Author's Note: Sorry of this chapter runs fast. First chapters are the hardest to write. I also apologize if I make the characters OOC. I try to keep them true. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it.
The sound of music, dancing, and people conversing play in Elsa's ears. For the first time in forever, she's finally attending a party; it's the celebration of her becoming the new Queen of Arendelle. It's going to be hard to follow in her parents' footsteps, but she will give it her best and make them proud. Despite being unprepared, she'll prove of being worthy of carrying the title.
She takes a deep breath, rubbing her arm. There's so much pressure: running a kingdom, making mother and father proud, taking care of Anna and to mend their relationship, and keeping her magic a secret. One wrong move, and everyone will know. No one mustn't, not even her own sister, for there could be devstating results.
Elsa sees her sister walking toward her, holding a hand of a man she hasn't met before. The queen tilts her head. Who is this newcomer?
Soon, the two of them stand in front of her. Anna takes a few breaths while the man just smiles.
"Hello, Elsa, or should I call you 'your majesty'?" Anna asks. "Maybe you prefer 'queen' or even 'sister'?"
"Anna," Elsa says, putting her hands toward her, "it's fine. You may call me by my name. Now, what do you want to discuss?"
"Right." She sways her head then gestures her hands to the man beside her. "Elsa, this is Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."
"Congratulations on becoming the new queen, your majesty," he says with a nod.
"Thank you, Prince Hans," says Elsa, holding her hands.
"We have something big to ask you," Anna says. "It would make me, well, us, very happy"- she embraces him and giggles- "if you would grant your blessing to allow us to marry."
Elsa blinks. "What?" She looks at Hans, almost inspecting him. He seems to be kind with that smile but there's no happy lines around his eyes. "Anna, how long have you known this man?"
"Um..." She rubs her neck then shrugs. "Today." She holds up her hands. "I know that's not a lot of time, but I know in my heart that Hans and I share true love."
The queen shakes her head. "You cannot have true love in one day. I love you dearly and want the best for you, so trust me when I say that this isn't a good idea. I won't give my blessing. It's absurd."
"But Elsa!" she starts to whine.
Hans lays a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Sweetheart," he whispers, "allow me to try." His fingertips brushes her cheek.
As Elsa furrows her eyebrows at his touch, the prince says to her, "Your majesty, even though you've just met me, I know I can prove myself worthy of marrying Princess Anna and, perhaps one day, to rule Arendelle."
He nods. "Until then, I would like to bestow my gift to you in honor of being the new queen."
She hesitates to allow him of pleading his case of Anna's hand and the possibily of him ever ruling the kingdom. He could spend the rest of his life here, and she still may not deem him good enough fo her sister. Elsa wants her sister to marry for real love, not of her naivness. And when the moment where she can no longer rule, the man by Anna's side must be right for Arendelle. Anna's heart and the kingdom cannot be in jeopardy because she's gullible and a bad judge of character.
"If you do truly love my sister, Prince Hans, which I highly doubt it, I'll allow you to plead why I should.
"As for your gift," she continues, "I thank you. I shall see it later. Right now, I wish to spend time with my sister."
Anna takes her hand, flashing a grin. "Oh, I wish you'd see his present. He brought it from such a long way. And besides, I'm sure it'll only take a moment. I'll be here, tending the guests as long as I don't have to dance with the Duke of Weseltown again." She rolls her eyes. "Why did you make me dance with him? You know he's not a good dancer."
The queen chuckles then touches her braided hair. "Okay, if it makes you happy that I see it,"- she nods once- "then I will." Turning to the prince, she says, "Alright, you may lead me to your gift."
He smiles. "Splendid. Please, follow me."
Horns go off, signaling the queen is about to leave. The people part and reveal a path in the middle of the room. Elsa grins at them as they walk down the path then leaves the room.
In the hallway are torches, a suit of armor, and portraits of previous generations of the royal family. They hear the party continuing, the music and laughter as well. They can still smell the enticing food.
"This way, your majesty," Hans says, walking to the left.
