Frozen 3

First part

Chapter 1

Honeymaren

Winter had gradually settled in the valley. The cold became more and more severe, forcing us to wear thick animal skins coats. The days were short, offering us only a few hours of daylight daily. We had to adapt each of our activities to this new season. The Northuldra were a people long accustomed to these harsh living conditions. Nature was our main ally throughout the year. We therefore considered winter to be a time of hibernation, a time of rest that would last a few months before we could again offer ourselves its warm and sunny flowers, fruits and afternoons. Like every winter season, I helped my brother, Ryder, take care of his reindeer herd. We had taken the animals to a large clearing not far from the Northuldra camp. I watched Ryder carefully examine each of his animals for signs of injury or illness. His closed and concentrated face betrayed his anxiety whenever an animal showed any sign of weakness. It was rare to see him behave this way, so calm and anxious, yet he used to relax the atmosphere with jokes or remarks that were often childish. At that moment, however, I understood. We had to slaughter so many severely injured or ill reindeer the previous year to ensure the survival of the herd... He didn't want to relive that.After completing his inspection, Ryder approached me with a big smile on his face. "Nothing to report except two females who have been waiting for pups for a few weeks already, I think! Everything is fine. For once..." he threw me joyfully. I smiled at him. His worried face had completely disappeared, leaving room for relief. I found the brother of my childhood. Always happy and relaxed.As we prepared to drive the reindeer back into the huge paddock we had built for them, the ground suddenly began to shake beneath our feet at regular intervals. The animals, panicked, began to gallop in all directions, without being able to stop them. My brother and I looked at each other, understanding at the same time what it was all about. I looked up at the treetops in front of me. I saw the tops of some of them collapse into a terrible creak. The tremors were getting closer, becoming more and more powerful. "The giants of the earth," I breathed.

Their steps hammered the ground. A few pebbles at my feet began to roll by themselves under the effect of trembling soil. The spirits appeared, dominating the trees. They advanced to the clearing in which we were standing. One of them bowed forward, reaching for the ground. I then painfully distinguished a figure leaping gracefully from his hand to find the land. I squinted, dazzled by the blinding clarity of this early morning. When my pupils were finally accustomed to the whitish brightness of the winter sun, I recognized Elsa.

For three months, I had long watched the young woman, a newcomer in the enchanted forest. She was the only person in her element at this time of year. Accustomed to these extreme temperatures, she used to wear only a long dress slightly thicker than usual, topped with a beautiful white fur collar that surrounded her shoulders. The cold did not seem to bother her. On the contrary, she flourished there. I admired him for this ease of adaptation, even in situations that seemed unsuitable.

The young woman passed by us smiling at us and gave us a small wave. We immediately gave it back to her. Elsa gave off something strong and unique. Ryder watched her walk away, not paying attention to what was around her. He seemed overwhelmed. I followed her gaze. Elsa was a very beautiful woman, thin, slender, delicate in every gesture. Every time I watched her, I envied her natural beauty and grace. She gave off an aura that allowed her to be respected by everyone. Her long platinum blond hair - almost white - and her pale skin distinguished her from all the other women in the village, making her out of the ordinary. I, a young brunette with much more matte skin, had nothing special about it. My physique was perfectly common. I sometimes felt a touch of jealousy in her presence. The eyes of men all turned in her direction. They seemed captivated by the former queen, as if nothing else existed.

***

After spending the whole morning with my brother and his flock, I went back to Northuldra camp to meet Erik in his cabin. Once I entered, I realized that everything was perfectly silent. It was dark, the shutters had only been ajar, leaving only a small ray of sun to enter inside. In the centre of the living room, the large wooden table on which the young man had had to eat had not been cleared. The dirty dishes were still stacked there. I sighed as I approached the centre of the room. He was not there. Erik and I had been together for a few months, staying true to what our respective parents wanted. "The Myhre family and ours have been intimately connected for decades. Try not to ruin this relationship." The words of my father, Alexander, still resonated in my memory. His memory came to strike me with full force, always with the will to knock me down, to crush me until annihilating me. I was suffocating, as if lacking air. My heart was pounding. 

"It's my fault," I murmured, leaning on the large wooden table in front of me, feeling my legs ready to escape at the first opportunity if I did not support myself.

A tear fell on my cheek and fell on the back of my hand. My fingers clenched on the edge of the table as my nails dug into the interstices of its raw wood. I tried to calm down, to regain normal breathing. Useless. I was gradually giving in to panic, finding myself once again prey to my fears, my fears, however repressed for years. I had to immediately think about something else, I had no choice, it was the only solution not to sink again. I grasped the plates on the table as best I could. My hands were shaking. I had to control myself. I then breathed deeply in the hope of getting myself together. I barely heard the front door open and close behind me. I then felt a hand resting on my shoulder and turned me sharply to its contact. Under the effect of the surprise, I dropped the dishes I was holding. It broke on the ground in a smashing noise. The glass fragments scattered at my feet. I raised my head.

"Erik! I didn't hear you come in..." I breathed as I quickly wiped my wet cheeks. "Is it all right?" he asked me with a worried look. I smiled at him for any answer, not knowing what to say more. His look was intense. He obviously knew that my smile was only a facade, a bulwark hiding my true feelings and felt in the eyes of others. A bulwark that he himself was unable to cross, as I had built it firmly, so that it was completely impermeable, leaving to none of my emotions the opportunity to escape. I had spent more than fifteen years of my life building it, brick by brick, in order to face the world and its injustices. I couldn't let anyone destroy it. I crouched down, not daring to cross his eyes, and picked up the pieces of glass. I knew that Erik always looked at me silently, like analyzing my every move. Without really paying attention to what I was doing, a shard of glass sank into the flesh of my hand. I grimaced with pain. A drop of blood beaded and dripped down my skin. The young man stooped to my height, took my wounded hand in his and wrapped it in a white bandage. I watched him do it calmly as several red spots appeared, staining little by little the previously immaculate tissue. When he had finished, we remained silent, each sitting in a suit on the floor. He seemed accustomed, almost weary, to my panic attacks and memories that were more and more often in my memory. But he didn't know anything. I never told him and I was going to keep that secret secret for myself. Erik was four years older than I was. He was a tall, sturdy young man with his size and musculature. Her size could seem reassuring. I was afraid of her. Her medium-long brown hair - darker than mine - framed her face and formed a set of ruffled strands, giving her a little crunch. But it was her light grey eyes that had always bothered me. Something in them disturbed me. No soul could be read. They were empty.