Anna's heart still thundered in her chest, the echo of Garret and Honeymaren's voices from below having barely calmed her racing pulse.
They're okay… she repeated to herself like a mantra. They're okay. They're okay!
She pressed a hand to her chest, willing her breathing to steady. She finally could focus on the immediate next steps.
Beside her, Elsa was still on her knees, one hand clutched over her heart while the other pushed against the rocky ground so tightly it had gone white. Well, whiter.
Her sister's usual composure was shattered completely. Anna could see the shaking, the way her breath came in quick, uneven gasps, the tight tension around her eyes.
"Hey," Anna murmured, reaching out to squeeze Elsa's shoulder, her voice as gentle as she could force it out. "You heard them. Alive and mostly-well."
Elsa's head jerked in what might have been a nod and her hand covered hers, but her eyes didn't move from below. What remained of her attempt at an ice bridge still hung in crystalline shards around them, breaking apart in the intense heat – Anna had never seen her sister's magic fail so completely, besides when that bastard witch-hunter had paralyzed her.
"We need to move," Kristoff's voice cut through the heavy air. He was already on his feet, eyes scanning their surroundings with too much ease. Something about the way he stood had been poking at the back of Anna's mind ever since they'd gotten into the forest; but she couldn't quite place it yet. "The entire thing's more unstable now than when we came in," he said, voice low. "We'll need to go slow and keep to the edges."
Ryder frowned but peered ahead. After a moment, he nodded tersely. "Single file and watch your step."
As they set off, Anna stayed close to her sister. She noticed how Elsa's gaze darted around the cavern, flying from shadow to shadow as if expecting danger to leap out at any moment. But what worried Anna most was the way she kept glancing back over her shoulder, trying to pierce the darkness where Garret and Honeymaren had fallen.
Leaving the cave proved simpler than she would have believed coming in, the return trip eased considerably by the shrinking heat and wider corridors.
"It's from here," Ryder spoke up as they stepped outside, his tone brusque when he gestured to their left. "About ten minutes back, then we'll need to circle around for a good while." He paused, his brows furrowing. "If you follow my word, that is."
The silent battle between him and Kristoff sparked anew. Anna saw her fiancé stiffen and his grip on Sven's belt tighten.
"Please," Elsa said quietly. Her composure was returning, though Anna could still see cracks here and there. "We cannot afford to lose our way. Lead on."
Anna exchanged one knowing look with Kristoff and sighed when they started walking. The forest had turned even gloomier, somehow. The beautiful trees she'd seen coming in were now mere scorched bark, the energizing air had turned stagnant, the funny little flames had disappeared. Anna didn't like autumn, but at the very least it usually looked pretty.
She paid it less mind – seeing Elsa so shook overrode everything else.
"They'll get themselves out," she insisted as they walked, keeping her voice hushed. "Garret can take care of himself. And he's got Honeymaren with him. They'll find a way back to us."
Elsa's lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers twisting together in front of her. "I know. I just... I can't stop thinking about what could happen. If they run into trouble down there–"
"Don't," Anna interrupted. She ducked her head, desperate to catch Elsa's gaze. "Have faith in him, okay? I'm 100% sure they'll do just fine. He's a toughie. And she's Garret with half the snark and twice the survival instinct."
Elsa took a shuddering breath that almost turned into a tiny smile. "That sounds familiar." Then she nodded. "Okay. Faith. I can try."
In contrast to her worry, Kristoff moved through the unfamiliar woods with a comfort that surprised even Anna. But then again, ever since they'd crossed the mist, he'd shown a somewhat… alluring confidence that had driven shivers up her arms multiple times. She would have pinned him to a tree if the situation had allowed. But beyond the obvious charge keeping them busy, another little nag had kept her from going for the lips. Seeing him as he navigated the crimson path between trees with assured steps, constantly assessing, his insight always helpful, stirred conflictual feelings within her that she was slowly starting to understand.
A fish in water, she pieced together.
Ryder took point before him, his strides just as purposeful. When Sven misstepped, his hoof catching on a jagged rock, Kristoff instantly supported him and whispered quiet reassurances. Ryder glanced back, something like approval coming and going before he quickly faced forward again. Though he remained surly, Anna noticed how his hostility seemed to slightly evaporate whenever he looked at Sven. It was as if, despite himself, he couldn't help but respect the clear bond between Kristoff and his reindeer. It hadn't been the first time she'd seen him steal quick peeps.
That can be our angle… but later.
"How much further?" Kristoff asked, his tone unexpectedly even.
Ryder cut him a look, seeming to debate with himself before answering. "Pretty far. Maybe another thirty minutes."
Kristoff nodded. "Sven and I can take rear guard, make sure nothing's following us. Anna can stay with Elsa in the middle."
"Fine. The forest doesn't need more lost Arendellians."
"Right," Kristoff replied with a peeved roll of his eyes.
As they repositioned, Anna marveled at the tentative accord forming between the two men. Ryder's… annoyance hadn't vanished, but necessity tempered it; his sister needed help more than he needed to be abrasive was her guess. She also sneaked a few glances toward Elsa – she could practically feel her sister's gears turning in her mind, conjuring countless scenarios of what might be happening to Garret and Honeymaren despite Anna's attempts at reassurance.
But beneath the fear, a sparkle of determination shone brighter and brighter in the way she held herself. She trusted Garret, that much Anna knew; and she also knew that faith would carry her forward no matter how low her heart fell with worry, but this was something else. Elsa was slowly restoring her own confidence in herself. She fired a small spurt of glittering magic out her finger she surely meant discreetly, and Anna couldn't repress a fond, proud grin.
Always needs a bit of time, but she gets there.
A sudden light drew her to her left then. She tensed like a spring, her hand instinctively reaching for the smooth fine leather around her sword's hilt as a small, glowing shine darted out from behind a rocky outcropping.
"Wait," Elsa said, her arm shooting out to halt their progress. "It's one of the little flames."
It stood there with a bounce, shades of blue and purple streaking the golden hue.
"Get back!" Ryder hissed, leveling his spear at the creature. "It's going to call the others."
But Elsa shook her head, a strangely fitting mix of curiosity and confusion across her features. "No, I don't think it means us harm. Look at how it's moving."
"It really doesn't..." Anna started, then carefully reexamined her next sentence. "…look that… evil?"
