220

Anna hummed happily to herself, the evening fire warming her and her closest companions. She twirled some red wine in a glass in her hand and looked around the library. Kristoff, Sven and Olaf were fixated on a stack of cards, Kristoff's tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration. Marie sat at a nearby couch, her attention switching between them and a piece of parchment before her. A gentle hand touched Anna's shoulder, and she watched as Elsa glided passed her and sat next to Marie.

Her sister leaned over, lightly touching the foreigner's shoulder. "What are you working on?" she asked softly.

Anna lifted the book in her hands closer to her face but peered over the top. Marie smoothed out a corner of the paper, seemingly nervous about Elsa's touch. "The kids are doing a project about their homes and wanted me to do one, too, but I lived in an apartment. There's not much to draw about an apartment…"

Elsa curled her legs underneath her gown and asked, "What if you drew what you wanted in a home instead?" Anna nearly choked on her wine.

Marie's left hand scribbled. "Hm…" The brunette continued scribbling for a few minutes. Anna watched, occasionally catching Kristoff's eye as he quietly observed from behind. "Done!" Marie exclaimed.

Elsa tilted her head. "What's this?"

Olaf trotted to their sides and looked over Marie's blueprints. "Very nice touch with the surrounding porch and a room just for baths." He paused and peered at the parchment. "What's this? An office?"

"Yeah!" Marie replied. She pointed at the paper, a small crowd soon surrounding her. "I'd like a room just for writing. It could also be my room or a guest room. The upstairs would be the master bedroom and-"

"But if your room is downstairs, who would be in the master bedroom?" Kristoff asked.

The icicles crackled throughout the guest room of Arendelle's castle. Elsa took in a shaky breath and retracted them. "Tell us, Anna. What did Pabbie say?"

Anna swallowed a lump in her throat. "I shouldn't have waited to tell you," she said quietly. Elsa tensed. The ginger looked at her sister. "Marie isn't of this world, so if her purpose is fulfilled, or she loses that purpose…If she doesn't have her dark powers, it will kill her."

Suddenly, the balcony doors burst open. Everyone instinctively covered their heads as a beam of darkness snaked around Elsa. Anna yelled and charged forward, but Kristoff caught her. Elsa grew still, her eyes momentarily turning a solid black as Marie's darkness played a memory across her mind. As quickly as it had entered, it shot through the doors once more, leaving debris in its wake.

Anna took a step towards her. "What did-?" she began to ask, but Elsa bolted for the balcony and pointed a hand at the sky. Ice spiraled above the town. A moment of silence hung in the air before her magic exploded and formed into the shape of an intricate red snowflake. Anna felt the air around her harden. She looked at her sister. Elsa's eyes were glazed over with a look of hatred that Anna hoped she would never see in her lifetime. The sisters made eye contact, nodded, and turned around, Elsa leaping off the balcony and Anna rushing out of the castle room.

A horn blared across the town as Elsa sprinted across the fjord's surface, her feet freezing the water upon impact. She halted and faced the town, raising her arms. The Red Flake. It was Arendelle's highest security breach system. Although Anna had assumed the throne, she did not remove The Red Flake's influence in case of an emergency. Elsa heard the familiar neigh of The Nokk behind her. "No!" she demanded. "This is my fight." The Nokk bowed its head. Elsa gritted her teeth and began to raise an ice barrier around the town, shielding everything inside. A tiny ball of darkness twirled in front of her. "Show me where they are," Elsa ordered. It shot over the frozen fjord, the ice mage not far behind. As she ran, she coated her body with ice armor, dawning it red to match the ambience.

As the last of Marie's darkness let her to a hidden inlet, Elsa caught sight of Dominic standing over a familiar, yet motionless body. He held a dark blade in his hand, ready to strike down. "NO!" she yelled. A scream of pure rage erupted around them. Elsa rocketed above them and, with all her might, slammed Dominic's body with a massive ice wall. He hollered as his body was flung backward and crashed through the cabin of the now frozen boat. She ran to Marie's side, the ball of darkness swirling around them. "Marie," Elsa breathed, her brilliant blue eyes washing over her. She opened her palm and tilted Marie's head back. The tiny ball of darkness curled in Elsa's hand and she carefully placed it over Marie's chest. It absorbed into her. Elsa pressed their foreheads together and waited. Marie did not stir. Elsa wrapped her shaky arms around the lifeless woman. "Please wake up…" she breathed. Elsa brushed a strand of mousy brown hair out of Marie's face. "I'm here now…Please wake up!"

