#Honeymaren loves to fluster Elsa

[hereidinathoreauwrites]

A stunning lack of context

Elsa’s writing letters. And poor Anna just really, REALLY needs some context. Elsamaren.

Now with Part 2! Also, please support on AO3

Dear Elsa,

Miss you so much! Things are going well here in Arendelle; I’ve successfully landed my first trade agreement! Took awhile for the Coronans to come around but the promise of ice was too much for them to pass up.

Cant wait to see you for game night on Friday! Don’t forget to bring Bruni this time!

Love,

Anna

***

Dear Anna,

I miss you dearly too. Things in the forest are moving steadily, like the seasons and it’s quite different from living in the kingdom. Honeymaren woke me up this morning by kicking me in her sleep. But on the plus side I was awake to see the sun alight the sky, even while the lights danced overhead. It is so beautiful.

Ahtohallan glistened in the dawn light, the ice a crimson red. It was even more breathtaking inside, with the snows glowing a rosy color…

But for as beautiful as it is, I sometimes miss waking up to breakfast with you and Kristoff or taking long walks with Olaf. Still, I know I can come back anytime for those.

Bruni is excited for game night. Or maybe he’s just excited to be traveling. I really cant tell with him.

See you Friday!

Elsa

***

Elsa!

Wait, what? Why is Honeymaren waking you up? Is she sleeping in your bed? When did this happen?! Why?

Tell me everything!

Your sister,

Anna

***

Dear Anna,

I’ve been sharing Honeymaren’s bed after that unfortunate accident with mine. She’s really been quite fantastic about it. She even lent me her clothes! The furs are quite nice but I think I prefer my ice dresses. Too bad they keep melting.

What will we be playing Friday night?

Elsa

***

Elsa,

Why do you want to know about games? I’d much rather know WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BED? Are you okay? Why are you sharing with Honeymaren instead of getting a new bed?

And why are you wearing her clothes? Is something wrong with your magic that your ice dresses are melting?

Answers, please!!

Anna

***

Anna,

I’d like to know about the games so I can properly prepare for them of course! I’m unable to walk at the moment, so such distractions are welcome! Don’t worry, Honey has been taking very good care of me. I think she feels guilty about the whole situation.

I’ll be good as new in no time! Just need some ice and gentle massages.

Laid-up,

Elsa

***

Elsa,

WHY ARE YOU UNABLE TO WALK?! Did you hurt yourself? Did someone hurt you?

AND WHAT IS GOING ON WITH HONEYMAREN?! WHY ARE YOU CALLING HER “HONEY”? AND WHY ARE YOU IN HER BED?!!

If you don’t answer me NOW, I’m going to cancel my state meeting and have Gale fly me up there to find out just WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON.

Your concerned sister,

Anna

***

Dear Anna,

Sorry for the confusion. Unfortunately, travel to the Enchanted Forest is quite impossible at the moment, due to the recent avalanche.

I’d give it several days before you attempt to travel up here. I’d take care of it myself but I’m just too worn out from causing it in the first place. How was I supposed to know that extreme pleasure would trigger an avalanche?

Exhausted,

Elsa

***

ELSA WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

***

“Are you done?”

Honeymaren glanced up, grinning sheepishly at her companion. The paper in her hands rustled, Gale eager to take the next in her series of notes back to Arendelle.

“Come on, it’s just getting good!” Honeymaren insisted. “Let me just do a few more? Really get her anxious?”

Elsa chuckled, taking the paper from the woman’s grasp. “I think you’ve tormented my sister enough by this point…” she sat up in bed, wincing at the twinge of pain. “just tell her the truth.”

“What? No!” Honeymaren snatched it back, pouting. “Wouldn’t you much rather she show up here all flustered and anxious tonight and see us both completely fine?”

“I’d rather she not have a heart attacking worrying about me.” Elsa responded, massaging her leg.

Honeymaren leaned close to her. “But imagine her face when we kiss in front of her for the first time!” She whispered.

Elsa pursed her lips, face pinching into a smile. “Fine. One more.” She leaned back on the pillows. “But when she gets here, we’re telling her everything.”

Honeymaren rolled her eyes. “Fine…I guess that means we have to tell her the truth about the avalanche…”

Elsa’s whole face turned crimson.

“Well…maybe not everything…”

[elsanna-shenanigans]

February Contest Submission #13: This is how it works

Words: ca. 3,000 Setting: mAU Lemon: no Content: Some descriptions of a couple of creepy creatures Song: On the Radio by Regina Spektor

From Arendelle Public Radio,

I'm Anna Nowak.

And I'm Elsa Johansen and...

"This is how it works"

🎵 This is how it works You're young until you're not You love until you don't You try until you can't You laugh until you cry You cry until you laugh And everyone must breathe Until their dying breath On the radio, uh oh On the radio...

---

Anna Nowak: Hey Elsa

Elsa Johansen: (laughing) Hey Anna

A: Welcome to our third episode

E: Or as I like to call it, our third date

A: Gosh Elsa I swear you do that on purpose

E: I definitely do darling, I enjoy seeing you flustered

A: So mean! I have to say I thought this show could not get any crazier, especially after one of the hosts impulse bought a house, right Elsa?

E: Hey! That cottage was a steal!

A: And yet here we are with episode number three: Crazy chicks chasing Cryptids. That's us by the way, the crazy chicks.

E: I see you went full alliteration for this one.

A: Came up with it while you were getting coffee

E: And, to show you my appreciation Darling, I brought you one

A: Oh my, Thank you! So... I guess, as with any good story, we should start at the beginning shouldn't we?

E: Normally a good place to start, yes. I'm pretty sure it all begun, as usual, with a phone call from one of our listeners.

A: Yeah, and this one was exactly the kind of calls I'm looking forward to the most, a truly mysterious one.

📞 Speaker 1: (panting slightly) Hey girls, my name is Honeymaren and I'm calling you from the trail head of the Enchanted Forest National Park. Sorry if I'm a bit out of breath, but I just ran back all the way to my car after I met whatever THAT was in the forest. I was hiking in the Maple peak zone when I heard a scampering in the leaves of the underbrush around me. I was trying to see where this critter was when I heard a woman screaming in the vicinity. Naturally I followed the scream to see if someone was in need of assistance, since this is quite the remote area, and when I got close a hulking, bluish figure started running straight at me crashing through the bushes. At this point I was scared and run all the way back, as soon as I felt safe I really wanted to know what chased me and you two came to mind. Anyway, this was my question. Thanks, bye.

---

E: At this point we set off to see if there were any other similar reports from the area, I really hoped we would find none because I'll admit this story spooked me a little.

A: And for a while it looked like Elsa was safe, we could not find anyone talking of sightings in the forest, except the usual bigfoot or two.

E: Until we got redirected to this person who's job is, guess what, Forest guard for the Enchanted Forest area.

A: He was really nice and agreed to an interview with us.

📞 Speaker 2: Um Hi Anna: Hello, could you tell us your name and what you do? Speaker 2: Oh yeah, right. Hi, my name is Kristoff and I'm with the Forest guard, Enchanted Forest section three. Anna: We're investigating a story about a strange inhabitant of the forest and we heard you have a story to share. Speaker 2: Let me tell you it's quite the bone chilling story, I was wandering in the forest enjoying the moonlight and listening for the deer calls to track them, you know? I was unaware of the presence lurking in the dark until it was upon me, just as I reached a clearing in the woods I heard a scream right next to me in the darkness. After that it was chaos, I tried to see what it was with my torch but I got blinded, all I can be sure of is that it was a big creature, about the size of an horse but with two sets of glowing eyes. Anna: Wait, two sets? as in four eyes? Speaker 2: Yeah, two big ones and two small ones, kind of like the primary and secondary eyes on spiders Anna: And you didn't see this creature after that? Speaker 2: Not since that night, but to be fair I was done with the Maple peak area by then and it could still be there. Anna: Thanks so much, this was really helpful! Speaker 2: Anytime, I'll be sure to listen to your program next week! Anna: Yes! spread the word.

---

E: Ok, at this point the story is getting creepier by the minute. We decided to sift through literature of the scientific and less scientific kind alike.

A: Based on the descriptions we had we ended up with a small group of possible crypto-candidates, starting with the most horse like: The Kelpie, the Nixie or Nook, and the Each-uisge. All of them malevolent water spirits generally described with the shape of an horse.

E: Followed by the frankly horrifying Nuckelavee of Orcadian folklore. According to the only known witness "the Nuckelavee has a man's torso attached to a horse's back as if it were a rider." It's also described as having no skin, muscle and entrails in plain sight, and sporting an enormous gaping mouth. All of them are said to be haunting fisherman's in many parts of the world, it is said they are after the fishes but don't mind snacking on us either.

A: By this point of the night I had to make Elsa a hot chocolate and promise her she could wake me up if she got nightmares, instead of being spooked and alone in the guest room.

E: You also promised you would not bring it up you little... I'll admit I spooked myself with all those folktales but you don't have to tease me like that!

A: (laughing) You're always as cool as a cucumber, I'll treasure the rare moments when you're flustered forever.

E: Well, you know what did nothing to calm me down? Jumping from horse-demons to spider demons.

A: I'm with you on this one. we need to mention the Jorōgumo for this category, checks both the woman screams box and the spider like box. This shapeshifting demon of Japanese tradition would be far from its home if this is the case.

E: Worth mentioning is also the Deer Lady, this benevolent spirit I wouldn't mind meeting in the woods, protects women and children according to Native American mythology.

A: We're a few hours into our research and it's late night. We've narrowed down our list of suspects to an handful, top of the list is the least palatable one, the Nuckelavee really accounts for everything, the size, the human noises and even the double set of eyes.

E: The runner ups are the Japanese spirit Jorōgumo that also accounts for most of what has been observed, and the Nixie, that checks everything except for the woman scream.

A: The next day we spent some time to try and find a scientific explanation of something like this

E: I'll freely admit I was too busy imagining dreadful creatures to really get scientific

A: My best guesses were, either someone playing a practical joke or going all in on the Scooby-Doo plan and inventing a monster to cover up some illegal traffic

E: (laughing) Oh that were your guesses? Reality really goes beyond fiction sometimes.

A: We looked up the exact area of the sighting and planned our attempt of finding out the truth.

E: I was pretty excited, I've never been camping before and this, albeit scary, was a great opportunity to go with an expert

A: Oh, I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I just like to hang around in nature when I can

E: We split up to gather our stuff for the outing and planned on meeting up early morning, to drive out to the trail head

A: I had some serious prep to do

E: Oh we will get to that soon, trust me

A: (laughing) Is that so?

E: Still unsuspecting I was heading toward our Radio station parking lot from where we planned to leave, at some ungodly hour of the morning

A: Yeah, that's my least favorite part of this kind of stuff.

E: Luckily I stopped to get some coffee, but even that could not prepare me for what you were up to.

A: Hey, I still stand by my idea, it made sense!

E: I'll let our listener make that call, let's just jump into my recordings of the events

▶ (rustling sound) Hey guys, it's... 3:40AM and I'm almost at parking lot where I'm meeting up with Anna. There is this thin fog hanging low, it's shrouding everything in its humid embrace. (sound of turn signal) ok, looks like I'm first one here, I'm going to wait for a bit. ... it's 3:45 now and Anna just arrived, let's go meet her.

(wind blowing on the mic) Good morning darling, I got you coffee!

Hey Elsa, can you drop it on the front sit? I need to set up our bait.

Bait? you didn't say anything about bait Anna. Oh my, is that a fish?

Yup.

Why?

To attract the alleged water spirit of course.

And you brought a living fish in its bowl for that?

Yup.

I don't think I had enough coffee.

---

A: Hey I stand by my idea, and it's not like I had you carry it!

E: That's fair, since it turns out I'm not exactly fit for hiking but I'm still baffled at your rationale on this one

A: And yet it turned out to be exactly what we needed, didn't it?

E: Anyway, we drove out to the Enchanted Forest national park, picked up our backpacks with snacks and plenty of water, and headed off toward Maple peak while keeping our eyes pealed. Wading through the boscage on the hunt for any sign of some strange creature

A: (laughing) Plenty of water indeed, for us and the fish. You guys can't see it but Elsa is face-palming.

▶ (breathing heavily) Anna... wa-wait a minute

Everything ok Elsa?

Yes. just. out. of. breath.

We can take a break then, Coffish was getting restless too.

Coffish?

In honor of your ridiculous love for coffee.

I don't know if I should be flattered or mad.

I'll be happy if you can be oxygenated instead.

(rustling)

shhh! Did you hear that?

Not really, what was it?

I think something moved in the bushes

Darn, me and Coffish missed it! did you see where it went?

No, just heard the sound.

Ok then, let's try and get to the top maybe we can see something from there.

---

E: As I said it was my first time doing a real hike, the next couple of hours of recording are just me either dazzled by the scenery or totally out of breath, which is ironic for an ex-professional Broadway singer, let me tell you.

A: Hey, don't beat yourself up, you did amazing!

E: Thanks Anna! You can see a lot of pictures on our Twitter @thishowitworks. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking as we walked toward Maple peak. This mountain is in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, a beautiful birch-maple forest that in this season is just starting to show hints of yellows and reds in the foliage. As you walk along the trail you cross countless brooks and rivulets that sometimes form this small but delightful waterfalls.

A: I absolutely adore all the water! we should go back in winter, then it freezes over in some of the most amazing natural architectures you'll ever see!

E: In our walk we soon climbed up to where the maples give way to tall spruces and from this point you could see the craggy peaks of the Northen mountain range capped by the Ahtohallan glacier, everything is bathed in the golden light of dawn. This is when I finally get why people subjects themselves to all the effort.

A: It's great isn't it? Our next stop was the maple peak, where we have a panoramic view of the forest, and hopefully of its mysterious inhabitant. At least that was the plan, the day went a very different direction from here on out.

E: And I guess we have to thank Coffish for it?

A: (laughing) Sometimes my genius scares me

E: Ok, let's get back to the recording of what happened

▶ Wow

I know, the view from here is something else isn't it?

I'll admit it's worth almost dying of fatigue to get here

I can see why you succeeded in theater, so melodramatic!

Shut up

Ok, ok, you stay here watch over my baby Coffish while I take the binocular and survey the forest, maybe I can see some suspicious movements.

---

A: I was looking around for a few minutes when I hear Elsa calling

E: A little salamander, probably attracted by the fish tank water came in to inspect us

▶ (whispering) Anna, we have company

what?

I think Coffish made a friend?

Oh my he's swimming with Coffish now! hope it's not trying to get an easy snack.

I think it's friendly. Hey little guy, what are you doing all the way up here?

Hey I think it wants us to follow?!

Well, I didn't spot anything interesting, we may as well...

---

A: The next hour was one of the most surreal experiences in my life

E: We followed this little salamander off the beaten path into the thick of the forest until we heard a bloodcurdling scream

A: I was pretty scared but our little guide was undeterred and so on we went

E: Let's hear what we captured on the field

▶ (loud scream in the distance)

Holy moly, Elsa did you hear that?

Yes, what the hell was that? wait, Bruni where are you going!

Bruni?

After Coffish you are banned from naming anything ever again.

Is that really important right now? let's run after him!

