Two small figures were seen playing in the center of the room, snow and small ice sculptures scattered all over the floor. 

Do you ask why there's snow inside the room? Well, you see, the figures were two sisters, both princesses, and one of them was born with ice powers. Still, this did not stop them from loving each other with all their hearts.

After all, love can thaw a frozen heart.

"Anna! Elsa!" their father called from outside the room.

"Bedtime's soon!" their mother added.

But still, the two princesses continued playing.

"Uh oh, the princess is trapped in the snow goblin's evil spell!" Anna narrated, animatedly playing with two snow figures. Elsa gasped.

"Quick, Elsa! Make a prince! A fancy one," the younger princess demanded to her sister, who complied as she hastily made a snow figure of a prince in her hands.

Anna snatched the 'prince' in Elsa's hand and gasped. "Oh no! The prince is trapped too!"

"Who cares about danger when there's love?" the 'prince' said, and Anna made the two kiss.

Elsa made a face. "Ugh, Anna. Kissing won't save the forest."

Anna giggled at this. Behind them, King Agnarr and Queen Iduna entered their room quietly, watching their daughters play happily on the floor.

"The lost fairies cry out," Elsa said, waving a figure of an elephant around. She then looked at the giraffe on her other hand.

"What sound does a giraffe make?" she asked Anna in confusion.

"I dunno," Anna shrugged.

"Nevermind." Elsa continued playing with the snow figures, creating what looked like a fairy riding a horse and threw it at the 'goblin'.

"They wake the Fairy Queen who breaks the spell and saves everyone!" the elder princess narrated happily, throwing her hands up in the air.

Anna gathered all the snow figures in her arms. "And they all get married!"

Both sisters giggled at this.

"What are you playing?" their father asked from behind them.

"Enchanted forest," Anna answered before turning back to the game. "The prince and the princess- woosh!"

"That's like no enchanted forest I've ever seen," King Agnarr said offhandedly, walking towards Elsa's bed.

The elder princess gasped. "You've seen an enchanted forest?"

"Wait, what?" Anna gaped from behind her sister.

"I have, once."

"And you never told us this before?" the younger princess demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, I can tell you now if you, ah..." Agnarr trailed off as he watched his daughters scramble up to Elsa's bed, giggling.

"Okay," Anna panted a bit. "Tell us now."

"Are you sure about this?" Queen Iduna asked her husband in concern. 

Agnarr just smiled at her. "It's time they know."

Anna leaned to her older sister and whispered in her ear. "Let's make a big snowman later."

"If they can settle down and listen," their father said pointedly, to which the two sisters straightened up. Agnarr chuckled and started the story.

"Far away, as north as we can go, stood a very old and very enchanted forest."

The two sisters were quiet, raptly hanging on to each of their father's words.

"But its magic wasn't that of goblin's spells and lost fairies. It was protected by the most powerful spirits of all. Those of air, fire, water, and earth. But it was also home to the mysterious Northuldra people."

"Were the Northuldra people magical like me?" Elsa asked his father.

"No Elsa," Agnarr answered. "They were not magical. They just took advantage of the forest's gifts."

"Their ways were so different from ours.  But still, they promised us friendship. In honor of that, your grandfather, King Runeard, built them a mighty dam to strengthen their waters. It was a gift of peace."

"That's a big gift of peace," Anna remarked.

Agnarr smiled at his daughter. "And I was so honored to get to go to the forest to celebrate it."

"I wasn't at all prepared for what the day would bring," he continued sadly. "We let down our guard. We were charmed. It felt so... magical."

"But something went wrong. They were attacking us. It was a brutal battle. Your grandfather... was lost."

The fighting enraged the spirits. They turned their magic against us all."

Agnarr shared a significant look with his wife, which went unnoticed by the two sisters. "There was this... voice. And someone saved me."

"I'm told, the spirits then vanished, and a powerful mist covered the forest, locking everyone out."

"And that night, I came home King of Arendelle."

The king blew the candle that he was holding as if to signify the end of the story. The two sisters sat in front of him, gaping. 

"Woah, Papa, that was epic," Anna said. "Whoever saved you, I love them." With that statement, she flopped back into his mother's arms and wrapped herself up in the scarf.

Agnarr chuckled. "I wish I knew who it was."

"What happened to the spirits?" Elsa asked, looking up to his father. "What's in the forest now?"

"I don't know," the king answered his daughter. "The mist still stands. No one can get in. And no one has since come out."

"So we're safe," Iduna spoke for the first time.

"Yes," Agnarr agreed with his wife. "But the forest could wake again, and we must be prepared for whatever danger it may bring."

"And on that note, how about we say good night to your father?" the queen said, to which Anna groaned.

"But I still have so many questions!" she whined.

"Save the for another night, Anna," their father said, getting off the bed. 

"Ugh, you know I don't have that kind of patience," Anna said to her sister, before turning to her mother. "Why did the Northuldra people attack us anyway? Who attacks people who give them gifts?"

Elsa however took a different path. "Do you think the forest will wake again?"

Iduna averted her eyes and was silent for a short while. "Only Ahtohallan knows," she finally said.

"Ahthoho what?" Anna questioned, trying out the foreign name on her tongue.

The queen smiled at her. "When I was little, my mother would sing a song about a special river called Ahtohallan, that was said to hold all the answers about the past., about what we are part of."

"Woah," Anna whispered in awe.

"Will you sing it for us? Please?" Elsa asked her mother.

Iduna smiled fondly at her children and went to sit in the middle of Elsa's bed. "Okay. Cuddle close. Scooch in."

The two sisters went on either side of their mother, leaning against her body. And Iduna started to sing.

"When the Northwind meets the sea

There's a river full of memory"

Iduna started to stroke Anna's nose bridge using her pinky finger as she sang the next line.

"Sleep my darling safe and sound

For in this river all is found"

Anna was already snoring by the end of the fourth line, and her older sister looked at her amusedly.

Iduna started to carry Anna back to her bed as Elsa looked on. The queen tucked her daughter in her own bed and wiped the drool on the side of her face.

"In her waters, deep and true

Lie the answers and a path for you"

Iduna went back to Elsa and carried her, cuddling her close. She brought her daughter to the window as they looked on Arendelle.

"Dive down deep into her sound

But not too far or you'll be drowned"

The queen then sang her daughter to sleep, rocking her back and forth.

"Yes, she will sing to those who hear

And in her song, all magic flows

But can you brave what you most fear

Can you face what river knows?"

Iduna set her daughter back on her bed when she noticed that she was already sleeping. She smiled and like she did with Anna, she tucked her to sleep.

"Where the Northwind meets the sea

There's a mother full of memory

Come my darling homeward bound

When all is lost, then all is found"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I found her."

"Are you sure she's worth it, Solar?"

"Of course, I wouldn't have told you if I'm not sure of it, Thunderstorm."

"Tch. Fine then. Send them the signal, Thorn."

"Got it."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I finally posted the first chapter of ITU. It took me a long time since I'm simultaneously watching Frozen 2.

I'm just going to tweak the plot of Frozen 2 to incorporate the elements here, so just some minor plot changes.

I hope you like this chapter.

Lovelots,

Glace, the Queen of Angst

(P.S. I can never be more grateful to Grammarly autocorrect.)