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The Northuldra campsite was nestled deeper in the forest. Children ran about the tents and frolicked among themselves. A few decided to take an interest in Olaf—they took off his limbs and played with them. “Hey, let me ask you…” he started. “How do you guys cope up with the ever-increasing complexity of thought that comes with maturity?”

Let alone understand, none of the toddlers even paid attention to what he said. They were fascinated by his detachable body parts instead. A little girl pulled his carrot nose out and stuck it in hers.

“Brilliant! It’s so refreshing to talk to the youth of today. Our future is in bright hands.”

The children screwed up his body—one of his arms was punctured into his head, and they affixed his nose to it too. The boys devoured his feet like ice cream. Olaf smiled, “Oh, no, no, no… don’t chew that. You don’t know what I’ve stepped on.”

The boys stopped at once—they didn’t understand what he said indeed, but perhaps it was the taste that made them realize that it was a terrible choice.

Kristoff and Ryder were leading some reindeer back to their herd, along with Sven.

“So, what do you do back in Arendelle, Kristoff?” asked a curious Ryder.

“Well, I sell ice for a living, and I am also the Royal Ice Master and Deliverer. Lately, I was also dubbed a lord!”

Ryder didn’t quite follow, “So… you’re an ice harvester, I guess?”

Kristoff shook his head, suggesting that he wasn’t wrong. Ryder drew closer to a reindeer, “Oh wait! Elgen’s gotta say something:”

He spoke for Elgen, the reindeer, “That’s a rough business to be in… especially in winter.”

Kristoff was amused. “Wait, you talk for them too?” he asked, impressed.

“I do!”

“It’s like you can actually hear what they’re thinking!”

“Yeah. And then you just say it,” replied Ryder.

“… And then you just say it.” Kristoff repeated, happy to know there was someone like him so far away from home. The two continued to lead the reindeer to their herd.

Alex walked by the tents not far from them with what seemed like an entourage of Arendellian soldiers. “Wow!” exclaimed an enlisted man who followed Alex. “Color sarge, so you have been serving for eleven years already?”

“Yes.”

“So, you’ve been in the service since when you were like… fourteen?!” guessed another soldier. Trying not to sound too proud, Alex declared, “Well, yes. I was appointed directly as a sergeant in the Royal Guard by His Majesty, King Agnarr.” An enlisted woman found her way to Alex and admired his coveted medal.

“Woah!” she stood amazed. “So, you single-handedly liberated all of Arendelle?” She looked carefully at the medal and then at him.

“Oh, no!” he started. “I just helped the castle guards out of the dungeons and gave them a plan. It was their hard work and dedication that freed Arendelle.”

Although the soldiers were much older than him, they somehow looked at him as a source of inspiration.

Lieutenant Mattias and Anna stood at a distance from them by a campfire and savored hot stew in a cup. The princess admired Mattias because he saved her father. Without him, she wouldn’t even have been there to see all this.

“Hey, back at home, Halima’s still over at Hudson’s Hearth?” the lieutenant broke the silence.

“She is.”

“Really?! She married?” inquired Mattias as he nervously looked away, sipping his stew.

“Mm-mm.” Anna denied.

“Oh wow! Why didn’t that make me feel better?” Mattias asked himself.

“What else do you miss?”

“My father.” the lieutenant’s smile dropped. “He passed long before all this. He was a great man. Built us a good life in Arendelle, but taught me to never take the good, for granted.” Quoting his father, Mattias continued, “He’d say: ‘Be prepared! Just when you think you found your way, life will throw you on to a new path’.”

“What do you do when it does?” asked Anna worriedly. Resisting his next sip of stew, Mattias told, “Don’t give up. Take it one step at a time, and…” He couldn’t find the right words to finish.

“… Just do the next right thing?” Anna guessed.

Mattias agreed with a smile, “Yeah. You got it.”

Not long after, Lieutenant Mattias noticed his most disciplined soldiers flocking around Alex like a bunch of angry birds, each demanding his attention. The situation was getting out of hand for Alex. Desperate, he glanced at Anna and Mattias, pleading for help.

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“Soldiers!” called the lieutenant in dismay, still taking in his most matured soldiers’ behavior. The men and women grew silent and turned to see their commander, nervous about what would happen next. Getting it together, Mattias ordered,

“Color Sergeant Alex of the Royal Guard, report!”

“Excuse me, guys.” He told the gathering as he quickly left. Presenting himself before the lieutenant, Alex saluted, “Royal Sergeant Alex, reporting, sir!”

“At ease, Color Alex,” instructed Mattias, satisfied that he was no longer troubled by his troops.

“Whew! Looks like we got you on time.” Anna told him as he stood at ease. Breathing a sigh of relief, he nodded.

“I’m sorry for the outrageous conduct of my troop, color sergeant.” apologized the lieutenant.

“Don’t be, sir!” Alex started. “They got a little overenthusiastic, that’s all.” A Northuldra lady offered him a cup of stew, which he accepted with a nod of appreciation. He went on, “Besides, they’re all very experienced soldiers; one can learn much from them.” Raising his cup of hot stew, he toasted, “… Here’s to that.”

The three raised their cups and took a sip of the delicious stew together. The lieutenant, too, observed his medal.

“So,” he began. “You wear our kingdom’s highest military decoration.” Then he looked back at Alex, “I’ve always wondered: does it give you any special powers?”

Alex mused on that briefly and began, “Sir, in peacetime, it’s like any other medal. But under certain circumstances, it enables me to pass down orders on behalf of the queen.”

Lieutenant Mattias quietly wondered what that meant, “Mm-hmm.”

Elsa and Honeymaren seated themselves comfortably before a campfire. A reindeer calf cuddled beside Elsa as she gently stroked its fur. “I wanna show you something,” said Honeymaren. “May I?” she asked, motioning toward the scarf on Elsa’s lap.

