FROST
Chapter 3: The Kingdom of Ethereal
The sky was cloudless, the air was warm, and the breeze blew softly. The wheels of the horse carriage glided smoothly over the cobblestone path, the horse's hooves stomping and clonking in a steady cadence. Inside the carriage, Anna wore a straw, wide-brimmed shepherdess hat laced round with flowers and a soft, white plume. Her ginger hair fell in waves over a creamy beige gown, and her lips were colored with a rosy pink gloss. Kristoff wore a black top with cuffed sleeves over gray, dapper slacks and dark suede shoes. Elsa was adorned in a simple yet elegant olive green dress with a dark brown ruffled end, and a tanned belt encrusted with diamonds wrapped around her waistline. She wore a necklace of pearls, and her hair flowed down in a waterfall braid and the loose ends fell in golden waves. Patches of silvery eyeshadow tinted her eyelids, and a muted shade of rosy, wine colored rouge was on her lips.
"Look, there's the castle," Anna pointed out to Elsa, and she looked out the glass window, "Oh, we're almost there! I can't wait till we get inside! I'm so excited, are you excited, too?" Elsa nodded with a smile. "What about you, Kristoff? Can't wait to see the castle?" Anna asked him eagerly, but he rolled his eyes, "You talked me into this, remember?" "Oh, what's with the attitude? Look, we're in a new place, isn't that better than being cooped up back in your house?" Anna questioned him. "No," Kristoff said straightforwardly, "I would rather be at my house sleeping. Really I wanted a day off from having so much work." "Really? On a day like this? Come on, Kristoff, it's a beautiful day! The sun is shining! And there's going to be a party later, one that I'm sure you'll enjoy!" Anna said brightly. "If you say so," Kristoff responded sarcastically, "I'm not one for parties."
The coachman pulled the horses to a halt with the reins, stopping outside with a clear view of the long, stone path that led to the castle. While the coachman lowered himself off to escort the ladies out of the door, Kristoff had already opened it and stepped out. He looked at Anna, taking her hand and helping her down, and did the same with Elsa. "Are we ready?" he asked them. "Ready as can be!" Anna said, beaming at him, and tugged his sleeve, "Alright, let's walk now!" On either side of the path, flowering magnolias sprinkled and dispersed petals of white like frostless snow before a gleaming, blue and silver castle. A throng of people had gathered to walk down the path that led into the castle, and Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff crossed over the threshold under a limestone arch. "Where are we supposed to go?" Anna asked. "The church," Kristoff said to remind her. "Oh, that's right! Good thing I have you around!" she patted him on the back.
The toll of church bells rang, and the people gathered all followed one another past the threshold of the entrance. They crossed over the foyer and entered the shrine, and people took their seats among the long pews on either side of the lengthy aisle that trailed down to the altar. The ribbed vault of the church had high arches, and sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows. Just when Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff took their seats in the pews, the servants opened the front doors of the church, and in stepped the prince in long, fluid strides. He loped gracefully down the walkway towards the dais, the throne lying in the center of it. Two trails of servants walked on either side of him in parallel lines, and the sound of silver trumpets filled the air. His mid length, layered raven-black hair fell over his porcelain features. His dark locks of hair hung over a royal blue cloak of rich velvet that cascaded down his back that looked sleek on his lean frame. The collar and edges of the mantle were lined with white fur and flecked with dark spots.
The archbishop stood waiting patiently on the dais, ready to speak once the prince came near to him, "Here be His Majesty, Jacques of Ethereal, who is the crown prince and will soon be the new king." Elsa gazed at him with awe and wonder, astonished by his regal beauty. Anna tugged at her arm, whispering, "Wow, is he cute or what?" She giggled a bit seeing her sister blush, though not loud enough to serve as a distraction to anyone. The archbishop cleared his throat, standing in a rigid fashion before the prince, "Do you solemnly swear to properly and rightfully govern the people of this kingdom? "I do, my lord," the young prince pledged. "And do you swear to be its gracious defender and trusted leader for all the years that you reign?" "I do," he vowed.
