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"So, fire is weak to water, water is weak to plant, and plant is weak to fire?"
"They call it grass type, but yeah!" Marie jumped over a fallen log while replying. She, Elsa and a few guards were on their way to The Enchanted Forest. The sun peered at them from above the snow tipped mountains, its warm rays beginning to lose their touch. Elsa tapped her chin in thought. "The games are a lot simpler than the anime," Marie said.
Elsa conjured a few snowflakes at her fingertips. It was entertaining to her to listen to Marie try and explain her world. She could not help but giggle to herself in reaction to Marie's frustration.
"Make her jealous."
Marie paused in the middle of the grass trail when the royal stopped. "You okay?" Marie asked.
The Snow Queen shook her head vehemently. "Yes. Just lost in thought," she replied. Marie's gaze lingered but turned to the trail. Elsa sighed. Right before their departure, her sister had pulled her aside and whispered those words to her. She clasped her hands together. What does that even mean? she thought to herself.
"Do Honeymaren and Ryder exist?" Marie asked curiously. Elsa tripped over a pothole, letting out a startled gasp. Marie caught her. "Whoa, are you sure you're okay?" the foreigner asked, her voice rising in pitch. "I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."
Elsa froze momentarily as Marie's breath sounded next to her ear. The other woman lifted Elsa to her feet. Their eyes met. Elsa tore her gaze away. "It's not a sore subject," she spat. Elsa flicked her dress and whipped around. One of the guards coughed. She walked ahead of Marie, her heart still beating quickly in her small chest. Why am I acting like this? she thought to herself.
"I won't pester you about it." Elsa grasped the sides of her dress tightly. Marie's voice, although respectful, was tinted with the perfect amount of pity to make the former queen stop in her tracks.
"Your Highness?" a guard ventured carefully.
"We'll make camp on the top of this hill," Elsa commanded. "Please go make preparations ahead of us." The guards looked among each other before trudging up the remainder of the hill, not daring to even murmur under their breath. The squealing of a carriage wheel surrounded the group as it passed.
Marie's eyes flicked between the royal and the carriage. It seemed to squeal a longer length of time to spite Elsa. "Uh…" A blast of snow shot at Marie. She shielded herself and conjured a dark shield. Elsa lowered her hands as she became slightly out of breath. Marie gritted her teeth while hissing, "Your eyes gave you away." The brunette's body was surrounded by a swarm of darkness. Her blue eyes were narrowed into slits. "That, or the way you stormed off like a child!" Marie's last word was enunciated as she threw her arms forward. The wave of dark hit Elsa, causing her to fly backward. She hit the ground with a thud!
"Your Majesty!" A guard ran toward Elsa but was stopped by a giant ice wall shooting up from the ground.
"It's just training!" the ice queen called, wiping some dirt off her face with the back of her hand.
Marie's darkness vanished. "Are you serious?!" she shouted. Elsa pointed her hand below Marie's feet and created an icy sheet. Marie slipped, slamming her face on the ground and beginning to slide down the hill. With a grunt, Marie formed a black blade and stabbed it into the ice to stop herself. Elsa walked towards her, the ice dissipating with each step.
"The best, and quickest way to train is by surprise," the fifth spirit said. Marie pushed herself up to her knees, her chest heaving. "You feel that anger right now? Use it." Elsa twirled her hands around her head, her magic following as she readied herself. "I can take it." Marie stood and glared at her. Excitement bubbled in Elsa's chest.
Mid-range was her specialty, but Marie did not start that way. The foreigner's fingers aimed at Elsa and rays of darkness shot out from her fingertips. Elsa averted the shots by ricocheting them to the side with a forearm covered in ice. Marie huffed and let out a shot near her feet. The ice mage leaped backward as the icy ground broke into shards that flew into her line of vision. The shards floated stilly, and Marie's eyes grew wide with horror as they fell under the queen's possession and pointed straight for her. Marie stumbled. "Y-you're fucking insane!" she yelped.
"Block!" Elsa demanded. She threw her arm down, launching the shards. Marie let out a holler and shielded her face with her arms. Paralyzing fear came over Elsa as her magic traveled the length between them. Her ice shards were forced to a stop barely an inch from Marie's skin. The brunette slowly opened her eyes. A black but transparent ward hummed in front of her forearms. It hovered over the ground and extended a foot above Marie's head. Her mouth fell open in pure wonder. Straightening her arms, she found that the ward followed her vision but kept an unchanging distance from her. An abrupt laugh of excitement escaped her. Suddenly she positioned her tall frame into a fighting stance, her fingers outstretched in fervor. The inside of Elsa felt like it was on fire. Elsa smiled and began forming snowballs at her fingertips. "That's it," she said coolly.
