([AN: I do not own anything or anyone in Frozen. But I wish I owned Sven... Haha, anywho, enjoy the chapter and comment or review!])
01: Preparations And A Rumor
The streets of Arendelle were adorned with flowers, ribbons, banners, and streamers. Arendelle had gone all out for this celebration. Flowers arranged into heart shapes, banners sown into hearts, and red and white ribbons tied around practically everything. Children giggled, parents snuggled, and couples stole kisses in the most romantic places they could find—which was practically everywhere! It was as if the kingdom were celebrating Christmas and St. Valentine's Day all in one week!
"Oh, I can't wait to see the princess," a young woman with curly blonde hair sighed, tying a red ribbon to her window. She wore a simple red dress with a red apron tied around her waist, matching the blinding reds and whites that decorated the kingdom.
"It's just the engagement celebration," her friend—a wavy haired brunette in the same clothing but a yellow dress, instead of red—shrugged, sticking a paper heart on the door. "It isn't the wedding yet."
"But I bet she'd still be beautiful," the blonde reasoned more to herself than her friend, a goofy grin on her face. "Oh! Nothing will ruin this engagement celebration!"
"The bandits might," a young man with curly brown hair interrupted the conversation, dropping an armful of paper hearts, ribbons, and flowers on the ground.
"Oh, Jens," the blonde scoffed at the young man—Jens. "Where in the world did you hear that? Bandits? In Arendelle?"
The brunette nodded in agreement—the mere idea seeming ridiculous, continuing to decorate as she argued, "Who would be stupid enough to go against Her Majesty, Queen Elsa?"
"But didn't you hear?" Jens continued with a pout. "The Legion is making their way through Norway and might drop by Arendelle."
"The Legion?" the brunette repeated warily—as if speaking the group's name would cause them to appear. "The infamous band of thieves? I thought they were in Germany…"
"Apparently not," Jens started to inform them. "I heard some rumors that the infamous thieves were heading this way—just passing by, so they say. So your beloved little engagement party just might have some trouble."
"All you heard were rumors, Jens," the blonde retorted defensively, rolling her eyes dramatically.
"But it could be true!" Jens argued childishly.
"Oh, just shut up you two," the brunette snapped, shoving decorations into the arguing pair's arms. "Now finish up the decorations for the shop. You know how the boss gets with unfinished work."
The two sighed as they obeyed the bossy brunette and went back to work, their chatter of rumors and celebrations forgotten.
Her cape flapped and trailed behind her as she paced up and down the floor, forming trails of little ice crystals in her wake. She bit worriedly on her bottom lip as her brows furrowed in deep thought, her platinum blond hair messily tied into a bun.
"Elsa!" a happy, young voice chirped as the double doors of the room burst open. A strawberry-blond haired girl bounced into the room excitedly. "Elsa! Elsa!"
The pacing girl—Queen Elsa of Arendelle—jumped at the sudden interruption but smiled at the sight of her younger sister.
"Anna, what is it?" the young queen asked, the anxious feeling ebbing into the excitement that came off Anna in waves.
"I finally found an amazing chef for the wedding!" Anna exclaimed, jumping up and down happily. "I mean, not that Chef Nils is bad but Chef Magna's chocolate truffles and moist chocolate cake is just divine."
Elsa chuckled at her sister's excitement, realizing that the news wasn't as big as it had seemed to be.
"Anna," she smirked slightly at her. "Your wedding is in eight months."
"I know," Anna sighed, exasperated. "Which is why I'm starting preparations now. So much to prepare in such little time!"
Elsa bit back her laughter at her sister's dramatics—she knew she wanted the wedding to be perfect.
"You're exaggerating," Elsa chuckled, walking over to her and wrapping her in a hug.
"Maybe just a little bit," Anna sighed as she melted into the hug. The pair stayed in that position for a few more minutes before Anna pulled away slightly, examining Elsa's face with a knowing look. "Now, what's got you so worried?"
"What?" Elsa stepped out of Anna's reach, her voice rising slightly in pitch. "I-I don't know what you mean."
"You're horrible at lying, Elsa," Anna quirked a brow at her, crossing her arms over her chest as she tapped her foot impatiently. "Now, what's wrong?"
Elsa sighed as her shoulders slumped, knowing that she couldn't hide anything from Anna for long. She took in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders as she explained her predicament—or worry, really.
"I had heard news from around town that the infamous Legion were going to pass Arendelle soon."
"But—" Anna tried to calm her older sister but Elsa was just getting started.
"True, all I heard were rumors but, Anna, have you heard of what these criminals have done?" before Anna could even open her mouth, Elsa ploughed on. "They've stolen priceless art pieces, royal jewelries, statues of emperors, and—what makes them so dangerous, Anna, is that they've kidnapped heirs to not only noble families but even to royal families. They're dangerous, Anna—heartless."
"Well, they do sound dangerous," Anna agreed, finally able to put her word in after Elsa's seemingly-never ending spiel. "But I'm sure that not all of them are heartless."
Anna placed a calming hand on Elsa's shoulder as the young queen tried to calm and collect herself. She evened out her breathing and placed a pale, cold hand over her hammering, overly worried heart.
"And no matter how true or false this rumor is," Anna reassured. "We'll find a way to fix it together. Just like we've been doing for the past year."
Elsa nodded in agreement, feeling her shoulders relax in comfort. She realized that Anna was right. There was nothing she couldn't conquer with her sister by her side. A mob of bandits or not—she wasn't going to let anything go wrong in her kingdom while she still lived.
