60

*This chapter contains mentions of domestic abuse and other forms of abuse. Reader discretion is advised. *

Elsa thought her stomach was going to drop to the floor. She could barely contain her relief which bubbled under the surface of her eyes as trapped tears. "You remember?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She sat down on one of the queen beds, her movements slow. "I was afraid that your memories were gone forever." Elsa looked up at Marie. "What do you remember?"

Marie looked her in the eye, and Elsa could not help but notice that her expression was much more relaxed. She was not afraid to look Elsa in the eyes for more than a couple of seconds now, and Elsa missed that. Unflinchingly, Elsa returned her gaze and awaited Marie's answer, her heart racing. "I remember the wolf cub and their mother, and everything before that. And I remember having this." Elsa watched as Marie took a deep breath and spread out her hands again. Much like water flowing down a hill, darkness flowed from Marie's hands and formed another dark sword. Elsa rose and faced Marie. She held out her hands and Marie gave her the blade. As soon as it touched her skin, Elsa could feel Marie's raw essence and emotion within the darkness.

Elsa shivered. "I can still feel what you're feeling through your magic…" She pulled the blade close to her and closed her eyes for a moment.

Marie blushed and grabbed the sword. "I forgot about that," she muttered, ushering a light laugh from Elsa. Marie dissipated the sword and sat down on a bed. Elsa joined her. Marie rubbed behind her eyes and sighed. "Nothing about this makes sense. You're from a Disney movie."

"And you're from a children's book."

Marie let out a huff of frustration. "That's right…" She gestured widely with her forefinger. "Wasn't it written by a character I made up? Nevaeh Scott?"

"Yes!" Elsa exclaimed excitedly. She cleared her throat and assumed her former refined self. "Yes. She unfortunately passed, but you got to meet Henry."

"I got to meet HENRY!?" Marie did not try and hold back her excitement.

Elsa laughed as her chest swelled with pure fondness. She gazed softly at Marie. "I missed your laugh…" Marie immediately froze, and Elsa cupped her face in embarrassment. "Forgive me. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just-…" She paused as tears threatened to escape her eyes once more. "I thought you were dead. I had always hoped you weren't, but…" She trailed off and shook her head. "Forgive me."

Marie stirred but was still tense. She leaned on her elbows and knees, a pensive expression covering her face. "It's okay. What I don't get is that I was only gone for a few hours in this world. How could I be in Arendelle for as long as I was?"

"Time flows differently between our worlds," Elsa explained. "Only a year has passed since you were-" She paused to distract herself from growing emotional. "Since you were pulled back," she finished quietly. "But here, two years have passed, making you 27."

"And you 26," Marie said, her gaze steady.

Elsa felt herself blush. "You remember," Elsa murmured. She smiled. "Do you remember anything else?"

Marie looked at the door. "I want to bring you somewhere to answer that."

Surprise pricked in Elsa's heart at that statement, and she found herself automatically packing up her things in response. "When do we leave?" Within minutes, Elsa had checked out of the inn, and they were inside Marie's vehicle. Elsa marveled at all the other vehicles on the roads and parking lots, and she turned to Marie as they started moving, her spirits immediately lifted from being in Marie's presence. "Do most people have carriages like you?" Elsa asked excitedly, her gaze jumping from vehicle to vehicle.

Marie chuckled. "No, not even half. You have to be over 16 to take a driver's test but not everyone does. And we call them cars."

Elsa blinked. "Isn't that short for carriage?"

Marie's mouth opened only for her to shut it. She smiled at Elsa. "It just might be." She laughed, and Elsa felt her chest swell once more at the sound. She leaned back in her seat and smiled, casting a glance at Marie. Her expression must have portrayed what she felt, for Marie blushed and turned her full attention to the road while she squeezed the steering wheel tightly.

The car slowed and joined a line of vehicles that were positioned at an intersection. Elsa peered outside to observe. "Where is the traffic director?" she asked.

"We don't have those anymore," Marie said. She gestured to a black box above the car. "We use traffic lights now. Green means go, yellow means prepare to stop, and red means stop. They're on a timer so everyone has the same amount of time to get through the intersection. There are also cameras."

"I've heard of cameras before," Elsa said thoughtfully. "I read about them at the library. I've learned a lot about this world from there."

She looked out of her window as one of the boxes lit up a green arrow pointing right. A silver car began to pull out but was nearly struck by another vehicle, causing Elsa to flinch. "Idiots," Marie grumbled. "You still gotta look when that arrow comes on. The system isn't perfect…" She sighed and turned her attention to Elsa. "How long have you been in this world?"

