Hi there! This chapter was my favorite for a lot of reasons. First off, Rapunzel and Eugene are introduced in this chapter! I totally accept the headcanon that Rapunzel's mom and Anna and Elsa's mom were sisters, so I used that to my advantage here. But since I am adding elements from Tangled, I will put a disclaimer: I don't own Tangled any more than I do Frozen or ROTG. Sadly I didn't come up with any of these ideas. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, because as I said before, this is my favorite so far!

-E

I was entirely stunned. Though extremely aware of Jack's lips on mine, I couldn't seem to move, to tell him that this was utterly wrong. And I liked it. I liked the way he kissed me. But that was inexcusable. I told myself today that I couldn't do this. The wedding was ever approaching, and I had to keep up the tradition of Arendelle.

Still, I stood in complete stillness until Jack pulled back. He looked at my face tenderly, as though trying to gauge my reaction. Unbidden, my hand rose to my lips, but at the same time, I looked Jack directly in the eye and shook my head slowly.

"Why not Elsa?" he asked, his voice even huskier than usual.

"Hans," I managed to choke out.

"Do you love him Elsa?" Jack asked me. "Because if you do, I swear I will leave you alone. I won't try to be anything other than an instructor and friend. But if there is even a chance that I might make you mine, I have to take it. I've never met another girl like you. There is something about you that is so different. It's not that you're Queen, I promise. Under your cool exterior, there's someone in there that sees wonder in everything. You don't have to hide that part of yourself with me; I've already seen it. Just tell me what you feel Elsa, I beg you. Do you love Hans?"

I wanted to lie. I wanted to say that I did so I wouldn't have to worry about how to deal with all my confusing feelings about Jack. But I couldn't lie to him; I found myself shaking my head as answer to his question. He looked thrilled for a moment, but that was also the moment I found my voice.

"It doesn't matter if I don't love him now," I said, and Jack's face immediately dropped. "I will learn to. I have to marry him for the sake of Arendelle, because I do love my people and my kingdom. And this is what my parents wanted. What kind of daughter would I be if I didn't respect them and their wishes, especially since they have passed on?"

"You can rule a kingdom without an arranged marriage," Jack said. "In fact, you would better rule it if it was alongside someone you actually cared about. You don't even know Hans."

"I don't know you either!" I exploded. "Are you trying to tell me that I need to marry you instead? That is beyond hypocritical, because I don't know either of you well enough to marry you."

"I'm not talking about marriage Elsa!" Jack raised his voice; we were both yelling now. "It's called getting to know someone before marriage. I want you to follow your heart, like I am doing. My heart is telling me that I like you as more than a friend, and I wish I could court you, to get to know you, and I know I can't, but if there's any chance that you will give us a chance, you have to take it."

"I can't," I whispered. "Goodbye Jack. I will see you and your family at the wedding."

"Elsa, you can't do this!" Jack screamed.

"I can and I will," I answered, trying to remain calm, though I was close to tears. "You need to leave, now." Jack shook his head slightly, but propelled himself through the open window, faster than I had ever seen him fly before. I didn't look out after him. I didn't think my resolve would last if I did.

Instead, I crawled into bed, knees at my chest, and quietly cried. I didn't want to have to lose Jack. Something about him drew me to him, something that I couldn't fathom in words. But more than anything, his words kept coming back. I didn't love Hans, and I wished more than I could explore my feelings for Jack, but the horrible truth was that I couldn't. The most important duty of a Queen was to give up what she wanted for the sake of her country. My parents obviously thought that Hans would be the best King that Arendelle could have after they were gone. My parents were beloved and wise rulers, and I had no reason to doubt that what they would have wanted would be best for Arendelle.

It was long after the sun had spread its golden rays into my room that I finally wiped any lingering tears from my face and prepared myself. Today was going to be special, and I wouldn't let last night's events prevent me from enjoying myself. My cousin, Rapunzel, and her husband Eugene were coming from Corona for the wedding. Rapunzel had an amazing story. She was stolen just days after she born, but with a bandit named Flynn, on her eighteenth birthday she had found out that she was the lost princess of Corona and reunited with my aunt and uncle. Flynn had turned out to actually be named Eugene, and they have been happily married ever since.

After I deemed that no traces of tears were left on my face, I exited my room, heading straight for Anna. I had learned long ago that if Anna didn't come bounding into my room, she was still sleeping. Sure enough, it took several knocks on her door for Anna to respond, and when I finally walked in, she was still sitting in bed, rubbing her eyes, her hair an unbelievable mess. Despite all this, I couldn't help to smile.

"Come on and get up, Rapunzel and Eugene are coming today," I reminded my sister. At my words, Anna squealed, woke up instantly, and ran into her closet, coming out not a minute later in a casual green and tan dress. She quickly threw her hair into two braids, and then grabbed my hand and dragged me out of her room.

