A/N: Hello everyone, it's been a hot minute since I've used so I'm sorry if this formatting is atrocious. It's also been a while since I've written anything substantial, so my writing might sound a bit rusty as well. Bear with me here!
Constructive criticism is appreciated! Thanks for reading.
Maribel chatted with Anna and Olaf for a short while. Honestly, Elsa was thankful her sister and the little snowman were there. It gave her a moment to catch her breath while the spotlight was on someone else.
However, after about twenty minutes Anna gave Olaf a pointed look and the little snowman gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"I think I'd better turn in now!" Anna sniffled, "I've started to feel a little under the weather today, and I need all the rest I can get."
"Oh no!" Olaf threw his stick hands up in the air. "I'd better take care of you, Anna!"
"I understand completely," Maribel smiled. "I hope you feel better, Anna. Goodbye, Olaf. We'll talk more about the seagulls next time!"
The pair scurried up the stairs, barely concealing their muffled giggling. It was just Elsa and Maribel once again.
"Shall we?" Maribel glanced in the direction of the dining room. "I'm famished from such a long journey."
"Of course! I'll let the kitchen know to start bringing out our meal."
They sat across from each other in front of the delicious roast chicken that the chef had prepared.
"What would you like to drink? We have water, milk, tea, coffee, hot glog…" Elsa rattled off a list of a few more beverages.
Maribel mulled over the options and pursed her lips.
"What?" Elsa cast a searching look in her direction. "Is there something else you'd like, or perhaps I can send someone to the market to find whatever it is if we don't currently have-"
"Shhhh, it's not that, Elsa." Maribel stared at her plate. "It's always business, business, business, you know?"
Elsa was perplexed. "I suppose, after all this is a business dinner…?"
"It is, but… it doesn't have to be."
Elsa felt something flip in her stomach. She couldn't tell if it was excitement or apprehension. Probably both.
"What do you mean?"
The other queen was looking at her reflection in the back of the spoon. She pushed a curl back into place.
"Why don't we just have fun tonight, and leave the business for tomorrow? Maybe we can just have dinner as friends, instead of royals. Does that make sense?"
"Well, perhaps…"
"Think about it! It's just us at this 'meeting,'" Maribel accentuated the last word with air quotes, "I'm so tired from traveling that I feel like my head's barely on straight as it is. I'm no good for business tonight. Let's just talk? Completely off the record?"
Elsa smiled.
"I suppose there's no harm in that."
"I won't tell if you won't," Maribel giggled. "Now that that's settled, do you have any wine here?"
"Wine? Oh yes, we have wine."
"What's your favorite kind?"
Elsa fiddled with a button on her shirt. "I don't really drink a lot of wine, I'll be honest…"
"That's okay," she smiled encouragingly. "I'll make it easier: do you like red or white more?"
Elsa combed her fingers through her hair and avoided Maribel's eyes. "Um, how about white?"
Truth be told, Elsa had never tried wine or any other type of alcohol for that matter. Anna drank sometimes with Kristoff, but Elsa was too scared. At first she was terrified of losing control of her powers while under the influence. But, even now that she was basically an expert in the art of wielding ice, she'd never raided her parent's old wine cellar. She usually played the role of Mom, since Anna had a habit of going a bit too hard on the spiked hot glog.
Maybe she just felt too self conscious to drink, she hadn't given it much thought. But Elsa felt emboldened tonight with Maribel. The other queen was right! It was always business, business, business. They both deserved a night of good fun.
Dag, the chef, came out with a steaming pot of lutefisk.
"Dag! Perfect timing. Would you mind bringing us a bottle of white wine from the cellar?"
Dag's eyebrows shot up, and he made a face like a wary father.
"White wine tonight, hmm?"
Elsa thanked him silently for not mentioning the fact that this would be her first drink ever. She didn't want Maribel to think that she was boring or, even worse, eschew the alcohol for fear of making her uncomfortable. Elsa was warming up to the idea.
