Honeymaren took a deep breath.

As far as she was concerned this was as near to paradise as a person could get, and she wasn't sure she ever wanted to leave. How she had lucked into this was still a mystery to her— but then again she knew, as with nature, everything always happened for a reason.

Beneath her chin lay the smooth slender back of the woman she was certain she loved, and who very possibly, felt the same way about her— and warmth spread across her chest at that notion. Absently she traced delicate patterns over the cold sinewy bare skin, running fingers up, down and over the defined contours of her spine. She was so perfect in every way, even her back was somehow perfect as she slept, draped across her as she was, head resting peacefully on her shoulder. She was skinny — weighing almost nothing in her arms — but there were lean ripples of muscle under that skin which provided her a strength not many could see. She was not weak by any means — much stronger than she appeared — and she loved that most about her.

The hot spring they rested in was equally as glorious, enclosed by trees and tucked far up and away into the mountains— and she took it all in, knowing she would never forget this special place. The water was warm, but it felt nice in contrast to the cool body that clung to her— Elsa's body. For as long as they'd been in the hot spring — and by the angle of the sun it had been a while — it was marvelous how briskly cool Elsa's skin remained.

She reached a hand over and swept some blonde hair out of Elsa's face that had fallen there during sleep, and carefully slid her head to a more comfortable position on her chest. Elsa remained asleep, and she was perfectly contented to sit there as long as she needed to rest, feeling the slow rise and fall of her rhythmic breathing. To see her so calm, to feel her so at peace while she slept was something she would probably never get enough of.

With another deep breath, she leaned back further, enfolding her arms around the sleeping girl in them, and holding her securely so that she might never slip away. That feeling of protectiveness slunk it's way up her chest again, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt, that she would follow this woman to the ends of the earth and back just to make sure she would be ok. Just to know that somewhere, she existed, and was alive and well.

The waterfall Nokk had cantered up at the other end of the spring, lie mostly in shadows now— the misty rainbows all but dissolved by the absence of sunlight. As she watched it flow, something flickered behind it, a small cavern perhaps? She squinted her eyes, trying to focus just beyond the scattered spray of water. It looked like some kind of runes or symbols were carved in the cliffside behind, but then it could just be an illusion cast in the shadowy mist.

Elsa jerked suddenly, splashing water and snapping her out of her reveries. A burst of cold hit her but dissipated quickly in the warm water.

'Els, hey, hey you're ok.' She tightened her arms around Elsa to let her know she was there. Immediately she relaxed.

'I'm sorry.' Elsa sat up and quickly slid out of her arms and onto the rock shelf next to her, looking rather like a dazed wounded animal. The look in her eyes broke her heart.

'Elsa, I'm fine— ' She reached out a hand and rubbed Elsa's forearm in reassurance. Elsa allowed it. 'Did you have another dream?' Elsa's brow furrowed and she nodded.

'Anna again.' Elsa wrapped her arms tightly around her own middle as she had seen her do countless times before when she was nervous or afraid. Cocooning herself protectively from whatever had unnerved her, pulling in her magic so she would not harm anyone near her.

'Same as before?' Maren offered gently. Elsa had told her recently of the dark dreams she'd been having. Dark shadowy spirits attacking her sister, and Elsa powerless to stop it. She suspected it was some manifestation of guilt she knew Elsa harbored, for abdicating the throne and turning the kingdom over to the care of her younger sister. But she also was unsure how to help her alleviate the guilt.

'It was worse, this time. Something had gotten hold of her and—' She cut herself off and started to pull herself out of the water. 'I want to go check on her.'

Before she knew it Elsa was up and out of the water, ice crystals already forming pants and a tunic around her body as she started to wring water out of her hair. Jarred by the quick shift in Elsa's demeanor, Maren scrambled out of the water after her.

'I've been away too long. I promised her I wouldn't do that again…' Elsa was mumbling to herself as she braided back her damp hair.

'Elsa, Elsa hang on.' Maren said as she gripped her shoulders and turned her so they were face to face. Two blue eyes met hers as she stopped fidgeting with her hair. 'Slow down, I'm sure Anna is fine.' Elsa took a breath as blue eyes flicked over her own, searching them and finding reason there.

'I know, you're probably right. But I should check on her anyway. It took me years to get a handle on how everything worked— it's going to take her time, and I can't just leave her alone with all that for long stretches.' Maren just smiled as she watched her continue braiding her hair, it was never Elsa first. It was always others first and she so admired that about her.

'Let's take Nokk, I want to get there today.' Elsa stated, arms overhead as she finished tying back her hair. Maren suddenly realized she was still standing there in a naked stupor and quickly bent to get her own clothes. They were mostly dry, a tad damp as she pulled them on. Quickly re-braiding her own hair and sliding into her boots. Elsa was already at the waters edge when she finished, bent over it, her hand hovering just at the surface, calling the water horse. Nokk appeared, in the same location she had noticed earlier, hovering in the mist just below the waterfall.

'What is she doing?' Elsa wondered aloud, placing hands on her hips. The horse just stared at them both, only the top of her head peering out of the mist.

'I saw her doing that before too, when you were asleep. I thought she was just watching out for you, but maybe she's trying to tell us something. Look.' Maren pointed to the cavern she noticed earlier sitting just behind the waterfall. Elsa noticed it too. They exchanged a glance then both started to walk around the small tarn towards the waterfall.

As they drew closer she could see that there was a small path leading up to the cavern, as if the earth had been packed down specifically for easy access. Elsa led the way, mist spraying them both as they skirted their way up the small slope just behind the gushing force of the falls.

