"Marie?" Elsa coughed and pushed her ice armored body up. "Marie!" The woman in front of her did not move after the dark wind figure had shot into her. With a grunt, Elsa shimmied around her, setting her hands on Marie's shoulders. "Hey! Answer me!" It all happened so fast. The darkness swirled around Marie, eventually soaking into her pale skin like water to a starved plant. Marie's blue eyes shook, slowly making their way to Elsa.

Marie woke in darkness. There was nothing. No sound, no shape, no temperature to tell her where she was and how to get out. "Hello?" Her voice went nowhere yet echoed throughout the shapeless chamber. She clenched her fists. She had to get back to her. Who knows what could be happening out there?

"There's no need to worry about that."

Marie jumped backwards, suddenly realizing that her body virtually had no weight. "Who's there?" A figure formed before her. There was no detail from it. It was just darkness in the form of a human. Marie gasped when she recognized it. "It's you," she breathed. Her body threw itself into a defensive stance. "What do you want from me?! Tell me who you really are!"

The form lifted one of its arms into the air, and a beam of light shot from its hand. Marie flinched, covering her eyes. A circle made of light floated above its head, but there was a crack within its form. "There is an imbalance." Marie took a step back when the darkness spoke.

Elsa set her hands on Marie's cheeks. "Can you hear me?"

A tear leaked from her eyes that had been taken over by darkness. "…Keep me…distracted…"

The guardian shook her head. "What?" Darkness shot out from Marie's body. Elsa let out a shout of alarm as she was thrown backwards into the air. She heard her sister cry out but could not see anyone since the dark tornado had formed a barrier between her and the citizens. Elsa gritted her teeth and twisted her body while it flung through the air, ice forming at her feet as she caught herself and slid to the ground. Marie's face was emotionless, and her eyes were blank. Elsa raised her long arms, a thin sword spreading across the tips of her fingers as she ran a hand through the air to form the blade. Elsa took a step forward. "Marie! What is going on?" Marie swung the blade to her side before flinging forward, straight for the ice mage.

Within the darkness, Marie looked up at the broken circle. Within its light, various forms of life were flashing across its surface. Lives were born, growing with time, and as the circle curved upward towards its end, lives were dying. She looked at the darkness. It stood motionless, seemingly observing her. "Since the beginning of time, there has been darkness and light. Life and death." The darkness moved its arm down, moving the circle with it so it shone between the two of them. "Neither is evil, and both are necessary. One cannot exist without the other. However, there has formed an imbalance." The circle hummed as the darkness moved its arm to spin the symbol around, emphasizing the break. "Death has slowed."

Elsa threw up a barrage of ice, stopping the dark form of Marie from piercing her flesh. She was quicker than the royal thought. In an instant, Marie withdrew the sword and swung it towards Elsa once more. Elsa conjured an ice sword and their blades collided. Both the cold and the darkness swelled before shooting off in all directions. They struggled while Marie continued to be expressionless. "What are you doing?" Elsa yelled. "This isn't like you!"

A strained gasp from Marie caught Elsa's attention, causing her heart to lurch within her chest. Marie's mouth opened slightly. "…Distract…me…" Their blades released and the two women shot backward. Blades formed on the bottom of Elsa's feet, causing everything it touched to turn to ice. To her surprise, it worked on the darkness, freezing the trail of black that followed Marie. The foreigner's body gracefully twirled in the air like a bird, avoiding the ice that trailed her. Elsa gasped in awe, only to be interrupted as Marie flew straight for her in a dive. Elsa landed on the fjord and jumped right as Marie would have collided with her. Water erupted into the air. Elsa threw her arms out and froze the aqua into shards, flinging her body around as her feet glided across the surface of the water. Marie shot out the fjord and levitated a few feet above the surface.

