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meimi-haneoka · 1 year

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Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Chapter 72: Comments + JP-ENG translation differences

Hellooo everyone! The plot-train that will bring us to the finale of Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc is unstoppable, so here we are once again, at the beginning of another month, for another chapter of the climax of this saga!! April 1st as usual is a very busy and important day in the CLAMP world, as it is not only the so-called "CLAMP Day", but also the birthday of our Sakura Kinomoto (and many other CLAMP characters!)!! Moreover, precisely as I'm writing this post, SakuraFes is being held in Tokyo!! Fans strived hard to get a ticket (I could see the struggle on my TL on Twitter) and while some managed to get one somehow, others were left out....since there's been lots of anticipation for this event, we'll see if it was worth the struggle and if we'll get info about the thing we're all waiting the most for: a second season of the Clear Card anime!! (UPDATE: IT WAS INDEED ANNOUNCED like we all hoped for!! Congratulations to all of us!! 😂)

In the meantime, let's focus on the analysis of chapter 72 because boooooy, it might be one of the shortest chapters ever (I remember chapters this short were released in 2018) but the info that was disclosed in it!!! We're definitely, definitely at the climax and it shows. CLAMP sensei are solving all the mysteries and giving us all the answers one by one. But since this is important info that will help us understanding the story better, let's review this chapter (and its translation) carefully!

And as usual, before diving under the cut and into the chapter, the gif of the month (paying homage to Lilie, lol) !!

The Cover Page

Oooh, what a pretty Sakura we have here!! She looks as if being half-asleep, and judging by the content of the chapter, it kinda makes sense. Sakura stays in a dream for the most of it. The simple dress is very elegant with all those gemstones applied on it. It also looks as if Sakura is creating them? Also, we have once again the black background that's become so common lately in the color pages of Clear Card. With that expression, Sakura looks a little bit more mature, and I really like it. The text in the JP version reminds us again of the last words Lilie said in the previous chapter: "I crossed time and dreams to come to see you".

"I know her very well, and yet I don't know anything about her"

The chapter starts right from where we left off at the end of chapter 71, with our Sakura and Lilie meeting for the first time....or is it?? 😉 Sakura sounds a bit confused at what Lilie said, but as usual (bless her!!!) she's very perceptive and notices that Lilie resembles Akiho a lot, more than actually Sakura herself. Lilie seems delighted and answers "I'm happy to hear that!!" (and not "Thank you!" like she said in the ENG translation). I was all smily when I've read this for the first time, but what came right after threw me in a puddle of sadness, and now you'll understand why. Sakura asks her if she knows Akiho, and Lilie's answer is "I could say I know her very well, and at the same time, that I don't know anything about her. And that makes me terribly sad". That's it. I was all giddy and happy to finally hear Lilie starting to talk, and she had to throw this brick made of sadness at me like that, right in the beginning. 😭😭Because it's clear here she's referring to the fact that despite being her own daughter, she won't survive long enough to see her grow up. Not even long enough to ascertain who she will look more similar to, her mom or her dad. Because Lilie died when Akiho wasn't even 1 year old. She was just a baby. The realization tinted that "I'm so happy to hear that!" we've seen before of the same sad color. ☹️ BUT!! We're not here to get shot down by angst so early in the chapter, so we proceed with Lilie apologizing for making things so confusing for Sakura, and she informs her they're in a dream. Then she finally proceeds to give some explanations on what's she's been trying to do this whole time, at the same time solving one of the BIGGEST mysteries in the Clear Card Arc. The question everyone had ever since chapter 1 was: "who's under the cloak of the Mysterious Cloaked Figure?" And here, my dear readers, we finally get our answer, in the year of the lord 2023, 7 years after the beginning of the manga: MCF WAS LILIE ALL ALONG!!! But let's see her version of the facts. Basically, Lilie in the beginning strived hard to travel through time alone to speak directly with Sakura at the age of 13 years old (HOW F*CKING POWERFUL IS THIS CHILD??), but it wasn't successful because her voice didn't reach our girl. We see a flashback right from chapter 7 with someone dressed with the robe standing right outside Sakura's house. Do you remember that? Yeah, MCF didn't appear only in dreams, but also physically in Sakura's reality. These scenes appeared in the anime as well and in the end we found out that under the cloak there was a sleepwalking Akiho, acting completely unconsciously. As it's typical with CLAMP anime, this turned out to be different in the manga! (But there's still a chance they'll explain that scene of the anime in a different way!) I had the impression, for a long time, that MCF was a different person depending on the dream Sakura had, or depending on whether MCF appeared in a dream or not. Well! Turns out even that intuition was wrong, because MCF was ALWAYS the same person, it's just that...some big mess happened, but let's see how Lilie explained it herself. Since her voice couldn't reach Sakura, and since our girl kept seeing the future ahead in her premonitory dreams, Lilie tried to get in touch with her through the dreams she was having.

But, for a twist of fate (I know you're all laughing right now) Lilie ended up mingling with Sakura's foretelling dreams. Yessir. When we saw MCF apparently "attacking" Sakura, or riding on top of Dragon-chan, she actually didn't have anything to do with it. She just ended up being mixed in the middle of all of that. Sakura sometimes dreamt about a "force" pulling her key away, and Lilie ended up in front of it, thus suggesting that MCF was the one trying to grab it. Turns out, it was Lilie probably trying to talk or communicate with Sakura in some way. But hold on, the revelations aren't over yet, oh no. Lilie explains how that mingling with Sakura's dreams went quite wrong.

Because yes, when one of her premonitory dreams was trying to warn her about Kaito taking the appearance of Syaoran during the play, with the Cat costume...well....Lilie ended up mixing in again, and that's how we got our MCF Syaoran. Hahahahaha! Are you baffled?? 😂Well I have to say I had so many theories as to why Sakura saw Syaoran under the cloak of MCF, some even concerning the psychological side...well, damn. Sakura simply never truly doubted her boyfriend and silly of me for thinking she could 😂 Also, we know now that we can rest assured Syaoran won't turn into an evil pawn or something...it was just a huge misunderstanding. Poor Lilie, I can't really hold it against her even though she ended up making a huge mess, because she really strived hard however she could, and...fate didn't work in her favor, apparently...until the right moment, that is (remember, hitsuzen always knows when it's the right time!) Moreover, Lilie tells Sakura that she already dreamed of this very same meeting they're having now, and guess when that was? Yes, at the end of chapter 6, precisely in the scene I mentioned in my post for chapter 71!!