The sparkling's dance looked playful as it jumped back and forth. It made no aggressive moves, simply hovering in place as if waiting for something.
"Elsa..." Kristoff started, unease clear in his tone.
"I'll be fine," Elsa assured. "I just... I need to try something."
Before anyone could protest, she approached carefully, her hands raised in a mark of peace that Anna was sure meant pretty much nothing to an elemental being. The sparkling slid closer, its light dancing on the icy coating Elsa summoned on her trembling palm.
"Hello there," Elsa whispered, her voice soft. "I remember you. You're the one that got stuck, aren't you?"
To everyone's shock, the flame seemed to dip in acknowledgment, its flame shuddering like a nod. Emboldened, Elsa slowly extended her hand and uncurled her fingers in clear invitation.
"It's alright," she soothed. "I won't hurt you, and you won't hurt me."
The sparkling hesitated for a moment, then drifted to station over Elsa's protected skin. Then it made contact, and a brilliant flash lit the surroundings. Anna threw up a hand to shield her eyes, spots dancing in her vision.
When the light faded, she couldn't suppress a quiet 'Wow'. Where the flame once burned, a tiny lizard now was perched. Iridescent scales shone with swirls of blue and violet, while golden eyes blinked up at Elsa. His head slightly tilted to the right, and she mirrored the gesture.
"There you go," she murmured, awe coloring her tone. "You just needed a hand."
The lizard made a trilling squeal, scampering up her arm to nuzzle against her cheek. That got a delighted laugh out of Elsa, the sound startling in the tense atmosphere.
"I think... I think I can understand it," she said after it died down to a quiet chortle, wonder even more evident. "This little one... it remembers me. It's grateful to be free, even for a moment."
"Understand? F-Free?" Anna repeated. "What do you mean, free?"
"Free of heat," Elsa explained, stroking a gentle pinky down the lizard's spine it seemed to really enjoy. "Of the Fire Spirit's anger."
"Are we really adopting the fire salamander?" Kristoff asked, eyebrows raised.
"I don't think we have much choice," Elsa replied. She cupped the lizard carefully in her hands, a delicate smile on her lips. "You like us, right, little one?"
He – Anna decided it looked like a he – chirped happily, his scales burning brighter for a moment. Ryder lowered his spear, disbelief and reluctant surprise both apparent on his face.
"They usually burn anyone they touch," he admitted.
"I did assume that," Kristoff said. He eyed the lizard. "Just don't let it near Sven."
Elsa chuckled, carefully depositing him on her shoulder. He curled his tail around her braid, puffing light smoke and stretching like a content starfish. Anna watched as her sister regained some seriousness, her hand hovering over where the little salamander now sat. The creature focused on her face, sensing the shift in her mood.
"Can you help us?" Elsa asked, her voice carrying the slight edge that appeared whenever she was trying to mask deeper worries. "There are people below, friends. One of them is..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Someone very dear to me. They're trying to find their way back to us."
The salamander's dorsal flame shifted, his little head down in concentration. He chirped once, then twice, each sound accompanied by a strike of warmer light. To Anna's amazement, he seemed to know what Elsa was telling him.
"Look," Anna pointed, fascination driving her enthusiasm right up. "The adorable bugger is showing us something!"
Indeed, the salamander's light had rearranged itself over its back in faint purplish symbols that wouldn't have meant much if there hadn't been two of them. He looked at Elsa, presenting his new markings with unmasked pride.
"They can do that," Ryder explained with clear disbelief, animosity momentarily forgotten in the face of such magic. "Fire-touched can feel people on their skin too."
Elsa's shoulders straightened, hope kindling in her eyes. She turned to the salamander. "Then perhaps you can guide us once we're inside the cavern."
Her response came in the form of a joyous squeak that melted Anna's heart in all the right ways.
Another growl echoing through the cavern faded into an unsettling silence. Honeymaren couldn't gauge just how far the source was, only that it was still there somewhere. Garret's mist continued to roll off his shoulders in waves, providing a thin barrier against the heat. His eyes reflected the faint purple glow that seemed to pulse around them through the rock itself.
"Do you have gloves?" he asked.
Honeymaren paused at the weird question. "No? I'm already struggling not to strip as is." Garret coughed awkwardly at that. "Why would I need them?"
"If, uh, if you want to replace the stick that broke falling down and still keep your fingers, you're gonna need them." A spear of ice began forming between his palms, its surface crystalline and perfect despite the heat trying to melt it away.
Oh. Right.
Her spear was indeed splattered into useless shards of wood on the ground not far from where she'd landed. A spare one could come in handy.
She pulled her small knife from her belt and made two swift cuts in the fabric of her pants' lower legs, creating long strips. "This should work."
"It should." Garret watched her as she wrapped her hands carefully, then held out his own. "Here. Tell me when it starts feeling too soft, I can reinforce it." He offered the icy spear to her handle-first with a small smile. "Would have made a bow if the arrows lasted long enough."
Honeymaren accepted the weapon, tested its weight. It was a smidge too heavy, but nothing she couldn't manage.
"You're way too excited about me using bows, iceman. Haven't met many other archers recently, have you?"
"Not for a while, no. We're an endangered species out there."
She ignored the pang in her heart when he mentioned the outside world. "Archers or icemen?"
"Yes."
Honeymaren heard his grin widen.
She stepped in front of him with a roll of her eyes and they began moving deeper into the cavern. "From now on I suggest we keep it all the way down. Don't know how the spirit would react if we make too much noise."
He focused up, nodded sharply, zipped his own mouth shut, and followed. Honeymaren greatly approved.
Finally, someone ready to just do stuff.
The dark stone passageways twisted deeper into the cave's heart, their path illuminated by the same otherworldly shine coming through ore veins in the walls. Behind her, she could hear Garret's equally careful movements – at least he'd taken her warning seriously.
A distant rumble passed through the tunnel, and the purple light flared briefly brighter. The sound had come from somewhere ahead, reverberating through the network in a way that made it impossible to pinpoint. She felt an urge to move, to flee. Instead, she pressed herself harder against the wall, attempting to blend into it. Whatever it was, it was probably not going away from them, and she didn't want to take her chances.
But that wasn't the only thing weighing over her nerves – beyond the omnipresent sense of dread, something else bothered her. The way the stalactites curved like waves, the particular formations along the overheads… It all felt too familiar for a place she'd never been to.
I could swear I already saw this somewhere before.
