Rumplestiltskin and Belle frowned a little when they heard Anna's and Elsa's story. These women could just be related to Ingrid, the "Snow Queen" (even if she was just a princess), as people were beginning to call her.
The princess in question was here since six or seven weeks, and had now, thanks to Rumplestiltskin, Regina, Zelena and the fairies, an almost perfect control of her ice power.
"So... If you're Gerda's daughters, then, you must be Ingrid's nieces, Belle deduced."
The two woman frowned with surprise.
"Excuse me, but... who ? Elsa asked with confusion. Who are you talking about ?
- Princess Ingrid, your aunt.
- I'm sorry, Anna answered, but I don't know what you mean. I never heard of this person."
Rumplestiltskin sighed, already knowing the reason why, as he read it in the book which was given to him, a thing he already explained to Ingrid, who had time to assimilate it, even if she was still choked that her own sister decided to erase her existence from the memory of the inhabitants of Arendelle.
And he explained this to the two young women, who first showed horror, and then joy and excitement.
"We have an aunt ? Anna demanded.
- And she is just like me ? Elsa added."
Belle looked at her trembling hands, at the ice on them, and she smiled to the queen.
"Elsa, in this kingdom, there are a lot of people who are just like you."
The relief in the eyes of the witch just made her smile even more.
"Really ? She asked her with uncertainty.
Belle nodded her head.
- Yes, your majesty, really."
When Ingrid appeared, and came to take Elsa in her arms, at first, the queen flinched in recoil, with fear, and it was the first time Ingrid had to face someone, who was not afraid of her, but afraid of herself.
Which was not Ingrid's case anymore, now, she knew how to control her powers, and she knew that she was not alone.
The witch gave a smile full of confidence to the other witch.
And she just embraced her, not caring about the ice, not caring about the potential danger.
"You don't have to be afraid. What you have in you is a blessing, not a curse. And I am sure that you will be able to use it wisely Elsa, Ingrid said, repeating the words that Zelena told her. After all, the former wicked witch knew what it was, to be hated for what you were."
And Elsa began to cry. It was the first time someone was telling these words.
It was the first time she felt completely accepted.
"Thanks aunt Ingrid, she whispered."
Ingrid then invited Anna in the embrace, and at this moment, finally, they were a family again, for the first time.
Rumplestiltskin looked at them, remembered the other version of the story, Arendelle frozen forever, and he smiled.
Then, him, Belle and Marian decided to let them alone.
After all, it was the first time they met.
They all needed time and space to adjust to the new situation.
§§§§
Time and days passed, the two sisters learned to know and appreciate their aunt, Elsa learned not be feared anymore of her magic, she learned to control her power.
She learned to love herself.
Three other weeks after their arrival (Anna and Elsa, just as Ingrid herself, were living in the castle where Rumplestiltskin and Belle lived, as this one was big enough to welcome them. And of course, the owners of the place were both happy to let them live in there), as Elsa had a better control on her power than she ever had, Marian came to the castle for the fifth time after she met Elsa.
And this time, it was certainly not to see Belle.
Marian felt troubled the second she saw Elsa, even before she saw her, in fact, when she heard her voice.
The first time she saw her do magic was during the day where she met her, and she had been fascinated.
Not just because it was a form of magic she never saw before (even if it was the case, as Ingrid and Elsa were the only people she knew who could practice this kind of magic), but because it had nothing to do with the way Regina (the only witch she really knew) practiced magic.
Regina had a control, a confidence, a self assurance that Elsa didn't have.
Elsa had an innocence that Regina lost a long time ago, she never really knew what to do with her magic, it was the reason why she was so afraid of herself in the past.
Her magic was strange, unpredictable, dangerous.
But also terribly beautiful, when it was controlled.
Elsa could make things with ice, and any time she saw her practice magic, Marian couldn't help but be amazed.
Because of her power itself, but also because of the look of Elsa, who was more and more accepting herself, and her look on what she could do was not anymore afraid. First, it had been surprised, and then, joyous, and finally, amazed.
When she was practicing magic with Ingrid, Marian couldn't help but look at her, at her face, because it looked like Elsa was fascinated with her own capacities.
And Marian was fascinated as well.
A thing which was clearly, clearly visible...
She was falling for the young queen, and she still hadn't determined if it was a problem or not.
§§§§
Elsa had no idea of what she was feeling right now.
The excitation she was feeling since some days, she first thought it was because of the fact that she was learning to know better her aunt, or herself, to know how her own magic worked.
Except that it was not the case.
It was Marian, who was bringing all these changes in her.
