A/N：Well I didn't think it would happen, but here we are. Basically, it's kinda like an AU of Frozen 2, so you will find some familiar names in it (because I'm too lazy to come up new names). But, it's NOT Frozen2. Also, sorry for any mistakes or weird expressions, English isn't my native language.
Special thanks for 琨困虫虫 for letting me use his drawing for the cover.
Prologue
March 22th, 1842
A warm, moist wind from the southern sea brought the promise of spring. It swept the coast of Arendelle, cheerfully blew the golden crocus flags on the roofs and brought more fuel to the festive atmosphere of the Spring Equinox celebration. Although the sun began to sink into the horizon, the town square still buzzed with excitement. As musicians came out to the central fountain and set up their instruments for the grand open-air dance party, the gathering crowd pushed the festivities to a new climax.
Queen Elsa was quite grateful for letting Anna be in charge of all the arrangements for the Spring Equinox celebration. Personally, she still refused to call the first and also the last spring celebration she arranged a disaster, but, quoting Anna's words, "it was a grand memorial service of the deceased winter and everyone was solemn and dignified." It might have something to do with her ice magic, but winter was always like an old friend to her. She loved the comfort and vitality brought by the crisp wind from the north and the relaxing equilibrium between herself and the world outside provided by the heavy snow that blanketed everything. Naturally, unlike others, the seasonal change was not particularly welcome to her. However, as the queen of Arendelle, she still enjoyed to celebrate the old tradition with her people and her sister.
It was quite a long day, but both she and Anna had quite a lot of fun. Mr. Blodget served them some really delicious delfiakakes and kransekakes at his stall. Mrs. Eriksen gave her a jar of excellent lutefisk as a gift for letting her family stay in the castle while they renovated their home. And Mr. Ole haraldsen and Miss Karin Naess invited her and Anna to witness their wedding in May. The last one was a bit overwhelming to the young queen, but Anna promised her it would be fun.
Her train of thoughts was interrupted by the cheerful sound of tuba. In the town square, young girls and young boys began to hold each other's hands and start the circle dance, and everything seemed to be running smoothly. Times like this made Elsa regret keeping a fame of 'I don't dance', now there was no longer anything she could do besides being a silly royal mascot.
"Kai, could you please take the celebration from here? I would like go to my bedroom." Elsa glanced at the royal steward who was chatting with a young merchant and gently asked.
"Of course, Your Majesty." the chubby old man turned around and bowed politely. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine." Elsa smiled and nodded. "I'm just a bit tired."
"Then, I will ask maids to help you undress."
"Oh, no, please don't, let them have fun." Elsa quickly shook her head with a frown. In years of isolation, she already got used to doing everything by herself and the little private interval between her daily duty and sleeping was precious. "I can manage to take care of myself." Elsa refused politely.
"Then, should I tell Princess Anna?" Kai suggested again. There was an unwritten rule in the castle, set by Anna herself, that the princess should always personally bid the queen goodnight.
Elsa hesitated at this suggestion for a moment. In the square, she could see Anna was dancing with Olaf in the circle of crowds. They held their hands, rotating round and round with joyful laugh. Her braid crown was loose. The strawberry blonde hair was leaping like lively fire in the crowd. She was truly the life of the party and the brightest star in Elsa's heart.
"Your Majesty?" Kai's voice brought her back to the moment.
She smiled genuinely and shook her head again. "Please don't, let her enjoy the celebration. She deserves this."
After refreshing herself on the next day's schedule with Kai, Elsa turned around and walked back to the castle alone, leaving the bustle behind. As the castle gate closed behind her, Elsa felt like the curtain of the grand stage had finally fallen and she was alone once again. While the silence curled around her like a heavy blanket, strange thoughts began to fester in her mind — another thing she didn't like about the seasonal change from winter to spring. Every year around this period, her mind would be filled with weird whims. Sometimes, there was a sudden feeling of sadness without reasons, at other times there was a longing to go somewhere far, far away. It almost felt like a strange nostalgia for something she never had. And as she grew older, those feelings became stronger and stronger. Elsa had never mentioned this to anyone, even to Anna, as a person with dangerous ice magic, the last thing she wanted was making others worry about her. The days she had with Anna and others were precious, she didn't want to put them at any risk.
Half-heartedly, she went back to her bedroom. It was still light outside, so she didn't light the candle but opened the door to the balcony to let the light in. The bustling sounds from the distant square cheered her up a bit. She let down her hair, changed into a comfortable velvet nightgown, brushed her teeth and prepared for bed. However, something caught her attention, while she was brushing her hair before bed. She couldn't tell what it was, it might be the faint music from the square, or the restless breeze blew into her bedroom, or just the golden-rimmed clouds in the northern sky, but a sudden urge made her put down the comb and step into the balcony.
Beyond the balcony, the dark green waters of the fjord stretched ahead in the evening light. The cliffs on both sides of the sea went on for miles, eventually merging with the undulating ridges of the northern mountains. As Elsa gazed at those mountains which seemed to touch the golden sky, she felt an awful anxiety and longing which mounted in her chest.