Love Turned Cold

Chapter 11

Even though they had different goals in life, Kjerstin and Jonis were as close as they ever were, much like their mother and aunt. Kjerstin focused more on the future of Arendelle as future queen, and Jonis focused on being the guardian of the enchanted forest with their mother.

With this considered, Jonis learned from both his mother and the Northuldra how to focus his power to be in harmony with the spirits of nature. He had focused that part of him more than his sister had, even if her physical winter powers were stronger than his.

And this had Jonis become more sensitive to the wellbeing of nature around him, being more environmentally conscious than others around him. And given how his mother was the 5th spirit, he developed a way to sense when the spirits were unbalanced.

Kjerstin noticed her brother acting a bit erratically the day after first trying to break through the ice wall.

"Jonis? What's wrong?" He looked at her, rubbing his temples with his palms.

"The... the spirits are just so out of balance. Mom's emotional state has sent them into turmoil, and I can feel it." Kjerstin looked at her little brother with concern. She could see his fists glowing blue and snowflakes circling his hands.

"Breathe... focus for a moment..."

"They're way too strong." He mumbled in response. Out of nowhere, a strong gust of wind blew up the side, swirling around the siblings.

A short distance away, Anna shuddered. Gale was unhappy.

Anna had been told about her nephew's sensitivity to nature by Elsa, and she saw the look in Kjerstin's eyes.

Kjerstin perked up suddenly at the sound of something echoing in the distance. It sounded like someone singing. Jonis lifted his head too.

"Do you hear that?" He asked. Kjerstin slowly nodded her head. Faint memories came to her... from years ago. It couldn't be...

"Is that... Ahtohallen?"

"It's the only thing it could be. I remember that... from when mama saved Arendelle. I heard the voice too... but I guess not as strong as she did then."

"What does it mean if we both can hear it?"

"It's calling us to do the same. Help the spirits, and save Arendelle."

"What did mama do?"

"She went to Ahtohallen to unlock the memories of Arendelle to save its future."

"Don't tell me we have to travel all that way north..." Jonis groaned. Kjerstin rolled her eyes.

"No, dummy. We don't have time for that, not with Kai's life at stake. After we get inside the castle, we have to figure out a way to unlock the memories for mama to come back to us."

"And how do we do that?" Kjerstin paused, tapping her lip with her finger.

"I haven't figured that out yet. But I know it will involve this." She pulled out the gift from their father that they rediscovered in their parent's bedroom.

"Fair enough."

Meanwhile, Soleil inspected the wall, she looked at the holes formed by her fire. They were starting to recrystallize again and seal up. It was like the ice had a mind of its own. Sure, she could just keep firing shots at it and hope for the best, but what if the ice fought back?

Jonis came to her side, placing a hand on her waist.

"Still thinking?" She nodded, craning her neck up. Elsa's signature snowflake could be seen patterning across the surface of the ice, reflecting against the sun. It was beautiful.

"Where my fire shot through, it's starting to seal up again. I don't think I'm going to have much effect on breaking through. Chipping at it could help, but we don't know how the ice will react."

"I know. There has to be a way." Jonis placed his hand on the ice, and he couldn't help but smile just a bit. He tried thinking of good memories from when he and his sister were growing up in the forest, practicing controlling their powers, with their mother there to guide them. Suddenly, there was a crackling sound, and the ice slowly began to fade away in a flash of light and sparkles.

Jonis gasped and jumped back in surprise. He looked at Soleil, who stared at him. She saw it too.

"Queenie, get over here! I have an idea!" He called out to his sister, she glared at him for the nickname, but she joined his side.

"What is it?" He grabbed her hand and pressed it on the ice. She looked at him incredulously.

"What are you-"

"Think of good memories from when we were growing up, using our powers with mama. Watch what happens." She shifted her eyes side to side for a moment, considering it. She sighed and closed her eyes, thinking back to her earliest memories of her mother showing off her powers and watching her in wonder, trying to mimic her.

To her disbelief, the ice began to fade away in a shower of light and shimmering snowflakes, flurrying away in the wind. Kjerstin's jaw dropped.

"Oh my god, Jonis. You're a genius!" He opened his mouth to say something snarky. He quickly gazed back to see the group watching them, waiting. He shut up and placed his down next to his sisters.

"Ready?" She said.

"Let's see mama." Together, the two thought back to their favorite memories during childhood, relishing in the wonder and magic of their powers, with their mother and the spirits of the forest being their guides.

To the sheer amazement of Anna and the others, they watched as the ice faded away, bathing the royal siblings in shimmering blue light, snow, and ice swirling around them in the wind. Gale carried the snow far away into the mountains behind them, revealing the glittering blue majesty of the ice palace.

Kjerstin and Jonis both breathed a sigh of relief. Their powers working in sync with each other.

They never could've imagined it, but now it was time to find Elsa.