Frozen 3

Chapter 30

Ryder

I'd never seen Honeymaren in such a state. She who was usually so calm, so serious, had suddenly slipped into depression, and I had no idea why. Her permanent blank stare was like a blow to me. She was no longer my sister. Worried, I rushed to Silja's house, hoping that she would find the source of her illness. The old woman had only been with Honeymaren for fifteen minutes and had left silently, leaning on her cane, without telling me anything about their meeting. I inundated her with questions, hoping to learn more about my twin's condition. The old Northuldra had stopped, turned to me and caught my face in her hands.

"Don't be so impatient, Ryder," she said calmly. "You'll find out sooner or later".

Then she was gone, leaving me alone with my questions. Barely five minutes later, Honeymaren came running out of her room, dressed, coiffed and groomed. I was speechless. She rushed into the kitchen and emerged with bread and jam in her hands. In no time at all, she'd made herself six slices of bread and swallowed them almost without chewing, having not eaten for four days. Before my stunned eyes, she walked over to me and closed my mouth, which I'd kept open in amazement until now.

"See you later", she said cheerfully, before stepping outside to enjoy the warmth of the sunny afternoon.

I hadn't moved, shocked by the contrast between the young woman I'd known for the previous four days and the one now facing me.

***

I gazed pensively at the little reindeer that had been born barely two weeks earlier. They were already gambolling proudly behind their mother, even if their fragile little legs were regularly getting tangled up. The two females still awaiting their young showed no sign of giving birth. I quietly watched over them and the rest of my herd, making sure they always had what little fresh grass was available. Then, in the distance, I saw a silhouette approaching rapidly. I squinted, hoping to get a better look. I recognized who it was almost immediately. I smiled as Kristoff rode up on Sven's back.

"Kristoff! It's been a while ! What are you doing here?"

"I missed you so much I had no choice but to come and see you!" teased the young man as he dismounted from the reindeer and elbowed me in the ribs.

I laughed. I hadn't seen my friend for several months. The winter season had been very harsh this year, preventing anyone from making the journey between Arendelle and the Enchanted Forest.

"How long are you staying?" I asked.

"Just a few days. I can't leave Anna alone in the castle for too long... She needs me. Besides, she asked me to pick up Elsa and take her back to Arendelle on Friday evening."

I listened distractedly to Kristoff. I was envious of my friend's relationship with the young queen, as I had never been very good at it. Yet he seemed different. Something in his face had changed since I'd last seen him. Dark circles under his eyes betrayed his fatigue. He kept talking, even though I wasn't really listening to him anymore. Kristoff didn't notice my distracted expression and continued:

"No matter how many times I tell Anna that the giants of the Earth could take her sister to Arendelle, she won't listen and prefers it to be me who..."

I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts.

"You don't know?" I interrupted.

The young man seemed surprised, leaving his sentence hanging in the air for good.

"Know what?" he asked, frowning.

"The spirits of earth and wind disappeared months ago. No one knows why, not even Elsa or Yelena. The giants are gone Kristoff..."