Chapter Text
When Elaine was born everyone thought she was a weird baby. One minute she’d be wailing her little lungs out and the next she’d be cool as a cucumber. This switch would be sudden, without any warning given.
When she became a toddler the situation became worse. One minute she loved the color blue and the next she despised it. She was loud, then quiet, then loud again. It was almost as if she had two personalities constantly fighting for control.
But, that couldn’t be … this was a royal baby … and how could a royal baby be anything but perfect.
So Elaine was kept inside, away from the other children until she could be taught not to indulge in such undignified episodes. In her room, she was taught the “truth”. Her favorite color was blue, she liked silk dresses, she enjoyed her hair straightened, and she was the perfect royal fairy, destined to replace her brother as the protector of the fountain of youth once he retired.
When she became a tween, she realized that a part of her liked all those things, but another part did not. She’d gotten so used to just repeating what was said to her she hadn’t actually thought about it. Now she was.
Laying in her bed one night she finally acknowledged the second voice in her head.
“Hello,” Elaine spoke into the empty room.
“...h-hello?” said a voice in her head.
“Why are you in my head, it's mine, not yours.”
“Well, I’ve been here for as long as I can remember so maybe you’re in my head.”
“No, it has to be my body. I have control over it, see” Elaine raised her hand and then dropped it back down.
“I can do that too” Elaine’s leg moved up and down without her permission, freaking her out.
“Ok stop I get it, so it must be our body then.”
“I suppose so, a shared body is better than no body.”
That night Elaine and the voice grew close. They spoke all night, laughing and sharing everything with each other. Elaine learned that the voice’s favorite color was lavender, that they liked wool sweaters, and they preferred their hair in tight, fluffy, curls. Much different from herself.
As Elaine was about to fall asleep she asked the voice what their name was.
“I don’t know, I thought my name was Elaine for a while, but now that doesn’t seem right”
“What do you want your name to be?”
“How about (y/n)”
“(y/n) … what a lovely name.”
That night Elaine dreamed of a body housing two distinct souls. One of the souls appeared to be sitting in a vast void of white staring out of a single window. A soul with dark skin, a plump figure, and the prettiest cloud of dark hair sitting atop their head.