Trigger Warnings: Infant abandonment, character death
"She carries with her the curse of Winter," the troll said, looking at the baby, "If she shall live, she will nearly kill her sister multiple times. She will plunge Arendelle into eternal winter and none shall prosper. The greatest mercy you can give this child is the embrace of Death."
"There must be another way!" shouted the King, clearly rattled by the idea of killing his only daughter and the heir to his throne.
"Death is the final solution," the troll replied solemnly, "and not something we recommend lightly. We only suggest it when all other solutions would lead to great suffering. No, if you truly care for your kingdom, Elsa must die."
Clearly still rattled by the words of the trolls, the King and Queen of Arendelle travelled across the frozen countryside.
"You can't do it," said the Queen, "It isn't right. She hasn't done anything yet."
"No. She hasn't. But you heard the trolls, if we wait too long, it'll be too late. Her power grows stronger by the day and it will lash out at anyone who tries to harm her. No, we must act swiftly before it's too late. Besides, you heard the trolls. You will give me another beautiful daughter."
"How about if we just leave her here? The cold will kill her. There will be no way for her to survive, unless it's God's will. And who are we to defy God?"
"I guess you are right, my love," and they trek off the trail and hide Elsa in the underbrush. Before laying her down, the King gives his daughter one final kiss. "I wish there could be another way, my daughter," as he sets her down. The King and Queen set back off for their Kingdom, the falling snow quickly filling in their footsteps; never realizing the cold never had, and never would, bother Elsa.
And so, several hours after the King left, Oaken, coming back from a long journey of trading in a neighboring kingdom, heard the sounds of a baby girl crying just off the road. The curious man investigates and finds the young baby hidden away in the bushes.
"What's your name?" he asked the baby as he wondered what kind of monsters would leave a child to die like that. He notices a name stitched in to the blanket wrapped around the young girl.
"Elsa, no doubt name after King Agnarr's baby," he mused. "Let's get you home and warmed up," he says to the baby.
18 years later
"Grand Duke Geirrod," a servant addressed the stand-in ruler while the King was away, "We just received word from Corona. Your brother never showed to the wedding. We have a fleet of our fastest ships ready to commence a search at your command."
"Yes, do it. Find my brother. And if he isn't alive, bring back his body for a proper funeral. The least I can do for my niece is give her closure." Anna was always such an optimistic girl, but he feared the death of her parents would break her. Or if it didn't the weight of a kingdom would.
"Elsa, come here," Oaken yelled to his adopted daughter.
"Yes, Papa?" she asked, skating across the lake to where he was standing.
"What have I told you about playing before doing your chores?"
"Papa, I'm 18. I'm old enough to be running my own life."
"Yes, you're 18. But you are still living in my house. Until you find a husband and get a place of your own, you will follow my rules."
"Yes, Papa," she said, taking off her skates. As she walked across the summer grass, the pond behind her melted to its original state.
6 years later
Anna's coronation ceremony had gone off without a hitch. And now the Queen of Arendelle walked in to her throne room to hear the worries of her subjects. "My Queen, you look as beautiful as ever today," Grand Duke Geirrod, the former regent ruler, said.
"Thank you, uncle. Won't you stay and help me? It is my first time, and believe I may need some council."
"Of course, Queen Anna. But I can only offer my advice. You must take charge. Your subjects must see you as the legitimate ruler and not as a puppet. I have no wish to be the man behind the curtain."
"Presenting Earl Quail of Highwater and Baron Kandor of Eaglecliffe!" the Herald called out.
"My Queen," the Earl kneeled.
"My Queen," the Baron followed suit.
"Rise, and tell me your reason for visit."
"Yes, my Queen," the Baron said, "As you know, Eaglecliffe is as small barony inside the county of Highwater. Recently Earl Quail has unduly been raising taxes of the county that have made it increasingly difficult for the merchants of my barony to do trade."
"Your complaint has been heard. Earl, your response?"
"Yes, my Queen. The Baron is correct in the fact that I have recently raised taxes. But the raise is most justified. Bandit attack have been on the rise. Consequently, I have had to increase the number of my forces to protect my people. As you are aware, my Queen, soldiers do not come cheap. Sure, trade has become more difficult, but it would be impossible if we let the bandits rule the trade routes."
"Thank you, Earl. I am inclined to agree. Protecting the people and our trade is more important than cutting in to the profits of merchants. However, once the bandit problem is dealt with, Earl, I expect you to lower taxes to their previous rates."
"My queen," said the Grand Duke, "Our military force is currently unoccupied."
"Thank you, Grand Duke. Earl, if the bandits prove too much for your current forces, you may request assistance from us rather than further inconveniencing your people. I'm sure my men would love to stretch their feet."
"Thank you, my Queen," the Earl said.
"Thank you, my Queen," echoed the Duke. They both walked off as the Herald started announcing the next noble.
"I swear Uncle, if I have to hear once more about chickens shitting on another Gentleman's land, I'll sentence them both to death for wasting my time!"
"Anna, that language in unbefitting a ruler."
"You're right, of course, Uncle. But it is just so infuriating."
"It is. But it is your duty as ruler to listen to the complaints of the Nobility and resolve them. If it was all balls and banquets, why I wouldn't have nearly as many grey hairs. But the land would soon fall into ruin and anarchy. But you resolve any problems the Nobility might have, and in return the Nobility resolve any problems the common people might have."
"I understand Uncle," Anna replied placing her head on the Grand Duke's shoulder. "I just think that doing this day in and day out might suck the fun out of life. It might change who I am."
The Grand Duke said nothing. There was nothing he could say. He feared the same thing.