Marian, with her bright smile, her laugh, her jokes and the way she made her laugh, her beauty, and her kindness.
Marian, who never saw her as a monster, who always saw her magic as a beautiful thing, despite the fact that she had not magic herself, she always understood her, just like Ingrid did.
Marian, who was making her feel things she never thought she would ever feel for someone, things she never thought she would allow herself to feel.
Don't feel, don't let them know, her parents told her.
So did she.
She pulled a wall between her and her sister, for years, she tried to hid herself, hid her feelings, hid her powers, hid everything which made her who she was.
And even if thanks to Anna, to Kristoff, to Ingrid, it was easier for her now to be herself, well... the fact is that it was not that easy.
Because of the fact that she stopped being herself for years, well, she had no idea of who she really was.
She was Elsa, she was Anna's sister and Kristoff's sister-in-law, and Ingrid's niece. She was a queen, she was a witch, she had ice powers.
It was who she was, but not only, and there were so many things in her which were never able to appear in front of the other.
Her magic, yes, but not only.
Her personality, who she really was, who she used to be, that is to say, a child full of life who loved her sister and her parents more than anything.
This girl disappeared the day she hurt her sister by accident.
The innocent and naive young girl that she was then died this day, and it became even worst when her parents were suddenly gone, when they died.
She became sharp, cold, toward everyone but her sister (and even with this one, it hadn't been always easy), and now, well...
With Marian, she had the impression that she could become this happy girl again.
Being alone every time doesn't help you to make friends, and on this part, Anna was completely alright. It doesn't help you too to know who you are, to understand what kind of person you really are, it doesn't help to get relationships.
Before she met Marian, Elsa never knew she was attracted to women.
She was always away from anyone, afraid first that if she became friend with someone, or more intimate, this person would discover her secret. She was afraid of being rejected, so, she preferred to avoid contact, even with her own sister. Then, after she showed her powers to everyone, she was afraid to loose control on her power.
But now, this fear was gone, and Elsa was looking at Marian, anytime she could, and she was beginning what Anna told her about how it felt to be in love, for real.
§§§§
"Marian, you're okay ? Robin asked her, after the young woman came back to the Merry Men camp. You seem to be... I don't know, kind of strange... awkward... It looks like you're not really here."
And she looked at her friend, smiling in an almost absent and pensive way.
Four months passed since their encounter, and Marian was more and more liking Elsa... Maybe too much to just consider her as a friend.
And it was a thing she had to admit, and who was better than her best friend to help her figure things out ?
"Robin, I think I'm in love."
His friend started, surprised by the new, before a great smile appeared on his face.
"Oh, really ? With who ?
- Someone you don't know. Her name is Elsa, she is the queen of Arendelle."
He frowned.
"Arendelle ? The frozen kingdom ? The kingdom whose queen has ice powers ?
- This one.
- And... what are you going to do ? Begin a relationship with her ? Go with her to Arendelle ?
- I don't know Robin, I have no idea of what to do now... I still didn't tell her."
Seeing his friend's worried look, the outlaw took her hands, and squeezed them, giving her a confident smile.
"Then, you should. And if you want to go with her and leave the Merry Men, Marian, I won't stop you. Because all I want is your happiness, and you deserve this."
She smiled.
"Thanks Robin."
She didn't tell him that Elsa was supposed to go back to Arendelle the day after.
§§§§
"Elsa, you clearly want to stay !
- Of course ! Here, I found people like me, with powers, I found friends like Belle, Snow and David, so yes, I would like to stay in this realm. But Anna, I already told you, I am a queen, and I must rule my kingdom. We are gone since already four months, and even if we do send letters to Arendelle, the regent, and Kristoff, it doesn't mean I can stay here forever.
- This is not what I mean Elsa... I was talking about Marian."
Elsa blushed immediately, thinking about the woman she finally admitted that she loved.
"I don't know what you're talking about, sis, she denied"
Anna raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Your love for Marian, of course ! Don't tell me this is not true.
- I... She is my friend, that's all ! Protested Elsa, trying to be the most convincing possible. And according to her sister's look, it clearly didn't work.
- Yes... But you would want her to be more, right ? Elsa... Do you remember our conversation ?"
The queen sighed. Of course she did.
Three weeks before.
"Elsa, tell me... Do you intend to marry someone one day ? Not for political reason, but... is there anyone in the people we know that you would want to marry ? For love, I mean.
- Well... No Anna, I don't think so, the queen answered, not wanting to talk about her not-so-really-and-maybe-more-than-just-that- crush on Marian."
