A/N: Hey, I know I already have a story in progress but this idea just won't leave me alone.
Edit: I am going through this story and just touching up a few details, mostly just grammar and punctuation. Adding a little extra dialogue and description in some places too. This is because when I began writing this fiction I was younger and less experienced as an author and, having read through my work again recently, I was very displeased with my efforts and decided it needed a little cleaning up.
*/\-_Chapter 1_- /\*
The sun was slowly fading and just over the horizon a carriage could be seen, journeying toward the Arendellian castle. Queen Elsa, Princess Anna and Master Kristoff were seated inside having returned from a trip to Urvea, a neighbouring kingdom. Anna would rather not have gone, as would Kristoff, but the invitation specifically said that the king and queen wished to meet them too.
"I'm so glad that we're home, Urvea is so boring." Anna groaned, laying her head on Kristoff's shoulder. He laughed in agreement. The warmth of the copper-haired princess' head n his shoulder formed a smile on his lips.
"It wasn't that bad. At least we set up a trade that benefits us both." Elsa said in a half-hearted attempt at defending them. Though the trade of parchment and crops was hardly anything exciting.
"They wanted you though. They wanted a weapon of mass destruction." Kristoff said with a frown. "It's disgusting, to ask you to use your powers to hurt people." The platinum blonde had a small, sad smile on her lips. If all they saw her as was a weapon then how did other people see her? A monster? She didn't want to hurt people, innocent people. Urvea had requested her help in overtaking the Southern Isles. Assuming, that due to the rather perilous situation she and Anna had found themselves in by their prince's hands, she and her sister would have readily taken up arms beside them in a bid to destroy the southern kingdom. But Elsa herself was not bitter; Hans had received his punishment in the form of imprisonment and mandatory manual labour, his father had assured her in a letter that his son was being dealt with appropriately and profusely apologised for his horrendous behaviour.
"Please don't mention it ever again." Anna said. "Let's just agree to never go back." The trip had been fun at first. Anna loved the idea of visiting new places but all the king and queen really seemed interested in was Elsa's powers; Anna loved her sister's powers, they were beautiful, but her enjoyment of the subject quickly waned, as did Elsa's. Elsa thought it would have been a worthwhile meeting as Urvea had quite a large army and more allies was always good but, as the king and queen viewed her only as a weapon, she told them she wasn't interested in using her abilities to hurt people.
It was silent for a few minutes before the carriage pulled to a stop and Arendelle's people could be heard waiting to welcome the royals home. The three stepped out of the carriage, greeted the waiting citizens and then entered the castle, glad to be home. The cooks immediately got to work on dinner and Sven and Olaf scrambled to greet their friends, with a cheery chirp the snowman welcomed them back:
"Hi guys!"
Night engulfed the castle and blackened the kingdom. Anna and Kristoff were already asleep in their chambers. Elsa stood in the courtyard, enjoying the silence of the night and the comfort the stars brought her. She spotted a dim flame flickering at the end of the path; trying to figure out who the silhouetted person was by the stables, she called out:
"Hello? Who is that?" She prepared herself for any unwanted guests.
"I'm sorry to have scared you your majesty, it won't happen again." The shadow called back in a deep, calming tenor.
"Tomas, haven't you got a family to be getting home to?" Elsa chuckled to the horse-keeper.
"I thought I'd keep an eye on the horses tonight, it's going to be a blustery one I hear." She entered the stables and Tomas was a shadow no more, he had a lopsided smile on his face, his green eyes glowing in the dim light, framed by short ebony locks. He wore a tunic much like Kristoff's, if he were sleeping in the stables tonight he would need it. He wore beige trousers tucked into calf-length riding boots as he had taken the horses out for some exercise that afternoon. Elsa felt a smile tug at her lips,
"Your family would be much more glad of your company would they not?" She asked, finding it rather odd that he would choose to spend his evening in a chilly stable full of less than pleasant smelling horses rather than at home with his wife and children.
"Perhaps... but I still think it best I spend the evening here. What with all the racket, I wouldn't want to risk them getting distressed..." He replied, referring to the brisk winds that had been blowing all afternoon and would continue to howl all night.
"Alright then, if you think that is what's best." She turned and made to leave before adding "Goodnight Tomas." over her shoulder.
"Goodnight your Majesty." Tomas replied, his eyes dazedly fixed upon the retreating queen.
Kristoff stirred in bed. He opened his eyes and sat up with a sudden jolt of fright; Anna awoke instantly.
"Kristoff, what's wrong?" She asked, worry etched into her features.
"Go back to sleep Anna." Kristoff said, "It's just those night terrors again, nothing for you to worry about."
"This is getting out of hand. That's the fifth night this week this has happened. You have to tell me what's wrong. What are they about?" She said, concern lacing her words and worry etched into her delicate features.
"I keep having weird dreams, night terrors... whatever you want to call them, they're so real and it's scary- like a vision. It's about...it's about you." Kristoff replied, running a hand through his sweaty blonde mop.
"Me?" Anna asked in confusion, raising a brow.
"Every night, it's the same dream. Hans comes back, he gets revenge for not marrying him, he kills you... he kills Elsa. Then he takes over Arendelle and there's nothing I can do about it." He explained, the sweat dripped off his face, down his neck and onto his rugged chest. Nothing scared him more than losing his lovely fiancée or his newly acquired family, that being just Elsa and maybe you could include Olaf.
"Oh Kristoff don't be so worried. Hans is in prison for attempted regicide and he will never get out; his father made that quite clear. You should try and get back to sleep silly, I'm still here... I'll always be here." Anna smiled gently before placing her head back on her pillow. Kristoff sat up for a minute, thoughts rushing round his head, bouncing off the thick walls of his skull. Then finally, when he lay back down, he rested his hand on Anna's, who had managed to fall asleep in three seconds flat.
"I promise that nothing will hurt you for as long as I live because nothing is stronger than my love for you, I'll protect you Anna; I'll always be here too."
Just a few short hours later the queen rose with the morning sun to prepare herself for the likely arduous day ahead. Elsa graciously made her way to the window and pulled open the curtains, allowing the early morning sunlight to ignite the room with it's golden glow, setting the entire room ablaze. She spotted Tomas emerging from the stables quite a distance away, he stretched then sat on a pile of logs to clean his boots, his black hair hanging over dark green eyes. The platinum blonde knew her infatuation with the horse-keeper was bad news. He was happily married with two kids. She was a queen with a thousand and one responsibilities and he was a commoner with a family to feed, could it ever work?
No, she thought, what a ridiculous notion. But that didn't mean they couldn't be friends...right?
Tomas noticed the platinum blonde hair of the queen coming down the path, he gave a shy wave and a crooked smile. Elsa made her way toward the lonely looking horse-keeper with a cup of tea in hand.
"Good morning your Majesty, enjoying your first tea of the day, I see." Tomas said as he greeted the queen, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the blonde haired beauty.
"Actually this is for you, I thought because you had been watching the horses all night you might appreciate a hot drink. I thought I would treat you. None of the staff are about yet so I made it myself."
"Thank you, you shouldn't have." Tomas replied with a smile, accepting the cup and saucer gracefully. "It's not your duty." He added.
"You're my staff, it is my duty to make sure you are safe and looked after." Elsa gave him a stern look, she liked to make sure all of her staff were well looked after. She cast him a smile before turning and walking back to the castle. "Enjoy your tea Tomas." She called back. He watched her go, his eyes hungry and his mind wandering to a far away place.