The sound of hooves pounding on the frozen ground filled the air, and Anna, Kristoff, and a brigade of Arendellian soldiers rounded the inlet. Anna silently slipped off her white horse after taking in the scene. Hot tears streamed down Elsa's face. Anna immediately ran to her but stopped when Elsa's cries echoed around the still area. Marie's face twitched. Anna gasped, "Elsa!"

A sudden inhale filled the air. Elsa cries turned to ones of glee as Marie's eyes opened. The brunette faded in and out of consciousness for a few seconds before focusing on Elsa, who embraced her tightly. Anna smiled at her soldiers as they cheered. Marie ran a bloodied hand over Elsa's mouth. "…You came…" Marie rasped.

Elsa grabbed her hand and held it to her face. "Of course, I did," she breathed. They gazed at each other, warranting several whistles from the soldiers. Elsa conjured an ice wall between them.

A groan sounded from the wreckage of the boat's cabin, and the women looked up to see Dominic's figure stirring, darkness snaking above him like possessed branches. "Give me five minutes?" Marie joked quietly, still finding it difficult to speak.

Elsa chuckled fondly and unfroze the ground beneath Marie, leaving it comfortable for her to rest on. She unfroze the ice wall, her sister running to their sides. "Can I borrow that?" Elsa asked, pointing at the dark blade Anna was carrying. The queen unquestionably handed it to her. Elsa gazed at them. Anna knelt over Marie, giving her sister a nod. "Don't worry," Elsa said. "I will protect you now."

It was a marvelous sight. Elsa made no attempt to hide her fury. It poured out of her in the form of a storm, surrounding her and everything around her with snow and ice. The soldiers covered their eyes and sought shelter, but Anna and Marie remained unscathed, protected by a barrier Elsa had summoned around them. Elsa's blonde hair whipped in the wind wildly, her blue eyes fixed on Dominic's rising figure. Suddenly he screamed, shooting darkness out in every direction. "WH-WHY?!" He gripped his head and lashed out blindly. Elsa sidestepped and ricocheted a blast of darkness onto a nearby mountain, unflinching as it exploded upon impact. Anna shielded Marie's body with her own as a cloud of dust filled the air. Dominic stumbled to his feet. "Why can't you just DIE ALREADY?!"

Anna's mouth fell open. "Oh, wrong thing to say," she muttered.

Elsa sheathed the dark blade at her hip and launched herself at Dominic. He could only gasp as the full extent of Elsa's icy rage met his face. Elsa wordlessly launched his body far onto the fjord, watching as it crashed and rolled on the ice violently. She floated above the broken ice's surface, her entire body coated with ice armor. Dominic coughed and glared at her, Marie's stolen darkness hissing around his body. Elsa watched him, her eyes filled with pure apathy. Dominic scoffed. "I barely felt-" He was interrupted by a flurry of ice shards shooting straight for him. He blocked, coating his body with darkness. Elsa twirled like a figure skater, a trail of icicles leaving her fingers as her spin enhanced their speed. The icicles stabbed into his dark armor, but the impact was still felt. Dominic wheezed. "My grandfather was the one who failed to kill that fool, John! But now, it's my turn to finish what he couldn't do!"

Anna and Marie watched as Elsa and Dominic waged war over the fjord. Marie sat up. "Is he monologuing?" she asked roughly.

"Yep," Anna answered with equal disbelief.

