently far apart – much too far to use any core strength to break free. The noaide had prided herself on her strength as a warrior nearly all her life, but she was no fool. She had been skeptical about the strength and integrity of a swathe of simple silk from the beginning, but there was no way she should have been strong enough to break through wood that solid from that angle. She closed her eyes once more, trying to calm her rising heart rate.
The queen opened her mouth to tell her mistress of fire how deeply she loved her, only for the words to be strangled by a loud moan when Honeymaren hilted into her more roughly than before, filling her with the same amazing, deep heat that had been the source of endless moans and cries of pleasure the night her lover had returned to her. "Oh, Gods, yes!" she cried when Honeymaren slowly pulled back only to hook one hand beneath her knee and push her leg up, opening the queen wider so the fire maven could press even deeper inside of her. The dark-haired woman moaned deeply, burying her face in the winter spirit's neck as she tried to force herself to move slowly for her love, the blonde queen oblivious to the internal struggle raging within her.
Honeymaren's blood was on fire as her magic consumed her, body and soul. A power more immense than she had ever felt before surged within her, whispering dark and wonderful things to her mind. The possessive beast that had raged against the confines of its mental cage from the moment she had seen Elsa when she was still Revontuli growled in anticipation as its prison cell grew weak in its mistress's passion. Fire was an element more fluid than water itself, capable of warming a hearth in a home or destroying everything in its wake…
But it was known best for its unbridled, all-consuming passion and power.
From the moment Revontuli had seen Elsa again, the nature of fire had answered the dormant call of Honeymaren's heart and laid its possessive claim on the goddess of ice and snow. Before Honeymaren remembered her, before Revontuli knew her, the fire itself somehow knew the Arendellian queen belonged to her and her alone. Hers to love, hers to protect, hers to jealously guard from the world.
Hers to claim.
Now, as the unburning heat of her magic's flames spread down the length of the toy attached to her and deep within the queen's nearly virginal walls, Honeymaren struggled against the amplified voice that didn't entirely belong to her. A voice that called on her to remind the spirit of winter who she rightfully belonged to, to show her once again the endless ecstasy only fire could bring her. Honeymaren resisted these primal urges, trying desperately to keep her thrusts slow and gentle and using Elsa's rhythmic moans to guide her pace, burying her face and lips against the queen's throat as her own pleasure began to consume her. "Elsa," she moaned in a strangled voice, burying the fingers of one hand into a waterfall of silky, white-gold tresses as the blonde pulled her close, Elsa's whimpers of pleasure in her ear driving her mad with lust. "My magic…I-I can feel you…by the spirits, you feel so good," she husked out as she hilted into her firmly, eliciting a sharp cry from the queen.
There were no words to describe the ecstasy of her magic buried so deeply within her goddess of winter. Though she could feel every delicious flutter of the queen's muscles or greedy clench of her tight, silky walls through her magic, the pleasure that bombarded the Northuldran was far beyond physical. Winter's magic called to her own, beckoning her deeper and begging to be joined with a deep and desperate longing the noaide could feel in her very soul. It was as though they were two halves of the same spirit, two sides of the same coin - incomplete in the absence of the other and aching to be whole once more.
Elsa hitched her leg over Honeymaren's hip, trying to pull the fire maven deeper within her as she pushed her hips toward her wantonly, her head thrown back in ecstasy and gasping at the cool air as her wife found a slow, steady rhythm. "Gods, yes…yes…" she chanted over and again with each thrust, whispered like a prayer. Honeymaren groaned at the beautiful sound, her fingers grasping roughly at the sheets as she struggled to control the lustful thirst of the voice in her mind and keep her thrusts slow and gentle.
Elsa was having none of that.
"Please," the queen begged breathlessly, cupping Honeymaren's cheek with one hand and guiding her wife's face to hers, her lips brushing the fire maven's as she panted for breath. "More…please, Maren, more…" she whimpered, pressing her forehead against hers. "T-Trying to be…gentle…" Honeymaren ground out in answer, clenching her teeth in an effort to retain some self-control - but by the spirits, the queen felt so good. Elsa's magic was calling to her, begging the mistress of fire to take the goddess of winter in every way, but Honeymaren would not yield. She needed to go slowly for Elsa, to touch her gently.
"I don't…want you…to be…" Elsa gasped out.