Marie crossed her forearms and whipped them down, conjuring two dark wards at her sides. "Bring it," Marie challenged. A wicked smile formed on Elsa's lips. She barreled five snowballs at Marie without hesitation. Marie struck out at them, and to Elsa's alarm, sent them reflecting directly back at her. She dodged rolled and threw ten more at an angle. Marie batted them off and swung her arms forward, launching her wards at Elsa. She blocked with ice infused hands. Her feet began slipping, even though she was being pushed uphill. With a grunt, Elsa pushed back. The dark ward cracked as its ethereal energy started freezing. Marie growled and conjured a sword. Elsa broke through the ward and summoned her own ice blade. The two collided.
Marie struggled against the sheer force of the more experienced, more combative mage. Her face contorted in effort. "I…won't…lose!" she cried out.
Their breathing was labored, and their faces were sweating. Both of their swords were being pressed together near the hilts, forcing their hips and legs to do most of the pushing. Marie grunted in extreme effort, her breath running over Elsa's face. The former queen moved closer and emitted a wave of cold magic. "Then disarm me," Elsa said in a low tone. Alarm washed over her when she heard the tone of her voice. Desire had been seeded in her for a while, and she had tried uprooting it earlier at the chapel. But Marie would not give up. The other woman pushed forward and let out a growl of determination and resolve. Elsa wanted to ignore that it was there at all, but it continued to grow. Now, as Marie fought back, and as her body was quivering right before her own, Elsa felt the desire spread throughout her body. Her ice blade surged with her emotion and began to slowly seep into Marie's dark blade.
A boom! filled the hillside. Marie had formed a dark mass at the end of her sword while they struggled. Twisting their blades, Marie pointed the tip at the ice wall that separated them and the guards. She released it and it crashed into the wall, sending a thunderous noise to rock the mountainside. Elsa faltered. With a massive grunt, Marie swung their blades and launched Elsa's high into the air. The ice mage stared at her in shock. The sound of cracking ice erupted near them, and the ice mage immediately dove to shield Marie from the chunks of ice that began barreling toward them. Elsa covered Marie with her body and braced herself for the icy impact by surrounding them with a barrier.
The runaway ice shook them. They yelled as their bodies slammed against the downhill side of her barrier, the uphill side beginning to crack from the onslaught. As soon as it happened, it ended. Elsa slowly opened her eyes. No light pierced her vision. Darkness wrapped around their bodies, and as Elsa dissolved her barrier, Marie dissolved hers. The guards, who had been entertained from behind the safety of the wall, cheered when the two women appeared without a scratch. Elsa's hand ran down Marie's back in relief. The brunette's body thrusted forward, and Elsa gasped as Marie's arms wrapped around her tightly, digging her fingertips into the fabric of Elsa's dark pink dress. Elsa's body trembled.
"Are you hurt?" Marie's voice was nothing more than a whisper, to which Elsa almost did not hear over the guards' cheering. One of her hands wrapped around the curve of Elsa's hip, and the other reached the side of her chest. Her face was pressed into the blonde's lower neck and shoulder.
Elsa slipped her arms around Marie's back and firmly squeezed. She shook her head into the other's shoulder. Marie trembled in response. Her smell, although salty from the sweat, was still sweet from the soap Marie had used that morning. Her ribs extended and withdrew under Elsa's fingers, which could not help but glide over her. One of her hands drifted into her brown hair and touched the back of her neck. Elsa breathed the word, "You?" into Marie's neck, her pink lips shaking from the urge to press against her wet, salty skin. Marie pulled away but ran her face along Elsa's neck, jaw and cheek. Her blue eyes burned into Elsa that made the woman's body throb. It was vulnerable, yet certain. It bore into the queen unexpectedly. Elsa's breath caught in her throat. Marie gazed down at her lips, and began to lean in. "W-we should make camp," Elsa stammered breathlessly. Marie blushed deeply and pulled away, giving a nod. With shaky hands, Elsa scooted herself away and dissolved the broken ice wall, trudging past the whispers and stares of the guards as she nearly bit her lip to the point of drawing blood.
"You can't play coy forever." As soon as she reached the trees, she lifted her dress and ran.
The sun had dipped behind the horizon, bidding farewell by leaving the mountains lightless. Marie sat by a campfire with her knees raised while she poked the fire with a long stick. A middle-aged guard offered her a piece of bread, but she politely declined. Elsa walked into the ring of light the fire casted, her stomach turning into knots. Marie eyed her but tore her gaze away when Elsa caught her staring. A guard behind Marie motioned encouragingly. Elsa's face turned red and she whipped around in embarrassment. "A few of us are going to go wash up in the creek," the same guard voiced. "The rest are going to scout the area. Just holler if you need us."
Elsa nodded and began pulling her hair back absentmindedly. The group of guards left the camp quickly, whispering among themselves like excited children. Marie continued to poke the burning logs while Elsa faced away from her and fixed her hair into a French braid. A lone spark danced into the darkness. Elsa dipped her head and moved her gaze to Marie, who looked away. The former queen's cheeks burned, and she smiled to herself despite the feeling of guilt raking across her chest. This continued until Elsa finally voiced, "You're staring."