After the shocking revelation (that made me yell at CLAMP once again for how astutely they FOOLED all of us for 7 years - I'm pretty sure no one thought about this possibility), I started to realize something. Sakura, in her premonitory dreams, pretty much dreamt about things mainly connected to Kaito. The "You won't be able to come back anymore" voice? It was the Association + Squids threatening Kaito with what would've happened if he dared touching the artifact inside Akiho. Dragon-chan? As its shape it's basically the same of the Seal of D that engulfed Kaito right before he disappeared into the artifact book, we can safely say it's strictly connected to him as well. MCF Syaoran? He was actually Kaito himself, disguised as the Syaoran-Cat of the play. I have to admit it, I had started getting signs that one of the MCFs Sakura was talking to during her dreams might have been Kaito, at some point. I knew the height worked against my theory, but when Sakura said "You look....so lonely" in chapter 48, right when Akiho had supposedly the same dream and confessed her love to Kaito through "the moon is beautiful" phrase right after that, I knew the "lonely" one could be none other than Kaito. Maybe Sakura was supposed to see Kaito in her dream, that one time, but Lilie mixed up again. Heh. 😅 And here we get our first serious translation mistake that can easily create confusion. Lilie goes on saying that the Cards Sakura had newly created (thus the Clear Cards) have now disappeared, and her magical powers diminished by an amount corresponding to the power of those Cards. Moreover, the Cards that once were separated from her (the Sakura Cards) are now back with her and their connection to her became stronger than before (well, we have seen it, Sakura now summons Mirror even without a particular reason, just to talk). Here, the ENG translation completely skipped the distinction between the two decks of Cards (in the JP version Lilie clearly talks about "the cards you had newly created" and "the cards that were once separated from you"), making Lilie sound as if she's still talking about the Clear Cards even in the second panel.......when we can clearly see the back of the Sakura Cards there. And right in the next panel, we have yet another translation mistake. They completely made up what the Book did here. ENG: What's more, the book's forbidden magic...can only turn back time so far. It has no power over times before the caster or the target were born. He's younger than me... JP: Moreover, the "forbidden magic" (that originated) after using the Book does not reach further than the (moment in) time when the person who activated it and the target of said magic were born. And "that boy" is younger than me.

Lilie never mentions anything about the Book "turning back time". The "forbidden magic"'s work is to rewrite the memories that were recorded in the Book, it does not turn back time. I wish they made that clearer, it's been messed with even in the previous chapters!

But it's not over, as even the next sentence suggests something that in my opinion is incorrect. Lilie goes on explaining that for this reason, she decided to visit Sakura "now" that she's the same age as hers (she literally says the word 今, which for her is her present), crossing time and dreams to reach her. However, the ENG translation here says "So I've come to you from the time when I was the same age as you", suggesting that adult Lilie went back in time to reach Sakura's age and then went to visit Sakura in a dream. There's nothing that suggests that, in the JP sentence. As she will say herself later, Lilie is capable of seeing the future so much ahead, so it seems convoluted that she'd wait to become an adult, just to go back in time to when she was almost 13 (supposedly Sakura's age) and then cross time again to go see Sakura in the future. It makes more sense for her to attempt this when she was *already* 13 years old. I checked the other translations, and the Portuguese and French seem to agree with me (they translate correctly that 今 with "now that we have the same age").

Anyway. For Lilie it was important to attempt this now, while the Book's power can't reach her and mess with her goal, and while Kaito and Akiho aren't born yet. And she adds "(I've come to see) You, the cute Alice (daughter) of the girl named after a flower who became my friend", and we see a nice flashback of a little Nadeshiko, at the same age when she met Lilie. Sakura in this way understands that Lilie knows her mother. Sakura asks if Lilie came from the past and whether she came to tell her something. Lilie confirms she wants to talk about something that for her will happen in the future, but for Sakura it has already happened. Sakura is unstoppable with her questions (good!) and asks Lilie if she can see the future, to which she replies that yes, she can see the future in her dreams exactly like Sakura. "I can see what will happen just moments from now...what will happen long in the future...and even...what will happen after I've passed on". And here came the other punch in the stomach for me. Because Lilie's expression here is really, really painful. I think I'll do a separate post with all my thoughts on Lilie triggered by this chapter, so maybe check it out later if you're curious.

That's who I am

Sakura asks "Isn't it painful to know plenty of the future ahead?" and Lilie's sorrowful smile is already enough of an answer. But she goes on,

"the things I can do...and even those I can't...make me the person that I am"

I found that extremely beautiful. It is painful, yes, but that's part of herself too. And Lilie seems to be very accepting of her nature and her "gift", as well as her limits. Maybe that's why she's able to remain so positive and strong even in a very difficult situation like hers.

The moment is solemn. Lilie says (lit., JP): "Kinomoto Sakura. Your memories and records have been rewritten". Here the ENG replaced "records" with "life", probably because it doesn't make much sense to include "records" just like that. The Spanish version translated it as something like "(your memories) and the records that keep track of them", and I think that works very well. Sakura is shocked upon hearing that. Lilie here talks in future tense because this is something that for her will happen in the future: "That boy...will lie and tell the guardian of the book, who will one day be named Momo, that his goal is to exchange you with the other Alice". And why will he do that? Apparently, because in this way he won't make Momo think or have any suspicion that he will be the actual target of the exchange magic for the artifact that was inside Akiho. (JP) "Because Momo knows painfully well what will happen if that boy becomes the target, in the state he'll be in at the moment of the exchange". I'm a bit butthurt they removed that "painfully" and went for "all too well", because in the original JP text Lilie uses 痛��程 and its literal translation is "to the point of hurting". And I think that's perfect to describe Momo's feelings. Momo cares about Kaito, a whole lot. And she would've never agreed to a goal like this, endangering his life in that way and ending up carelessly triggering the Seal of D. And this is precisely the reason why Kaito lied to her. Because he knows that. He knows she's a "kind and a bit stubborn" creature. And her kindness towards him would've lead her to stop him, something he couldn't really afford.