Elsa aimed for her. "Whatever you are, let her go!" Marie raised the dark blade. With a holler, Elsa released the needles of ice and watched them zoom towards her friend at an alarming speed. Marie began blocking the shards with precise and lightning fast strikes. Red liquid flew into the air and splattered some of the shards. Her body can't keep up with that speed! Shards cut into the arms of Marie that she could not block. Elsa threw her hands behind her back and shot blasts of ice from them, causing her to launch forward. She conjured large icicles to form around Marie's body, pinning the woman in place. With labored breathes, Elsa glided into a stop before her, her blue eyes piercing. "Who are you?"

"Death has…slowed?" Marie asked, peering into the detail of the circle.

"Light has grown while darkness has dwindled. The balance has been interrupted. Life and death are no longer equals and the darkness has been forced to find its own balance. That's where you two come in."

Within the circle, the scene from Arendelle appeared. Marie gasped in horror. Her body was moving on its own while Elsa and she fought over the town's fjord. Elsa was trying to communicate with her, but Marie's body was possessed. She snarled. "You expect me to believe anything you're saying? You're having me fight someone right now!"

The darkness flicked the image away. "That is not me. It is darkness, but we are not the same." Marie narrowed her eyes but listened. She could not explain why, but she could sense that this entity was not lying. "In your world, there is no physical magic. But there is a power of another kind, one that is found everywhere but has favored some more than others." It moved its hand, and the circle showed the image of a little girl with dark blonde hair running with her dog. "The power of will, or the power of the spirit."

The little girl's laughter rang all around.

"You and Elsa met when both your powers were brand new to you both, but nonetheless you connected through time and space." The image changed to the memory of Elsa and her as little girls speaking through the rift. "She has overcome death with her power that connects spirits and people, while you have overcome death with the power of the human spirit. You were bound to find each other." The image turned into Elsa as a teenager. She was looking through the rift and screaming at a teenage version of Marie, but she could not reach her. It was the memory she spoke of the night before. Marie's eyes welled with tears. "You both have the ability to distinguish light from dark, life from death, because you have both experienced each and have overcome them."

As the images showed various images of Elsa surviving Han's attempted murder and Ahtohollan's absolute zero, the images of Marie's life caused her to stir. She said, "Elsa is special, and not because she has magic. But what you're suggesting with these memories with me doesn't make sense." Marie eyed the images before continuing. "I've nearly died before, sure, but so have billions of other people. And even if my world doesn't have magic, I'm not special by any means. I have no power or influence. I haven't done anything with my life, unlike Elsa. I'm just…" Marie's hands lifted, and she stared at them. "…me."

The darkness turned the circle, so they were visible to each other through its rings. "Is that why you were able to exchange your life to save her, but you survived?" Marie looked up as it displayed a memory of Elsa sprinting towards her while she was surrounded by wolves. Marie's breath caught in her throat. Elsa let out a bloodcurdling scream as she watched the wolves rip into Marie's flesh. Darkness surrounded Elsa, telling her that Marie could be saved, but for a price. Elsa did not hesitate to offer her own life in exchange for Marie's as the wolves charged for her. It complied and she was given time to grab the branch and swing it at the wolves, rewriting time to where Marie lived. Marie then tried resuscitating her but when they made contact, the familiar sight of the rift surrounded them. When Marie had suddenly felt lifeless, it was because they had gone through the rift, but all Marie had seen was darkness. Marie agreed to die in Elsa's place, but before her last breath left her, they were in Arendelle on the edge of the forest near town. Elsa then carried her to the castle while the image faded. Marie took a shaky step back.

"She didn't tell me…" Marie's gaze shot to the dark figure. "Why am I still alive?!"

The figure responded, "I told you; you have the power of the spirit."

Elsa lifted her arms, giant ice walls surrounding her and Marie's trapped body. As the water leaked out the sides, Elsa turned towards the limp young woman, her own body shaking. "Did I distract you enough?"

