Chapter One: A Frosty Surprise (Elsa)
Elsa sighed, laying her head down on the small patch of her desk not covered with mountains of scrolls. She had spent the whole morning sorting out a squabble that had started between two fish sellers and turned into a full-blown market fight, and now she had at least two hours of paperwork to get through before she could even think of lunch. Sitting up, she grabbed the scroll nearest to her hand, unfurled it, and began to read. Before she could get through the first two lines, she heard a sharp knock on the door.
"Come on in," she called wearily, before making a frantic attempt to neaten herself, fixing her lopsided crown and pushing stray hairs away from her face.
A stout palace guard entered the study, giving the customary short bow. His brow was furrowed in vague annoyance.
"What is it?" Elsa asked. "I thought I told everyone to not disturb me while I was working!" The guard shuffled uncomfortably on his feet, and Elsa realized with a resigned sigh that she wasn't acting very properly. Straightening herself, she took a deep breath and began again. "I was hoping not to be interrupted during my work, and so I assume this is a matter of some importance?"
"Of course, your majesty! The, um, Duke of Weselton has just arrived on his ship, and is requesting an audience with you. He said he would like to renegotiate trading with Arendelle."
"Renegotiate?" Elsa exploded. "Of course not! When he left, I made it very clear that I was closing all trading with him. Forever!"
The guard wrung his hands nervously. Elsa always made of point of keeping cool and collected in public, but it seemed as though she wasn't doing a very good job now. "Please tell the Duke that he will not be permitted to set one foot on our soil, and that there will be no further discussions about the trading. I request that he leave at once. If he does not comply, you are welcome to use brute force. You may now leave."
After a quick salute, the guard quickly exited the study. He had made it pretty obvious that he didn't want to be around Elsa any longer. The queen put her head in her hands and sighed loudly. She wanted to have good relationships with everyone around the castle, but sometimes it was just so hard! She took up her scroll and continued to read. It was just a simple trading declaration. Good. She quickly signed the bottom and, rolling it up, placed it carefully on a side table.
A few minutes later, as Elsa was making her way through reading her third scroll, the large study door swung open once again, and Anna walked excitedly into the room.
"Hey Elsa! Take a break from all that silly work and come with Kristoff and me on a picnic! Please? It's such a nice day outside and it's time you got some fresh air."
"Anna, please. I just started, and besides, there is just so much I need to get through. I'll come with you next time, I promise."
"Elsa," Anna whined, "You always say that, and you never come. Just this once." Anna poked Elsa playfully, but all she got in return was an annoyed glance.
"Go and have fun, Anna and don't worry about me. Plus, I bet you'll be too busy kissing Kristoff that you will hardly remember I'm missing."
Anna blushed and sheepishly tucked her hands behind her back. "Elsa, if you came, we would always include yo- Wait, that came out kind of wrong. Whoops!" Elsa giggled at her sister's blunder, but shooed her playfully out of the study.
"I'll see you in the afternoon, Anna. Maybe we could go ice skating in the courtyard?"
"Fine," Anna pouted, "But you better come next time." Elsa quickly shut the door after her sister and sat back down, scanning the giant piles of paperwork on top of her desk. They were huge, and there was no doubt even more would arrive tomorrow. How would she ever finish?
She resumed reading her scroll, and then bent down over the desk to sign the bottom. But as soon as she put quill to parchment, she felt a giant gust of icy wind sweep into the room, knocking all of the paper off of her desk and sending it flying everywhere. The study was a frigid flurry of white scrolls. Elsa yelped and leapt up, her crown falling off of her head and her hair flying out. Even her chair began sliding across the floor! She knew the windows had been open, but there was no way a spring breeze could be so strong. As she raised her hands to her face to shield herself from the flying paper, the wind stopped as abruptly as it had begun.
Sitting on her desk, now free of papers, was a young man about her age. He had shaggy, ice blond hair and a crooked grin, and he held in his hand a long wooden staff.
"What in the name of-" Elsa was cut off by the man's voice.
"Hi. I'm Jack Frost." He gave the queen a cheeky grin. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."
"Who are you?" Elsa blurted, then cringed. That wasn't the most respectful way to greet someone, but the man grinned again as if he was used to it.
"I just told you- I'm Jack Frost."
"That's not what I meant! Well, who are you anyway?" Elsa asked, all manners forgotten. She was annoyed at this impertinent intruder- why wouldn't he give her a straight answer?
"I'm a guardian," he said casually.
"A guardian?"
"You know, the people who give hopes and dreams to children, that sort of thing."
"What?"
"Never mind, it doesn't really matter. Anyway, on to more important business- do you mind if I stay here for a while?"
Elsa was so shocked she was rendered speechless. No one ever talked to her this way- not even Anna. What did this stupid stranger want, coming into her castle, knocking over all of her work and asking her for lodgings?!
"I- how dare you speak to me like that? I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" she said with as much dignity as she could muster.
"A queen, huh? Then where's your crown?" Jack grinned that mischievous, annoying smile once again. His eyes flickered to the floor for a second to where Elsa's tiara had fallen. She quickly bent down to the floor to retrieve it; her cheeks flushed bright red.