"Elsa, come here," Oaken called for his daughter.
"Yes, Papa? Are you hungry? Or perhaps you need to use the bathroom?" Oaken had fallen very sick and was unable to do much of anything. His usually strong body had grown weak and he had grown very thin. His face was as pale as the snow.
"No, daughter. I need to talk to you. Please sit down." He gestured towards the plain wooden chair sitting next to the bed. Elsa sat down and smoothed her dress.
"I am not your father."
"Has the sickness got your mind Papa? Of course you are."
"No, I'm not. At least not by blood."
"Is that all Papa? I knew that. We look nothing alike, after all. But you are still my father."
"Yes, of course. But I must tell you the story of how I found you. It was winter. I was traveling along a road and I heard a baby's cry. When I went to investigate I found you, not even a year old. I was bewildered at how you were still alive. Judging by the snow piled around you, you had been there for hours, and hypothermia should have set in long ago."
"But my powers protect me from the cold."
"Yes. I didn't know at that time you were winter's chosen child. All I knew was someone had left their child to die beside a road."
"But who would do such a thing?"
Oaken's face darkened. "You know of your namesake?"
"Princess Elsa. You said I was named in honor of the King's daughter who died shortly after I was born. It is a popular name for girls around my age."
"Yes. That is what I believed at the time. Princess Elsa hadn't yet died when I found you. She fell ill around that time, and died weeks later. Or so we were told."
"But?" Elsa could sense when her father was skeptical.
"It was all too big a coincidence. I find a child left to die bearing the name of the princess, then the princess falls ill and dies? The ceremony was closed casket. Rare for a member of the royal family. They claim the illness made her unsightly, and to have her on display would be in poor taste."
"It sounds like you were looking for answers where there were none to be found, Papa."
"Maybe. But then you grew. I saw your features. Elsa, please be a dear and get my journal."
"Here, Papa," she said handing him the leather-bound tome. She had never looked in it, of course. She could never invade her father's privacy like that. The journal contained his inner-most thoughts. Those thoughts were meant to be shared as a gift, not taken like a thief.
Oaken opened the tome and pulled out a newspaper clipping and handed it to her. She recognized the article immediately. It was from six years ago. The King's ship had been found at the bottom of the ocean. The bodies had been recovered, along with some of the more important artifacts.
"What does this mean?"
"Look at the portraits."
Elsa did. She had never really looked at the portraits of the royal family before. Sure, she had seen them before, but she had never really studied them. As she did, she noticed things. The King's eyes were her eyes! The Queen's nose was her nose! She even wore her hair in a similar style to that of the queen.
"Why are you telling me this now, Papa?"
"Look at me, Elsa. My body is failing. I only have days left in this world. Before I went, I thought you should know the truth."
Elsa's mind was spinning as she prepared for bed. If she was not just an Elsa, but rather The Elsa, that meant something. She was the eldest daughter of the late King and Queen. It meant her claim to the throne was stronger than that of the current Queen, Anna. After all, Elsa hadn't been disowned by the family. They only faked her death. But why? Those thoughts carried her to sleep.
In the morning she got up and made breakfast. Eggs for herself, and some chicken broth for Oaken. She shook the giant of a man gently to wake him, but he did not stir. "Papa," she said as she shook him harder. Still he did not stir. He was so peaceful, it did not even appear like he was breathing. She gasped! He wasn't breathing!
"Papa," she sobbed into his lifeless body. Sadness overtook her, a sadness that was slowly overtaken by anger. If she had her rightful place as Queen, Oaken wouldn't have had to die. She could have had the best doctors and access to far better medicines then a commoner could ever have afforded. No, the death of Oaken was the fault of her parents, the late King and Queen. And, of course, the imposter, Queen Anna.
"Rest peacefully, Queen Anna. Your sister is coming for you. You and your false throne."
A/N: This takes place in an alternate timeline where King Agnarr consults the trolls shortly after Elsa's birth. I tried to keep the characters the correct ages. Meaning that Anna will be 22, since her coronation needs to have happened a year prior, and Elsa will be 25 by comparison.
The characters will need to have radically different personalities for this story to work. Hopefully I've done a good job of explaining those personalities.
Some might think Elsa's change is forced. While it is true that her arguments don't make logical sense (if she hadn't been left for dead, she would have never cared about Oaken in the first place), Elsa was always shown as impulsive. She locks herself in her room and tries to repress her powers because of an accident. Then she runs away from her own coronation for no good reason. Furthermore, when someone is struck with grief, such as the loss of a loved one, they aren't exactly known for making sound decisions. And once Elsa has put her mind to something, she sees it through. She is quite stubborn.
Grand Duke Geirrod is an original character. The King's name, Agnarr, comes from Norse mythology, as one of the two sons of King Hraudung. The other being name Geirrod.
It is feasible that any relation the King had would be Regent until the heir of the King became of age (21, if we go by Elsa's age in the movie). In fact, in an interview with Scriptnotes, Jennifer, the writer and director of Frozen, said she wrote a regent she wanted to be voiced by Louis C.K. But the character ultimately got cut from the script.
The Grand Duke is an honest and truly good man. In a world full of traitors and back-stabbers, I wanted someone who could act as a moral compass. Unfortunately, Anna isn't paying attention to the map and all roads lead south for Elsa.
THERE ARE MANY DIFFICULT CONCEPTS IN THIS STORY. IT IS NOT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN. It is rated T for a reason. I don't think many under 13 would be able to appreciate or fully understand this story. Furthermore, there will be trigger warnings and the top of each chapter that needs them. Though this story will not get overly graphic, there are some sensitive topics.