~Present Day: Elsa's POV~
The Germans of Corona, my extended family. The Hispanics of Avalor. The Scots of Dun'Broch. The Dragon Riding Vikings of Berk. The Voyagers of Motunui. The Cavemen of Tumaro. The Vampires of Transylvania. The Ogres of Farfarawae. And lastly, the Leafmen of Moonhaven. All of who are invited to celebrate with the Norwegians of Arendelle for my upcoming coronation in two weeks' time. All of who Arendelle hasn't had contact with in years for different reasons, me being among one of those reasons.
I'm hoping that, by inviting them to my coronation, I'll be able to mend those broken bonds and add more to the list of Arendelle's allies. Originally, I wasn't going to invite them at all, except for Corona and Moonhaven, because I didn't know that they existed. I didn't know of their existence until I went through some old letters I found in the attic out of boredom.
After the accident with Anna ten years ago, my parents decided to reduce the number of allies, and now that I am about to become Queen, my first Queenly assignment is to get those numbers back up. Starting with my extended family. My aunt and uncle, Queen Arianna and King Frederick, live and rule in Corona. I haven't seen them in 10 years because of...because of what I did to Anna in the throne room. I don't even know if they know what happened, but...whether they do or don't it's time that I met them face to face.
Not as their niece that wants to get to know them again and is afraid to hurt them with her powers, but as a desperate Queen instead who is in need of more allies.
If I wasn't desperate, I wouldn't be inviting drunk Scots, barbaric Vikings who ride on the backs of dragons, even more barbaric Cavemen, bloodsucking Vampires, and frightening Ogres into my kingdom. I hate how rude that makes me sound, but considering that I've never encountered them before, I can only base them off of the things I have heard of them. Just until they prove me wrong otherwise, which I truly hope they do. I also hope that I'm not making a mistake, especially with the vampires.
Any normal Queen-to-be would never invite them into her kingdom and home and would have been shocked at finding out that the creatures of myth exist, and while I am indeed surprised, I'm more surprised that we used to be allies with them rather than them actually existing.
I'm already well aware that creatures and beings of myth are real. Every single one of them. Why is that? Well, I grew up with some of them, the Guardians as they're called, who have told me the truth about the legends. How they're all real and not always what they appear to be in stories. And even if I didn't grow up with the Guardians, I was born with magic in my veins, so surely I would have suspected there to be other people of magic and myth.
Magic. It's such a...complicated thing.
When I was younger, I used to love my powers with every inch of myself. But then...then that night happened, the night I saw the shadow and accidentally hurt my sister, the night that changed everything, and now...now I hate them. I hate them so much. They used to be a blessing, a gift, but for years now all I see is a curse. I was cursed and I don't know why or by who and I just...I hate it.
The only thing I can do about them is to conceal them, to forever hide them from others. I need to conceal, don't feel, and don't let it show. It's what father told me to do and I'll forever keep my promise to him until the day I die and reunite with him and mama in heaven.
I still can't believe it's been a year already since their death. A year of nothing but Queenly practice, practice, practice with my most trusted advisers. A year of grief that will never end. A year of...loneliness. A year with...with no Jack.
Jack Frost.
The Bringer of Winter.
The Guardian of Fun.
My Guardian.
My first and only love.
He doesn't know that though and he never will. But you know what...it's for the best.
Jack Frost may be the love of my life, but he is not suited for the life I was born into. He's not even a responsible Guardian, so how can I possibly expect him to be a responsible King? That is...if we ever got married in the future, and more so if he even feels the same way about me as I do about him, which he most likely doesn't. I've known him all my life. He's known me since I was a baby. He probably see me as a little sister, and for years I've looked at him as an older brother.
But then I turned 15 and...I had a moment with him and...I don't know. Something happened. Something changed. The boy that used to be my brother, my friend, became something more.
Anyway, he'll always see me as a child, as a sister, so...no marriage there. I don't even want to get married, to be honest. Not to Jack or any other suitor. Not now at least. I'm only 18 after all. Far too young in my book. And I definitely don't want to commit to a relationship while I still have this curse. I don't want to hurt anyone. And since I have no idea how to get rid of my powers, my curse will stay with my for the rest of my life, which means no marriage at all. I doubt my advisers would like that. A Queen with no heir to her kingdom. Luckily, should I have no heir, I have Anna to take over. I just hope that if the time comes she'll be ready for it. That she'll be mature enough for it. She tends to act like Jack sometimes.
I know she'll make me proud though. I believe in her. Marriage is the last thing that my mind is focused on right now, but for Anna it's all she thinks about. She's crazy about love and marriage and wedding dresses. She'll get married before me for sure. She'll have a husband and children, heirs to the throne.
She'll succeed where I won't
Besides his childish tendencies and not feeling the same way about me, there's another reason why Jack isn't suited to share the crown with me.
He's invisible. No mortals can see him unless they believe in him. If we were to reunite, confess our love, and marry, my people would think me insane for sure. Because in their eyes, they wouldn't see Jack at all.
Anna and I were the only two children who could. See him, I mean. We were the only mortals who could see, touch, and hear him. Because of this, he spent a lot of his time with my sister and I. That is...until the troll from years ago erased her memories when he healed her. If it wasn't for me, Jack would still have Anna as a believer and Anna would know about my powers. We'd still be close. All three of us.
But I pushed them away.
To protect them.
Another thing about Jack though that would never work out with me is...well it's the fact that he's immortal and I'm not. I'll age and grow old while he'll forever remain an 18 year old boy until the end of time, bringing Winter to the world. It's because of his winter abilities, abilities that I share with him, that my parents always believed him to be an imaginary friend. Because it only makes sense for children to create a friend that is exactly like them. When you're different, creating a friend that is like you...well...it makes you feel less different. Less alone.