"What kind of white wine, your majesty?"
Elsa hesitated, and Maribel jumped in.
"Whatever would pair the best with this delicious meal, Chef Dag."
Dag beamed in spite of himself. He loved Maribel. She was the only royal who exchanged more than a few words with him. During her last visit, they had a heated conversation about what spices season fish the best. Voices were raised and insults were thrown in both languages, but Maribel seemed to understand the passionate language of chefs. It was all in good fun and the conversation ended with belly laughs and a kiss on each cheek.
"As you wish, my queens," Dag bowed with a dramatic flourish and Maribel laughed.
As soon as he left, Maribel leaned forward and patted Elsa's hand.
"I think I really needed this. Time alone with a friend, and a night to just relax. Things have been a little… hectic at home. This visit came at a great time."
Elsa wondered if she was alluding to the divorce, but she didn't dare ask.
"I feel the same way. Almost my entire life was spent under a lot of stress, sometimes I don't think I even know how to relax."
"Relaxation is my kingdom's specialty, so one of these days you're going to have to come visit and I'll show you how to really let your hair down." Maribel's eyes flickered to Elsa's braid.
"I'd like that… I'm sorry I haven't made a trip there yet. I'm still working up the courage to travel."
Elsa didn't get a lot of invitations to other kingdoms. The other royals were afraid of her unleashing another eternal winter.
"It's okay, querida. All in good time," Maribel was already halfway through her plate. She really was famished! "Hey, how did you learn that Spanish? It wasn't half bad!"
"Oh! I met a villager who's father is from your kingdom, and she knows the language. I've been taking private lessons from her."
"All for little old me?" Marbiel waggled her eyebrows as she shoveled another forkful of broccoli into her mouth.
"I-I just think that learning about the languages and cultures of other places can only strengthen business relations," Elsa spluttered. She actually knew quite a few languages. When she was a child, there wasn't a whole lot to do besides study.
"Well, I'm sorry I don't know your language. Just English and Spanish." She looked sheepish.
"No, it's okay! I can teach you, if you want."
At that moment, Dag returned with their bottle of wine.
"I think I've picked a good one," he winked at Maribel, and she blew him a kiss.
He filled their glasses and then marched back into the kitchen. Elsa wondered what he had prepared for dessert.
Maribel raised her glass.
"Cheers to a stress-free, business-free night!"
"Cheers," Elsa said as they clinked glasses.
Maribel took a sip and her eyes widened.
"Wow, this wine is really good!" She grabbed the bottle and gasped. "Oh, Elsa, this must be worth a fortune! You didn't have to break open your special occasion wine for me!"
Elsa had definitely not been saving that wine. She took a sip and was barely able to stop herself from making a face. This was what exceptionally good wine tasted like? It was so… sour. But as the wine settled into her stomach, she felt an unfamiliar warmth spread through her body. Kind of like the way she felt when Maribel smiled at her.
"This is a special occasion! I don't often have dinner with a friend, unless you count my sister and her boyfriend."
The wine wasn't wasn't half bad. She took another drink.
At first, Maribel monopolized the conversation. Elsa didn't really mind. She could listen to story after story about Santa Terraza for hours.
However, as the bottle of Chardonnay disappeared and the laughter increased, Elsa began to open up a little bit more.
"And- and then I had to crawl out of the lake, soaking wet, and pretend like nothing was wrong!"
Elsa had just finished a story about how she was practicing running on water using her ice powers, but slipped and fell right next to the dock. Maribel was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
"I'd completely forgotten that they were going to christen the new boat that day. The whole town had showed up! I climbed up onto the dock during the middle of the speech, addressed the crowd, and walked past everyone. The worst part was that my clothes were soaked and I wasn't exactly wearing anything underneath," Elsa drained her glass. "For running purposes, and such."
"You're kidding!" Maribel snorted. "That is so embarrassing."