"I am going to kindly ask you to leave at once, Mr. Frost, and if you don't I have hundreds of guards on command to remove you forcefully." For a split second Jack's expression flickered into nervousness before turning back to a grin. He leapt lightly down from the desk, onto the floor in front of the queen. He bent down into a bow so low and long Elsa knew he was mocking her, and when he righted himself he had a devilish fire in his eyes.
"I am terribly sorry for disturbing you, Queen Elsa, and I would like to ask your permission to take up residence at your beautiful castle for a week. Would you honor me with such a favor?" His every word teased her. Elsa frowned.
"Why do you even want to stay here? I have never seen you before in my life!"
Jack gave her a wide grin, the sort of expression of that on a naughty boy when caught doing something wrong. "Well, I was having a little innocent fun, pulling a prank on my friend the Easter bunny, when-"
"The Easter bunny?"
"Long story. Anyway, he found me and it was all I could do to get away and find somewhere to hide."
"But why here? What is so special about Arendelle to you?"
Jack shrugged. "I couldn't care less about Arendelle." He stopped speaking under Elsa's furious gaze. "I mean, it was you I was looking for."
"Me?"
"I though you would be the perfect person to stay with, having ice powers and all."
Elsa protectively hid her hands in the folds of her dress. "How do you know about that?"
"I have them too."
"Really?" Elsa gasped. She had never heard of anyone else with her powers before.
Jack gave a lazy flick of his staff, and suddenly it started snowing from the study's ceiling. A snowflake landed on the queen's dress. Before it melted she could see its intricate pattern on the dark fabric.
"Wow," she breathed.
Jack gave another flick of his staff and the snow stopped. "So, can I stay?" Jack looked at Elsa pleadingly, his eyes wide and bright blue. Before the queen could answer, there was a hasty knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Elsa called.
"It's just me, Anna." She swung open the door, picnic basket over one arm. "Sorry to disturb you, but do have any idea where the picnic blanket-" Anna stopped in mid sentence as she took in the sight before her- a disheveled looking sister, her scrolls all over the floor, and a strange man holding a long wooden pole. "Am I interrupting something?"
Elsa sighed. "Anna, meet Jack Frost. He just flew in the window."
After Elsa related all of the strange details of Jack Frost's entrance to her sister, she began to furiously pick up the millions of scrolls littering the floor, staggering under their weight.
"This man… puff… had the nerve… huff… to fly right through my window, the Queen's window! Oh, no!" Elsa cried out in alarm as the huge pile of scrolls she was holding slipped to the floor.
"Here, I''l help you," Jack Frost smirked. He flicked his staff once again, and a swirling flurry of snow engulfed the papers, carrying them back to her desk. When the snow cleared, the scrolls were neatly back in order on the table.
Elsa glared at him. "Why didn't you just do that in the first place?"
"Well, I was a little annoyed about you shouting at me."
"You had just flown trough my window and wrecked all of my work. What was I meant to do, laugh?"
"That would have been nice."
"Stop it, you two.," Anna shouted. "You sound like a bunch of children! Now, um, Jack, I don't know exactly why you're here, but I'm fine with you staying."
"What?! No way is this... this intruder, staying in my castle!"
"Elsa, just let me finish!" Anna took a deep breath before continuing. "Jack, you have to promise to be a nice guest and not annoy Elsa. Okay?"
"Okay," Jack said, but he gave the Queen a little smirk behind Anna's back. "Whatever you say."
"And Elsa, you have to do what you can to make Jack feel welcome. Promise?"
"This is my castle, Anna! I'm the queen. If I don't want Jack Frost staying, then my word is final."
"Elsa, you have to! Please, after shutting everyone out of the castle for twenty-one years, you kind of owe your subjects a bit of openness."
"Fine, Anna. But don't you go mentioning the past around strangers!"
"Oh, so do you two have a little secret you're not sharing with me?" Jack gave the girls a half smile.
"Well, the whole kingdom kind of knows about it, so-"
"Anna!" Elsa cut her off sharply before turning to Jack.
"It's nothing you need to worry about, stranger. However, I will allow you to stay. For one week, and one week only. I have plenty of work to do and I trust you will not disturb me." Elsa drew herself up to her full height. "You might be a guest, but I am still queen of Arendelle and demand respect. Anna, take Jack to a guest room and then show him around the town. Now go."
The queen turned quickly on her heel and walked back to the desk, doing her best to keep her expression intimidating.
"Elsa-" Anna started, but Elsa said briskly, "I will be finished in time for dinner. We will discuss the arrangements of Jack's stay in more detail then."
"Uggh! Fine! Come on, Jack. Kristof and I will show you around Arendelle." Anna continued chatting as she led Jack Frost out of the study, shutting the door quickly behind her. Elsa sat down at her desk, burying her face in her hands. Jack seemed like an annoying idiot, but at the same time she was curious about him. She hadn't even known another person with ice powers existed until today. Trying to push all thought of the strange intruder out of her head, Elsa settled down to work once again. However, her thoughts kept on straying back to Jack…