Hello FF! I'm back to bring you chapter 1 of Red Moon and Black Ice!
Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG and Frozen Characters, they belong to DreamWorks, Disney and their respective producers.
Chapter 1: Black Frost
My name is Elsa, and I am the queen of Arendelle.
It's been a year since that incident with my powers. I thought I had killed Anna that time, and some nights, those times still haunt me in my dreams. But our love for each other as sisters overpowered every fear that once controlled me. Right now, I'm confident in saying that I really am free.
I would not say that it was easy sailing since the eternal winter in Arendelle. Most of everyone gladly accepted me as their queen, but there are minorities plotting to bring me down. Some are still afraid, and I'm sad because of it. But I believe in Anna's words when she said that everyone in Arendelle loved me. It didn't matter what everyone thought though. Anna believes in me, and that's enough.
Because of Anna's sacrifice, I make it my point to have time for her every day. We planned to catch up on all those years I shut her out. Despite my busy schedule, I could squeeze in about two hours of my time each day for her. It's not easy, but it's worth it. The past months, I'd give her poise lessons (because she is such a klutz and I never had the heart to tell her), or give her advice on how to attract the ice man's attention. What was that man's name? Kristoff, was it? Some nights, when we felt the sky was awake, we'd secretly race through the corridors like when we were kids and build snowmen. Olaf was so delighted during those nights, because he got to talk to some of his kind if only for a time. You can call us childish, but I don't care. Our childhood was ruined because of me anyway, and I plan on fixing every bit of it.
Since the kingdom opened up its gates, a lot of people came to witness the beauty that was Arendelle. Because of the fame that came with my powers, a lot of foreign rich men thought that there was no more magnificent ice than the ice from Arendelle. Rumors sprung that Arendelle's ice would grant people eternal youth and beauty, explaining the queen's outstanding beauty (cough, cough). The rumors just made me roll my eyes and consider them flatteries.
By the recent months however, we've become very busy with many events and businesses. The kingdom is having a ball to celebrate the union of new trade partners with the country. Guests to invite, dignitaries to follow through, trades, party plans, bakers and dressmakers and other staff to hire… Along with that is the swarming of gifts and marriage proposals at my desk. Sigh… I wish I was back to those simpler days when being a girl from royalty was to merely sit pretty and wave. I guess the times indeed are changing. It was during these moments that I wished Mama and Papa was still alive.
"Your majesty, it's another gift from the King of the Southern Isles."
I groaned. "Return the gifts, and please send a letter of thanks for their generosity."
"Yes, your majesty."
The king of the Southern Isles has been doing this since what happened last year. They were guilty for what Hans did against Anna and I, and it wasn't easy for us to forgive him either. They were more afraid, however, that we'd shut down all our ties with their kingdom because of Hans' stupidity. And to make matters more stressful, one of their dukes are asking for my hand in marriage.
Toc-toc-totoc-toc!
"Come in." I said, a smile gracing my lips. Only Anna would knock like that.
"Hey Elsa! Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna beamed as her head peeped through the door. I chuckled. Same old Anna.
"It's the middle of summer Anna." I giggled. "There isn't any snow to build snowmen."
"Tch, like that's been such a big problem for you." she rolled her eyes in disbelief.
"Sorry Anna, but I think you caught me at a bad time." I smiled apologetically, gesturing to the piles of paperwork that we're threatening to cause an avalanche in my office. "And besides, you're not supposed to be barging in on the queen while she's on duty."
"Woah… That's gonna take you like forever to get done." Anna commented as she stepped into my office. "Need help?"
"No, no, I'm fine." I waved her off with a smile. "I can handle it. Perhaps you can go and play with Olaf."
Anna crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh no, you are not doing this alone Elsa. If I help, you get the job done faster, trust me."
"No, no, I'm fine, I mean it." I urged her. I flicked my wrist as thin walls of ice aligned the stacks of paper and shoved them gently and neatly to a corner of the room. "These things just need sorting and filing and all… and I have to look them over to see if they're the other kingdom's who'd want to trade with Arendelle."
"Really Elsa?" Anna raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to my desk. I tried to maintain my poise as queen, but I know she could sense that something was up.
She studied the stacks of letters by my desk suspiciously. I didn't move, knowing that flinching would give me away. I didn't want her to know that all of these letters were more marriage proposals and less trade. To me these were all business because I was a queen with duties to fulfill and responsibilities to uphold. But Anna was adamant that I should fall in love already. That all started last month when she felt guilty of turning down my offer to give her poise lessons because she had a date with Kristoff.
"Aha! I knew it!" she exclaimed as she spotted a stray letter that I hadn't noticed was on the floor. She snatched it off before I could even pick it up. I slapped my palm to my head in exasperation. "Someone's sending you a proposal and it's from… Prince Mikhail of Aster. Hey I met this guy from the ball we attended in Corona! I must tell you this guy is a blond and blue-eyed barrel of gorgeous!"
"Anna, we had this conversation before." I told her gently. "I'm not going to accept any of these proposals."
"Come on Elsa, at least give them a chance. Try to get to know them at least." She said. "It's better now than five or six years later. The time will come when the advisers will coax you into marriage and you won't stay young forever!" She was waving her hands as she said this, and the gestures never ceased to make me giggle at her antics.
"I think I can handle the kingdom on my own Anna. And if it's about heirs, I could always pass on the throne to your future son or daughter." I explained as I walked back to my desk to sign other papers. "Marriage is the last in my list of priorities right now. I've got a kingdom to run and I've got to catch up with all the lost time we should have had for each other. You know that Anna, don't you?"
Anna's expression softened as I told her this. But the fire in her eyes meant she wasn't about to let this issue go.
