The Alchemist's Journey | Book 3

Chapter XIII

Anna took note and bent down beside Varian. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be okay. She just hit her temple pretty hard and blacked out," Varian replied as he ran a hand through her now wet hair.

After a few minutes, Aqua groaned and her eyes fluttered open.

"Aqua? Are you okay? Do you remember where you are?" Varian asked quickly.

"The enchanted forest and I think I'm okay. My head just really hurts," Aqua groaned as she put a hand to her temple.

"Good. We need to get out of here. Can you walk?" Anna asked as she stood up.

"I think so," Aqua replied before standing with some help from Varian.

They went through the dark hole that Olaf found.

"Come on. It'll be fun. Assuming we don't get stuck here forever, no one finds us, and you three starve and I give up," Olaf spoke, being a dependable ray of sunshine. "But bright side, Elsa's gotta be doing a whole lot better than we are."

They continued down to narrow tunnel and Aqua started to regain her balance.

Varian kept his arm around Aquaria's waist to make sure she was steady.

Ruddiger sat on Aquaria's shoulder, snuggled up against her face. He was worried about the princess just as much as Varian was.

💧

Aqua was finally able to walk on her own as they continued through the dark cavern, but she opted to hold Varian's hand as they walked.

Anna led the four of them with the light of her torch.

When they came up to a fork in the tunnel, Aquaria's spine straightened as she felt a jolt go through her entire being.

"Which lucky tunnel do we choose?" Olaf wondered aloud with a hum.

Just then, a streak of snow shot towards them from the left tunnel.

"You see, the dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me," a man's voice echoed around them as the streak swirled around, forming an ice sculpture.

"King Runeard, the dam, it's hurting the forest," another man's voice spoke.

The sculpture finished forming and Aqua gasped.

There was a Northuldra man on his knees, appearing to be about to take a sip of some fresh water, completely unaware of the Arendellian man who was preparing to strike him down.

"Elsa's found it," Anna spoke softly as she took a step towards the sculpture.

"What is it?" Olaf asked in almost a whisper, staying back behind the Arendellian princess.

"The truth about the past," Anna replied in shock. "That's my grandfather... attacking the Northuldra leader... who wields no weapon."

Aqua gently ran her hands over the hair of the Northuldra leader. "The dam wasn't a gift of peace," she realized as she looked up at Anna.