(rustling of leaves and heavy breathing)

Wait Elsa stop, I think I see a clearing up ahead, we should approach carefully

Good. idea. I also need to... catch my... breath in case we have to run more

Ok, I think I see something

We're getting closer, I hear some water too.

Oh damn, is that a goat?

That's what's screaming so loud?

That must be it! but why is a goat all the way out here?

Wait I think it's not alone! There is an horse there?! why is it walking weirdly?

Elsa, let's get over there and find out.

---

A: So, after all that walking and worrying we have found the source of the screams and it's a goat!

E: Not only that but the goat was living with this huge and very friendly blue Roan who is sadly blind.

A: After getting closer Elsa managed to befriend this apparently wild animals

E: They are not wild, they are super sweet

A: I said apparently! as soon as we got close we found out that Bruni likes to hang around on top of the horse head

E: Nook, that's his name

A: (laughing) I see what you did there!

E: And the goat is called Gale, she is super sweet and somehow she acts as a guide-goat for Nook.

A: Naturally with the case solved we have to call our listener, Honeymaren!

📞 (phone ringing) Elsa: Hello Speaker 1: Hello, Honeymaren speaking Elsa: Hi I'm Elsa from "This is how it works" Anna: And Anna Speaker1: Oh my god, hi girls! Anna: So, we heard about your encounter with the creature of the forest Speaker1: Yes, it scared the hell out of me. I had quite the workout running all that way. Elsa: I'm in awe you could run for that long, it took me forever to get back to the cars! Anna: First thing first, we clearly survived whatever lived in the forest! Speaker1: (laughing) I'm really happy to hear that Elsa: Are you ready to find out how this all worked? Speaker1: More than ready! Anna: We found this funny little salamander in the woods Elsa: We called him Bruni by the way Anna: It's pretty unfair, Elsa gets to name everything Elsa: You still have Coffish the fish Speaker1: I like the name, is very Punny Anna: THANK YOU! Elsa: Please don't encourage her. But I have to admit that our Coffish apparently vouched for us with Bruni because we just had to follow for a while to get to the hiding spot of the mysterious beast Anna: Yes, this is wilder than any cryptid sighting! we reach this nice clearing in the forest with fresh grass and a nice little stream and there we find Gale, the goat, screaming her little head off to help Nook the blind horse. Elsa: Meanwhile Bruni scampers all around in front of them like some kind of little explorer Anna: We contacted our friend in the Park Guard and they have launched an investigation, it seems like somebody abandoned Nook to avoid the Vet bills and the demanding care Speaker1: Oh no, that's awful Elsa: We also managed to organize a rescue and you'll be happy to know that all three of them are together and safe! Anna: And this is how it works! Speaker1: Wow, that's amazing. And reassuring, now I can go back hiking with no fear of being eaten! Anna: Well, you definitely won't be by this three, you should still watch out for bears Elsa: have fun hiking, we may meet on the trail sometimes! Speaker1: Goodbye!

---

E: That must be one of the most out there stories I've ever heard, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes!

A: And for those of you who can't either we put up a video of the three of them in action on our site!

E: They are the cutest things, and they seem to like my new cottage garden as much as I do, so I decided to adopt them

A: You did what?

E: And Anna is kindly volunteering to help me care for them, how nice is she?

A: I'm doing what?

E: Thanks everyone for tuning in for this week episode! I'm Elsa Johansen

A: Wait a minute Elsa

E: That's Anna Nowak and we'll see you in next week episode of "this is how it works"!

[elska-elu]

Finna try my hand at Elsamaren headcanons:

-Whenever Elsa gets flustered she creates light flurries, Honeymaren thinks this is hella cute

-Even though the cold doesn’t bother her Elsa loves cuddling, she’s spent too much time being alone and cold

-Elsa is the ac in the summer, you cannot change my mind

-Honeymaren loves using pet names and likes to show off whenever Elsa is around

-Honeymaren is obviously an animal lover, this results in some more snowy creations such as a live snow dog

-Both love to share stories and sing with each other, Elsa teaches Maren constellations and they even make some new ones

-When Honeymaren first tries hot chocolate she becomes addicted, will throw down for a cup

-They like to ride together, Elsa on the Nokk and Maren on a reindeer. Who’s Honeymaren to hold her love back from running free?

-Elsa is a disaster gay while Honeymaren can keep it together until Elsa learns to flirt better/more smoothly

-Honeymaren reminds Elsa of warmth/a cozy home while Elsa reminds Maren of the sky/wilderness she’s always loved

-Elsa has nightmares about the events of Frozen 1 and her childhood sometimes, Honeymarens always there to help her though

[honeymarenrights]

Admin: what are your favourite canonical and or domestic headcanons for elsamaren? Love your blog :)

thank you so much; that's very sweet!! and HERE YOU GO:

-Honeymaren is the bolder and sappier one!! back when I had an ask about headcanons for just her, I mentioned a journal of hers where she secretly writes mushy stuff to say to Elsa later on- she does work up the courage to use some of it!

-when she does, Elsa literally melts. like stuttering, blushing, the whole deal

-Elsa is the shier one (naturally) so anytime she DOES do something a little on the bold side in their relationship, Maren is always a little awestruck, even by the simplest things

-(again mentioned in my earlier Honeymaren hcs) they play music together!! most of the time it's Maren playing an instrument and Elsa providing the vocals, but sometimes they sing together

-Maren teaches Elsa how to sing some of the traditional Northuldran songs, and Elsa slowly gets the hang of it. she also teaches her how to play some of their instruments and, being musically gifted, Elsa learns them quickly

-in turn, Elsa talks about her past life as queen a lot and Maren finds it to be incredibly interesting. she shows Maren some Arendellian customs and etiquette that come in handy when they visit Anna and Kristoff

-Maren never ever complains about Elsa's hands being cold when she holds them (bc we all know they're FREEZING), but even so, they always do get noticeably warmer when they're being held

-Maren prefers Elsa's hair down and vice versa, but Maren will only let her hair loose when the two of them are alone

-they both ADORE each other's freckles

-LISTEN Elsa makes snow flurries whenever Maren gets her flustered. this isn't my original headcanon but I will die defending it. Maren finds it UNBELIEVABLY adorable

-Elsa loves taking Maren to Ahtohallan! all the time!! she especially prefers taking her at night so they can look at the stars on the way there and back; sometimes Elsa will use her powers to get them both to the top of the glacier for a better view

-Elsa is the one who swears more in this relationship. no I will not elaborate

-Maren doesn't let anyone call her Honey for short except Elsa, and even then Elsa doesn't use it often. only when she wants something because she knows it's Maren's weakness

-Elsa would be the one to propose. hear me out. she wouldn't be all grandiose about it; rather she'd probably do it quietly, unexpectedly, maybe while they're relaxing off to the side or late at night when they're the only two left by the fireside. then after, on their next visit to Arendelle, Elsa would let Anna know the news and Anna would promptly lose her SHIT

anyway at some point I'll probably reblog this and add more, but for now it's 2 am and I must sleep even if my head is full of gay thoughts. hope these made u happy!!

[the-dubious-salamander]

Well I finally wrote a fanfic. Don’t worry, it’s pretty cheesy. Have fun, don’t die along the way. 

You could probably guess what’s been on my mind these past few days. When head empty, only room for gay���. Enjoy Elsa being a flustered lesbian.

Elsa x Honeymaren (obviously) 

Forest Sounds

Rustling leaves. Singing birds. Whispering wind. 

Getting used to the forest wasn’t difficult. Everywhere that she walked presented her with something new: a squirrel looking for her acorns, a leaf resembling a heart, a tree that fell years ago. Even after a month, no enchantments were needed to bring Elsa the same wonder that met her the first time. 

There were no walls here to keep the world away. No windows to taunt her with passing days. No doors to isolate her from the ones whom she loved. 

Only freedom.

Freedom, and someone behind her. 

“Hi!” 

Ice erupted from the soles of Elsa’s feet as she let out an undignified squeak. Honeymaren laughed, and the ice queen felt her face grow hot. 

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” She chuckled, casting an amused glance at the layer of frost upon the fallen leaves. 

“N-no that’s alright! What are you doing out here?” Elsa stammered briefly in a botched attempt to compose herself. 

“Wondering the same thing of you. What are you up to, O mighty ice-witch?” That was a new one to add to Honeymaren’s ever-increasing list of nicknames for Elsa. 

“Just walking. It’s nothing very interesting.” The ice on the ground faded, and Elsa returned to her regal, yet gentle demeanor. 

Honeymaren smiled at her again, fixing Elsa with her deep, russet eyes. Eyes that looked at Elsa just so that she couldn’t hold the gaze for more than a beautiful moment. “You wouldn’t mind if I joined you, then?” 

Elsa forgot what composure was for a moment.

“Yes! I mean- no I don’t mind, feel free to come along.” She cleared her throat, hoping that her recently-found friend wouldn’t notice her stumbling over every second word. 

“Well, come on then.” Honeymaren laughed and strode confidently ahead, leaving Elsa frozen for a moment while she remembered how to walk. 

Was she going to behave like a bumbling idiot every time Honeymaren spoke? Judging by the past month, the answer to that was a decided yes. 

The first few days in the forest were fine, Elsa had had other things on her mind, Anna being at the forefront. Was she safe? Was she overwhelmed by her newfound responsibilities? What if she didn’t like being queen of Arendelle? Logically, Elsa knew that Anna was more than capable of fulfilling her role, likely even better than herself. But a nagging whisper in the back of Elsa’s mind cast doubt on such reason, and worry didn’t really leave her side. 

But the letters definitely helped. Gale was a quick messenger, so the two sisters were able to communicate practically without issue. Messages back and forth soothed Elsa’s fears, and reaffirmed that Anna was perfectly suited to succeed her as queen. 

With her qualms tamed, there was room in Elsa’s mind for other things. And the other things were trying to get her attention. 

“Elsa?” 

The former queen snapped out of her reflection with a start, naturally accompanied by more frost glittering on the dirt.

“Jumpy today, aren’t we? I was just asking if you’ve seen the pond yet.” Elsa felt her ears and cheeks redden at Honeymaren’s remark. Get it together. 

“I haven’t.”

“Ooh well then, let’s change that!” Honeymaren grabbed Elsa’s hand and began excitedly leading her through the woods, the latter stumbling and leaving a trail of ice in her wake. 

Seemingly quicker than the Nokk, the two young women halted before a small glittering pool. Honeymaren released Elsa’s quivering hand and knelt by the calm water, gesturing for Elsa to follow suit. She did so, but not before taking several deep breaths in a vain attempt to relax her idiocy. 

“I suppose it hardly qualifies as a pond, small as it is. But look.” Honeymaren pointed to the surface, clear as glass. Beneath the veil, movement could be seen. Small, ornate fish darted between the stems of the lily pads, disturbing a dormant salamander, who looked not unlike Bruni. The Bruni look-alike flew gracefully over a clutch of frog’s eggs, carefully nestled between the stones. “Funny how there is so much life in so tiny a place. This pool can’t be bigger than our camp.” Honeymaren’s voice was filled with her own wonder, which was mirrored in Elsa’s face as she gazed at the water. 

“The size of a home doesn’t always affect the inhabitants.” Elsa said, a wistful tone in her voice. 

“Are you sure, Elsa?” She didn’t look away from the pond, even while she felt Honeymaren’s eyes upon her. They both knew what she meant, and Elsa’s previous embarrassments were replaced by regret and longing. How low must she have been, to envy the childhood of a fish? 

“It doesn’t really matter now, does it? What’s past is past, and here… here I never have to feel the pain of shutting another door.” Frost rimmed the pond where Elsa sat, but now it was not influenced by Honeymaren. 

“I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have-”

“N-no, no! It’s really beautiful, and I wouldn’t want to spend my evening any other way.” It was a moment before Elsa realized what she had been implying. Her face and ears felt hot. Again. Honeymaren smiled at her, soft, caring, kind.

Moments passed in a soothing silence. 

“I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable… when I grabbed your hand, I mean.” Perhaps a trick of the fading light, but Elsa thought for a moment that Honeymaren was going a bit red herself. 

“A-ah, it’s really all right. I… didn’t mind…” Elsa’s voice dropped a little bit. At this point, she may as well have painted her face a bright crimson. That, or return to her ice palace to live out her days with Marshmallow and the Snowgies. 

“Maybe we should go somewhere else before you freeze the fish” The Northuldra woman laughed as Elsa gave an apologetic smile towards the ice that was gradually spreading across the pond. 

Not quite yet ready to return to the camp, the two... friends... found a mossy clearing. The sinking sun cast her light upon the flowers that clung to roots, turning the white petals to a glistening orange. 

They sat together, saying nothing, nothing needing to be said. They were aware of every sound. 

Rustling leaves. Singing birds. Whispering wind. 

Getting used to Honeymaren wasn’t difficult. Elsa hardly noticed how the Northuldra girl had been carefully inching closer to her. At least, she hardly noticed until their legs brushed together. At the sight of frost lining the leaves once more, Honeymaren moved away with a hushed apology. 

More silence. Though this time, words were trying to be spoken. 

“May I?” Honeymaren meekly held out her hands in front of her, catching Elsa’s eyes. And Elsa’s eyes caught back. Electric, ice-blue eyes, melting into the warm, dark sea’s gaze. Elsa extended her hands to meet Honeymaren’s. Soft, comforting, forgiving. Both faces were warm, but neither woman minded. Elsa couldn’t stop the childish giggle that escaped her. 

“Hey,” Honeymaren whispered with a voice akin to her name. “Your hands are really cold.” 

“Ah- s-sorry.” She didn’t stop holding them. 

“It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me.” A similar childish joy in her voice as well. 

The last traces of the sun’s light began to dim, yielding to the gentle presence of the stars. Thirteen years of isolation, to finally know love. First from Anna, who would never dream of leaving her alone again. Then from Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven, loyal and constant. And now, maybe... maybe from Honeymaren, who gave her a place to belong. 

“Honeymaren…”

“Hm?”

“Close your eyes.” 

The Northuldra girl’s lips were soft and loving, returning all of the affection that was given to them, and more. 

A light snow drifted to the ground.

Rustling leaves. Singing birds. Whispering wind. 

Getting used to her love wasn’t difficult.

[vannminner]

Here’s a frohana pronto if your up for it!: Elsas terrified to come out to Anna so maybe Kris and Honey help her finally come out to Anna?

-

“I have something I need to tell you.” 

Elsa’s hands were wrung at her waist. She was pacing the small carpet in front of Anna’s desk, her eyes wavering in every which direction. 

“Maybe you should sit.” Elsa suggested. 

Anna’s gentle laugher had her turning her head. Elsa looked to her, cheeks darkening as she thought back on her words. 

“You’re already sitting...” Her hand pulled to her head. “Perhaps I should sit, then?”

Elsa did. She fell into the chair across from her sister with her legs drawn in tight against her chest. 

“Elsa, what is this about?” Anna leaned forward, elbows to the desk. 

Her expression was all knowing. Lips turned upward, and her eyes curled with humor. Seeing her sister so uncharacteristically flustered was a sight for certain, but Anna also knew better than to instigate it. 

“I- I have something I need to tell you, and it may come as a bit of a shock, but I need you to hear me out and-”

“You’re dating Honeymaren.” Anna interjected. 

Elsa’s back pulled straight into the chair. Her jaw dropped suddenly before her teeth quickly clenched together. “What- no, wait! How do you know?”

