Iduna: Icy Reunion?

Family, friends, further away.

Iduna finally retracted the tighter-than-usual door latch.
I wonder how the house is looking inside..?
An intriguing glow was visible through the curtains, as if someone was inside.

The house could be immaculate, fairly tidy, or quite a mess.

To her surprise, the house was immaculate inside. The entrance was lightly scented of sandalwood oil, the table was laid, wood was polished... everything was so tidy, welcoming and homely.

The little drawing of Iduna, Elsa and Anna now stood in a beautifully embellished, handmade picture frame on the tabletop.

It was heartwarming to return to such a home. One could even go as far as saying it was more luxurious than being in the castle.

It had been a long day, full of wonderful surprises.

After bathing and changing into a new silky nightgown, Iduna sighed happily, sitting back in her comfy chair for a little while. She proudly held the picture frame in her hands, observing its intricate decoration.

She could hear footsteps emerging from the hallway. Someone was there. However, it was no intruder, rather a great friend.

"Iduna?"

The lively voice was now familiar to Iduna.

"Is that Rosa?"

"It is. Welcome back!"

Rosalina, or Rosa, was the first person Iduna had encountered following the shipwreck. The kind girl was searching for bits and bobs along the shore, for her artwork, when she met the forlorn Queen Iduna. Very soon, the Esteves family welcomed Iduna into their lives.

"Thank you!" Iduna whispered in awe.

"You're welcome! Glad you like the picture frame."

Of course! Rosa must have created this gorgeous picture frame, so kind of her.

Iduna nodded with a smile. Carefully placing the frame aside, she gave Rosa a warm hug.

Rosa was around Anna's age, but now she was a little over Elsa's age at the last time Iduna had been with her.

"Have you ate supper?"

"Not yet."

"What did you have earlier?"

The Bjorgens did make some nice pea soup earlier, though it wasn't very filling.

"At lunch, I had some ertesuppe, the pea soup, and little snacks later on."

"You must be starving! Come into the kitchen, there's more food in the pantry for you.

Mãe made piri-piri chicken, and vegetables, and pastéis de Natas as a sweet treat!"

It was the most comforting food she'd enjoyed in ages. Aside from Estela, only Iduna's parents had made food as delicious as this.

Iduna truly appreciated everything that had been maintained and lovingly made for her by the Esteves family. That included the very home she was present in.

Rosa stayed over at Iduna's little house. They agreed to talk more the next day, soon drifting off for the night.

The following day, Iduna and Rosa kept conversation, intermittently carrying out household chores. Iduna took most pleasure in replenishing the sandalwood oil!

Their discussions were mostly cheerful and optimistic, but Rosalina eventually had to disclose some unfortunate news to Iduna.

The Esteves' house, which hadn't originally been built by the family, was not doing well structurally. The foundations were weak; the walls of the house were gradually sinking into the sandy ground. There could be a risk of collapse; the house was becoming unsafe. In a few months, the family would have to move, rather far away.

Iduna took the news calmly, yet she was inevitably disappointed that they'd be leaving. She comforted tearful Rosa, reminding her that they still had some months ahead for more great times to share. 

Later on, little Jorgen and his parents came over. Jorgen hugged Iduna, thrilled to see her again!

They met Rosa's younger brother Silvio along the way; he also came over on his bicycle.

Silvio got on quite well with Iduna. He often talked science and played logic games with her.

One day he was shocked and amazed when Iduna won against him at a chess game. Silvio had finally been beaten!

Iduna's moves were sometimes very random, hard to predict, which made her a very intriguing opponent and friend.

Rosa helped Iduna by providing refreshments for everyone. It was a sunny day, so they spent time together in the garden, as the Bjorgen family and the siblings introduced each other. 

Mr Bjorgen and his wife also had decided they also had to move soon too, partly due to their house's structural issues. They'd be moving to the Southern Isles, and were yet to tell little Jorgen.

Iduna kept her composure. Inside, she felt doubly crestfallen. Neither the Bjorgens nor the Esteves would be around by the end of the year. They were leaving the same day. No-one new would be moving in either.

They'd all promised to send postcards, but since this area had no defined name, one could only hope they'd reach the nearest post area, albeit weeks later.

The couple knew Iduna would be sad about it, as did Rosa and Silvio and their parents. After the discussion, they planned to have a little fun outside with the children.

"What's the time, Mr Wolf?" Rosa and Silvio asked in union.

"Dinner time!" Jorgen responded, chasing them and tagging Silvio. Rosa was a fast runner!

They had set up a little maypole too, alongside other games. It looked fun.

Iduna looked on from inside, smiling. She'd love to join them, but -

"We'd better join them, eh?" Georgine said unexpectedly. Iduna agreed, and Mr Bjorgen also followed.
Even if the couple didn't really look it, they were still relatively young people, after all.

A multitude of games were played outside, from marbles to soaking each other with water-filled balloons!

As the sun was setting, the six of them each took a ribbon, twirling around the maypole.

Iduna pondered on the past. Happy memories with family – her parents, her siblings, later with Agnarr, Anna and Elsa. She was reminded of  moments shared with those around her too.

Her thoughts moved to the future. Plans for an amazing get-together before their departure.

Better things were yet to come, surely.