Author's Note: So this is my first fanfiction, I hope to become a better writer through this and also entertain some people in the mean time. I hope you like it! (:

-Dee

- Prologue -

She sighed, her hair the color of chestnut rippling through the fiercely bitter air. Smelling of dirt, she stomped through the thick snow and kept her arms close to her chest.
Reaching for an withering bush, her fingertips lost their feeling. And with that, she groaned but continued to pick the berries off the bush.
After picking the bush dry with violet berries close to spoiling, she spun around carefully and began on her way to the cottage. While taking tiny steps, an object slid down the side of the mountain and bopped her on the back of the head.
She cried out in pain, rubbing the back of her head gently with the little feeling that began to return to her fingertips.
She searched the snow for the object, feeling a smidgen of agitation.
Then it presented itself to her.
A shining gold crown.

- Chapter 1 -

"Anna!" Elsa cheered, "You're doing it!"

"I am?" Anna said, unsure. She glanced down at her feet, watching the ice pass under her skates. And then she remembered she couldn't look down for too long before-

"Ow!" she fell backwards, unfortunately on her back. She pressed on her lower back and sent a jolt of pain that rocketed through her like electricity.

"Anna! Are you alright?" Elsa came, gracefully gliding across the frozen water, before stopping to offer her hand to her younger sister.

"I think so... That's only the what- third time today?" Anna took Elsa's hand, cautiously lifting herself up.

"I counted four times, actually." Elsa said as Anna regained her balance.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious." Anna playfully nudged Elsa.

Elsa opened her mouth to say something but the doors to the castle halls burst open and a guard frantically hollered for Elsa to see the Royal Adviser because of 'urgent matters.'

Elsa turned to Anna and their eyebrows lowered, eyes skeptical, and mouths formed in a tight line.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Anna whispered, hoping to lift the spirits some. "You should go. It'll take some time for me to get to the Throne Room, but I'll be there as soon as I can. I promise."

Elsa nodded and skated furiously to the door. Wearing her sky blue dress that had been swiftly made for her, she hurried to the throne room. She found herself tugging on the mock turtle neck in order to get air. She was almost heaving, her lungs felt like they were going to collapse and her head suddenly ached. Her first real royal affair.
She entered the throne room, carrying unfazed posture, grace, and confidence. Those years she kept herself locked in her room didn't end up to be all for nothing. The Royal Adviser and nobles bowed their heads before her until she sat on her throne. She breathed in, knowing she had to address them first so they could speak to her.

"What is this urgent matter?" Voice shaking a tiny bit, she placed one foot behind the other and breathed in deeply again.

"Your Majesty," the Royal Adviser bowed his head quickly before he began to speak again, "there has been an resistance in a small village by the North Mountain."

"The North Mountain?" she asked, with the knowledge that this was the mountain she had built her Ice Castle on.

The adviser's eyebrow raised, and he continued on, choosing to ignore the obviousness of the Queen's uneasiness. "Yes, your Majesty, the North Mountain. There was an outbreak of townspeople who had stolen a banner we put up for your Coronation-and we apologize for that, Queen Elsa, the events that followed that evening had left us in a panic-and burned it."

Elsa's eyes widened and her grip on the armrests tightened. Her stomach drained of all feeling and her bottom lip quivered. It suddenly felt like everything she had worked for for the 13 years-barely maintaining her sanity, nearly killing Anna, keeping a poker face, losing her sister, the pain, the regret, the guilt it all seemed to flood her thinking now she couldn't-

"Your Majesty?" the adviser took a step forward, and next came a slur of "May we get you some water?" , "Are you are alright?" and "Your Majesty, are you feeling well?"

"Enough!" She bellowed.

The room became so quiet you could hear Anna softly humming in the background.

That gave Elsa some peace of mind.

"I apologize." the Queen pinched the bridge of her nose, and she suddenly forgot what it was like to touch her face, her hands, and arms without gloves on. I am Queen Elsa, she thought to herself, I am a Queen. I am strong. And I can handle this. I've gone through worse than this. I am Elsa... Elsa, you can do this.

While placing her hands back on her lap, she said. "You may continue." Although she was sure she wasn't going to like what was coming next, she wanted to know. She needed to know. Arendelle depended on her. She looked to Anna who had sneaked up to take her place to the right of her throne. Anna placed her hand on Elsa's shoulder and gave a nod of encouragement. Elsa returned the favor with a weak smile and a well-enunciated "Thank you."

"Thank you, your Majesty. Where was I? Oh, yes...they burned the banner and the resistance against your Majesty is being led by a villager who goes by the name Rane. She claims to have found a crown-we suspect your crown, which you told us you lost while residing at your Ice Castle-and also says that she is the rightful ruler for doing so. Something about a prophecy once told to her by her mother."

By this point Elsa had her head buried in her hands and Anna was rubbing soothing circles on her back. She felt defeated. Maybe I'm not meant to rule, maybe I was right to run away. Just about a week in to her reign-her real reign-and the threat of an uprising and being overthrown was already on her shoulders.

"Does her Majesty wish to continue?" he asked, seeing that Elsa was clearly not taking the news well. His gaze shifted to Anna, looking for an answer.

"Yes, continue on Gustav." the Princess said, gentle but sure.

From there the tall adviser took out a small scroll from his coat pocket and unraveled it.

Elsa whined, and Anna put her hand once again on the Queen's back, giving her the reassurance she needed but simply wasn't acknowledging. Nothing could make this better, Elsa thought.

Gustav hesitated once more before Anna told him, "We can handle it."

He took in a deep breath and began reading the characters on the thin sheet of paper.

"Hello, Your Majesty.

"My name is Rane. I was raised by my mother and father, who died this last week due to your unfortunate storm. The storm killed the plants we had nearby in a short amount of time, we could not fish because of the frozen fjord, and even after you reversed the storm that could not stop the pneumonia that consumed every last bit of life they had in themselves. And while you were throwing your fit about the horrors of having everything right at your fingertips behind those gates of yours, I found a crown that you wore at your Coronation(so I'm told) on the side of the mountain while looking for food. There was a prophecy that my mother always reminded me of from when I was a little girl to the last day of her life.

"The bitter doors will fall, and only then will the true ruler of Arendelle will be revealed to us all.

"I look forward to seeing you soon, your Majesty.

And sorry about your gates,

Rane"