Anna was laughing again. Her head shook slightly, back and forth. “Well, I already knew when Honeymaren told me, and I knew again when Kristoff tried. I’m not oblivious, you know?”

“Honeymaren? Kristoff- I don’t understand...” Elsa stammered through her words. 

“Oh, Elsa. They, you.... no one had to tell me anything. I could see it with my own two eyes, what was happening to you.”

Brows fluctuating between high and low, Elsa’s shoulders tucked into her ears. “Happening to me?” 

Anna smiled. “You love Honeymaren.”

“I-” Her blush faded from her cheeks. “I never said that.” 

“You didn’t have to. I can see it when you smile at her, or when you tell me about the day you’ve just spent together. I know you, Elsa, and I can see how you feel about her.”

Stuck somewhere between relieved and angered, Elsa’s hands turned to fists. “-but Honeymaren, Kristoff? They came to you?” 

Slowly, Anna stood from the desk. She crossed around its backside until she was standing at her sister’s front. Taking Elsa’s hands in hers, Anna moved onto her knees. 

“Honeymaren wanted my blessing, and Kristoff was only looking to help. We all saw you struggling with this, Elsa. I wanted to come to you sooner, but I knew this was something you had to do on your own.”

Elsa struggled to hold Anna’s stare. Her blush returned full force. “I don’t know why it has been so hard for me to tell you this...”

“Well,” Anna sang. “-historically speaking, our family doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to blessings and dating. Lucky for you, though, I don’t have Fifth Spirit magical ice powers that spontaneously erupt and take down castle walls.”

Lowering her eyes, Elsa glared. “I never took down any walls.”

“Really?” Anna teased. “I still have a tarp over a five foot gap in the dungeon that says otherwise.”

Elsa laughed. “Touche.”

She dropped her gaze to their conjoined hands, marveling at their similarities, and their differences. 

“So, you’re really not mad at me?”Elsa finally asked. 

Anna leaned forward over Elsa’s feet. Her eyes found her sister’s, and she grinned. 

“Elsa, you found love. Why would that upset me? Love is special. It is something to be celebrated. I could never be mad at you for finding true happiness with someone. Besides, I expect you know this already, but your love identification skills are much more honed than mine were. I trust you, Elsa, and I give you both my blessing.”

Tears pooled beneath the lids of Elsa’s eyes. She blinked, stalling them, and reeled in a deep breath. 

“Thank you, Anna.” she whispered. “Thank you for trusting me.” 

“Any, and every time.”

Anna came to sit against the armrest of her sister’s chair. Her hands tucked in at Elsa’s shoulder and she drew her into a tight hug. 

“I love you, Elsa, more than anyone or anything. Don’t you forget that, okay?”

Allowing her head to rest against Anna’s, Elsa nodded into her hair. “I won’t. I promise.”

“-because, like this, and as with everything else we find ourselves apart of, we do it together.”

Elsa smiled. Her arms circled Anna’s waist and she returned her hug.

“I love you, too, Anna- more than anyone or anything.”

-

Cheers, 

-M.

[swimmingnewsie]

Of Coffee and Cookies- Chapter 17

Link to AO3 

---

“Come on, slowpokes! We’re going to be late!”

Elsa couldn’t help but laugh as her little sister rushed ahead, running and tumbling through the streets. Though admittedly it still made Elsa nervous, parkour was an active part of Anna's life now- a part that made Anna happier than she had in months. The pure joy on Anna’s face as she swung around on dubiously strong light fixtures was worth the minor scrapes and bruises she helped fix up at the end of the day.

“Oh no you don’t!”

She shook her head as both Kristoff and Ryder ran ahead as well. They had gotten so competitive in the wake of Anna’s newfound strength, always wanting to race when given the opportunity. It left some sense of normalcy that had been gone for the longest while. But unlike her companions, she felt no reason to rush. Softball had nine innings after all; it was okay to take her time.The warm spring sun felt perfect on her face, a light breeze bringing her peace and clarity of mind.

As April turned to May, the weather wasn’t the only thing that was improving. After her night in the emergency room, things changed quickly for Elsa. Berkeley Behavioral Health had ordered a genetic test for her, one that tested the compatibility of antidepressants with her body. And after years of the wrong medication, Elsa finally had something that worked. Between that and exercise and the increased sessions with her therapist, the highs felt good again and the lows weren’t as scary. It was incredible what just a few small changes made.

She felt better than she had in years.

She could work again. Her responsibilities were still stressful; her students still emailed her at two in the morning over their exam results or advice for their papers; her dissertation was still a mess. But the mess was manageable now. Nights that might have otherwise been lost to crying and sleeplessness had turned into only an hour or two of distress. The chains on her mind had loosened, not broken, but there was space to breathe again. Space for fun. Space for life. And to her greatest joy, space for Honeymaren, who had been by her side the whole time, even when things were tiring or frustrating or upsetting.

Elsa could finally repay her for the previous months in gentle kisses and sweet love. She could be there for all the little moments they had missed before: rubbing soft circles in her back as she lamented the awful PTA meetings she was forced to attend; holding her as she told her about the awful phones calls she had to make that day; smiling as her love got excited over a lacrosse match. Or in this moment, getting to watch the middle school softball team she had heard so much about at night.

The sound of a ball clinking against a bat drew her attention from her thoughts. The faint sound of cheering followed, unconsciously quickening Elsa’s steps towards the small field.

The stands were relatively empty, not that Elsa truly expected much different. It was a sixth grade softball game in the middle of Thursday afternoon; parents were the target demographic. But even for the light crowd, the kids in the dugout certainly filled the field with energy and excitement.

Well at least the kids on the opposite team. Maren’s girls for the most part, bless their hearts, were terrified of the ball. And being a home game, it would take a while to get past the top of the inning.

“Come on, Janie! You can do it! Strike them out!” Maren cheered enthusiastically from the side. Elsa couldn’t help but blush; Maren looked good in her coaching uniform, highlighting more than her authoritative attitude. She couldn’t help but stare at her-

“Quit gawking at your girlfriend! There’s baseball happening here!” Anna shouted from above her.

Elsa laughed, racing up the bleachers to her sister. “You stinker!” she teased, tussling her sister’s hair. “I’ll get you back for that.”

Anna laughed in return. "I'm not the one eye-fucking my girlfriend at a children's sporting event."

"Anna, language!" she jabbed before any of the parents could do the same.

Anna rolled her eyes before looking at Kristoff and Ryder. "Am I wrong?"

Ryder shook his head laughing. "Sorry, sis. I'm asexual as they come and even I can tell that's what you were thinking."

"You've never been exactly subtle, Els," Kristoff chuckled, only causing Elsa to blush more heavily.

Elsa glared at him. It was good natured, but she would kill for the teasing to end."Hush up and watch the game."

"As you wish, your majesty."

---

"Eye on the ball doesn't mean it's gonna hit you! You can do it, Megs!" Ryder shouted from the stands.

Even he had to admit, this year's team wasn't the easiest to cheer for. The girls were quite timid and afraid, especially of the spherical object that ran the game. But, dutiful brother and occasional waterboy, he would cheer them on day in and day out. Even if they hadn't scored in four games.

"I'm sorry, Coach's Brother!" A dejected preteen shouted back after striking out.

"It's okay, kid! You'll get it next time!"

Ryder sat back down, resting between two bleachers. The innings were moving slowly, but at least they were moving. He looked to the field changing and then to his friends around him. Maren was high-fiving her students, making any attempt to bring their spirits up. Elsa on the other hand was still eyeing his sister, with Anna not so slyly taking embarrassing pictures. And then there was Kris.

Kris was engrossed in something, flustered by something on his phone. It was cute, the way that he bit his lip and scrunched his brow. "You know the baseball's up here," he teased, poking his ex-boyfriend on the shoulder.

“Sorry,” Kris sighed, putting his phone down. “Guess I’m a bit distracted is all.”

Ryder huffed, looking back at their friends. “Seems you aren’t the only one. But I think I’m better to help you than them, don’t you think?”

“Maybe.” He stretched his back, smiling at the satisfying crack. “Just looking at jobs, but I- I feel conflicted.”

“What over, find something better than baristaing?” Ryder teased lightly. “You’ve been applying for weeks, did you get a hit somewhere?”

“Sort of.” Kris ran a hand through his hair, his eyes looking around. “They’re offering me a promotion at Mermaid’s. They want me to be the assistant store manager. They want to train me to run the whole damn thing.”

Ryder couldn’t help but smile. The promotion would mean the world to Kris. He would be able to fix up his car properly and finally have a regular schedule and probably so many other things. “That’s amazing, dude! That’s so exciting! Why are you excited?”

“I- I don’t know,” he said, nervously picking at some grout in the bleacher. “I would have to take some more classes and certification. More food safety and even some management and marketing classes at the community college. But- I don’t know. Weeks ago I was so desperate to get out of there and now they’re offering this position and it feels almost like a betrayal to me? I don’t know it’s stupid,” he shrugged.

“It’s not stupid, man. It’s a big decision. And it’s not one you have to make right now.” He gave Kris a pat on the back, turning to get up. “You know what will make this better?”

“Yeah, and what’s that?” he asked, with that dumb little teasing sound to his voice.

“Nachos,” he said point blank. “I’ll be right back.”

He headed straight down to the small concession stand. He tried to be as fast as possible, but perhaps he was a little too fast when-

“Shit, not again! I’m so so sorry. Are you okay?” A young woman with bright multicolored hair ran into him, sending his food falling. “Oh no, I’m so sorry. Let me get you a new one? Please?”

“Um, I’m okay. Are you okay?” he asked, brushing the last of his chips off of his shirt, a bit baffled by what happened. “You don’t have to, it’s not a big deal.” If he was being perfectly honest, he wasn’t sure who had run into who.

“No, no please I insist,” she said, helping to brush off a few crumbs. “I’m Gale,”

“Ryder,” he said, starting back to the stand. He was finally able to get a good look at her- no them. He noticed a pronoun button, pinned proudly on a t-shirt for the middle school. “One of your kids go here? I’ve been around for a while, but I can’t say I recognize you.”

“My nephew,” they said before turning and ordering. “I think he has a crush on one of the girls on the team. He certainly has a sudden interest in baseball, that’s for sure. But who am I to object? I’ve always wanted to share it with him. Glad I finally can.”

Ryder smiled. “That’s sweet. Some of my favorite memories were of my dad taking me and my little sister out to play. Definitely something worth passing-”

“Gale!”

Anna was shouting up from the bleachers. How the hell did Anna know them?

“Hey! How’s my favorite barista?” they laughed as Anna started to come down. “I was just going to text you! What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“I get off at 10:30. Pre-closer, so hopefully I’ll be out on time. What’s up?” she said, dusting herself off. “Ryder, this is my friend Gale. I met them at my parkour class.”

Ryder nodded, grabbing the food that was set out. “So this is that Gale? Nice to finally meet you.”

Gale blushed. “Talking about me?” they teased. “Hopefully good things.”

“All good things,” Anna said rolling her eyes. “Like how badass you are, how you always manage to beat me in a race,all sorts of good things.”

They laughed. “Well I’m flattered. Well I was going to text you and ask if you would want to come out with me to Oaken’s tomorrow night? They’re doing a fundraiser for some high school’s GSA. Karaoke and drink profit goes to the school. What do you say?”

“How did a high school manage to run a fundraiser through a gay bar?” she asked with a small laugh. Ryder nodded; he was thinking the same thing.

“I think the owner’s kid goes there,” they shrugged. “Nevermind that, what do you think?”

Anna pondered it for a second. “What do you think, Ryder?”

HIs eyes widened. Was she trying to get them together? What was her goal here? “I mean it sounds like fun. You should go.”

“Think I would be fine bringing some others?” she asked.

Gale nodded enthusiastically. “More the merrier. It’s for a good cause.”

“Perfect! Ryder, you tell Kris and I’ll tell Elsa?” She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before running off. “This’ll be fantastic.”

Ryder stood in shock for a second. “Um, sorry about that. Anna has a bit of a habit of-”

“Meddling?” they laughed. “I know. She kept trying to set me up on dates until I told her I was aroace.”

He didn’t think his eyes could get any wider. That’s why Anna was asking what he thought. “I- I’ve never- I’ve never,”

They tossed some of their hair back. “It’s okay. A lot of people don’t understand. Don’t worry.:

“No, no,” he said, putting a hand out as if to catch himself from stumbling over his words. “It’s just- I just realized it myself a couple of months ago. I haven’t met someone- not in real life at least- someone like me.”

Gale smiled. “Well Ryder, I will happily be your first triple-A friend: asexual, aromantic, agender.”

Ryder smiled back at them. “Thanks.”

“Come on, we’ve got some softball to watch.”

---

“Elsa, come on. You are not going to a gay bar in your professor clothes.”

Elsa tilted her head at Honeymaren. “What do you mean? I look good.”

“You look professional,” Maren said, wrapping her arms around her waist. She leaned her head into the crook of Elsa’s neck. “Besides, how am I going to dance with you if you wear that stiff shirt?”

Elsa laughed a little bit as Maren nibbled at her ear with a kiss. “You seem to be doing just fine right now.”

“Mmmmm,” she moaned softly. “Perhaps, but you’ll get hot so quick in that.”

“Oh, you’re worried about me being hot?” Elsa teased, reaching back to touch Maren’s hips. “Then what do you think I should wear, Oh Great Firemistress?”

“You are such a dork,” she said, sneaking one last kiss. Maren searched through her girlfriend’s closet, working past her usual work clothes. “What about this? I’ve never seen you wear it?”

“Never the occasion. A navy sundress isn’t exactly lab attire?”

“Hmmm, well good thing we aren’t going to the lab,” Maren smiled mischievously. “For me?”

“Well,” Elsa smiled, tapping on her chin. “Only if you help me take this off?” she teased.

“Oh, that I can absolutely do.”

---

Kristoff paced nervously in the living room. He hadn’t been out in a while, much less going out with his ex-boyfriend and their group of friends. But this would be fun right?

“How long does it take to get dressed to go out? Elsa is a stickler for time,” Anna sighed sitting down on the ground, her back against the couch.

“Well I don’t know if you noticed, but my sister is also in there with your sister. We could be waiting a while,” Ryder teased, handing her a controller. “Might as well play.”

“Uck-” Anna said, taking the offered controller. “Don’t make me think about the fact our sisters might be boning while we’re home.”

“Hey, I don’t like it either! Why do you think I put on Mario Kart?”

Kristoff smiled. Even after all this time, Ryder made his heart flutter. He shook his head and pushed it aside. He couldn’t act on it. It wasn’t right. “You know we could just go bug them to hurry up?”

“And risk burning my eyes out? Fat chance,” he laughed. “You want in next round, Kris?”

“Sure, I’ll play winner.”

Maybe going out wouldn’t be so bad. He could let loose of it all, be whoever he wanted for a night. It would be good. It had to be.

---

Anna didn’t know what to expect when they arrived, but it certainly wasn’t the dance club they arrived at. She hadn’t heard much about it other than seeing it on the news when it first opened, but Anna hadn’t been much for clubbing when she had first come to the city. It was everything the old Anna would have loved: loud music, a large dance floor, and plenty of people.