Dominic leaned forward, his entire body shaking. "I am the third chosen by The Rift! I will purge the magic from this world!" A bloodcurdling howl escaped him. Elsa floated motionlessly as Dominic formed the darkness around his body. Black dripped from his mouth like slobber, and his fingernails formed in the shape of claws. His muscles bulged underneath his clothing, ripping them at the seams as his body grew. The darkness coated him as though it were a wild beast. He leaped at Elsa, who dodged him soundlessly. "THIS IS THE POWER I TOOK FROM HER." His voice was distorted, almost demonic. Marie felt herself tremble, but Elsa did not falter. Only three minutes had passed. She had to subdue him for a little while longer. "THIS IS WHO YOU PUT YOUR TRUST IN." A tidal wave of darkness erupted from Dominic, heading straight for the town. Anna gasped, but Elsa parted it as though it were a simple stream. The darkness floated over Arendelle, cracking the ice barrier that covered the town, but unable to break it. Anna looked down at Marie when the injured woman groaned in pain. Marie lowered her hand that was outstretched towards the black tidal wave, seemingly exhausted from the effort.

Elsa looked like a pure white angel with frozen skin. She fell towards the water, only to glide above its surface. Everything around her was at an absolute zero, and she was headed straight for Dominic. He scurried to his feet and lashed out, but Elsa breathed on the darkness, freezing it solid. Panicked screams came from Dominic's mouth now. He stumbled on frozen trails of the stolen darkness, tripping. Elsa landed on the ice and, with a light huff, trapped him within a barrage of ice. It instantly froze any dark power he attempted to emit as a last resort. He could not move. Elsa drew the dark blade, her own absolute zero ice freezing everything but its core of light magic. She swung.

"Wait!"

The blade stopped within an inch of Dominic's throat. Marie stumbled to her feet, gripping her side. She stumbled out onto the ice, afraid for a second that it would freeze her solid. The storm was no longer there; instead, an area so still surrounded Elsa that everything that came within its borders would instantly freeze, except for Marie. The brunette looked around the fjord. Elsa had done it. She had frozen all of Dominic's dark power. Marie knelt and touched a frozen dark trail. She took in a deep breath. It seeped back into her fingertips, starting from where she was currently touching and spreading out from the far reaches of the frozen fjord. Marie's body ignited with darkness, and she felt a sudden rush of emotion. Her arm flicked in the air, the last of the frozen darkness absorbing back into its original owner. Dominic let out a choking sound as the darkness left him. His body flopped onto the ice, unconscious. A few soldiers rushed to collect his body.

Elsa flitted away. Marie tentatively followed. "Stay back!" Elsa warned, her voice almost sounding ethereal. Marie lost her breath. It was as though Elsa was a freshly painted statue. Her eyes were coated a pure white along with her skin and hair. It was the most terrifying, yet beautiful thing Marie had ever seen. "I'm not exactly human right now." Even her voice was crisp like ice.

Marie looked down at her hands that were coated in darkness. "If you're not, then I'm not," she replied. Elsa sucked in a breath. Slowly, the world around them thawed. Elsa's skin took on a warmer hue, and as she raised her arms into the air, her magic piled into one snowflake, which she dissipated. Marie twirled her darkness into a ball, which dissipated in her palm.

"WHOA!" Anna waved crazily from the shore. "THAT-! DID YOU-!? WHOA-HO-HO!" Elsa brought them to shore on a piece of ice, both her and Marie's exhaustion suddenly hitting them. Anna hugged them. "THAT WAS EPIC!"

"Daniel." Marie looked towards the ship. "Daniel's on board. He tried protecting me." A couple soldiers, with Mattias leading, headed for the boat. Marie fell to her knees. "My magic doesn't heal like yours." She smiled bravely, trying to fight off an onslaught of pain. Blonde hair filled her vision. Marie turned red as Elsa embraced her tightly.

"I'm sorry," Elsa breathed in her ear. Marie grew still. "I said I'd always protect you…"

Marie slid her arms around Elsa's small frame and squeezed. "And you did." She nestled her face in the crook of Elsa's neck as the two women held each other. Marie's eyes welled with tears. "You kept your promise."

Olaf sobbed softly aboard Sven's back. "I have a feeling I know who that master bedroom is for," he wept.

