Chapter Text

It seemed as though providing enough twigs and underbrush for Elsa to learn how to properly light a campfire would be a great challenge. Even for the Enchanted Forest.

Hunched over in a clearing beyond the Northuldra bathing area, Elsa arranged her small pile of twigs and dried underbrush with care. First, in a tripod design...and a second bunch in a log cabin shape. She refused to even glance at the dampened piles of singed twigs and brush all around her; evidence of many fire attempts, but no successes. Yet.

Elsa had also managed to break more than a few pieces of flint into pieces too small to strike with. “Come on, now…”

She squinted at her two triangle-shaped flint stones, then clapped them together over her twig tripod...and promptly grumped when the stickpile collapsed in on itself. Elsa wrinkled her nose and briefly entertained the notion that her flint could be defective. “Alright, fine...the cabin then.”

A cool breeze rustled Elsa’s hair, and she whimpered lowly in frustration while attempting to block her tinder from the wind. “ Gale...please. ”

Elsa held her breath and prepared for another flint-strike. A moment later, she yelped and smacked the flint-stones together before toppling backwards. A sealed box of matches fell from the sky and smashed her little twig-cabin.

An exasperated groan melted into a weary laugh. Having lost count of her attempts and in no hurry to try again, Elsa kicked out her legs and squeezed the bitty pieces of two more flint stones. She giggled again and couldn’t help but shiver as dry leaves crinkled underneath her.

Another nearby pile of dry leaves rustled, and out popped Bruni with a yawn and a sleepy chirp. She padded over and crawled onto Elsa’s stomach, the hiss of steam rising from her warm paws.

Elsa laughed again, dropped her ruined flint, and rubbed the top of Bruni’s head. “Good morning to you. Come to cheer me on?”

Bruni cocked her head to one side, flopped onto her belly, and flicked her tail up. Several bitty flame bursts swirled up, fizzled out, and swirled up again. A perplexed stare even as she let out more pleased chirps.

Elsa shook her head, smiled again, and dropped a little snow mound on Bruni’s tail. “I do appreciate the offer, but I really want to get this right. Just so I...know I have the skill.”

Seconds later, Elsa coughed abruptly as Gale plopped the black and orange box of matches on her chest. Already snoring away, Bruni didn’t notice. Elsa, however, narrowed her eyes at the red, wax heart smeared onto the front of the box. She glanced up at the swirl of maple leafs dancing overhead. “Gale...did Anna set you up to this?”

And with a sharp whistle, Gale rushed off towards Northuldra, rustling tree limbs and laughing in the way only wind could.

“ Aha. ”

Elsa would have marveled yet again at the Northuldra’s uncanny ability to cross over dried leaves without so much as a crunch...but she settled for a surprised squeak and a sheepish blush. “Ah! Um...aha?”

Smirking knowingly, Honeymaren took in the surrounding land, and tapped her chin. “Yelana told me to go get the determined little tree sprite who took all of our flint and was trying to start a forest fire.”

Acutely aware again of the flint-bits scattered all around her, Elsa curled her hands around the box of matches and mumbled self consciously. “Um...sorry. Ryder pointed me towards the worn-out flint and said...go wild. Did I...take the wrong…”

Giggling softly, Honeymaren waved her hands shook her head. “Kidding, kidding, you’re fine.” She knelt down, combed a hand through the dry leaves, and scooped up several sharp, triangular flint-bits. “Yelana said I’d find a bunch of fresh arrow-heads over here.”

The self conscious blush returned to Elsa’s face, but she still managed a sheepish smile. “Wait. How’d she know I was going to...break it all?”

In the distance, Gale howled gleefully.

A light shrug, and Honeymaren nearly managed to hide her amused smile. “Because you didn’t ask for steel...that’s what you strike the flint with.”