Elsa agreed, and Honeymaren cautiously took a part of the scarf in her hands. It also piqued the little reindeer’s interest—it observed as Honeymaren pointed at the symbols on the scarf, “You know air, fire, water, and earth?”

“Yes.”

“But look: there’s a fifth spirit. It is said to be the bridge between us and the magic of nature.”

“A fifth spirit?” Elsa was baffled. Honeymaren went on, “Some say, they heard it call out the day the forest fell.”

Elsa looked away. “My father heard it. Do you think that’s who’s calling me?” she wondered, smileful with hope.

“Maybe,” guessed Honeymaren. “Alas, only Ahtohallan knows.” she proclaimed as if she was quoting an elder among her people.

“Ahtohallan?” Elsa pondered for a moment and began to sing, “Dive down deep into her sound…” Honeymaren joined in to complete the verse, “But not too far, or you’ll be drowned.”

After they finished, Honeymaren jokingly asked, “Why do lullabies always have to have some terrible warning in them?”

Elsa chuckled, “I wonder that all the time!”

Interested by the discussion, Alex walked toward the two and asked, “Would you mind my company, ladies?”

“Not at all!” Honeymaren answered. Elsa eagerly offered, patting the ground next to her, “Come join us, Alex.”

Alex looked at them sincerely and sat down beside Elsa. “Hey there!” he exclaimed softly, noticing the reindeer calf near Elsa. As he rubbed its chin, the little reindeer mooed and snorted cutely.

“Er… Alex?” started Honeymaren, wondering if she could call him so. Alex returned a positive yet reserved look. “I cannot help but ask: how did you learn our language.”

It was evident by the look on his face that he did not entirely trust her, not just as yet. “Well, let’s just say I’ve been many places, miss.”

Elsa found his doubting ridiculous. She demanded naggingly, “Oh, come on, Alex! Tell it to her already!”

Alex understood that it was Elsa who wanted to hear that story. “You never get bored of that one, do you, Elsa?” he asked with a charming smile.

“Of course, I don’t! It was my favorite during the dinner nights. Besides, it’s for Honeymaren.” she pleaded with her eyes. Alex had made out the excuse, but he gave in to her demand nonetheless.

“Alright, Honeymaren, now listen up.” he began as the two listened intently. “Before I joined the royal guard of Arendelle, I was part of the Exploration Corps—an organization of young sea cadets. We were constantly at sea and stationed at prominent ports around the world.”

“Did you guys set out on your own?” asked Honeymaren.

“No. Our seniors, officers, and the captain of the ship cared for us as their own. We conducted a cultural exchange program at most of these ports we visited, called an ‘expedition’.”

Fascinated, Honeymaren gave her undivided attention as the story began.

“So, I believe it was my eighth expedition when I was still a corporal. We harbored at the port of Saint Petersburg in the Tsardom of Russia.” Elsa was engrossed, even though she heard it time after time. Alex went on, “After a grueling three-day trek, we had arrived at the outskirts of a forest inhabited by the Northuldra. Before we entered the forest, we had to make it over a hill. Our company decided to take rest. When the others were taking a well-deserved breather, I heard a child’s desperate cry.”

Elsa and Honeymaren were dragged into the tale as though they were there, seeing it all. “And just then, a voice called out, ‘Help, help!’. I didn’t want to bother my exhausted friends, so I left alone, rushing toward its source. It led me to a cliff on the hill; I saw hands and later, fingers struggling to grip the cliff’s edge!”

Honeymaren gasped and continued to listen. “As quick as I could, I rushed to the edge to see a little boy hanging on for his life! I helped him up and asked, ‘Are you alright?’ But the boy was scared witless and only wailed—he didn’t even dare to look at me. With an arm around his shoulders, I guided him back to camp. Two Northuldra men stood before my company, supposedly inquiring of a missing boy. When they turned to me, the boy took off and hugged one of the men. They were overjoyed indeed. I think that was his father.”

Alex paused and took a breath, “The boy didn’t say a word but conveyed everything to his father through an array of facial expressions! I was intrigued by that. Later, the man came up to me and said, ‘We are indebted to you for your help. We must repay you: a reward of some kind?’ With no hesitation, I asked them to teach me their unique language. And so, over the next two weeks I spent in the forest, I learned Northuldrian…”

Honeymaren exclaimed, “Woah! That’s how you learned our language?” Slightly annoyed, Elsa quietened her down, as though the best part was yet to come,

“Shh! Listen, there’s more…”

Alex softly giggled, noticing Elsa’s anticipation, “The night before we left the forest, I stood alone in a clearing. The last rays of sunlight were disappearing into the night. Just standing there and reminiscing all that we did during our stay filled me with peace and wonder. It was sad to see that the last day had come and gone so quickly, as that setting sun. A rustle in the bushes froze my line of thought: an older lady from the settlement approached me. I broke a sweat, bearing a slight smile nevertheless. She looked peaceful enough for me to stand easy. She explained in Northuldrian that she was the boy’s grandmother and thanked me for saving him. Coming close, she spoke to me for the very first time—‘Nature will reward you, my son.’ And she placed her hand on my head. As I closed my eyes, I felt a strange energy pulse in my forehead, and then it dissipated into the rest of my body. When I opened my eyes, everything around me was unchanged.”

“No way! You were blessed by an elder?!” cried Honeymaren. “They say, a blessing from an elder gives you an unusual control over magic… So, can you control magic?”

“Oh, Honeymaren,” started Alex. “I didn’t have an answer to that… until I met Elsa.” he declared with finality, looking at Elsa with a complacent smile. “But it’s better to show than tell.”