A beam of darkness shot out of Marie's mouth. Elsa dodged it while the brunette's head moved, directing the beam at the walls. The former queen gasped when the walls of her prison began to crumble. The outline of Marie's body was encompassed with darkness before it broke through the icicles holding her in place. As the ice chunks fell into the fjord, Marie's blade rose above her head and formed a large dark circle. Elsa's eyes grew wide as the image of Marie came into focus. She was in a completely dark void, a ring made of light and a dark figure standing before her.

"You both have stopped the wrath of death, causing the circle to be broken in your timelines. By having the power to overcome death and choosing it willingly to save each other, you both have been chosen to rebalance light and darkness." The dark figure was speaking to Marie but did not give off a sense of evil or malice. It was as though the figure was the circle itself, both light and darkness, both life and death. She could see that Marie had recognized this as well. "Remember, darkness is neither good nor evil. It is necessary. Right now, your body has finished being darkness's catalyst. Even though you were here with me, you communicated with Elsa, and she was able to stop the unbalanced darkness."

""Unbalanced?"" both Marie and Elsa asked. Marie looked around the void as though she had heard Elsa's voice, and the royal felt her chest tighten.

"In its attempt to rebalance with the light, darkness has gone out of control. There has always been those with enough power to stop the light from taking over, but there have never been the right powers to confront the darkness. It was always seen as evil and destructive. But death begets birth. One cannot happen without the other. You must vanquish the imbalance in this world, together." Suddenly the circle faded into the twilight sky as though it were dust. Marie's body lowered the sword and floated motionlessly. Elsa stood for a moment before skating in front of her.

"Marie?" her voice ventured forth with worry. Marie's body was still cloaked in darkness and her face was expressionless. Her sword hung limply in her right hand. Elsa readied her own ice blade in hesitation. The darkness lifted off Marie with an elongated hiss and the young woman fell forward, her eyes closed, and body completely beaten. "Marie!" Elsa jumped forward and caught her. She clasped Marie close to her chest and glided on her ice skates to the bank of the courtyard. Elsa set her on the ground but did not let go as she leaned in, her brilliant blue eyes piercing into Marie with panic. "Can you hear me? Marie!"

"Elsa!" The royal looked up to see her sister running towards her, Kristoff and the townspeople close behind. "We saw everything in that giant circle!"

"Is everyone okay?" Elsa pulled Marie closer to her as her sister knelt on the other side of her.

"Yes, we all got to safety. The storm was mainly around the two of you." Anna raised her hands with hesitation, unsure of how to help. "Is she-?"

"I-I don't know," Elsa stuttered. She shook the woman. "Please wake up! Please." In desperation, she set her forehead against Marie's. "I told you not to worry me anymore…" She felt her sister's hand rest on her shoulder.

A cough sounded below her. Elsa's heart felt like it was going to pound out of her small chest as Marie inhaled sharply. Her eyelids fluttered open slowly. "Wen…Wend…Meg…"

"They're okay! They're safe!" Anna assured, grabbing one of Marie's blood-stained hands in her own. "Everyone saw what happened. We saw what that thing did to you." Marie's eyes found the citizens behind the Queen. Anna shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. No one was hurt."

Marie moved her tired gaze to Elsa, who was staring at all the cut wounds from her own shards. "Did I…hurt…you?" she asked slowly, her soft voice full of concern.

Elsa laughed in a mixture of disbelief and relief and shook her head. "I'm fine!" She let out a shaky breath and set her forehead against Marie's, pulling her closer still. "I'm all right…" Anna sobbed and wrapped her arms around the two. Elsa could not help but enjoy Marie's light breath on the side of her neck. At least she is breathing, she thought to herself, letting her armor melt off her and shatter onto the stone ground.

Elsa rested her hand on the door leading to the bathing room before withdrawing it. The royal guards were cleaning up the square while her and Anna had retreated to the castle to discuss with the council what everyone had witnessed. Anna had ordered that everyone recuperate and meet a couple hours after. Elsa knew it was because Anna wanted to make sure the wounded were properly taken care of first. Marie had been rushed to the bathing room with several nurses to clean her wounds. Elsa now found herself outside of the room, listening in distress as Marie's cries sounded from within.

