Nathan blinked completely perplexed. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he mumbled out to him. "I thought I... I don't understand... How did you...?" Mark's thumb gently touched the cut on Nathan's cheek, softly stating out. "I'm just as confused as you are... Nate? What happened to you?" Nathan's attention drifted to the unconscious troll, his body tensing as his anger tried to flare up. Mark calmed him though by putting a warm hand to his chest and inching toward the little troll. Checking his pulse, Mark uttered out under his breath. "Oh, Stig..." Nathan glanced between them, asking coolly. "You know him?" Mark nodded, answering over his shoulder. "Ya. He's... He used to be apart of the tribe... but he ran off." Hugging himself, Nathan glanced around at how the snowflakes hung frozen in the air and at the heavy frosting of snow on the remaining ships and town. From balcony's and windows, the townspeople were peeking out to see why the storm had stopped raging. Swallowing, Nathan looked down at his shaking hands and mumbled out to himself. "What have I done? I..." Shaking his head, Nathan bolted up onto his feet and tried to run for the woods.

Mark snatched his arm though, pulling him back into his warm embrace. Hugging him tightly, Mark whispered over his shoulder. "Nathan. Don't run. You can't keep running. You can't let the fear of something keep you from living your life." Nathan shook his head, shakily whispering back. "I'm keeping them safe... from me. Look what I did... I lost all control. I... I was gonna... I killed you..." Mark kept him in his tight embrace, whispering into his ear. "If you keep running. You will give them a reason to fear you, because you fear yourself. Nathan, I've seen what you can do. You have control." Nathan shook his head, prompting Mark to turn him around to face him. Staring into his eyes, he took Nathan's shaking hands and put them on his warm cheeks. Nathan tried to pull his hands back, fearing that he'd freeze him again, but Mark held them on his face. Then in a deep confident voice, he told him seriously. "You do. It's not THEIR fear that makes your power unstable. It's your own." Nathan relaxed as he let that sink in. Mark slid his hands down Nathan's arms and over his shoulders to cup his face, telling him with a loving smile. "Nate, you don't have to be afraid. You don't have to be alone. You can do the most wonderful things. You are not a monster. You're just lost... but I love you. Flaws and all. If you don't have faith in yourself. Have faith in me, like I have faith in you. Like the Northern Lights... let me guide you home."

Nathan sniffled, wrapping his arms around Mark's neck to embrace him. Mark hugged him back, kissing his neck. Over his shoulder, Nathan strained out to him in an emotional voice. "I love you, Mark." Pulling from the embrace a bit, Mark cupped Nathan's neck in hands and brought his lips to Nathan's. Their kiss was full of passion and a powerful warm fuzzy feeling that could only come from complete acceptance of each other. Nathan had never felt such a deep and unconditional love in what had felt like forever. He wanted to take in as much of Mark's love as he was willing to give. To savor it. To feel it. To feel like he could just let go of everything and start over in his life. In the middle of their long kiss, Nathan heard the people that remained on the frozen ships gasp and tell others to look up at the sky. Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Nathan looked up and saw the grey storm clouds clearing to let the warm sun shine through. As the sun's warm rays spread over the landscape, the frozen snowflakes that hung in the air sparkled like crystals before melting away into little raindrops that fell to the thick snowy ground.

Putting his hands on Mark's chest, he whispered mostly to himself as he thought about what Mark had said about magic and using its opposite elements to cool the other. "Warmth... Love? Love can thaw?" Mark smirked, running a hand over Nathan's cheek as he asked him sweetly. "Give it a try?" Nathan turned and started to lift his hands, until Mark suddenly grabbed them. Nathan flinched, looking at Mark's sudden panicked expression. Swallowing, Mark told him hopefully. "Maybe before you do... We should get off the frozen fjord. I... really don't feel like swimming. I mean... I told you how I feel about..." Nathan bit his lip with a smile, then kissed him and nodded. Mark scooped up Stig's body and they quickly made their way to the frozen docks. They waited for Donner and anyone else on the ice to safely get to shore. Then Mark kissed his cheek and whispered over his shoulder. "Close your eyes. Relax. Let that passion and warmth fill you. Then... let it go." Mark stepped back from him, and Nathan swallowed before trying it. Letting his happy memories with Mark fill him with a warm fuzzy feeling, he raised his hands and imagined that the snow around him was a reflection of his fears and worries.