After that, her sister gave her some names of men she may wanted to be with, and, as her sister said no any time, Anna began to understand why she had been wrong. And she smiled when she saw her sister blush when she abruptly gave a woman name through all the other.
"Elsa, she asked her sister, are you... are you attracted to women ?"
Silence settled between them, until Elsa admitted :
"Yes... Yes, I am."
And her sister just smiled to her.
"Alright... Then, I guess the wedding will be a little different, but also really passionate to organize, just like mine will be.
- Anna ! There will be no wedding !
- Or you say so... She said with a smirk, remembering how her sister looked at Marian, and how this one looked at her in return. Remember our cousin, after all, she married a woman."
Elsa smiled and felt a warmth in her heart, realizing how much understanding and accepting her sister could be.
"Shut up, she said while laughing. Because, anyway, there will be no wedding.
- We will see that..."
Present day.
"This was not an innocent question. I already noticed the way you looked at Marian. This is how I myself look at Kristoff. You're in love with her, Anna affirmed.
- Yes. Maybe I am.
- Of course you are !
- Anna, we are coming home tomorrow, and I am not going to see her again. So, please, don't make this be harder than it already is !
- Then, ask her to come with you.
- Anna, I just can't. I just can't ask her to come with me and leave everything she knows for a woman she met just four months ago. I can't ask her to do something I know that I wouldn't do if she asked me to. Because I can't leave Arendelle, I can't let everything behind, and I know that she can't too. I don't have the right to ask her to sacrifice her life here, just to follow me in a place she knows nothing about."
Anna just smiled.
"You really love her, Elsa, don't you ?"
You have no idea, the queen thought.
§§§§
"Anna told me about you and Marian.
- Since how many time does Anna talk to you about my sentimental life, aunt Ingrid ? Well, I shouldn't say sentimental life, I should just say crush. By the way, there is nothing to say about it.
- Well, the princess answered her, I may be not the best person to talk about it, as I have no experience in this kind of things, but well, according to what she told me, this is more than just a crush."
Elsa frowned.
"What do you mean by no experience ? You were never in a relationship with someone ?
Ingrid just shrugged.
"No. I never was interested in this sort of things. Before, in Arendelle, I thought that I was just afraid by people, afraid by what they could do to me if they discovered the truth, who I really was. But I realized, here, in the Enchanted Forest, that I just didn't want to have any romantic relationship. This is just... not my thing. But we are not here to talk about me. What about your feelings for Marian ?"
The queen smiled.
"She makes me laugh, like Anna, or Kristoff, but when I look at her, I feel something different for her than I do for them. She is... her. It is the first time I feel something that powerful for anyone. I mean... I had some crushes when I was younger, but this... it's stronger than any of them. I love her Ingrid.
- Do you want her to follow you back home ?
- Yes ! But... this is so new, and I still don't know what she feels for me, and as I told Anna, I can't ask her to do that for me, that would be unfair to ask her to choose between me and her home.
- Then, send her letters, when we are back to Arendelle. Begin a correspondence with her, and you will see if your relationship continues to be as strong as she is now.
- Thanks for your advice aunt Ingrid."
§§§§
It was terribly hard to say goodbye. Oh, of course, on both sides, there were promises that they would visit each other (because yeah, Elsa didn't only say goodbye to Marian), which was, indeed a diplomatic victory (as the people in question were royals, as Snow and David).
But when Elsa said goodbye to Marian, and it was the last one to who she said this, she asked her to write and send her letters frequently, a thing the young outlaw immediately accepted to do.
Marian didn't tell this to Elsa, but she was relieved to know that she was not going to loose her, as she thought she would.
Some days later.
Elsa,
I don't know if you're already back to Arendelle (in fact, I have no idea of how many time the travel to Arendelle lasts), and I don't know in how many time you will receive this letter. But I wanted to write to you, just to tell you that I miss you, even if you're not here just since a little time.
Tell me, how many time do you think you will stay in Arendelle ? I know you were gone from your kingdom for four entire months, but I just wanted to know if you wanted to go back to the Enchanted Forest soon, for a diplomatic visit, for example.
If it is the case, just tell me. I hope things are good for you in Arendelle. The little Roland, Robin's and Regina's son, that you saw some times, is growing up just as my love for you*, and he is really a cute child. For us, everything is right and good, except that I miss you too much, I wish you never left, I love you Elsa.
I'm sorry I don't have anything to tell you, but nothing really important or interesting happened these last times. In fact, for me, now that you're gone, nothing is interesting anymore.