Kristoff stared blankly at the prince before the priest, his mouth hanging out slightly from the growing pains of boredom. Anna noticed his mouth was wide open, and she scolded him in a harsh whisper, "Kristoff! You're in public, not to mention in a coronation ceremony!" "Your point being?" Kristoff tried to push her away from reprimanding him. "You're being rude, and you're embarrassing me!" she replied angrily, "Act your age and stay awake through all of this!" Yet, Kristoff found it increasingly difficult to obey her as time wore on, and his eyelids began to droop. The monotonous, sedative voice of the archbishop that carried throughout the room lulled him to sleep.
Kristoff…Kristoff… Kristoff! Kristoff thought he could hear Anna's voice, and then suddenly opened his eyes, waking up a bit and refraining from snoring. He looked up and saw Anna glaring at him, saying, "Hello! Earth to Kristoff! Wake up!" "Wait, what did you say?" Kristoff asked yawning. "Why are you asleep? What did I tell you about not embarrassing me in front of hundreds of people? Look, there are people in this room staring at you right now!" Anna told him off. "So? This is boring! I don't want to sit through it!" he whined. "It's almost over! You've already sat through most of it!" Anna rebuked him, "Does that make you happy?" "Sounds like good news to me," Kristoff muttered to himself.
"Here I bestow you with the royal scepter of majestic power," the archbishop said, handing the scepter to the prince. Listlessness seemed to be wearing down upon the prince's face, compared to his more awake attitude earlier on when he had first walked through the abbey. Yet, he sensed that the end of the ceremony was near. "Take this crown upon your head, as a sign of royal majesty, and your proclamation as the new king," the archbishop said, and he gently placed a circlet of gold on top of the prince's head, crowning him as the new king. The throng applauded him, and Jacques turned to face them. He bowed slightly, and then walked down the aisle to leave the abbey. "Well, I guess it's over," Anna said, and Kristoff interrupted, "What a relief. Now we can finally head out of here." He took a few steps to the people filed down the aisle, then Anna grabbed his arm, "Kristoff, don't walk ahead of us." "What? Why not?" he asked with a look of impatience. "Be a gentleman," Anna lowered her voice, looking him straight in the eye, "Please." "Alright," Kristoff said, "I'll escort you to the ballroom. Are you satisfied with that?" "Yes, thank you," Anna said, and Kristoff allowed the ladies to pass by him.
He followed them under the fading sunlight, and saw that the crowds of people were entering the foyer that led to the castle ballroom. The door swung open as people passed through it, and Kristoff held it awaiting Anna to walk past the threshold. However, she was preoccupied with talking to Elsa, and was oblivious to his courteous gesture. Kristoff grew embarrassed and suddenly agitated, "Anna." She paid no attention to him. "Anna!" Kristoff slightly raised his voice. He sighed, saying to himself, "Well, this is awkward." "Let's go inside, shall we?" Elsa smiled at her sister, noticing Kristoff standing uncomfortably by the door. "Oh, right!" Anna beamed at her, and then looked at Kristoff, "Thank you, Kristoff!" After they passed by, Kristoff scowled, "So much for holding the door."
Inside the castle ballroom, there was glossy, marble flooring, painted frescoes along the walls, and glass chandeliers hanging alight with candles. Velvet curtains were pulled neatly in gilded drawstrings, exposing the glass panels of large windows and the shifting sky. Fancy tables and chairs formed neat rows on either side of the dance floor, and a wide array of different foods where laid out on a long, white tablecloth adorned with flowers. Men were clad in dinner jackets, and women were dressed in their finest silk gowns of many colors. "What is our table number?" Anna asked Kristoff, and he replied, "It is… number forty-two." He looked away from the small card he held in his hand, and tucked it into his shirt pocket. "Alright, let's just go sit down and wait to be called for dinner!" Anna said with a smile.
