It was a beautiful summer night. A small ship rocked gently across the waves while the moon beamed down, the ocean reflecting its soft light. In one of the cabins of the ship, a young couple sat, eating dinner.

"Are you okay? You've hardly touched your food." Rapunzel said, putting her silver down next to her plate.

She and her husband, Eugene, were embarking on a royal trip to witness the coronation of Princess Elsa in the kingdom of Arendelle.

"I'm fine." he responded, poking a corn with his fork.

"C'mon. Usually you gobble up your food in an instant, what's stopping you now?"

Sighing, he leaned back in his seat. "It's just that…we've never been to Arendelle before and I just feel a bit uneasy with your condition and-"

"Eugene, I'll be fine!"

"I know, but I just can't help worrying."

"It'll only be for a few days. Just some coronation business then we'll leave. Plus, I hear Arendelle's really beautiful in the summer."

"I suppose…And it's not like it's going to snow!"

They laughed together for a good long while, and Eugene's worried heart settle for a little bit. But once he looked back to his wife, his stomach sank down to his toes.

Seeing his uncomfortable look, Rapunzel took his hand in hers.

"Trust me," she said, "you'll be glad we came."

Once they made it into the port, it was already the next morning. The town of Arendelle buzzed with activity as everyone prepared for the coronation. Upon seeing the joyous and exited faces all around, Eugene's heart softened a little bit.

Though, no one could see Princess Elsa until the coronation, so everyone was a bit eager to get to the chapel. Unfortunately, Rapunzel and Eugene got there a bit late, so they had to sit way far in the back.

It was hard to see, but Rapunzel was excited just the same. And finally, it was time for the ball celebrating Queen Elsa's ascension to the throne. When the music started, Rapunzel practically dragged Eugene out to dance, not caring if neither of them knew the steps.

Finally after a while of aching feet and bright smiles, the pair got the opportunity to meet Queen Elsa. They bowed elegantly to her as she displayed a gentle curtsy.

"Welcome." the Queen said.

"Thank you for having us. It's a wonderful party. And congratulations on becoming the next Queen of Arendelle." Rapunzel beamed brightly at her.

"Thank you. I take it you are Rapunzel of Corona?"

Rapunzel's face turned a deep shade of red. "Oh! Yes, sorry for not introducing myself."

Elsa giggled. "It's quite alright. I knew who you were from the sun symbol."

"Well, this is my husband, Eugene Fitzherbert." Rapunzel gestured to the man beside her, who bowed again to the queen.

"Is your kingdom doing well?" Elsa said, after Eugene rose.

"Yes," Rapunzel continued, "everyone's got the jitters. Me most of all though."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Eugene took a step closer to his wife and put an arm around her.

"Let's just say in a certain amount of time, we'll have a new heir!" he said.

"You're…pregnant?"

Rapunzel nodded excitedly. "Yup! It's not showing quite yet, but we found out about a week ago."

"Oh, well congratulations! Ha-have you decided on any names yet?"

Eugene smiled. "If it's a boy, we're naming him Flynn."

"What if it's a girl?"

Eugene rolled his eyes a bit, but Rapunzel just shrugged her shoulders.

"We haven't decided yet." she said. "He doesn't like any of the ones my mom or I picked out."

Elsa chuckled at them. "Well, good luck to the both of you."

They gave a slight bow again, and then returned to the party. As they stood by the snack table, they somehow got onto the subject of baby names again. Unfortunately, it wasn't going too well.

"What's wrong with 'Zelda'?" Rapunzel said, popping a chocolate truffle in her mouth.

"It's just so weird! I don't want to be outside calling out a name like 'Zelda'."

"Well some people think it's a really nice name."

Suddenly they heard a loud voice rise above the rest. It was Princess Anna, but she seemed upset somehow. Straining his neck to see above the crowd, Eugene could see she was talking to Queen Elsa.

"Why do you shut me out?" the princess said. "Why do you shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?"

"I said, ENOUGH!" Elsa yelled. Unexpectedly, she threw back her hand and a burst of ice erupted from it. There were screams and cries from the crowd, and everyone backed away in fear. Though Elsa appeared more frightened than the rest, and quickly she turned away and ran.

Some people ran after her, trying to stop her, but mostly everyone stayed inside.

