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Espen gently sets (Y/N) on her feet before the two look around. They chuckle as many frosted statues move slowly around them, moments that seem to be frozen in time.
A miniature version of the ice giant the king created stomps around, before they both turn their attention towards a younger Espen and Anna with a snowman, Olaf.
"Hi, I'm Olaf! And I like warm hugs!" The younger Espen says in a low voice, and makes (Y/N) smile as she passes them.
Espen holds his hands to his chest as he looks around with wide eyes, before turning and jumping out the way as a younger version of himself pulls his girlfriend by her arms.
"You can do it!" The statue yells, and laughs as the statue of (Y/N) stumbles onto her stomach.
(Y/N) walks up next to her boyfriend with a sigh. "I still never learnt how to skate.." Espen turns to her before grabbing her hand and laughing. "We still have plenty of time for that."
She nods, and turns her head to another statue. (Y/N) snorts before throwing her head back with a laugh as a statue of her boyfriend, adorned of his older suit, struts past her with his arms splayed out.
"Here I stand! In the light of day!" Espen watches the version of himself with wide eyes before cringing. He places his palms against his girlfriends eyes and presses his forehead to the back of his hands.
"Look away!" He yells jokingly, and leads her to look at different memories of themselves and their loved ones.
They both smile when they see a statue of the younger princess, but their smiles slowly fall into scowls when a man, Hans, bows his head in greeting with a smile. "Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles."
(Y/N) scoffs, and waves her hand. The statue becomes engulfed in an orange glow before falling apart, and stopping the memory from playing out.
Espen nods with a smile, before darting to a statue that he had never witnessed in real time. His parents embraced, before his mother pulls away with a frown. "I need to tell you about my past, and where me and (F/N) are from."
"I'm listening." Agnaar says lovingly, and caresses his wife's cheek, before freezing as the memory stops.
A giggle draws the couples attention elsewhere, as Espen and (Y/N) watch with smiles as Iduana's younger self hung upside down from a large tree. Agnaar jumps from his place beside the tree, a book in his hands.
(Y/N) raises a brow as she sees the younger version of her own father leaning against the tree, a hat covering his eyes before grumbling as he hears his friend.
"Iduna!" Agnaar yells with a smile, and chuckles as his friend groans next to him. "Iduna.." (F/N) calls, rather annoyed that his sleep had been disturbed.
"(F/N)!" Iduana says cheekily, "I just saw (M/N) down by the gates..she looked rather lonely.." immediately, the young man springs to his feet and runs in the opposite directions, wasting no time while (Y/N) chuckles at her father.
Iduana laughs before turning to Agnaar. "What are you reading your majesty?"
"Oh, some new Danish Author." He shrugs, before freezing, the memory ending with him staring lovingly at the girl.
Espen cooes at his parents, and turns around and watches as another memory shows them together in a wagon, (F/N) behind them, before the wind spirit throws a cloth over Iduna and (F/N).
"King Runeard, I'm sorry. I don't understand."
A soldiers voice draws their attention back. "Grandfather!" Espen gasps, and watches as the old king adjusts his glove, his advisor at his side. "We bring Arendelle's full guard."
"But they have given us no reason not to trust them." The advisor disagrees, and furrows his brows. (Y/N) backs away as they pass her, and glares at the king.
He stops, and turns to the man with a glare. "The Northuldra follow magic, which means that we can never trust them."
Espen's eyes widen, before he glances towards a seething (Y/N), her hands having curled into fists as she listens.
"Magic makes people feel too powerful. Too entitled. It makes them think they can defy the will of a king." Runeard continues, and stares ahead.
Espen glares at his grandfather, and shakes his head. "That is not what magic does. It's just your fear. Fear us what can't be trusted." He spits, and glares as his grandfather passes him and (Y/N).
He watches them faze threw a wall, and purses his lips. He turns back to his girlfriend, and finds her already taking a step in that direction.
No words are exchanged as they nod to eachother, and Espen breaks away the wall with his magic. They watch as a long corridor forms, before jogging into it with a sigh.