Yet this was a lower level she'd never tried her luck with. The thought made her skin prickle.
A third growl, closer this time, sent vibrations beneath their feet. The lights intensified dramatically in rhythm like a heartbeat. Honeymaren held up a hand, signaling for them to wait for the illumination to fade back and her to be sure they weren't about to run into anything they didn't want to.
When they resumed their progression, the passage widened into a vast corridor where the floor was a treacherous mosaic of cooled obsidian and patches of molten rock that cast their own light above them. Steam hissed from cracks in the ground, creating shifting curtains of vapor that danced in the interplay. It thickened with each second passing, eventually turning dense enough to hide anything that wasn't directly beneath her feet.
"Looks like it's a guessing game from here. The good news is I know this place," Honeymaren whispered. "The bad news is it shouldn't be here and... well." She gestured at the floor, where entire sections shone angry red and violet.
Garret stepped forward, intensifying his cooling mist. It spread out in front of them, and where it touched the hot air, it created brief portions of clarity. "I can help us see. Not for long, but it should be enough for you to spot the safe paths."
"There." Honeymaren pointed to a series of darker stones that formed a winding serpent through the corridor. "Those haven't been heated as much. If we time it right–"
She didn't finish her sentence. The temperature spiked for a moment, purple pulsed again, accompanied by a sound that was halfway between a whine and the ground-eating roar of an avalanche. The Fire Spirit was close, and from the way the light was behaving, it was aware of their presence.
They exchanged a single look. "Other good news, it's not in front of us. Other bad news…"
"It's watching us," Garret completed, his voice tight with concentration as he maintained their protective coat of frost.
"Yes." Honeymaren adjusted her grip on her ice spear, which remained surprisingly solid. "But it doesn't feel... hostile. Not exactly. Let's move and we'll see."
She took the first step onto the path, testing each placement before committing her weight and Garret's mist a bubble of relative certainty around them. They moved in perfect sync, as though they'd practiced this dance a hundred times before, but she quickly realized he was adapting to her rhythm a lot more than she was to his.
"Left," Honeymaren called when they reached a junction. "Right's a dead end."
Garret nodded, directing his mist to open the left way. As they progressed, the light seemed to follow them, and with each new wave of purple tainted shadows, a freckle of heat licked at her skin.
"It's almost like..." she started, then paused as they carefully navigated around a particularly bright flake. "Like it's curious."
"About how much time it takes us to fall?" Garret half-jested, though she couldn't really agree.
The spirit's presence felt less threatening now, more like a parent watching children attempt something new.
As if answering her thought, the floor shifted. Not violently, but enough to send Garret off-balance for one second too much. Her hand darted by reflex and tipped the spear's shaft just behind his elbow, helping him stabilize.
…maybe he wasn't that far off.
Garret's wide eyes almost drew a laugh out of her.
"Careful," she said. "It likes your ideas."
Honeymaren could have sworn she heard something like a chuff of satisfaction when Garret secured his own footing.
"Thanks," he simply whispered.
"Thank yourself for making me this." She gave the ice spear a quick spin in her hands. "Ready?" she asked as they approached the final stretch – a series of stable platforms separated by gaps of flowing magma.
Garret's response was to strengthen his mist, providing the clearest view they'd had since entering the steam-filled labyrinth. "After you."
Honeymaren took the first leap and landed neatly on the nearest. Garret mimicked her as lightly as he could, his movements precise.
So Arendellians do learn...
As they reached solid ground on the other side, the purple light pulsed one final time, softer now, almost gentle. The temperature, which had lowered steadily throughout their crossing, eased back to merely uncomfortable levels.
"Well," Garret said, allowing his mist to thin slightly now that they were safe, "that wasn't so bad."
"Not done yet. We still have to..." She trailed off, her eyes widening as she looked past the corridor.
The passage ahead was different. The walls were smooth, almost polished, and lined with those same purple rhombus runes the village had associated with the Fire Spirit; the way they assembled created patterns that seemed to point deeper into the cave system.
"Check that out," she said slowly. "We're being invited somewhere."
But Garret hesitated, his brow furrowing as he studied the path. "You sure? Smells like a trap. My magic's being eaten again."
Honeymaren tested her ice spear – it was definitely not mellowing down. She thought about how easily they'd worked together, how the spirit's presence had felt more guiding than threatening.
"I am," she decided. "I think we should go." The lights breathed once more. "Don't get all scaredy on me there, iceman. The spirit is guiding us. Just need to follow its lead."
"Kinda hard to believe, it almost killed us a couple minutes ago." She took a step forward, but Garret's hand shot out, gripping her arm. "Wait. Just... give me a second."
Frustration surged through Honeymaren, in a way that even she found unusual. They were so close, the exit was just ahead, she was certain of it. Why was he balking now, when the spirits themselves were showing the way? Why did he suddenly stop listening?
She opened her mouth to argue – but the words never came. A roar shattered the tense silence, so loud it seemed to shake the very stones around them. Honeymaren barely had time to register the wave of purple flames surging towards her before Garret was moving, shoving her behind him as ice exploded from his hands.
The world dissolved into steam and fire, heat assaulting Honeymaren's face even as Garret's frost chilled her back. She hit the ground hard, the impact driving the air from her lungs. For a moment, she could only lie there, trying to regain her eyesight as her breaths struggled against the scalding atmosphere.
Then the haze cleared, and she saw him. Garret stood above her, but he wasn't the Garret she'd spent the last half hour with. This Garret was encased in an armor of pure, solid, gleaming ice. It covered him from head to toe, frost swirling across the surface in intricate patterns. Something burned blue inside the hawk-like helmet.
He held his ground against the inferno, ice and fire crashing together in a cacophony of hissing and fissuring magic. The spirit's flames were relentless. Garret's breaths came ragged, his armor visibly weakening under the onslaught – but it held strong, the unyielding ice absorbing the brunt of the blast. Though cracks appeared, spreading like spider webs, they sealed almost as quickly as they formed when frost raced to fill the gaps. A single rune shone within, its steady rhythm like the beat of a frozen heart, each flare of light pushing back against the encroaching flames. It wasn't a rune Honeymaren had ever seen before, and it wasn't any of the spirits'.
Seconds stretched into eternity as Garret endured, but then, as suddenly as it had begun, the attack ceased. Flames withdrew back into the cavern's depths, leaving only charred rock, billowing fog and the buzzing jeer of burnt crystal behind.