"Hey." Anna approached her sister with a soft gaze. "Did you get looked at?"

"I'm fine," Elsa retorted quickly. Anna set a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I just-…" Elsa turned away. "I did that to her."

"Because you had no other choice. She understands that." Anna made a face. "I know I understood it…You two only mentioned it ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE CASTLE." When her sister only grew more distressed, the Queen hugged her. "It kinda stinks having someone you care about constantly refusing your help, doesn't it?"

Elsa could not help but chuckle. "Anna," she said in irritation.

Anna laughed and opened the door. Elsa turned away quickly when the sight of Marie's bare body met her eyes. "How is everything in here?"

"Fine." Johanna wrapped a large towel around Marie, causing the young woman to grunt in pain. "This is a squirrely one, all right. Keeps telling us that she can bathe herself."

Elsa turned her attention inside the room as an uncomfortable chuckle filled the atmosphere. "But I can," Marie stated.

"I bet you can!" Johanna snapped, smacking Marie on the arm. "But not with those arms!"

Marie caught sight of the sisters in the doorway and whipped around shyly. "Can I at least dress myself alone?" Anna shut the doors in response.

"At least get yourself changed while you wait," Anna suggested, giving Elsa a smile before walking down the hall. Elsa looked at the floor with flushed cheeks.

Marie groaned. She was forced to lay on a stone bench inside the bathing room while the Johanna dressed her wounds in a strong herbal cream. It stung on contact, but she did not fight it. She was dressed in a baggy tan undershirt that barely covered her small chest and knee length shorts that loosely clung to her hips. A string lazily tightened them, but Marie felt that if she stood, they would fall, and the shirt would hang past her chest. "You're to stay here and wait for Her Majesty's orders," Johanna commanded, her rough hands cleaning up the dirty laundry.

Marie turned her head to look at her. "Thanks."

Johanna shot her a look before rising. "It's okay to let people help you once in a while." A knock sounded on the door. Johanna answered with a call, and a blonde head poked through. Elsa had changed into a dark grey evening outfit. She closed the door behind her, her eyes finding Marie before greeting Johanna and the other nurses. Johanna shooed the other women out and departed.

Elsa made her way to Marie, her feet barely making any noise as she walked. "How are you feeling?"

Marie looked at her before turning her gaze to the ceiling. "It's strange having others bathe you, that's for sure." Elsa pulled up an empty wooden barrel and sat down quietly. Marie could feel her eyes on her wounds. "You don't have to do this to yourself."

Elsa flinched slightly. "What do you mean?" When Marie casted her a knowing look, the royal took in a deep breath. "Yes, I do."

"I asked you to distract me, didn't I?" Marie tried pushing herself up but winced when she put weight on her arms. Elsa immediately stood and aided her, sitting on the bench near her. Marie set her arms down. "I knew that it wanted to attack us. And I would have fought if it took control over you." The warmth of Marie's freshly bathed skin warmed Elsa's back. The former queen clasped her hands together and shifted. A chuckle sounded from Marie. "Even though I would have majorly lost." Her smile caused Elsa to form a small smile for a moment before it quickly faded away. "It doesn't make any sense…it told me that I had overcome death AND life, but…" Marie pulled her legs closer to her chest. "I've done nothing in my life. I don't have a job, I never finished school, I was drawing disability for PTSD and I was broke off my ass. I wasn't special by any means." Elsa glared at her. Marie looked away. "You have to understand. Life could have chosen the person on the Valedictorian's list or with something to their name. Not…this." Her medium length brown hair fell in front of her face as Marie lowered her head. "I'm a college dropout with nothing to my name except the disappointment of my family."

Elsa remained quiet before responding. "If you truly feel that way about yourself, then why did you fight so hard to live?" Marie let out a small grunt of surprise at her question. "One who has nothing to live for doesn't fight the way you did."

