Chapter 11: Proposals

"Do you need a jacket of any sorts? You can use mine, the air is almost a bitter cold today." Roald said looking at the Queen who wore nothing but her dress in the frosted air.

"No the cold doesn't bother me." She said as she walked the long pathway of the courtyard, overtaken in mounds of snow.

"I really can't understand any of it. To be able to control one of the world's strongest forces against us humans…the cold. That power, it doesn't make you any sort of witch…or sorcerer…it just makes others envy you. It must."

"I highly doubt anyone would envy this kind of life." She wondered when she…or if she could muster the chance to talk to Anna about supporting her decision not to marry, at least so soon. King Roald's eyes darted questioningly to her, as she accompanied him on the walk she'd promised, more spitefully to Jack than of actual admiration for Roald.

"All the same, I think they would Queen Elsa. A beautiful Queen of Arendale, with the powers of winter's bite at her beckoning…and yet she does not use them?"

"I use them…"

"But not as much as one would think. Creating that which is living? A castle? The magnificent power of it all. You should truly be worshiped for that gift."

"I don't need worshipping. I just want to be-"

"Ah, and yet here you are, a lonely Queen. How can you not even have a King by your side?"

Elsa felt uprooted, and unprotected. This idea of a King had been mustering over her head in a large dark foreboding cloud and even King Roald knew her single as a Queen was strange…and yet-

"Why don't you have a Queen?" She countered. Why was it strange for her to be single and not a King?

"I don't have much time on my hands to amuse women ruling the Southern Isles. My brothers are mostly single themselves, and watching over them is quite a task...as you can see. I rarely ever get to partake in such conversation like this." He said rather gracefully. "And you?"

"About the same. Marriage is not a high priority…or it never has been. I really don't see the-"

"I can't imagine a Queen, now, I'm not saying you couldn't, but leading an army of men into battle? I must say you surely have the power, but I'd hate to see a woman injured in a battle…it is the most dreadful of sights…" He droned on as if it had really bugged him, the thought of her in war.

"I could handle myself." She said.

"But the soldiers? Could you handle them? A sword should it come down to it? I mean building a wall of ice could only hold them back for so long…and yet those monsters-"

"I'd really prefer not to let my powers get …too out of hand. I –"

"I could help! I mean I don't have the time to maintain two armies should Sweden call out for war but…I could give lessons…do you have someone who could take the front line for you? Another man?"

"I don't, I'd really have to myself."

"I'd do it for you if I could Queen Elsa…If I could help you In any way, my father was always quite good when it came to measures of war, and left me with much training…"

"My parents passed…I never had that kind of training…I'd never planned for any of this to happen." She'd begun to wonder if he'd been talking over her or at her.

"I propose that you come by my own ship tomorrow evening before we head off. I can at the least pitch a few ideas, share the tactics my father taught me. I really do hate that I can't help more. I' m not saying you can't do this, but I'd don't feel right letting a Queen get her hands dirty of the blood of war. I'd much rather see someone else lead the way. However, please, meet me tomorrow if its not to much to ask, I can pitch you a few last ideas?

"Oh, I couldn't ask possibly any more of you. You've already done enough."

"Oh, but Queen Elsa I'm willing to do more. Even if this visit is brief, tomorrow I can show you some of the tactics in my ship before I leave. It seems as if your ship will be done by late tomorrow evening…or so we plan."

"Already? Hmm, time really has gone by so quick…" Elsa flashed him a half-hearted sympathetic smile.

"It has. I'd really like to get to know Arendale better. It has such a …homey touch. Did you ever think that, with the war coming along, you might raise taxes in preparation for the goods needed to survive? Or the enlistment of men? …actually do you have any other Royalty to lead the Arandale Cavalry if they should reach –"

"Well I would consider it, I'd really prefer not to put anyone else-"

"Ah, but you should be defending the daughters and mothers, and what your parents have left you. Ice could be quite impenetrable. Should you pass in war, the tragedy, surely your sister would grieve would she not?"

"My sister is everything to me. She's all the family I have left." Elsa found her stomach twist.

"Everything? Well surely then, we, I mean with all assistance I can provide, we can figure something out...someone to take your place, so the Queen and heir of Arendale doesn't have to suffer…or her sister."

"Of course. And you probably are right. I could never ask Kristoff to lead them…if he ever died …well my sister-"

"Ruling a country is hard. I can give you whatever help you need Queen Elsa. I really do wish there was more I could do."

"To help our troops should the time come for war, I can't ask for more. I mean an allegiance would be quite ideal…" Elsa did need to start thinking more military like if this threat of war was prevalent.

"I wish I could. But my own responsibilities are far most to my own Kingdom…if we united our powers, why with my military and your powers we'd be the saving grace of the Norweigen nation. Allegiance we have in the most basic of terms…strictly speaking making two Kingdoms closer would lead to…" He said, turning away. "On the other hand, should you accept what assistance I can provide, you should visit. All of my father's records of war are in there."

"I never have seen many of my fathers-'

"Arendale has always been…passive when it comes to war. Plus, a large war hasn't been on the playing board for a decade now…your father may not have been so inclined to partake, or to bring you with him...I doubt. I've seen a war in my youth."