For a moment, Honeymaren could only stare, her mind struggling to comprehend what she had just witnessed. Then Garret's armor began to dissolve, its translucent ice receding and dissipating into a fine, sparkly vapor. But even as it faded, Garret remained rooted in place, arms crossed in front of his face, body rigid and unmoving.
We can't stay here, was her first thought. Then she noticed the open pathway to the right, as jagged as the rest of the caves had been.
Honeymaren scrambled to her feet, closing the distance between them in a heartbeat. "Garret!" she called. "We have to move, we have to..."
But her words died on her lips as she took in his expression. His eyes were wide and unfocused, pupils so large they nearly swallowed the green. Each laborious exhale was a visible puff in the still-sweltering air. A tremor ran through him, violent enough to pass for a convulsion.
Quickly, without even thinking, she reached for his hand, squeezing tight and ignoring the goosebumps she felt on the surface. His skin was ice cold, a stark contrast to the heat that still radiated from the stones around them.
"Garret," she repeated, urgently. "Garret! We need to get to safety. Now!"
Air raced to the end of the shiny passage, crackling sparks already gathering on the far side.
She tugged at his hand, trying to coax him into a step, but he didn't budge. His body was locked in place by forces she couldn't see. A frustrated gasp escaped her lips as she dropped to his side.
"Fine, then—no choice," she relented, and slid his arm over her shoulders. With a deep breath, she crouched and heaved him onto her back. The effort sent a stinging protest through her legs and spine when his weight bore down on her.
"Spirits, you're heavier than you look," she muttered, adjusting her stance to balance him. The man felt like carrying a felled oak.
Safety first, was all the thought she could form as she darted away from the building heat.
Anna grimaced at how her now dryer clothes still clung to her skin in some places while Sven's hooves clattered on loose stones as he carefully picked his way along the trail. The reindeer had grown increasingly agitated, tossing his head and snorting at the waves of heat that rolled through the forest ground.
"Easy there, buddy," Kristoff whispered, patting his neck. "I know. It's getting pretty toasty."
"Oh, look at that!" Olaf exclaimed suddenly, pointing ahead. "Is it just me, or does that rock formation look exactly like a troll with a particularly bulbous nose?"
The group halted at the edge of a small clearing. Before them loomed their destination: a cave mouth set into the mountainside.
"Okay," Kristoff said, somehow both amused and dejected. "It does look like a troll's nose."
Elsa's new lizard friend jumped off her shoulder and darted inside, not even waiting for them to fall into step. Before they could get in, Sven backed away with a distressed grunt, pawing at the ground. Kristoff immediately turned to him, concern clear on his face.
"Hey, what's wrong?" He knelt beside his friend, examining him carefully. "The heat's really getting to you, isn't it?"
"Maybe..." Elsa started, then paused to catch her breath in the stifling air. "Maybe Sven and Olaf should wait here. This close to the Fire Spirit, it might be too dangerous for them."
"What? But I want to see the giant flaming monster!" Olaf protested, then yelped as a particularly strong wave of heat coming out the entrance made his personal flurry work overtime. "…or I could study the dead leaves. That works too."
"Elsa's right," Kristoff agreed, still stroking Sven's nose. "You'll both be safer out here. Sven buddy, stay with Olaf, okay? Keep each other company?"
The reindeer nodded reluctantly, licking Kristoff's hand before settling down in the shade of a large tree. Olaf waddled over to join him, already launching into what promised to be a lengthy monologue about the thermal properties of snow.
The group's energetic walk turned into a full-on jog after that. As they went inside, the heavy and cruel heat came back almost instantly – Elsa's normally pristine appearance had already given way to exhaustion, her hair beading with sweat as she struggled to maintain her composure. Her ice magic seemed sluggish still, the usual sparkles around her hands dull and weak. Anna couldn't bear to see her that way.
"Here," she said, pulling her water flask from her satchel and pressing it into Elsa's hands. "Small sips."
They caught up quickly with their peculiar guide. Across its back, dancing like a mirage, were the two symbols now sitting even closer to each other. Every few moments, the vision would shudder and twinkle as he updated his track.
The narrow tunnel they followed led into a massive cavern. Anna steadied Elsa as they entered the vast space, the ceiling disappearing into darkness above them. The lizard paused atop a crystal formation, and sent a flurry of sparks inside. The vision on its back grew stronger. He turned to Elsa and gestured below with a quick dip of his pretty little head.
"I can feel him," Elsa whispered. She pressed a hand to the stone wall, leaving no trace of frost – a telling sign of how the heat was affecting her powers. "He's close."
Anna rushed forward, stopping at the edge of what was way-too-deep of a chasm. "Garret! Honeymaren! Are you there?"
"Here!" Honeymaren's voice echoed up from somewhere below, tight and strained. She sounded like she'd just sprinted a full mile. "We're here, but something's wrong. Garret's not... he won't..."
Anna heard Elsa's quiet gasp beside her, the temperature subtly dropping. "What happened?"
"The damned thing attacked us with this huge wall of fire," Honeymaren explained in a hurry. "Garret, he... an armor just appeared over him. He held the flames back and I got us out of there but now he won't respond, he's shaking, I can't—"
Anna's heart clenched as she watched what little color remained drain from Elsa's face. Flakes of frost ruptured from under her hand, which under the circumstances meant more than Anna could believe. She grabbed her sister's arm in anticipation, but she seemed frozen in place, eyes wide.
"The armor," Elsa thought aloud, her voice cracking. "He used his armor..."
Anna recognized the signs, the way Elsa was starting to spiral. She could faintly hear Garret's out-of-sync breathing echoing up from below, each pant a dagger in Elsa's rebuilt composure. She knew she had to act fast, had to keep them both from drowning in the tide of memories.
"Maren is a warrior, not a healer," Ryder commented curtly.
Good to know. Adapt the language.
Taking a deep breath, Anna stepped forward, squaring her shoulders. "Sis', listen. You know Garret best. What helps him when he's like this?"
"I… I…" Elsa blinked, a glitter of lucidity surfacing through her distress. "What helps… Talking. Slowly. And counting. Also reminding him to breathe. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight."
Anna nodded, turning back to the opening. "Honeymaren? Can you hear me?"
"Yes! What do I do?" Honeymaren's voice was controlled but she obviously was not in her element.
