Frozen 3

Chapter 25

Elsa

The enchanted forest was not the same. The thick layer of snow from that winter had finally receded, leaving a carpet of small wild hyacinths that had not yet bloomed despite the season. I looked up at the blue sky. The branches of the trees that were gradually regaining their foliage partially hid the view of the large white clouds that floated above me. They were motionless, like the landscape around me. I had learned of the disappearance of Gale, the spirit of the wind. It had been several months now. Although I was the bridge between humans and the elements of nature, I myself did not understand what was happening. There were only three of us left: Bruni, Nokk and me. The consecutive disappearances of the spirit of the earth and the wind worried me. I had never witnessed this before and certainly could not understand what was happening. I didn't know how they could have vanished so suddenly without a trace. While I was lost in my thoughts, I didn't hear Yelena approach me. She put a hand on my shoulder, which made me jump. With the surprise, a patch of ice suddenly appeared under my feet, making Chief Northuldra slide backwards. I immediately held her back, preventing her from falling.

"Thank you," Yelena said simply, disconcerted by what had just happened.

She pretended to run her hands over her long coat to remove some imaginary dust. I smiled inwardly, finding that the Northuldra was always so meticulous about her appearance. As if reading my mind, she immediately resumed, full of confidence:

"You can be sure that I didn't come here just to talk to you about cleaning. Silja wants to see you, and quickly from what I understand."

Silja was an old woman whose exact age nobody knew. I was curious about her and asked the Northuldras many questions, hoping to find out more about her. I learned that she had lost her entire family in the battle between my grandfather, King Runeard, and the former leader of the Northuldra, thirty-four years earlier. Unable to bear the sight of the lifeless bodies of one of her daughters and her husband, Silja had decided to gouge out her eyes, thus remaining blind for eternity. I suspected that she had also gone mad as a result of this tragedy. Although she was very strange, the old woman was highly respected in the village, especially because of her visions, which I had heard about so often. I had never been able to see Silja at work until now. Most of the time she would curl up in a rocking chair in front of her tent and rock back and forth on it all day long, uttering indistinct words. I knew that as the village shaman, she was one of the main and indispensable elements for her people.Without a word, I followed Yelena. I didn't know what to expect from Silja. To tell the truth, she had never spoken to me before. I wasn't even sure if she really knew I existed. I had never dared to meet her either. Although she practices a form of magic too, I had never felt comfortable in her presence. We soon arrived at the old woman's tent. Chief Northuldra stood at the entrance, hands crossed behind her back, looking me up and down. I took a step towards the tepee, ready to go inside. Yelena suddenly intercepted my hand and forced me to turn towards her. Then she said coldly, looking into my eyes:

"Don't speak to her until she has given you permission to do so, stand up straight and don't you dare touch anything that belongs to her. Am I clear?"

The Northuldra looked at me harshly. I almost protested when I realized that she was treating me like a child, but I finally changed my mind. I knew that my word was worthless compared to Yelena's. If I wanted to have even one word of advice from her, I would have to go to her. If I wanted to have even a small chance of being integrated and accepted by her, I had to shut up and nod. I simply nodded my head in response, not wanting to upset her. The first thing that surprised me as I entered was the strong smell of incense being burned. The dirt floor was littered with various strange objects that I could not recognize in the darkness. Silja was sitting at the back of the tent on what seemed to me to be a pile of reindeer skins. The only source of light was a tiny candle at her feet. I approached cautiously, not daring to open my mouth after what Yelena had ordered me to do outside. When I reached the old Northuldra, she suddenly grabbed my hands, making me fall forward. I stifled a cry of both surprise and fear. For what seemed like an eternity, Silja held my hands in hers. She stroked my icy skin, not seeming surprised by my naturally cold body temperature. While she was busy brushing each of my fingers and nails, I observed her weathered skin. Her wrinkles were a testament to her long life, I was sure. Then I saw Silja's lips move. She seemed to want to tell me something. Then, after another moment of silence, she finally managed to say:

"I know you have magical powers, child. You have learned to control them with difficulty, but you do not yet know the full extent of their power. Show me now."But... you won't be able to see anything," I said in a small voice, making myself as quiet as possible.

The old woman frowned, seemingly annoyed by my words.

"I don't need to see them, I need to feel them," she replied, placing a hand on my upper chest.

Disconcerted and not understanding what she was doing, I started to blush, embarrassed. I held my breath for a few seconds, waiting for her to tell me what to do. Seeing her silently waiting, concentrating on my heartbeat, I knew I had to use my power. I turned to the opposite side of the tent to make sure I didn't hurt her. A bluish light shot out of my hands, as it always does when I use my magic. Within seconds, a beautiful ice sculpture of a reindeer that looked very much like Sven appeared before us. Satisfied with my work, I glanced proudly at Silja who had kept a hand on my heart during the whole operation. She finally stepped back, letting go of me. She remained silent for a long time, seeming to think silently. I crossed my hands behind my back, not knowing what to do while she meditated. Then, after a few minutes that seemed like hours, she made me understand with a gesture that I should leave. So I left the tent, confused by what had just happened. Why had this woman asked me to use my power in front of her and then let me leave without any explanation? Yelena, who hadn't moved an inch since I left her, didn't seem to want to clarify this for me. Silja's voice rang out in the tent, simply calling for the Northuldra leader. I pretended to move away but heard these few words that were exchanged between the two women:

"I felt a rare power in her, as I have never felt in a spirit before.""Are you sure?""Yes. I have never had to deal with such powers. So far they have been a strength for all of us, including her. But we don't know how far she can go. Her power could be far greater than anything we've ever known before Yelena, I'm afraid. She has protected us, but she would be just as capable of harming us."

A terrible silence fell over Silja's tent. The two women had fallen brutally silent, as if pondering their last words. For the first time in years, I felt a ball of anxiety form in my throat and in the pit of my stomach again. I was reliving that horrible feeling that I had tried to avoid all my life, the one that had made me lose control several times without being able to stop it. But it was stronger than me. These words were a new trigger. My heart tightened, as if compressed in my chest. My nails dug into the palms of my hands, shaking with anger. I bit my lower lip, trying to contain my emotions. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes but didn't allow them to flow. I had to hold on and not let myself be overwhelmed, again.