The sound of flesh tearing sounded behind them. "Your Majesty! Look out!" a soldier shouted. Dominic charged for the two women, a bloody icicle in his hand. Anna dove forward, managing to grab her dark blade from Elsa's side. Elsa screamed as Anna and Dominic's bodies collided.

"ANNA!" Kristoff screamed, rushing forward. A trickle of blood poured from Dominic's mouth. His body slid off Anna and onto the ground. Everyone watched in horror as some of Elsa's remaining magic began to freeze him solid. He gasped, looking at Marie before the magic took him. Anna stumbled, her blade now coated with blood. "Are you okay?" Kristoff asked worriedly, Elsa joining him.

The queen dropped the blade, her hands shaking. Elsa embraced her. "I'm alright," Anna breathed. Her and Marie's eyes met. "It's over now." Marie stared with wide eyes at Dominic, the horror of it all finally settling in.

A few hours had passed. Elsa made her way down to the castle dungeons with Anna, the light of a single torch illuminating their path. Several heavily armed guards parted and bowed their heads. Anna and Elsa nodded at each other, and Anna pushed the iron gate open. A lone silhouette greeted them. Dominic raised his head, his arms and legs chained to the stone wall behind him. "Come for exposition?" he asked. A cough rattled his bare chest, which shone from Elsa's magic.

Anna pointed the torch under his chin. "Tell us what you know, or I'll have my sister thaw your wound."

"Answer this first." The sisters looked at one another as the once possessed, egotistic man now hung his head. He asked, "Where is Daniel?"

"It's none of your concern," Elsa said furiously.

Dominic shook his head and said, "Relax. He had no idea about any of it."

Anna knelt, bringing the torch closer. "It?" she hissed."You call an attempt to invade the Northuldra and Arendelle AND killing my sister and Marie IT?! Elsa." The ice mage flicked her hand, and the dungeon was filled with Dominic's groans of pain as his wound began to thaw. Anna motioned for Elsa to stop but held the torch near his wound. "Explain yourself."

"Anna," Elsa urged quietly. "That's enough."

Dominic scoffed as Anna backed off. "Still in her pocket, I see." Elsa lifted a finger. "Wait!" She paused. He looked away. "It was my grandfather who accompanied John."

Elsa lowered her hands. "Marie's grandfather?" She exchanged glances with Anna. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I didn't know until Marie came to this world," Dominic rasped. He narrowed his eyes. "When she sent out the last of her dark power to you, you saw everything, right?" Elsa nodded. "The two chosen to work together to restore light and dark have that bond. They can feel what the other is feeling through their magic." He shuddered. "Her magic is painful. I lost control of it as soon as I got a taste for it."

"A taste?" Anna furrowed her brow. "How did you steal Marie's magic in the first place? And what does this have to do with your grandfathers?" she asked.

"Our grandfathers were chosen to rebalance light and dark, but there was a third," he explained. "The darkness called it The Grey." The sisters looked at one another. Dominic continued, "If one should fail, it was The Grey's responsibility to take their power and finish the job. John slipped. He wasn't strong enough to wield it, so my grandfather tried taking his magic. The Rift sensed the imbalance and sent John back to his world, leaving The Rift wide open."

"Wide open?" Elsa repeated.

"Don't you get it? The Rift exists to pull those with the ability to wield light or darkness wherever it needs them. That's why Marie can't stay here once balance is restored," Dominic coughed, his torso shaking in pain. "She'll be sent back."

Elsa grew still, her eyes wide. Anna shook her head. "So, you tried taking it from her without giving her a chance?" Anna spat. "Killing her was your way of fixing it all?"

"Marie's magic is born from a dark place." Dominic's voice shook. "I…lost control of it. She showed hesitation! What would you have done if you were in my position?" He was silenced by an icy dagger pressing against his throat.

Anna gasped, "Elsa!"

Elsa pressed the dagger into his skin, lightly breaking it. "The only reason you're alive is because Marie asked to spare you," she seethed. Dominic's eyes shook. "Dark powers or not, she showed more compassion than you could ever deserve." She removed the dagger and made her way out of the dungeon.