"I need you to help Garret focus on your voice. Have him repeat after you something simple, like 'I am here.' And guide his breathing. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. Can you do that?"
"I... I think so. Okay. Okay, I'll try."
As Honeymaren began to utter the words, Anna kept one hand on Elsa's arm, grounding her. She could feel the tension thrumming through her sister's body, the barely restrained panic. "That's right. Keep going. Elsa, what else? What else helps?"
Elsa swallowed, her gaze distant but clearer than before. "Physical touch… but-but not too sudden! And not on the face! Holding his hand, or... or putting yours on his back."
Anna relayed the information, watching as Elsa's shoulders began to lower fractionally, her focus shifting outward.
There was a pause, then Honeymaren's voice rose again. "Okay, got his hand. He gripped back, but he's still shaking pretty bad. The breathing... it's not really evening out yet."
Elsa leaned forward, as if she could will herself through the stone to Garret's side. "That's okay, that's normal. It... it takes time. Just keep breathing with him, keep talking to him."
Anna could hear Honeymaren taking deliberate breaths, could picture her squeezing Garret's hand in time with the rhythm. "I am here. I am safe. We are in the cavern, but we are okay. Breathe with me, Garret. In... two... three... four. Hold... two... three... four... five... six... seven. Out... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight."
As Honeymaren continued the cycle, Anna watched Elsa carefully, noting every micro-expression that flew across her face. The hard line of her mouth softened gradually, the crease between her brows smoothed out. Her respiration, shallow and short, began to deepen, unconsciously sticking closer to the pace Honeymaren set.
"I think... I think it's working," said Honeymaren reported after a few minutes. "His breathing is calming down. Shaking isn't as bad."
A shudder ran through Elsa, a release of tension so profound that even Anna felt it course her arm. "Good. That's good. Don't stop. It doesn't have to be about breathing anymore. Just let him hear your voice. Remind him… Let him know he's not alone."
And so Honeymaren did, her words flowing in a steady stream, sometimes so low they couldn't hear them. Slowly, inch by inch, Anna felt Elsa relax under her hand. It was progressive, like watching ice melt in real time, but it was happening. Elsa's death grip on her own arms loosened, her posture uncurled from its rigid hunch. The few small ice crystals she'd managed to conjure at her feet despite the oppressive heat stopped spreading.
Anna looked for Kristoff for some comfort of her own, but he was already ahead, scouting with a small torch he'd lit by sticking it in crack.
"Hey uh," Honeymaren's voice broke through Anna's focus. "Seems he's coming out of it. He squeezed my hand, and he nodded when I asked if he could hear me."
The relief that flooded through Anna was so strong it made her dizzy. Beside her, Elsa sagged, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she closed her eyes and exhaled shakily.
"Okay! Okay, that's… Wow, that's good news," Anna exclaimed. "That's really, really good news! Just hang in there! We're on our way! "
"And we're not going anywhere," came Honeymaren's response, and despite the exhaustion in her tone, there was a thread of something else. Something warm, steady, and sure.
It was Kristoff's shout that brought them back to their much more annoying reality.
"I can't see anything down there!" he called, frustration and worry clear in his voice. "Even with the torch, it's just too dark. If we try to go, we'll fall into Pabbie-knows-what."
He walked back with caution. Anna knew Elsa's magic was weakened, that even creating a small light would be already too much.
"Elsa," she said. "Honeymaren got him through the worst of it. We'll find a way to get them out, but we can't risk injuring ourselves in the process."
For a moment, she looked like she might argue. But then, with a visible effort, she nodded, turning her attention back to the opening. Anna could barely see into the darkness below, the heat distortion made it impossible to make out anything beyond vague shadows. Her heart was still drumming from everything with Garret, but Honeymaren's voice carried up with new confidence.
"There's a way down, actually. I can see platforms."
Kristoff shifted beside Anna, stepping closer. "Platforms? Where? It's only empty space."
"I'm guessing that's the point. You're gonna have to believe me," Honeymaren called back.
Anna and Kristoff exchanged a quick shake of their heads.
Maybe the heat's getting to her.
"Ryder, you're nearest," she continued. "I see your torch."
"Why should I help them cross?" he answered. "Look what that did to you! Let them find their own way – they're good at taking what isn't theirs."
Anna sensed the anger she didn't like but couldn't repress rise up once again. But she was interrupted before she could voice any of it.
"Ryder," Honeymaren's tone was changed. It was still deliberately measured but uncharacteristically soft. "One of them just saved my life twice in a row, and another saved yours three days ago. Two steps left, then jump straight ahead." A pause. "Please."
Ryder's arms untangled in a slow and absent movement, the scowl he'd been displaying vanishing at the same time. His sister saying that was obviously a big deal.
Anna's breath caught in her throat as he then moved without hesitation before any of them could talk sense into him. He didn't even look down, didn't stop to question – just stepped left twice and then forward into what looked like thin air. She grabbed Elsa's arm, certain she was about to watch him plummet.
But his foot landed on something solid, even though Anna could see nothing but a deep void beneath him.
"How-How did you know?" she asked, the disbelief in her voice giving way to awe. "How could you just... step out like that?"
Ryder's voice drifted back from where he stood on nothing, tinged with what sounded like pride to her trained ears. "It's my sister. If she says something's there, it's there."
"Alright. Thanks Ryder," Honeymaren called, interrupting her thoughts. "Can you see from there?"
"Yeah, I can. But there's only space for one here. I see another platform. Who's next?"
Anna paused, considering his words. The certainty in his voice... Elsa always said she had that herself. But could that extend to someone she barely knew, someone who had shown such open hostility mere hours ago?
Anna glanced at Elsa, tight with worry. "I'll…" She looked at how Kristoff had moved closer too, his hand hovering near her elbow, ready to catch her if needed. "I'll follow."
"Three steps forward," Ryder instructed, "then angle right with a big step. There's a slope, but it's not steep."
Anna tried to steady her nerves. She could do this. She had to do this, show Elsa and Kristoff it was safe. If he could place himself on Honeymaren's word so completely, maybe she could too.
Pleasenofallingpleasenofalling.
She stepped forward, counting carefully. One. Two. Three. Then turned slightly right, her foot rushing toward something that didn't quite come early enough…
OhnoI'mfallingohnoI'mfall-
There. Solid ground where there should be nothing. A laugh sprang up from her throat, equally relief and exhilaration.
