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If Elsa was 100% honest with herself, she’d admit that she’d never actually been all that comfortable on horseback. Oh, she loved the animals, but had always had difficulty with mounting them. But she’d still enjoyed riding, especially with Anna.
Her connection with the Nokk was on another level entirely. At times it felt like they moved as one being, the spirit responding to the faintest touch or a stray thought, whisking her to every corner of the enchanted forest, and beyond. It had been like something fundamental within her had changed, or she’d simply learned to accept a part of herself that had always been there.
Much in the same way as she was coming to accept the part of herself that looked at Honeymaren and felt flutters. Not that she would compare Maren to a horse or anything. But the many facets of herself that Elsa had previously denied were of course all related, considering they were her.
Or something.
She’d explained it better to Anna but somehow staring at Honeymaren made her just the teensiest bit tongue tied. Mentally and physically at the same time.
It was fortunate the Nokk could run without any input on her part, as she was unable to tear her eyes away from the woman on reindeer-back next to her. There were those flutters again, little flurries of snow in her chest and stomach that when she’d told Anna about them, had been described as adorable. They didn’t feel adorable; they felt terrifying, like she was losing some kind of control that she hadn’t known existed and yet a part of her was thrilled at the feeling.
It was like leaping off the top of Arendelle castle and catching herself on a slide of ice, zipping around and around until she’d reached the ground. Like it was fear and adrenaline and excitement all at once. Honeymaren turned back and smiled at her and it was such a beautiful sight that Elsa didn’t notice the branch until she’d hit it and was knocked off of the Nokk, crashing into the forest floor.
Dazed, Elsa blinked up at the canopy, trying to regain her bearings. Then Bruni popped into the lower left of her vision, the Nokk from the lower right and finally Honeymaren’s beautiful face filled her sight in its entirety.
“Elsa! Are you okay?”
“You’re beautiful,” Elsa murmured, grinning sloppily, head spinning as she drank in the view.
Pink rose on Honeymaren’s cheeks. She knelt next to Elsa, gingerly touching a spot on her forehead, “Don’t move.”
The touch made her wince while also making her heart speed up, “I’m okay. A little dizzy, but okay.”
Ignoring her, Honeymaren leaned over, moving her hands under her head. Elsa held her breath, her face heating up from the combination of Honeymaren’s gentle fingers and the proximity of her chest to her face.
“Does this hurt?” Honeymaren asked. Her voice was soft and sweet and Elsa had made note of that from their very first meeting.
“No, I think my forehead is the tender spot.” It throbbed and she hoped the bruise wouldn’t be too obvious. Anna would have a cow, wondering what she got up to in the forest…
“You’re going to have a bit of a bruise.” Honeymaren leaned back, though she kept one hand beneath Elsa’s head as she gazed down at her, “There’s really only a few treatments for that.”
“Something cold, and a healing kiss?” Elsa guessed, thinking of that long-ago time when she’d let her mother touch her and not actually what that sounded like.
Honeymaren smiled. “I think you can handle that first one. But I’ve got you for the second.” Then, before Elsa realized what she was doing, she’d leaned forward and gently brushed her lips over Elsa’s forehead.
The flutters in her chest turned into a raging snow storm. Strangely enough, her forehead really did feel better. Elsa wet her lips, “That… might have worked, but we should try again just to be certain.”
Laughing, Maren kissed her again, a little lower this time, and Elsa realized she’d dug her fingers into Maren’s leg, clenching the supple hide in her hand. Maren raised her eyebrows, and Elsa nodded her head. This time, Maren leaned in again, pressing her lips against Elsa’s cheek, just below her left eye. “There?” She asked, voice almost seeming to tremble.
“Getting closer,” Elsa whispered back, just before Maren’s lips silenced anything else she might have said.
The whole world seemed to fall away in that moment, Maren’s warmth close at hand, the feel and taste of her lips and the way she still cradled Elsa’s head like something precious. Honeymaren was the precious, wonderful one and Elsa pushed herself up all without breaking the kiss. Maren slid her arms around her and hugged her close until they both came up for air.
“Weren’t we supposed to be riding somewhere?” Maren looked a little dizzy, which made Elsa feel really nice.
Elsa chuckled, touching her forehead to Honeymaren’s, “We rode, we’re here, no one is expecting us home for a while.”
“I see…” Honeymaren touched Elsa’s cheeks with her fingers, caressing her face tenderly, “What do you want to tell people? When we get back?”
“How do Northuldra court?” The words tumbled out of Elsa’s mouth, but she wanted to do this right. Now that she was presented with it, it was full steam ahead. Elsa was never again going to simply deny her feelings.
“Like most things, it involves reindeer.”
“I can’t tell if you’re joking,” Elsa replied. “But I want you to show me.”
Honeymaren grinned, “As you wish.”