The weekend found six young ladies in Subira's bedroom for a sleepover, playing games, doing each other's hair, commiserating on homework and discussing life. At some point an awkward silence enveloped them. Both Belle and Subira sat at the edge of the queen bed with their four other friends at the foot gazing at them in gentle anticipation. The elephant in the room had become too impossible to ignore. Subira took a deep breath before launching into her tale.

"I wasn't always like this. I lived in isolation from a young age. I'm pretty I was ten when it happened but then again I don't like to think about it so..." Belle gripped Subira's hand in reassurance. When Subira had first told her the tale it had taken almost the entire day. For Subira it held so many bad memories that Belle had been forced to pull her out of a few panic attacks to ensure that the story would continue being told. "Anyway, magic is hereditary. I'm a mage because my fathers a mage. However, he believed I was especially powerful because my mother's mother was a witch."

"What's the difference?" Mulan asked.

"The difference between a mage and a witch is as simple as the difference between good and evil. Grandmother was a greedy soul. She forced my mother and father to fall in love. She cast a spell to make them infatuated with each other in the hopes that it would earn her special favors and royal power. Father was lucky that his magic tutor was very studious and found a cure for the spell."

"But then, how were you born?" Anna asked.

"Ironically enough, Grandmother didn't need to enchant them. It took them years but they eventually fell in love on their own, married and had me. We lived happily ever after but grandmother wasn't so lucky. Thrown in jail for using offensive magic against a royal she sat and plotted revenge against my Father. It took her ten years but..." Subira sighed and steeled herself for the first chapter of her tragic trilogy.

"During my tenth birthday celebration she escaped. I believe her goal was to inflict father with a curse that would never allow him to love my mother or me in the same way again. I, like an idiot, got in the middle thinking that I could protect them with the little magic I knew."

"That curse meant for him, it hit you didn't it?" Merida guessed.

"Yeah. It gave my father the one chance he needed to hit her with a body-binding spell but it was too late for me. I just wish she hadn't-mother she-"

"It's okay."

"Mother ran to me, to make sure I was okay. I felt fine, in fact, I didn't feel any different at all so I got up, brushed myself off and hugged her." Subira sniffled as a lone tear ran down her face the memory. "I'll never forget my dad scream. I looked up but mother was gone. Just a stone statue in her place."

"You turned your mother to stone?" Merida gasped. Belle glared at her as Subira began to hyperventilate.

"I didn't mean to! I didn't know!"

"It's okay Su," Belle said, as she rubbed little circles into Subira back, easing her breathing pattern to normal.

"Our culture is very tactile. Many of our ancestors believed that there is a particular strength in touch, in holding hands, in hugging; so father immediately tried his hardest to undo the curse but…"

"But?" Rapunzel prompted.

"He never could. He spent almost five years studying every kind of magic that exists and he couldn't find a way to fix me!" Subira sputtered. Belle pulled her in tight as a physical reminder that the curse had been broken and bodily comfort was once again a possibility. "I would spends days in our library looking for a way to at least dull the effects or change the outcome but nothing. He still tucked me in at night despite my protests that I might turn him to stone also and to make me feel better he would tell me fairytales: Fantastic stories about warriors, princesses, monsters and magic. For a while they were distracting but soon I began noticing that in every instance in which a damsels was in peril, true love would set her free or break her curse. I held on to that, convinced myself that true loves kiss would break the curse and keep me from hurting anyone else," Subira sighed. "So I contacted as many second sons across the world as I could. I got rid of most of my servants and holed myself in my room only emerging when a suitor would appear hoping to court me."

"It must have worked then right? I mean, you're here with us now so it worked!" Anna exclaimed with a hopeful gin on her face.

"I wished the first had been the one. He was a great guy, well educated and well mannered but he would always press about why I refused to touch him. We spent almost six months together before I felt he was the one. He told me he was in love with me and I believed it. I let him hold my hand and he turned to stone. Right in front of me." Anna and Rapunzel shared a terrified look.

"What did you do with him?" Anna asked.

"Put him in the garden with mother. Every year a new suitor would arrive with something new to offer: incredible wit, amazing strength or overwhelming charm but every time they professed their love for me, I turned them to stone, so I was positive that I had not experienced true love yet. When I turned 18 I ascended to the throne and began taking care of my people but even then I refused to go outside or do anything social unless a prince was courting me. Eventually my father gave up hope that true love was the answer. He gave me one last chance. If the next suitor did not break the curse then wed just have o find a way to live with it and be social again. That's when I met Felipe."

"…Was he the one?" Mulan asked.

"Yes…but he didn't break the curse…I'm sorry guys, can, can we stop?"

"Of course. Don't force it," said Belle, as she comforted her best friend.

"Subi?" said Rapunzel.

"Hm?"

"It was very brave of you to tell us that. To see something like that happen to your mom or even to people you've loved, I can't even imagine…"

"And we don't think any less of you for it," Anna added with a reassuring grin.

"That's right," Merida added. "You're still our Subi."

"And nothings going to change that," Mulan finished.

"See? I told you, you could trust them with your secrets," said belle, squeezing her friend to her in a warm hug. Subira chuckled as Belle wiped small tear from her brown eyes.

"Why do you always have to be right?"

"I don't need to, I just usually am."

"Ha! And you know what lass?"

"What?"

"With a life story like that, you need to win now more than ever!"

"Which means we need to find you a love interest-" Rapunzel added.

"A specialty-" said Mulan

"And a song," Belled finished.

"We call dibs on love!" said Anna and Rapunzel, both their eyes lit with excitement.

"What a surprise." Mulan drawled. "Although now that I think about it, you already have a specialty, no one does the kind of magic you do."

"True. Perhaps Mulan and I can work on making your life look even more epic than it is. We're pretty good at that."

"And we can work on the song," Belle as she pulled out a pen and paper.

"Actually Belle...do you think we could askArielforhelp!"

"What! Why?" Mulan exclaimed.

"Oh come on! Everyone and their mother knows Ariel's songs."

"That's true. Even me mum knows her songs," Merida reasoned.

"This is the perfect opportunity for us to spend time together again. Maybe even become friends again," Subira explained wistfully. Belle groaned already anticipating the possible drama, not to mention heartache.

"But she's running against you. Don't you think she'd, oh I don't know, sabotage your song?!"

"That's exactly why you'll be there, to keep her in line," Subira reasoned. Belle growled and mutter under her breath. "Come on Belle. I'm never gonna have this opportunity again and...I really miss my friend." Subira begged, her lips quivering and tears lining up in her eye.

"Ugh! Those puppy dog eyes are not fair," Belle complied as Subira fist pumped in triumph.

"Oh come on, Belle. What could possibly go wrong?"