They both watched the water on the floor flow into a drain near them. Marie sighed. "Maybe it was my dream. I wanted to help children who had gone through similar things as I did so they didn't feel so hopeless. And I wanted to be a writer. Maybe that's why I fought."

"Were you doing those things?"

Marie smiled slightly before looking at Elsa. "Yeah, I guess I was, in a way. Not as a career but I was getting there. I wasn't any queen, though."

The blonde leaned back on her right arm. "I was groomed for that position. It wasn't until last year that I was finally living for myself. I liked my life, but I always felt something calling me that wasn't in the castle."

Marie set her defined jaw on her knees, her arms tucked underneath. "Into the Unknown," she muttered. Elsa looked at her curiously, but Marie only shook her head in dismissal. "Why are you at the castle, if I may ask?"

"Anna invited me, but I've been coming to see her more often lately because I can tell she's lonely." A smile formed on Elsa's lips. "And nervous for the wedding."

Marie perked up. "When is that?"

"Next month."

"That's so exciting!" Both women laughed at the childlike tone Marie had suddenly developed. Her body tensed, however, and Elsa looked at her in concern. Marie hid her face. "…I don't think I can go back. That was the deal. If I saved you, then I couldn't return to my world." Her shoulders began quivering to stop herself from crying. The blonde royal reached out a hand to comfort Marie but withdrew it uncertainly. "You're right. I do have something to live for. The people I love. But how can I fight for someone who I'll never see again?"

"Listen." Elsa rested her hands on Marie's wet cheeks and gently raised her face until they made eye contact. "We'll find a way to change that. We don't even understand everything that is going on, so there has to be a way for you to go back to them." Marie's tears ran over Elsa's fingers. She could tell that Marie was not one to cry that often by the look that engulfed her deep blue eyes. Elsa wiped her tears. "We're in this together."

"I've always dealt with things alone." Marie's voice sounded so wounded, so vulnerable.

Elsa's heart lurched within her chest. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Marie's. "Not anymore," Elsa whispered deeply. She froze. The fifth spirit pulled away, grasping her shoulders in embarrassment.

"Thank you," Marie said softly. She let out a grunt of pain before laying down on her back. "I hope you don't mind if I lay down. My arms didn't like it when I moved around." The undershirt she wore revealed one of her thin, accentuated shoulders and half her collar bone as her brown hair spread out behind her long neck. Elsa stood and moved away after finding herself staring. Marie tried adjusting her shirt but to no avail. "Ugh! This sucks!"

A laugh escaped Elsa. "You have the strangest sayings." The royal looked down at her hands. "I can try healing you again."

"But you stayed up all night last night," Marie complained. "I'll be fine. I don't want you to exert yourself."

"I built an ice palace in a matter of seconds. I think I can handle some scrapes." Elsa locked the door before turning back to Marie. "I made sure they only stopped your body and didn't go too deep."

"I noticed that, but I attacked you first…But you've already made up your mind, haven't you?" Marie rubbed her knees together when Elsa crossed her arms and glared at her. "Fine. But I get to bake you something."

"Something with chocolate will do." Elsa pulled the barrel to the end of the bench near her head. "I can use both hands and start at your arms first. This angle should work just fine." She sat and pulled Marie's sleeves up towards her shoulders. Marie stiffened. Elsa leaned forward and began lightly touching wounds on either side of Marie's arms, her fingertips glowing. She tried to ignore Marie's warm breath on her upper chest, but it was difficult since they were only inches apart from each other. Her friend's fingers dug into the bench, and Elsa could only imagine that it was due to pain. A couple minutes passed before Elsa withdrew.

"You smell nice," Marie blurted.

Elsa blushed and fidgeted with her sleeve, completely distracted. "Thank you. That lavender suits you as well." She blinked to refocus. "This might take a while."

"You don't have to push yourself." Marie's voice was full of concern, so Elsa did not mind.

