A Matter Of The Heart

1

     Elsa had a soft smile on her face as she walked her usual path around the forest, checking on the same things as usual and running through her mental checklist as she did that. Extinguish any fires started by the fire spirit, make sure he doesn't get into more trouble, say hello to Gale, check that the earth giants are sleeping in the North, greet the water spirit when he inevitably splashes me, and finally check in on the Northuldra. Elsa was delighted to find that, just after noon, she had already finished half the list. "This means I have enough time to visit Anna for the weekend," Elsa noted, at the same time taking a turn to the North side of the forest. She could finish her daily tasks faster if she rode around on the water spirit, but she prefered walking while in the main part of the forest, that way she could enjoy the scenery she had memorized by now.

     Lost in her lack of thought, Elsa's mind slipped into an upbeat tune she remembered from her coronation. She felt her feet fall into a soft tapping of a dance, which she of course couldn't pull off very well by herself, but that didn't stop her from dancing. Her tasks were forgotten momentarilly as she continued forward, still humming the melody.

     "Elsa?" Elsa's eyes popped open at the familiar voice and she lost her footing, causing her to stumble to the ground below. Elsa huffed and swept the hair off of her shoulder before rising again and brushing off her dress. Only then did she glance up and realize who was giving her a playful smirk. Elsa choked slightly on her breath, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

     "Honeymarren! Hi," Elsa felt a soft blush creep upon her face. "Hi to you, too," Honeymarren chuckled. "Interesting dance, by the way." "How long were you following me this time?" Elsa asked, feeling embarassed. "Only a couple minutes. Where're you headed to?" "Oh, just on my way to make sure the earth giants are where they usually are." "Then you want to be headed North, right?" Honeymarren responded. "Yes, that's why I'm-" Elsa paused to glance around at her surroundings. "In headed the wrong way, aren't I." Honeymarren nodded, laughing softly again.

     "C'mon, North is this way. I'll walk with you." Elsa nodded, following in the direction Honeymarren had started going in, catching up to the other woman quickly. "What song were you dancing to earlier?" Honeymarren asked after a few moments of silence between her and Elsa. "Oh, its nothing. Just a song I remember from my coronation, which now that I think about it, seems a lot farther away from the present than it actually is." "Right? It already feels like so long since the Northuldra first met you, Anna, Kristoph, Sphen and Olaf, even if its only been a few months." Elsa nodded, chuckling softly at the memory of Olaf acting out the entirety of Elsa and Anna's life. Quite a feat, considering he had only been alive for the time after Elsa's coronation. Then again, he has heard the story countless times, Elsa thought. The events after my coronation were definitely not my finest moments.

     Elsa blinked away that thought and glanced over to see Honeymarren practically staring at her again. And, also once again, a soft blush crept to Elsa's cheeks. Nevertheless the pair continued walking until they neared a clearing in the trees. Within the clearing, what appeared to be a cliff or mountain of rock layed still. If you looked closely, though, you could pick out the details of large faces and thick bodies made of stone within the mountain of rock. "That'd be them," Elsa whispered to herself. If she was honest, the pure size of the rock giants still amazed her, even if she had been living here for a few months. Checking off that box in her head, Elsa turned on her heel. Not realizing how close Honeymarren was behind her, Elsa's nose was just a few millimeters away from Honeymarren's once Elsa had turned.

     Elsa gasped slightly and took a step back, her heart racing whether she acknowledged it or not. "So what's next?" Honeymarren asked after a few moments of silence while the pair walked a bit further away from the sleeping earth giants. "Same time as always: check up on the Northuldra. How are things back at camp?" "We're doing well. Everyone is happy, if not the least bit bored. It's a shame you only ever visit for a couple hours each day, I like spending time with you." Honeymarren responded, shooting a smile and a soft nudge towards Elsa. Elsa laughed softly in response. "I am a busy woman," The time and date popped back into Elsa's head suddenly. "And I do have to visit Arendale today, like usual." Elsa noted the flash of sadness that ran through Honeymarren's eyes. Some of the Northuldra had chosen to visit Arendale once the mists had lifted, then consequently decided to stay in Arendale for the most part. Then Elsa wondered why Honeymarren had chosen not to visit or stay in Arendale, despite her sometimes evident longing to explore somewhere other than the forest.

     "You could come with me some time," Elsa suggested, a small smirk coming to her lips when she glanced over and saw a flash of excitement on Honeymarren's face. However, it fled just as soon as it came. "No, I shouldn't. As much as I would love to go with yo-- to visit those that moved," Honeymarren had a bright blush on her face out of embarrassment. "I couldn't." Honeymarren murmured, shaking her head. "Sure you could!" Elsa exclaimed, grabbing Honeymarren's hand and choosing to ignore her face heating up again. "I'm sure if you asked, Yelena would be okay with it. Plus, it's just for the weekend, right?" Honeymarren finally glanced up at Elsa's eyes that shone with excitement, and felt a soft smile come to her lips. "Alright. I'll ask." Honeymarren turned back to the trail before letting her hand slip out of Elsa's. "Race you!" Elsa shouted, suddenly several feet ahead of Honeymarren. Honeymarren let out a hearty laugh and ran after Elsa, who was shooting out streams of ice in front of her and sliding away, still several feet in front of Honeymarren.