The hand on Honeymaren's cheek guided twilight pools streaked with pink and purple fire to hungry crystalline eyes hazy with passion. The noaide stared into her beautiful bride's eyes searchingly, looking for any hint of fear or discomfort and finding only love, trust, and a desire deeper and more desperate than she could have imagined. "Take me," she ordered huskily, her lips brushing against Honeymaren's teasingly before she met her eyes, coyly biting her lip as a challenging sparkle came to her lustful blue pools. "Fuck me, noaide." The Northuldran's hips instantly responded to the queen's command, pulling back and hilting into her roughly as a groan of deep satisfaction ripped itself from her throat. Elsa's eyes rolled back in her head as she cried out in ecstasy, a sultry smile tugging at lips parted in a breathless gasp. "H-Harder," she challenged, arching her body teasingly into the fire maven's as she tempted her wrath.
Honeymaren growled and grasped the creamy skin of the thigh hitched over her hip, pulling it closer and beginning to thrust into the queen with bruising force, allowing her bride's answering scream of pleasure to erase the last shreds of her inhibitions. The fingers buried in the winter spirit's hair held molten white-gold locks in a commanding grip, forcing Elsa's head back so her teeth and tongue could ravish the queen's sensitive throat possessively as she drove ever deeper within her. Elsa wrapped both arms around Honeymaren's neck, hugging her as closely as possible as the fire maven thrust into her roughly, her mouth hanging open in a perpetual wordless, breathless cry of pleasure. The stars themselves exploded behind her eyelids every time the Northuldran hilted into her, tears of pure ecstasy pouring from her tightly closed eyes as she called her wife's name over and again like a beautiful prayer.
"M-Maren…MAREN!" she cried loudly, her fingernails leaving deep red furrows beneath trails of frost on Honeymaren's back as she clung to her in desperation when her orgasm ripped through her with more force than the storm that continued to rage outside. Her screams were drowned out by both the thunder and the fire maven's own loud moans as she began to pump her hips faster, nearly growling in pleasure when her magic felt Elsa's spasming walls clinging to her and making it deliciously difficult to move. Before the queen was even done riding the wave of her intense orgasm, Honeymaren quickly pulled back only to roughly flip the mistress of winter over on the bed. Elsa could only gasp in surprise and pleasure when Honeymaren's hands gripped her hips with bruising strength and forced herself roughly within the blonde once more, groaning when the new angle allowed her to press even more deeply than before.
A strangled cry ripped itself from the queen's throat as she gripped the sheets tightly in clenched fists. She struggled to hold herself upright, failing as her body began to succumb to the impossible pleasure she was experiencing as her forehead, damp with sweat, touched the mattress. Her stiff nipples teasingly grazed the silken sheets as she was jolted with each firm buck of her wife's hips, crying out in ecstasy every time the fire maven thrust into her. Honeymaren leaned over the keening blonde, blanketing the queen's body with her own as she grasped the top of the headboard in a vice-grip to keep her balance. Her other hand cupped the winter spirit's cheek tenderly in stark contrast to her hard, fast movements, delicately turning the queen's face to capture her lips in a soft kiss. Elsa arched back into her wife as best she could, Honeymaren eagerly swallowing her moan at the feel of the fire maven's body on hers.
Elsa whimpered passionately when she felt her wife's hand slide from her cheek to her throat in a gentle but firm and possessive grip. She pressed ever closer to her as Honeymaren slowed her movements, the fire maven's thrusts becoming more languid and purposeful – she wanted Elsa to feel every inch as she was filled deeply over and over again with her magic. "Gods, you feel so good inside of me, Maren," Elsa gasped out, closing her eyes and moving her hips to meet her mistress of fire. "I-I can feel you everywhere…" Honeymaren groaned, burying her face in the queen's white-gold tresses as her hips instinctively thrust forward roughly at her wife's whimpered words. She growled in pleasure at the blonde's answering breathless moan – oh how she loved that sound. To hear the beautiful goddess moan so submissively for her made the voice in the back of her mind purr in pleasure.
Not enough. It was not enough.
The hand about Elsa's throat squeezed ever so slightly in a loving, possessive caress before slowly making its way down the queen's heaving chest. Strong, nimble fingers followed the contours of the winter spirit's beautiful curves, tracing the outline of full hips before following the valley of them between the keening blonde's legs. "Please, please, please," Elsa begged in a breathless whisper when she felt Honeymaren's fingertips dragging tantalizingly up the inside of her thigh before pitching forward with a scream of pleasure when they began to rub the oversensitive bundle of nerves at the front of her sex vigorously. The fire maven suddenly began to thrust into the queen at a blistering pace to match her fingers, forcing herself ever deeper inside her wife with bruising force. "Oh Gods, yes! YES! Fuck me, Maren! Please, baby, fuck me!" The Queen of Ice and Snow collapsed forward, gripping the sheets beneath her in a vice grip as she sobbed from the mind-numbing pleasure. Elsa was beyond herself as she buried her face against the mattress, screaming her lover's name in utter ecstasy as she begged her for more over and again – a request Honeymaren was more than willing to oblige while she and her goddess of winter climbed ever higher to the very zenith of pleasure together. All the while, a single thought ran on a continuous loop through the fire maven's head.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
Honeymaren gasped in a breath of cool air as though she had been underwater for hours. She remembered feeling like she was losing herself to her magic, as though it had a life of its own. The harder she tried to think about it, however, the more elusive the memories became, like trying to catch a wisp of smoke – a dream she could reach but not quite hold. Though she couldn't pinpoint the nature of her uneasiness, the noaide knew one thing in her very soul.