The statue of Runeard and the advisor walk down the corridor, and leads into a darker section of the cave. "You see, the damn will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me."
"Dive down deep into her sound.."
Espen takes off into a small jog, but yelps as the road suddenly came to a halt. A dark abyss lay beneath them, and the king would have ended falling over if not for his girlfriend.
"But not to far, or you'll be drowned."
"Careful!" (Y/N) yells, and holds her partners hand in a deathly grip. She looks over the edge herself, and gasps as figures of the old Arendelle guard marches downwards into the dark.
"They will come in celebration, and then, we will know their size and strength."
The two watch as the Northuldra cross into the deep, smiles on their faces as they laugh together.
"As you have welcomed us, we welcome you, our neighboyrs, our friends!"
Espen breaths heavily, before turning to (Y/N) and gripping her shoulders. He turns her around, and kisses her forehead. The women wrinkles her brows at him, and grips his hand.
"Together." She says firmly, Espen tries to shake his head at the idea, but stops as his girlfriend grips his chin with a glare.
"Together."
The king relents, before nodding. He backs up a little bit, before taking two large steps and grabbing (Y/N)'s hand. The two jump off the platform, and suck in a big gulp of air as they plunge into the dark abyss.
...
It doesn't take them long before their feet hit a clear glass like floor, smooth to the touch under (Y/N)'s bare feet.
They were in a forest, or an imagery of a forest most likely, the trees were thin and translucent, with purple like veins that crept up and down each side.
(Y/N) looks around at the large area, and feels an odd shiver crawl up her arms. She turns to Espen, and her eyes widen as he grips his arms tightly to his sides, a small shiver leaving him as he does so.
(Y/N) furrows her brows as she watches. He's..cold?
"Espe-?" She questions, but stops as she feels her fingers become oddly tight. Looking down, (Y/N) gasps as frost covers her hands, and quickly spreads to her arms.
She grunts as Espen grabs her and pulls her to him, his arms going around her to try and keep her warm, with what little body heat he had.
"It's gonna be okay, (Y/N), I promise.." he whispers shakily into her hair, causing the women to shake her head.
"Espen you need to go!" She rasps, trying hard to push him away, but failing.
They stop as a loud laugh catches their attention. They look back and watch as the two sides circle around and laugh and cheer with one another, while Runeard and the Chief of the Northuldra conversed on the sides.
"King Runeard, the dam isn't strengthening our waters, it's hurting our forest! It's cutting off the North!"
(Y/N) stares carefully at the Chief, and her eyes widen as she notices the sun shaped symbol embroider onto his right shoulder.
"Grandfather.." she mumbles, and Espen looks down at her with wide eyes before looking back.
"L-lets not discuss this here.." Runeard interjects, setting his hand on the Chiefs shoulder. "Let's meet on the fjord, have tea, find a solution."
The frost is now crawling on both Espen and (Y/N)'s cheeks as they grip eachother tightly. Their bodies hunch over as they shiver, before gasping as they see another memory of the Northuldra Chief.
He lays on his knees, a cup in hand as he goes to take a sip from it, his back turned, with no knowledge of the threat behind him.
Espen gasps as he sees his grandfather unsheathe his sword, and takes slow steps towards the Chief.
"No!" The man cries out, and reaches for his grandfather, but grunts as his feet freeze into place, the first having now consumed his lower half.
"Espen! You need to leave!" (Y/N) cries out, and tries hard to push her lover away. Espen shakes his head harshly, and wraps them around (Y/N)'s form as the ice reaches her neck.
"Wherever you go, I go, my dear." He mumbles, and presses a lingering kiss to her temple. (Y/N) sighs, and shuts her eyes as she wraps her boyfriend in a tight hug, before her entire body is consumed by ice.
Espen feels himself chock on a sob as he refuses to look at her, and looks to the sky instead. "Anna.." he whispers, and brings his arm up to shoot one final burst of magic from his fingers, before he to, falls victim to the ice.
The lovers stay there, frozen in place as they embrace eachother with sad eyes, but warm hearts.
——