Lilie can't help but muttering "blockhead". Yeah, in Japanese it's the same わからずや "insult" that Momo used at the end of chapter 70, precisely as he was disappearing engulfed by the artifact book. (And the ENG should've kept the translation of that term consistent between the two chapters, which was "dolt" in chapter 70 and turned into "hardheaded" in chapter 72). This made me wonder whether Lilie was the first one using that term for him, and so Momo took it after her, or if she simply saw that moment in a dream of the future, and quoted Momo's words. One thing is for sure, the JP fandom used that terms quite a lot after reading chapter 70. 😂 Lilie continues saying (still in future tense) that Momo will want Sakura to stop the forbidden magic, so she will give her a hint, but that will end up being incorrect, precisely because Kaito will lie about his real plan. So, what does this translates to, for us readers? When we were thinking that Kaito wanted to exchange the girls, we weren't completely wrong. Or, rather, we weren't lead to that theory without good foundations. It's just that Kaito lied to Momo and made things seem that way on purpose, so his real goal would've come out only at the last moment, the moment of activation of the forbidden magic. When Momo couldn't do anything about it anymore. He really mislead all of us. Because he wanted things to go this way so badly. Because he wanted to be the one to take into himself the thing he inavertedly caused Akiho to be engraved with, and which was about to kill her soul. I sense a profound, desperate sense of guilt from this. It's no wonder Momo was so mad and ended up crying, at the end of Chapter 70. She did what she could to protect "her children", but she ended up losing one anyway. Because, just like in the most common relationship between a teenager and their parental figure, he deceived her and still had it his way, stubborn and oblivious to how much suffering he would've caused to the people who loved him the most. No wonder CLAMP called him more than once "immature" in their Twitter Spaces. This is the reason why I see Momo as a strong parental figure for both Akiho, but mainly for Kaito too.

What is happiness to you?

So Momo's hint ended up being incorrect (remember the "world where no one remembered Sakura"?). But Lilie says "But even so, it's still the same. What's happiness to you?" Because, as Lilie says, the answer is the same even for the other Alice by Sakura's side. And in this very important moment, there's another difference in translation.

ENG: "Even if it makes someone else happy...imagine living in a world where the people you held most dear are gone. Could you call that happiness?"

JP: "Even if someone told you that's happiness/even if someone told you they're happy like this, can you really call it happiness if they live in a world where they lost what they didn't want to lose?"

It's painfully clear what Lilie is meaning here. Even if Akiho looks (and maybe even affirms to be) happy and cherished in this new arranged world with her memories rewritten, can she really say to be happy if the ONE thing she didn't want to lose the most....is gone? Sakura thinks hard about that. Even if Lilie doesn't mention names specifically. And just as she's thinking hard about the answer, the dream starts to crack. Sakura is about to wake up and Lilie knows it. (JP) "I come from a time where the forbidden magic can't reach. But you're right within its range. Once you wake up from this dream, I guess you will forget about meeting me. But, you have the magic that you've been preparing yourself. You just need to realize about it. I believe...in the two Alice"

And just like that, Sakura wakes up in Syaoran's arms, on the floor of the school grounds. Syaoran is visibly stressed and nervous, so much that when Sakura wakes up with a "Oh..." he goes "Don't "oh" me! You suddenly fainted!!" 😂 although this is a tense moment, I laughed at this scene because the stressful moment made some of the old, "rude" Syaoran come back 😂yes, there isn't any translation mistake this time around. The nervousness made Syaoran a bit snappy with Sakura 😆 Sakura, still in his arms (kyaaa), says that she had a dream, and she had the impression Akiho appeared in it. Syaoran helps her standing up, trying to defuse the situation joking that "that's what they call a sister complex, Sakura", and that Tomoyo told him about this term 😂😂(I've already seen some of my Japanese mutuals on Twitter saying Tomoyo teaches Syaoran stuff she shouldn't teach him 😆) Sakura doesn't really answer the joke, as she's still quite dizzy and confused by the dream. Syaoran goes back to be serious, seeing her like that, and asks if she's ok. Sakura says she is, but she holds her head almost as if she had a headache, so Syaoran asks her if she had a premonitory dream. Sakura isn't sure, you can really see she's trying hard to remember the content of the dream, but she just can't. Although, there's one thing she remembers. That this was a dream telling her something very important, both for her, and for everyone else.

And this, dear readers, is where chapter 72 leaves us, ready to advance the plot once again in the next chapter. As I said in the beginning, this chapter was short but finally explained some important things that were torturing us ever since the beginning. But not only: the just released volume 14 featured a change of script in chapter 70, when Momo is talking to Kaito after the forbidden magic was activated. Instead of asking him "what about you?", she tells him "You even lied to me, the guardian of the book, about the subject of the rewriting" which is directly connected to what Lilie said in this chapter. It was a "last minute change" (that normally happens between the Nakayoshi version and the tankobon version) probably to justify better why we were lead to believe that Kaito wanted to exchange the two girls (and thus not giving the impression CLAMP were playing us for fools completely). Moreover, it sounded strange that Momo would've let Kaito go on with his plan if she knew he would've ended up triggering the Seal of D. It looked pretty OOC for her, so maybe Ohkawa wanted to fix that. I was a bit confused by this change in the beginning, but now I completely understand why she did it.

Furthermore, there's the mention of the "magic Sakura has been preparing" that really intrigued me. Is this about the usual "zettai daijoubu da yo", or is it something more complex? Could Sakura have been preparing a spell that would activate in a certain circumstance before the play happened, in case she needed it later? Of course her memories now have been rewritten, but Lilie's words suggest that she will soon remember about preparing this magic. And I'm super excited to find out what it is. It would give Sakura a really good development, and show she can be planning things too!

