The Snow Queen had never felt the cold. But she'd felt its power. It was beneath her skin, rippling. It soared through her blood; pulsing. Swirled within her soul, crying. She'd never known what it was like to live any other way. Born with the feeling. It waited impatiently, ready to flow out from within her, to see the world. To be beautiful. Beautiful like a new born child, one with platinum blonde fuzz atop its head, glistening in the moonlight like freshly fallen snow. The King and Queen stared at the still, little body. She didn't squirm or cry. Just whimpered softly, breathing steadily as she slept.
"I'd read about this, but I never thought," the King began to say as he paced the room. He wanted to feel joy, but fear was slowly creeping over him. The Queen looked down at the child's small, pale face, the lightest brush of freckles painted across her nose and cheeks.
"My husband, this is our daughter. She will be strong and wise, just as you are."
"You say that as though you've glimpsed the future yourself. But she is infused with magic, powerful and dangerous. She will be feared. The kingdom won't -"
"The kingdom will learn to love her just as we do. We will help her, there is no need to fear."
The King smiled, then sat beside his wife who lay still in their ruffled bed of white and ocean blue sheets. She handed him their baby. The air about her was cold as ice, but neither him nor the child felt it. The King's heart warmed, no longer afraid as he watched the little teal eyes flutter open and look back in wonder, a small fist waving toward him.
"Do you have a name for her, dear?" The Queen whispered softly.
"Her name is Elsa."
"Hans, I'm going after her. This is my fault, my mistake to fix."
"Anna, it's dangerous out there. You can't go alone."
The two of them were pacing the conference room, footsteps echoing all round them in the still air. It had been two weeks since Elsa's coronation/disappearance and Anna was beginning to grow worried, well, more worried than she had all ready been from the start.
"You keep telling me to stay here and take care of the kingdom and focus on our wedding, but I just can't do stuff like that and pretend to be fine knowing my sister is out there somewhere. Alone!" Anna gestured to the window and the mountain range beyond.
"At first it was a cool breeze, now it's gusts of cold air. If this keeps up, Arendelle will no longer be experiencing summer, Hans! Crops will die, livestock will starve, and people will starve. I have to find Elsa and ask her what's going on. Maybe she can stop this."
Hans sighed, slouching into a chair. Their wedding was tomorrow but he could tell Anna was in no mood to walk down the aisle. He wondered if she even remembered. Hans stood from his chair at the long, rectangular table and moved toward Anna who had hung her head in despair.
"All right, let's go find Elsa, together," he spoke softly, hoping it would calm his fiancé's rising temper.
"No, you need to stay here and keep order, especially if the weather gets worse," and especially if I don't return, Anna continued in her mind.
"So now the rolls are reversed," Hans stated bitterly.
"I trust that you'll take excellent care of the kingdom while I'm gone, proof that you belong here, with me. Maybe then, my sister will give us her blessing."
Accepting defeat, Hans ran a hand through his handsomely sculpted auburn hair, then laughed.
"Your wish is my command, my dear princess. And anyway, how hard can it be, you know, running a kingdom and all…"
"I'm off then. Hubert! Ready my horse!"
"Right away, your majesty," a short, portly butler responded and hurried out the towering, redwood doors.
"Wait, Anna!" Hans said as he caught her arm before she could run off. She looked back, glaring ever so unhappily at the interruption.
"You still can't venture into the mountains alone, it's -" but Anna cut him off.
"Yes, I know! It's dangerous," the freckled red head responded sarcastically. "I'm sure I can find a mercenary in the market that will be more than willing to join me."
With a playful wink, the princess slipped out of Hans' grip and bolted it for the door, green dress fluttering behind her, hoping Hubert had already made it to the stables.
The marketplace was bustling with energy despite the chilly weather. The citizens were stocking up on as much food as their carts could possibly carry, rumours spreading fear amongst the people about the possibility of a very early winter. Everyone who wasn't engrossed in their purchasing and saw the princess as she rode through, bowed toward her, and then continued on their way. In return, Princess Anna kept a gentle, reassuring smile about her face, hoping its presence would calm some of the chaos.
When Anna reached the middle of the market, she brought her horse and the riderless steed attached to her's to a halt, calling out, "I, Princess Anna of Arendelle, your Princess, am in search of a mercenary of great skill and bravery! He or she will journey with me and then be rewarded generously once the task is complete!"
The crowds suddenly went silent. People stared at the princess, then looked at one another, asking if the other knew what was going on. Anna gazed across the multitude of people, looking for a sword or hand that might be raised, or any movement what so ever. But the crowd was still.
"Will no one accompany me on my quest to find our Queen?"
The crowd then came to life in an uproar of conversation.
"She's not our Queen, she's a monster!" Anna heard someone cry out. Her face grew hot with frustration and she felt her heart and confidence drop like a pebble in a pool of water. People began to slowly scurry away, the crowd thinning, and the noise lessening. Anna let out a shaky sigh, unable to believe that no one wanted to help. Maybe she could take some guards… No, they were needed in the kingdom in case of attack or any other emergency, like a certain impending flash freeze if something wasn't done soon.
Anna patted her patient horse's neck, saying, "don't worry, there's got to be someone around who can help us," more to herself than to the expertly groomed animal.
Then suddenly, Anna heard a crunch and turned her head. A thin, hooded person dressed in animal hides and fur around the collar stood in the shadows next to an unattended apple cart. Whoever had been running the stall had just up and left like almost all of the people who had been gathered there only moments earlier.
"You there! Who are you?"
The oddly cloaked body stiffened at the sound, then emerged into the fading light of the stone paved street. They removed their hood, revealing a pale face framed by cascading locks of unkept, raven black hair, and lips that resembled the petals of a unblemished red rose. In her hand, the beautiful woman held a perfectly rounded maroon apple, that is except for the missing chuck in its side. She hung her head, then said, "my upmost apologies, your majesty. I was only hungry. I would not steal if I had any other option."
Anna face softened, then her eyes happened upon a sword that hung from the mysterious woman's side. Her heart sprang back up into her chest.
"What is your name?"
The pale woman looked up, studying the young princess who sat above her, then straightened her stance, looked her directly in the eyes, and replied, "my name is Snow White."
What a curious name, Anna thought.
"Well, Snow White, how would you like to accompany me on my quest?"
Another chapter? All ready? Wow this is a first, I must really love this story.
But yeah, I'm so excited because I now have ideas on how to extend the plot and make this interesting and cool and... yay! :D
So there's definitely gonna be a chapter 3, and probably more after that. And I'm still not 100% sure on making this an Elsanna fanfic, so please voice your opinion in the kindest ways you can muster, I want to make as many of my readers happy as possible.
BANDIT SNOW HAS ARRIVED. This is gonna be one hell of a party.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you like, please let me know. Gives me motivation to keep going and maybe even finish this (would be a miracle, but here's hoping). :3
Btw, in this story (if you haven't already noticed), Elsa doesn't freeze Arendelle right away. It's going to happen gradually. Haters gonna hate. :P