'Look.' Elsa's awed voice echoed around the rock as they entered the damp chamber. Maren looked up and saw what was there, nearly covering the expanse of the cave wall was a giant— what looked to be— map? There were four directions carved there, perhaps north, south, east and west with some kind of symbol representing each in a diamond formation. At the top to the north, a mountain rising out of water, to the west a volcano perhaps or smoking mountain? The east looked like a circular valley surrounded by cliffs and in the south, quite possibly a fjord? The only other symbol was in the center of the four, a diamond surrounded by four circles. Other symbols were carved around the map in the form of a language, but it was indecipherable as far as Maren could tell.

'What is it?' Maren wondered aloud.

'I don't know.' Elsa was still staring up in wonderment. 'But Gale and Nokk both led us here, so there must be something about it. Something feels familiar but I can't place it.' She walked closer to the wall and ran her hand over it, feeling it for something? She stopped and brought her other hand up to the wall, and before Maren knew it, tiny water droplets had started to peel off the wall and mix with the mist from the waterfall, hovering suspended in the air as if gravity did not exist. The droplets began to rotate, to swirl together and coalesce, and she could feel the temperature in the cave drop instantly.

'Elsa…?' She offered gently, but Elsa was now fixated on the coalescing water, same as she, watching it with wide expectant eyes.

An ice sculpture began to form slowly as the droplets came together, and she squinted to make out what it could be.

'Agnarr, we have to find the fifth spirit, it's the bridge. I know it's real, it's the only way I will ever see my home again, my family. The only way to bring balance back and set them free.'

The soft gentle voice of a woman echoed loudly around the cave. For the briefest of moments it sounded like Elsa, and she thought it was her until she instinctively glanced over and saw that Elsa's mouth was not moving.

The faceless voice stopped with the final formation of the statue, which appeared to be a man and a woman kissing in front of falling water. A memory preserved in water and reformed— made tangible by ice. She had seen other ice sculptures like this in the forest when she had first met Elsa, had been told that Ahtohallan was filled with living water memories much like this— but she had never before seen one form before her very eyes.

'Mother.'

It was Elsa's shaky voice she heard this time, and saw her rush forward to the statue, running her finger over the woman's cheek. This woman, upon closer inspection did look remarkably like Elsa.

'Your parents?' Maren offered, looking up now at what she assumed was the former king of Arendelle. Elsa nodded and pulled back from the statue, wiping tears from her eyes.

'She was trying to get back.' Elsa spoke with a trembling voice as tears continued to spill down her cheeks. She never removed her eyes from the statue. 'Back to the Northuldra, to the only life she ever knew. I— I never thought about what that must have been like for her. How lonely and scared she must have been. I never knew... Too busy feeling sorry for myself…' Her voice trailed off, the last bit was barely a discernible whisper.

Maren gently grabbed Elsa's shoulders and turned her away from the painful memory, looking straight into her blue eyes. 'Elsa don't you see, you did everything your mother ever wanted. You are the fifth spirit and you did free us, you and Anna liberated the forest and the spirits.'

'Too late for her to see…' Elsa turned her eyes down and away, her only escape. Maren tipped her chin back up so she was looking into her tear-filled eyes again.

'Elsa, your mother believed in you before you were ever born, before she ever knew you would become the fifth spirit. You were gifted to her because of how great her faith in you was. The day the forest fell, she called out for help, and you were the answer to her call. You two will always be tied together by love, by blood, by the spirits. One of the greatest loves that exists is the love between a mother and daughter, even beyond death.' The pain floating in Elsa's eyes was palpable, causing a lump to form in her own throat, so she pulled Elsa into a hug, squeezing her tightly.

'She would be so proud of you now.' She whispered into Elsa's ear. Elsa held tightly to her and continued to cry quietly into her shoulder. Gale had slithered in the small cavern and swirled around them, it felt like a cool hug. She stroked Elsa's braid, and her eyes flicked over to the statue. It was clear by the way they were kissing that Elsa's parents were deeply in love, and here of all places. She smiled into Elsa's hair and couldn't help but think, how like mother like daughter they were.

'C'mon, let's go see your sister, she always cheers you up. You can tell her about all of this while I go check up on Ryder.' She could feel her eyes roll in irritation thinking about her younger brother traipsing around Arendelle, getting into who knows what, annoying the spirits out of everyone.

Elsa pulled away from her with a chuckle and a quizzical look. 'He hasn't left Kristoff alone. Like, at all. I need to go make sure he isn't driving him insane.' Maren stated, smiling playfully as she wiped the last tear off Elsa's face.

'You cheer me up.' Elsa said, breaking into her half smile.

'Well that's good, because I'm sure Anna would love some help in that department.' She jibed swinging her arm over Elsa's shoulder and leading her out of the cavern. 'Of course, Anna is still Queen at that game — pun intended— but I'm getting better at it.' Elsa was laughing now. 'But seriously, I may kill Ryder when we get there so just be prepared for that.'

'I think he's under the Queen's protection unfortunately.' Elsa jested back. 'She's taken quite a liking to him, and you know they are strangely similar. They have this bizarre thing they do every time either of them says something utterly strange—'

'Where they look at each other and mouth younger sibs as if no one else can see, and as if everyone else is completely stupid for not understanding it?'

'Yes, that!' Elsa laughed. Maren was thrilled Ryder, Kristoff and Anna got along well, though she would still probably have to kill Ryder when they got there— just as she had done after he had occupied Kristoff for the entire night teaching him the Northuldra way to propose. Kristoff had been left behind by Anna and Elsa as they couldn't find him for hours, and yes, she had had to kill Ryder for that one. She loved him dearly, but sometimes, she just had to kill him.

'We better get down there then before any more chaos ensues.'