At the end of the chapter, Sakura forgets about meeting Lilie. And while that might seem as once again an unnecessary stepback, I don't really think it is. If this was played in this way to give Akiho the agency she needs later, then it makes a lot of sense. Especially when many of us are hoping to see her remembering about Kaito on her own. Because it would be particularly significant. If Sakura remembered this meeting, and the fact that their memories had been rewritten, and about "Momo" and "that boy" who lied about exchanging them, logically the first thing she would do is to inform Akiho about it. But is this how things are supposed to go? Is this how Akiho is supposed to find out a truth that concerns her very closely? If Akiho is meant to remember Kaito on her own, because the void he left in her life will soon feel larger and larger, suggesting her that she's not truly happy and that something/someone is missing, then it makes sense for the narrative to hold things back for a short while. Sakura can always remember about this meeting on her own later on, thanks to her magic. While Akiho will work hard to grasp the true happiness she wants, with the help of the people who care about her. And I suspect that might happen as soon as next chapter. And then it'll be time to understand what to do to bring Kaito back, or to reach him where he is.

While here we keep praying hard for a happy ending in the manga, in the meantime I bask in the happiness of the freshly announced sequel of the Clear Card anime!!

Next release dates for what concerns chapter 73:

April 30th, on CLAMP’s Youtube channel (digital, JP and other languages) May 2nd, on Nakayoshi (paper and digital, JP)

Kodansha announced for May 10th the launch of a new simulpub platform directly managed by them (K-Manga), where it's very likely it'll be possible to read Clear Card in English digitally and simultaneously with the Japanese release. Although, that service will work only in the US (for the moment).

Alright, see you at the end of this month!! 😉

#card captor sakura #cardcaptor sakura #ccsakura #ccs spoilers #clear card arc #kinomoto sakura #lilie (cardcaptor Sakura)#chapter 72 #translation differences

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bigfrozenfan-fanfics · 4 months

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Chapter 72 - Halvard's final honour 🔞

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: around every 2-3 weeks

Remarks: all my chapters contain carefully selected music tracks (try to use headphones). It’s your own decision if you want to use them or not while reading. The purpose is to musically support the respective mood of the plot. If you can please use a browser for reading (not the Tumblr app) due to the text formatting and music.

A chilly wind in Arendelle's capital was blowing around the noses of the citizens and was the first harbinger of the approaching winter. It had been an unusually long golden autumn with lots of sunshine and mild temperatures, it was now high time for many to provide firewood and spend the last few days enjoying nature before everything disappeared under a cold, white blanket of snow.

Anna and Elsa had agreed to accompany Yelana and the other Northuldra home last night. They told Mari that morning that they would visit Vesterland's royal house on their way back and wished her and Ambassador Mitya a safe journey home.

Elsa had the brilliant idea of sailing with the new ship instead of riding. Anna immediately agreed and told her sister that it would certainly be much easier for her to think of a new name for the confiscated vessel this way.

Yelana was thrilled when she heard about it, because she found Arendelle's ships fascinating and had long wished to travel on them one day. That way, everyone would arrive at the Northuldra camp much earlier and there would also be a way to transport men and equipment, including prisoners back to Arendelle and the naval base, Elsa told her.

However, not all Northuldra would travel by ship, this was especially true for the merchants whose camp was in the northern forest, not far from the capital. They would also take Yelana's reindeer with them. Indu, too, who did not fare particularly well on the last ship voyage, decided instead to accompany the others on his reindeer by land and then leave for the far north in a few days to join his family.

Anna had also agreed the night before to Yelana's unusual request to show the castle's stable boy the forest where she and her people lived. She had promised him and his reaction had made her smile. The boy had shown genuine interest and also a knack for reindeer. Yelana immediately made her way to the stables, also to check on her reindeer.

“Hey, stable boy, do you still remember me and my promise!” called Yelana as soon as she was standing inside.

The boy turned in surprise and peeked around the corner of one of the horse stalls to see who was calling out to him. As soon as he recognised Yelana he called back.

“Lady, you bet I remember! But please don't joke, because you must know that my work here is extremely important to me!”

“Come out, for I have asked your queen's permission! You will accompany me to the Northuldra region, as promised by me, and then you will see what has always interested you.”

“Are you really serious, Lady?” he asked back, uncertain.

“I'm dead serious, lad. So get ready, because we will set sail together with the queen and her sister in about an hour!”

~~~

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It was hard to say who was more impressed by the ship's voyage, Yelana, a more than true Northuldra, or a perhaps sixteen-year-old stable boy who was leaving Arendelle for the first time, and on a ship of the royal fleet at that!

Both stood at the bow and let the wind blow around their ears. Neither spoke a word for a long time, but the royal siblings smirked at the two as they strolled across the deck, inspecting the new ship.

“Do you think I could start a new future as a ship's boy?” he asked Yelana excitedly at one point.

“Who knows,” she replied, “but I think you'd better stay a stable boy, because you're very good and loving with the animals, especially reindeer. Not everyone is cut out for it, but you certainly are, believe me.”

He looked at her thoughtfully and then nodded slowly, “Perhaps you are right, Lady Yelana. Animals have always been a part of my life, even when I was very small. Somehow I understand their needs and know when they are well or when they need something, and the horses in the stable like me, I can feel that. On the other hand, Arendelle's big ships fascinate me and make me dream of far away adventures.”

“Well then, you're experiencing one right now,” Yelana replied with a smile, “and you'll certainly be thrilled by our life in the great forest. And I can feel that, you know.”

He smiled broadly, clung excitedly to the bow rail, closed his eyes and breathed in deeply the fresh wind that blew around his nose and brought the distant adventure he had always dreamed of.

~~~

“It is fast, the ship, and in excellent condition. Our people have done a good job in getting everything ready, don't you think, sis?”

“Yes, I like it too, and it just flies over the water, all without Nokk and Gale,” Elsa replied, and they both had to laugh at their comparison. “Have you thought of a new name yet? Jarls Pride is kind of inappropriate, I think, and it still reminds me too much of Thord.”

“Not yet, but I'm sure I'll have found one by the time we return. By the way, as for Thord the usurper and the current ship name, I was thinking the same thing as you. I hope we never see him again, though I'd love to give him a taste of my fist.”