Before Anna, Jack was all I had. Now granted, I don't remember that time since I was two when Anna was born, but I'm sure I was lonely whenever Jack or my parents had to go off to do their duties. And guess what? For a whole year, that loneliness has been my only friend. My only company. It's a good listener, but when I have my nightmares...it's suffocating. And mixed with the silence, it's loud. Deafening.
I've been having nightmares for 10 years, ever since the accident happened, but this last year has been the worst ever. I've had more nightmares this last year than I ever have throughout the other years. Not once had I ever told Jack about it because...well...because there's this voice in them that tells me not to. He threatens me...he terrifies me...he has been for a whole decade. I only ever hear his voice in my nightmares, but his laughter...I've heard it once before in real life.
Just a mere few seconds before Anna got hurt 10 years ago.
I'll never forget that night. I'll never forget that laughter, that shadowy face, those golden eyes, and that voice that I hear in every nightmare. I'll probably hear it for the rest of my life. I'll never forget the dreams that have been haunting me for years. I'll remember every single one of them. Every different scenario. I'll remember the tears and fear and pain. I'll remember it all.
But for the last year, one of the things that haunt me the most isn't a nightmare at all.
It's my last conversation with Jack.
Our fight.
He knew about the death of my parents for a week and didn't tell me. Best friends don't keep things like that from each other, and yet...he did. Queen La Muerte, the Guardian of Death and Halloween, sure as hell didn't keep the information from him, and instead of telling me right away...he waits. He was off work that entire week and never left my side, and his behavior was just...off. I knew something was wrong and when I had tried asking, he brushed it off, saying it was nothing.
That the death of my parents was nothing.
And the only way I found out was actually because of the voice of my nightmares.
He told me that Jack knew, that I should seek the truth, and I did.
I prayed that he was wrong, that Jack didn't know, but Jack confessed, and I...I lost it. I wanted him gone, so badly in fact that I almost hurt him. Jack respected my wish and left, and for an entire year I have not heard word of him.
I have, however, heard from the other Guardians. All except the Guardian of Life and the Guardian of Death. Queen Tara, aka Mother Nature, and Queen La Muerte, aka Holy Death.
Unlike Queen Tara, I have encountered La Muerte before. I've encountered all of the Guardians except for Mother Nature. La Muerte is beautiful and kind, and while I know she wasn't the cause of my parents' death, I still resent her a little bit because I still feel like something could have been done to prevent it. I haven't seen her in a little over a year and I think it's because she knows I'm still upset and doesn't want to hurt me further with her presence. So in conclusion, she stopped visiting and writing altogether. A wise decision I think. I honestly don't know how I'll react if I ever saw her again.
Anyway, all of the Guardians would write to me whenever I was on their mind and they were too busy to visit. They did this even before the accident. And despite what happened last year, with me pushing Jack away, as well as the others, though I never said it to their faces, they still write to me. Fully knowing from Jack, I'm sure, that I didn't want anything to do with them anymore.
But now? Now I'm grateful that I still have their love. Love I don't deserve. I'm grateful for their letters that they still send me. Letters that I will never reply back to because I know it's all too late. I have a secret drawer that's filled with envelopes from North, Bunny, Sandy, Tooth, and Lucille. None of them are open though because I'm afraid on how I'll react to their words. Whether their words are good or bad, I know that my tears will fall either way.
And not once has Jack or Muerte written to me. It's as though they've never existed.
But I know better.
And even though I've never met Mother Nature before, I know that she's real too. I just wish I could have seen her at least once in my life. From what I've been told, mortals seeing the Guardians is against the rules, and while word has it that Queen Tara is actually very playful and mischievous, it's a rule she refuses to break.
Things are going to change though, at least with Tara, because I need her help. From one Queen to another. Besides, a meeting between us is long overdue. As I mentioned before, I need allies to strengthen my kingdom, and the Leafmen of Moonhaven, Queen Tara's people, are the perfect allies to have. The only problem is that her people are 2 to 3 inches tall and live in a miniature kingdom that's actually a forest and is quite large if you're their size.
Tara is able to make them grow though from what Jack has told me. She's Mother Nature after all. One of her many abilities is helping nature and its creatures grow. I'd love to see it in person rather than in my imagination, and perhaps...tomorrow...I will.
North has gifted me with a few teleportation snow-globes throughout the years that are able to take me wherever I wish to go. I never used them, always thinking it best if I just remained inside the castle, but tomorrow...tomorrow, for the first time in forever, for the first time in my entire life, I'll be venturing out into a new world.
Into Moonhaven.
To finally meet Mother Nature. Queen Tara.
And I pray it all goes well.
I'm going to be doing a lot of praying during my reign as Queen. It's going to be more difficult than it has ever been for any Queen of the past because of my curse. Not only that, but...I don't have my parents to help guide me. I used to not worry about taking the throne because I had always thought that my parents would be there to help me, but now they're gone, and so is Jack, and I...I'm terrified.
Which is causing frost to coat my fingertips under their gloves, right this very second. Gloves my father insisted I wear when I was eight years old. I've been concealing my powers for ten years, only releasing them when I'm alone to practice. And while I know it can never be, I long for the day when I can finally be free and just...let it go.
A day that will only ever exist in my dreams.
Dreams I so rarely have.
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A.N: Thanks so much for reading you guys! (Also this chapter may or may not go through some editing) Anyway I hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for more :D