"About two weeks," Elsa responded. "I came into this world in the forest where you grew up."

Marie nodded, her eyes on the road. "That's where it was last time," she remarked more to herself than Elsa. She gripped the steering wheel again. "That's over 100 miles away. How did you get here?"

"Twamley led me. He could sense you."

Marie nodded to show her understanding. "Where is he?" she asked. Almost as though to answer her question, a dark shape flew adjacent to her car. It dove and weaved around the vehicle, prompting Marie to cuss quietly in alarm.

Elsa chuckled. "I guess he'd rather fly," she said cheerfully. She leaned back into her comfy black seat. She could not remember the last time she had laughed so genuinely.

"That's fine. Just don't block my view," Marie half seethed to the magical bird.

They drove for an hour, and Elsa loved every second of it. She was eager to learn about Marie's world, especially the new technology that was all over the place. Much like a child, she was constantly asking questions and taking notes, but Marie did not seem to mind. She answered every question with patience and sometimes even excitement. Elsa could not help but gaze at her as she did so. Memories of Marie with the schoolchildren in Arendelle swirled in Elsa's mind, and she could feel her love grow with every passing second. I so desperately want to tell her how I feel, Elsa thought as she stared at the contours of Marie's face. But I don't want to scare her away. I have to be patient. Her chest felt as though it could burst at any moment, and that she could blurt out her feelings, but she kept them at bay. She only remembers the battle with the wolf mother and before that, so there's no way she'll have remembered what she said. Elsa gripped the fabric of her light purple dress on her lap. That she loved me.

"We're here," Marie said, interrupting Elsa's thoughts. The royal peered out the window. A sign that read Opava Pop. 85 passed them by. "This is where my mother grew up. They had a farm that's no longer here a few miles out of town." Marie slowed the car and turned left. The population sign was not lying: the town was barely occupied. Several old buildings stood empty. What was left of the houses was either run down or neatly managed by the limited number of residents. Soon, a large white church came into view. Marie pulled the car into the empty parking lot and parked by the building. They got out and Elsa looked around. "My maternal grandparents are buried here. Sometimes I come here to visit them." Marie kicked a pebble shyly, but Elsa listened quietly. "I never met my grandmother. She died a couple years before I was born. I was told she was a brave and kind person. My grandfather died when I was 8. He, uh…" Marie cleared her throat. "He had dementia and lived with us. Even though he couldn't remember my name sometimes, he taught me so much. He was cranky, but always willing to share whatever he had."

Elsa gripped her hands in front of her. "They sound wonderful. I can tell you love them very much."

Marie smiled and led them to the front door of the church. "This is what I wanted to show you," she said with an air of adventure in her voice. She grabbed the handles to the front door and swung them open. Elsa stepped inside and immediately stopped in her tracks. The chapel was old and beautiful. Stained glass windows lined each side of the pews, and in between each stained-glass piece of art was a painted piece twice as tall as the women who were now looking at them. Each stained-glass piece was of one of Jesus's disciples with their Roman name etched into the glass below them.

Elsa turned to look at Marie, her eyes slightly glossy. "You remember us being in the chapel," she stated, already knowing the answer. Marie climbed a set of stairs and held out a hand. Elsa gasped lightly and took it. Marie led them to a fifteen-foot mural of Jesus at the front of the chapel where they sat down in the front row.

"Anna had tricked us," Marie said. She chuckled and scratched her head. "The night after I saw you dreaming. I was so nervous to be around you…" Letting go of Elsa's hand, Marie grew tense and gripped the pew near her legs. "I was finally in a place where I didn't have to be scared of my own emotions, even though I was still scared of them." Marie exhaled heavily as her demeanor changed to be more somber. She stared at the mural of Jesus and then at a painting of God reaching down to Adam. "There's got to be a reason we were chosen, right? God wouldn't have just picked us by random."

"I believe so, yes," Elsa said softly. Marie relaxed slightly, her eyes becoming less shadowed. Every so often, especially back in Arendelle, Marie would soften after Elsa spoke to her with the same countenance. Elsa joined Marie in looking at the painting. "I believe everything happens for a reason, even if we never know or understand that reason."

Marie exhaled heavily again. "But my grandfather…He was chosen and was pulled back like I was. If he had magic, and now I do, then…my father could also have it."

Elsa immediately picked up on the fear that Marie had when she spoke of her father. It was there every time she spoke of him. "We don't know that for sure," she said, echoing herself from the conversation from the night before.