Elsa follows. As they pass doors and doors away from the party, from everyone, her blue eyes linger on the paintings. When she comes across the picture of her parents, she stops and feels the birth of tears buring at her eyes. Her hands tingle of magic, feeling ice on them.
"Queen Elsa," he calls.
Tearing her attention away from the portrait, she nods, stopping the tingles and wiping her eyes, then enters into the room he has. It's dark inside the room. The only source of light is the moonlight that shines through the windows, revealing shadows on the walls and the hardwood floor. It's barely enough to see. Elsa's imagination teases her by making the shadows take the shape of scary faces. She realizes this room is the one that anyone hardly uses, close to abandoned. She can tell by the thick coat of dust on the junk she's able to see that's been gathered throughout the years.
Hans walks to a tall object that is covered by a white sheet. Grasping the sheets, he pulls it off with a whoosh! There stands a mirror that's taller than the both of them. It has a dark wood boarder with carved angels at the top, demons at the bottom, and the two forces clash in the middle.
Becoming fixated, Elsa goes to it. Her fingertips brushes the one of the wooden angels battling an enemy. She looks at her reflection. Some of her hair has escaped from the braid, and her face is a bit more pale than usual.
"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?" Hans asks suddenly, standing behind her.
She jumps at the sound of his voice but still faces the mirror. "Yes, it is. Quite beautiful."
"I went through a lot of trouble to retrieve it. I obstained it from Misthaven."
"Ah, I see why. It's a long way from here."
He shakes his head. "It's more than just the distance. I had to make a deal with a wizard and-" He waves his hand. "That's not important. What is important is what it can do. You see, this is no ordinary mirror. It has the magical power of transporting a person into another land."
Elsa turns to him sharply, her back to the mirror. She lifts her eyebrows.
A grin stretches wide on Hans' face. "It's true, your majesty. It works by someone to say or even think of a place then goes through the glass."
She tilts her head. "Is that so?" She turns to her head to see it then back at him. "Why are you giving it to me?"
His smile turns dark, inching himself closer. He's covering in shadows. "I'm not. I desire your throne, your kingdom, Elsa." He grabs her face and squeezes to hard, making her groan in pain. "To become king, I'm going to take you out of the picture then I'll marry your pathetic, annoying sister and be the new King of Arendelle."
She gasps then yells, "I will not let you get aw-"
Hans thinks of the land he already decided previously then pushes Elsa into the mirror.
Everything seems to be going in slow-motion to her, even though it's only a moment in time. She feels her back falling into the glass, which is actually more of a liquid like syrup and cool to the touch. As she continues to swim through it, Elsa screams, but no one will come to the rescue; they're too far away from everyone else. The screaming ends when her head passes through, and her hands are the last to go.
As soon as her body is gone, the mirror shatters then breaks into five pieces. Then the pieces disappears, traveling into the new land with the woman.
Hans chuckles, which turns into a laugh. When his laughter dies, he leaves the room then returns to the party. He spots Anna stuffing chocolate in her mouth. He twists his face in disgust then quickly smoothes over, showing a smile but doesn't reach his eyes. He cuts through the crowd, makes his way to her.
When Hans arrives at the food table, Anna turns around with cheeks full of sweets. She buries her face in her hands when she sees him. Then she holds up a finger and chews. She soon lets out a breath, her mouth now empty.
"I have terrific news, my darling," the prince says, still wearing the plastic grin. Holding her hands, he continues, "Your sister has given her blessing for us to marry."
Anna lifts her eyebrows. "Did she really?" Her voice high in excitment.
Hans cups her face and answers in a sweet tone. "I swear on my love for you, she did," he lies, but it sounds so convincing to her.
She yelps, jumping into his arms. He laughs and twirls her around.
When they parting, Anna breathlessly says, "I've got to see my sister and thank her."
His face falls. "She said she had a headache and wanted to sleep it off, but she told me to wish you good night and sorry she didn't come see you." He lifts her sad face with his finger under her chin. "Don't be so melancholy, my love. You can thank her tomorrow."
Anna sways her head. "I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am." He chuckles.