She fiddled nervously with the bands on her wrist. She had to admit, the club was pretty clever. There were a set of bands for the gender you identified as and a second set for what you were looking for. It had always been a passive thing, something she and Elsa had talked about, but she never brought it out in public. She had been too vulnerable after Hans to try and deal with it. But wearing the bisexual bracelet made it real, powerful. She could be her true self with no limits.

The music blared an old pop song she couldn’t but dance to. She smiled, letting herself move freely towards the bar where Kristoff was sitting alone. “What are you doing here by yourself?” she asked with a little more gusto than normal. “You’re at a dance club, and you aren’t dancing!”

“I don’t have that kinda rhythm,” he laughed, sipping on his whiskey. “Go, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Now,” she laughed, a bit giddy. “Come on, the song is called “Shut Up and Dance” not “Sit Down and Drink.””

Kristoff shook his head, downing the last of his drink. “You’re drunk.”

“Maybe...” she slurred. Her mind did feel a bit foggy, but it was a good fog. A happy fog. A fog she wanted to share with Kristoff. “Come on, please?”

Much to her delight, he joined her in dancing. Neither were particularly good, but they didn’t have to be. She danced against him, her back to his chest and breathing in his scent. Normally the musk of sweat and alcohol would have turned her away, but she found herself wanting to draw closer.

“Having fun?” he asked as her movements slowed. Her limbs were tired, and she just wanted to hold onto his warm embrace.

“The best,” she said, breathless. “The best because you’re here and it’s fun and it’s really really nice.”

She felt his chest shudder, but decided to ignore it. “Best because I’m here?”

“Mhm,” she nodded. “I know you’re sad about Ryder still, but you came and are having fun.” Her eyes opened wildly, gaze unfocused. “You are having fun aren’t you? I’m sorry. I’m so awkward. I’ll shut up and-”

“No, no,” he gave a small laugh that made her whole chest feel like it was about ready to burst. “Just not what I thought you would say.”

Her body relaxed again against him. “I’m glad you’re having fun,” she said, her eyes getting tired.

“You wanna sit down for a bit? Have some water?” He was holding onto her hand, leading her off the floor. She nodded slowly, letting him lead her to a chair. “There we go. I’ll be right back.”

“Thanks, Kris. Love you.”

She didn’t watch as he walked away, didn’t notice or care how he reacted. She was happy and warm and a little drunk. Everything else could be taken care of in the morning. But for now, she would live in this one perfect moment.

[justlookatthosesausages]

‘Emergence’ - an interactive fanfic

=======

CHAPTER 4

=======

“Odd feelings when you’re around Honeymaren, uh?”

Elsa fidgeted with the sewing of the cushion, not looking up. 

“Yes.” She simply muttered, blushing. 

“Elsa. Come on. Have you considered that maybe it was... More than just friendship?”

“But... We’ve known each other for several months only...”

“For almost a year”, specified Anna, chuckling. “Sis, this is absolutely normal.” 

Elsa looked up, still holding the cushion against her. She had a pout that was a mix of confusion and emotion, and Anna found it adorable. 

“Look at you.” Laughed Anna. “You don’t even know what to think.”

The blonde grumbled. “I know very well what I think. My thoughts are very clear.” She groaned and planted her head in the cushion. “...And this is exactly the problem.” 

Anna laughed in a light way, as she did for the passed hour. 

“Why are you laughing so much?” Pouted Elsa, finally lifting her face and looking at her. 

The redhead had her chin against her palm, her elbow on the arm of the seat, smiling widely at Elsa’s fluster. “Because you’re super cute. I haven’t seen you blush like that in a long while.” 

“Don’t mock me.” Muttered Elsa, playing with the sewing of the cushion again. 

“Okay, I stop. I didn’t want to upset you. It’s just... Gosh, was I in that state in the first months with Kristoff?” 

Elsa finally smiled. “Probably. I can’t imagine how I look like, but... You were pretty much starstruck.”

“That’s the word. See? You’re starstruck.” Pointed Anna, who always loved the romantic terms. 

The Fifth Spirit clenched the cushion harder, and moaned. “I don’t knowwww... I have to think about it.”

“You think too much.” Reminded Anna, for this was a fact they both knew. 

She noticed how obsessed Elsa was about the topic given her body language, and rose up from her seat. “Come on. Let’s go to the village. It’ll change your mind.”

Slowly, Elsa put the cushion aside. Anna grabbed her arm to make her speed up. 

“Wh-ANNA!” Exclaimed the blonde, shaken from her daydream. 

“You have to see the changes we made in some streets. The Northuldra camp changed? Well, here too!” 

They ran in the corridors.

“Change is great.” Smiled Elsa after a while, convinced thanks to Anna’s contagious enthusiasm. 

“Change is great.” Winked Anna.

=======

The sun had set over the Forest, and the embers of the fire camp only shone in a fainted light.

“You seem exhausted”, smiled Honeymaren.

Elsa rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, Anna wanted to play charades last night to catch up on all the weeks I couldn’t come. And we did round after round after round... We went to bed at like, 3 in the morning.” Chuckled the blonde. “It was a lot of fun. But now I’m weary.”

Honeymaren laughed at the choice of vocabulary. Elsa still had such royal manners, in her way of acting and talking. She patted their travel bags to make them comfortable to lay on against the tree. 

“You shouldn’t have ridden Nokk this morning. You barely slept.”

“I’m good”, said Elsa with a wave of the hand. She however laid down next to Honeymaren, and looked like she was five seconds away from sleeping. “I didn’t want to miss this trip with you. Exploration is important.”

“And I missed you.” Smiled Honeymaren, looking at her. 

“What?” Mumbled Elsa. 

“Nothing.”

She noticed how the Fifth Spirit was getting more and more sleepy every passing second. “You know that I can see your eyelids getting heavy, right? You should sleep.”

“But I want to stay awake to keep talking with you”, muttered the blonde. 

“We have all day tomorrow. And many days afterwards, given how long our trip will be.” 

“Okay, but I’m just gonna… Rest my eyes for now…” Said Elsa, her voice drowsy.

She blinked slowly and softly slumbered to sleep, tilting on the bag.

Honeymaren shook her head. “Sleep well, you ethereal dork.”

=======

Elsa squinted at the sudden light. She looked around, confused, even though she knew exactly where she was standing: the memory room of Ahtohallan.

It had come into her dreams again. But this time, Elsa could feel it, she was fully asleep. She shared a mental connection with the magical source; she had discovered during the past months, and it still surprised her just as much as it fascinated her. Only her mind was there - her spirit, she even thought, not missing another occasion to think of a pun - and it was an odd sensation.

Elsa looked around, trying to see what memory Ahtohallan had picked this time. And when she recognized it, her heart fell in her chest.

“Oh no. Really?” She muttered.

There was a wall, being a crucial part of the memory. And a door. Obviously closed. And there was a girl, curled on herself, holding her folded legs against her chest, her head buried in her knees.

Ironically, the ice that composed the memory brilliantly highlighted the giant snowflake pattern that was traced on the door and starting from the back of the girl.

With trembling lips, Elsa stepped to the person, and noticed how their shoulders were shaken by silent sobs. Elsa sighed.

“Why, Ahtohallan?” She asked, out loud.

She looked up and around with a frown.

“WHY?!” She asked, louder.

But her voice only echoed in the chamber and the limits of her dream, and she bit her lip as she looked down, clenching her fists.

The fists that were facing them, however, were closely concealed, almost invisible given how much the girl was hiding them in her curl. And not an inch of skin was visible.

“To think that the gloves actually never were useful…” Murmured Elsa.

She surprised herself. She wouldn’t have thought that her first words when facing this specific memory would be those.

She knew exactly when this scene had happened. For this was a memory of hers. And, noted the Fifth Spirit, it was a memory happening at the exact same time than the one of Anna’s where she attended the funeral. Any minute now, her sister would knock to the door, begging her to open it once again, and slide in sorrow against the cold wood, in every meaning of the term.

The statue of young Elsa sobbed on the floor of the bedroom, and she gently kneeled, as if she was afraid of scaring her. Memories felt so real when it hit right home.

She hesitated at first, but slowly put her hand on her own, young, pained, shoulder. She knew it wouldn’t help. She knew it wouldn’t change anything. But she wanted to.

“This is going to be okay. Everything will get better. Your future will be alright.” Said Elsa.

Her voice was strong, because determined, but also soft, and warm, and maternal.

“I promise you it will.”

And then she melted into tears.

She sobbed for several minutes, in the cruelest of silences, only interrupted by the crystalline sound of her other self also sobbing.

Elsa wiped her tears, and put her second hand on the other shoulder. She would have wanted her younger self to lift her chin, to stare at her, but she knew that back at that time, nothing would make her look up.

The most natural need that came to Elsa’s mind was to tackle the statue in a warm hug. So she did. She wrapped her arms around her and clenched them tight, her eyes close and mouth shut. She felt it in her core.

Maybe it just was her imagination, but it seemed to help. Both of them.

When Elsa opened her eyes, she wasn’t in Ahtohallan anymore. She had opened her eyes in the forest, and she saw the leaves and the trees above her head. She sat up, rubbed her tears from her face, and noticed that the day was about to rise. A few hours had passed.

Next to her, Honeymaren was asleep on the ground, also using her bag as a pillow. Elsa looked around, took a deep breath and stood up.

She needed to take a walk. And to write a letter.

=======

"Morning, Gale.” Said Anna without lifting her eyes from the early paperwork. 

The wind spirit twirled as a hello, forming itself with floating grass. Anna liked that she could tell how the weather was like in the Forest based on what the spirit had picked up from the ground and trees. Some of the blades of grass were covered with morning dew, and it brought a delightful perfume in the study. 

Anna sniffed the air with a smile. “It smells nice. What brings you so early? You spirits have such ease to wake up in the morning. It took me a full hour to get out of bed.” 

Kristoff had given up on waiting for her and left her a kiss on the forehead before going to work, ice harvesting on the top mountains. 

Gale flew around the room before depositing a letter on the stack of paperwork next to Anna. 

“A letter? From Elsa?” She asked, recognizing the elements symbol that Elsa usually made with ice and affixed on the back of it to seal it. 

Anna put her quill back in the ink well, and smiled at how her sister and her had different ways to craft letters. She always folded hers into cute or funny shapes, whereas Elsa’s were always neat and proper, even if she was living in the woods. It told a lot about their personalities. 

After thanking Gale, and letting them go by the window, Anna opened the letter and frowned with amusement at Elsa’s handwriting. 

“She wrote while walking?” Wondered the Queen out loud. 

With the passing year, Anna had become an expert in guessing in which condition her elder wrote her letters. Elsa had a very curved and tidy handwriting, so it was easy to know when she was writing the letters horizontally on her lap, or vertically by leaning against a tree. She could also tell if she was riding Nokk as she wrote because of how jerky the letters were, despite her efforts to focus and the ice plaque she would use as a support. And here, Anna could tell by the slight move of the letters, that Elsa had been walking and writing at the same time. 

“I bet you were pacing around as you did...” Muttered Anna. 

Shen then read the letter out loud. Both sisters often did so, because it felt like the other was standing right next to them. 

‘Anna, I got another vision from Ahtohallan last night. This time, it was one of my memories. Also from the day of the funeral, however from my point of view this time. Don’t worry, I’m alright.   We said that we would tell each other everything, so I do, but to be honest I still truly don’t understand why I received this vision. And why both memories were from that day. It can’t be a coincidence that two consecutive flashes of Ahtohallan are simultaneous moments. I’ll probably meditate later in the day to further understand. Maybe I’ll get another vision.  Have a beautiful day I love you Elsa’ 

Anna let out a sigh and let her spine fall on the back of her chair. Her fingers passed along the fresh paper as her mind thought a thousand thoughts. What was Ahtohallan playing at? If it even had a sense of humor? Was it humor? Was it tricking with Elsa? Her elder had told her that only mutual respect resided between them. So why? 

The redhead tapped her fingers on her desk. All she wanted was for Elsa to be happy. As she delicately folded the letter and put it aside to store into her box later with all of Elsa’s letters, she hoped that it wasn’t getting too much on her mind.

=======

Mattias chuckled softly, with respect, as Anna ended her long summary of the situation.

“Isn’t it her duty? And quite literally her job? To study the memories?”

Anna groaned and massaged the top of her nose. “Yes. That’s why she got gifted with ice magic at birth in the first place. But still! I’d like her to not be able to see those statues sometimes. It’s gonna drive her crazy. And she should fully enjoy her trip with Honeymaren, not interrupt herself to literally think about the past!”

“I’m certain that she can analyze them and find the reason why Ahtohallan picked those memories without losing her mind to it.” Smiled Mattias reassuringly. “She gained that knowledge and mastering, you know it.”

Anna pouted, turning to him as she was leaned on the stone railing of the harbor. “Why are you so right? And wise? Sometimes it’s a pain.”

“I do believe that it’s why you made me your counselor, Your Majesty.”

Anna’s pout turned into a soft smile. “Yes.”

Mattias winked, but still kept his stiffened posture, his hands in his back. He noticed that Anna groaned at bit as she massaged the back of her neck.

“You’re still hurt?”

“I’m fine”, assured Anna.

The general coughed lightly. “It’s not too late to cancel today’s meeting, you know.”

The redhead waved at him to dismiss the idea. “Keep positive. It’s gonna be alright.”

She stepped closer. “How’s my eye? Does it look bad?”

Mattias bent his head to inspect her in every angle, imagining the view of diplomats. “Hmmm… I think you’re good.”

“You hesitated.” Snorted Anna.

He frowned. “No, I didn’t. I was just–”

“I’m just kidding. It’s a private joke.”

“Oh.”

He wondered what she meant by ‘private joke’.

“HEY!” Yelled someone, and it was so loud and coming out of nowhere that Mattias and Anna frowned before turning around.

A man approached the part of the harbor they were walking in, and Anna instantly recognized him as one of the men she had knocked down at the pub.

“You!! I haven’t forgotten. You thought I’d be as drunk and amnesic as my friends, but I’m NOT! I know what you did and I WILL get my revenge.”

Anna lifted an eyebrow, surprised by his courage but unimpressed anyway. He suddenly dashed forward, genuinely wanting to either punch or strangle her, and Arendelle guards instantly ran in between them, blocking his way with their shields.

It was a good thing that Anna always was surrounded by soldiers when she was out of the castle. Nevertheless, they didn’t even need to take their swords out. The man stopped right in his tracks, grumbling.

“Hiding behind your personal guard, uh?”

“I don’t need to hide from you or to be protected”, puffed Anna, stepping forward. “You don’t scare me.”

The guards holding the man away turned around a bit at her sentence. Mattias signed to Anna with a warning hand near her arm.

“Your Majesty, it would be imprudent to let him go through.” He advised in a whisper.

Anna kept her eyes on the brute, who was still frowning and fulminating. One of the guards felt offended for his Queen when he muttered a swear towards her, clearly readable on her lips. The soldier had to restrain himself to not take his sword out right then and slice his face, and Anna realized that defending the honor of others apparently was something common in Arendelle. She smiled at that, and balled her fist in pride. She still had some bruises on it, and was willing to make her knuckles bleed again if needed.

“I don’t regret anything of what happened that night.” Stated Anna, her voice strong and confident, clear for him to hear from where he was. The bystanders’ gazes switched from her to the man.

