Chapter Text
Prologue
The kingdom of Dyrankia stood tucked away beneath the eastern hills that adorned the base of Miner's Mountain, where the final slivers of creeks flowed in from the passing river. Beyond the massive stone wall that surrounded the tattered cottages and worn-down shacks of the tiny village, Dyrankia Castle loomed. As day faded to dusk and the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the clouds, the castle's stark towers and pointed parapets cast murky shadows on the village below. In a room atop the castle's highest tower, a figure stood by the window. Upon hearing footsteps approaching, the figure turned towards the tower's open door.
"Laurence, is that you?"
"Coming, Your Majesty." Laurence's footsteps quickened upon hearing his name. He scooted past the guard standing against the wall and stopped when he reached the doorway. He straightened the folds of his vest with his hands before speaking. "What is it, Queen Marjorie?"
"My letter has been delivered to Arendelle, I presume?" Marjorie had returned her gaze to the window.
"Oh, yes." Laurence continued to stare at Marjorie's back as he spoke. "I made sure to send it out this morning. The messenger returned a few hours ago."
"Good." Marjorie responded after a brief pause, her gaze still fixed on the scene beyond the tower window. Laurence stood in the doorway, shuffling his feet as he awaited further instructions. When none came, he turned to leave, but Marjorie addressed him again.
"Look at it, Laurence!" she said in a voice full of gusto as she gestured to the window. He entered the tower and stood beside her, looking out the window towards the direction he knew she was referring to. Turrets of smoke billowed up from within another stone wall that surrounded a secluded fortress beyond the western side of the village. This wall encompassed an area as large as the village itself and as high as the castle's tallest spire.
"I can't believe the time has almost come!" Marjorie exclaimed, her tone brimming with excitement.
"Yes…" Laurence shifted his gaze to Marjorie, then back to the window as he struggled to find words to pad out the conversation. "Uh…I'm sure your parents would have been proud."
With an affirming nod, Marjorie turned away from the window and headed towards the door. "Well then!" she clasped her hands together in finality. "It's getting late. We have to continue preparations tomorrow of course, especially for our upcoming guest." She headed out of the room and down the stairs, with Laurence following closely behind. When she reached the bottom, she gazed back up at the curling stairway, counting the guards positioned against the walls in between each set of iron doors within the tower. She scowled when her eyes reached the room at the top, noting the two guards standing on either side of the door.
"I'm counting seven guards, Laurence," she said, her voice calm but unnerving. "There should always be eight in this tower."
Laurence tugged at the collar of his vest as a bead of sweat tickled his neck. "Uh, I'll check on that right away. Maybe they needed help at the posts."
Marjorie nodded, then continued into the tower foyer. As she passed through the main hall of the castle, the empty lanterns lining the walls lit up behind her, illuminating them in a crimson red glow.
The morning clouds parted above the Enchanted Forest and shafts of sunlight filtered through the trees, decorating the ground with dapples of light. The year's late spring had turned the trees a vibrant green as they swayed in the gentle breeze. Amid the sounds of birds chirping and the crackling of campfires, three Northuldra men stood at the shore of a nearby lake, muttering amongst themselves. Elsa came up beside them and they watched her expectantly as she looked out at the lake's still, blue waters. She felt a sudden gust of wind blow against her, a sign that Gale had come to join the occasion. Her platinum blonde hair flowed out behind her and the lavender tips of her billowing cape danced in Gale's wind, their crystal lining sparkling in the sunshine. Elsa smiled for a moment at Gale's playfulness, but then remembered the situation at hand.
"Not now, Gale," she said in a serious tone. She turned back towards the lake. "Nokk!" she called out. The lake remained quiet. The Northuldra men looked at each other with anxious eyes. The oldest man of the group stepped forward, shifting the fishing net in his hand.
"It's alright, Elsa. We'll just fish at the usual spot."
"No, there's no reason he can't take you." She sighed in frustration and turned towards the lake again. "Come here, Nokk!"
A moment later, the surface of the lake stirred and numerous ripples appeared. With a giant splash, Nokk burst from the water, planting his hooves on the lake's surface as he landed. Upon noticing Elsa, he whinnied and trotted over to her, the drops of water on his translucent body glistening. When he reached her, he lowered his head as she took his muzzle in her hands.
