The Fifth Element

>**7**<

Night had fallen on the fourth day since the fifth spirit had left, and the nature spirits were restless. A chilled pulse came from the magic river, vibrating through the trees. The fire spirit ran though the thickets, keeping his flames from lighting up the forest. He jumped over a rock and skittered around, running through the sleeping village towards the earth giants.

Gale whisked around Bruni. Helping him forward, the two ran alongside the river, joined by Nokk. The water spirit carefully made sure not to splash its lizard counterpart.

The giants came into view, hunched over as massive rock forms with bitter faces, they crouched around a small gathering of water. Bruni climbed upwards into a branch that hung over the water. Nokk stood in the centre under Bruni's branch, Gale dancing about between the two of them.

Nokk whinnied, stomping his hoof and scanning the faces of the giants, he was responded to by bitter grunts and creaking huffs. The spirits stilled unnaturally together, tensed and unmoving as though they waited for something.

"Ah, ahh, ah-ah." The water spirit reared back on its hind hooves and whinnied loudly. Ahtohallan's song coursing through him as waves. He slammed his hooves down on the still surface of the water. Jagged ice broke from beneath his hooves, remnants of Elsa's magic captured in his watery form. The ice crystals grew, mist and flurries expelling from its tips. Gale swooped in, forming patterns and shapes in with the ice. The giants watched in awe.

Images of slashing swords and angry men glowed from within Gale, horses marching, men chopping down the trees, trapping the native people, facing up against the spirits. Icy fire displayed in the blustering vortex, the fifth spirit cut down in the cold centre of the frozen river. The powerful glacier melting, the magic of the enchanted forest- vanished.

Nokk whined loudly, bucking his hind quarters and shaking his head furiously. The giants roared in anger, Bruni lit his scales, Gale grew furious and the forest and its people fell victim once more to the angered spirits.

*

Elsa woke from a terrible nightmare, her hands frozen to the sheets of her bed and her chest pounding. There was an echo in her ears but she didn't catch it in time. She felt unsettled, her stomach churning and bubbling, she stumbled over to her window, throwing it open and doubling over, bile spewed from her mouth, mixed in with bits of undigested food. Pain racked through her chest and stomach, she pushed her hair back from the sides of her face, panting heavily and feeling drool drip out of her lips.

The air was unnaturally cold for summer, and there was mist swirling around Elsa, she pressed the back of her hand to her lips, wiping away the vomit and drool, and looked up. The world was muted in her ears, and her magic trembled inside of her chest.

She was cold, so cold. Goosebumps raised on her skin, she looked north, but the mist was too thick to see anything. Dread stewed in the pit of her stomach, she swallowed down the acid taste of bile that still lingered in her mouth and shot her magic into the mist. "Gale!" She called, but the wind spirit didn't answer. "Gale!" She called again. Then spun around, forming a new dress out over her body and styling her hair with her magic.

"Anna! Kristoff!" Elsa stumbled down the palace hallways, slamming unceremoniously against the walls with ice sticking to the bottom of her feet. "Anna!" Ahtohallan's call echoed loudly through the passages and a gust of cold air swept Elsa off her feet, she tripped and landed woefully against the carpet, friction burns forming on her arms as she rolled. A prick through her palms forced her to slam her hand against the ground with an agonised cry. Ice and snow thrusted out of her flesh, leaving her hands and arms vibrating in pain and the section of the hall powdered in snow. She trembled and drooled, frozen tears pouring from her eyes and cutting her skin.

She panted and looked around blearily, she could hear Anna calling her name and felt her sister swoop her arms around her. "Elsa. Elsa can you hear me." Elsa blinked, focussing on the icy portrait that laid on the ground before her. 

She swallowed dryly, her frozen fingers tracing the features in the ice. Kristoff crouched beside the sisters, Anna tightened her hold and pressed the side of her cheek against Elsa's shoulder. "I-I need to go back." Elsa warbled, trembling. "I need to go back." She steeled her voice and heard Ahtohallan call again. "Kristoff I need to borrow Sven."

"Elsa.." he began uneasily.

"No." She barked firmly, clambering to her feet. "Something's wrong."

"Elsa.. look at her."

"No." Elsa pushed the two of them away and leapt over the spontaneous snowy blanket, and the cold, expressionless carving of Yelena, eyes closed, unmoving.