Hans and Gerda met us in the throne room. "Princess Rapunzel and Prince Eugene's ship has just arrived," Gerda informed us. "My Queen, you forgot your cape and crown in your room this morning." She held out the items to me. I was confused, but I took the royal garments and quickly put them on. I was sure I had left my room this morning wearing both. I must have been more disoriented from last night than I had thought.

No sooner than I had secured my tiara in my hair than the doors opened and Rapunzel and Eugene entered. We had only met Rapunzel once before, when she had come with her parents to our parents' funeral (in fact, it was on the way to Rapunzel's wedding that my parent's ship went down). True, I had been absent for the funeral, but I had managed to collect myself and my powers to see them on their last day in Arendelle.

Rapunzel ran straight towards Anna and I, enveloping both of us in her arms. "It's so good to see you both again!" she exclaimed. "Elsa, you're going to be the most beautiful bride," she told me as she pulled away.

"Thank you," I told her. I gave a fleeting hug to Eugene before beckoning Hans forward. "I would like to introduce you to my betrothed, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. Hans, this is my cousin, Princess Rapunzel of Corona and her husband Prince Eugene." Hans shook both of their hands, and we conversed for a few minutes before Rapunzel, Anna, and I left to enjoy a spot of tea, leaving Eugene and Hans to become better acquainted.

"So, Elsa, what's Hans like?" Rapunzel asked the second we sat down. She leaned forward towards me, her face eager for information.

"Well," I said, and then hesitated. I quickly took a sip of tea to cover up that moment, and hoped that Anna and Rapunzel wouldn't notice. "He's very courteous, and definitely wants to do the best he can at ruling Arendelle after the wedding. He's dedicated to the country already, which is fantastic. I'm sure that he will be a fine king and husband."

Rapunzel nodded. "It seems that he'll be good for you. It's awful that you can't get to know him better before the wedding, but I hope that soon you love each other as much as Eugene and I love each other!" I made a small noise of agreement to show I was listening, but looking at Rapunzel reminded of what my parents had done.

My father was supposed to marry Rapunzel's mother, Primrose. And the King of Corona, Thomas, was supposed to marry my mother. Primrose and Idun, my mother, were sisters. When they went to meet their husbands, Thomas fell in love with Primrose and Agdar, my father, fell in love with Idun. Neither of them stuck to the cultural norm by sticking to the arranged marriage. So why must I?

I was quiet throughout most of the tea, speaking only when spoken to and giving short answers. I knew that Anna and Rapunzel were giving me strange looks, but at the moment I didn't care. I didn't know what to do, and while I didn't want to disrespect the last wishes of my parents, I also didn't want marry someone I didn't love, when they had themselves gone against the norm.

After tea, Anna and I gave Rapunzel and Eugene a tour of the castle, and then we decided to head out to the town. Hans decided to accompany us. He offered me his arm as we stepped outside. I gave an inaudible sigh, but fit my hand in the crook of his elbow.

We stayed in the town for a good hour and half. Rapunzel was admiring the fountains near the market (saying how she would love an opportunity to paint them) when it happened.

I was aimlessly scanning the town when my eyes fell upon that head of white hair. He was with his Heidi and Rebekka, and they looked to be buying groceries. I turned my head to the other side quickly, praying that Jack didn't notice me. I got my wish… it wasn't Jack who found me.

"Momma, look, it's Elsa and Anna!" Rebekka yelled excitedly. "Let's go say hi!" I risked a peak back over in their direction, and sure enough, and I saw Rebekka leading both Heidi and Jack towards our party. There was no avoiding Jack now.

Rebekka noticed my glance and quickly closed the remaining space between us. "Hi, Elsa, hi Anna!" she exclaimed. I had no choice but to greet her and her family as well.

"This is my cousin Rapunzel, and her husband Eugene," I introduced. "Rapunzel, Eugene, this is Rebekka Frost. Her mother, Heidi, is the one who made my wedding dress, and this is her brother, Jack. Rapunzel and Eugene have come up for the wedding.

Jack, who had been looking down at his shoes, promptly scowled at the word 'wedding'. I hoped that I was the only one who noticed, because the rest of the group was listening to Rapunzel compliment Heidi (I had showed my cousin my dress on the tour of the palace). Jack glanced up, saw my hand in Hans' arm, and his expression looked even more furious.

Rebekka was busy telling Rapunzel and Eugene about how my physician had made her all better from her sickness, so the two of them plus Anna were smiling down at the girl. But Hans was glaring at Jack. When I looked back at Jack, he too was staring Hans down. Both of them had looks of deepest loathing in their eyes.

"Well, Elsa, it was lovely to see you, and to meet your relatives. They seem like very nice people," Heidi said. I turned my attention from the two men and focused on Heidi. "We'll see you at the wedding, alright? Only four days away after today." I tried to smile at her words, but my mouth just twisted in an odd way, and I was sure it looked more like a grimace than anything else.