Bewildered and frozen, Eugene and Rapunzel absorbed what just happened.

"…Well, at least it didn't come out of her hair!"

"Eugene!"

Soon after the most magical and unexpected thing happened. In the middle of summer, it began to snow and the fjord froze over. While everyone was trying to stay warm in their summer clothes, a man named Prince Hans went through the castle, looking for blankets and supplies to give to the people of Arendelle.

"Alright, anyone who can help, please come with me and distribute these." Hans said, handing piles of blankets and wood to those who volunteered.

Eugene stood, ready to help, but just as he was about to leave, he found his wife following him.

"You stay here." he said, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Eugene, I told you I'll be fine." she said, wrapping a spare cloak around herself.

"It's better that you stay warm."

"I am warm! Come one, don't tell me you're going to keep me locked up in here."

A pained look overcame his face, but he knew how much she hated being locked indoors.

"Oh, alright. Let's go."

They spent the next moments passing out blankets and cloaks while directing some to the castle for warmth. Despite the unexpected freezing weather, Rapunzel was her usual cheery self, and seemed to enjoy being outdoors. Soon she found herself wandering away from her husband and exploring the town.

Unfortunately Eugene didn't even see her leave, and he began to look around for her frantically. He looked through the streets and stretched over people's heads, but he didn't see her. Suddenly, someone poked his back.

"Buy some matches sir?" said a small voice.

He turned around, startled, and saw a little girl, no older than ten standing before him with a small box of matches. Her clothes looked ragged and her face was dirty, but she had a soft smile and bright eyes. Looking down, he saw her feet were red and bare.

"Do you have any shoes?" he said.

"No, but I don't need them. Buy some matches?"

He looked a bit confused as he felt the chilly air speed up his spine and his breath fog up his sight.

"Um, alright. Take this blanket as well."

Taking his money, she handed him a few matches, but refused the blanket.

"Oh, no. Someone else will need it. Besides, I'm used to the cold."

"Come on, no one's used to this cold yet. Here."

Before she could object, he wrapped a thick, woolen blanket around her shoulders. At first her face tightened to a grimace, but then it relaxed and she gave him her warm smile again.

"Thank you." She said.

He smiled back, but not a second went by before he heard a familiar voice calling.

"There you are! Eugene, a family's house just caved in!" Rapunzel said, running up to him.

"I'm coming!" he said. Turning back he saw the little girl walking away as she called for people to buy more matches.

The day continued on, and after many hours of clearing snow from a home and more passing of cloaks and blankets, Eugene finally convinced Rapunzel to go back in the castle to sleep.

At dusk, an animal came through the Arendelle, bringing fear back to the people. The previous night when Queen Elsa fled, her sister Princess Anna chased after her on horseback, but now only the horse returned. As the citizens murmured and whispered among themselves, Prince Hans called for volunteers to search for Princess Anna.

With enough volunteers to make an army, Eugene stayed behind and watched as they rode away, all of them with weapons.

"They won't hurt the Queen, will they?" someone said next to him.

"I don't think so." He responded. Turning, he saw the voice came from the girl who sold him matches not long before. "Oh, so we meet again. Hey! Where's that blanket I gave you?"

She gave a half smile. "I gave it to a boy who was wearing a thin jacket. Even my shawl was thicker than what he was wearing."

"Yeah, but you need it too."

She sighed. "I'm beyond help. And no one deserved to be cold."

He opened his mouth to interject, but her bright smile caught him again. Quickly, she bowed to him.

"But thank you for your help, sir." Rising from her bow, she turned and began to walk away.

"Hey, wait a second!" he said, and he began to chase after her. She disappeared through the crowd, and soon there was no sign of her. Skeptically, he looked up and down the streets, trying to find her. At last, he spotted her.

She was stopped at the front of a window. Still far away, he couldn't properly see what she was staring at. Unlike the beautiful smile she gave him earlier, her face was solemn and longing. Eventually she walked away, trying to sell more matches.

Taking his opportunity, Eugene went over to the window, and behind the thin glass he saw a pair of brown, leather boots.

The next morning came, and the little girl went about her routine selling matches. She kept going up and down the streets, calling and skipping over the ice, but the snow was much deeper and not many people were out.