Everything that he hated or feared about himself. Accepting the weight of it, then turning his hands over, he imagined dropping the weight and letting all those feelings melt away. All around him he heard more gasps of shock and excitement from the onlooking townspeople. Opening his eyes, he saw all the ice and snow swirling up into the sky to form a massive snowflake. Once everything was back to a warm sunny summer, the large snowflake above puffed into tiny snowflakes that fell back down in soft flurries. However, the tiny flurries shimmered and melted away in the warm sun into little raindrops that the ground absorbed. He had done it. He had brought back summer. He was so proud of himself and couldn't believe that he'd done it. The townspeople then gasped and cried out in fear as a shadow fell over the fjord. Wherever the shadow went, it down poured. Just as Nathan turned to see the cause, Aputsiaq landed on the dock. She was nowhere near the massive size that she had been and was shrinking away as she melted faster and faster in the increasing warmth of summer. She staggered on her little feet, soft whines leaving her as she rushed toward Nathan to lay on his feet like a scared child.

Dropping quickly, Nathan put his hands on her and without thinking started to expel cold from his hands to keep her from melting further. Stroking her, he worked to solidify her tiny ice body as he cooed out to her. "Easy. Hang on, my little girl. I got you." Scooping her up, he held her close to let his own cold body help calm her. She snuggled against him, shivering from the heat that made her feel fragile. Once he stopped her melting and reformed the bits that had melted away, he touched her and coated her in the thickest and hardest frost that he could muster. It took away her shiny blue sheen for a fuzzier white frosty look, but she was far more protected from the sun's powerful rays. Allowing her core to keep her at a nice frozen temperature. Mark breathed a sigh of relief beside him, while Donner let out happy grunts as his little friend happily dashed around his legs. Rising back to his feet, Nathan blushed out to Mark. "It worked." Mark nodded, telling him with a bright warm smile. "I knew you could do it. Never doubted you for a second." Nathan started to walk toward Mark but stopped as a group of people shoved through the surrounding crowd.

Nathan tensed, taking a step back from everyone as the group of Councilmen made their way to the front of the crowd. The Duke of Weselton stumbled as he broke through, then fixed his jacket and yelled out as he pointed at both Mark and Nathan. "Guards! Arrest them at once!" Nathan backed up a bit more, his eyes scanning the crowd to see if the people of Arendelle were going to turn on him again. The people looked confused, but the guards were trying to make their way through to them. Nathan began to wonder if he should run, when Mark whirled around and took a knee in front of Nate. Holding up Stig's unconscious tiny body, Mark boldly and loudly announced for everyone to hear. "Your majesty! Please permit me to punish the troll that cursed you?!" Nathan blinked, completely startled by his words. The Councilmen perked their heads up with interest, but the Duke blurted out accusingly. "What?! What are you trying to pull now?!" Mark looked up at Nathan, saying calmly. "Highness? Permission to explain to them?" Nathan hesitated but nodded to see where Mark was going with this. Mark bowed his head, then got up to show the others Stig's body. The townspeople gasped, backing up with fear and concern, but they waited eagerly to hear what he was going to say.

Mark faced the Councilmen, addressing them respectfully. "This is the troll that cursed your King. He is the reason for your King's recent actions. He wanted to start a war! To leave Arendelle without its leader! He wanted Arendelle to fall. He wanted to turn all of you against him! He wanted you to kill your King! To think that 'I' am the enemy! But all my people want... is peace." Mark turned back around, kneeling back before Nathan and stating allowed. "Please do not reflect the actions of this one troll on the rest of my people. Let me deal with him for his actions. Let us find peace between us. Let me turn your curse into a blessing as a sign of peace between us? Please, your highness?" The Duke scoffed, snapping out. "You expect us to believe that? Let's not forget that you BOTH are Northuldran! You can't trust Northuldrans! Their magic is EVIL!" Mark whirled around, snapping louder than the Duke. "Magic is in everything! What gave life to you if not magic?! What changes the seasons if not magic?! Magic isn't evil. Magic doesn't condemn people. Only people like YOU do! You sent people to KILL HIM! YOU sent them to kill ME!"

