Winter's Echo

Chapter One - Saying Goodbye

Many tears were shed before the siblings finally released each other after the incredibly long and emotionally exhausting discussion that left Anna the new queen of Arendelle that fateful afternoon. It had been hard for Anna to accept her sister's logic or desire to stay in the forest and abdicate the throne, especially after the emotional roller coaster of thinking she had lost her beloved sister for good. Eventually, what brought the redhead around to the idea was something she herself had said to Elsa when the blonde had revealed her ambition to cross the dark sea. She truly didn't want to stop her sister from doing or being whatever or whoever she needed to be - all she wanted was for Elsa to be safe...and happy.

"Promise me you will come to visit every week," Anna had mumbled into her sister's neck, clutching her tightly. Elsa nodded, her face similarly buried into Anna's fiery tresses, inhaling deeply and committing the scent of summer and fresh strawberries to memory. "You will be an amazing queen, Anna. You were born for this, much more so than I ever was," she murmured reassuringly to her nervous sister. "You have always been the heart of Arendelle and what guided me in any good I have done. Arendelle is lucky to have you...as am I." With a resolute nod and a teary grin, Anna had finally departed with her new fiancé and promised to write every day, if for no other reason than for Gale to stretch her "whatever it is that Gale would need to stretch. Breezes have needs, too," Anna had stated matter of factly. Olaf and Sven's cheery presence had made the painful moment slightly easier. If Olaf, the most child-like among them, could understand and believe his family had not been splintered, the sisters were sure they would come around to the feeling eventually as well.

The bittersweet memory caused a small chuckle to bubble forth from Elsa's throat before she sighed, a soft smile on her lips as she gazed about her new home. It had been a day and some hours since she had bid her loving sister farewell at the edge of the forest. She was atop Nokk, her new faithful companion; the pair had been riding leisurely about the shoreline for the majority of the day. The mighty water spirit was thrilled to serve his new mistress, as were the other three elemental spirits. Elsa was more than a mere mortal queen now; with a divine rule over all four of the elements, the blonde was closer to a deity than she was a human.

Even before embarking on their journey to the mystical forest, Elsa had felt her power growing within her in ways she had never experienced, as though her magic was a living, breathing entity of its own. Though mortal still she was, since her ascension on Ahtohallan the potential of her powers had become endless. Until recent months, her magic had required great concentration and, at times, quite a bit of physical effort. The blonde had been quite exhausted upon completion of her ice castle, the sheer adrenaline of the experience having been its driving force. With the exception of the events on the night of her coronation, which were driven by a primal fear, the magical queen had to spend a great deal of time re-training herself to her icy powers. Now, she needed do little more than envision a creation or action and her will would be done, easily compounded by the other four elements - a new skill she was discovering through recent magical experimentation. It had taken mere moments for the sensations of the other elements to feel as natural as her own icy magic rolling beneath her skin, to Elsa's delight and relief; she really was meant to be here, to be the fifth spirit.

That knowledge, while it thrilled her and provided some comfort about her decision to stay, didn't ease the pain of watching Anna leave without her. So long she had pined for the closeness of her only living relative, three years was nowhere near enough to fill the gap in her soul - not even close. Now her beloved sister was gone, and mere hours after the life-changing event of her engagement. Who would help her plan the wedding she so desperately deserved? Who would see to the preparations, the invitations, the decorations, the menu...

'The dress...' Elsa thought sadly, her throat tightening painfully. Who would help her baby sister pick out her wedding dress? Tears welled unbidden to the blonde's eyes at the thought of Anna being alone in such a moment. Elsa shook her head to clear the depressing thought from her mind, laughing dryly at her own silliness. Of course she would be there to help Anna with anything and everything she needed - she wasn't banished from Arendelle. She had beaten a tidal wave with a head start on her to the shores of their kingdom, for the love of the Gods, she could certainly go visit her family any time she felt like it. Elsa sighed and shook her head. She did need to figure out where she went from here, however.

Too exhilarated from the events of the previous days, the new spirit had elected to spend the night playing with the other elementals and her powers, roaming all over the territory of Northuldra and revisiting Ahtohallan. If she was honest, her unwillingness to endure what would only be her second night spent outside the same walls as her sister since the redhead was born was her main drive to spend it wandering the wilds. All the better to avoid dwelling too long on the memory of her first night, which had been spent in the dungeon of her own castle believing her sister to be lost in the wilds of the north mountain thanks to her doing. That memory had almost driven the blonde to ride Nokk all the way back to Arendelle that same night before she remembered the journey to the enchanted forest had taken the company at least two days on land. Her family was likely very near her ice palace at that very moment, she realized with a tender smile.

Regardless of her motives, her child-like gallivanting and exploring meant she had yet to really make a plan for her future in the enchanted forest she had so quickly fallen in love with. The Northuldra had made it clear they were more than thrilled with her decision to stay, but still - Elsa had been raised in a palace her whole life. What did she know about living in the wilderness? The closest knowledge she had was gained through her royal training about those citizens under her protection that lived on the outskirts of Arendelle proper such as the farmers and the ice harvesters, like Kristoff. Still, they had been subjects of the Crown - not a tribe of nomadic spiritualists that had been trapped in a magic mist for thirty-two years.

Speaking of the welcoming nomads, she bit her lip lightly as she and Nokk approached the shore that would bring her back to her new home amongst the Northuldra. She was nervous as she urged her watery companion to enter the mouth of the wide stream that lead through the encampment. What would she say? To whom? She would have to speak with Yelana, the somewhat wiry leader of the Northuldra about living arrangements. The blonde felt an irrational sense of guilt and shame flow through her, knowing she would be a burden to the kind people until she could learn to provide for herself properly. An extra mouth to feed was a simple matter when one lived in a castle, but the queen was sure it was much more of an encumbrance for an entire village of people living off of the land.

Finally, she and Nokk arrived at the calm bend of the stream that nestled up to the settlement. Several of the Northuldrans grinned widely upon her arrival, waving to others in the encampment to tell of her return. Elsa smiled nervously; she was never a fan of being the center of attention. The blonde resisted the urge to turn and run right back to Ahtohallan with her watery steed, instead dismounting him gracefully with what was now practiced ease. She gave her watery friend a nod of thanks which was answered with a deep, majestic bow.

*Mistress,* echoed the ethereal voice of the water spirit as he bid her farewell; a voice only she could hear, she had realized in an embarrassing moment prior to her sister's departure. Elsa and Anna had thought the blonde was hearing voices again before Gale identified herself to the queen. Since her full ascension on Ahtohallan, she could hear the voices of all of the other elemental spirits and they, her. All of them, with the exception of Bruni for a reason Elsa couldn't pinpoint. While he seemed to understand her just fine, the lovable fire spirit's communication skills seemed limited to his adorable squeaks, clicks and grunts - she still had no idea what the eyeball licking oddity was about. Whether it be the polarized nature of their existence, the primal nature of fire, or just the fact that he was a lizard, Elsa adored him all the same, words or not.

"Elsa!"

A gentle voice called to the blonde from across the clearing as Nokk disappeared beneath the surface of the still waters, leaving her to her own devices. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Elsa turned around to search for the voice and blushed upon her discovery of its owner. Honeymaren stood with her brother, Ryder, in front of a bark-lined tent, which the Northuldra called lavvos, that stoodnear the outskirts of the settlement. It was quite large, at least twice the size of most of the others in the little village. Honeymaren smiled warmly at the blonde, inviting her come over with a friendly wave of her arm. Elsa closed her eyes and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay," she said to herself. "Here we go." Clear blue eyes opened and she flashed a bright smile at the brunette, walking forward into her new life.