Finding not much else to do, the girl wandered over to a shop window. But when she rubbed the frost away, her heart sank in despair as she saw the shiny leather boots were no longer in their place.

"I figured you'd come sooner or later." Eugene chuckled from behind her. She turned to face him out of surprise, but her eyes widened larger than ever when he pulled the boots she adored from behind him.

Dreamily, she ventured over to the treasured shoes and separated her tiny fingers to touch them, but she retreated her hand.

"I can't accept that." She said, shaking her head.

"Well, they're already bought and they definitely won't fit me." Eugene chuckled. She smiled again, and gently putting them down, he swooped her up so she could sit at the edge of the window. Carefully, he slipped her cold feet into a pair of socks he found in the castle and laced the boots around them. "There! Shoes fit for a princess!" he exclaimed.

She held her breath as she got down, feeling the tight leather settle around her legs. As her feet sank into the snow, she giggled and ran around, creating new footprints.

"Thank you."

Smiling at her, he offered a hand. "Come on, now. Let's go sell your matches to keep others warm."

Taking his hand, she skipped and hummed as they ventured through the snow. Par his suggestion, they went door to door, hoping to sell more. But many became fearful of the unusual winter, and kept their doors shut tight.

"So who do you live with?" Eugene said as they walked through a small neighborhood.

"No one. My family died long ago." She said, but her voice has little signs of sadness.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. My mom loved and cared for me, but she died when I was only five. My grandmother took care of me after that, but then she fell ill and died too."

"What about your father?"

"I never knew him. He died or ran away before I was born."

"Sorry…"

"It's fine. What about you? Are your parents back home?"

"I'm actually an orphan too. They died when I was really little."

"The King AND the Queen?"

He gave a hearty laugh. "No. My wife's the princess of our kingdom. I married into the royal family."

"Oh…what's your wife like?"

"She's probably the kindest, sweetest person to ever walk this earth."

"Is she pretty?"

"Beautiful."

As the day went on, Eugene noticed the air began to get heavier and the wind blew harder.

"Wind's getting stronger. We should head towards the castle."

A bit fearful, the girl shook her head. "No, I can't go there."

Squeezing her hand, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, there's plenty of room."

But she pulled her hand away and started to walk backwards. "No…I can't."

He paused for a bit, trying to reason why she wouldn't go. "Well, do you have a home?"

Biting her lip, she looked down and kicked at the snow. Sighing, he nodded. As an orphan, one had only two options: Live in the orphanage or live on your own. After years in his own orphanage, Eugene had run away to start his life as a young thief. But there was one thing he couldn't excuse.

"Why can't you go in the castle?"

She stopped shuffling in the snow, but she still didn't want to meet his eyes. "I don't want to go."

Just then the wind picked up. Rubbing his arms, Eugene looked up to find any place they could find rest. Suddenly he picked her up and carried her to a small alleyway. It was well sheltered, so there wasn't much snow, but it was still plenty cold. With her sitting in his lap, he wrapped his arms and cloak around her.

"What are you doing?" she said as he moved.

"Just like how I can't force you to go inside, you can't force me either. I'll stay here with you."

"But you'll freeze."

"I'll be fine. And besides, you don't have that blanket I gave you."

But as the minutes ticked away, the snowfall turned into a heavy blizzard that blew right through their bones. A shiver went through Eugene's entire body, and in desperate attempt, pulled the girl closer. Feeling his shiver, an idea came to her.

Struggling to move, she pulled out one of her precious matches, and struck it against the wall.

"Don't waste your precious merchandise." Eugene said, trying hard not to make his teeth chatter.

"But look." She said, holding it close to his face. "If you watch the flame, you can almost feel the heat of a roaring fireplace."

Doing as she commanded, he watched the tiny flame. Studying it, he became immersed in her fantasy, and soon he could feel warmth all around him. For a split second, it seemed like he could see a piping hot stove steaming with heat.

But the dream was cut short, and the match died. Immediately, the girl struck another, and as it flickered and waved, she tried to bring it as close as she could to the both of them.

"Can't you just imagine a lovely table with all kinds of food?" she said.

This time he closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of a home-cooked meal fresh out of the oven. But when he opened them again, the feast disappeared and the chills filled his body once again. And as she struck one more he said to her softly,

"What is it this time?"