Elsa shook her head in amusement and chuckled softly, “You've had that before with your ex. Be glad you don't have to face Thord again! But now, enough of this tiresome topic, let's go and see how our Northuldra friends are doing instead.”

“You're right, I'm sure they'll be wondering why we haven't joined them.”

The sisters made their way to the quarterdeck and as they climbed the short flight of steps they saw everyone sitting good-humouredly on the deck planks or standing at the rail, a new flag with the crocus, the symbol of the House of Arendelle waving in the breeze between them. Anna briefly looked up behind her and there, with great satisfaction, she made out a large, long flag with the same symbol on the main mast. She smiled, for this was now her and Elsa's ship. Their very own!

And who knows, maybe next year they would both go on a long and beautiful voyage together to friends in other kingdoms, in fine weather and a summer breeze, not as chilly as it was at the moment. How about calling the gaff sailer the 'Voyager'? Anna smiled up to her ears as she imagined it all in her mind.

“Well, how are you?” asked Elsa of the others, snapping Anna out of her daydream. “You are certainly looking forward to returning home with your friends in a little while, am I right?”

“Yes, you are absolutely right, Your Highness, what me and Ryder are looking forward to the most is seeing Honeymaren again. I miss her so much,” Linnea said and stood up.

Ryder stood with his back casually leaning against the railing and nodded happily. “I had seen her at least briefly when I was there with the soldiers … and well, at our joint fight with Kolgrimr of course. I'm so proud of her and I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about in the days and weeks to come. I'm really looking forward to it.”

“I'm mostly looking forward to my forest and being able to gather herbs again,” Myrtha said, “Besides, I'm sure our people have missed a good healer … without wanting to praise myself, of course,” she laughed. “I miss everyone very much.”

“And I can finally ask Ikka's parents for her hand in marriage. Then next year we plan to get married, after I have put myself in her parents’ service. Because that's the custom with us … not just the proposal ceremony with butterflies and reindeer, the way Ryder helped Kristoff in his proposal,” Joná grinned and, sitting up, put an arm around his beloved, who leaned her head against his shoulder with a smile as she nodded in acknowledgement.

"But then instead of Anna, Yelana suddenly appeared and you should have seen Kristoff's surprised face," Ryder smirked and everyone laughed, even Anna.

"I didn't know that," she said. "He'll have to tell me more about that when he gets a chance. It's a pity I didn't see that … I mean, of course, the butterflies and all that. But anyway, we are happy for you, for all of you," she said. "By the way, do you know anything about what Yelana wants to show us and why we should definitely come along?” she added, but only received a shrug of the shoulders in reply. Myrtha did not respond at all, but looked out over the fjord.

Anna somehow had the impression that Myrtha knew all about it but didn't want to say anything. But no matter, Elsa and she would find out before evening, so she also shrugged and turned to her sister.

“Come on, let's both go below deck and have a look at the captain's cabin, Elsa. I haven't seen it yet.”

“Me neither, good idea. See you, guys. If you need anything, tell the boatswain down there, the one with the blue cap on his head,” Elsa said and headed for the second exit, closely followed by Anna, who was still smiling and waving to the others behind her.

“'Hey, Elsa, I think I've already come up with a great name for our new ship,” Anna said enthusiastically as they walked down the short hallway towards the cabin.

“Our ship, you say, it almost sounds like you've already reserved it for just the two of us,” Elsa laughed as she opened the door. “And what are you going to call 'our' ship?”

“The Voyager, because we'll both be making a lot of trips in it in the future.”

“So without the ARN designation in front of it? Doesn't sound so bad though, Anna. I like it.”

“Well then, it's a deal! The ARN Voyager it is. It could do with a new coat of paint, though. What do you think of white?”

Elsa looked at her in surprise, pondered for a while and finally nodded with a dreamy smile. “Oh, I can imagine that quite well, it also emphasises the streamlining of the sailer. Good idea, Anna!”

Anna grinned back and then looked around the captain's cabin. All of Thord's private things had been removed, except for the heavy wooden table and three reclining chairs, so they could furnish the room to their liking. Including everything that was still missing, i.e. sea charts, nautical books, instruments and all things for the personal outfit for a land trip on distant shores. The room offered enough space and also a separate working area for the two of them.

Anna was already picturing everything as she walked around, while Elsa stood at the slanted stern windows looking out over the wake and the Arenfjord.

“A few flowers are missing here too, Elsa, maybe crocuses and in the summer some sunflowers too. We could have the walls and all the frames redecorated in the Arendelle castle design. What do you think? I already have everything in mind,” Anna asked, joining her to look out as well.