The Duke puffed himself up, yelling out in return. "You are a MONSTER! Monsters don't deserve a place among us!" Mark locked eyes with the Duke, yelling louder. "Who gave you that right to judge that?! I SAVED HIM! YOU would have killed Arendelle's King and put your sons on the throne! How are YOU not a monster?!" The townspeople tensed, their eyes locking on the Duke. The Duke shifted nervously, shouting out a bit more shaken now. "You have no proof! That monster KILLED MY SONS!" Mark removed the patch from his pocket and tossed it to the ground for the townspeople to see, before snarling out at the Duke. "Who else are you going to condemn as a Monster to get your way?! Shall we call the Hunter in as a witness?! Wasn't it YOU that turned Arendelle on its KING?!" The Duke turned to tell the Councilmen in a rush. "Ignore this heathen! It doesn't change that the King has killed royals and threatened us all! He's a Northuldran! They want us all dead!" Nathan stepped up, finally addressing the crowd to tell them all in a proud voice. "People of Arendelle! Listen to me! The Northuldrans are NOT our enemy!"

The Duke whirred around, snapping out in a panic. "You would say that, you heathen!" Nathan ignored him to tell the people loud and clear. "The war with the Northuldra is over! My father was the beloved King of Arendelle! My mother was a beloved queen of Arendelle... and she was Northuldran!" The townspeople covered their mouths and whispered among themselves a bit. Nathan didn't let up, moving closer to tell them with a smile. "You all knew my parents! You loved them! You knew my mother! You loved her and she took care of all of you! I am part Arendellen and part Northuldran. This is my home. You are my people. We are not enemies. We are neighbors! The war is over... Let's learn from the past and move forward together." Nathan stepped back and held out his arm to Mark. Mark in turn reached out to take his arm in a firm grip. The townspeople spoke among themselves, before some started to clap. The clapping grew louder as others joined in and started to cheer. The Duke stomped his foot, shouting out at them. "STOP IT! STOP THIS AT ONCE! This is unacceptable! I am a victim of fear! I have been traumatized! And you'd support this Northuldran murderer!"

Nathan released Mark, facing the Duke now as he told him sternly. "You are not a resident of Arendelle. So, if you don't like how we do things here. Get on your ship and leave. And don't you ever return. Or I'll have you arrested for treason against Arendelle." The Duke looked to the Councilmen, stammering out. "You are not going to let him get away with this are you?!" The King's Regent glanced at the other Nobles before bowing his head to Nathan and asking aloud. "Your orders, your highness?" Nathan smiled at his Regent, then stated aloud. "Escort the Duke and his men to his ship. If it was destroyed... Put him on one of ours and have our men escort him back home safely. Arendelle will henceforth and forevermore, no longer do any sort of business with Weselton. Instead..." Nathan looked to Mark and told everyone. "We will partner with the Northuldrans for future trade. Which I suppose would lessen taxes." The Duke's jaw dropped and the townspeople broke out into uproarious cheers over it. Mark grinned in return but tried to keep his own composure. For the first time in a long time, Nathan felt like things were going to change, but he welcomed this new start.

For a time, Nathan was wrapped up in the politics of getting his kingdom back in order. He concluded business and accepted his responsibility as the king with newfound energy and hope. He no longer feared his magic and used it on occasion to bring smiles to the townspeople when he went out on his morning rides through the town to meet them. He worked outside on balconies and enjoyed meals as he ventured around town. He embraced it all. While often turning his eyes to the woods in the hopes that Mark would return. He'd taken Stig to his people but that was the last that he'd heard from him in months. He guessed that he was busy too, but he missed him. Even Aputsiaq missed him. As summer faded into the fall though, Nathan started to sleep less and less. He blamed the stress from always worrying about Mark but really it was something else. Sleeping in his nice comfortable bed with Aputsiaq curled up beside him, he started hearing a strange voice singing to him like a siren in the night. Opening his sleepy eyes, he listened to the sound and reluctantly sat up. The sound seemed to be getting louder every night, but only he ever seemed to hear it. Aputsiaq never stirred from the sound of it, nor had anyone else in the castle when he had asked around about it.

Getting up, he grabbed his robe to cover himself and shuffled over to the large glass doors. Unlocking them, he stepped out into the brisk night air. Hugging his robe to keep from flashing anyone that might still be out and about at this hour, he looked around and listened closely to see if he could pinpoint where it was coming from. It wasn't coming from the town. Turning a bit, he looked to the woods and the fjord. The sound certainly felt like it was coming from somewhere in that direction. Leaning on the stone railing, he stared blankly out at the horizon and whispered out to the sound. "Why am I so restless? What do you want?" He heard the voice sing again, but it was cut off abruptly by the sudden sounds of hooves clattering over cobblestones in the silence of the night. Moving to look for himself, his heart leapt. Mark was riding toward the castle on Donner. He was back! To Be Continued...