The Day The Mist Cleared

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

I, uh, yeah. I just wanted to try it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Frozen.

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													The Day The Mist Cleared

After so many years trapped within the Enchanted Forest's mists, Honeymaren and her people had come to believe they may never see the open sky again. The rivers and puddles didn't reflect blue, but rather the same dull gray of the air around them. Rains would still fall and chill the Northuldra people to the bone, but any sunlight that tried to break through the fog was only ever weak at best.

Honeymaren was one of few who had grown more accustomed to the cold than most others. She was the one who would venture out to collect supplies on the coldest of mornings, when the mist was damp and heavy.

In all her travels, she'd learned every inch of the Forest, every tree and creature trapped within the haze.

That's why, when the Queen of Arendale and her family suddenly arrived at her camp one day, Honeymaren was certain she was seeing ghosts. They'd all appeared without warning, like faeries in the mist, strange figures who had done what no others had ever managed to do in the years since the fog had formed.

Clearly, they were no ordinary people.

And while most of the Northuldra had gawked in disbelief at their odd little caravan, Honeymaren had experienced a particularly tough time drawing her eyes away from the Queen. Queen Elsa, she would later learn her name to be.

Something about her called out to Honeymaren, though the Queen revealed she was following a different voice at the time.

But she simply couldn't ignore this feeling, this pull of connection, this… desire to know her.

A flame had sparked to life inside of her as soon as she'd laid eyes upon her, and it hadn't faltered even after the Queen had set off to right the wrongs of her ancestors. If not for her responsibilities to her people, Honeymaren might have offered to go with her, at least as far as the mist would allow it - not that she believed the Queen would require any kind of assistance from someone like her, but simply because she felt this strange urge to be near her, an urge the likes of which Honeymaren had never known before.

It was as though she'd been put under a spell of sorts, though comparing this feeling to a sort of trance or trickery felt rather unfair.

From what she'd seen of Queen Elsa fending off the raging Fire Spirit, Honeymaren had been wonderstruck. Elsa was beautiful, no doubt, but she was also agile, quick-witted, skillful, and graceful with her powers even in the heat of battle - in this case, quite literally.

And she was fierce. The soft-spoken, sophisticated, and rather shy young woman who had spoken to them upon arrival had transformed into a powerful and passionate fighter, defending those she loved - and even those she'd only just met - with her very life.

Honeymaren had never known any leaders but her own who would put their own lives on the frontlines of battle. Certainly not royalty.

But Elsa and her sister were clearly very different from any royalty before them. They were righteous people, fair, and empathetic.

And so Honeymaren had managed to sit beside Elsa at a small fire that evening back at camp. And if she'd thought Elsa had been beautiful before, she never could've hoped to imagine her beauty beside the warm pink glow of the firelight, composed, but slightly ruffled from battle, and a baby reindeer nestled onto her lap.

Honeymaren had learned that animals were much better judges of characters than people were, and so she had never trusted anyone her reindeer didn't trust.

But the deer loved Elsa after knowing her for not even half a day.

And perhaps, the deer weren't the only ones.

Honeymaren spoke with Queen Elsa only briefly that night, admiring the late Queen's scarf, its intricate embroidery, its untold secrets. They sang just a few lines of that haunting lullaby, their voices shy at first, but matching rather well for the few notes they felt confident enough to share.

In only that brief time she'd shared with Elsa, Honeymaren had learned so much about her. She was a righteous and fair young queen - that much was evident - and she was polite and gentle and passionate and strong, just as Honeymaren had already suspected.

But she was also terribly, terribly frightened of losing the people she loved and cared for. She was anxious, uncertain, and so very lonely… Sometimes, she felt like she didn't deserve the affections of the people who loved her.

Elsa never said any of this to her, but Honeymaren could tell. She could see it in her eyes, in the nuances of her actions, in her posture and her body language around the others.

The tribe had run out of books to read long ago, so Honeymaren had become an expert in reading people instead.

And it pained her to see such a strong and wonderful queen look so scared. For if the queen was uncertain, how were her people supposed to feel?

Honeymaren wasn't given much more time together with Elsa that night, as the voice calling for her still beckoned. Elsa and her family had left rather quickly, and Honeymaren felt it was only natural. She could only hope they remain safe, and that the queen would find the answers and the peace she was so ardently searching for.

She could only assume she may never see the queen again, for after Elsa found the answers she'd been seeking, she would surely return to Arendale. That would be for the better, wouldn't it?

And then, not long after Elsa's departure, something strange happened.

The thick mist that had shrouded the Forest for so many years… began to thin.

Honeymaren and her people didn't even believe it at first. It almost seemed like sorcery, just a trick of the wind.

But the fog kept thinning, and thinning…

Until they could look up and see blue.

That day was called many things amongst the Northuldra from that point onward. Some called it The Day the Mist Cleared, and some called it The Day the Sky Opened Up, and still others called it The Day the Curse Was Lifted. It was written and told about many times over, quickly solidifying itself a place in their history.