Something was happening…and that something was well beyond her understanding.
Honeymaren held Elsa closer as memories of their passionate night continued to flash across her mind. She had taken the goddess of winter in every way she could have imagined last night as well as some she hadn't, but rather than the comfortable, sated feeling she would have expected, the noaide felt a deep sense of unease. While the images in her mind were crystal clear, she couldn't shake the odd feeling that gripped her heart like an ominous fist. It was almost as if she were experiencing the memories second-hand…not quite like she was watching through someone else's eyes, yet still feeling as though they didn't entirely belong to her. The whole night felt like the remnants of a vivid dream.
The fire maven was pulled from her musings when the subject of them gave a soft, satisfied sigh followed by a languid stretch as Elsa slowly came to. The queen hummed quietly in contentment before pressing closer to her wife, smiling against the arm cradling her head and laying a soft kiss against it. Honeymaren instinctively pulled the blonde closer to her, brushing her lips lovingly across the smooth, pale skin of Elsa's shoulder and smiling slightly when her wife craned her neck to the side to turn sleepy, crystalline eyes on her. "Maren?" she asked in drowsy confusion, squinting her eyes sleepily against the early morning light. "How long have you been awake, sweetheart? Why didn't you wake me?" Honeymaren chuckled a bit as her exhausted wife tried to make sense of the world, slowly trailing soft kisses up the queen's shoulder and neck before nuzzling her cheek. "Not long," she replied gently. She cuddled Elsa closer to her protectively, drawing comfort from the feeling of her wife safe in her arms as she tried to push away the strange, lingering feelings of unease. "You can go back to sleep if you want, baby."
Elsa frowned a bit at the slight tightness in her love's voice, turning in Honeymaren's embrace to look into troubled chocolate eyes. "Is something wr-" she began to ask before her arctic gaze widened. "Your eyes!" she exclaimed, propping herself up on her elbow quickly and reaching her free hand up to cup her wife's sun-kissed cheek. "What?! What's wrong?!" Honeymaren asked worriedly, her own hand instinctively coming up to cover the one over her cheek. "They're back to normal," Elsa explained with a bright smile, lovingly brushing her thumb back and forth across her cheek. "Well, normal since your time as Revontuli at least," she amended with a small, teasing grin as her thumb brushed back and forth across her noaide's cheek in a soft, tender caress. "The flecks of color are still there, but they're back to the beautiful, soft, sweet doe brown that I fell in love with back in the enchanted forest."
"Revontuli…" Honeymaren murmured distractedly, those doe eyes taking on a faraway look as dark brows furrowed in thought. The smile fell from Elsa's face when her wife's response was a slight, thoughtful frown rather than the fond smile or teasing reply she had been hoping for. Just as she opened her mouth to question what was wrong, both women were startled at the sound of a sudden polite knock at the door. "What in the world?" Elsa murmured in confusion. "I thought Anna had asked them not to-" Elsa began, blinking in confusion when Honeymaren cursed to herself and began untangling herself from the winter spirit. "Dammit, I totally forgot I invited her for breakfast," she muttered under her breath as she quickly jumped out of bed.
"...invited? You inv-" she tried before shaking her head in confusion, sitting up in bed and pulling the blanket up with her. "Maren, who's here?" Honeymaren scrambled into her breeches from last night, trying not to trip as she hopped up and down on one foot before groaning in frustration when she realized she was still wearing the strap on. She blushed brightly before fumbling to undo the series of buckles and ties that kept it so snugly in place the night before, nearly tripping as her legs got caught up in the breeches now pooled around her ankles. "Maren!" Elsa said sharply, a frown coming to her face as she watched her normally calm and collected wife scrambling. She had thought the Northuldran was just as eager to get away from the pressures and stress of their public life as she had been and now she had invited someone to visit on their honeymoon? What the hell was going on?