Elsa eyed the many scrapes on Marie's body that she had caused. "I'm doing this." Elsa moved to her lower body. "Forgive me for being abrupt, but it would be easier if I straddled you." Marie's eyes grew wide, causing the blonde to sheepishly clasp her hands together. "I can see every wound that way."

"O-of course. Sorry." Marie forced an arm to move so she could cover her face with the back of her hand. The former princess eased herself over Marie, spreading her dress over the woman's small yet curved hips as her own body moved downward. Marie covered more of her red face as Elsa settled, causing the blonde to turn an equal shade of red. Her soft fingers slid over Marie's collar bone where a shard had sliced her skin open, but when she touched it, Marie jerked.

Elsa grew alarmed when her own legs caught Marie's hips mid buckle. She sat up, her weight being pressed on Marie's hips. "Are you okay?" Her voice was shaking, and she put a hand over her throat in embarrassment. "I can get off if this makes you uncomfortable."

"No, I'm sorry! I'm just…" Marie's arms flopped to her sides in exasperation. "…I'm not used to this." When Elsa began to slide off, Marie stopped her by lifting her knees. Elsa was tipped forward but luckily caught herself on the bench. "Stay. I need to get over it." Marie relaxed and closed her eyes. "I will get over it."

Elsa slowly brought a hand over Marie's collar bone before resuming healing. The woman flinched. Elsa rested her hand on her skin. "What happened that day? It may sound strange, but water has memory, and your skin is shaking with fear. I think it might help to talk about it."

Marie turned her head and stared blankly at the opposite wall. "There was a man who was…" Her face scrunched in thought at their language barrier. "…He was after me. One day, he did something awful, and the only thing I could do was run away. Once I was in a safe place, I finally had time to realize what had just happened, and…that's what you saw." Elsa felt her eyes swell. That day, she had witnessed a complete reality shift. Marie had been screaming into the air with such despair, self-hatred, brokenness and betrayal. Marie tensed below her. "You're supposed to trust your parents, right?" Elsa felt her chest tighten. "But he took that trust and-" Marie's voice broke.

Elsa quickly wiped away a tear that had fallen down her pale cheek. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay!" Marie responded in a brighter tone. "I've come a long way. I guess the part that sets me back isn't forgiving him but forgiving myself. I've let it destroy me to the point where I don't know how to live like everyone else. I just feel so…"

"Different," Elsa finished. Marie nodded. Elsa continued healing, her fingertips resting gently on the wounds as they glowed with a light blue hue. Her eyes washed over Marie, who was still staring into the distance. "Anna helped me get through the worst of everything. Your story says that your mother, brother and sister helped you."

"They have, and I love them, but…" Marie closed her eyes and turned her head upright. "It's somehow not enough. Almost like I'm trying to light a fire that has burned out a long time ago." As Elsa began to pull down Marie's shirt over her shoulder, the young woman grunted in surprise and slapped a hand up to stop her. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Elsa withdrew. "I have to see it to heal it. I'm not going to hurt you."

"…It just surprised me…" Elsa grew frustrated with herself when she felt her chest flutter at Marie's shy statement.

Elsa touched the surface of a wound cut across the top of Marie's left shoulder. "I thought you said you've had the company of another before?" She tried desperately to ask with an air of casualness despite the curiosity gnawing at her. "Shouldn't these encounters be comfortable for you?"

"That's not how it works. At least, for me it's not. I can't speak for other people." Marie narrowed her eyes. "And that doesn't mean I threw myself at other people! I was actually very reserved for my age…It took a lot for me. But that was then. Now I really don't desire love or affection."

Elsa's hand hovered over Marie's upper arm. "That sounds lonely."

Marie looked at her. "It won't be that way forever. But I'm not going to force something that can't be rushed."

A smile formed on Elsa's lips. "Are you sure you've never been to Ahtohalan before?" Both women laughed softly. Her hands continued to emit a soft blaze of magic as the evening rolled on. Elsa noted that after Marie had spoken, her body had relaxed below her. The brunette was no longer shaking, although her skin was still flushed from Elsa's hips pressing against hers. Elsa brushed a few loose blonde locks out of her face and sighed. "I can finish this faster if I…" Elsa turned red and leaned back.