Wishing she could sink right into a bottomless pool of dry leaves, Elsa shrugged and pursed her lips. “Right. So then...smacking flint against flint is good for…”

“Making arrow-heads.” Honeymaren easily shuffled four neat arrow-heads between her fingers, then narrowed her eyes playfully. “And cutting yourself, if you’re not careful.”

Elsa stared dumbly. Seconds ticked by, and brown eyes felt like a blanket of leaves sweeping over her in warmth. Eventually the rosy blush on her face demanded she look anywhere else, and she nudged the box of matches away.

Bruni let out a raspy chirp-snore and rolled onto her back.

Distant tremors of hop-scotching rock giants shook the ground.

Gale whooshed through the trees, a blizzard of maple leaves in her wake.

Far faster than she expected, Elsa looked back and chuckled weakly. “I...don’t know things.”

Pocketing the arrow-heads, Honeymaren selected a bright red leaf and waved it side to side in front of her face. Her smile grew. “But you want to. That’s far more than most.”

Moments later, a blizzard of leaves tumbled down over the pair. Elsa blushed hotly, quite aware of the solitary leaf Honeymaren had placed on her forehead...and the smattering of snowflakes Elsa had summoned in response.

I’ve never felt this way before.

“Could you please give me some assignments?”

Seated cross-legged opposite the newest arrival, and sharing a blue, knit quilt by the embers of the morning bonfire, Yelana nearly spat out her tea. She squinted at Elsa, then sniffed her own tea before responding slowly. “What. Do. You. Mean?”

Suddenly self conscious at being on the receiving end of one of the stoic tribal leader’s special tones , as evidenced by the curious stares from passers-by that followed, Elsa stuck her index finger in her tea and chilled it immediately. “Um, what I mean is...you know I’ve been trying to learn some basic skills. Things that any...any Northuldran...would know. Should know.”

Yelana bit down on the inside of her cheek to keep a chuckle in check. “Well, you have step one of arrow-heads down nicely. As Fifth Spirit, what else do you think you should know?”

A heavy shrug from Elsa, but a small smile returned as Bruni hopped up onto her lap and kneaded paws against knees. “There’s just so much, I don’t know where to start. I mean, there weren’t any records of culture, customs, any... anything ...about the Northuldra in the Arendelle library.”

Yelana cocked an eyebrow as she rustled the fire’s glowing embers with the end of her staff. “Aside from your Spirit responsibilities and regularly counseling your sister on her queenly duties, you do plenty around here. I see you gathering berries. I see you washing clothes for our elders. I see you trying to work up the stomach fortitude to help clean the fish the forest provides us.” An amused smirk followed, and Yelana watched as ember flecks sailed up over her head. “Most Northuldra learn by doing, but if you have another idea…”

Just then, Elsa smiled broadly at the memory of her seven-year-old self with a French tutor...and Anna peeking in the door, eyes wide and nodding along. “I’d really like to learn the language. That’s not really something I’ve been good at just picking up on the fly.”

“You would like to attend lessons with our young?”

At first, Elsa pictured herself crammed into a seat-and-desk far too small for her...and she cringed. Next, she imagined the under-ten children seated around her...and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Even they would be too advanced, and I don’t want to slow down their education. I just…”

“We can set you up with an evening tutor. Some of us are more eloquent than others, but anyone here can teach you the basics of our language.” Yelana took a long sip of tea, and did her best to hide the sudden swell of pride she felt for the flustered Spirit. “Who would you feel comfortable learning from?”

HONEYMAREN! The thought came with such warm enthusiasm, that Elsa clapped a hand to her mouth, fearing she’d just blurted the name right out. A moment later, she let out an awkward set of coughs, before tapping her chin and feigning non-chalance. “Maybe Ryder could teach me? I mean, if he’s not too busy. I mean I also speak a little Reindeer, so we have that in common and that could maybe help me, I mean I’m not saying Northuldra is Reindeer and anyway I don’t speak speak it but well with Sven you can kind of understand what...”