"It's a surprise," Honeymaren said as she quickly placed the toy back into its box on the nightstand, shutting it quickly before reaching for her dry shirt draped across a chair, leaning over to kiss her wife quickly before pulling it over her head. "But, Maren-" Elsa tried again but was silenced by a firmer, more purposeful kiss. The queen couldn't help but sigh softly, relaxing a bit when Honeymaren cupped her jaw, a lightly calloused thumb brushing tenderly across her cheek. "Shhh," the noaide whispered against her lips, capturing them once more in another soft kiss before pulling away. "I promise, you're going to be happy about this. You don't even need to worry about any formalities with this person, although clothes would make it all a tad less awkward," she teased with a small grin. "We will be in the kitchen," she finished as she pulled away with a wink, leaving the blonde blinking in confusion as she watched her wife duck out of the room, calling out that she was coming as a second round of knocks sounded against the door.
Elsa frowned in thought, trying to listen as Honeymaren opened the door but hearing only very hushed, undistinguishable conversation. The queen's frown deepened as she pulled the covers away from herself – something was bothering her wife. Elsa had studied the captivating Northuldran woman more diligently than any academic subject she had ever learned from the first moment they met in the enchanted forest and she knew when something was off. The questions that then remained were 'what' and 'why'? What could have upset her wife and why was she so quick to change the subject to hide it from Elsa? Crystalline eyes fell on the closed wooden box on the nightstand, a deep scarlet rushing to her cheeks as memories of their intense passion ran through her mind. Each image was more salacious than the one before it, deep, wonderful aches verifying the truth of each one. A cold spike of insecurity ran through the queen. Did…
Did Honeymaren regret what happened last night?
Did Elsa do something wrong?
Nervous hands instantly began to fidget with the ends of her hair as she bit her lip anxiously. Though the fire maven had been a bit nervous when her magic came forth at first, the noaide had quickly seemed to be just as passionate and eager as she herself was, if not a bit more enthusiastic – Elsa might have even described it as a tad forceful if she had not been just as lustful and licentious as well. Had she misread her wife that poorly? Honeymaren had seemed quite hesitant when their magic first began to mingle…and Elsa had to admit, she couldn't have been less interested in self-control when she felt the delicious heat of her fire maven's essence inside of her. She had felt so amazingly full, so utterly complete that she couldn't have imagined trying to de-escalate their passions.
Yet, it was Honeymaren who had quickly taken charge after that. Elsa blushed deeply as image after image of the fire maven having her way with her over and over throughout that long, amazing night forced their way to the forefront of her mind, a sharp tugging and intense heat pooling in her lower belly. Gods, the way the Northuldran had ravaged her, dominated her, utterly possessed her— "Get ahold of yourself, Elsa!" she chided herself quietly with a groan as she ran her fingers through her hair. To her unending embarrassment, she could feel how wet she already was just from the memories of last night's passion. "You are a queen, not some hormonal chambermaid!" she groused to herself, shaking her head as she climbed out of bed and quickly went about making herself presentable.
After a quick visit to the bathroom to clean herself up she swiftly ran a brush through her hair a few times, grateful her sometimes unruly mane of white-gold saw fit to cooperate on such short notice. For the sake of time, she crafted herself her favorite ice gown before giving herself an approving once-over in the mirror and tentatively padding toward the kitchen and the source of the delicious smells permeating the air.
"Your Highness, please, I beg of you, let me help!" an unfamiliar, feminine voice sounded from the kitchen. Elsa raised an eyebrow – the voice was clearly female, but far too young to belong to the elderly caretaker's wife.
"Listen, Sketch - you either respect my new royal authority and listen to me when I tell you 'no', or you call me Honeymaren and maybe I will let you help. You pick," came her wife's familiar voice in reply. Elsa held a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle – though she wasn't yet in the room, she could see the noaide's eyebrow lifted in challenge in her mind's eye as she waited for their mystery guest to concede defeat. Unwilling to eavesdrop, Elsa stepped around the corner and into the kitchen slowly to find her wife exactly as she had imagined her, arms folded across her chest and facing a young woman with long, nearly black tresses seated at the table while eggs cooked happily in a pan on the fire behind her. Twilight flecked eyes glanced up to meet hers across the room and she smiled warmly. "Good morning, my love," she greeted smoothly.
