Frozen 3

Chapter 5

Elsa

I had just celebrated my twenty-fifth birthday at the end of December. I had gone to Arendelle for the occasion. My sister, Anna, wanted us to celebrate together, in the palace, as before, so as not to upset our habits. The few times I had been there since I decided to stay in the enchanted forest seemed very strange. Although I had left the kingdom in the hands of my youngest for a short time, everyone seemed to have gotten used to this change. I was extremely well received by the people, but this time as the woman who saved Arendelle from the flood, not as a member of the royal family. This sudden change in behavior on their part had disturbed me at first. I finally got used to it, as I went back and forth between the enchanted forest and the kingdom. So I went there confident, accustomed to their reactions different from those I had experienced as queen. It was a magical anniversary. It was one of the most significant anniversaries of my life. Anna and Kristoff prepared everything themselves, wanting everything to be perfect. And that was the case. For the first time, I felt in my place, surrounded by people I loved and loved in return, without the slightest black cloud on the horizon. I knew so little about this feeling, as I had always felt isolated and different from others since my earliest childhood. I was finally fully integrated and accepted as I was myself and my powers. At least in appearance...

***

I held Bruni carefully in my hands. The little salamander had not left me for hours, or rather since my arrival in the enchanted forest. Despite his appearance and his fierce and aggressive character at first, the little creature had quickly softened and sometimes even seemed fragile, so much so that I took great care of it. I had been walking for a few minutes through the trees of the forest, without any real purpose. As I gently caressed his small body covered with a smooth and cold skin, the spirit of fire suddenly straightened my head and looked at me for a few moments with big round eyes. When he realized he had my full attention, he leapt gracefully from my hands before landing lightly on the snowy ground. He made his way to the nearest rock, leaving a tiny trace of his passage in the snow behind him. He stood up on the rock, leaning his head gently to the side while continuing to observe me. I laughed at his pace.

"What should I understand?" I asked him, as I could not help smiling in front of his adorable little head.

Bruni jumped from his rock, legs in the air, then began to run towards the Northuldra camp. I followed him without hesitation, trusting his instincts. We soon reached the height of the first tents and huts that made up the small village. The salamander stopped sharply on a small mound of snow. All his senses seemed alert, his whole body was stretched, moving towards one of the tents, the one that seemed to be the oldest of all. I looked at the same place as Bruni, without understanding. There was nothing.

"Why..." I began.

I didn't have time to finish my sentence. An old woman, much older than any I had seen before, suddenly appeared, emerging from the shadow of her little dwelling, while leaning on a cane. She hardly took a few steps and came to sit outside on a rocking chair, placed out of the snow, which I had not noticed until now. Seeming absolutely not bothered by the instability of this ground, she began to swing gently back and forth closing her eyes. She didn't seem to care about what was around her. In fact, she seemed to be going into a trance little by little. She does not know that I am here, I noticed inwardly the lack of reaction of this strange old woman.

A cloud passed in front of the sun above my head. The brightness of this beautiful afternoon disappeared almost immediately. A drop of frozen water fell on the tip of my nose. I looked up. Large black clouds gradually gathered in the sky which was so blue a few moments before. Everything around me seemed to darken suddenly. A second drop fell on my skin. Then a third. The shower started in seconds. The Northuldra around me suddenly abandoned their activities and ran to safety.