The redhead stepped forward again, in a poised slow pace. “You disrespected your former Queen, and deserved to be corrected.”

“I only said the truth.” Spit the man. “And is that a way you listen to your people’s opinions, my Queen??” He blurted, accusing her.

Anna frowned and accelerated her pace. Mattias grabbed her arm to prevent her from going further. “Your Majesty, no.”

“Is that the way you treat people who disagree with you? By PUNCHING them?” Jolted the man, despite being hold by the soldiers’ shields.

He had raised his voice to take the villagers as witnesses. Some exchanged whispers, trying to understand what was going on. Anna’s mouth twisted.

“Disagreeing? You openly accused her of decisions and acts she never committed. Elsa did not abandon you, and you know that.”

Mattias could feel the way Anna’s muscles had just tensed under his hand.

“You all know that!” Said Anna, rising her voice as well to talk to the villagers.

“Peh. This is all sweet talk. She deserted and abdicated anyway, like the coward she is!” He groaned.

That was the trigger for Anna. Never would she let anyone call Elsa a coward.

She was strong enough to get out of Mattias’ hands, but he quickly ran to place himself in front of her, and faced his monarch.

“Anna. Don’t.”

The redhead blinked of surprise at the sudden use of her first name. Not that she didn’t like it - after all, Mattias and her had met each other in less formal ways, and she didn’t mind that he called her Anna - but he rarely did, and at his expression, she knew that it was because he got worried.

She looked at him, and they stared at each other for a moment, then she exhaled and sighed. “Alright”, she whispered. He was wiser than her for impetuous behaviors.

His shoulders slumped in relief, and he indicated her accompany him back to the castle. She did, and they walked along the harbor.

“Can I at least punch him in the arm? Just the arm.” She joked.

Mattias snorted. “No. Go on, we need to prepare the meeting anyway.”

“DON’T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!” Yelled the man.

Anna turned around, gave a sign to the soldiers, and they nodded before pushing him away.

“Sir, I’ll ask you to leave or we lock you in jail for direct aggression to the Queen.”

“Direct aggression to the–”, he repeated. “But she’s not even the Queen! She got Queen by default!”

“Sir, this is your last warning”, frowned another guard.

The man spit on his uniform. The closest people in the crowd gasped.

“You’re just a bootlicker. Go eat a d–”

“Yes, that’s enough.” Interrupted the soldier, and they all grabbed his arms to walk him to the jail.

As Anna entered the castle’s walls, she gave a quick glance behind, and saw the Arendelle guards violently taking him away.

She sighed, and lowered her eyes.

=======

“Are you certain that it’s that way?” Asked Elsa. 

Honeymaren put her hands on her hips, pretending to be offended. “What, you doubt of my sense of direction?”

Elsa smirked, feeling her sarcasm. “Well, you said you guided yourself with the stars. But you only saw an actual sky for less than a year, no?”

Her friend bumped her in the arm. “Don’t be mean! And there were stars during the fog. We just didn’t see the day sky.”

She twirled her staff, and used it as she walked forward. “Trust me. We’re going in the right direction.”

Elsa crossed her arms with a mocking expression. “Oh yeah? Then why are you heading East?”

Honeymaren frowned. “I’m not--” She interrupted herself, checking her compass. She did it discreetly, just in case she was wrong. She was. “Yeah, okay, I maybe shouldn’t have turned left at the last path... Wait, how can you know we’re heading East?”

Elsa smiled, pointing at the sky, or rather the air in general. “I can feel where the North is.” 

The Sami woman puffed. “What, at all times?”

The blonde nodded. “Yes. It’s like... How can I describe it... Like I’m magnetized to it. I just can tell where it is. Permanently.” 

Honeymaren thought she was joking, and was about to laugh, then realized that Elsa was serious. “Oh. Really? So... You’re a compass by yourself, then?”

Elsa wanted to reply, but froze in her move with her mouth open when she noticed that she actually was right. “I... Yeah, I suppose. I never thought of it that way.” 

The brunette discarded her compass in her pocket. “Alright. Where are we heading, compass spirit?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Direction spirit?”

“Stop.”

“Map spirit.”

“Honey!”

The woman stopped talking, and they both froze. A blank floated in the air. 

“-maren.” Forced to finished Elsa, blushing furiously. 

Honeymaren blushed herself, and it took her a while to put words in her brain correctly to reply. 

“What did you-”

“I just gave you a short name. It’s just a shorter version of your name. It’s no big deal. I just said the beginning of your name. I still called you by your name.”

That sounded way too defensive and fast from Elsa’s tone, and Honeymaren stared at her in confusion. 

“...Okay.”

“We do it all the time. In Arendelle. Of course, you surely do it as well here. Among the Northuldra.” Blabbered Elsa, blushing more and more, and waving her hands around, much to Honeymaren’s amusement. “It’s a very common thing. It’s like when Anna calls Kristoff ‘Kris’. Wait, not like when Anna calls Kristoff...”

She sighed and buried her face in her hands. 

“Forget everything that I said.” She mumbled, her voice masked by her hands. 

Elsa was so ashamed that she wanted the ground to swallow her, or to run away and hide in an ice cave. 

“It’s okay.” Smiled Honeymaren. “It’s just a short name.” She added, imitating Elsa’s voice. 

The blonde groaned in her hands, and slid them to look at her above her fingers. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You did nothing wrong.” Giggled Honeymaren.

“I’m just really tired...” Mumbled Elsa. 

Honeymaren put a hand on her shoulder. “We can remain silent for the following hour of walk.”

“Good idea.” 

“So, where’s West?”

Elsa pointed at the plains with her finger. 

“Okay. Come on, let’s go!”

The blonde followed her, not saying a word. As Honeymaren walked in front of her and couldn’t see her, she checked above her head to see if there were snowflakes floating in the air. She gasped in relief when she saw none.

=======

So much fun in writing those chapters! :D

What happens next? This is an interactive fanfic! You get to choose. What do you want to see next? What could be the plot of the next chapter? I listen to you! Give suggestions in your reblogs, fellas!

[firesong-writes69]

in my Frozen 2 modern au, Elsa’s and Honeymaren’s first meeting goes a little bit like how Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra met and fell in love. They agree to meet at Honeymaren’s shop, and Elsa arrives a little early. She makes small talk with Ryder, until Honeymaren comes from the back door, and she stares openly at Elsa, admiring her beauty.

Honeymaren: “Who is that goddess?”

Ryder, deadpan: “That’s your online date, sis.”

Gay. I’m gay. I’m so, so gay.

“I can’t believe it. You’re real. Where the hell have you been all my life?” She says, getting down on one knee and taking Elsa’s hand.

Elsa, flustered, is incapable of making a response.

Ryder, in shock: “Well, gods.”

[holisticwolf95]

Our Future Chpt. 5 : She Suits You

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006699/chapters/53855557

Hola! updating after a while. Had the flu ew.    Don't forget to follow and comment. Feed back is loooooved. 

 Chapter 5    She suits you

    "W-what." Elsa stared at her mother and gently let go of her hand. Iduna sighed.

    "I'm form the past Elsa. Judging by your age I would say about seven years or so." Iduna confessed. Elsa stared blankly at her.

     "You lost your memories, that's all." Elsa forced a smile. Iduna shook her head.

     "I wish that was true. I'm sorry I gave you false hope." She watched Elsa back away.

     "I don't understand Mother. The past? A different reality? You're not. You're you. You're alive and." Elsa paused. "Look exactly the way I remembered." Elsa finished in realization.

     "Yes. I'm from a past where your father and I never set sail to Ahtohallan. It was however, a thought until she walked into our lives." Iduna explained. "We thought she could help. Instead She turned both you and your sister against us."

     "She?" Elsa swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

     "Ahtohallan's creator, Ahto herself." Iduna explained.

     "Hmmm. So, the legends are true." Yelena pondered.

     "Ahto? A person created Ahtohallan? How is that possible?" Elsa asked.

     "Magic. Dark magic" Yelena muttered. Iduna nodded.

     "I can assure you she is not human. That woman is a monster." Iduna spat.

     "I've been to Ahtohallan Mother. It showed me truths about you and father, the truth between Northuldra and Arendelle. There was no woman, just memories." Elsa explained. Iduna looked thoughtful.

     "She came to our time from the future. I can only assume it was this future. She's trying to find her way back." Iduna let out a shaky breath. "And she's using my daughters to do it. Adgar, he tried so hard to save your past self Elsa but your heart was so full of rage. Ahto was able to utilize that and he." Iduna's fought to hold back tears. "He didn't make it."

     "What your saying is madness." Elsa felt her tears fall.

     "Elsa." Yelena walked placed an arm on her forearm. The girl pulled her arm away.

     "Don't. Please." Elsa turned from the older women wrapping her arms around herself.

     "Elsa. You are letting your emotions and panic cloud your judgment." Yelena scolded as ice formed under Elsa's feet. The blond shook head and dismissed the ice.

     "I'm sorry. Can we continue this later? I need to step outside." Elsa left without receiving and answer.

     "That girl is a real handful." Yelena murmured.

     "Still. You are doing a lot better at showing her the ways of life than I've ever had. I can tell. That, and you are not afraid or intimidated by her." Iduna pointed out. Yelena scoffed.

     "She's just another hot-headed youth. What about you Iduna. Do you fear Elsa?" Yelena asked and raised her eyebrow in question as Iduna began to laugh.

     "Which one? Depending on who you choose, yes, I am terrified." She admitted. "We have a lot to talk about." Yelena declared. Iduna nodded in agreement

     "Yes, I suppose we do."

                                                                                                                  *****

     Honeymaren trudged through the water with nothing but her chest wrap on and her pants hiked up to her knees. She threaded her fingers through the fishing net and began dragging in the large catch.

     "Oh good! This should be plenty if Ryder scored just as much." Honeymaren said proudly as she began to untangle the fish from the net. She began skinning and gutting her catch one by one. She paused as she heard footsteps approaching and rolled her eyes. "Ryder, I swear if you came back here with not a single skinned fish I'm going to." She was silenced as two slender arms wrapped around her bare torso. "Why, hello there, Princess." Honeymaren smirked at the blond hair out of the corner of her eye. Elsa said nothing as she placed her forehead on Honeymaren's back and sighed. Honeymaren sat back in Elsa's embrace. "You are like my own personal ice pack." She laughed as Elsa placed her chin on Maren's shoulder and pouted.

     "Har har." Elsa mocked. Honeymaren wiggled her eyebrows at her. Elsa rolled her eyes. "That's a lot of fish."

     "Care to help prep them before I haul them back home?" Honeymaren knew the answer. Elsa wanted nothing to do with gutting fish. What she did not expect is to turn around and see Elsa's red nose and puffy eyes. "Hey what's wrong?" She asked placing a knuckle under her chin and gently lifting her head so she would look at her. "Are you worried about your mom?"

     "I'm worried about everything and everyone." Elsa mumbled as a tear fell. Honeymaren sighed and pulled the blond onto her lap.

     "Come here." Honeymaren wrapped her arms around Elsa who fell into the embrace. She felt Elsa's small breaths on her neck and it made her shiver.

     "You smell like sunshine." Elsa whispered into her neck.

     "The sun smells like sweat and trout fingers?" She stuck her tongue out and wiggled her fingers in front of Elsa's face.

     "Ew Maren. Knock it off." Elsa made a disgusted face but laughed as she batted Honeymaren's fingers away.

     "You love my antics." Honeymaren laughed along with her.

     "I really do Honeymaren. I never thought I could make a friend like you." She whispered. Honeymaren leaned in closer.

     "Ah is that what I am? Just a friend?" Honeymaren asked with a wicked smile on her face. Elsa gently pushed Honeymaren onto her back. Elsa's cheeks were flustered as she placed her hands on Honeymaren's bare stomach. Honeymaren held her breath as Elsa moved her hands upwards and over her wrapped chest making the brunette shiver.

     "A very good friend." Elsa purred as she made eye contact with Maren. She cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss the woman underneath her. Honeymaren grinned through the kiss and placed an arm around Elsa and pulled her close. Her other hand was curled into the fifth spirit's hair allowing her to deepen the kiss. Elsa tried her best to follow Honeymaren's lead. Honeymaren noticed and stuck her tongue in her mouth. Elsa jumped back with a grunt, a surprised look on her face. Honeymaren fell back laughing.

     "I-I'm so sorry Elsa!" Honeymaren snorted and covered her mouth trying to suppress the laughter. "I just couldn't resist! You're so cute." She laughed. Elsa cocked her head to the side.

     "You think I have no idea what I'm doing do you?" Elsa gave an evil grin. Honeymaren stopped laughing.

     "I'm sorry. I've just been wanting to kiss you for so long." Honymaren reached up and cupped Elsa's cheek.

     "Then why stop?" Elsa asked innocently.

     "I just understand you know? I understand how big this is for you. You haven't told me much but, I just… I understand and don't want to ruin whatever it is we have going on. I guess I feel like I need to make you laugh." Honeymaren explained. Elsa smiled.

     "Maren." Elsa pushed her knee into Honeymaren groin causing the brunette to slightly arch her back. "Being locked in your room for thirteen years gives you plenty of time to figure out the female body." Elsa whispered in her ear. Honeymaren couldn't help herself. She grabbed the blond and switched positions.

     "You are too much." Honeymaren began nibbling on Elsa's neck. The blond let out a sigh as she dug her nails into Honeymaren's back. Small snowflakes began to fall. "feels good." Honeymaren shivered.

     "Hmmmm." Elsa hummed as she reached for Maren's lips once more. Honeymaren placed a hand at the end of Elsa's shirt, fully prepared to reach underneath, when a splash of water was dumped on them. The two girls scrambled to their feet mortified.

     "What. The. Hell!" Honeymaren hissed in anger at her grinning brother. Ryder placed a hand on his hip.

     "Well looky here. I'm over on the other side of the river, working my butt off, and I come back to see you rolling around on the ground sucking Elsa's face off." He winked at Elsa who covered her face in embarrassment.

     "If there is a god please make me disappear." She murmured into her hands.

      "Elsa shut it! and YOU!" She quickly placed Ryder in a head lock. "What is WRONG with you!?"

     "The list is long." Elsa murmured from behind.

      "Ow ow ow! Let me go you brute!" Ryder yelled prompting Honeymaren to squeeze harder.

      "Elsa! Give me a trout! I'm going to beat him with it!" Honeymaren gave a wicked smile.

     "WHAT!?" Both Ryder and Elsa yelled in union.

     "Elsaaaaaa. Save meeeee!" Ryder was now frantically trying to pull her off. Elsa gave an annoyed sigh and with a wave of her hand, a small snow flurry formed between the two siblings pushing them apart. "Jeez Maren!" He walked towards Elsa rubbing his neck. "Why do you always have to be so violent? You need to take some lessons from Elsa." He went to place an arm around Elsa's shoulder. Before Ryder had a chance to think, He was being thrown over the blonde's shoulder and into the river. He came up sputtering. Elsa confidently stood in front of him with a challenging smirk.

     "Honeymaren is better at teaching." She said holding out her hand to help him out. Honeymaren laughed and Ryder offered a goofy smile.

     "I deserved that." He said grabbing onto her hand.

