Chapter Text
“I love you”
“I need to tell you about my past, and where I’m from”
“I’m listening”
It was a few years after the Accident, yet Iduna remembered it as if it was yesterday. The night the children had finally learned about the Enchanted Forest and the night that would change the Royal Family’s lives forever. It had started innocently enough, the children playing one of their favorite games; ‘Enchanted Forest’ in their bedroom and their parents coming in to put them to bed. Yet, on this night, for some reason Iduna could not fathom, Agnarr decided to tell them a story.
“Are you sure about this?” the woman cautiously asked, after all, weren’t the children far too young to hear such a gruesome tale? But more importantly, were they both ready for all the questions the past would create?
“It’s time they knew”, the man calmly said as he began his tale. A tale that his wife had already heard, and had already lived, unannounced to her husband. Oh, how she remembered that day...and for the weeks that followed, loathed it. Time has a way of dulling old wounds though, and while she had never truly healed from the pain that the separation had caused, she had learned to live with it and move on.
“Woah, Papa! That was epic!” a small voice said jolting Iduna from her thoughts, “Whoever saved you ...I love them!” the young one continued as her mother fought back a laugh at her daughter's dramatic faint.
“I wish I knew who it was….”
It was then that Iduna did her best not to make eye contact with her husband. She had a feeling that if she did she may give away too much. Hearing him speak about her people with such contempt was hard enough, yet when he unknowingly mentioned her a blade always seemed to twist in her heart.
Deciding that she had heard enough, especially when Agnarr began to speak of the spirits vengeful intentions after all the last thing the children needed were nightmares, Iduna quietly sent him away and finished putting her daughters to bed.
Now years later, the Queen could not shake the memory of that night from her head, thus instead of returning to her chambers, she decided to take a walk. The halls of the castle were quiet at this time of night, yet the candles seemed to tease her as they flickered about. Their various shadows played tricks on the elegant wallpaper and gleamed off the gold embellishes with in the castle, yet Iduna payed them no mind. This home was so different from the one in which she took her first breath. The one with only a dirt floor and central fire to keep her warm. And while she had initially believed the castle to simply be a brick prison, she had found it more comforting throughout the years and by the time Anna was born, had come to love it in a unique way.
This night was not the time to reminisce on such things though. Something had been troubling her, something that had only been made worse after she had one again sung her young ones to sleep with the vision of Antohallan in their minds.
It was the memory of that horrible day and the melody of the ancient song that had begun to tear at her wounds, and should she not get it under control, all of its painful memories could come spilling out.
Making her way to the garden, Iduna soon found some comfort in the small slice of nature. By this time many of the flowers had wilted away only to leave their brown stalks behind, however there was a certain beauty in death. Thus, despite the slight autumn chill, the Queen remained outside, staring up at the sky just like she had done as a child. Only now her father was not by her side to tell her the stories of all the great heroes who reside there and her mother not there to scold him when the tales became too explicit.
Chuckling at the thought, the woman wrapped her shawl tighter around her body as she let her mind wander. Were they staring at the stars too? Wondering where she was and if she was ok?
Silently she waited for an answer, yet was only met with silence. “Oh, Mama…” she said softly, “Oh Papa, I miss you. I wish...I wish you could be here. Did you know that you now have two lovely granddaughters? Oh, how….”
“Iduna?”
Jumping at the arrival of her unexpected guest, the chocolate-haired woman quickly turned to see who had disturbed her, yet was quickly relieved to see it was only her husband.
“Who are you talking to?” his long stride quickly making it over to her.
“Oh, no one,'' she sighed, her eyes still fixated on the stars.
Sensing his wife’s lie, the King’s green eyes filled with worry as he gazed upon his wife, “Iduna, be honest with me, what is bothering you? Please, I want to help." Doing the only thing that a man could do in such a situation, the ginger-haired man then took the adjacent woman in his arms and held on for all it was worth.
Feeling her walls start to crack, Iduna simply buried her head in Agnarr’s chest, afraid that should he see her face she would break down in tears.
“I love you.”
Those words, just three simple words were all it took. He had to know, no. He had the right to know. For so many years she had kept it hidden and locked within herself in fear of being rejected, yet now in his arms, his love turned into a key.
“I need to tell you about my past, and where I’m from.” The words came out surprisingly steady, yet on the inside, the woman was trembling.
“I’m listening.” Moss-green eyes, locked on to sky-blue ones, the man then lifted his hand and rested it on his Queen’s face. At this gesture, Iduna could only close her eyes in pleasure as she pressed her cheek into him.
“The truth is..” her voice becoming more determined with every word, “the truth is I am Northuldra.”
Fixing her eyes upon his face, she could see a mixture of emotions coursing through him, confusion, sadness, awe, yet never once did she see anger.
“Agnarr” now reaching forward to cup his face in her delicate hand, “I am the one that saved you that day. I found you laying on the ground and I called the Wind Spirit for help. She carried us to the wagon where I hid under a blanket until we arrived in Arendelle." The words were now coming out as sobs, as the Queen tried to control herself, yet by then it was too late. All of the secrets, all of the lies, all of the sadness came rushing out of her like the way water rushes from a dam. For so long she had to pretend to be someone she was not and now with the truth came a terrifying sense of variability. Would he still accept her? Would he even believe her? But most importantly, would he still love her?
“Agnarr, please forgive me. I never told you because I was afraid!” looking at him now she could also see the tears welling up in his own eyes, “I was afraid you would hate me for being Northuldra! I was afraid you may blame me for the deaths of your people that day and the demise of your father! Agna”, however before she could even finish saying her lover’s name, her words were cut off as he crushed his lips into hers.
Immediately melting into his arms, she greedily returned his affections as their tears combined and flowed freely down their faces. Breaking to take a breath, the man once again took his wife’s face in his hand, “Oh Iduna, I could never hate you, never. I wish you had told me earlier. I can only imagine how much pain you have suffered and I should have been there for you. I should have been the one to comfort you and hold you. I should have…”
“Oh Agnarr” her soft voice interrupted, “Don’t you see? You have done all that and more. Without you, I do not know what I would have done. Those days we spent in the castle grove and all the nights we stayed up talking, that is what saved me from despair! It was your friendship, no, your love, that gave me the strength to move on and create a new life!”
“And you did the same for me. After the death of my father and the disappearance of Mattias, I felt so alone. Yet everyone expected me to move on as if nothing had happened. As if me being crowned King was nothing. Without you Iduna ...without you, I could have never done it and thus, become the man I am today.”
By this time both the King and Queen were openly sobbing, yet neither could bring themselves to care and they continued to embrace one another. How long they stood there they could not say, but when they finally gazed up at each other there was something there that hadn’t been there before; closure.
For the first time, nothing stood between them, no secrets, no hidden feelings, everything had been laid out for the other and all had been accepted. Now there was nothing between them...but love.
“Come my dear” Agnarr said, finally breaking the silence and offering his arm to Iduna, “it is getting late, yet I am feeling quite nostalgic. Shall we continue this conversation inside? I have a feeling we shall be up all night."
Unable to fight back a laugh, the Queen simply accepted the man’s arm and began to walk with him, “Of course, my love. I am yours till the end of our days, that is of course if you’ll be mine."
Needing no other encouragement, the King smiled down at his wife and kissed her for all the stars to witness.