Please don't forget me. Please, write me as frequently as you can. I know you're a queen, and that you're going to be really busy when you're back to Arendelle, but I don't want you to forget me I really want our friendship not to disappear.
Your friends who misses you,
Marian.
§§§§
Hello Marian,
I'm still on the boat to Arendelle, but I did receive your letter, and thank you for writing this one. Don't worry, I will try as much as I can to take time for you, to continue our correspondence. I am not going to forget you.
I have no idea of how things are in Arendelle, well, I received a message from the regent who is replacing me since I left. Apparently, Hans (again) tried to invade Arendelle, maybe thinking that as I was not here for a time, it would be easier to do it.
(The idiot.)
But apart this incident, everything is fine.
Except me. I thought that leaving you would make what I feel for you less strong, less vivid, but it's not. I love you Marian. I hope that, one day, I will be able to write you this, for real. To tell you properly how I feel.
The travel is quiet, and Anna is really excited to come home, because she will finally be able to organize her wedding with Kristoff (who, I am sure, is as excited as she is). Moreover, she didn't see him since four months, even if they did write letters to each other. Just as we do. Does this mean we are in a relationship ? No. Right now, no, we are not. I hope that one day, it will mean this.
I hope one day... I hope that, one day, I will stop being alone.
I don't think I will be able to write you in the future days, as I will have a lot of things to do.
But I will try, I promise you.
Goodbye.
Your friend,
Elsa.
§§§§
Hello Elsa,
I know I didn't write you since a long time, but as you told me you wouldn't have time for me to write me anything, I decided to wait a little. Even if it was difficult, because my queen, I still miss you.
What about the wedding ? Are your sister and her fiance finally married ? I remember her talking about her dear Kristoff, about how they met, how much she loved him... Just as I love you. If the answer is yes, then they have all my congratulations, and I hope they will be happy.
And what about you ? I guess that now, you're all back. So, how are things in Arendelle ? How are you ? I guess that now that you have the perfect control of your powers, no one is afraid of you anymore. And I guess you must have a lot of suitors. I know I should not be jealous, but I can't help but be.
I still miss you.
Marian.
§§§§
Marian,
Thanks for your letter, and sorry for being so long to answer to this one.
Yes, Anna and Kristoff are now married, and happy, in fact, they are now in their honeymoon. And I feel quite alone now especially without you. Even if Ingrid is here, with me. In fact, she is ruling with me now, on my side, with the help of the regent too.
You know, I am still an apprentice here, I have still to learn some things about what it is to be a queen, and thanks to them, I can do this.
I am happy. Alone, but happy, even if I miss you.
Sorry if this letter is so short, but I have nothing else to tell you.
In fact, I have some other things I wish I could tell you. If I did, well, there are things I would tell you, things I can't tell you, not right now.
Oh, by the magic, I am so confused...
Sorry for this.
I miss you, so much, too much, I am afraid. I am afraid of missing too much, I'm afraid I love you too much.
I want you to come here, in Arendelle.
Do you think you will come here to visit my kingdom ?
I hope you will.
Elsa.
§§§§
Other months passed, and other letters were exchanged.
Marian came to visit Elsa, twice, and they both understood that they were hopelessly in love with the other woman.
Of course, they told nothing about it.
Until they did.
§§§§
It's a normal day, a normal letter, that Elsa is writing, a letter full of banalities (and Elsa can't count the number of times where she crossed what she wrote out and where she had to rewrite her letter entirely. Because her hands were faster than her thoughts, because she was unconsciously writing the truth she was hiding), and suddenly, she can't pretend anymore that she feels nothing.
She can't continue to pretend, she can't lie to herself, lie to Marian.
She has to tell her.
So, she takes another paper, another letter, and she only writes :
I love you Marian.
And she sends this one, hoping she will have an answer which won't be negative.
She hopes she will not lose Marian.
§§§§
Marian receives the letter, reads it, and immediately, her heart begins to beat fast, too fast, and she smiles.
She doesn't answer, but she does something else, she acts.
She goes to Arendelle, to tell the queen how she feels about her, to tell her she wants to go to Arendelle, definitely, to stay with her.
To live with her.
She goes there, and she runs into the queen's arms, who is surprised by her presence, of course, but also surprised by what Marian does next.
She kisses her, on her lips, and Elsa is too happy to reply to this one.
And then, the young woman and former outlaw tells her :
"I love you Elsa.
And Elsa's smile is so, so bright and happy.
- I love you too Marian."
§§§§
One day, Marian asks Elsa to marry her.
And she says yes, of course, and realizes her sister had been right.
There will be a wedding.
* These parts don't appear in the letters.