The young woman gasped and nearly leapt from her seat at the kitchen table as she whipped around to face Elsa, curly tresses bouncing as she immediately sank into a deep curtsy. "Good morning, Your Majesty," she intoned respectfully, bowing her head to the monarch. "Good morning," Elsa answered uncertainly, glancing quickly across the room to her wife who simply continued to smile in an almost expectant manner. "How can I help y—" the queen began, the words dying on her tongue when bright hazel eyes met hers as the young woman stood once more. Elsa's sharp, arctic gaze narrowed in scrutiny as she openly observed the woman before her. "I'm…sorry, h-have we met?" she asked slowly, taking a step closer and resting one hand on the worn surface of the wooden table. "Well, I suppose sixteen years may change a person," the hazel-eyed beauty said with a playful smirk. "We've come a long way from secret midnight rendezvous with Anna in the stables while our parents thought we were sleeping."
The queen's eyes lit up in recognition, one hand flying to her mouth to cover her surprised gasp. "A-Avery…?!" she asked in a shocked whisper, gasping again when the Spanish woman nodded, grinning from ear to ear. Honeymaren chuckled at her wife's utter speechlessness before turning and scooping eggs onto three plates already containing portions of bread, ham, and cheese. "The one and only!" Avery said with a laugh, stepping forward with open arms and embracing the stunned queen before Elsa could even move. Honeymaren turned around just in time to catch the winter spirit stiffening in the embrace, clearly not expecting the sudden closeness. A sharp pain lanced through the fire maven's head, though it was nearly drowned out by the tidal wave of protective anger swelling dangerously within the noaide, chocolate eyes flashing with the color of her flames. Honeymaren's hands tightened into fists, shaking with righteous rage.
How dare she presume to lay her hands on the queen?
How dare this mere mortal touch her goddess of winter?
Sensing the queen's tenseness, Avery immediately allowed Elsa pulled back from the embrace, offering an apologetic smile to the startled queen. "S-sorry," the artist stuttered out, nervously tucking a curly lock behind her ear. "I-I…was just so excited you remembered me. I've missed you..." she muttered in a voice entirely too wistful and longing for the fire maven. Honeymaren shook her head sharply, clamping down on her sudden surge of emotion as her protective anger was quickly tipping toward possessiveness. Where in the world had that come from? She didn't own Elsa – the queen may be her wife, but she was free to embrace whomever she wished. She trusted the winter spirit implicitly. "I'm sorry," Elsa murmured apologetically, wringing her hands slightly in awkward discomfort. "I…I'm not really a…physically affectionate person. My powers..." she trailed off, looking down at her hands with a somewhat helpless shrug.
'Bullshit,' the fire maven thought with a smug smirk. 'She's beyond physical with me, you little-'
Honeymaren dug her fingernails hard into her palm as she bit down on that thought, focusing on the pain to distract her from her sudden volatile mood swings. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' she thought. She took a few deep, soothing breaths through her nose to calm herself before bringing the plates over and setting them on the table, offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile to clear the awkward air. "There's no need to apologize, baby," she said soothingly, unable to help the pettiness of using the rather intimate pet name or the satisfaction she felt at the blush it elicited from both her wife and the young artist. "Avery understands. Don't you, Avery?" she asked as she directed a pointed gaze to the Spanish woman. Avery gulped slightly – though the tone was polite and friendly, the fire maven's eyes held a clear and dangerous warning that the artist knew would only be given once. She nodded quickly, lifting her hands in a placating gesture and offering what she hoped was an understanding smile. "O-of course – my family is very affectionate so it is easy to forget that not everyone is as 'touchy-feely' as we are in our culture," she said with a small, slightly awkward laugh as her eyes nervously flit to hard chocolate, twilight flecked pools.
Elsa glanced subtly at her wife from the corner of her eye, curiously noting her rigid stance and somewhat aggressive demeanor despite the honey-sweet words of understanding reassurance she had spoken. Was…was the fire maven jealous? "Wow, this looks fantastic, Your Highness. I can't thank you enough for offering to make breakfast. Elsa certainly married a woman of many talents," Avery blurted out in an attempt to change the subject, desperate to clear the air and start over. Elsa smiled brightly at her friend and nodded in agreement, turning to plant a sweet kiss on her wife's cheek. "Truer words have yet to be spoken, my old friend," she said lovingly, her smile growing when the noaide's hostile bearing immediately deflated, replaced by a slight blush and an adorable little grin at the queen's affection and praise. "I live to serve, My Queen," she said playfully, gesturing for her wife to sit before glancing at Avery once more and nodding her acquiescence – a pardon. The artist breathed a sigh of relief before smiling gratefully at the mistress of fire and taking a seat opposite of Elsa.