The evening wore on with the twilight fading into a soft dusky sky, and it began to twinkle with starlight. Amongst the conversation of strangers, Anna and Elsa were served a glass of white wine at the bar in the far corner of the room. The sisters talked, while Kristoff stood motionlessly amongst the crowd of dancing people, his eyes averting some long stares from the folks who found him peculiar to be standing alone. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a lean, attractive woman staring him. He observed her curves, her smooth legs, her flowing brunette hair, and the impeccable yet smug look upon her face. The corners of her lips turned upward into a sly smile. Kristoff shifted uncomfortably. "Hello," she said, "I'm Elaine, and who may you be?" "Who me?" Kristoff asked, looking slightly baffled. "Yes, you," she smiled, "The handsome stranger." "Uh…" Kristoff wavered a moment before responding, "The name's Kristoff." "Christopher?" she asked. "No, Kristoff," he said, correcting her. "Kristoff," she repeated, then smirked at him and spoke in a velvety whisper, "I like your name." "Um, thanks," he replied casually.
She looked away only briefly to take a drink, and then gazed intently upon him, "So, tell me Kristoff, what kind of a horse do you ride?" "Horse? I don't ride horses," Kristoff told her. A confounded look crossed Elaine's face, and she scrutinized him with sudden curiosity, "You don't? Do you usually travel by foot or by carriage?" "Well, I get around on foot," he said, "And I ride on my reindeer, Sven. Sometimes we use a sled to go places, other times I just mount on top of him and go wherever." Suddenly, she blinked with surprise and gawked at him. "Oh… well, that's different," she commented, unsure of how to respond, "I don't think I've ever heard of anyone riding on a reindeer before."
Their conversation had carried on for some time until Anna had walked over to Kristoff, "Hi, Kristoff!" "Oh, hi Anna," Kristoff said. Anna stared at the woman who was speaking to him, looking baffled and slightly suspicious, "Um, Kristoff? Who is this?" "Oh! This is Elaine, she just said hello to me and we started talking," Kristoff explained. "He's with me," Anna said defensively, putting her arm through his, "Um, I mean… he came with me here for the coronation. You didn't think he came alone, did you?" Kristoff raised an eyebrow. Elaine glared at her, though she did so discreetly. "No, I suppose he had to come with someone," Elaine remarked in a mocking tone of voice. "So, does that mean you came with someone?" Anna asked, narrowing her eyes into slits. "As a matter of fact, I did, that is several people," she replied, "I suppose I should return to them now." She turned to look at Kristoff. "It's a pleasure having talked to you… Kristoff," she said grasping hold of his hand, and then winked at him. Anna pursed her lips, and her knuckles began to turn white. "Wait, oh… right. Uh, nice talking to you," he said, still shaking her hand. Kristoff attempted to pull away, but she held his hand for a moment longer. "Farewell, Kristoff," she said softly. "You're welcome," he smiled back, going red in the face, "I mean, uh, thank you. No, I mean goodbye." She walked away, sneaking a contemptuous look at Anna.
"I guess that didn't end too well," Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed. Anna stared at him until he noticed, "What?" "You were lingering," she whispered. "Lingering? We were just shaking hands!" he retorted back at her, "Anna, what is the big deal? I was just talking to someone! Is that alright with you?" "I just noticed how she looked at you," Anna said, and then Kristoff furrowed his brow, "Anna, it's not like that." "Well, then what was that?" Anna asked sounding slightly angry, though she tried to keep calm in the midst of the crowded room. "Socializing," Kristoff said. "Socializing?" Anna repeated. "That's what you do at a party, right?" Kristoff said, "I didn't ask her to start talking to me, if that's what you're wondering. She just kept pushing for a conversation that I didn't really care to have." "Then why did you get all embarrassed around her?" Anna asked looking scornfully at him. "Because I made myself look stupid in front of a stranger, that's why," he explained, "If you didn't know, I'm a bumbling idiot, Anna. I'm not like your pretty boy Hans that can charm girls and sweep them off their feet at a moment's notice." "Don't bring him into this," Anna said warning him, "You're not going to mention him again, are you?" "Fine, I won't," Kristoff agreed, "But that's beside the point. I'm just making a comparison." "I'm going to go and check on Elsa now," she said, trying to change the subject, and then patted him lightly on the shoulder, "You can just go and find something to do. Eat some food, there's plenty of it. You won't go hungry being in a place like this."