"A lovely Christmas tree, with lights, ornaments and the brightest star to ever shine sitting on the top."

Just as the soft light died down, the snowstorm seemed to disappear. The wind died, but the snowflakes that fell before hung in the air as if time itself froze. There was a heaviness in the air that tasted bitterly of sorrow and remorse.

Eugene was just as confused as ever, and cautiously he got up, the girl walking next to him. Stepping out of the alley, they looked around to see the entire kingdom in the same state.

But not long after, the snowflakes began to rise. Gasping and jumping at the floating flakes, Eugene looked heaven bound just as the sun began to peer through the clouds.

"Winter's disappearing." He said quietly, but just then he felt his companion jerk away from him. Looking over, he saw the little girl running as fast as her little legs could carry her toward the forest.

"Hey! Wait!" he called, running after her.

She ran faster and faster, giving no signs of slowing. Eugene's breath only quickened, but even as he chased after her he couldn't help but notice the beauty of the changing seasons from winter to summer. With every step they took, more snow and ice rose into the sky to reveal the luscious green grass and dark trees.

But his distraction didn't do him much good, and he soon lost her. He kept running, hoping to find a sign of her, but soon all he found was a small stone with her boots sitting in front of it.

He came upon it out of breath, but bending over he could see a small mark on the stone.

"She is at peace." Said a voice behind him.

Turning, he caught his breath as his eyes fell upon as rather strange creature. If it weren't for the eyes, he would've mistaken it as a rock. But whatever it was, it had the rough skin of a rock and hair like straw. Around its neck were beautiful glowing crystals and moss that acted much like clothing.

"What?"

"You thawed her heart." It said again. Its voice was deep and gruff, but it was also kind and gentle.

"I don't understand."

Walking over, the creature placed a hand on the rock. "This is a grave. The girl that lies here was known as the Little Matchgirl. She ventured through the town when Arendelle was still young selling matches. Whatever money she earned she spent on food, however one winter she froze to death, only being able to warm herself with her precious matches."

Eugene watched with wide eyes as he continued his tale.

"Her body was carelessly disposed of in the forest to be devoured by the beasts, but we carried her here to give her a proper burial."

Kneeling before the grave, Eugene fingered the leather boots that lay before the grave. Inside were a neatly tucked pair of socks.

"So…the girl I met was-"

"Yes, you met the Little Matchgirl's ghost." The creature nodded. "A shadow of the past that relives her death every winter." He sighed and looked up to the man. "I have to thank you."

"Why?"

"When she returned here, she did not fall to the dust as usual when winter ends. This time her spirit moved on, finally warm as she dreamed. After all, an act of true love thaws a frozen heart."

Eugene's eyebrows furrowed. "Sorry, I'm not following."

"The bitter cold of loneliness froze her heart, but by giving her something she never had, you allowed her heart to thaw and move on."

Eugene paused, then thought for a moment. "So by giving her the boots she wanted, her spirit was put at rest?"

"No…what she truly wanted costs more than any cut and stitched leather in the world. No, what she desired, was a father."

The word seemed to echo through Eugene's mind. Being a father was not a new idea to him, but now he realized what it truly meant. What responsibilities, what dangers, and what delights came from being a parent.

Standing back up, he realized he had been crying and wiped the tears from his face.

"You said she was known as the Little Matchgirl."

"Yes."

"What was her real name?"

Despite the joyous cries and laughs surrounding her, Rapunzel ran through the streets in a panic, desperately trying to find her husband. She asked many if they saw him, but no one could give her the answer she desired. Sobbing, she came to the edge of town again without a sign of him.

"Rapunzel!"

Her head shot up and as her eyes brimmed with tears of joy she embraced Eugene, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately.

"I thought you froze!" she said.

"Rapunzel…" he said quietly.

Smiling, she pulled away from him. "What is it?"

His eyes were also filled with tears, but his lips were curved into a small smile.

"I know what I want to name our daughter."

Author's Comments:

The Little Match Girl is a short story by Hans Christian Andersen. If you have not read it, I would strongly recommend it, and it's available for free everywhere on the internet. Warning: It is very sad.

I hope you enjoy this adaptation!

Feel free to ask questions and/or make critiques.

~hiddenwriterspirit