"Why won't you come when they call you?" Her tone was half disappointed and half scolding. With a gentle push, she turned his face towards the three Northuldra fishermen. "They need you to take them to the other side of the lake…" She looked out across the water, and Nokk followed her gaze. "...under that rocky outcropping, where the shoreline splits. The forest is slowly healing, so fish are becoming more plentiful, but the Northuldra rafts can't get through the narrow opening that leads to a really good fishing spot. Can you please take them there?"
She cradled his muzzle in her hands again and looked into his eyes. After a moment, Nokk gave an approving snort and turned back towards the lake. As he trotted over its surface, the water that shaped his body melted into the water of the lake. The fishermen looked on with eagerness as the surface of the water right in front of them began to pulse and gyrate. They stared at it in wonder, then looked back at Elsa. She smiled and nodded.
"He's ready now."
The oldest fisherman cautiously put one foot down on the pulsing water. When he confirmed its sturdiness, he brought his other foot over. He turned around in place, looking down and laughing at his feet standing flat on the water's surface. When the other two joined him, the section of water they were standing on slowly lifted and moved forward. As it carried them off to the other side of the lake, they waved at Elsa. She waved back until they disappeared into the distance. She then looked down in disappointment as she turned to leave.
"Don't feel so bad about it."
She heard a familiar voice and looked up. Yelena was standing before her with her staff planted firmly on the ground. Her wispy gray braids fluttered in the breeze.
"I just don't understand," Elsa sighed as she walked back towards the camp with Yelena following beside her. "The spirits always come whenever I call them. Why won't they do the same for all of you? Even when you use the spirit call–like how you said my mother used to summon Gale–or even just calling them by name, it doesn't seem to matter. They're not angry anymore, so why won't they go back to the way they were before the war with Arendelle?"
"I told you, it's not that simple." Yelena's voice was stern as she kept her eyes fixed on the Northuldra campsite coming into view. "Our connection to the spirits goes back to ancient times. As far as I know, that connection was never severed the way it was during the war with Arendelle. For over thirty years, the spirits were angry with humans, and we were fearful of them. We can't expect all that to be mended in just a few months."
As they entered the camp, the laughter of Northuldra children chasing each other between the tents and the clattering of hooves as reindeer were being herded filled the air. They passed by some Northuldra women sewing clothes by one of the tents and a group of men stacking chunks of wood along the edge of the camp. As they came to the camp's center, Yelena stopped and turned to Elsa.
"That's why we're lucky to have you. To be blessed with a fifth spirit to help us in these uncertain times." Her mouth curved into a smile that was different from her usual strict demeanor. "With you here, I know we'll be able to regain our connection to the spirits in due time."
Elsa smiled back before creasing her brow in thought. "I'm still not sure I know what a fifth spirit is exactly. Or rather, what I'm truly meant to do."
Yelena gazed into the distance where a group of Northuldra women were returning to the camp with baskets full of freshly picked herbs and flowers. "I can't say for sure, as you're the first fifth spirit our people have encountered in generations." She replied to Elsa while still looking away. "But perhaps each one is meant to decide their own purpose."
Before she could fully process Yelena's words, Elsa heard a loud thud behind her and turned around. Several feet away, Ryder and a few of the other young men were standing over a fallen tree trunk. On the other side of it stood a small and puzzled-looking earth giant.
"That's perfect, Hubert, thanks!" Ryder shouted and waved to the giant.
"Did you really name him 'Hubert'?" one of the other men asked.
"Actually, Olaf came up with that name," Ryder replied. "I thought it kind of fit."
"It does sound like one of Olaf's names," Elsa added as she watched Hubert stare at the tree trunk he had just placed on the ground. Unlike the other earth giants, whose massive bodies towered over the forest trees, almost into the clouds, Hubert was a much smaller creature, just a little larger than Elsa's snowman guard, Marshmallow. Perhaps to go along with his diminutive size, while the other earth giants were often grouchy and stubborn, Hubert was meek and obedient. He also had great beds of green moss along his head, back, and shoulders, making him even more distinct from the rest.
