I am so excited to be starting on my first story! Thank you for reading and giving it a chance, and I hope you like it. In this universe, Frozen and Rise of the Guardians didn't happen, but Jack and Elsa still have their powers. Characters from both movies will appear, as will mentions of Tangles, How to Train Your Dragon, Brave, etc. Again, I hope you like it!

-E

Disclaimer: Disney and DreamWorks own all of the characters. I just use them for my own entertainment.

"Elsa, Elsa, wake up, wake up, wake up!" The loud voice, coupled with the fact that my shoulder was being violently shaken, was enough to wake me from my peaceful sleep. I groggily sat up and rubbed at my eyes. Slowly, I opened them to see my younger sister Anna sitting on the edge of my bed, looking even more excited than usual.

"Today's the big day!" she exclaimed in an excited manner. "I can't wait to meet him. What do you think he's going to be like?"

"Anna, I won't even get a chance to meet him if I can't get dressed," I pointed out with a soft little laugh. Anna stopped speaking mid-sentence, and then seemed to remember that I was still sitting in bed, with just my nightwear on.

"Oh, right," she said, quickly backing out of the room. "Hurry up though! I want to talk before he gets here!" she shouted through the closed door.

I sighed as I reluctantly heaved myself out of the bed and walked over to my closet. Even though I had a myriad of dresses to select from, none of them were particularly appealing at the moment. I decided to just close my eyes and pick one at random. My hands landed on a soft fabric and noticed that I had chosen a blue dress with a few black and purple designs on it. I added a purple cape and did my hair up into an intricate bun.

Lastly, I glanced toward my vanity and spotted the dreaded tiara sitting there, twinkling at me. My coronation was only a week prior, but thankfully nothing had gone amiss. Resigning myself that the day was going to happen whether I wanted it or not, I grabbed the tiara and delicately placed it atop my head. The reflection in the mirror was a terrified one, but I managed to smooth my features out into one that was a bit more appropriate for the occasion. By all rights, today should be one of the happiest days of my life.

Yet that didn't stop my gloved hands from trembling, or my mind from worrying. Today marked a new future for me, and in this future, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep my powers a secret anymore.

I had been born with the power to control ice and snow. For the first few years of my life, I had felt privileged and I even saw my powers as a special gift. That was, until I hurt Anna. We had been playing like we often did. She had been jumping on pillars of snow I had created for her, but she went too fast. I cringed as I remembered accidentally striking her in the face with and icy blast.

Luckily, my parents were able to save Anna with the help of magic trolls that lived in a distant part of our kingdom. As a consequence, however, Anna forgot I had powers, and my parents had kept me isolated from her until their death. It was for the best, I knew that. Still, I hated that every time Anna would come to my door, asking me to play or to build a snowman, I was forced to say no each time. After my parents had died, I couldn't keep shutting Anna out anymore. I tried for a month or two, but after that I finally came out of my room. It took a while, but eventually Anna and I had once again built up the friendship we had had as children. The only difference was that she still didn't know about my powers. No one except for me knew now that my mother and father were gone.

At my coronation last week, I had been a nervous wreck. I wasn't allowed to wear gloves during part of my ceremony, and I was sure that my powers were going to be exposed to the entire kingdom. It was by sheer luck that they weren't.

But this day was even worse. Anna didn't understand what I was going through, since she would never have to be put through this. Today, I was going to meet my fiancé for the first time in my life. This had been arranged since my birth, though I hadn't known until my parents' will had been unearthed. All I knew was that the mystery man was a prince of the Southern Isles. I didn't even know his name. He was supposed to come to my coronation last week, but inclement weather had prevented him from attending.

I didn't know how I was supposed to keep my powers from someone that I was going to be forced to live with for the rest of my life. But more importantly, what if I didn't love him? We would only have two weeks to get to know each other before the wedding, during which he would be crowned King of Arendelle, and we would rule together.