“It’s done, then. I’ll let him know to expect you after dinner.” Nodding shortly, Yelana rose to her feet and regarded Elsa a few seconds more. She smiled again. “This is a good step for you. Your mother would be proud.”

Elsa mustered a bewildered smile and waved, even as she internally grumped at her mental snafu.

Mouth, how could you betray me like that?

Elsa decided that Northuldran was much, much more challenging than French. It didn’t help matters that she had to practically beg Ryder to give her a list of grammar rules to memorize. He had stared at her long and hard then, mouth opening and closing in perplexion.

“I mean, I guess I could try to...rules. That’s weird. Like, I can speak and read it...but I just sort of picked it up and...well, I’ll give it my best shot. You put your trust in me and I won’t let you down!”

Elsa, far too polite to request another teacher, summoned an enthusiastic nod and clapped her hands together. “That’s very kind of you. I...just…”

“Know what I’ll do? I’ll get a list from Maren. She’s got more of a head for that nitty gritty stuff.”

Elsa did her best to wrangle the whine she let out and turn it into another cheer.

An hour later, mind buzzing with words upon words and sounds she didn’t even know the human throat could make, Elsa mader her way back to her tent. Despite the circumstances, she already found herself diving right in, and flipped through several pages of hastily scrawled notes as Gale trailed playfully behind. Low murmurs followed.

“ These letters. This sound...and that sound...me. I. I...you… ”

“A lot on your mind, looks like.”

Startled, Elsa tossed her notes in the air and squealed brightly.

A blur of darting hands and a dark, swishing braid.

She’s so quick.

Thankful for the low dusk light shrouding her cheeks a bit, Elsa drummed her knuckles together before waggling both hands anxiously. “Hah. Hey. Um...hi.”

Honeymaren giggled, low and raspy, as she presented the notes she’d snatched out of the air. “Maybe I should wear a bell.”

At that, Elsa hung her head and chuckled as well. “Maybe I should pay more attention.” Elsa pinched the corners of the parchment, but a teensy tug didn’t budge them...and her blush darkened.

Honeymaren wiggled the notes gently, eyes flicking down at the crunchy, leaf-covered forest floor. “My brother isn’t going off on reindeer proposal tangents every five minutes, right?” She let out a bubbly giggle as Gale swirled around her and knocked her cap lopsided.

Elsa’s face went crimson, and she whispered hotly. “ Gale! ” She quickly cleared her throat, though, and grasped for a fitting compliment. “He’s fine! Great. It’s, you know...I really appreciate it. I’m not afraid to...to put my nose to the...thing…”

Sensing tension, Honeymaren let go of the notes and patted Elsa’s left arm lightly. “Hey, so your sister’s coming up to visit, end of the week...right?”

Elsa visibly slouched and audibly sighed. “Yeah.”

Thank goodness. If there’s one person who I could talk to. Who I could...ask...about…

Honeymaren’s warm smile didn’t falter, and snatched Elsa’s two quills off of the darkened forest floor in the blink of an eye. “Well then, I’ll have that list of grammar rules ready for you tomorrow.” She set the quills on top of Elsa’s notes-stack and winked. “Maybe you can learn the Northuldran to ask your sister, where’s the cheese? ”

Elsa stared, again dumbfounded, until she finally managed to blurt out. “Wait! Um...how did you know I...I needed...that I asked for …” Trailing off with a rasp, Elsa shivered, as the familiar sensation of Nokk thundering around the Dark Sea in excited expectation of a long ride the next day, made the hairs on the back of Elsa’s neck stand on end.

Or is it the way her eyes twinkle...in any light.

Honeymaren folded her arms, cocked an eyebrow, and kicked a little pile of leaves over to Elsa’s feet. “You strike me as a book-learner. And Ryder’s a lot of things, but a book-teacher isn’t one of them.”

Elsa giggled self conscious and nodded, but quickly found herself preoccupied with the other question. The one on the tip of her tongue. The one she couldn’t quite give voice to. At least, until Honeymaren bid her good night and turned towards her tent.