     "Wrong move Snowflake." Honeymaren called out. Elsa looked at her and raised an eyebrow before she was dragged into the water by Ryder.

     "Gahh!" She hit the water hard but Ryder quickly helped her to the surface. Elsa brushed her hair from her face and struggled to speak.

     "Incoming!" Ryder yelled as Honeymaren jumped into the water. All three began laughing when she surfaced. Honeymaren swam up to Elsa and kissed her mid laugh. Elsa pulled back wide eyed. "Sneak attack!" Ryder was already attempting to push his sister underwater. Elsa jumped on his back giggling pulling them both back into the water. Ryder surfaced and shook the water out of his hair as Honeymaren lazily floated over behind Elsa.

     "You are getting stronger." Honeymaren said as she wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist. Elsa let herself float lazily in Maren's arms.

     "You think so?" She asked with a blush.

     "I think so! I'm a pretty heavy guy." Ryder was tapping the side of his head trying to get water out. Elsa smiled at the two.

     "I feel stronger… physically." Elsa swirled her fingers through the water leaving tiny trails of ice. "Mentally I could do better." She admitted.

     "What are you talking about! You seem pretty well put together for someone who overcame a snow blown panic attack and crazy spirits" Ryder offered.

     "Ya. Compared to you." Honeymaren mumbled resting her chin on Elsa's shoulder. "What my brother is trying to say, is you've been through a lot. It's ok to feel a little overwhelmed sometimes but things are getting better right?" Honeymaren felt Elsa slide from her grip. The young spirit turned to her friends with a frown.

     "Not really. My mother isn't really my mother. She says she's from the past. A past where the Ahtohallan's creator has basically convinced me to kill my parent's and now she's trying to return to this time to probably kill us all." Elsa blurted out. Honeymaren and Ryder stared at her.

     "Well that doesn't seem like things are getting better at all." Ryder pointed out avoiding His sister's death glare.

                                                                                            *****

     "She's happy." Iduna pointed out as she watched the trio from afar after arriving by the river only minutes before.

     "Yes, she is." Yelena agreed. "Apparently, so is my granddaughter." Yelena dead panned as she watched Honeymaren wrap her arms around Elsa in the water.

     "I can't believe she's letting them so close to her." Iduna gave a sad smile.

     "Iduna. If what you told me is true, we do not have time to admire what your daughter could have been." She reminded her.

     "It's getting late. We can discuss this with them tomorrow. For now, let them have their fun." Iduna turned and began to head back to camp.

     "You don't think she can win if she where to encounter her past self." Yelena concluded. Iduna froze.

     "I can tell just by watching her." Iduna looked back towards Elsa smiling in Honeymaren's arms. "Her heart will not allow her to kill." Elsa explained the situation to the Nattura siblings as they made their way back to camp. At some point on the way back Elsa had intertwined her fingers with Honeymaren's who accepted without question.

     "That's really freaky Els." Ryder shivered as Elsa told them about her encounter with the other Olaf. "It's like one of those stories about lost spirit children or something."

     "Lost spirit children?" Elsa asked squeezing Honeymare's hand.

     "I'll tell you the tale another time Snowflake." Honeymaren nudged her sensing her curiosity.

     "Daw that's adorable." Ryder gave a lopsided grin at the nickname.

     "You're such a sap." Honeymaren gave her brother a friendly shove but gave Elsa a confused look as she stopped. "What's up?" She asked watching a small group of people by one of the lit fires in the camp. Little Freya was sitting upon Iduna's lap telling her what seemed to be quite an elaborate story. Elsa watched her mother, well, a version of her mother, smile down at the child.

     "I need to apologize to her. I stormed out like a child before she had chance to tell me everything." Elsa admitted letting go of Honeymaren's hand but didn't move.

     "Do you want me to go with you?" Honeymaren asked. Elsa nodded. Ryder took this as a sign to bringing the rest of the fish over to the drying area.

     "I would like that Maren." She smiled. "Though I think we should keep our relationship to ourselves for now… I don't know how she would feel if." She began.

     "If you had a thing for woman?" Honeymaren finished. Elsa nodded.

      "I never got a chance to tell her. Besides, as heir I was supposed to marry a man and have children." She explained.

     "Hmmmm. Sounds boring." Honeymaren grinned. "But I get it I think." As to say thank you, Elsa gave her a quick kiss and led Honeymaren towards her mother and Freya.

     "Elsa! Maren!" Freya crawled out of Iduna's lap and ran up to the two. Iduna watched her jump into Honeymaren's arms. The brunette threw the girl in the air, causing the child to squeal in delight before resting the five year old on her hip.

     "Hello Freya. How has your day been going?" Honeymaren asked as they made their way towards Iduna. Elsa offered her a small smile. Iduna returned it.

     "I'm Great! I was telling Elsa's mommy all about you guys! She asked me my favorite thing about Elsa and I said Everything!" Freya threw her hands up in the air dramatically. Honeymaren sat down on the other side of the fire with the girl as Elsa sat by her mother and focused her gaze on Honeymaren. Iduna gave her a side glance but said nothing.

     "Oh ya? And what did you say about me?" Honeymaren asked. Freya's mismatched eyes lit up.

     "I said that the only one who likes Elsa as much as me is you!" Freya said proudly.

     "Oh… great." Honeymaren swallowed and glanced at Elsa who face palmed

     "Uh huh and how you guys are always having sleep overs in your tent and." Freya's words turned into a muffle as Honeymaren covered the girl's mouth.

     "On that note, let's go see if Ryder needs help cooking the trout I caught today." She offered standing and setting the child on the ground. Freya's face lit up.

     "Oh oh oh! Can I skin one! I'm getting better at it!" Freya asked as Honeymaren led her away.

     "She reminds me of Anna." Iduna broke the silence between them.

     "haha Ya. She does." Elsa smiled.

     "She looks up to you two." Iduna smiled.

     "I know. Honeymaren tries her best to make sure she is properly taken care of and looked after. Her mother is very ill." Elsa explained.

     "Honeymaren is a kind girl." Iduna glanced at Elsa.

     "She is." Elsa agreed.

     "Very beautiful." Iduna smirked.

     "She is." Elsa agreed. Her eyes grew wide at realizing what she had just agreed too. "uh. I mean. She's nice to look at." Elsa silently slapped herself.

     "I saw you two down by the river." Iduna confessed. Elsa's turned her head so fast towards her mother she almost fell off the log. "With Ryder. But I saw her holding you." Iduna continued. Elsa let out a relieved breath.

     "Oh." Was all she could muster. Iduna raised an eyebrow.

     "Hmmm, good thing I didn't appear earlier it seems." She was getting too much joy out of this. Elsa's face had turned fifty shades of red.

     "N-nothing happened. We were just … talking?" Elsa tried her best to win this fight but it was no use. She was caught.

     "Calm down Elsa I'm only teasing you. She seems like a respectable woman. I'm happy for you." Iduna admitted. Elsa' s jaw dropped.

     "Wait. What?" Elsa asked.

     "I think she suits you." Iduna said with a shrug.

     "You don't sound surprised." Elsa deadpanned. Iduna leaned back and gave her a serious look.

     "Really Elsa? You've never showed any interest in men." Iduna pointed out. She nodded her head towards the people around them. "You are no longer queen Elsa. You are not obligated to marry. You are here, In Northuldra." Iduna explained. Elsa smiled to herself.

     "Ya, I know. I know you're not the mother I remember but I was still afraid of what you thought." Elsa admitted shyly. Iduna wrapped her arm around Elsa's shoulder and pulled her close. Elsa excepted.

     "I'm just happy I get to hold you." Iduna told her. Just then, Honeymaren, Ryder and Freya returned with plate of cooked trout.

     "Food time!" Freya yelled.

     "Freya and I would like to present the tastiest dish ever!" Ryder handed out plates to Elsa and Iduna. Honeymaren went to sit by herself when she felt Elsa grab her hand.

     "Sit with me." She gently ordered. Honeymaren stared at her uncertain and glanced at Iduna who gave the young Northuldran woman a wink.

     "Of course, Snowflake." Honeymaren gave her a wide smile and took her seat besides Elsa. Everyone ate and talked. Freya soon fell asleep in Ryder's lap prompting the man to bring her to bed.

     "I think it's time we go to sleep as well." Iduna set her plate aside and stood.

     "But, Mother. Shouldn't we take this time to discuss things?" Elsa asked standing up as well. Iduna shook her head.

     "There is time my darling. Time to gather Anna and discuss it together I assure you." She said giving her daughter a hug before calling to Honeymaren. "Please look after her."

     "Of course. Now and forever"

END

[mong39]

Okay but imagine how crazy Elsa’s feelings for Honeymaren must be? I’m inclined to think she is her first love and we know how intense one’s first love is... And with Anna being more experienced with love (Hans was definitely not her first love), she must find it so cute how pure Elsa’s feelings are. How easily flustered she gets, how her eyes shimmer when talking about Honey, I’m talking “she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen” type of feelings. All so raw and intense.

[hereidinathoreauwrites]

A Stunning Lack of Context (part the second)

Part 1

AO3

A VERY worried Anna arrives in Enchanted Forest. Ryder attempts to calm her down. It doesn’t work.

Or

Pronouns are hard.

Ryder was used to unusual things. After all, he’d lived most of his life under a veil of fog, with magical spirits around every corner.

But the sight of Queen Anna, in full regal attire, tumbling out of the sky unannounced was the strangest thing he’d seen in quite awhile.

“Hey Anna!” He greeted her as Gale dropped her face-first into a pile of leaves. “…what brings you here? On Gale?” He looked around. “Alone?”

Anna sat up, spitting leaves out of her mouth. “I need to see Elsa.” She responded. “And your sister. Now.”

Ryder shrugged. “Oh sure. But you do know they’re not here right now?”

Anna scrambled to her feet. “Where. Are. They?”

“Oh Elsa and Maren?” He thought back. “Yeah they went up to the ice plateau this morning.”

“Together?” Anna squeaked. “Why?”

Ryder grinned. “Oh yeah, they do everything together now…you know…since the incident.”

Anna’s face paled. “What incident.”

“She didn’t tell you?” Ryder had always assumed the sisters told each other everything. “Elsa’s tent exploded…”

“It WHAT?!”

He shrugged. “Yeah, strangest thing…her whole tent just kinda…” he threw out his hands, “BLAM! in the middle of the night one night.”

“Is she OKAY?!”

Ryder nodded. “Oh yeah she was fine…we all just assumed that the fire spirit had sneezed or something but funny thing was, no other tents caught fire…Elsa’s ice was everywhere though so maybe she put them all out herself…?” He shrugged. “Anyway, now she and Maren share a tent.”

Anna sighed. “Alright…but what about Elsa’s leg? She said she couldn’t walk. Is it better now?”

Ryder’s face scrunched, confused. “She told you about that but not the incident?…well…”

Anna pounced on it instantly. “Well? Well what?”

Ryder shrugged. “Well, her ankle could be better.”

“Her ankle?” Anna’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, poor thing twisted it the other day…”

“Doing what?”

Ryder tapped his chin in thought. “You know…I’m not entirely sure…something about birds? Or was it bees?” He shrugged. “That’s what Maren told me anyway…”

“Honeymaren was with her when it happened?”

Ryder nodded. “Oh yeah, saw the whole thing.”

“So why are they at the ice plateau then?”

“Oh, that’s because Maren needed all the help she could get after the stampede.” Ryder told her.

“Stampede!?”

“Yeah, I think your sister felt guilty so she offered to help wrangle the lost reindeer.”

“Why is Elsa chasing down the reindeer with a twisted ankle?! And why would she feel guilty about it?”

“It’s fine, the reindeer wont have gotten too far. Maren’s probably just carrying her anyway. Just like she did after that time little Elsa fell out of a tree.”

“She did WHAT?!”

Ryder took a step back, more than a little scared of Anna’s fury. “Yeah…no idea how that happened…” He tried to laugh but Anna didn’t seem to appreciate the humor. “…didn’t really seem like Elsa was the climbing type.” He shrugged. “Maybe it was because of the avalanche.”

The queen threw her hands up.  “Okay, wHAT happened with this AVALANCHE?”

Ryder grinned, trying to hide his growing anxiety. “Honestly, we’re not really sure. Probably had something to do with the Giants. But Elsa did come back exhausted and wearing Maren’s clothes so whatever happened must have really tired her out…”

Anna let out a long exasperated sighing sound. “Ryder…just point me in the direction that they are so I can have Gale fly me out there now.” She bemoaned, rubbing her head. “Because talking to you isn’t making me feel better right now.”

“I’m sorry!” Ryder apologized, waving his hands. “I just…well, by the time Gale gets you there, they’ll probably be back anyway…why don’t you just sit down and try to relax for a bit? Elsa’s fine, I promise…”

Anna begrudgingly sat herself down on a log. “So…Elsa and your sister…they’re getting along very well…”

Ryder laughed. “Oh yeah, Elsa cant get enough of Maren since they’ve started sharing a tent. And Maren’s thrilled.”

“What?”

“Yeah, Maren’s been teaching her all sorts of things…apparently your sister’s got very nimble fingers.”

Anna made an odd choking sound.

“Maren says she's a natural. Really ‘scratches all the itches’, as she says.”

Anna’s eye twitched. “The itches? What?”

“Maren’s been taking really good care of her.” Ryder continued, hoping that more examples might calm Anna down. She looked about ready to strangle him. “Makes sure she gets everything she needs. Elsa too.” He laughed. “They’re practically on top of each other!”

“Okay, when will they be back?” Anna demanded desperately. “What is taking them so long?”

“Anna, it’s okay.” Ryder tried to assure her. “I’m sure Honeymaren is riding Elsa back here as we speak…”

“ARRRGGHHHH!” Anna threw her face down into her hands.

Ryder awkwardly patted her back, unsure what he’d done wrong. Grimacing, he looked towards the horizon.

“Oh, Anna look.”

The Queen’s head snapped up, eyes searching the horizon. Her whole face lit up when she caught sight of what Ryder had seen.

Honeymaren and Elsa sitting astride a reindeer, cantering gently down to towards them.

“ELSA!” Anna launched herself at her sister, grabbing her tightly around the neck and practically tackling her off of her mount as they drew near.

“OHMYGOSHI’VEBEENSOWORRIEDWHATTHEHECKISGOINGONHERE?!”

“Anna…” Elsa chuckled, gesturing helplessly. “I…need to breathe…” Anna released her immediately and began systematically checking her sister for injuries. “Anna…what are you…?”

“Are you hurt? Are you okay?” Anna bent down and lifted up each of Elsa’s ankles. “Tell me if this hurts!”

“Anna, I’m fine!” Elsa assured her, scratching the neck of her mount. “Honeymaren and I were just getting the little one home.”

“What?” Anna glanced up at the reindeer herder and realized two things very quickly. One: Honeymaren was cradling an absolutely adorable reindeer calf.

Two: Elsa was wearing Honeymaren’s cap.

Anna’s brain struggled to catch up. “B..but Ryder said…said you were…twisted ankle…” everyone was staring at her, looking confused. “…falling out of a tree…” her voice trailed off. “…’riding Elsa back here…’”

Honeymaren’s eyes lit up at that. “Oh yeah, I named this reindeer calf ‘Elsa’.” Honeymaren explained. She scratched the tiny calf under her chin and the thing moaned in delight. “It’s a Northuldra tradition, when a new person joins our people. We’re going to name one in the next season for you!”