"I'm okay!" she called back, hearing twin content sighs from Elsa and Kristoff. "I can see the next one too – Elsa, there's something that looks just like your ice bridges right below you."
Elsa moved to the edge, but Anna saw her hesitate, saw the way her hands clenched at her sides. Kristoff stood behind, just like he'd done with her.
"I got you," he said, and she nodded gratefully.
Something in her posture shifted then. A resolution, a decision made.
"I can do it," she affirmed, and stepped down with perfect grace. Her arms shot up at her sides as she steadied herself, but she calmed right down when she finally could look at where she stood. The salamander was back on her shoulder, watching her balancing herself with both amusement and curiosity.
Kristoff was last, and Anna could tell he was still skeptical despite having watched three people make it safely. But Elsa guided him true, and soon they were all descending together, each person directing the next, following voices and faith where their eyes couldn't guide them.
A purple light around them glowed continuously now, and Anna could have sworn it felt... pleased? Like they were finally doing something right. She also couldn't help but feel they'd passed more than just a physical test. Each step was an important one, a necessary one.
"Almost there," Honeymaren called. "The path curves just ahead – Ryder, can you see it?"
"Yeah, looks like it leads deeper in."
They made the final descent to more stable ground. Anna could glimpse both Garret and Honeymaren now, though the heat still distorted a clear view of them.
"That was amazing teamwork," she said, meaning it. "Absolutely terrifying and will get me nightmares for the next six months, but amazing."
"Sometimes you have to close your eyes to see," Honeymaren replied. "That's what Yelena likes to say when we're being ass at mapping."
As they regrouped and began moving forward, Anna met Ryder's gaze. She fought the urge to remember what he'd said, the insult he'd done to her mother, however hard it was to forget.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
He shrugged, but there was less disgust in his expression than before. "Like I said. I trust my sister."
"Garret?" Elsa's voice was soft, barely carrying over. She was looking ahead to where Honeymaren and Garret's shapes were just starting to distinguish themselves through the heat shield, a dozen meters below them. "How is he feeling?"
For a moment, there was no response, and Anna heard worry start to creep back into Elsa's breaths. But then, to everyone's surprise, it was Garret's voice that answered, not Honeymaren's.
"Better." His response came quickly, though still somewhat weak. "I'm coming back."
"Are you sure?" Elsa pressed, a frown showing. "We could rest—"
"No need," he cut in gently. "You can keep moving. We'll catch up. I can... I can handle it from here, Your Majesty."
Anna sensed several emotions stir in her gut– unease, guilt, fear – before settling into determined acceptance. Emotions she saw mirrored over her sister's face.
"Alright," Elsa conceded, her voice still tight. "But please, Garret... stop if it gets too much."
"I promise."
There was warmth in his voice that made Anna smile. A gentleness she recognized, that she felt whenever she looked at Kristoff. One that, despite everything, eased her nerves just a tiny bit.
We shouldn't leave him.
The thought kept pressing her, bothering her, disturbing her. But there was no way to reach them from where they stood. Elsa fought to keep her steps steady as they ventured deeper into the cavern network and passed a couple rooms, the glow of crystals beating against the walls with its incessant tempo.
"Let's try to find a way to regroup," Kristoff said. "We'll continue from there."
Elsa was about to agree when the little salamander—Sally, she'd started calling him in her head—trembled against her neck before darting into her hair to hide when they reached yet another open chamber with barely discernible obsidian-glass walls. A muted squeal came out, and the stone around her flared with fire once more.
Elsa understood when the hair on her neck rose on end.
Oh.
She stopped. "I feel it. It's here."
Anna wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "Oh, believe me, I feel it too." Despite her light tone, Elsa didn't miss the way her hand drifted in a quick sweep to Blue's hilt.
"Talk about timing," Kristoff muttered.
"Here's your trial," Ryder announced, already turning back toward the small entrance they'd come through. "Now I'm going to find my sister—"
The rest of his words were lost in a deafening roar as a massive unformed mass slammed into the ground before them. Heat exploded outward in a crushing wave, and Elsa stumbled back, throwing up an arm to protect her face. When she lowered it, her heart nearly stopped.
A bear larger than any she had ever heard of towered over them – it was easily twice the height of the sketches she'd studied in her books. Flames rippled across its body like a living coat and massive geysers of violet fire erupted from its spine, shooting several feet into the air. Great horns curved up from its head, each one longer than an entire leg. Its eyes blazed and pierced straight through her; not just bright but followed by a furrow of searing magic. The purple-gold glow within them held an ancient intelligence that made Elsa feel like a moth before an inferno; impossibly small, and incredibly combustible.
The Fire Spirit.
Anna drew Blue with a metallic croon, the sword's tempered edge sending the spirit's glow back at it as she hesitantly settled into her combat stance. Beside her, Kristoff leveled his crossbow, though she could see his hands trembling slightly.
Elsa called for her magic, trying to summon the familiar cold through her shaking—but it slipped above her fingers like a morning sigh, melting away before it could fully manifest. She could feel it there, just out of reach, but the overwhelming heat was suppressing it, eating it, absorbing it.
Ryder was frozen against the cavern wall, his spear hanging uselessly at his side. He stared up at the spirit with wide, terrified eyes.
"Run," she said to him, "Get back to the camp, we can—"
With frightening speed, the spirit slammed a massive paw into the ground. The impact sent a shockwave through the stone, and above the exit behind her, rock began to glow a particularly aggressive shade of violet. Before any of them could move, a mass of molten stone crashed down, sealing their nearest escape in a wall of cooling magma. The message was clear, and no one was leaving until the spirit allowed it. Until the trial was over.
I'm scared.
A simple thought. One she believed she'd forgotten.
The spirit's head snapped toward her, nostrils flaring.
And then it charged.
"No way!" Anna's cry pierced her ears as she threw herself forward, Blue's mysteriously still enchanted blade catching the spirit's clawed swipe and deflecting it away with a shower of sparks. The impact drove her to one knee.
"Anna!" Elsa's heart jumped to her throat. Something stirred in her chest, familiar coolness beginning to build.
"I've got this!" Anna called back, rolling to her feet. She pressed forward, Blue leaving trails of light as she darted to the right side. "Just stay behind until you can use your ice!"
It was indeed the only thing she could do. But all Elsa saw was her little sister facing down a being of pure flame and fury.