"Yuppity yup," Elsa slurred, "The whole town saw my…" She gestured vaguely to herself.
"Jesus, I don't know what I would've done in that situation. Maybe I'd have said something like, "Ahem, my eyes are up here."
"Elsa giggled like a schoolgirl. "You're funny. So funny. You make me laugh."
Maribel raised an eyebrow.
"How many glasses of wine do you usually drink? You're pretty sloshed, querida."
"Am I?" Elsa dragged her finger around the rim of her wine glass, leaving a thin layer of frost. She didn't really know what drunk was supposed to feel like, but right now she felt very warm and flowy, like melted chocolate. Mmmm, chocolate. "I don't know how many I usually drink"
"What do you mean?"
"'Cause I never have."
"You've never drank before?" Maribel looked shocked. "Not even once? Not even a sip from your parent's glass when you were little?"
"Nope. Not even a drop. Drop, drop, drop." She ended her sentence with a loud hiccup.
Maribel put her hand over her mouth and regarded the woman sitting across from her with a mixture of awe and affection.
"Why don't you drink the rest of your water?"
Instead, Elsa tipped the rest of the bottle into her glass. Maribel grabbed it before she could take a sip. The snow queen protested loudly.
"I think I'm going to have to cut you off, querida. You've had more than enough and I think you're going to start tomorrow with a nasty headache if you drink any more."
"Okay," Elsa hiccuped again. She could see that most of the palace staff was gathered in the kitchen. They kept peering around the corner to catch glimpses of their tipsy queen. She didn't care. Maybe she should offer them some wine too.
Maribel had also noticed that they were on display.
"Do you want to go upstairs? Maybe we could sit out on the balcony and I could finish the rest of this glass?"
Elsa hiccuped, then held her breath. Long ago, her father taught her that holding her breath could help to get rid of the hiccups. Maribel laughed at the sight of the queen with such and undignified bubble of air inflating her cheeks.
Without a word, Elsa stood up from the table. Oof. The floor felt unstable, like she was on a boat. How strange. Standing up seemed to make her feel the full effects of the wine. She snatched up her glass of water, spilling a little over the edge.
"Woah there," Maribel rushed over and took the queen's hand. "Here, I'll help you."
Slowly, they teetered up the tall staircase. It was a miracle that the queen didn't trip. Both women were giggling the entire time. Elsa hadn't felt this good since she and Anna were kids, getting into all sorts of trouble together.
In Elsa's room, Maribel threw open the big French doors and stepped out onto the balcony. A chilly draft swept through the room and Maribel shivered. Elsa barely even noticed, except the cold conflicted with the warm feeling that had a solid grip on her.
"How do you deal with the cold? I'm freezing!"
Elsa lurched over to the door and yanked the jacket that she'd gotten out for Maribel off of the hook. She came up behind her as she was enjoying the view and draped it over her shoulder.
"Here, this should be warm."
Maribel smiled, and Elsa grinned. She looked so beautiful. It was hard not to imagine her standing on a pretty beach instead of here, in the mountains.
They both stood in silence while Maribel finished off the last of the wine. After the last drop was gone, her head slumped against Elsa's shoulder.
"Did you get a divorce?" The words tumbled out of Elsa's mouth before she even had a chance to think about what she was saying. She smacked a hand over her lips so hard she winced.
Maribel looked up at her, curious but somehow not really surprised.
"Yes," her gaze shifted back out to the fjord below.
"Why?" Elsa hiccuped again.
There was a pause so long that Elsa almost thought that she wasn't going to answer.
"Our marriage was… opportunistic. Barely one step up from being an arranged marriage.
"I loved that man. We've known each other since we were small, but I wasn't in love with him. I think I could've stayed with him for life, but these past few years he's been so unhappy.
"About a year ago he started seeing someone else. He grew up with this girl as well, and I think we all knew that they were in love. I could tell that he wanted her, and even though it hurt me I told him to go."