Just as Elsa lifted her fork toward her plate, Honeymaren grasped the edge of it with her finger and pulled it away from the queen, leaving the blonde blinking in surprise as it disappeared before another was slid in front of her to replace it. Elsa raised a suspicious eyebrow at her wife, eyeing the two plates before she realized the Northuldran had placed the fullest of the three portions in front of the queen. "Really?" she deadpanned in an exasperated tone, though she was unable to help the upward twitch of the corners of her mouth at her wife's antics. The fire maven simply shrugged in feigned innocence while she used her fork to cut up her own eggs. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said nonchalantly before taking a large bite to hide her growing smirk as the queen rolled her eyes in loving exasperation and began to dig into her own breakfast.
Avery glanced surreptitiously between the two spirits, trying to contain the smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she watched their interaction. Despite the woman's hot and cold attitude toward her, the artist couldn't help but admire the fiery nomad. Elsa was quite possibly the most powerful being in existence yet the Northuldran was completely unmoved by that fact, doting on and fawning over her new wife like any other spouse would. It was clear to Avery that Honeymaren was not only more than Elsa's match in every way, but the woman loved her friend more fiercely, more deeply than even her talented fingers could ever hope to capture the likeness of. 'And I would know,' she thought to herself with a small grin before digging into her own breakfast, glancing at the canvas wrapped in simple white linen leaning against the table next to her. 'I spent all night trying to do it.'
Honeymaren was mostly silent during the meal, allowing Elsa and Avery to catch up and reminisce in peace as they recounted tales of their youth. She smiled genuinely only for a brief moment when the talented artist presented her finished canvas to the couple, regaling the queen with the story of her first meeting with the mistress of fire. Honeymaren even chuckled a bit at Avery's recounting of how fiercely intimidating it was to look up to find the Northuldran's piercing gaze on her and apologizing to both women again for accidentally intruding on their private moment. Little did the artist know how close she was to being engulfed in flames before the noaide's empathic abilities pierced through her initial overwhelming protective nature – a nature she had been warring with ever more frequently over the past couple of weeks when it concerned the beautiful winter goddess. The uncharacteristic tempest of the fire maven's possessive and protective ire was tempered by the constant, steady presence of the queen's hand on her thigh, hidden by the surface of the table. It was clear to Honeymaren that, though Elsa was thrilled to reconnect with her old friend, she was less than keen to be out of physical contact with her wife – a reassurance that greatly bolstered the dark-haired woman's mood and soothed the caged beast Honeymaren was now certain was much more than a mere figment of her imagination. The noaide rarely felt out of her depth when it came to her own thoughts and emotions and the tan woman couldn't help the persistent, disquieted feeling that tugged at her soul as a result.
"I hope I'm lucky enough to meet Nokk one day – all of the spirits sound incredible," Avery said with a dreamy sigh, propping her elbow on the table and resting her head in her hand. "It doesn't surprise me you developed such a bond with him, though. Father always said he had never seen someone so well-liked by our horses – any of our animals, really. Must be that 'quiet soul' he said you had," she added with a giggle, grinning at the slight blush that filled the queen's pale cheeks, the winter spirit suddenly finding the grain of the wooden table incredibly interesting. Hazel eyes quickly darted to the silent Northuldran, hoping the powerful mistress of fire wouldn't read her comment as flirtatious – especially since the empathic woman had called her out on her slight infatuation with the winter queen the first moment they met. Instead of a sharp twilight gaze that promised retribution, stormy chocolate eyes were drawn to the forest-facing window as she gazed, unfocused, at the untamed greenery. The artist frowned slightly at the detached woman, biting her lip thoughtfully for a moment before an idea struck her. "Hey!" she said excitedly, lifting her head from her hand and folding her arms on the table. "What do you say we go for a ride? It's a beautiful day for a ride along the beach and it's been a while since the horses have had a good run," she offered, leaning forward slightly with a grin at the little sparkle of excitement in crystalline pools. "What do you say?" she asked, turning to catch troubled doe eyes sparkling with something else entirely.
"You two go ahead," came Honeymaren's almost instant reply, causing both women to blink in surprise. The Northuldran simply squeezed Elsa's hand on her thigh before collecting the empty plates and standing from the table, depositing them in the washbasin near the stove. "You…you don't want to come, love?" Elsa asked hesitantly, arctic pools glancing at Avery uncertainly for a moment before falling on her wife's back once more. Honeymaren took a slow, steady breath before forcing a small and hopefully reassuring smile on her lips as she turned around to face the women, leaning back against the counter with her hands gripping the worn wooden edge. "Maybe another time. I'm a little tired, so I'll take the opportunity for a nap," she half-lied – she really was tired.