Anna let out a tiny chuckle, everything starting to make sense. “Oh…well okay then…but…why were you chasing her down?”

“Little Elsa got lost up near the ice plateau after the avalanche…” Honeymaren explained, rubbing the neck of the little reindeer. Sliding down from her mount, she set the little one down and it pranced around them, favoring one foot. “We got a little worried. She’s a trouble-maker this one…” She nudged the human Elsa. “Remember that time we found her up a tree?”

Elsa laughed. “Oh yes! I had to catch her with snow when she fell!”

They both giggled uncontrollably, seeming to recall something far funnier than they were letting on.

“I was worried.” Anna finally admitted, seeming satisfied that things were a little less crazy than she thought. “Ryder was telling me all sorts of things…”

Honeymaren punched Ryder in the arm. “Guess my idiot little brother got his Elsas mixed up!”

Ryder shrugged, shooting Anna a sheepish smile.

The little reindeer nuzzled her namesake’s leg until Elsa reached down to scratch her. “I need to feed her.” Honeymaren continued, petting the calf.  “Ryder? Want to help?”

Ryder nodded, eager to be away from Anna’s volatile reactions.

Honeymaren smiled at Anna. “I’ll let you two catch up.”

Leaning over, Honeymaren pecked Elsa briefly on the lips and walked away, smirking. Elsa the reindeer pranced after her and Ryder as they left.

Still catching her breath, Elsa turned and saw her sister staring at her, mouth slack and eyes wide.

She grinned, sheepishly. “Ummm…surprise?”

Anna inhaled deeply. “Elsa.” She began, fixing her sister with a look. “What. The. Hell?”

[elsass]

Prompt: Honeymaren is teaching Elsa how to spearfish, but Elsa being the dork she is, misses and falls in, but pulls a unsuspecting Yelena in with her. Immense awkward panic ensues as Honeymaren laughs maniacally (idk if I sent this to u before but I love it)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA this is so sweet omg... (I tried my best wrote this in twenty minutes x).

“Why cant i just do this with my magic again?” 

Elsa pouted at Honeymaren, who chuckled at the sight of her girlfriend soaking wet, gasping for air and holding a  short fishing harpoon the wrong way.

“Because you’re northuldra now. You live with us, you learn our ways” 

Yelena yanked the harpoon our of her hands and gave it back to her so she hold it correctly .

“The blade goes downwards, Elsa.”

Elsa jumped and widened her eyes “I, uh, yes of course! Sorry!”

Yelena gave her a small smile before going back to fishing. Elsa heard Honeymaren laughing at her shamelessly.

“H- hey! I’ve never done this before, okay! I still have to learn.”

“I can imagine the queen life has rusted your spearfishing skills out a little” Honeymaren said between laughs. She approached Elsa slowly and kissed her cheek. Then, she went around Elsa so she had her chest pressed against her back, put her arms around her, and her hands on the harpoon she was holding, whispering in her ear. 

“Like this. See? Right hand up here, left hand close to the blade.” 

Elsa blushed at the realisation of how close Honeymaren actually was to her, apparently not caring much about the other northuldra fishing barely meters away from them. She still wasn’t used to Honeymaren’s very frequent and very public displays of affection.

“I, uh, okay. Like this. Got it.”

Much to Elsa’s misfortune, Honeymaren was quite aware of how shy her girlfriend was and how flustered pda made her. She stared at her while she smirked.

“Are you okay? You look nervous, lady goddess.” Honeymaren teased.

Elsa snapped out of her embrace quickly to avoid ending up freezing the entire river.

“I think i got it now! I’ll do it by myself, thank you very much.”

Honeymaren laughed at the sight of a very offended Elsa walking away, and puffed her chest out when she noticed the young boys staring at her in awe, as they glanced towards Elsa and blushed.

She then laughed proudly “I know, right?”

She was so invested in the silent conversation she was having with the children she didn’t notice Yelena creep out behind her and smack her in the back of the neck.

“Ouch! What the hell was that for?”

“Snap out of it, young lady! You’ve done nothing in the entire morning. Didn’t even catch one sad fish!”

“What do you mean i did nothing? I taugh a whole ELSA how to spearfish!”

They glanced at the blonde spearing the water, tripping over herself and falling face first into the river.

Yelena glared at Honeymaren, who gave her an innocent smile 

“Well... she almost got it this time?”

Yelena sighed and went back to work, shaking her head.

“Come on, Elsa. You can do this. It’s just fish, you’re smarter than them. Don’t lose composture.” 

Elsa stood, posture straight as a tree, knee deep in the water, scanning it thoroughly looking for fish.

“Come on... think of the face Honeymaren will make when she sees how many fish you caught. Matriarch Yelena will be so proud of me!” That was of course... if she actually managed to catch any.

Feeling encouraged by her own thoughts, she spotted a fish near the river shore and dived right to it.

“You’re mine!” 

She threw her spear at the fish so vigorously she stumbled forward and slipped, bumping onto something before falling into the water yet again.

She sat up, soaked once more, as she caressed the back of her head and felt sorry for herself. 

Then, she heard Honeymaren’s loud laugh and looked up to see her rolling on the floor, hands on her stomach, shaking from laughter; Ryder staring at her wide-eyed in horror, and the rest of the fishermen also looking at her, sharing funny looks between one another and smiling softly to the now former ice spirit, trying to make her feel better and feeling sorry for the blonde.

Elsa came to the realisation that whatever- whoever she had bumped against before falling, had fallen with her. 

“Please don’t be Yelena please don’t be Yelena please don’t be Yelena please don’t be Yelena please-”

She turned around when she felt water dripping on the top of her head, only to face Yelena looking down at her, soaked from head to toe, hands on her hips, waiting for Elsa to do something.

She went bright red and got up so quick she almost slipped again.

“Oh.Oh my. Oh my god- Matriarch- Martiarch Yelena! I, uh, I was, I didn’t mean to, uh, I’m sorrry I- I can-”

Yelena had her eyes closed and sighed loudly as she handed her a basket full of fish. 

“Please stop talking. You’re herding the reindeer with Ryder from now on. And you’re taking the fish back to camp.”

Elsa looked down, embarrassed like a little child whose parents just caught red handed, and watched Yelena turn around and start walking back to the village. She could’ve sworn she saw the eldest try to hide a smile when she did so.

“So, second lesson tomorrow?” Honeymaren’s face had a wide, cheeky smile as she trotted happily towards Elsa, wiping tears of laughter away with her sleeve.

Elsa groaned at her girlfriend’s smug grin.

“Next time i’ll just use my magic.”

[hereidinathoreauwrites]

Bonus 1: Avalache

Due to overwhelming demand...here’s a little bonus in the Stunning Lack of Context series.

“So what exactly happened?”

“Anna, we’ve apologized seven times…do we really need to explain everything that…”

“Yes.” Anna folded her arms, staring down the two of them. “Elsa, you had me worried sick. So now I want to know everything.” She gestured. “Spill.”

Elsa and Honeymaren exchanged a wide-eyed look, both of them perched close to each other on a log. “Anna…a…are you sure?” Elsa stammered. “It’s not a very interesting story…I can promise you that…”

Anna fixed them with her best Queen glare. “Tell me about the avalanche.”

“Anna please,” Honeymaren pleaded, as Elsa wilted under the look. “I really don’t think you want to hear…”

“TELL ME.”

The two exchanged another look.

“Okay…fine.” Elsa thought back. “It was about a week after that business with my tent…”

Anna glared. “Don’t think you’re getting out of telling that story!”

Honeymaren’s eyes widened. Elsa bit her lip.

“…right…” Elsa finally continued, her cheeks tinged pink. “So…anyway…I had left camp...”

 ***

“Elsa!”

Elsa scrambled to her feet, upsetting the pile of stiff, frozen grass she had been obsessively stacking in her lap. But it wasn’t the voice that had startled her.

“Please…” She begged, wrapping her arms around herself. “I just need to be alone…” After what had happened two days ago, she couldn’t be around the Northuldra woman anymore.

Honeymaren glanced around, taking in the drifts of snow and the neat stacks of individual blades of brittle grass. “Have you been sleeping out here? I told you it’s fine if you want to share my tent.” She turned back to Elsa. Elsa only hunched further. “Please…please don’t run away from me Elsa…” Honeymaren begged, “Let me make this up to you.”

“There’s nothing to make up!” Elsa insisted. “let’s just…accept the inevitable and…”

***

“Wait. You two had a fight?”

“We’d just…uh…�� Honeymaren stammered, glancing at Elsa. “well, we’d just…uh.” She trailed off as Elsa gave a tiny shake of her head. “…gotten together…” Honeymaren finished, turning back to Anna. “things were…rocky.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “Rocky?”

“Do you want to hear this or not, Anna?” Elsa interjected.

The Queen held up her hands. “Sorry…continue.”

***

“You cant just run away from me.” Honeymaren insisted.

“Yes I can…I did.”

The reindeer herder sighed. “I mean, you shouldn’t have to…” she took a step closer. “Your powers are incredible. You shouldn’t feel like you need to apologize for them…”

***

“I told you I liked her, Elsa!”

“Anna!”

“Thank you Anna. I aim to please.”

“Maren…”

***

Maren gently took Elsa’s hand. “Besides,” she continued, “I thought…it was…funny…”

“Funny?” Elsa pulled her hand free, massaging it like Maren had gripped too tightly. “My tent is in ruins and half the camp is covered in icicles…”

The herder chuckled. “Yeah…pretty funny.”

Elsa flushed a deep crimson. “But that was only…!”

“And it was hilarious that you somehow managed to also freeze all of Ryder’s shirts…” Honeymaren sniggered. “and half of his pants…”

***

“Oh yeah…that’s still hilarious. He has to run laps around camp to thaw them out in the mornings…”

“Maren, we’re never going to get through this story if you both keep interrupting…”

“I think it sounds pretty funny. Cant wait to hear that story!”

“Anna…”

“Are we telling her that story?”

“No!”

“YES!”

***

“Maren please…” Elsa begged. “I…I don’t want to hurt anyone...” She gave her a heavy look. “Least of all you.”

The herder shrugged. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take…”

“But I’m not!” Elsa insisted, her fury coating the ground around them in a fine frost. She tucked her hands away, trembling.

Maren’s eyes softened. “Elsa…I knew from the moment I met you what I’d be risking by being with you.” She took a step forward, grass crunching underfoot. “I saw your magic and I knew that if we were going to be together…your magic would be a part of it.” She reached out a hand and brushed a strand of Elsa’s hair back from her face. “I’m okay with that. And I promise…we can find a way through this…together.” She grinned. “Snowflake.”

***

“Awww!”

“Yup, she blushes every time I call her that.”

“I do not.”

“You are literally blushing right now…”

“I AM NOT!”

“You totally are, Elsa…”

***

Elsa flushed beautifully, red running across her nose.

Maren couldn’t help herself; she leaned in and kissed the trail of red, lips moving closer and closer to Elsa’s. Elsa’s hands found purchase on the woman’s hips, pulling her closer.

Their kiss was soft and long, not at all like the kiss that had landed them in this situation.

Their lips parted, Maren’s breath misting in the cold air around Elsa.

“You know…” she began, still catching her breath. “all the way out here…there’s nothing to damage…”

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

Maren fiddled with the ice neckline of Elsa’s dress. “And no one to see if you do…”

“Maren…” Elsa warned as the woman’s hand shifted.

Smirking, Maren moved closer. “And the only clothes you could freeze…are mine…” She kissed her again.

***

“Then what?” Anna prodded, leaning forward on her hands.

“Then there was an avalanche.” Elsa said quickly. “And we barely escaped. The end.”

Maren nodded, making a noise in agreement.

Anna scoffed. “Really? You’re making that ‘hiding-something’ face.” Elsa flushed, looking away as Maren chuckled.

“Come on Elsa, what are you not telling me?” Anna asked.

But both of them instantly went quiet, neither one offering to continue the story.

“Elsa?” Anna asked, trying to catch her eye. “Honeymaren?”

Both of them were refusing to look at her. Elsa had suddenly found the leaves on the ground extremely fascinating. Honeymaren was staring up at the clouds.

Anna crossed her arms. “Well one of you better keep talking. I’ve got all day.”

Elsa sighed, turning towards her girlfriend with a grimace. “I think you should…”

Honeymaren cut her off with a curt shake of her head. “She’s your sister.”

Elsa’s cheeks reddened. “But I don’t want to tell her about that!” She hissed.

Honeymaren rounded on her. “You’d rather I tell her?” Their faces were inches apart but they didn’t look at all like they were flirting.

“Would you just tell me already?” Anna insisted. “I wont get mad.”

They both looked skeptical.

“Elsa?”

The former queen sighed. “Well…you know how…when I…release my powers?” She looked to Anna for confirmation. Anna just nodded. “Ummm…it…it can…it can be…a lot? Sometimes?”

“And?”

Elsa’s whole face turned red and she looked away, joining Honeymaren in her cloud vigil.

Anna frowned. What could she possibly mean by…? “Wait…” Something clicked for her. Anna half stifled a laugh and half froze in horror. “Elsa…did you deliberately cause the avalanche?”

“No.” Honeymaren finally jumped in. “That was entirely my fault…” she was still staring at the clouds but smirking like a cat.

Elsa flinched. “Maren!” She hissed.

“What? You’d rather we lie and tell her the avalanche was a convenient distraction?”

“Yes, actually!”

“Elsa…lying to your sister is just terrible…she deserves the truth!”

“Yeah!” Anna clapped her hands. “Continue the story!”

Elsa closed her eyes.

***

“Here’s better.” Elsa insisted, tugging Maren down from the reindeer’s back.

“Why?” Maren asked.

“We’re closer to the mountains…” Elsa explained. “Snow and ice wont be so out of place here if I…um…if things get…a…and it’s quiet! Very quiet. A quiet…place.”

Maren smiled. “We can call it our quiet place…”

Elsa nodded shyly. “So…you were saying…about clothes?”

***

“Do you…uh…really want all the details?” Elsa asked as Anna stared at her long pause.

“The details of what?” Anna asked. “The avalanche? Yes!”

Honeymaren turned to Elsa, a curious smirk on her face.

“We uh…we got…caught in a sudden avalanche.” Elsa explained, rubbing her arm.

"Smooth." Honeymaren muttered. "Not suspicious at all." Elsa elbowed her, hard by the looks of it.

Anna tilted her head. “You didn’t see or hear it coming?” She asked Elsa.

“We were a bit…distracted.”

“Distracted?”

Elsa coughed loudly as Honeymaren pursed her lips. “please don’t make me spell it out Anna…”

“what are you…? Oh.” Her eyes widened. “OOHHH. So that’s why…?” She gestured like she was shooting ice from her hands.

Elsa nodded, lips pursed.

Now it was Anna’s turn to blush. “Right, yeah. Definitely don’t need to know about that.”

The sisters were silent as Honeymaren tried desperately to contain her laughter.

“So…what happened…after?” Anna asked.

“After…?”

“Elsa was all worn out so I had to scoop her up on my faithful reindeer steed and carry us away from the avalanche.” Maren explained, throwing an arm around Elsa’s shoulder. "Like a knight in shining armor...or something..."