"Then I will come, for the better of Arendale."

"It seems you'd do a lot for the better of Arendale."

"Its my duty as their Queen."

"Well I am quite humbled by your noble qualities as Queen, Elsa, they almost are equivalent to your beauty."

"Flattery now is it?"

"Only if you accept it."

"I'll take what you have so generously, and apologetically given to us. Your brothers doings are far from our minds now."

"I do what I can." He bowed. "Please, do not hesitate to ever call upon the Southern Isles, I will always come for your beckon of Arendale, Queen Elsa. I have a few more measures to take care of before tomorrow. Have a good evening." He kissed her hand and left to the castle.

Elsa sighed. Once again, his willingness to help seemed to fit all to perfectly into the mold of a King. But she knew, running head first into things never turned out well. And yet, her sister was the taken one and she was a single Queen. Maybe she ought to learn from her sister. She left to her room, and wondered what she would do tomorrow about all of this.

"Elsa?"

"I'm sorry Jack, I need some time alone with my thoughts, can you come back-"

"I can't. Look, Roald's been sending letters to his ship." Jack noticed an apprehensive and scolding look in her eyes. "Hey, don't ream me out just yet. I'm doing this for you. Anyway, yesterday I followed it out of curiosity and found that a small man was reading about some strange and suspicious things…anyway…today I intercepted one, unexpectedly since he sent one this morning rather than in the evening-"

"You're spying on Roald's men?! You intercepted it? What if it was about our ship? Did you let it pass?"

"I did. I only took it for a minute when the soldier was….distracted. Look, it had to do with asking that strange small hooded if everything was set up, about the back up plan should the "proposal" fail…and if they would be ready-" Jack raised up his hands to make quotations "to light it up?"

"So he has something to ask? A proposal maybe for the ship or the war…who knows…or maybe –"

"Its not the ….proposal I'm upset about ….its the other stuff. The shady figure, the strange letters…didn't sound much like a letter about a boat did it? Just watch out around him…didn't you say his brother was bad news too?"

"Oh and you're the expert. I've stood on my own this long Jack, how could you possibly think that I'd need you to baby my every action? I needed a bit of advice, sure, not someone else to-"

"Someone else? I think Anna wants you to get married because she wants you to be safe, and have someone next to you. She's not bossing you around or getting in your business...I just think she cares."

"And you?"

"I'm…I'm just trying to make sure your safe too. King Roald-"

"I'm safe. And what's more I'm actually considering asking him to make our alliance a little more concrete." Elsa felt the words come out, and then realized they didn't hold as much truth as her bitter breath had held. She covered her mouth with her hand.

"Hmm, so you've found your Prince Charming eh?" Jack leaned against the window frame raising an accusing eyebrow at her. "Hey, maybe I'm wrong, maybe that proposal is just to ask you to be his Queen, then you can have someone looking and watching over you all the time. Maybe lighting it up meant he's going to put on some romantic display of fireworks for you. Maybe you don't need my help anymore. But if I have a sense for bad character, don't blame me, the last person I delt with the was quite the epitome of evil, so I'd like to think I have a decent judge in character."

"What is so evil about marrying me?" Elsa started to wonder exactly what Jack was trying to say.

"Nothing." Jack said turning away. "But your special. We're both given something, and hell I get its kind of a curse at times. But you want to protect Arendale and your sister so bad…did you ever think that you might want to look out for yourself first?"

"I can handle-"

"No, that's not what I mean. You're at times stubborn, but strong willed, and yea independent…but that doesn't mean that you're invincible. I'm not invincible. You'd think being…like this…it'd be easy Elsa but its not. But hey, if you really don't need my advice anymore, I think I know my cue." Jack felt his stomach wrench, as he hopped down off the ledge and left towards the forest.

Even if he was wrong, why couldn't she just see he was trying to help so she didn't get used? Roald had snuck around looking for something in his room. He had been sending strange letters. And hell Jack just couldn't shake a bad feeling about that guy…or that little hooded one in the ship.

He kicked the tree he'd been standing by and the ice on the trees made a charming noise as they shook slightly.

It didn't matter. He couldn't make his point any clearer, although he hated leaving things like this. And maybe he'd have been less mad if he'd just been able to make peace with his own feelings, but instead he knew sooner or later, he'd return to his time where Elsa's life would have nothing to do with his and-

"Ouch."

Jack rubbed his head as he felt a small ball hit his head...from the sky? He looked to the sky and back to the ground. He saw a small egg…no, no, an Easter Bunny egg. He took it and opened it. So they must have tried to send him a message.

Hey look there, Jack. Old Nick filled us in on your whole shenanigan tryin to save that girl from the past and I think you're a little crazy, but North told us not to enter this portal you got set up…anyway, he also wanted me to tell you you have less than 24 hours left before you'll get brought back here, and that weird dust stuff settles. Get back here safe so we can all ask you what the heck you were thinkin'

- E. Bunny, North, Sandman, & Tooth

Jack sat on the ground. So his time really was running out. He watched as the sun began to hit the horizon, and waited for the Moon to rise…not that the Moon's plan had to come back to this time had seemed to do him much good...