“I trust your taste, sis. I'm sure it will be nice and cosy.”

~~~

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In the afternoon, Anna had the Voyager anchored on the second beach and three dinghies lowered into the water. First they loaded the food they had brought with them, mainly flour for baking breads and also some fruit, various mushrooms from the area around Arendelle, some lamb and freshly caught crabs from the night before, which Yelana said were hard to find up here in the north. And of course Olina's famous chocolate. That was not to be missed.

Next the Northuldra got into two boats, followed by Anna, Elsa and their bodyguards in the third. The stable boy was all excited as he shimmied down the rope ladder into the second boat and sat down right next to Yelana.

They had not been travelling for five minutes when they were spotted by two Northuldra fishermen who were unloading the catch from their boats. One of them was gesticulating wildly and shouting something at the other, but they couldn't understand it because of the distance. But that wasn't necessary, because the second fisherman was already running towards the camp. So their little surprise would no longer be a surprise, because very soon everyone there knew who had just arrived.

Shortly afterwards, the dinghies pulled onto the sandy beach with a slight crunching sound. The first to disembark were all the Northuldra. Then followed the royal bodyguards, who together pulled the heavy third boat far up the beach so that their highnesses would not get their feet wet when they disembarked. The fisherman who stayed behind immediately rushed to his people and especially greeted Yelana joyfully and effusively. Anna and Elsa exchanged happy glances.

After that, they all had to walk another half hour before they came around the bend and saw the camp in front of them. Actually, they heard it already before they caught sight of the first Northuldra there. Almost everyone there was already shouting excitedly, loudly spreading the happy news and many were already running towards them to greet them.

The sisters watched excitedly as all their Northuldra friends were welcomed as joyfully as if they had been away for years. All of them did not advance one step further because the hugs and greetings just would not end. It was loud and many tears of joy flowed on both sides.

And then Honeymaren came towards them smiling broadly and with her head proudly raised. As soon as she was spotted, everyone formed an alley for her, for the long-awaited family reunion.

Linnea just stood there staring towards her for a little while, looking her over from head to toe, before finally spreading her arms wide for her daughter with tears in her eyes. Honeymaren ran the last few meters towards her and fell into her mother's arms. Everyone around them clapped and some of them even sang a joik.

Elsa watched the reunion closely and it was undeniable that Honeymaren had somehow changed since the last time. Elsa couldn't put her finger on what it was, but the young woman seemed more mature to her and, above all, her first glance was not at her but at her people, especially her mother. Elsa noticed contentment in her clear gaze, but also determination.

When the two broke away from each other again, Honeymaren had time to embrace her brother and also greeted everyone else with heartfelt hugs. She stood a little longer in front of Yelana, then looked questioningly and with a raised eyebrow at the boy standing next to her.

“This is the stable boy from the castle who I promised to show our people and the forest to someday,” Yelana said and the boy bowed to Honeymaren, which made her smile. “But you and I have something very important to talk about, Honeymaren.”

“Of course, Yelana, but I'm sure it can wait. I'm really glad you've finally returned. But tell me, what is actually in the sacks you brought with you?” she said, casting an astonished glance at them.

“Some food and flour for baking.”

“That's nice that you thought of it, but let's all go to the camp for now,” Honeymaren said a little louder, “you must be a very hungry and your return must be celebrated properly. Besides, I have an announcement to make later.”

After she said this and waved ahead, everyone followed her with expectant expressions. Shortly after, everyone sat comfortably around the cooking fires while the women in the camp began to prepare a feast, baking fresh flatbread and asking Anna and Elsa about the method of preparing these strange sea creatures. They gladly gave them information and asked about the whereabouts of General Mattias, Fabian and the other soldiers.

As they were led towards the tent camp, they wondered about the two wooden cages at the edge of the forest that undoubtedly housed the prisoners of the recent battle.

“You got them all, I see,” Elsa said with satisfaction, and Anna showed an expression that was difficult to interpret. She said nothing and avoided looking the prisoners in the eye between the wooden slats. Bad memories sprang up in her and she quickly took Elsa by the elbow.

“Come, let's go quickly to Mattias and Fabian. I can't stand this any longer.”

Elsa looked at her worriedly and then nodded in understanding. “I can understand that, Anna.”

When they arrived at the tent camp, in front of which several cooking fires were also already burning and above one hung the large cooking kettle, in which it was bubbling and spreading a familiar scent, the excitement was great. Word spread quickly among the soldiers that their queen and sister had arrived unexpectedly.

The general and the fencing master blew the tent cover aside when they noticed and hurried out and towards them. Everyone around the sisters bowed deeply to them and saluted appropriately.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness! We were not expecting you, this is really a nice surprise,” Mattias said.

“How is the leg?” Fabian added immediately, turning to Anna with a somewhat worried expression.

“It's all fine, Fabian. Thank you for asking. Hello, General Mattias.”

“So you actually did it and were able to apprehend all the fugitives,” Elsa said, “That's excellent! Then we can take them to the penal camp first thing tomorrow, for we came by ship and it is anchored close by on the upper beach. It's over at last and we'll take you all home.”

“That will make the men happy and me too, for I miss my Halima very much. Is she still at the castle with Elin and are they both well?” asked Mattias, looking from one to the other sister in turn.

“Yes, Mattias, you need not worry at all. She has returned home, though, because she missed her house and the garden,” said Elsa. “But I'm sure we have a lot to talk about and we could talk more back at the camp. There they are preparing a feast in honour of the Northuldra we brought with us. I guess that will last all night.”

“We'd love to, wouldn't we, Fabian?” said the general.

“Unless there's that weird bread with birch bark again,” Fabian said, making a face, “I miss the food from Arendelle and a fragrant fresh loaf of bread from the baker.”

“Fear not, Fabian, for we have brought flour for baking and many other goodies … even chocolate from the castle kitchen!” Anna reassured him and Fabian was already licking his lips.

“Well then, let's go,” Elsa said and Anna added, “But by another way, please.”

~~~

An hour or two later, after everyone in the camp was full and satisfied - there had even been fårikål, an extremely delicious lamb stew, for the guests of honour - the cosy evening began.

The royal sisters had discussed everything with Mattias and Fabian in the presence of Yelana and it was slowly getting dark in the sky when the Nattura family came out of their kota again. Everyone wore their best clothes and the women an elaborately made scarf over it. In addition, they all wore colourful shoelaces, attracting everyone's attention, because every Northuldra immediately knew what this clothing meant. Everyone stood up with serious expressions and partly bowed heads as Honeymaren led them to Anna, Elsa and Yelana.

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“What does this mean,” Anna asked Yelana, who now rose as well.

“This is our traditional mourning attire, Anna. We call these shoelaces voedtege and they are only worn when someone in the family has died,” she whispered back

“Halvard!” breathed Elsa in sudden realisation, and without looking, motioned Anna to stand and pay respects as well. But Anna was already standing and looking sadly at the Natturas.

As the family stopped and Honeymaren turned in a circle to look at everyone, the Northuldra moved closer and formed a large circle around the mourners. Not only to show their deep respect, but also to understand every word that would now presumably follow as a promised announcement.

Alena also joined them now, followed by Árnason with the young stable boy in tow, and nodded knowingly to Honeymaren. The latter nodded back and then raised her voice.

“Only yesterday I was at papa's grave for a few hours, telling him that his family would soon be complete to visit him. Now the time has come, and not only that, for I would like to ask you all to take a day of mourning and join us. I have learned that you have not yet had the opportunity to do so, or that you have been waiting for this moment. I would like us to place reindeer antlers on his grave and honour him with a traditional joik.”