“Awww! That’s sweet!” Anna cooed, as Elsa blushed again. “Just like what Kristoff does for me.”

“There was a slight hiccup though…” Maren continued, her own cheeks looking a little pink. Elsa shook her head furiously but it was too late.

“Like what?” Anna inquired.

Elsa looked away. “My powers were too spent…so I couldn’t make any new clothes.”

Maren nodded. “And we had to leave in a hurry…because of the…”

“avalanche…”

“We had to sneak back into camp…in the middle of the day…”

Anna frowned. “Wait…so you two…?”

Both of them grimaced.

“Thankfully, most of the tribe had gone out to investigate the avalanche and check on the reindeer…” Maren continued, scuffing one foot against the ground. “I don’t think anyone...saw us…”

Anna laughed. “Wow. So you two lovebirds had to sneak back into camp naked because Elsa accidentally caused an avalanche while you were…getting busy.”

Honeymaren grinned sheepishly. “That’s about it…though in her defense, I don’t think it would have happened if I hadn’t been so…persistent.”

Elsa buried her burning face in her hands. She mumbled something about humiliation and being a former queen and being surrounded by people desperate to embarrass her.

Anna was loving this. But she didn’t want Elsa to stay this upset over something that was just so normal. “Oh that’s nothing…” She grinned. “You wont believe some of the antics Kristoff and I have gotten up to while trying to…uh..find ‘a quiet place’.”

“Well,” Honeymaren smirked, coxing Elsa to emerge with a soft hand on her shoulder and a reassuring smile. “We told you ours…how about you tell us yours?”

Anna was really starting to like her sister’s new girlfriend.

[swimmingnewsie]

Of Coffee and Cookies (Chapter 4)

Hi guys! It’s your local insomniac back with another chapter! This one is a mix of light fluff and soft angst. Thanks for all your support!

Please enjoy!

Link to Chapter 1 Link to Chapter 2 Link to Chapter 3 Link to AO3 

---

It had been a month since their first walk and coffee. As the time passed, coffee dates became more frequent. Usually Maren would grade her students' assignments while Elsa read through research or graded her own students' papers and assessments. It was nice. Elsa would never admit it, but she liked having someone check in on her throughout the day. Anna was great, but having a real friend-

Well she wasn't exactly sure what to call Maren. They were definitely friends, but she wasn't sure if they were more than that. They went out a lot, but did that mean they were dating? But whatever they were, it was nice.

Elsa had cancelled their study session this afternoon, her monthly cycle rendering her useless to anything other than lying on the couch in pain. And yet, here Maren was cuddling next to her while they watched a sitcom on Netflix. Elsa was sure she was an angel, letting her lie against her and holding the heating pad over her cramping stomach. If she did much more for her, Elsa was pretty sure she would cry.

She must have dozed off at some point for she woke up with a blanket covering them both. Maren was singing softly in her ear, while gentle hands ran through her hair. Her head still ached, but the melody made her feel so safe and secure that her pain melted into the background. Elsa slowly opened her eyes, wanting to see the scene for herself.

"Good morning, snowflake," she said brushing a stray hair away. "Have a good nap?"

The nickname made her blush. It was something new, but something right. Elsa nodded slightly enough for Maren to feel against her chest. "How long was I out for?"

"Not long, maybe an hour. I paused our show."

"Thank you," she mumbled, sleep pulling at her eyes.

"You can go back to sleep," she said softly. "It would probably make you feel better. Your stomach still hurting? I could get you another ibuprofen."

Elsa shook her head. It was rude to sleep while a guest was there, even if she wasn't feeling her best. "Stay with you," she said, words slurred with sleep. "Don't wanna be a bad host."

Maren giggled, making Elsa's heart flutter. Why was she feeling like this from just a simple sound? "You're not a bad host. You can't be a bad host when you're sick."

"Not sick," Elsa mumbled, allowing herself to curl closer into Maren.

"Well you certainly don't feel good." Maren continued to stroke her hair, making loose braids as she spoke. "So go back to sleep and ignore mother nature for a bit. She'll still be there when you're ready to be awake."

Elsa hummed against her. "I'm ready to be awake."

Maren huffed a laugh. "Uh huh."

Elsa gave her own small laugh. "Talk to me. I wanna know what's going on in your world."

"My world, huh? Well I've got the most beautiful girl in the world laying against me." That made Elsa poke at her belly- she wanted to know about other things. "Alright alright. Well there was something I wanted to ask you about." Well that certainly perked her interest.

"My cousin is getting married in a few weeks and I was wondering if you would want to go as my plus one."

"As a date?" Was this her sign? Her way of asking her out?

"It's- it's okay if you don't. I know that we haven't been together long and if meeting my family makes you nervous that's okay. You- you don't have to."

Tears pricked in her eyes. "We're together?"

Maren's eyes went wide. "I thought we were? I thought that first day at the coffee shop was our first date?"

Elsa paled. Oh no, she didn't want Maren to think she wasn't interested. She just didn't know that she thought they were together. "I thought that you just wanted to be friends. I was trying to work up the nerve to ask you out. But now I think that might be moot."

Maren blushed, then got that little look in her eyes- the same one she saw in Anna's when she was about to be mischievous. "Well I'd hate for those nerves to go to waste. Would you like to ask me out?"

Elsa felt her heart start racing. "Now? But you- you already thought we were together?"

"But you didn't," she grabbed her hand and squeezed it right. "So let's get on the same page."

Elsa rubbed at her eyes with her free hand, smiling softly. "Will you, Honeymaren, go with me to a movie as soon as I am able to get off the couch without crying in pain?"

"Oh, snowflake, I would happily. Pick the time and the day," she said teasingly bringing their hands to her face. She ran a hand through Elsa's hair again, noticing her eyes were getting heavy again. "Go back to sleep. We can talk about our date later. I'm getting you some ibuprofen."

Elsa nodded, letting herself fall back against the soft pillows. "I wanna go with you," she murmured.

"Go where, Els?" Maren asked, tucking the blanket around her sleepy form.

"To the wedding. I wanna go with you."

Maren grinned. "Then I'll send our RSVP tomorrow."

In her fleeting consciousness, Elsa couldn't help but feel happy. Maren wanted to be with her. Maren wanted her to meet her family. And that was something worth feeling happy about.

---

"Oh who's a good boy? You're a good boy. Yes you are."

Ryder couldn't help but smile as Kristoff talked to the small dog in front of him. Volunteering at the animal shelter was something he had done since he was sixteen. Usually it was something he did alone. Sharing it with Kristoff was something different, but something right.

He was so good with the animals. It didn't shock him per se. The one time he had gone over to Kristoff's apartment, he saw how the man treated his dog. He was kind and gentle, a very different demeanor than what he usually saw at the coffeehouse.

But Ryder couldn't help but feel like he was doing something wrong. He saw the way that his sister blushed and got flustered over her girlfriend. She would talk about how her heart fluttered when she talked to Elsa or how she just wanted to be close to the other girl. Ryder was happy, but he didn't feel those kinds of things. If he thought about it, he never really felt that desire in his whole life.

He was happy with Kristoff. He made him smile. He had a little extra kick in his step when he entered Mermaid's Siren knowing the boy would be there. But why didn't he want to kiss Kristoff or touch him the way his sister wanted Elsa?

Ryder sighed. Maybe he was just a really late bloomer. He wanted those feelings, but they just weren't there.

Suddenly he felt a hand run through his messy hair. "Why so glum? We're in dog paradise." Kristoff smiled at him, going to sit next to him.

Ryder shook his head. "Just thinking, that's all."

Kristoff nodded with that knowing look. "Is it something that can be helped by Miss Samantha here?" In his arms was a border collie puppy, cuddling close.

Ryder smiled. "Anything can be fixed with a good girl like Miss Samantha." They petted and rubbed her a while, giving her plenty of love and attention. "The only bad thing about volunteering here is sometimes I just want to take them all home with me. That's how I got Nokk after all."

Kristoff nodded with that understanding look that made him melt. "Sven was a rescue too. But who rescued who is still up for debate."

"Yeah?" he asked, curiosity in his eyes.

"Yeah," he nodded again. "Things were tough for a long while. My biological parents died when I was eight. But one of the last things we did together was get Sven from the shelter. Ma and Pa wanted me to have someone to grow up with, even though they didn't want anymore kids. Pa and I picked him out together, this timid German Shepherd. And when Ma and Pa passed and I went to the system, by a miracle Sven was able to stay with me."

Ryder could tell that the story was a lot for Kristoff. His voice had changed and he kept his eyes down. He reached out a gentle hand. "I'm glad you had each other."

"Me too." Kristoff squeezed his hand back.

They didn't talk for a while after. It was an easy silence, working through the dogs' crates, cleaning them and giving them some love. It was nice.

"Hey, Kris?" Ryder eventually asked after a bit.

"Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to ask you. My cousin is getting married in a few weeks. I was wondering if you would want to go with me. I know it's really fast and it's okay if you don't want to and my family barely knows I'm gay but-"

Kristoff shut him up with a quick peck on the lips. "I would love to."

Ryder smiled, a bit dazed from the kiss. "Thank you." A kiss didn't feel like he thought it would. It was soft, sure, but it didn't give him that famous spark everyone talked about. He shook his head, willing himself to return to that topic later. "It's a date then."

"It's a date."

---

"You mean you both got invited to a wedding? What are the odds of that?" Anna asked as she worked on breakfast. Sunday breakfast at the sisters' apartment had become a staple since Anna had moved in. It gave a sense of consistency in a time when everything was changing so quickly around them. Because no matter what stress Elsa's lab brought her or how many rude customers Anna and Kristoff dealt with, pancakes and hash browns and homebrewed coffee made everything better.

"It would appear so," Kristoff said setting plates on the table. "Wonder if it's the same wedding."

"It could be," Elsa said, shrugging in her dark blue blanket. "Mine is a local wedding. I wouldn't be surprised if Honeymaren and Ryder had similar friends."

"Still it just seems odd to me." Anna pondered for a minute as she prepared the potatoes. "Do you two even have anything to wear?"

"Jeans and a button down." They both responded in almost perfect unison.

Anna dropped her spatula. "Oh no you're not. You are not going to a wedding in jeans and a flannel. It's not the end all be all of fashion, guys."

"Says the one in Spiderman pajamas," Elsa teased, moving to flick her sister playfully.

"First off, it's breakfast. We always do breakfast in pajamas. And second off, you two are getting nice clothes for this wedding iI swear to God." She hurriedly finished the food, putting it on the table. "Eat up. We're going shopping after breakfast."

Elsa and Kristoff groaned in unison knowing there was no getting out of this one.

---

“Well don’t you look nice?” Anna teased, looking at her best friend and sister. “Didn’t I tell you this would be better than jeans and flannel? You look like someone I’m proud to claim.”

Elsa rolled her eyes, going to give her sister a gentle knock on the head. “Perhaps, but you know I don’t like admitting when you’re right.” She was stunning in a pair of dress slacks and a silk blue top. Her hair was styled in a gorgeous braided updo, something befitting a queen. Between the hair and her delicate makeup, Anna swore she looked like their mother.

“It takes all the fun out of it,” Kristoff teased. He too looked handsome. Anna finally convinced him to get a pair of pants fitted for him instead of the loose fitting pants he usually wore. They looked perfect on him, highlighting assets that Ryder would be more than thrilled to see. He wore a pale green button down with a black tie.

“Oh shush, both of you.” Anna smiled swatting back at her sister. “Can’t I give you guys compliments?”

“You can, but we might be snarky back. Isn’t that right, Elsa?”

“Absolutely.” Elsa leaned down and pressed a kiss to her sister’s head. “You sure you’ll be alright?”

“I’m fine, promise.” Anna stroked Bruni softly where he laid on the couch. “I have three cats and Netflix. I can occupy myself for a night.”

“Just call if you need anything. You know I’ll come home.” It made Anna roll her eyes a bit. She knew her sister was just being protective, but she deserved some fun too.

“I know you will.” Anna gave her sister’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “Now get going! You’re going to be late!”

Soon after receiving their invitations, Kristoff and Elsa realized they were in fact going to the same wedding. Maren and Ryder apparently had been friends since they were babies in an odd twist of fate. It was weird, but Elsa took solace in the fact that she would be able to stay with both Maren and Kristoff at the wedding. Her social anxiety was improving, but events like this could still serve as a trigger sometimes.

“Go get yourself a drink. It’ll settle your nerves,” Maren encouraged as they waited around for the bridal party at the reception. The ceremony itself had come and gone without much stress. It was a little long; Elsa didn’t realize they had been pulled into a Catholic wedding, but Maren held her hand the whole time making it a bit easier to bear.

The reception however brought its own set of issues. There were too many people, too much noise. The music wasn’t playing yet, but she knew it would be coming soon. Elsa stammered over to the bar. She usually hated alcohol, but she wanted to get through the night. She wanted to enjoy herself and enjoy herself with Maren, not hiding in the bathroom. Elsa ordered a neat whiskey and prayed it would be enough.

“Better?” Maren asked when she returned.

Elsa kept her head down, but nodded. She wasn’t going to ruin this night for Maren.

“Snowflake, you don’t have to lie to me.”

Elsa bit her lip, head still down. “This is just a lot. It makes it hard to breathe, and I don’t want to ruin your night and I don’t want to leave but I don’t want to be here either and my head is fuzzy and I can’t think and-”

“Elsa.”

Maren took her hands, holding tight. It brought her out of her head and back in the moment. “Let’s go for a walk and see how you feel then okay? I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay somewhere that’s making you upset.” Elsa nodded. “Come on.”

The walk helped. Her focus slowly returned and breathing calmed. Maren spoke sweet nothings in her ear, letting her ride the wave of anxiety however she needed to. Elsa was glad she was here, kind and gentle. It wasn’t the first anxiety attack she had in front of Maren, but it was the first when they were alone.

“Thank you,” she mumbled into Maren’s shoulder as they approached the building.

“Anytime.”

The rest of the reception went without much fanfare. Speeches were made, dances were had, and dinner was decent. Elsa found herself having an alright time, alternating between the dance floor and outside for air. It was good.

“Ryder! Maren!” The bride ran up towards their table. “I have to get a picture together with my favorite twins!”

“We’re the only twins you know, Lena,” Ryder teased, coming up and hugging the young woman. “Come on, little sister!”

Maren got up quickly, elbowing him. “Ten minutes doesn’t make that much of a difference.”

Twins? Her girlfriend and her best friend’s boyfriend were twins?

“Kristoff, how-”

“I don’t-”

“Maren never mentioned any siblings.”

“Ryder either.”

“Did they just forget to tell us?”

“Well...” Maren dragged off, rejoining the conversation. “At first yes. But then a few days ago, we realized it should be something to mention. And then someone thought this would be a fun way to find out.”

“Hey! You agreed to it!” Ryder piped in.

“Yeah, yeah I did.” Maren got down in front of Elsa holding her hand. “Are you mad at me?”

Elsa shook her head. It was good natured and funny, how could she be mad? It would take a little bit to the idea that Kristoff’s boyfriend was related to her girlfriend. “This just means that Anna isn’t the only trickster in our group. Now go take a picture with your cousin!”

Secrets could hurt sometimes, but they could be fun sometimes too. It was just a little extra quirk.