For Honeymaren, it was almost odd to think about how she might retell this story to future generations on day.

There was no possible way she could have described the things she'd felt upon seeing the sky for the first time in so long. Some of the children who had been born in the mist had never seen the sky at all until that day.

She knew she would always remember the vibrant colors of freedom and life, the taste of fresher air, the wide open landscapes painting the horizon on all sides…

But her peoples' list of great changes hadn't stopped growing there.

For where Arendale did, in fact, regain their queen, Honeymaren's people did, too.

She had seen it in Elsa's eyes that first night at camp, how she knew she belonged here just as much as she belonged in Arendale. If she wasn't meant to be here, the voices never would have called for her in the first place, or even if they had, she never would have heard them.

But everything had aligned, as things often do, and the answers were clear now without the haze of distrust shrouding the lands.

And so Elsa had stayed.

The Northuldra couldn't have been more excited and joyful to hold an officiating ceremony to crown her as their queen.

And Honeymaren couldn't have been more gleeful.

She fell in love with Elsa all over again that day, because now her queen emitted an air of radiance and confidence the likes of which she'd never harbored before. Somehow, she was even more beautiful than the first time Honeymaren had laid eyes on her.

And even though Elsa parted ways with her sister shortly afterward, she set straight to work in assisting her people with the construction of their future home.

Being as resourceful and mindful as possible, the began to build a town for themselves, sturdier and safer than the tents they'd had to rely on for so many years. With Elsa's powers and the spirits to aid them in heavy-lifting and such chores, the little town was underway in just about a week.

And without even realizing it, Honeymaren found herself working beside her queen more often than anyone else.

Sometimes she feared she was subconsciously imposing. But it soon became rather evident that Elsa tended to put herself next to Honeymaren quite a bit as well.

Now, they build houses together, gather food, visit Arendale for trade and for celebrations about Queen Anna.

And on the nights when Elsa is missing her sister terribly, Honeymaren finds her beside the fire and quietly opens her arms to her queen. Elsa willingly rests her head against her shoulder, and Honeymaren sings a familiar lullaby for her.

Their private moments together beside the firelight, dusted in twilight and forest breezes, kindle the sparks of their own flames. They share secrets, share their pasts, and eventually… hope to share a future together. One a bit more personal than just Queen and citizen.

Honeymaren had honestly never believed she would be free of the mists. That was always the biggest obstacle that had seemed to barricade her life and prevent her from moving forward. She'd never even thought about what could happen afterward.

But never in a million eons would she have expected to fall in love with her newfound queen, to nestle up snugly with her after a hard day's work, to hold her chilly hands until they were warm and soft, to run across town at the mere sight of her, lift Elsa up cleanly off her feet, twirl her and laugh with her and kiss her for all to see…

And yet here she was. Standing together with her queen - her girlfriend - hand-in-hand as they oversee the finishing touches to the town they built up from the ground themselves.

Elsa squeezes her hand in excitement, and Honeymaren kisses her cheek, using her unoccupied fingers to card affectionately through her queen's soft loose hair.

Queen Anna, Kristoff, and the people of Arendale have come to observe the completion of the town, and join in the festivities afterward.

Everyone watches in wonder and anticipation as Elsa lifts her hand and casts an elegance stream of ice. It crystalizes at the center of town into a majestic fountain in the shape of the Nokk, whinnying fresh cold water for all to drink.

Cheers of joy erupt, and Honeymaren lets Elsa go for a moment so Queen Anna may hug her elder sister with every fiber of her being. When she's finished, Anna coyly releases her sister back into Honeymaren's arms.

They share a shy little kiss in front of all their people, and the cheers and applause only get louder.

In the coming days, Honeymaren finds herself invited to charades night back in Arendale. She fits right in with Anna and Kristoff, and they both love her almost as much as Elsa does.

And she can't help but get ahead of herself, in asking Kristoff about the proposal ceremony Ryder had taught him, though Kristoff rather wisely advises her to perhaps put her own spin on the outdated tradition.

But that would be for a later time.

For now, Honeymaren enjoys her freedom together with Elsa, living together with her in the small palace they'd built themselves, a humble but still elegant structure fit for a queen.

They would soon attend Anna and Kristoff's wedding, where Elsa would cry all the while and Honeymaren would need to pick tissue after tissue off the nearby tables to clean her up.

And when Queen Anna threw the bouquet of white lilies, it didn't take a magical breeze for them to end up in Elsa's arms.

Honeymaren knows she'll have to come up with a proposal fit for a queen.

But until then, she lives her life with Elsa, happily and freely.

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A/N: I'm sure I missed a few details cuz I've only seen the movie once at this point, but I just wanted to give it a shot. I don't think I could ever capture Elsa in writing like I'd want to, so this all I'm going to try haha