Anna took a step towards her sister, complete shock encompassing her. "If there's one on this side, there's a Grey on her side of The Rift as well," Dominic warned the queen. She stopped. "It will pull her back, and when it does, it's best if Elsa doesn't follow." He looked at her. "Otherwise, The Rift will do what it does best: eliminate imbalances."

The ginger faltered, squeezing the torch tightly. "We're done here," she said to the guards.

Elsa knocked lightly on the guest room door. A short, beady woman answered. "Oh, good!" Johanna said in exasperation. "I was sick and tired of trying to bandage this one's wounds!" The ice mage entered, her eyes finding Marie instantly. Although she dawned a smile, it was forced and taught. Johanna gathered her bandages. "Have fun." The door slammed, causing the two women to flinch.

Marie sighed, "From the look on your face, I take it the questioning went rather well…" She winced, causing Elsa to come to her side. The former queen's palm ignited with a soft glow, and she pressed her hand against Marie's jaw. Marie flinched. "S-sorry," she said shakily. Elsa waited patiently, giving her a warm smile. Marie took a deep breath in, and much to Elsa's surprise, began unbuttoning her shirt. "I'm ready."

Elsa turned a deep red. "Wh-what?"

Marie blinked, realization hitting her. "No, no, no! N-not like that! I m-meant I'm ready for you to heal me, n-not-!" She groaned and covered her face. "Oh, gosh…" Giggling filled the room. Elsa's shoulders bounced. Marie fiddled with her shirt but joined in, her face still deeply flushed. "So, what did he have to say?" she asked quietly, turning her back to Elsa. The fifth spirit recounted the conversation while tending to Marie's jaw. When she finished, a solemn expression fell over Marie's face. "So, I will be sent back, after all…"

Elsa followed a wound underneath Marie's shirt, trying to ignore the feeling of the brunette's hot skin underneath her fingertips. "I thought you'd be happy," she responded honestly.

"Doesn't sound like I have a say in it either way." Elsa looked at her when she heard Marie's voice break, only to feel her heart lurch in her chest at the sight of tears streaming down her face. Marie quickly wiped them away. "My life is just something to be transferred from one place to another, like it's nothing, so-!" She stopped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that…I was just-…." Marie turned and looked at Elsa. "I was so scared," she breathed, barely audible. Everything came crashing to the surface. Marie tried to hide her fear using years of experience, but in that moment, as she dove into Elsa's arms, she did not want to. "I was so afraid," she sobbed in Elsa's chest.

Elsa held her, trying desperately to hold back her own tears. "I know," she breathed, stroking Marie's hair. She placed her lips against Marie's head in effort to contain herself. Never had she seen Marie so broken before. The mask of bravery she always wore had finally crumbled to pieces, leaving the vulnerable, fragile girl in her arms. Marie clung to Elsa and sobbed unapologetically. Elsa held her tightly. "I don't care what tears us apart," the blonde whispered. "I'd follow you to the ends of the earth."

As the evening passed, Marie eventually grew still, succumbing to her exhaustion and falling asleep in Elsa's arms. Elsa ran her hand across Marie's face tenderly, watching the rise and fall of Marie's small chest upon her own lower abdomen and legs. A gentle, familiar knock sounded on the door, and Elsa looked up to see Anna enter. Her sister shut the door silently. "I was hoping to catch her before she fell asleep," she said quietly, walking to the side of the bed and sitting. "I wanted to apologize for the mess I've put her through."

Elsa smiled and moved a strand of hair out of Marie's face, her touch especially soft. "I guarantee you that she's not upset." Marie twitched and nestled her face in Elsa's upper chest, still sound asleep. Elsa held her. "I know what you're going to say, Anna, and-"

"We'll find a way." Elsa looked at her sister in surprise. Anna squeezed her hand. "I'll make sure of that." The queen rose and placed a kiss on Elsa's forehead. "Goodnight." Anna departed, the door clicking slightly as she exited. Marie stirred.

"It's okay," Elsa cooed. "I'm here." Marie hummed softly and grew still. "Now…" Elsa guided them down, settling for bed. "And always," she breathed.