Marie was quiet for a few moments as she contemplated what to say next. "I need to tell you about my father, who he is…how he is." Elsa listened silently and wrapped her hands together on her lap as Marie sighed and furrowed her eyebrows, her expression dark. "My father abused me in every way possible, in every way that you could think. He did this in secret and scared me into silence for years. I tried taking my life as early as seven years old, and I almost died when I was younger because of him. He also abused my family and…" Elsa resisted the urge to grab Marie's hand when she suddenly stopped, obviously overcome with emotion. Marie gritted her teeth and continued. "He nearly killed my mom when I was ten. I saw it. He got kicked out after that and started heavily stalking us." She shifted. "He stalked me the most, especially after I came out with what he had done to me as a child." Marie scoffed. "I fell in love with my best friend because I thought I hated men. I started to question why I hated them, and then the memories came and…people talked. My father found out that I knew, and he started stalking me everywhere. He wouldn't stop. I, to this day, must have legal protection from him. Every job that I had, every event that I went to, he was there, a-and I was terrified." She cupped her face to hide a few tears that had fallen. "This is why I can't work. I can't be in a public place for more than twenty minutes before I start to panic. Every man looks like him. I know it's not rational. I know he's not there, but…I'm afraid. And now he could have magical powers, too? Elsa, what is happening? Why is all of this happening? I can't do this alone. I can't- I just can't handle-"

"You're not alone," Elsa soothed, coaxing Marie to show her face. She wiped a few tears away and looked into Marie's eyes. "You will never be alone. I will never leave you. Do you understand?"

Marie nodded but looked away, withdrawing from Elsa's touch. She finished wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "I felt safe there, in Arendelle," Marie said quietly. She furrowed her eyebrows once more. "If it is really passed down, and my father really has magic, then he needs to be stopped." She looked Elsa in the eyes. "I need your help. Please help me. Teach me and-"

She was interrupted by Elsa embracing Marie. "I'm so sorry about what your father has done to you and those you love." Elsa squeezed tightly before withdrawing and touching her forehead to Marie's. "We're in this together. Just know that with me, you are safe. I will protect you." she said softly. Marie relaxed and let her forehead rest against Elsa's. "I think we were meant to find each other." When Marie pulled away with her gaze averted, Elsa raised her hands. "In a destiny sort of way, n-not in the other way, although you and I did end up…you know…falling in-…" She placed a hand on her face and shook her head. "Have I made you uncomfortable again?"

She grunted slightly when Marie let out a laugh. Elsa looked up to see Marie wiping a few tears away, a smile covering her face. "Well, in any case, I want you around." She looked Elsa in the eyes again. "Will you stay with me? My couch pulls out into a bed. It won't be the fanciest place, but I figured you could train me like you did before in Arendelle and that we could work together." Marie suddenly stopped, her eyes growing wide. "Did I say something to upset you?"

Elsa gasped when she felt hot tears run down her face. She wiped them away in a hurry. "No, not at all. It will be nice to be around you, that's all." When Marie simply looked at her, Elsa conceded slightly. "I thought I'd never see you again after last night…" She froze for a second as Marie lightly touched her cheek with her hand, wiping a tear away. Elsa gently leaning into Marie's touch.

To her surprise, Marie did not pull away, rather, she turned her body towards Elsa and rubbed her cheek ever so softly. "With you, I'm not so afraid," Marie breathed.

Elsa leaned towards her, her heart racing in a way that only Marie could cause. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Do you happen to remember the night we sat like this, around a fire…" Elsa looked deeply into her eyes. "The night we shared our first-"

The sound of the front doors opening echoed loudly within the cathedral. The two women pulled away from each other as a man dressed in black came around the corner. "Hello!" he greeted as Elsa and Marie quickly stood up to face him. "Can I help you?"

"We're just visiting!" Marie said quickly. Elsa nodded, equipping a calm, poised demeanor. "My mother grew up in this church, and I wanted to show my friend what it looked like." Elsa took more time to look at the stained glass as the preacher and Marie discussed the family lineage of Marie and who they both knew that lived in the area.

The preacher whipped out a business card from one of his pockets. "Give me a call if you ever find yourself in the area again," he said smoothly, eyeing them both. Elsa raised an eyebrow, unable to hide her glare.

"Thank you," Marie said. "Have a nice day!" The preacher grunted quietly but walked away. Marie turned to Elsa and shoved the card in her pants pocket and rolled her eyes. "I have to use the bathroom, and then we can head out. The store here sells really good candy!" Elsa chuckled and nodded her head.