"Elsa?" Anna asked tentatively, pushing open the door. I suddenly realized that I had been standing in front of my vanity, lost in my thoughts, for at least fifteen minutes. "Oh, Elsa, you look gorgeous!" Anna gushed. "The prince is going to just die when he sees you."

"I'm nervous Anna," I murmured. Anna gave me a sympathetic look, but she didn't truly understand. Anna could marry whomever she chose, seeing as she was the second-born, and would not be heir to the throne unless some disaster were to happen and I died before the prince and I were wed.

"Don't worry Elsa," Anna said in her most reassuring tone. "I'm sure he's a great person, and I'll be there the whole time. I'll smack him if he gives you any trouble."

As always, Anna always found a way to make me laugh. "Thanks," I said, smiling at her. She smiled back and together we made our way from my bedroom into the Grand Hall. Citizens of Arendelle would be pouring in in a couple of hours or so for a ball to celebrate my engagement. Most were out in the courtyard during my coronation, but I wanted to present myself as a queen who knew her citizens on a personal level. My advisors were not entirely convinced, but I managed to persuade them to let the common folk attend my ball, not just lords and ladies from neighboring kingdoms.

Anna immediately went to inspect the food selection, no doubt to try and sneak in some chocolates before the ceremony. Both of us had a weakness for the sweet dessert, but as Queen, I was forced to keep my indulgences in check. I had an appearance to upkeep. Anna was under pressure as well, but she had always been able to get away with much more than I had. Again, I was envious of her, but still I did not wish my life upon her. Anna deserved more than this life.

Two hours seemed like an eternity to me, so I requested some paperwork be sent down so I could work through it. Many of the letters I received were discussing trade options between Arendelle and whatever kingdom happened to be writing. During the first day of my rule, I had been bombarded with proposals from kingdoms far and wide asking for my hand. I spent the entire day attempting to decline them politely, saying that I was already betrothed. That first day almost drove me crazy, and Anna had to send for several mugs of hot chocolate to get me through all the letters.

I was just signing my name to a trade agreement when the first of my guests began to arrive. They were all lords that had stayed in Arendelle from my coronation. The first to approach me happened to be the Duke of Weselton, one of my closet partners in trade.

"Why, my queen, I absolutely cannot wait to meet with your fiancé," the Duke said in his oily voice. "The Southern Isles and Weselton have always been friendly with each other, and no doubt the union of your two kingdoms will strengthen the bond between all three of us. I am sure that I will be seeing much more of you in the future."

The way he was talking made me want to cringe, but I maintained a professional demeanor. "Then I trust you are enjoying your stay in Arendelle?" I asked as politely as I could manage.

"Yes, accommodations are simply superb," the Duke responded. Thankfully, another lord requested to speak with the man, so he left me. Alas, he was only the first of many lords that I had to speak with before I could intermingle with the curious citizens that were slowly starting to trickle in.

All of my people had dressed in their best attire; I saw several young children attempting to adjust suits or looking on their dresses with distaste. Poor widows seemed to shrink when standing next to a noblewoman, so I personally sought out these individuals who seemed at loss of what to do. I could relate to them, and speaking with them kept my mind of the most anticipated visitor of the night, who had yet to make an appearance.

I was turning from a young couple that I had been talking to, Aslaug and Leif, when my most trusted servant, Gerda, appeared at my side. "My lady, the prince of the Southern Isles has arrived. You and your sister must return to the front of the hall, near the throne, before his formal entry to the party." Nodding to show I understood Gerda's words, I managed to skillfully weave my way through the throng to stand in front of my throne. I noticed Anna clumsily making her way towards me, almost tripping over the hem of her own dress.

Not a moment sooner than Anna found her way to my side did trumpets blare. The lords and ladies in attendance moved to the sides of the room, with my citizens quickly following, all making room for the prince's appearance. An announcer was the first to enter my hall. Rolling out a small scroll, he cleared his throat and began speaking. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle, it is my honor to present to you your betrothed, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles!" he proclaimed.

