✔𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐈𝐈: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈

Chapter 48: Proof?

"H-how..." Aiden stammers.

Iduna smiles at him comfortingly, while Agnarr kept muttering something under his breath beside her, "We're going to explain, young man. Let's settle this nice and neat, please don't panic.."

"B-but y-you—her parents are dead! She even got to show me the gravestones, b-but— gasp—Anna told me they never did find the bodies." Aiden clutched his head in disbelief, "Is this my subconscious or something?! Oh gods, this is unnatural! Oh I hope mama will still love me even if I am now insane-"

"You're not insane, this isn't your subconscious. What about let's take a seat and we'll explain?" Iduna offered, "It would do you good, please."

Aiden remained frozen in place. Agnarr sighed and took Elsa from his arms, and held her on his own. He gently lay her down on the sofa, then sat beside her properly. Iduna followed, sitting beside her husband in accordance and placed her hands on her lap.

Aiden stiffly sat down on the other, shivering as if he was stuck in an ice cube.

"Alright, young man. What was your name again?" Iduna asks kindly.

"A-aiden."

"Well, Aiden dear, who are you to our daughter?"

"H-her husband. We are married for more than five weeks now."

Agnarr and Iduna exchanged looks, surprised. Aiden's gaze drifted down to their attires, which consisted of Agnarr's plain white shirt and black trousers and boots, while Iduna a pale lilac dress with white embroidery.  He was expecting them to be wearing torned garments, which is mysterious enough. They did not have any wound or any dirt on them at all, in fact, they looked very clean and bathed.

"By love or political?" Agnarr eyed him seriously.

"By l-love." Aiden shakily answered. Agnarr gave him a satisfied smile.

"The last time I saw my daughter, it was on Ahtohallan. I felt such pride that she had discovered the truth about her special abilities, but that was I, calling to her so she can find me and her father, to bring us back home. But she took this other path, and that's our last glimpse of her." Iduna explains.

"... So that what's she's been talking about, she saw you on Ahtohallan! Well, a reflection of you, I think. But if you've been there the whole time, why didn't you just approached her?"

Iduna was taken aback, since Aiden had finally recovered from shock, and this is the first time she did not hear him stutter or stammer.

"Because we weren't on Ahtohallan. You see, this is what really happened. Did Elsa tell you anything about their latest journey?"

".. Yes, she did. She told me you are purely a member of this tribe I had already met called the Northuldra, she also told me about the hidden truth about Arendelle."

Agnarr gave him an apologetic look, "Father did many bad things at the past, but from what Iduna and I had seen from the crystal ball, all his mistakes are greatly fixed by both our daughters. We're truly grateful."

"C-crystal ball?"

"Ah, yes, to continue. Elsa told you about our shipwreck assumed death, am I correct?"

"Yes, she did."

"We did crash at sea. We were so close to reaching the glacier, not until a wild storm brewed up. Our ship had suffered severely, but we had gathered our strength, swam out of the deep depths and found the survival boat that was originally boarded with the ship.

"We had passed out due to exhaustion on the boat, which had reached a location that is beyond Ahtohallan. A kingdom, filled with people that are almost just like our Elsa."

Aiden's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, catching the hint, "Ignaera! You had reached Ignaera!"

"Yes, indeed we have. One of Ignaera's local fishermen had helped us, and nursed us back to health. We've stayed there over the past few years, and we had tried to do everything we can just to travel back to our home. But we found nothing.

"The local fisherman had welcomed us to his home with open arms, and referred us to Ignaera's king. The king had offered us the only way possible to see how our daughters were doing.

"It was this magical, crystal ball that was considered as one of Ignaera's most powerful artifacts. We thanked him with grateful hearts, since he had let us borrow it. His mage had explained to us that the artifact can be linked to any place, or to anyone. We had chosen to link it with Elsa."

Aiden gasps, "So, you've seen everything? Like everything you've missed?"

Iduna sighs, "Well, not everything. We have witnessed from our so called funeral to the end of their latest journey. That's when the king had apologetically told us that the artifact was needed, so we had no choice but to return it and go back to our motives to find a way to reach back to at least the Enchanted Forest."

"Then, two months later, Agnarr and I figured out that since Elsa had tamed each elemental spirit of the forest, including the water spirit. And it all came to our senses that the sea is no longer angry; it is already calm. We hurried to the palace, pleaded for the king to help us sail across.

"The king was thankfully very benevolent, and gave us one of the kingdoms' many travel ships. He taught Agnarr how to direct it, since none of the captains are allowed to sail to the other side since, well, Ignaera's a hidden kingdom where only the worthy can enter it.

"The king had boarded enough food and water for us to share, and we sailed for three days until we reached the other side."

Agnarr added, "That's when we saw you both. I thought Elsa was being attacked or something rash, then I came to the conclusion that you are... You get the picture."

Aiden smiled sheepishly, "Ah, we were having a little tickle fight, then she kind of shrieked. You must have thought something else."

Agnarr patted his back in a very apologetic way, "I'm truly sorry for hitting you with a bat earlier. I just don't want my daughter get hurt or almost killed again."

"Hehe, it's alright. You're my father in law, after all." Aiden smiles.

A paused silence fell upon the three.

"We've known our daughter to her very soul. It's very surprising to see her find true love with someone, she used to be so distant and isolated. You must have had this special capability to steal her fragile heart. But we know she became from fearful to fearless, doubtful to powerful. You have something special in there," Iduna smiled at him, pressing her hand to his heart, "That made Elsa fall for you."

Aiden blushed, "I fell for her too. Hard.  She had changed my life ever since I first laid my eyes on her on the European Summit. She had weakened the chains that were strangling my heart for far too long, until it was fully broken. She is the most selfless, independent, caring, and loving person I have ever met. And I have vowed to protect her from any kind of danger, so please rest assured, your daughter's in good hands."

Agnarr smiled, "Good to know."

"Our family will finally be complete.." Iduna smiles tearfully, "This is what I've been dreaming of."

Agnarr wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder, "So did I."