Marie made her way down the hallway and into the restroom. With a click, the door shut behind her, and she sighed deeply. She knows now, Marie thought to herself as she leaned against the door. She rested her forehead against the old dusty door and sighed once more. "Guide us. Please," she prayed quietly.

Suddenly the room darkened despite it being midday. Marie gasped as she felt a familiar presence behind her, and she turned around to see her suspicions verified. A figure made of complete darkness with eyes made of light floated gracefully in the restroom, their eyes glued to Marie. They nodded in greeting. "So, your memories are returning," the dark figure spoke, their voice echoing ethereally.

"You," Marie stated, her voice rising in pitch. She automatically whipped her right hand to her side and formed a dark sword. She inhaled deeply and prepared to call out to Elsa, but the dark figure held up a hand.

"Wait."

Marie hesitated but relaxed ever so slightly. "Why? If Elsa's story is true, then you're the one who opened the rift at the wedding." She clutched her abdomen. "Everything that happened is your fault!" she exclaimed.

The dark figure lowered their hand. "You are both needed here. There is an imbalance. Not of darkness, but of light."

The lights flickered in the restroom after they spoke. Marie looked down at her sword. Echoes of what Elsa had asked Grand Pabbie after their fight with the wolves swam around her mind. "So, she was right," Marie said quietly. She looked at the dark figure. "Is it Amos, my father?"

The dark figure landed softly on the restroom floor. "You shall see soon enough. You will need to train, to remember your lost memories to fight the battle that is to come. Both of your strengths will be needed." Marie grew silent and averted her gaze. The dark figure tilted their head to get a better look at her expression. "You were chosen for a reason. Only you can do this."

"That's not true," Marie seethed slightly. "My grandfather had the same role. It's passed down, isn't it?" She could not help but feel bitter. She remembered Elsa's explanation of what conduits are, and she wondered if her siblings were conduits or magic users as well, and more importantly, if her father had magic. She clenched her fists.

Almost as though the dark figure sensed her thoughts, they said, "If so, then your siblings would have been chosen as well. It is you who has been chosen, you that has overcome death and has strength of will. The darkness overcame your grandfather, but not you."

"Then why was I pulled back?" Marie asked.

"Because the imbalance in Arendelle was quelled. There is an imbalance in this world, one that only you and Elsa can conquer." They raised their hands and conjured a ball of light in one hand and a ball of darkness in the other. They moved their hands closer together and combined the magical spheres. "Light and darkness are meant to coexist, to be balanced, but there is a threat that throws them out of balance, that uses one to harm the innocent." They dissipated the sphere. "They are not meant to be separate."

Marie gasped and looked down at her sword. The light sliver pulsed against the darkness, but the two did not conflict with each other. In fact, they seemed to coexist peacefully next to one another. "I've had both this whole time?" she asked in disbelief.

"Elsa will help you find this balance." The dark figure looked at her. "That is, if you accept this role."

Marie touched the sliver of light on her sword as she considered what to say. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "Do I have a choice?"

"There is always a choice," came the response. The dark figure took a step forward. "What is your answer, your intentions?"

Silence was met after that question. Marie dissipated her sword. "Nothing has felt right since I was pulled back. That is, until she came back into my life." She looked at the dark figure. "As long as she is by my side, I can do anything." When the dark figure smiled, Marie asked, "Who are you, exactly?"

The dark figure lifted a hand and blew a wave of darkness towards Marie. A familiar song echoed around the restroom. "Where the north wind meets the sea…"

Marie gasped. "Iduna?"

The dark figure began to disappear right before her eyes. "Promise me you'll stay by her side."

"I will," Marie answered right before they disappeared altogether. She rubbed her face with the palm of her hands, still reeling from what happened. She opened the door and stepped out of the restroom. She paused in her tracks. At the front of the chapel, Elsa was playing the organ, her demeanor calm and pensive. It was entrancing, mesmerizing: completely captivating. As her fingers flew across the keys, Marie could not help but think of Grace and how she used to play piano, but as soon as that thought came into Marie's mind, she shook her head. No longer did she want to think about the past and about a person who had hurt her, and who she had hurt. No longer did Marie want to linger on someone who was never coming back into her life; her focus was on someone else, the person who was in front of her, so perfectly playing the organ that it tried to encourage a few emotions to come out as tears.

Elsa paused and smiled. "You're staring."

Marie blushed deeply as a memory played across her mind. Elsa's words from earlier that questioned if Marie remembered that night around the fire joined her internal cacophony. Elsa turned towards her, her hair elegantly falling over her shoulder. Marie smiled. "Do I have something to tell you," she said playfully.