Heidi led Rebekka away, but Jack and Hans were still locked in a stare-down. It wasn't until Rebekka touched Jack's arm that he seemed to break out of a trance. He blinked, looked down at his sister, and set off without one look even in my direction. I couldn't even pretend to myself that I wasn't hurt by that.

My group headed back up to the palace, where Gerda informed us that dinner was to be ready in ten minutes time. The others started to head in the direction of the dining room but I stayed back. "If you'll excuse me for a few moments, there's something I'd like to take care of before dinner. I will be back in time to join you, I promise," I murmured. The others nodded and I set off on my own the opposite way toward the library.

When I reached one of my favorite rooms in the whole castle, I stood in front of a large painting of my parents. It was commissioned right after their wedding, and they were in their wedding attire. I wished nothing more that I could talk to them, ask them what to do, but the longer I stood there, the angrier I became.

"You should have let me choose," I snarled with tears prickling at my eyes. "I never wanted to get married this early, and I wanted to have someone of my own choosing. You didn't do as you were told, so why are you making me? Is this some sort of punishment for having my powers?" I flung off my gloves and held up my hands, as though my parents could see them. "Wasn't separating me from Anna, and the rest of the world, punishment enough? Why couldn't I just have chosen like you did? What did I ever do to you to deserve this?" With that, I slammed my hands on their portrait. From my fists, ice crept up the picture at an alarmingly fast rate. To my horror, the whole painting was covered in ice before I could even blink. I stood back, breathing heavily, staring at my hands like they had just grown scales. I grabbed my gloves and wrenched my hands back into them, and then ran over to the large window. I threw it open, hoping that the final rays of the sun could melt the portrait before anyone could walk in and notice what I'd done. I didn't know if I could stand to look at what I'd done, so I swept from the room so I could join the others.

Throughout dinner, I tried my hardest not to think of the monstrosity I had committed. I knew the others could tell I was acting off, but when Anna tentatively asked me about my mood, I just told her it was pre-wedding jitters. Rapunzel gave me a sympathetic look and told me that she had felt the same thing before her wedding, and that the feelings would pass once the wedding was finally here. After that, everyone seemed much more accepting of my behavior, thought I did notice Hans casting sideways glances at me every so often.

After dinner was finished (even though I couldn't bring myself to eat more than a few bites), Hans asked to speak with me alone. I agreed, so Anna, Rapunzel, Eugene, and the servants all cleared out of the room. I turned to Hans, and found him frowning down at me.

"I told you yesterday, I don't like the way Jack Frost looks at you," he growled. "I won't take you talking back to me this time. He will not be invited to the wedding and that is final."

"He and his family are invited, and there's no changing it," I told him as firmly as I could. To be honest, Hans was starting to scare me. I didn't like his harsh, commanding tone of voice at all.

His hand was too quick for me to see it. All I felt was my head whipping to the side and a throbbing sting sensation in my cheek. Then Hans grabbed my face in one of his hands, squeezing uncomfortably. "He will not be coming," Hans snarled, his face in mine. "I am your husband and king, and what I say will be done." He pushed my face backward so hard I almost lost my footing. I stared up at him in horror for a moment, and then ran from the room.

That was it. I couldn't marry him now. There would be no way that my parents would support me marrying someone who was abusive to me. Hans was showing his true colors, and I refused to spend my life being physically abused by my husband.

I went straight to my room, where I threw down my tiara and cape. Going to my window, I threw it open, but then hesitated. I had had a destination in mind, but it would be risky. Very risky. But I had nowhere else to turn, and now that I was sure that I would not be marrying Hans… I had to give him a chance. If I didn't know anything else, I knew that I wanted to give us a chance.

Taking my gloves off for a moment, I threw out my hands to create a slide out of snow down to the ground. I propelled myself out the window and slid softly to the ground. I pulled my gloves back on and took off running again. I didn't stop until I came to his house. He was in the back yard, looking thoroughly dejected, tossing a snowball up in the air and catching it over and over. I could only assume his power kept the snowball from breaking every time it made contact with his hand.

"Jack," I called softly. His head turned immediately at my words, and his eyes grew large. "I was wrong before," I told him, walking closer to him. "I do want to try this, because I don't love Hans… but I do have feelings for you. I want to try and be with you."

Jack looked at me as though I were a miracle. He stood slowly and closed the gap between us. He raised his hand as if to caress my face, when he noticed my cheek, the one that Hans had slapped earlier.

"Elsa," he breathed. "That bruise… who did this to you?"

What do you think Jack's going to do once he figures out the truth? How do you think Elsa's going to try and get out of the wedding? Will Anna, Rapunzel, and Eugene find out what Hans did to Elsa? I have lots of ideas on how to answer these questions, and we're getting really close to the wedding date. Please review with anything you might want to say, because I try my hardest to answer every review, and I appreciate all of them, as well as all follows/favorites! On another note, school is starting soon, and since it's my senior year, I'll likely be pretty busy. However, I won't give up on this story and I will update as often as I can. Until the next chapter, my dear readers!

-E