“ Where’s the cheese? ”

Honeymaren’s shoulders shook with laughter, and she shot Elsa an amused smile over her right shoulder. “The most important question in any language. Cheese just makes everything better.”

Biting down on her bottom lip to keep any strange sounds from escaping, Elsa nodded quickly and waved. She waved as Honeymaren took several steps backwards, returned the wave, and finally headed through the dimly lit village.

After standing in that spot for a full minute, Elsa was finally roused when Gale spun around her and tickled her face with leaves. And in that tickle, Elsa sensed the hint of a question. She blushed brightly and shook her head, before heading to bid the rock giants good night.

“ No, Gale, I’m not gonna write Anna some desperate note that makes me sound five years old and hysterical!”

An hour later, a note was on its way to Arendelle.

‘Anna. Things are perfect and absolutely nothing is on my mind. And that is absolutely a lie. See you on Friday. Love, Elsa.’

Friday morning found Elsa tromping through the forest, her hair and leggings soaked after her hour-long ride with Nokk had turned into a three hour long game of tag between them, the rock giants, and Gale. She knew her way back to the village easily enough that she didn’t need to look up...which was good, since she stared down at her hands and spoke in stilted Northuldran phrases.

With each word, Elsa counted another finger

“ My name...Elsa. Cheese...where? ”

Dimly aware of the shouts of children beyond the next tree-filled rise, Elsa rustled a few twigs out of her hair as she ducked her head and counted off a few more words. Murmured, with cheeks rosy.

“ You...pretty...go...date… ”

Leaves crunched underfoot as Elsa crested the next hill, wriggled her way through a mess of underbrush...and promptly halted.

One familiar voice, and Elsa blushed again as she tried not to peer through the dense foliage. A moment later, Gale foiled that plan completely by whooshing against the foliage and sweeping a patch away neatly. Elsa shot a hunted glare up at the whistling wind and shrugged heavily...before giving in to the urge.

“You’ve really got an ear for this.” Honeymaren folded her arms over a green and tan cloak featuring the side-by-side symbols of Northuldra and Arendelle. She flawlessly switched to her native tongue. “ Elsa told me you were more of a natural, and now I see why. ”

Seated on the same log, Anna tugged her hair out of its sharp, queenly up-do, and immediately shook her head along with a nonchalant wave. “Most of what... I know is what I remember from the lullabies and...and... fairy tales Mom told us at ...bed time.” She waved at Olaf as the peppy snowman led a group of Northuldra children in a game of tag, then chuckled warmly. “I might know how to say stuff like... and then everybody married the fairy princess and they lived happily ever after. But give Elsa a few weeks and she’s gonna be writing, like, how-to books on do-it-yourself Northuldra projects , in Northuldran.”

The joy welling up in Elsa’s chest at having spotted Anna quickly spiraled into flustered amazement.

You speak it so well...but what did you just say there?

Clearly impressed, Honeymaren switched fully to Northuldran and tucked her chin against her collar. A self conscious little smile followed. “ When Ryder told me Elsa had asked him for language lessons, I mean...well, no, it’s dumb. ”

Elsa’s blush darkened, and she didn’t even notice the shifted underbrush as it slowly crept back around and enveloped her.

My name! I heard it...twice! What are they...

Cheeks pinking, Anna jabbed a finger at Honeymaren and blurted out. “ Pour! ”

Honeymaren blanched, then smirked and cocked an eyebrow. “Um...pour?” She mimed upending a cup.

Anna giggled at her mistake, leaned in, and whispered. “Spill it, Honeymaren.”

Just then, a barrel-sized boulder rolled right up behind Elsa, nudged her bottom, and she tumbled into the clearing with a harassed squeal.

Anna and Honeymaren shrieked as an inch-thick layer of snow plopped right over them.

Several miles away, the low rumble of rock-giant laughter echoed through the forest.