Honeymaren paused for a moment and then asked Alena to join her.

“As probably only the older ones among you remember, we haven't had a noaidi go into a trance session and check in the spiritual plane for decades to see if Halvard's free soul has made it there and is doing well. Since I was born a long time after that, I didn't know about it either until I learned about this meaning from Alena here next to me. She is an experienced noaidi and will help us with this task for the first time in a long time.”

She looked around and then said, “Now please prepare yourselves and accompany us to Halvard's grave.”

The Northuldra dispersed to put on their best clothes, get their birchwood staffs and the large reindeer antler. Yelana excused herself and left the group from Arendelle to go to her old kota.

However, there she found that her belongings, which she had not been able to take with her when she was banished, had been removed when Gyda moved into her hut. At first she was very upset about this and hoped that the things had not been burnt and had been taken to safety by her people in time. And so it was. She took the bare necessities with her and changed in her kota.

Alena and her young companion were of course not prepared for such an event. While she whispered to him that she wanted to quickly fetch her drum, he remained waiting where he was. The boy from Arendelle had become somewhat friend with Árnason, who was about his age, in the last few hours and had told him about the reason for his journey. He was now standing beside him a little uncertainly and was very surprised by this event.

“You are about to experience something very special, Lars” whispered Árnason, “but just stay by my side. Watch and listen, for you will surely not forget this.”

Anna and Elsa, standing a little apart with their escort from Arendelle, waited patiently until all the Northuldra were ready and the procession was about to start. The royal bodyguard did not quite know how to behave and the commander politely and quietly asked his queen.

“Follow us in silence and stay close to us. Just try to behave according to the sad occasion.”

Half an hour later, all the Northuldra gathered in festive dress. Some of them also wore colourful shoelaces and Mattias said quietly to Anna and Elsa that they too had lost relatives during the war, though he did not know if their dead had been buried near Halvard. But as Honeymaren had said, it would be a full day of mourning and surely the following event would be repeated at the gravesites of the fallen tomorrow, he said quietly.

“You have experienced this before, haven't you? While you were locked up here in the forest,” Anna whispered back.

“Not at first, because my men and I kept ourselves separate from the Northuldra for a long time. After all, they were still the enemy in our eyes then. But later we did, after we had all inevitably come to terms, several times even. It is a beautiful ceremony, similar to the one you have experienced here before, when the Northuldra welcomed you as theirs.”

Movement now arose in front and eventually all set off in silence, following the Natturas ahead. The group from Arendelle followed at the end.

And as if summoned, at the same moment some riders on reindeer appeared. They were the merchants returning from Arendelle, together with Indu. They had made it just in time and as soon as they received information about the reason for the event from the nearest person in the vicinity, they hurried off to also equip themselves appropriately for the occasion. Only Indu felt a little lost, but joined them in the end.

~~~

There was hardly any space between the trees around Halvard's grave, but a large circle formed anyway, which many lit with torches. The Northuldra with the reindeer antler laid it gingerly on the grave and then stepped back. Linnea and Ryder knelt before it and now spoke to their father's soul, much as Honeymaren had done before, only a little more quietly. Honeymaren stood silent beside it with her head down and her hands clasped together. Meanwhile, Alena began to beat her drum and sang herself into a trance. All the others remained quiet and in devotion at first.

When the drumming stopped, everyone looked expectantly at the noaidi.

When she opened her eyes again, a small smile appeared and she said, “It's all right. He has found his peace.”

And then the great ceremony began, with both women and men intoning a funeral yoik and singing Halvard's praises. Those who had a fighting stick with them struck their birch woods together in pairs and rhythmically to the chant, in tribute to Halvard as their best Skalastet fighter, thus producing the typical 'clack - clack' when two fight against each other.

Elsa and Anna looked at each other in amazement, for the last time the men had only stomped their fighting sticks rhythmically on the ground. Even touching each other on the shoulder was not the case here, and yet. It was as Mattias said, a beautiful ceremony and the singing expressed affection and honour for Halvard, their friend. At the end, the women raised their heads and sang a little louder and more carrying into the night sky, until the singing slowly died away and absolute silence fell, interrupted only by the faint flickering noise of the torches.

When Linnea and Ryder finally rose, the ceremony was over and one by one everyone went back to camp.

Honeymaren came over to Anna and Elsa, looked around again briefly and then said to them “Thank you both for being there, especially you, Elsa. It meant a lot to me.” Then she nodded, turned away and walked back into camp as well. She walked slowly, keeping her head down while walking.

The sisters looked at each other, puzzled at first, then gazed after her until she was out of sight and disappeared into the shadows of the night.

“I don't know, but it almost sounded like a goodbye somehow,” Anna said quietly and Elsa nodded slowly and very thoughtfully.

~~~

Some kotas had been cleared for the guests from Arendelle to spend the night and lined with plenty of reindeer skins. Two of the royal bodyguards took positions in front of it as the sisters entered to go to sleep. They would take turns with the rest of the guard every four hours. The whole camp was quiet now and many of the fires had already been put out.

When the sisters had undressed and covered themselves inside, they lay quietly next to each other, but thoughtfully with their eyes open. Both of them looked up at the flue, where a small section showed the sky with bright twinkling stars.

At some point it was Anna who quietly wished Elsa good night, turned to the side and closed her eyes. Shortly afterwards, her light snoring could be heard.

Elsa looked over at her, threw the reindeer blanket aside and stood up. She made an automatic gesture with her hand and in this way literally put on her dress in an instant with her ice magic. Then she left the hut and said quietly to the guard that she wanted to be alone and made her way to the Natturas' kota.

She knew where the hut was and stood in front of it in the pale glow of the half moon, undecided. Should she call quietly for Honeymaren or just go in? Elsa didn't know where exactly her sleeping place was, so the chances were three to one of finding it right away.

She decided on the latter and very carefully and quietly opened the flap. Elsa was lucky because the half moon was right behind her in the sky and its light showed Honeymaren's face in the sleeping place just ahead on the left.

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Elsa slipped inside and had Honeymaren's position and how many steps it was to her in her mind's eye as she closed the flap and quietly entered. Elsa felt her way to Honeymaren's head by means of the reindeer fur, listened to where she was breathing and gently covered her mouth.