Marie hid her face behind her arm that was wrapped around her knees. "I can't braid my hair unless it's wet," she mumbled. Elsa pulled her braid to the side, her hands smoothing out her strands. The fire cracked between them, mocking the silence. Marie stretched out a long leg and rested her chin on her forearm. "And…I can't go anywhere if I'm upset." The brunette flicked a coal into the fire, her blue eyes fixated on it. "That was my biggest defense mechanism back home; I had somewhere to hide. Here, I can't go anywhere." The corner of her mouth fell into a frown. "I hate it." The fire spat out more sparks.
Elsa stood in thought. Slowly, she made her way over to Marie's side and sat down, her back to the fire. She leaned on her arm that was closest to Marie. "You don't have to protect Arendelle. If that's not what you want, I can find somewhere for you to stay."
"Of course, I want to help," Marie replied sternly. She shoved the end of the stick into ash. "I just-…I wasn't given a choice, you know?" Her other leg drifted down and crossed over her other foot as she leaned back on her hands. The firelight illuminated off her long, tan legs. Elsa watched its reflection for a few seconds.
"Honeymaren kissed me," the royal suddenly spewed. Marie flinched and looked at her in alarm. Elsa looked down at her feet and wiggled them nervously. "It wasn't long ago, either. We were up late one night talking, and she kissed me." She hugged her knees. "We've been friends for a while and she's wonderful. But I've hurt people I've gotten close to before. It may have been years ago, but I still think about my actions all the time." Their eyes met. "How do I know that I will be able to control my magic if I get close to someone? I don't think I could live with that."
"Did you tell her?" asked Marie.
A forced chuckle came out of Elsa's mouth. "I…kinda ran away."
Marie bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from giggling at Elsa's sheepishness. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't know," she said sincerely. Elsa hid her face in her knees and kneaded the ground with her feet. "But I think what you're feeling is okay. I don't, er, didn't have magic but was nervous about getting close to someone. I still am." Elsa peeked at her with one eye. "It's natural for people who've been through what we have to be afraid of intimacy. Plus, the first kiss isn't as great as everyone thinks."
Curiosity gnawed at Elsa. She swallowed a lump in her throat and wiggled her feet even more. "How was yours?"
An exasperated moan escaped Marie. "Like kissing a wet rock." They chuckled. "It was sweet, but I really had to pee, and it was raining! Not even a romantic rain, either. It was that sharp kind of rain that's cold and nasty." Marie paused, her fingers digging into the dirt. "Thank you for telling me."
Elsa moved her left arm over her and set her hand on the other side of Marie, bravely closing the distance. She kept her gaze lowered. "I'd like to know what it feels like," Elsa said softly. Her eyes searched Marie for any type of reaction. Marie's body language, her breathing, her eyes, even her body temperature, which had skyrocketed: Elsa watched with a rising sense of overwhelming satisfaction as Marie changed from the confident, empathetic woman to a shy, flustering girl right in front of her. She crumbled, and she was painfully aware of it. As Marie's mouth opened to begin a nervous ramble, Elsa grabbed her left hand with her right and breathed, "Please."
Nothing but the crackle of the fire was heard in the camp. Marie's fingers pulled away from Elsa's but found their way back, lacing between. She squeezed and set her other hand on the other side of Elsa. Ever so slowly, the two leaned in. Each hot breath ran over the other earnestly, and their lips shook as they parted. The first touch was tender, nearly questionable on whether their lips had even touched at all. Instant fire shot throughout their bodies, paralyzing them in place. Elsa's eyes were still open but found themselves slowly flitting shut. Their hands pressed into each other in a way their bodies longed to but were too shy to ask for. Marie pulled away and sucked in a breath, her top lip grazing Elsa's soft, pink bottom lip. They met each other halfway. Elsa wrapped her arms around Marie's frame. Her magic pulsed within her, but any concrete thought melted away when Marie lips pressed into hers eagerly. The royal froze as her entire body was captivated by the person who had entered her life and refused to leave her mind. They released from each other only to immediately find each other once more. Marie trembled. When was the last time she had felt this kind of warmth? Her body ached to press against the other woman's, and her control was quickly fading from existence, but for the first time in years, she did not care. The royal's fingertips slipped under the collar of Marie's shirt.
Suddenly Elsa pulled away, her hands beginning to emit ice from their palms. She hid them in shame and started to move away from Marie. A hand snatched her forearm. Marie pulled her in and embraced her. The brunette was unwavering as she nestled the side of her face against Elsa's neck, her eyes closed. Elsa shook, her breath labored. Marie was still here? She was choosing to be near Elsa, even after she could have hurt her. It did not make sense to her. But, as Marie's warmth seeped into her, Elsa began to think that maybe it did not have to. Slowly, her arms lifted and wrapped around Marie. Several minutes passed, the fire burning softly in the night air, but the two remained embraced, unmoving.
Marie pulled away. "I should get ready for bed," she said quietly.
"Yes," Elsa replied equally as soft, staring at their entwined hands.
"Anytime you need help, just let me know." Marie rose and gave her a smile. "I'll be there." Elsa's hand dug into the dirt as Marie walked away. The foreigner waved a finger in the air and turned her head. "Willingly."