"I know Elsa…" she said as a small smile graced her face. She hesitated, wringing her hands against each other as she shyly walked towards me. "It's just that I'm worried about you and I think you're stressing out on your duties already. And maybe you need my help and I think you're taking everything on your own too seriously, and perhaps maybe you might need someone special in your life to help you out in everything all the time, like the way Kristoff is to me.."
"I can handle myself fine." I said without looking at her. I continued stamping, signing and sorting the papers, trying to balance my attention between her and my work. "A relationship will just distract me from my duties. And besides… I'm content just having you and Olaf and the rest of the staff by my side. You guys are worth more to me than the best husband in the world."
I tried to assess my words as I said them. I couldn't meet Anna's eyes, knowing that a time will come when she might marry Kristoff someday and have a family with him. I know that time will come that I might be alone again because some people would need her too. She'd grow old with someone else, have children and grandchildren and be happy. I'm already confident that I won't find the kind of love Anna found in Kristoff, but it doesn't really matter. It's sad, but… who'd fall for the Snow Queen who almost froze her own kingdom to death? Well, at least I'm glad there's Olaf.
"Elsa…" I heard her murmur. I didn't notice when she was already beside me. When I looked up at her from my chair she suddenly wrapped me in her embrace, with tears in her eyes. I blinked. Was it something I said?
"I love you Elsa." she said against the crook of my neck. "I'm glad we're best buddies again."
"I love you too Anna." I answered her as I patted her back gently.
She pulled herself away with her signature smirk and a twinkle in her eye. "But seriously, you have to get yourself a boyfriend!"
I rolled my eyes. So much for sentimental moments. I went back to my work as I tried to tune her out.
"Come on Elsa! Just try this Prince Mikhail guy! I talked to him before!" She said as she tried to get my attention. "He's funny, and he likes kittens! Come on, you don't meet a guy who likes kittens every day!"
"Anna…" I warned. She was close to getting on my nerves.
"He's tall and slightly on the beefy side like Kristoff, and he's loves horse riding and-"
"Anna…" I glared at her. "I'm working."
"Please Elsa? Please? Just… meet this guy. Or meet any good guy for that matter. Have some dinner, walk in the park… just… just do this for me okay? Please?"
I looked up at Anna again, her face in a ridiculous puppy pout. Well, it kind of works.
"If I say yes will you leave me to my work?" I asked her.
"I'll have the servants send him a letter that says you'd like to have dinner with him!" Anna beamed as she skipped happily to the door. Wait, did she say-
"Wait I haven't…" but Anna was already gone, squealing happily like a love-struck teenager. I shook my head. Typical Anna. She means well, I know. But I'm just not…
I try to bury these thoughts at the back of my mind as I continued working. To worry about this dinner Anna set me up can wait… because right now, I am queen of Arendelle.
As I continued finishing my work, I noticed that it was evening already. A few servants had set up the lamps in the room, bobbing curtseys as they came and left. Deciding to take a break I walked to my room towards the balcony just to admire the beauty of the kingdom. I felt the cold summer air kiss my cheeks, bringing relaxing shivers down my body, the stars twinkling in the night sky. I could hear crickets sing their evening songs, and some faint chatter from the staff passing through the halls. I could hear Anna singing to herself from another room. By the words she sang, I was guessing she was singing love songs to the sketch drawing of Kristoff she secretly kept in her drawer. I chuckled to myself. Anna doesn't know that I know about that.
Sigh… love. Though I consider myself single forever, sometimes I do dream about it. What would it be like to fall in love? To have someone to adore and to serve and to cherish like how Mama loved Papa, or how Anna considers Kristoff her best male friend? I never felt the teenage excitement of infatuation because I always shut people out. I don't think I've ever been in love with anyone aside from my family at all…
I know that I should stop with the pretense. I should stop concealing. I should start feeling. Maybe I really should consider meeting at least one of the men who want my hand in marriage.
But what if they are afraid? What if they think the Snow Queen is a monster like those others?
When Anna starts a family of her own, what will become of me? I would never admit it to her, but I'm scared of the day she'd tell me that Kristoff proposed to her. I know that their place woud still be in Arendelle when they start a family but… it won't be the same like before. I'm scared when the time comes that I'd have to be alone, with no one to grow old with, and I'm afraid that that future would be inevitable for me.
Sometimes, I wish there was someone like me out there… someone like me, but different. Someone who knows what it's like to be different, to be alone… and yet be headstrong and optimistic, and unafraid… Someone who doesn't care if I am queen or if I have powers… someone who sees me as a friend and not as Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Yes, that's a very appealing thought…. But I know that someone will never come. He will only be a figment of my imagination. My ideal King, who will sweep me off my feet… sigh…
Despite everything I see though, I felt that there was something quite wrong with the evening. I felt uneasy, like there was something very peculiar about my surroundings. Last time I felt this way was when I felt my powers go out of control… But I can control them now because of love. So what could be wrong?
As I touched the railing, I felt cold stab through my skin, almost like a frost bite. I jerked my hands away in shock as I saw something black crawl all over the ledge. I gasped.
"What… what is this?"
Cautiously, I edged nearer towards the railing, wanting to figure out what the black thing was. It was like glimmering black dust, almost like frost except it was the color black.
"Did I… do this?" I said to myself.
Experimentally, I zapped the thing with my powers. I was surprised to see that the black frost retreated into nothing, replaced by my snow. With trembling fingers, I touched it. Seeing there wasn't any harm done, I sighed in relief.
"I almost thought I did that…. Maybe I'm just tired." I told myself.
But when I turned around, I saw the walls of my room already covered in jagged glittering black frost.
A/N: I would like to say sorry for the cliffy... don't worry! They'll see each other soon! I promise. The thing that happened in my summary will happen soon...
ooh... I wonder what casued the black frost? :)