Honeymaren winced internally when she saw the one thing she hoped she wouldn't in beautiful, crystalline depths as she met Elsa's eyes across the room that asked only one question - 'why?'. Concern and confused hurt were clear in the queen's arctic gaze, her pale brows furrowed slightly in worry. They furrowed further when the fire maven looked to the side, unable to hold her gaze any longer. "Avery," the winter spirit said gently, glancing briefly at her friend who seemed just as confused as she was. "Do you mind giving us a few minutes?" she asked politely, offering a small apologetic smile before turning back to her noaide. Though Elsa was no longer facing her, Avery nodded in understanding. "Of course. I'll wait outside for you, alright?" she offered with a smile before bowing her head respectfully to the fire maven and walking out of the kitchen door to the back of the house, closing it quietly behind her.
When Honeymaren made no move to break the increasingly awkward silence between them for a long moment Elsa walked slowly and took a few hesitant steps toward her wife, confusion and uncertainty rolling off the blonde in waves as she tried to piece together the strange shift in the fire maven's behavior. "Baby, I don't have to go-" she began earnestly, only to be interrupted by Honeymaren's low voice. "Of course you should go, Elsa," the dark-haired woman insisted, trying to offer a warm and encouraging smile that didn't quite reach troubled doe eyes. "She's your friend and you haven't seen each other since you were children – you, of all people, deserve a chance to reconnect with an old friend. I'm just tired from last night is all," she reiterated, doubling down on her excuse from earlier. "You kind of wore me out, you know," she teased, a small, roguish grin forming on her lips.
It wasn't a lie – she really was exhausted. Elsa just didn't need to know that it was because she had been fighting an increasingly worrisome inner battle against an opponent she had yet to identify. Not yet - not until she had a better understanding of what was happening to her. "Did…" Elsa began, cutting herself off to take a steadying breath as her nerves started creeping up on her. She had felt so connected to her mistress of fire last night, yet suddenly it felt as though a great chasm separated them. "Did I do something wrong…?" she finally asked in a small voice as her eyes fell to the floor, her mind racing to come up with something she could have done to upset her wife.
Elsa looked up with a small gasp when she suddenly felt strong, protective arms wrapped around her waist – she hadn't even heard Honeymaren move toward her. "Hey," the noaide's smooth, loving voice cooed gently, dipping her head down to catch uncertain crystalline pools. "Absolutely not, Elsa. You didn't do a single thing wrong, do you hear me?" she said in a firm voice that brokered no room for argument. Despite feeling herself instantly begin to relax under the Northuldran's familiar, reassuring touch, Elsa shook her head and stepped out of the comforting embrace. "Then why are you lying to me?" Elsa asked insistently, unable to mask the slight hurt and desperation seeping into her tone as her eyes pleaded with her love's stormy gaze. "I know something's wrong, Maren. You've been acting strangely all morning. You're distracted and distant…like you're a thousand miles away from me," she added softly, reaching out to grasp the fire maven's hands. "Come back to me…let me help you," she implored lovingly. "Please…"
Honeymaren sighed, the corners of her lips tugging upward into a smile. It was small, but it was genuine and it made Elsa's heart flutter a bit with relief. "You're right, Elsa. I'm sorry," she apologized softly, squeezing the queen's hands reassuringly before running her thumbs across the soft skin in a loving caress. "I'm not feeling quite myself and I'm honestly not sure why. I don't want you to worry, but I could use a chance to meditate. Maybe it will help me to clear my head," she explained, shrugging slightly. "Who knows – maybe it's because this is the longest I've gone without being constantly surrounded by people," she speculated with a shrug. "The last time I was alone for a long time was after you left the forest and…well, let's face it, I had quite a bit to think about that time." Honeymaren offered a reassuring smile, leaning forward to nudge her forehead playfully against the winter spirit's. "This is the first time I've ever had some solitude while being perfectly happy and content. My mind is probably just playing tricks on me."
Elsa smiled ever so slightly, closing her eyes briefly at her wife's comforting touch before opening them again to gaze searchingly into chocolate pools. Understanding the queen wasn't quite convinced, Honeymaren wrapped her arms around her waist once more and pulled her close, this time capturing full lips in a soft, tender kiss before Elsa could think to interrupt her. The kiss had its desired effect as she felt the spirit of winter slowly relax against her. Lithe arms wrapped around her neck and gently pulled her closer, seeking the comfort of reconnecting with the out-of-sorts noaide as the queen's tongue teased Honeymaren's lips, begging entrance that was instantly granted. The Northuldran moaned softly into the kiss, one hand reaching up to bury itself in silken, white-gold tresses before she stopped herself, breaking the kiss with a small gasp and quiet laugh. "Spirits, the things you do to me, Your Majesty," she breathed teasingly as she brushed her lips against the parted ones of the ever so slightly panting queen.
