Frozen 3

Chapter 32

Elsa

I looked at the moon and the stars from the window of my hut. Its brightness contrasted strongly with the black of the night. There was not the slightest sound, not even a bird chirping. I had decided to live below the Northuldra camp, having always kept my little lonely side. I liked being alone from time to time, without being disturbed by the incessant questions of each other about my past. I opened the window gently. The heat fell on me. No breeze came to caress my face. I had not yet gotten used to it, although the disappearance of the spirit of the wind has already been several months.

Suddenly someone knocked on my door. I looked at the clock. 11.50 pm. Who then could be decided to walk in the woods at this hour? I walked towards the entrance, curious. When I opened the door, I discovered Honeymaren standing perfectly straight on the threshold of my hut.

"What's going on?" I asked her, surprised to see her so late.

The young woman looked down and said to me timidly:

"Elsa, I..."

She sighed.

"I'm really sorry about what I told you about your integration...I didn't want to hurt you, I spoke without thinking...

"Don't worry, it's forgotten," I replied, smiling.

"Really? When I saw you were avoiding me, I thought you were mad at me for bringing it up..."

I bit my lower lip. Should I tell her the real reason for the distance? The embarrassment she put me in when I was at her side? I looked at her. The light of the moon was reflected on her face and in her eyes. I was surprised to realize that the sight of the young woman suddenly moved me.

"I guess you didn't just come here to apologize... right?" I looked away before she noticed anything.

Honeymaren seemed embarrassed. She was nervously crushing her fingers, not knowing what to say. I sighed.

"Come in. We suffocate with this heat, I proposed to her, hoping nevertheless that she would not drag on.

"Thank you," she replied, smiling, visibly relieved that I was changing the subject.

I didn't know what else to tell her. The interior of my hut was quite small. We quickly walked along the tiny corridor while remaining silent. I very rarely received visitors, so there was little furniture and the rooms were just big enough for one person. The most spacious was the bedroom. As I passed by, I realized that I had not closed the window and that the outside heat was gradually gaining the room. I approached and flapped it immediately. I turned around and saw Honeymaren motionless in the door frame. The only source of light was the moonbeams seeping into the room through the window. I breathed and came to sit on the edge of the bed. I patted the mattress next to me to invite her to do the same. The young woman approached and settled near me. I looked at her. She stared at the ground, with short breath. I saw a tear running down her cheek. She quickly wiped it off the back of her elbow, while sniffing. I smiled. Her gestures reminded me of those of Anna. I found in her this little childish side so characteristic of my sister. However, I realized that they both came up with very different things, despite their similarity of behaviour. When it came to Anna, I liked to tease her and laugh at her attitude when I thought it gave the young Northuldra quite a different charm.

Honeymaren searched the pocket of her long coat. She pulled out a tree leaf, without me being able to distinguish anything more in the darkness. I glanced at her.

"It's an apple tree leaf," she said calmly, caressing the edges.

This information did not enlighten me either. She then turned to me. For the first time since she arrived, she looked at me in the eye without blinking. Her eyes were intense, her pupils dilated. She deeply breathed and said: