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**This chapter deals with themes of alcohol and mental illness. May not be suitable for younger audiences.**

An aroma slithered into the air. It was sweet and succulent, making the mouth water upon taking in the scent. In its prime state of ripeness, the yellow fruit teased anyone to bite into its flesh. A wooden spoon violently smashed it to pieces. Anna watched in concern and sipped her red wine as Marie continued to mash bananas. "What did they ever do to you?" the queen asked behind her wine glass.

"They aren't in my stomach as banana bread yet, that's what they did!" Marie paused to blow a strand of brown hair out of her own face. "I mean, did you understand any of what Grand Pabbie said?!"

"Not really." Anna was sitting on the marble counter and kicking her stocking feet aimlessly. She polished off her glass and hopped to the floor. "But I believe in my sister, and she believes in you, so I'm not worried." She stared down at the bowl of ingredients in front of Marie. They were in the castle kitchen. Rows of stainless-steel utensils lined the walls and marble countertops shone proudly in the light of the various lit torches around the room. Marie had insisted on baking as a distraction, and Anna had pulled out some expensive wine to add to the event. Anna eyed Marie. "You, on the other hand, I am a little concerned about."

Marie attempted to push a loose strand of hair under the blue bandana wrapped around her crown. "Girl, I'm concerned with myself every day." Anna snorted before both women laughed loudly. Marie gestured for Anna to crack the eggs. "Where is Elsa, anyway?"

"She's taking a bath." With rosy cheeks from the wine, Anna gave Marie a coy look and raised her eyebrows. Marie rolled her eyes but smiled, mashing the bananas even more. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do you like women?"

Marie paused, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Hm…Well, my first love was actually my best friend, but I've only ever been with men." A soft chuckle escaped her. "But you wanna know something? I didn't fall in love with my friend for her looks. I fell in love with her. Does that make sense?" Marie flinched when Anna began to sniffle. "Why are you crying?!"

"That's so beautiful!" Anna wiped a tear away dramatically. "Can I use that in my wedding vows? "I fell in love not with your looks, but with you."" She mimicked writing it down in the air. "So, what happened? Did something keep you apart?"

Marie grew still. "Religion did…and so did I." Anna let out a sympathetic gasp. "I was young and stupid, thinking God would hate me for having these feelings I couldn't control. But I let it destroy our friendship. But I'm not bitter. It led me down the path I had to take to become better. I'm still on that path, too. It's hard, but necessary." Marie lifted her head back in exasperation. "There I go again, spilling my guts out of nowhere…"

"No wonder you and Elsa get along so well. You're both so deep." The sound of liquid sloshing against glass met Marie's ear, and Anna offered her a glass. "I should go check on her. She's been in there a while with that other bottle." Anna hummed while leaving the kitchen, her demeanor light and peppy.

Marie smiled and continued prepping the bread. She sipped the dark wine, immediately tasting the richness and age. "Damn," she muttered. Due to a combination of exhaustion and hunger, the wine only took a couple minutes to kick in. The woman set the bread pan filled with batter into a fire-lit oven. "You call me your banana…" Marie finished her glass and grabbed the wooden spoon, dramatically using it as a pretend microphone. "I don't care what they say. I'm in love with you. They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth. My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing." Her first soprano voice echoed around the kitchen. She pointed at the oven. "You call me your banana! I keeeep bleedin', I keep, keep bleedin' love!" She finished the chorus and ended with the famous riff, her voice rising in the air in a pleasant tone.

Another voice mimicked her perfectly, its sound soaking into every corner with melodious beauty. Marie jumped in surprise and nearly dropped her newly filled glass. Elsa was leaning in the doorway, her body dressed in a light blue evening gown. A rosy tint covered her cheeks as she held a half-full bottle of the same red wine in her hand. She closed her eyes and giggled at Marie's reaction before sauntering towards her. Marie leaned back on the counter and set a hand on her chest, repeating the riff. Elsa mimicked her. She had such a crisp, mature, yet gentle voice. Marie sang it slower, and Elsa imitated, waving her finger in the air with every note. They snorted and began giggling. "Are those really the words?"

"No. She says, "You cut me open and I," but it sounds like she is saying "you call me your banana." That's why I sang it at the bread."

Elsa ran a pale hand through her nearly white hair. "Those are quite the lyrics. Are all songs like that where you're from?"

"I wish!" Marie smiled widely at the thought. "Most are just meant to dance to with a strong beat." A frown covered the brunette's face when her glass became empty. Elsa lifted it from her fingers and refilled it while humming a line from the song the two had sung. Marie leaned against the counter. "Idina Menzel, eat your heart out," she murmured.

"There you are!" Anna's voice echoed around the kitchen as she tripped into the doorway and let out a yelp. "Oops! Hehe…How do you always slip by me like that?"

"Ice is slippery." Kristoff appeared behind her. Marie gasped loudly when she saw that he had a bottle of Scotch in his hand. He eyed it before asking, "Er, do you want some?"

"Yeah!" Marie's cheeks flushed as the two royal sisters laughed at her outburst.

"So then, Elsa comes riding up on The Nokk, going down the tidal wave while the music in the background is also descending while the people of Arendelle are up on the cliff just gasping and staring, and the horse somehow outruns the wave and, and-!..." A couple of hours had passed, and Anna, Kristoff, Elsa and Marie were in the dining room enjoying each other's company. Marie was now standing near a fireplace reenacting the Frozen movies upon request. The foreigner pointed at Elsa in drunken excitement, her eyes wide. "You got in front of the castle and BOOM!" Her long arms flung upward. "You made this HUGE ice wall that stopped the wave! Like, taller than the castle!"

Anna let out a laugh of disbelief as her sister and her exchanged glances. "Hahaha, I wish! Part of the castle got destroyed." Both Elsa and Kristoff shushed her in frustration.

"Then the forest cleared and-…" As Marie finished the tale, Elsa clung to her wine glass. For being so emotionally reserved, Marie was quite the storyteller and actress. It was obvious that the stories that Elsa had read growing up were accurate to a degree; Marie was depicted as a determined youth who was always well spoken and sure of herself. Elsa's forefinger ran along the glass as she smiled. It was nice to see one of her childhood role models turn out to be genuine.

Marie finished and bowed dramatically with a huge, charismatic smile. Kristoff stood and clapped loudly, warranting a scowl from his fiancée. "What?" he asked.

"Things were a lot darker than that," Anna said.

"They were meant for children and families, so there's only so much they could fit in there," Marie explained. Her dismissal of Anna's comment being critical towards her performance only showed that Marie had experience speaking in front of a crowd. "Plus, you should have seen how they drew you guys. Your eyeballs were like," she made circles with her fingers and put them up to her own skull, "THIS BIG!" Anna's face distorted in disgust before she erupted in laughter. Marie sat down and helped herself to more Scotch and banana bread, which was nearly gone. Marie paused as she began cutting into the bread. "Oh. Last piece."

"Elsa wants it!" Anna blurted. Elsa flinched in surprise but blushed. "She's had half the pan." Kristoff leaned over and whispered something in Anna's ear, to which they both giggled. Elsa crossed her arms and looked away.

"Here." Marie set the last piece down on the small plate in front of the ice mage. Elsa looked up at her. Marie casted her a small smile before settling down in the chair to Elsa's right, sitting backward and leaning against the table. Anna and Kristoff continued giggling, to which Elsa tapped her finger impatiently. Marie took a sip of her Scotch before commenting, "Good Lord…Will you two be able to last another month?" Elsa nearly spit out her wine.

"Last?" Anna repeated.

"C'mon, Anna. You're cranky. Let's go to bed." Kristoff ushered the queen to her feet and began leading her out the door. "Goodnight, you two!"

"I take it that's a no?" Marie muttered. Elsa put a hand over her mouth while she chuckled.

"You know what?" Anna bristled up like a cat and attempted to make her way towards the two women. Elsa waved her hand lazily in the air, conjuring ice at her sister's feet and forcing her to turn around. Kristoff quickly guided her out as Marie and Elsa erupted into laughter.

Elsa leaned her head against the back of the dining room chairs and chuckled, her head swarming. "I shouldn't give her such a hard time."

"You're her sister. That's what you're for." Marie stretched and cupped her head in her hands. "The alcohol is better in this world…"

Elsa tapped her glass again. "Do you think it's a separate dimension, or in the past?" When Marie looked at her thoughtfully, Elsa continued, "Based on the stories you've told, I've noticed a lot of similarities between our worlds. But I'm not sure if they are at different times, different places, or both."

"Hm…" The other woman shifted her body, so her shoulders supported her weight against the table. "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out if this is all real or not. Everything in my world is so researched and nit-picked that it's hard to even leave anything to the imagination. Having blind trust is impossible."

A knot formed in Elsa's chest. "Why would you question whether something like this is real?" Marie frowned and looked away in response to Elsa's tone of voice. "How could you still think that none of this is real after everything that's happened so far?"

"Because I already don't know what's real because my mind relives these horrible things and no matter how hard I try, it keeps going! I don't know what to do because I already feel insane!" Marie covered her face. "Sorry…I didn't mean to snap. I'm just upset." She turned herself to sit normally in the chair. "This may sound strange, but I haven't had my medications since coming here. Sounds stupid, I know…I should be able to manage my illnesses on my own, but…I'm not there yet. I don't know how else to put it. I'm just not there yet."

"I understand," Elsa said quietly. "You've been torn from your family and friends. I can't imagine what you're going through."

"Yeah," breathed Marie. Her voice was scratchy and sickly sounding from her trying to hold back her tears. "It's just, uh…difficult. Everything is right now."

Elsa listened. She did not know whether to reach out a hand to comfort Marie or continue to sit in silence. Marie kept her gaze on the table, something Elsa knew too well as a sign that her uncertainty was normal to Marie. She rose. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

Marie opened her mouth in protest, but Elsa held out her hand with quiet confidence. She set her hand in the fifth spirit's while her heart skipped, and her worries seemingly vanished. What in the world? Marie thought to herself. How can she easily make me forget something that I've been holding in for years? Elsa led her out of the dining room and up the stairs, occasionally casting Marie a glance with her intense blue eyes. Marie bit her lip but eventually blurted out, "You know, for someone who hasn't been with anyone, you sure are sexually confident."

Elsa raised an eyebrow as the two approached the top of the stairway. "I never said I haven't."

Marie gasped loudly. "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Elsa hushed her with a laugh. "I never said I have, either!" She stopped and let go of Marie's hand. "And you shouldn't say things like that."

A wave of heat overcame Marie in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry it came out like that…" Elsa noticed that Marie always had strong eye contact when apologizing, but not when she talked about herself. Something inside of Elsa longed to break her of that habit. The former queen squeezed her hands together when Marie looked at her with sad, nervous eyes and a timid demeanor. The confident, unwavering actress was now groveling. Elsa turned around took in a deep breath when her head began to spin. "How do you do that?" Elsa looked at her in confusion. Marie looked at the floor. "How do you set boundaries like that so easily?"

"You have to when you are queen. Plenty of men and even women thought they could overpower me because I am a woman, even if I had my powers. Being a female leader is difficult that way. It doesn't happen all the time but has more often that I'd like to admit. I guess being alone all those years made me think about those things as well."

Marie breathed out heavily. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It made me stronger." Elsa motioned with her head towards the top of the stairs. "Come on." She grabbed Marie's hand as the other woman hesitated, which only enticed the royal. Elsa swallowed a lump in her throat before saying, "I have to act the way you said I am as a leader. If I don't, people can tell. And they are always curious if there is even a hint of uncertainty." Marie was not sure if she understood what the younger but wiser woman was saying to her. "Curious people either grow bored…" Elsa opened the door to her bedroom. "Or they grow excited." As Elsa shut the door, she blocked Marie from advancing farther into the room.

Marie found herself backed into the door. Her eyes narrowed as Elsa stared into her with confident yet peaceful eyes. "What are you doing?"

Elsa stood a couple of inches away. "We don't have a lot of time to train you, Marie. You have the same problem I did with my magic: you won't allow yourself to love or forgive yourself." The royal took in a shaky breath before setting both her hands on either side of Marie's head on the door. "I was trained to be strong. To be in power, I had to be taught to have power over myself when someone else wanted to destroy me. Not every country or kingdom could know that I had powers, so I had to continue to hide them. I had to be strong without my powers. Now I'm trying to show you the same."

Marie's mind began to sharpen her senses, but her sense was not interpreting the situation for what it was. She stared at Elsa with unwavering, angry eyes. "Stop. I don't want to hurt you."

Elsa leaned forward. "It's not about hurting me. It's about protecting yourself! How do you expect to protect others when you can't even protect yourself?"

"Why do I have to be violent to protect myself?" Marie yelled. Her body was pulsing with adrenaline, but her mind was struggling to grasp the present reality. Her hands formed into fists. "I don't want to do that to anyone else!"

Elsa's fingers pressed into the doorway. "What about you?"

Mousy brown hair fell in front of Marie's face as she gritted her teeth in extreme effort. "…I don't want this."

"Say it so I can hear it."

"I don't WANT this, so back up!" Marie suddenly pushed herself off the door and took a defiant step forward. Elsa back up as the other woman stood her ground with unwavering eyes. They stood face-to-face and stared each other in the eyes as silence hung in the air.

"Good." Elsa relaxed and smiled slightly. "That was a good start. Well done." Marie shook before her and stared at the floor, her eyes dilated like a cornered animal. Elsa set her hands on her forearms. "I know you're afraid, but you can trust me. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know," Marie breathed. "That's why I'm afraid."

It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck Elsa in the chest. She released Marie's arms and folded her hands in front of her. "What do you mean?"

"I-…" Marie looked away. Elsa backed up a step. "…I just don't want to do that to anyone else. Please don't make me. Please…" Marie began to repeat the words. Elsa hesitated before reaching a finger towards her face. A tear had fallen down Marie's cheek, and as Elsa caught it on her fingertip, they looked at each other.

"May I?" she asked quietly. Marie nodded. Elsa turned away and concentrated. "Water has memory…" The tear lifted into the air and soon reflected a moving image in the shape of a sphere before her. Elsa sucked in a breath when the image showed the point of view of Marie. She was standing in what appeared to be a small kitchen. A young man stood angrily in front of her. He was taller than Marie with built shoulders and rounded arms. Suddenly the man rushed towards her. Elsa gasped as Marie's vision warped and changed to the image of a much larger man that towered over the woman.

"NO! DON'T!" Memory Marie screamed. Elsa flinched and closed her eyes as the man overwhelmed Marie. A singular, deafening sound filled the room. Marie's vision focused on the young man, who was now holding his cheek in shock. Marie held up her hand.

"You just slapped me," he stated in shock.

Elsa put a hand over her chest as Marie started to shake. "I didn't mean to…I didn't see you. I saw my father! I didn't see you!" The sphere changed to show another man above Marie, pinning her to a couch below her. Marie's memory looked over at a nearby table and noticed a knife. Suddenly a black mist covered the sphere. Elsa looked up to see the real Marie cover the sphere. Her hand fell into the one Elsa held the sphere with. Her eyes were now focused but gentle. There was a flare of calamity that had ignited within her before, but now that fire was strength. Elsa could only stare at her. That angry fire had turned to compassion and sympathy.

"It happened. It all happened." Elsa shook her head. "In your story, Within, you died saving some children from suffering a similar fate, but you didn't have to die. You could have killed him. You could have killed him, and you didn't. You knew you would regret it and would truly leave those children behind. But you could have killed him. You could have."

Soundlessly, Marie embraced Elsa. The blonde tensed. "You're still right. I need to love and forgive myself. I haven't yet. But…being here is-…" Marie hugged her tighter. "Thank you." Elsa nestled her face in the crook of Marie's long neck and let her arms wrap around her long, beautiful frame. There had been moments that Marie had been vulnerable with Elsa, but this time, she was choosing to be. A warm pride swelled within the blonde's chest that spread throughout her body.

"You can't play coy forever." Kristoff's words rang throughout her head, and she closed her eyes.

"Oh, yeah!" Marie pulled away. "What did you want to show me?"

"Oh." Elsa turned away and brushed a strand of her long white hair behind her ear. "It can wait. I have a better idea for now." Marie's mouth fell open when Elsa threw her balcony doors open and outstretched her arms. "What was that song you said I sang while doing this?"

"YES!" Elsa covered her mouth to stifle her laughter as Marie jumped into the air like a child. "I was HOPING to reenact some of those scenes! Okay, okay!" She pranced over to Elsa and took in a deep breath. "You gotta shut the doors and reopen them while singing, like this." Marie ushered Elsa back into her bedroom and quickly shut the door. "Right when you hit the "O" in "Unknown." Ready? Think of how much the siren irritated you and that should do it."

Elsa chuckled but grabbed the handles of the balcony doors. "It did keep me awake." Taking in a deep breath, the royal burst out in song and out the doors, her arms poised perfectly in the air before she leaned on the stone balcony and launched her voice high into the night sky. It danced through the darkness and over the sea like a siren's call. Elsa let the wind tickle her face before clasping her hands together and turning to face Marie. The other woman stood in the doorway, her blue eyes fixated on the former queen in a way that made Elsa lose her breath. As the wind lightly tossed both of their hair, Marie grew painfully aware of the silence between them, but she did not care. No words were making their way to her lips, and she found her eyes drifting down to gaze at Elsa's own lips.

A pitchy holler sounded from the town below. Elsa snickered as Marie grew alarmed. "That would be Bernard, our town drunk." Elsa leaned over the balcony and cupped her hand over her mouth. "Goodnight, Bernie!" A joyous yet drunken call answered her. She chuckled once more before waving her hand in the air. Magic flowed from her fingers and formed a large ice slide that led down to the fjord. Frozen steps cascaded down the balcony onto the stone floor. Elsa eagerly climbed them and held out a hand to Marie, nodding towards the sea. Before she could process what was happening, Marie ran and launched herself into the air. The foreigner landed on the ice slide and soon disappeared, her laughter following her like a bubbly toddler. The mage shook her head and leapt onto the ramp.

Marie threw her arms back, darkness sprouting from her palms and launching her body forward. Ice had formed on the smooth surface of the sea, and as Marie's feet lightly touched the freshly frozen water, Elsa shot past her. She gave the new mage a wink and slid to a halt a hundred feet away with perfect poise and form. Marie attempted to slow herself, but to no avail. Elsa gasped and threw a snow hill between them, only for Marie to crash through it and barrel into her. The two women crashed into the ice and slid several feet before coming to a stop. Marie coughed and shook her head to free it of snow. "You okay?" Elsa's blonde hair fanned out in the snow below her. She opened one of her eyes and peered at Marie while catching her breath. The brunette flicked a chunk of snow off Elsa's cheek. "I don't know how to brake yet."

Elsa pushed herself up and hid her red face. "I'm fine. What about you?"

Marie sat and dropped her shoulders. "I didn't realize how much energy magic uses."

As the fishing boats clanked together softly in the docks, the two rested in the snow. "It takes practice," Elsa stated. "But you learn quickly, so I'm not worried." Her eyes darted over to Marie when she did not answer. She was leaning with her eyes closed and her head tilted back. The royal smiled softly at the peaceful expression that covered the foreigner's face. "We should go inside before you catch cold." The other nodded and they rose. Once they reached the castle doors, Marie turned to her.

"Hey. Can I read that book?" she asked as she held the door open.

Elsa passed through with a nod of gratitude. "If I get to read it to you." Marie grew flushed. They made their way up the stairs, the nearby guards exchanging confused glances as the women passed. "I want to return the favor for your performance earlier."

Marie followed and smiled to herself. "Okay, Your Majesty."

Elsa grew hot and nearly missed grabbing the doorknob of her bedroom door. "Wh-what?"

"Nothing! Nothing." Marie glided inside the room and stretched. "Mattias sure kicked my ass during training." A crash sounded behind her. "You okay back there?"

"Yes! I'm fine. Just tired." Elsa ran into her bookcase once again as she began her search for the book.

"Too much wine?" Marie called behind her, settling down on the balcony floor and staring out into the sea.

The royal felt her flushed face. "Maybe." As she made her way towards Marie, she gripped the book tightly. Don't say it, she thought to herself. "You know, you can be more formal with me, if you'd like." She covered her face in embarrassment. When silence answered her, she peeked nervously out from behind her fingers. Marie was drifting in and out of sleep. "C'mon, silly." Elsa set the book down and lifted her up. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep there."

Marie groaned as Elsa laid her down. "Mattias really did kick my ass."

Elsa covered her with a white blanket that was folded on the bed stand at the end of the bed. "Goodnight." Marie grew still. Pulling the covers over her shoulders, Elsa found her eyes resting on Marie's face. The face that had been full of fear and anger was now peaceful and almost childlike. Elsa brushed a strand of mousy brown hair that fell over her mixed European features. The day's events ran through her mind. Hopefully she would be able to read Within to Marie the following day. Her blue gaze moved to the book, and she stopped.

A white rose lay on top of a small piece of parchment, both having gone unnoticed by Elsa until now. Elsa lifted it and read, "Your virtue is admired by the young and coveted by your peers. Ignore those that say otherwise, for they have forgotten what it's like."

She held the flower to her lips and closed her eyes. "You're not making this any easier," she breathed. Outside of the window, in the darkness, the wind blew ever so softly. As the air current danced through the night, it began to avoid a small space void of any object. The small pocket ripped the breeze in two, its ethereal presence absorbing the air around it. As soon as it had appeared, the rift vanished. Marie shot up in bed, her eyes staring at the spot outside where it had just dissipated.

"Something wrong?" Elsa asked in concern.

Marie drifted down when nothing stirred. "No…Sorry. Must have just been a dream."