Honeymaren startled and Elsa breathed into her ear, “Be quiet, it's me, Elsa.” She felt the slight nod at her hand and let her up. Then Elsa held the flap open for her and for the first time saw Honeymaren's body completely naked in the moonlight before her. Elsa couldn't help but look at her and her gaze lingered on Honeymaren's sparse pubic hair under which her sex was clearly visible. Honeymaren paused for a moment, looked at her in surprise but without any shame, and only after a second or two put her gakti on. When she had slipped into her reindeer boots, she followed Elsa outside.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in a whisper, her eyes wide.

“I want to talk to you, Maren.”

There it was again, her short name, the kind Elsa hadn't used since escaping the forest from Kolgrimr. It astonished Honeymaren all the more now.

“All right, but not here.”

“Then let's go to our beach.”

Had Elsa actually just said “our beach“? Honeymaren couldn't help wondering, but nodded quickly and pulled Elsa with her.

A little later, they were both sitting on the weathered old tree trunk lying in the sand across the sea, its bare, barkless wood reflecting the moonlight. Both looked out at the glittering, gentle waves and enjoyed this quiet moment of beauty for a few moments.

Honeymaren turned briefly to the edge of the forest, first checking to see if anyone had followed them, before looking at Elsa with her eyebrows drawn together. Then she began to speak softly.

“So I'm really curious now, Elsa. You show up in the middle of the night, sneak into my parents' kota just to talk to me? What's so important after you've been avoiding me all this time in Arendelle, not even being able to look me in the face. And now you even call me by my pet name again and say “our” beach. What has changed that you suddenly behave like this? And then, too, those scrutinising glances you've been directing at my nakedness!”

“You're upset, I can tell,” Elsa agreed.

“You bet I am! You have pushed me away, rejected me, even despised me.” She had spoken up a little louder than she meant to, but feelings couldn't just be suppressed like that.

“I'm sorry. I didn't want all this. I was just … afraid,” Elsa confessed, lowering her head ruefully.

“Afraid? Afraid of what? Of me, perhaps? Or of being touched …”

Elsa's head jerked up and Honeymaren suddenly realised the truth, holding her hand in front of her mouth as she stared at her counterpart in deep realisation.

“By the gods, I'm beginning to understand. I thought you …”

Elsa shook her head slowly. “No, never, Maren.”

“Have you made it yourself at least once … I mean…”

Another shake of the head and a rather embarrassed look to go with it. Honeymaren had the impression Elsa's cheeks were turning rather red at the moment.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be tactless, I …”

“It's all right Maren. It's just that half of my life has been dominated by fear. Ever since I was eight years old and had to be separated from my dear sister for thirteen long years.”

“But why is that? Who forced you to do such a thing? Family is one of the most important things in life. I can't even imagine being separated from them for so long.”

“It's because of my ice magic. I was born with it. Everything was halfway fine at first, but then …”

“What happened?”

Elsa decided to tell Honeymaren everything and she listened very attentively, not interrupting her with a single word, her expression growing sadder as she did so.

“Do you remember our evening in the hut after we went to the beach and I could no longer remember my life? I told you about someone important to me, someone I vaguely remembered, a face I couldn't recall. That was Anna. She was and is the most important person in my life. Unlike me, she is really outgoing and knows so many people, in fact everyone in the capital. And now with Kristoff she has experienced something that was previously foreign to me and that I never really thought about or missed. You can guess what it is, Maren.”

“Love and tenderness towards another human being.”

Elsa nodded. “Anyway, that's how it was until now.”

Honeymaren drew in her breath and her heartbeat quickened on the spot.

“Anna knows. I told her about your love for me in the night camp when we went to war and didn't know if we would survive. She … wouldn't mind such a relationship, she confessed. She had even suspected it herself with you.”

“She is a really good and lovely person. I understand now how much she means to you and why. You must love her very much.”

Elsa nodded, “She sees the potential in me that I never saw myself and was always afraid of.”

“And now? Where do you go from here? How do you imagine the future now? Or will you perhaps even stay with us as Ahtohallan's fifth spirit?”

“As for the latter, no. I promised Anna and she needs me. All is well here now after all and there is no longer any threat to you or the forest. Of course I'll check on things from time to time and with Nokk I'd be there in less than an hour. But as for the rest, I honestly don't know what to do. I have no experience and I'm not attracted to men in any way, especially not to their bodies. Just the idea …”

“… scares you,” Honeymaren added, “I feel the same way, you know?”

Elsa nodded, “But how do you deal with it and what experiences have you had with love in your young life?”

“Honestly, none yet. But I feel it deep inside … this desire … and I dream about it and …”

“About who and what …”

“I dream of you, Elsa.”

“And what are you dreaming about me? I mean … I can't really imagine.”

“Hmm … you saw me naked earlier and … looking … down there. How did that make you feel? Or were you just embarrassed …”

“No, no …, I …” Elsa stammered, unable to describe her feelings. Her body was reacting, in a place she hadn't expected, but how was she supposed to describe that to a beautiful young woman who probably had far more experience with it. Or maybe that was why she didn't need to? Elsa looked deeply into Honeymaren's eyes, her head probably flushed. She felt the heat rising inside her.

I had to remove the following scene because of the Tumblr community guidelines for 18+ content and created a new blog for it. If I had labelled this chapter as mature, my entire fanfic blog would only be visible to people over 18 and that was going too far for me. So only follow this link if you are over 18 and ready to read an explicit Elsamaren love scene.

“Let's go to sleep, Elsa, and dream of me as I will dream of you tonight, as I never had before.”

~~~

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Remark: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment if you liked the story, I would be pleased to read your opinions, even criticisms. But please only comment to the normal content here, to the outsourced scene only on my new blog. If you want to be tagged as soon I publish the next chapter please let me know, except you are already tagged :-)

Tagging: @true--north @annaofthenorthernlights @dronning-formynder05

#frozen #frozen2 #frozen3 #fanfic #epic novel #the broken bridge #chapter 72 #bigfrozenfan #elsamaren

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