Anna danced and weaved across the blasts of fire the spirit shot, Blue flashing in rapid curves as she tried to draw the its attention away from her. A quick strike she barely dodged; it caught Anna in the shoulder, sent her spinning. Puffs of smoke rose from her sister's singed sleeve, but she seemed unharmed. Before the spirit could follow through, Kristoff's bolt found its flank with a resonant thud, drawing an angry bellow from the massive creature.
"Hey! Over here, you oversized candlestick!" he shouted.
Anna was already back on her feet. She and Kristoff moved in perfect sync, their understanding evident in how they flanked the spirit from opposite sides.
Another bolt whistled through the air; Anna rolled under burning slashes, and in the brief silence between her movement and the spirit's roar, Elsa could have sworn she heard the familiar hiss of cold meeting hot. The attacks became more focused, more deliberate with time, as if the spirit tried to position them. Each burst of flame herded them closer together, each clash of its paws driving them toward the chamber's center.
Elsa's magic stirred at the spectacle; something hot replaced her fear, and with it ice popped at her fingertips as she watched her family risk everything to buy her time. Pure chill spread through her veins, still weak but growing stronger with each passing second.
She wouldn't let them face this alone. Not when they needed her most. She wouldn't fail again.
Come on, come on!
Her cold surged inside her chest. This time when she beckoned her ice, it responded, crystals blooming around her hands. She sent a wave of frost toward the spirit, creating a barrier between it and her sister, and a second burst directly to its head meant to catch its attention. The ice melted almost instantly, but the second flurry hit a horn and lasted enough for Anna to regain her footing.
Its movements were odd. Sometimes it would stop mid-attack only to whirl toward someone else, hoping to catch them off guard.
Sally squeaked in terror, burrowing deeper into her hair. Elsa noticed his reaction, a tap of confusion passing through her. His scales shifted with a pattern she hadn't seen before.
"Watch out!" Kristoff's warning came just as the spirit reared up on its hind legs, its roar shaking loose stones from the ceiling. It aimed at Elsa, and purple fire gathered in its maw, building to a terrible brightness. Elsa prepared her strongest ice wall, one that she knew would not be enough, and braced for the spirit's blast as it snapped its maw shut—
—when twin whistles cut through air like a knife through silk. Two projectiles streaked from the opposite side of the chamber's upper level, their paths crossing perfectly with the ball of fire as they burst into a dazzling shower of crystalline frost mere inches from the spirit's eyes. The massive creature's head snapped back with a howl of surprise, its attack going wide and carving a molten gash into the ceiling.
Two figures emerged from a higher tunnel mouth Elsa hadn't noticed, half-hidden behind a curtain of rocky formations.
Garret's arrow-tips gleamed with inner magic while he maintained a steady barrage, each frozen arrowhead precisely aimed to keep the spirit off-balance. The distance didn't prevent Elsa from catching the lingering tremors in his hands as he notched more, his jaw clenched against the effort of steadying himself. The effects of his earlier attack still clung to him like the frost on his fingertips, but even so, he held his ground, forcing his focus back to the spirit. Elsa's chest tightened at the sight, a flash of guilt almost overwhelming her when she realized just how much he was pushing himself to protect them all.
Dropping even lower, Honeymaren was a blur of trained grace, an ice-forged spear in her hands that moved alongside her like water over stone, her steps calculated and precise. Embers flashed from the spirit's flames, licking at her boots and burning through the air, but she twisted her body to avoid the fiery outbursts and retaliated with both elegance and strength. She slid, her spear whirling in a defensive arc as she reached Ryder. He remained frozen, his wide eyes tracking the spirit's every move, but Honeymaren crouched beside him, a hand briefly resting on his shoulder.
"Come on, get it together," she said. "It's eat or get eaten, now."
When he replied with nothing but a shake of his head, Honeymaren pressed her forehead against his, one hand coming up to the back of his neck. The gesture was so startlingly tender, so unlike her usual gruff demeanor, that Ryder's eyes finally focused on her face.
"Listen to me," she whispered, fierce and gentle all at once, "I got you, little brother. Always do. But I need you here with me."
Slowly, life returned to Ryder's eyes as he seemed to draw strength from his sister's unwavering presence. His following nod was sharp, determined. He stood higher, gripped his spear tighter. They jumped to their feet and joined the fray, their spears moving with purpose.
In the meanwhile, Garret aimed and encased the spirit's legs in a frozen barrier that lasted about as much as Elsa expected it to. Even her ice barely could stay physical against such a beast.
"We're not getting anywhere!" Kristoff shouted, his bolts now bouncing off the creature's ignited fur.
Elsa agreed. But beyond the heat of battle, a strange feeling swelled inside her.
She knew she was right. That her senses were right. That fighting back was their right.
And she also knew something felt wrong. The longer they fought, the more savage the spirit's presence became. The violet flames along its spine erupted higher and higher, licking the cavern ceiling and casting frenzied glass marks across the walls. Its movements turned from somehow calculated to brutal – each turn left burning trails in the air, each step cracked the stone beneath its feet. The heat in the cavern intensified until Elsa could barely think through it, could barely breathe.
The spirit's eyes blazed brighter, zip-zaps of fire magic contracting to pinpoints of pure anger. Purple spilled from its maw with every thunderous roar, and where its attacks had been precise, now they were wide, fueled by a rage that seemed to feed on itself. Its massive body grew larger, more terrible, as if its anger was physically manifested in waves of blistering heat and violet flame.
Gone was any trace of the intelligence they'd glimpsed earlier; this was pure, primal fury given freedom, and it wanted nothing more than to burn everything in its path to ash. This new chaos only sparked more confusion within Elsa.
But slowly, hit by hit, dodge by dodge, barrier by barrier, she discerned the pattern. Between its roars and messy blasts, Elsa saw how the spirit always attacked with a reason. Every strike, every burst of flame only came after someone either moved against it or… was scared of it.
It always reacted. Always pushed against a push, pulled against a pull.
Just like the sparklings had only reacted to Honeymaren's spear. Just like the cave only took away her magic when she'd been scared. Just like the ground only crumbled when they'd been worried about it. Just like the spirit only sealed the door when Ryder had been paralyzed by fear. Just like it only struck those who struck it first.
And it had already been calm before. When they had worked together to cross the sightless chasm. When they'd listened, and trusted each other…
Trust.