Marie looked at her. "If you what?" Elsa shook her head and set her fingertips on both sides of her arms and continued releasing her power. Marie lifted a hand up and set it on Elsa's hands. "Hey, you can tell me." Marie gave her a confident yet gentle smile. Elsa tensed, causing Marie's body to react to hers. She looked at the brunette. Marie was gazing at her with intense blue eyes.

Elsa smoothed out her already smooth hair. "Last night, I actually fell asleep while healing you. My hand was still on your forehead, but…" The royal paused in embarrassment. Marie waited patiently. "When I woke, our foreheads were touching, and your bump was gone. I'm not sure how, but it must have been my magic." Elsa raised her hands and stared at them. "I'm still learning my power."

"I trust you, so don't be afraid." Marie's warm smile rained over Elsa like a storm. Elsa leaned down and pulled the shirt farther off Marie's shoulder. The woman's skin was hot to the touch. She felt the power inside of her ignite.

Elsa leaned down. "Okay. This might get cold." Her heart pounded in her small chest as their foreheads made contact. Elsa found the press of Marie's mixed European facial features on her own to be oddly comforting yet enticing. The fifth spirit's breath ran down Marie's right cheek as she whispered, "Keep your eyes closed."

"Okay." Marie's own breath ran up Elsa's cheek and onto her ear. The snow queen's hands ran up Marie's arms and began pulsating out a constant chill targeted at the wounds. She moved her hands down and continued. Her hands found another scrape from her own ice shards and pressed against it. She had hurt Marie. Now all she wanted was to take her pain away. As the young woman breathed onto her skin and began to shake beneath her, Elsa could not help but move closer to her, her hips sinking into Marie's body. The woman's body tried to fight back the urge to quiver against the royal's. Her skin was giving off waves of heat that hit Elsa in fervor.

"I'm going to move your shirt, okay?" Elsa was shocked to find that her voice was soft yet firm, shaky but sure. Their heads began to turn to the side and Elsa could not help but eye the long, exposed neck of Marie that was a mere inch away. She pressed her forehead into Marie's even harder as her fingers hooked the bottom of the foreigner's shirt and pulled up. Her fingertips glided across Marie's smooth skin shyly yet curiously. Elsa shifted her body to peer at the wounds with regret before placing her entire palms on her sides. An audible gasp escaped Marie's lips.

"Is it too cold?" Elsa breathed, pulling away.

"N-no. It's fine." The voice below her did not sound like the wise, confident young woman Elsa knew. Marie's voice was shaky and higher pitched with willing vulnerability. Her skin smelled of lavender and water. Elsa leaned back down and drank it in much to her will. Marie's body, although long and thin, was incredibly soft and hot to the touch. She was around twenty pounds heavier and three inches taller than Elsa, but she wore it well. Her beautifully thin and tall frame was also curved at the hips and legs, to which Elsa could feel as her hands wrapped around Marie's sides. Her hands grabbed onto her sides as her magic flowed into her friend's broken skin. Marie pressed her face into Elsa's, her hot breath sending shivers throughout the royal's body. They pressed into each other and Elsa gasped lightly when Marie's hands wrapped gently around her forearms. Elsa withdrew and they stared at each other for several moments, each breathless, each very aware of how their bodies were positioned.

"I'm done," Elsa whispered.

Knocking interrupted them. "Are you two almost ready? The meeting is about to start." Elsa sat up and pushed herself off as her sister's voice echoed behind the door.

"Yes, we'll be right there!" The former queen smoothed out her gray dress before helping Marie to her feet. Elsa slowly departed, her eyes wandering back to Marie more than once. She closed the door and silently headed for her own room upstairs and to the right. Shutting the heavy wooden door behind her, Elsa slunk to the floor with a racing heart, her body igniting with a chilled fervor.