Prologue: 1826, 14 years before Elsa's Coronation
King Agdar of Arendelle sighed as he looked out the window to the three small children frolicking in the courtyard below. Two young brunette boys chased after a small redheaded girl while simultaneously flinging snowballs in her direction. As the three children ran out of his line of sight, Kind Agdar focused his attention to a fourth child: his eldest daughter, Princess Elsa. She was sitting cross-legged in the snow, a short distance from where the other children were playing. He couldn't help but admire the young princess, who despite being seated on a pile of snow, still looked like the graceful young princess she was. Princess Elsa took to her etiquette lessons like a fish to water, and it showed in everything she did. He swelled with pride as he imagined what a great Queen she would someday be. Suddenly, Elsa's eyes shot up, and a huge, toothy smile spread across her face. King Agdar followed her line of sight across the courtyard. What he saw there elicited a smile from himself as well; Princess Anna, his youngest daughter at only four years old, had turned the tables on the two boys who were chasing her. They ran as fast as they could from the feisty young princess who was intent on chasing them down and presumably hitting them with the large ball of snow she now carried. The King chuckled quietly, although his happiness did not last very long. His youngest reminded him of the unfortunate business he was currently attending to, and his mind began to wander down less pleasant paths.
Suddenly, he heard a gruff voice in the distance and he began to remember that his study was occupied by another.
"-the best for our kingdoms, and more importantly, our children." The man stood up and cleared his throat loudly when no response was received. "Hello, Agdar! Are you in there, old friend?" This brought the king back from the depths of his mind.
"Ahem. Forgive me, my friend. I was distracted." The King said.
His guest, now standing next to him, looked down into the courtyard, taking in the site that King Agdar was observing.
King Fredrik of Ørnhavn let out a low, rumbling laugh. "Looks like your Anna is already prepared to handle my son!" He watched as Princess Anna tackled both boys and proceeded to stuff their coats full of snow. "Make that sons!" King Fredrik remarked.
"Anna is a strong young girl." King Agdar replied with a grin. "She has always been able to handle herself, even against the greatest adversity."
His grin turned to a frown as quickly as it had appeared. King Fredrik noticed this.
"Agdar, we've been friends a long time, and our Kingdoms allies even longer. I understand your reluctance; in fact, I share it. I worry about my sons as much as you worry about your daughters." Fredrik moved to a shelf near the roaring fireplace and poured two glasses of Scotch. Handing one to Agdar, he continued.
"You and I both know that this is necessary, as awful as it may seem now. And you are the only person on this Earth that I trust with this deal. Of course, my advisers will say that there isn't enough to gain from this, and yours will likely agree. But they're not Kings, not rulers. Most importantly, they're not parents."
Agdar took a sip from his glass, wincing at the taste. "I feel the same way. My council has already advised against it, but I care not for what they think. Our kingdoms are strong as it is, and this deal will only make them stronger." He took another sip, this time relishing the warmth that spread over him after swallowing the deep amber liquid. "But it still seems wrong to determine the futures of our children so long before they are grown."
King Fredrik sat down in a plush leather chair in front of Agdar's desk, taking a long drag from his cigar as he did so. As he blew the smoke out, he quieted, seemingly contemplating something. He began speaking when the smoke cleared, as if it represented the fog in his mind.
"I share your sentiments. But you're forgetting that the futures of our children were decided long before they were born. It is one of the prices of royalty." Another puff from the cigar. "My Aleksander will be King of Ørnhavn, just as your Elsa will be Queen of Arendelle; it is already decided for them by the fates."
Fredrik took a sip of his scotch and sighed. "Agdar, we both know damn well that if we don't set this in stone now, then someone else, someone we can't trust, will try to weasel their way into our affairs. They will target our youngest. And while I've no doubt that Anna and Mattias can handle themselves, they will be targets for manipulation. Anna by so-called 'suitors' and Mattias by the wealthy and powerful. With this deal, we can make sure that doesn't happen. We can protect our kingdoms and our children at the same time."
Agdar ran a hand through his hair and looked down once more at his children. For a moment, he felt envious of them, so young and carefree. They did not yet know of the cruelties of the real world. He watched as all four children laughed and joked as they built a rather lopsided snowman. It was then he made up his mind.
"You're right, Fredrik. If anything, I can sign this deal with Anna's best interests in mind."
He turned and walked toward his desk, circling around Fredrik. He picked up a quill, dipped it in an ink well, and signed the document on his desk. He then melted a bit of wax onto the paper and pressed his Royal Seal next to his signature. He turned the document towards Fredrik and motioned for him to do the same.
"Anna and Mattias will thank us one day." Fredrik proclaimed as he mirrored Agdar's actions. He then handed the document back to Agdar, who took it in his hand and observed the two Royal Seals at the bottom.
"That settles it then." Agdar said, curtly. "From this moment forward, Princess Anna of Arendelle will be betrothed to Prince Mattias of Ørnhavn."
Gods forgive me...
A/N
Hi everybody! I'm CosmicSon, and welcome to my stupid fanfic! I promise the plot I came up with won't suck, but the writing might. After all, I've never written anything in my life!
So this is going to start out a little slowly plot wise, but I promise it'll get good, probably around chapter 10 or so (I've got 1-9 written, so don't worry, it won't take too long to get there). Not sure how long this'll be, but we'll find out.
It's also got established ElsAnna starting in the next chapter, so if you're cool with icest, great. If not, keep moving. Nothing to see here.
There's also no smut (yet) or violence (yet). So keep that in mind for a while.
Bear with me here folks, and thanks for reading!