At his words, the prince and his entire entourage came bursting through my doors. I could tell that Prince Hans was the one leading the procession; he carried himself in a way that none but a royal could. "Oh, he's cute!" Anna whispered from beside me. I didn't necessarily disagree with her. Prince Hans had auburn hair that was a few shades darker than Anna's strawberry blonde, which extended into well-groomed sideburns down the sides of his face. His eyes were quite an unusual shade of green, and his face was well defined.

Hans came to a stop just before reaching Anna and myself. "My Queen," he said, before sinking into a deep bow. I gave him a graceful curtsy in return, while Anna attempted to copy me. Her stumble was hardly noticeable, which I was grateful for. Hans addressed me once again. "Word of your beauty has reached my land, my lady, but it has not done you justice. Indeed, you look most beautiful tonight."

"My Prince, you flatter me," I said, perfecting the light tone I was hoping to achieve. I was still completely unsure of Hans.

"My lady, my betrothed, my fiancée, would you do me the great honor of joining me in a dance to celebrate the beginning of our union?" Hans asked, holding his hand out to me. Hesitating for just a moment, I plastered a smile on my face and took his proffered hand. Dancing was definitely not one of my strong suits; I tended to avoid it as much as possible. However, Hans was a good leader, so I followed his steps and concentrated on not stepping on his toes.

Hans led me through countless dances, and all the while, we chatted about meaningless things. He spoke of his twelve older brothers, and how he liked to ride his horse and practice his swordsmanship. I spoke primarily of Anna and the memories we had created in the last three years in particular. I was sure Hans would not want to hear of how I had isolated myself from the world for ten years of my life.

Even though our talk was harmless, there was something off about Hans that I couldn't quite put my finger on. On the surface, he seemed like the perfect gentleman, but the longer I was in his presence, the more determined I was to get away. I convinced myself that I was still harboring nerves over the fact that Hans and I would be married within a matter of weeks.

After what had to have been almost an hour and a half on dancing with him, I finally decided to have the break that I so desperately craved. "My Prince, I think the heat of the ball is going to my head," I said with a light laugh, one that did not match up to my real laugh at all. "If you'll excuse me, I think I have need to step outside for a moment, just for some air."

"Certainly, my lady Queen Elsa," Hans replied immediately. "Do you wish for me to accompany you?"

"No, I will be perfectly fine," I responded, trying not to let my desperation to be alone seep through my words. "In perfect honesty, I would love for you to treat my sister, Princess Anna, to a dance or two. I would love for my sister and future husband to be well acquainted and get along before the wedding."

"Whatever you desire, my lady," Hans said. He kissed the back of my hand before he left, in search of Anna, who was mingling with some of the townspeople. As soon as I was sure Hans was not coming after me again, I moved as fast as I could onto the balcony that overlooked the fjord.

I did not want to be married. Though I held no animosity towards Hans, I surely did not love him, and could never love him in the time allotted to spend together before the wedding. I wanted to be free to make the choice for myself, to not be tied down to the traditions that had lasted since the founding of Arendelle. Even my own father had not completely abided by these rules. He was originally supposed to marry my mother's sister, but had chosen my mother instead. My aunt had gone on to become the queen of Corona, married to the king that she truly loved. My mother and father too were happy together. But that was not a choice for me. Since birth, my hand had been promised to a prearranged match.

I couldn't help the choked sob that forced its way out of my throat. A single tear was produced from that sob. The tear turned into a delicate snowflake on my face, and fell onto the railing beneath me.

"That's quite an interesting talent you have, Your Majesty," an unfamiliar voice to my right quipped. I jerked my head towards to voice, gasping when I saw the owner.

Let me know what you think! Reviews are always wonderful, and I appreciate any constructive criticism. Favorites and follows are always welcome. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

-E