The realization hit her then. All of it, everything they'd faced in the forest and inside the caves, had been about trust. Every attack, every danger had followed a fearful breaking of trust. Trust between Arendellians and Northuldrans, between human and sparkling, between her and her family.
And there's one last being we need to trust.
Sally's shaking body, still hidden under her hair, was the final clue. His terrified yelps hadn't been for him.
"Everyone, stop!" she called out. "Please, just... stop attacking!"
"Are you crazy?" Ryder's voice cracked with disbelief. "That thing will kill us!"
"Elsa, what are you doing?" Anna fell back to her side, Blue still raised defensively.
"We have to," Elsa pleaded, meeting her sister's eyes. "I'm sure of it, Anna. It's testing our trust."
For a moment, Anna just stared at her. Then, slowly, deliberately, she lowered her sword. "Okay," she said softly. "If you say so."
The spirit paused in its assault, great head tilting as it observed them. Its flames still burned hot enough to distort the air, but it made no move to attack.
"Kristoff," Anna called, not taking her eyes off the bear. "Please."
He hesitated only briefly before complying, though Elsa could see how it pained him to do so. "This'd better work..."
Elsa caught Garret's gaze across the chamber, and she ignored the freezing needle she felt in her heart at how tired he looked. She didn't speak but she knew he'd hear. His ice bow dissipated into mist, though he remained ready.
Honeymaren took more time to lower her weapon, only after a long moment of visible struggle.
"This goes against everything I know," she muttered, but her ice spear point dropped toward the ground. Ryder's followed a second later.
The spirit swept over them all. It rose to its full height, dorsal flames intensifying until they were almost white-hot. It charged again in a purple blur, faster than ever before—and straight at Elsa.
"Please let it come!" she shouted.
Multiple voices cried out in alarm, but Elsa held firm, even as her heart threatened to burst from her chest. She forced herself to remain still when the spirit narrowed down on her, fighting every instinct that screamed at her to run or fight back.
At the last possible moment, the spirit veered to the side, its massive bulk passing close enough that Elsa could feel its heat kissing her skin. But it didn't touch her. When she opened eyes she hadn't realized she'd closed, there was a light sputter behind her. One that sounded much less aggressive. She turned around slowly.
It was smaller now, though still larger than any natural bear. Its flames had settled into a steady hearth fire, and while its horns still curved impressively from its head, they no longer seemed quite so threatening.
Sally poked his head out of her hair, chirping excitedly. The little salamander glided down her arm and actually leaped toward the spirit, who caught him gently in one massive paw. Where moments before had stood a terrifying force of nature, now the spirit seemed to soften, its body settling into something more natural, more bearlike. The violent purple flames along its spine had quieted to a gentle flicker, like candlelight in the wind.
The eyes that had shone with untamed wrath now held an almost gentle luminescence and an actual pupil, their ancient wisdom more curious than furious as it watched the lizard. Its entire posture changed, shoulders relaxing, head lowering to examine its smaller kin with what could only be described as fondness. Even the oppressive heat in the cavern eased, going from the scorching pressure it had been until then to a welcoming home's warmth instead.
The spirit let Sally wander around its body and padded towards Elsa with measured strides, every single breath inside the room stopping. Its head lowered to her level, and to her surprise, it released a gentle snort that sent her carefully braided hair flying in all directions. Its strands fell around her face as the spirit's now almost mischievous gaze met hers. Like an overgrown puppy seeking affection, it tilted, presenting its forehead to her.
The gesture was so unexpected, so endearing from a being that had been the embodiment of absolute hellish anger, that Elsa couldn't help wondering how much of it she was hallucinating. But there was something else – a different pull that gave her the strength to stretch her arm forward and put a gentle hand over the creature's fur.
Elsa gasped when understanding flooded her mind. Not in words, exactly, but in impressions and emotions that were as intelligible as speech.
Trust given is trust earned, its echoing voice whispered to her mind. Fire has tested you... and has found you worthy.
"You wanted to see if we could overcome our fear," Elsa murmured. "If we could let go."
The spirit inclined its head, and a note of approval hummed inside her.
The bridge between worlds understands the opposite of fear is not courage, but trust, it continued. It knows when to fight... and when to lay down arms. If you are to follow its steps, you will need to follow its laws.
"I'll deserve the truth only if I can trust someone to tell it," Elsa explained to no one in particular. She glanced at her companions—at Anna and Kristoff, at Garret, at Honeymaren and Ryder.
A rumbling sound emanated from the spirit's chest, and it took Elsa a moment to realize it was purring while Sally danced along its back.
You begin to feel, the spirit's thoughts continued. The Fire's truth is such: the first strike came not from malevolence, but from fear. Fear borne by ignorance, and by prejudice. There is more to learn. The truth you seek is Ahtohallan... but the path is not yet open.
"What do you mean?" Elsa asked, but she could feel the connection already fading. The spirit deposited Sally back on her shoulder before stepping away, its fur disintegrating slowly.
The others will let you understand. As gratitude for freeing it from my fear, I leave my child with you. He will help as long as you trust in those who stand beside you. The fox, the wolf, and your own magic. We shall meet when your truths need cleansing.
"Wait! Do you have a name?"
Elsa didn't know why she asked that then, nor why the spirit even deigned to answer her, let alone with the playful tone it used.
Logi, Snow Queen. I am Logi.
Its last thought hushed as it flaked into cinders, its warmth gradually leaving.
For a long moment, no one spoke. Then Anna broke the silence with a shaky laugh.
"So!" she said, taking three attempts to slide Blue back into its sheath. "Points off for the burnt sleeve and weird meditation seance, but how about a solid B?"
AN: Hello and thank you for reading!
I know I said not to expect an update soon, but I'll be honest – this chapter and the next two are some of the most excited I've been about writing for a good while, and the reason this story was titled Patience and Time.
There you go, Fire Spirit done!
I debated for a hot while how thick I wanted to lay this chapter's main theme, and decided a good ol' boss battle didn't need subtlety. Here's to my own dumb self writing out the seventy odd occurrences of the word "trust" at 2 in the morning.
Other subject, I stumbled upon an old deleted scene I had forgotten about, I'll take a bit of time to polish it and add it to the Extras Collection in the coming days.
Hope you had a fantastic Christmas and I wish you a happy New Year!
Peace,
CalAm.