Elsa smiled, one hand sliding from Honeymaren's shoulder to rest over her now-pounding heart while the other toyed with the baby-soft hair at the nape of the noaide's neck. "You started it," the queen shot back playfully, resting her forehead against her love's and closing her eyes as she soaked in the feeling of closeness and let the last bits of distance and tension between them melt away.
"Yes, well," Honeymaren began, clearing her throat slightly and causing Elsa's smile to widen. "Be that as it may, if you don't head out now I might be less than inclined to let you leave," she threatened playfully. Elsa's smile turned into a full out grin that Honeymaren couldn't help but find ridiculously sexy. "Oh?" she asked teasingly, flashing the noaide her best innocently questioning glance. "And…what might you do with me if I stayed?" The fire maven flashed a sexy, wolfish grin, leaning forward to place an agonizingly slow, open-mouthed kiss against the blonde's sensitive throat. "Maybe I'll show you later tonight if you're a good girl," her low voice rumbled against the queen's throat. Honeymaren grinned when she felt Elsa's throat bob as the winter spirit swallowed hard, a deep scarlet fanning across her face like wildfire that only grew when she felt more than heard her wife's soft chuckle against her throat before she, mercifully, pulled away.
"Go on, now," Honeymaren urged, placing a sweet kiss upon her cheek before releasing the blonde. "Avery is waiting." Elsa flashed her a loving smile and nodded. "We'll talk more when I get back?" the queen asked, feeling the load on her heart lighten even more when the Northuldran nodded instantly in agreement. "We will. But, will you do me a favor, wife?" she asked with a small smirk. Elsa blinked and nodded, tilting her head curiously. "Of course, darling, anything," she answered. Honeymaren grinned, glancing at the door briefly before turning her eyes back to the blonde queen. "Take it easy on the woman, alright? Artists have fragile hearts," she teased. Elsa blinked again, her brow furrowing in confusion as she followed Honeymaren's gaze to the door and back again. "I'm…afraid I don't understand, love," the queen admitted uncertainly, causing the fire maven to chuckle. "I know – and it's adorably attractive. Just remember you're officially mine, now," Honeymaren replied flirtatiously, grinning when Elsa looked even more confused. Before she could get a chance to respond, the mistress of fire took her wife by the shoulders and gave her a gentle push toward the door, playfully smacking her bottom and eliciting a small yelp of surprise from the blonde who turned a scandalized, disbelieving gaze on the grinning noaide. "Have fun, baby," she cooed, blowing a kiss to the brightly blushing but smiling blonde.
Elsa's hand paused on the door handle for a moment, as though debating something before she surprised Honeymaren by turning around once more and throwing her arms around her, pressing full lips to the fire maven's in a fierce, passionate kiss that left the Northuldran reeling. By the time the queen pulled away, the dark-haired woman was struggling to open her eyes again, much to the winter spirit's satisfaction. "After last night, there's not a doubt in the world who I belong to," she whispered huskily against her dazed wife's lips as she ran her fingers through dark tresses, grinning with delight when a sudden shiver from the mistress of fire proved her words had their intended effect. "But feel free to remind me again when I come back," she nearly purred, placing a final teasing kiss to her lips before pulling back entirely.
Honeymaren blushed, staring after the beautiful woman as she made her way to the door once more, an extra sway in full hips for the fire maven's benefit. She grinned sheepishly when the queen turned and blew her a kiss over her shoulder, winking before walking outside and closing the door gently behind her and leaving the Northuldran wondering what had just hit her. Honeymaren shook her head, laughing quietly at herself and her racing heartbeat as she ran her fingers through her hair – she definitely needed to meditate now. She blushed brightly when another shiver ran down her spine, sending a sharp, tugging pulse to her lower belly.
"Maybe a cold shower, first…"
AN:
I'm not dead! *raises hands triumphantly* You can't keep a good butch down! But, you CAN distract her with Legend of Korra and a billion wonderful Korrasami ideas. OH yeah. THAT'S gonna be happening at some point.
Also, it kinda hurt my soul to leave the last chapter on a cliffhanger. I'm a pushover. lol
That being said, I have had an idea brewing in my head about Winter's Echo that I wasn't sure about, but the idea bit me in the ass HARD and won't let go so now I must write it! Prepare for some original lore!
As always, reviews fuel my soul and follow me as an author if you are interested at all in Korrasami for the future!
Stay safe, my friends!
-Volchise