"Yeah, even though he's not big enough to help us cross the gorges like the other giants, he's really been helpful with gathering firewood!" Ryder picked up a stone axe that was lying on the ground and leaned it against the stack of wood. "It's a good thing you found him hiding in that cave by the river."
"Yes, he really didn't like being with the others over there." Elsa looked towards the distant cliffs where the earth giants dwelled. "I'm glad at least one of the giants is improving." She continued to watch Hubert, who now gave a questioning grunt as he noticed that the tree trunk he had placed was slanted to the side. He reached out with his knobby fingers and pushed it slightly to the right so it aligned perfectly with the stacks of nearby firewood. The concaves of his rocky face formed a smile as he mused over the correction he made. Suddenly, Elsa felt a tickling sensation on her back. Bruni had climbed up and perched on her shoulder, blinking his bright eyes when she looked at him.
"Oh, hi Bruni." She stroked his tiny head with her finger. "I hope you were at least a little helpful with the cooking this morning."
"He was, actually."
The new voice came from Honeymaren, who was approaching from where she had been brushing one of the reindeer. Still clasping the wooden brush in her hand, she gestured towards a nearby pot hanging over a cozy fire of purple flames. "I asked him very clearly and nicely if he could help us get a fire going and he actually listened! But then again, he just happened to be hanging around the camp, so I didn't have to summon him. That's the hard part."
"Well, it's something," Elsa replied. Bruni rolled on his back so she could stroke his belly, his azure scales gleaming in the bright sunlight.
Honeymaren returned to brushing the reindeer as she continued. "Don't forget how helpful he was in that cold winter we had. It was so much better having his fire there whenever we needed it!" she exclaimed as she slid the brush along the reindeer's back.
"That's because I was there every day making sure he kept the fires going, especially at night." Elsa continued to pet Bruni as he cooed with each stroke of her finger. "Yelena and some of the other elders said they tried to call for him on their own a few times, but he wouldn't come."
"Don't worry about it," Honeymaren replied with a casual grin. "Things are still way better than they were when we were trapped in the mist and the spirits weren't around at all. Like Yelena's been saying, it's just going to take time."
She began brushing the reindeer under his chin. He lifted his head high, giving happy snorts as she moved the brush up and down his furry chest. Elsa looked to the side and noticed that Yelena had moved away and was talking to a group of Northuldra elders. Ryder was no longer by the tree trunk and Hubert was busying himself by carefully adjusting the straightness of each piece of stacked firewood. Confirming the end of the morning's conversations, Elsa headed back to her ice tent a short distance away from the camp.
She had created the tent in the same style as the Northuldra tents that were made of wood, but it was instead comprised of her ice magic. Her signature snowflake design adorned its curved walls, and the upper and lower rims were dotted with the crystals bearing the elemental symbols. A large snowflake sat on the roof of the tent, refracting the morning sunshine. As Elsa approached the tent, a brazen gust of wind pushed against her.
"Oh, sorry, Gale. I forgot about you."
The wind spirit twirled its playful gusts around her, then pushed forward towards the ice tent, causing a flurry of leaves and sticks to fly off in that direction. Bruni suddenly squealed with excitement and jumped off Elsa's shoulder, scurrying towards the direction of Gale's wind and disappearing behind the ice tent. Elsa followed, knowing where he was headed. Behind the tent, she had erected another ice structure: a pillar about half the height of the tent with a small box at the top that had an opening on one side. A snowflake design covered the left side of the box while a crocus design, the symbol of Arendelle, covered the right side. She had created this box specifically for Gale to drop off Anna's letters in case she wasn't able to receive them at the time. Bruni was standing on top of the box with his head peeking inside. He flicked his tongue at the letter that was neatly placed there.
Elsa's face lit up when she saw the letter. Receiving letters from Anna always made her day brighter. She was expecting the contents of this letter to be the usual request for her presence for an evening of charades or other fun events Anna would often hold, or possibly questions about how to handle particular issues in the kingdom. But as she read the words written in Anna's comforting handwriting, she felt a twinge of worry rise up inside her. She quickly reached into the tent and placed the letter on a table inside, then turned around and headed back towards the camp.