There were tears in Maribel's eyes. Elsa reached out and caught one glimmering teardrop on the tip of her finger and froze it into a perfect glittering diamond. The other queen kept talking, like the story had started an avalanche and there was no stopping until they were both knee deep in words.
"Even then we would've stayed together, just for the sake of keeping up appearances. But people on the kingdom were starting to get suspicious of Luis.
I had two choices: stay in a marriage where my kingdom would assume that my king was cheating on me, or get a divorce and salvage what's left of my dignity. I want Luis to truly be happy, so I chose the second option."
Elsa wrapped her friend in a hug. She seemed smaller in the borrowed jacket, her chest concave and shoulders hunched. The story had taken some of the volume out of her aura and spirit.
"I'm sorry, Maribel…"
"Don't be. It's been hard but I think it's the right decision. I don't bear Luis any ill will. We are soul mates of a different kind, we just weren't meant to be lovers."
"I see." Elsa wobbled as they pulled away from each other. Maribel stopped short, so that their foreheads were almost touching.
She smelled so good. A scent that was both familiar and foreign. Elsa could almost taste it.
"Coconut!" Elsa exclaimed, grinning like a fool.
"What's that?" Her breath smelled sweet, like wine.
"You smell like coconut, right?"
"That's right."
Maribel's eyes were big and bright. She there was a slight pink tinge over the bridge of her nose, probably from the alcohol.
Elsa had the odd sensation of drowning, but in the most peaceful way possible. She could've stayed there, frozen in time forever.
"You smell like lavender," Maribel breathed.
Elsa felt the warmth from the small woman's breath curl against her exposed collarbone and she blushed fiercely. She felt her ears freeze solid and her cheeks turn purple. In dismay, she realized that she probably looked like an eggplant.
Maribel chuckled and wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck. For one exhilarating moment, Elsa thought she was going to kiss her. Instead, her lips brushed against the snow queen's cheek and then pressed against her earlobe.
"Your ears are cold, Elsa," Maribel purred in a low, crackling tone.
"Yes, you're right," Elsa said faintly. Her hands slipped from encircling Maribel's back to gently holding her hips.
Maribel pressed herself up against the snow queen. She could feel every curve of Maribel's body through the thin cotton material of her dress.
Elsa felt like she was melting.
"Your ears are cold," she repeated. "Let me know if you ever need help warming them up."
And with that, she turned and walked back into Elsa's room, leaving the queen cradling the empty air.
Maribel left shortly after that. It was half past one, and she was dead tired from traveling. She assured the snow queen that she'd be over in the afternoon to talk business.
Dag was still awake and offered to walk her to the guest cabin. Elsa had a lingering suspicion that Dag just wanted to glean any tidbits of gossip that he could get from Maribel. She had an even worse notion that Dag might like Maribel.
I hope he doesn't know about the divorce, she thought petulantly.
Elsa gave Maribel a stiff, awkward hug (Dag was staring right at them, for God's sake) and they set off into the night. Elsa stood in the doorway watching her red-clad figure recede and then disappear into the darkness.
Finally, she trudged up to bed with the weariness that only someone who drank too much alcohol for the very first time can have.
Those of the palace staff that had stayed awake tried to dote on her. They warmed her blankets, brought her water, and shut the curtains up tight.
"Did you have a nice night, my Queen?" One of the older housemaids asked kindly.
"I did," she mumbled quietly, still in her suit.
"Would you like me to help you into your dressing gown?"
"No thank you, I appreciate your help but you're free to retire to your quarters for the night."
The maids said their goodbyes and scurried off, knowing full well that they'd been politely dismissed. They'd hoped for more gossip from an Elsa with loose lips, but they were left wanting.
Elsa collapsed into her bed, mind spinning both from the evening and from the wine. As she stared at the ceiling, her thoughts raced. When she closed her eyes, all she could see was Maribel.
What a peculiar day, she thought right before darkness slammed down over her consciousness and she was swept into a deep sleep.