Chapter 1: Library Carrels
There's a girl in his library carrel, that's the first thing Jack notices. It's the first time he's ever seen her, and she has white blonde hair in a long, messy French braid. She's wearing a deep purple coat and emerald colored jeans; two colors that shouldn't work together but somehow do.
"Excuse me," Jack says, stopping behind her.
She jumps, dropping her pencil, and looks up him. She has very piercing blue eyes, and Jack feels uncomfortable, something he's not used to feeling.
"You're in my carrel," he says.
The girl frowns, and reaches up to push back this jeweled headband-thing she has on her head. "I didn't realize they were reserved." Her voice is cool.
Jack shifts his messenger bag on his shoulder; unused to someone disagreeing with him. When he's in the library, or on this college campus in general, people generally look right through him. If they look at him at all, it's usually because they're confused about his clothes or wondering why he's always taking off his shoes.
"They're not," He says, slowly. The girl raises her eyebrows, as if to say, go on, I'm waiting. "But this one's mine. I mean, I've been using it for two months now."
"Is it really that important?" she asks. "Couldn't you just use another today?" He notices, over her shoulder, that she's reading a book he's been using, "Norway: Light and Landscape", about climate change.
Jack feels a flash of irritation. He just wants to use his own carrel, dammit. He's so used to being left alone in the library that this girl's questions seem especially annoying. In fact, it's not just her questions that are annoying, it's her whole demeanor. She appears kind of stuck up, he thinks, with her fancy French braid and head band. Jack hates people like that.
"My books are here. And it's really hot everywhere else in the library, anyway." He says, narrowing his eyes at his book over her shoulder.
The girl's eyes flash. "What, so I'm supposed to overheat just so you can have your own precious carrel?"
"Most other people don't think it's that hot around here," Jack protests, cursing himself for making such a stupid comment about the temperature. People usually think he's crazy for being so particular about the heat or cold.
"Well, maybe I'm not most people," the girl snaps. All of a sudden, she looks away, her shoulders stiffening. She lets out a loud sigh and massages her forehead with her hand. So overdramatic, Jack thinks, irritated. "You know what? You can have it. I'm done for today." She stuffs her books in her bag, and pushes the chair back with a particularly loud screech.
"Thanks," Jack mutters to her rapidly retreating back—he's actually surprised that she moved. Dumping his stuff out on to the desk, he suddenly notices that the book he wanted to use, the one about Norway, is gone. He whirls around, but she's nowhere in sight. Jack sighs, running a hand through his messy hair. Looks like if he wants to have his book back, he's going to have to find that annoying girl again.
It's a three weeks into college, and Elsa still sometimes gets lost on her way to her dorm room. Today is no different—she walks out of the library, tightening her scarf against the wind, and promptly forgets where she's going.
She's too busy thinking about that irritating boy in the library. The nerve of him, insisting she move! She can't believe it—the boys she's used to would have moved. It sounds arrogant, but it's true. People have always been intimidated by her. Her parents were famous scientists and academics, world renowned, who then tragically died at the peak of their careers. No one knows quite how to approach her, and that's how it's been for the past few years. And to add to that, Elsa has striking features—she's smart enough to know that. Her hair is pale blonde, almost white, and she has what her sister Anna calls an "aristocratic" nose and "graceful" eyebrows—whatever that means. Anna likes knowing these things.
Elsa feels a buzzing her pocket, and she reaches in to pull out her phone. Missed Call, the screen reads. Anna Arendal, 10 minutes ago. Elsa feels a twinge in her stomach, looking at the screen. There's a picture of Anna with it; a picture of Anna throwing back her head and laughing, snow caked into her hair. It's from last winter, when all the kids on their block were having an epic snowball fight. Elsa had hung back from the fray, lying and claiming that she was "too old" for snowball fights.
"I'll watch the younger kids," Elsa had said to Anna, who was hesitating, "Come on, go! I don't want to play anyway." Anna had grinned and run off to join the group.
Elsa should call her sister back, she knows she should. But she already knows what Anna wants to talk about—she can picture her sister's face from the last time they talked. Anna's eyes shiny with tears, her cheeks red, her hands balled into fists.
"But I like him!" Anna had said. "He's funny and kind."
"But you just met him! You don't even know him!" Elsa retorted.
"Yes, I do!" Anna yelled. "Hans and I have talked a lot over the past few weeks!" She paused, fury in her eyes. "Not that you would have noticed,"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Elsa said, her stomach sinking.
"I means, that you've barely talked to me for the past few months. Too busy preparing for college." Anna took a breath.
Elsa felt the conversation taking a turn that she can't let it go in. "I'm just trying to do what mom and dad would have wanted," she said quickly, and then changed the subject before Anna could say more, "And the point is, you're too young for this kind of decision. You're only fifteen! You can't just transfer schools because of a boy."
"Oh, like you know so much!" Anna snapped. Her eyes filled with tears. "You always act so superior! Like you know everything."
"I don't know what you mean," Elsa said, trying to be diplomatic.
"Yes, you do!" Anna yelled. "Everything is always about you. Ever since—" she paused, breathing hard. The silence stretches for one horrible moment. "—ever since mom and dad died!"
Elsa felt like she's going to throw up. Anna had never said these kinds of things to her directly. She'd always tiptoed around them, the same way Elsa had.
When Elsa didn't say anything, Anna went on, "You act like you're the only one who was affected. Like you know some big secret I don't."
There was a long pause. Elsa tried to think desperately of something to say, anything. But nothing came. "I have to pack," she said finally. She could see the crushing disappointment in Anna's face.
Elsa shuts her eyes, trying to force the memory out of her brain. She puts her phone back in her pocket. Looking around, she suddenly realizes she has no idea where she is. To the right is a large brick building, framed by red-gold leaves. It has two tall towers on either end. Her dorm is on the other side of that, she thinks. Hopefully it is. She's not actually sure.
10 minutes later, Elsa opens the door to her room. It seems like her roommate, Rapunzel, is already there. Her roommate's nickname is Zel, but Elsa always forgets and calls her Rapunzel instead. Sure enough, she can see a brown haired head on the top bunk of the bunk bed.
Rapunzel leans out. "Hey! How was your day?" She asks, smiling.
For a moment, Elsa contemplates just saying "Good" and leaving it at that. That's what she's been doing for the past few weeks, figuring after her fight with Anna that it's best to keep her distance from people. But she's tired after her disagreement with that boy, and ignoring the call from Anna. She doesn't have the willpower anymore. She just wants to open up to someone. It wouldn't hurt to actually know her roommate—just so long as she doesn't get too close and hurt her.
"Well," Elsa starts. "There was this boy at the library…"
A/N: Hello everyone, thanks for reading! This is going to be a College AU crossover of Frozen and Rise of the Guardians, with characters from both stories. Also, Rapunzel has a small part in this. Just for clarification, Jack and Elsa do have powers in this AU, and that's definitely going to be a big part of the story.
Please, please, tell me what you think and leave a review! I especially need feedback on characterization and if things are confusing-it's hard for me to tell because I know the backstory to things, and I don't want to give too much away.
Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, Rise of the Guardians, or any of the characters.
Story image from Yori Narpati on Tumblr.