Tales of the Disneyverse

The Secret of Victoria (The Gathering - Part Five)

Thirteen years I have lived in this little mountain cottage near the kingdom of Arendelle. Every night, in those thirteen years, I sleep and dream. But the dreams have not exactly been dreams anymore - not in the way that they should be. The dreams have turned into memories...memories of another life. Each dream is a new memory. Piecing them together, I have discovered in this other life I have a wife by the name of Christina, a very gorgeous woman with dark blond/brown hair, fair skin, and eyes that are as blue as mine. We have a daughter named Brandy, who grows into a woman just as gorgeous as her mother with the same eye and skin color but hair as black as mine. I have seen their faces before in the antique locket that I've kept around my neck all my life, but only at the start of these dreams have I realized who they are.

But the strangest detail in this alternate life that I live in my dreams is the fact that I'm a six-foot, five-inch African American man. It goes in complete contrast with my real identity as a Caucasian Englishwoman, who is barely near five feet, nine inches! The dreams have come so frequently now that I can hardly recognize myself when I look in the mirror. I see his face - his features. His short, curly black hair replacing my short, straight black hair. His dark brown eyes replacing my bright blue eyes. His dark skin replacing my light skin. His reflection replacing my reflection.

Even his name replaces mine in my head: Sean. Who are you, Sean? Why do you keep haunting me with your life when I sleep?

Whenever I feel like I'm losing myself in this other persona, I simply look in the mirror and repeat enough times to engrave it to my memory, "Your name is Victoria. You are a woman true and true. You live in the mountains near the kingdom of Arendelle. You are alone, but you are happy."

And I find that it works every time. I finally see that familiar young Englishwoman staring back at me, smiling.

But it gets harder and harder each time that I wake up from another memory. This life of his is nearly a nightmare in every sense of the word. He works tirelessly at this decrepit theater in a land called "Hollywood" with these creatures called "Muppets." Some of them are horrifying, some are baffling, and some are even cute in a way. I don't know exactly why he has chosen this profession for himself, but - from the way I feel what he feels in these dreams - it seems to be stressful yet enjoyable to him. These Muppet creatures are my very best friends, but my closest one goes by the name "Genevieve," a young woman with bright blond hair and stunning blue eyes. That is another name that continues to ring in my head as of late.

My life - my real life, that is - could practically be superior to Sean's in every way. Where I live, I am free from stress and work, only surrounded by the comforts of nature and solitude. My little cottage has the most magnificent view of Arendelle's entire kingdom one can imagine. Many times I have been tempted in going to Arendelle and meeting the famed princesses Anna and Elsa; but there is this insufferable need for me to stay home. It's where I'm really happy. Take today, for instance - it's the day of Elsa's coronation, and here I am enjoying my copy of The Ugly Duckling on a beautiful warm evening.

At least it was warm, until the cold snap hit.

Before I know it, a bizarre (and sudden) winter storm shot through Arendelle. A massive blizzard comes through the mountains, and I am suddenly trapped in my own home by the snow that has engulfed it. As much as I want to keep inside of my home, this isn't what I had in mind. In a matter of seconds, summer transformed to winter for no reason whatsoever. There was no warning that came with it - no time for me to prepare for the worst that has already come. There is no wood that I can start a fire with, except for my relatively small collection of wood carvings, which unfortunately isn't enough. Very soon I begin to freeze, my body practically quivering in my short-sleeved summer dress. The very best I can do is sit on my bed, bundling myself in my quilt, and hope that the blizzard passes soon.