Elsa lifted her glass of white wine by the stem and let it dangle in the palm of her hand while surveying the room. Amongst the throng, she noticed the young king's quiet, penetrating stare as he bore his eyes into her. He looked up from the rim of his glass, catching her gaze. She grew tense, and then suddenly gripped the glass in her hand tightly and ice slipped from her fingertips, enveloping the crystal champagne flute in frost. She looked down to notice, gasped, and then when she was sure that no one was looking she tossed the glass into the room neighboring the hall and winced when hearing it shatter. Two waiters talked within earshot of her after hearing the glass break, and she slowly walked away hoping that she would not be seen.
Elsa noticed Anna approaching her. She let out a small sigh of relief, and then tapped her on the shoulder. "Elsa, what is it?" Anna turned towards her. "Could I talk to you for a minute, out in the hall?" she said in a whisper, clenching her teeth nervously. "Sure, what do you need to talk about?" Anna asked. "Just come with me, please," she signaled to the dark corridor nearby. "Alright, fine," Anna agreed, and walked alongside of her until leaving the room. "What is it that you want to tell me?" Anna whispered, "Is it some big secret or something?" "Listen, Anna," Elsa began, "I know that you're having a good time, but I really don't think that I should be here." "What? Come on, Elsa! Relax! We came all this way so that you could enjoy yourself!" Anna told her, "Now, why are you so uncomfortable all of a sudden? I thought we agreed that you weren't going to go through another period of isolation again. Just let down your guard and open up, and then everything will be fine!" "You don't understand," Elsa said, "I froze my wine glass. I had to throw it so that no one would find out that it was frozen solid!" "Wait, so you're saying that no one found out that you froze it?" Anna asked. "Yes, but still, I can't risk having anyone find out. This is a different kingdom, Anna; the people here don't know me!"
"And your point is?" Anna asked, and then noticed that Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Wait… oh, right, you said that the people here don't know you… sorry, I think I just had a brain fart," she said with a small laugh, "But its okay! There's nothing to worry about!" "Sorry to say this, Anna, but these things are more for you than for me," Elsa said. "Oh, stop! Don't be such a downer!" Anna slapped a hearty hand on her shoulder, "Tell me, is there any reason you really got nervous?" Anna stared her straight in the eye, "Is it something or someone?" Elsa hesitated for a moment, and then pondered on how to respond, "Um… why does it matter?" "Oh, I was just wondering," Anna said sarcastically, "I didn't know if you remembered why we came here in the first place." Elsa bit her lip, looking uneasily at her, "What's that?" Anna stared blankly at her, "Oh… do you really need me to tell you? Can't take a hint, now can you?" She wrapped an arm around her sister, pointing to the taciturn man in dark blue, "You see that handsome guy over there?" "Yes," Elsa evaded her gaze, though she knew what she was implying. "Well…" Anna smiled at her, and then patted her hard on the back, "Why don't you go and make a move before the night ends? Go on, go get him tiger!" She gave her a shove, and Elsa looked back startled to see an overwhelmingly excited look light up Anna's face. "Have fun!" Anna smirked at her. Elsa slowly stepped away, but then stopped and asked, "What do I say to him?" "Oh, Elsa! Just talk to him like you would with any other person!" Anna said. "Oh, well, that helps…" Elsa said sarcastically, and then stared out amongst the throng of people in the room searching for him.
Elsa watched as men and women danced and twirled around hand in hand and then gazed at the king, but saw that he was standing rigidly with an impassive expression. She stood motionlessly beside him, hesitating before asking, "Are you going to dance?" "No," Jacques replied gruffly, "I don't dance." "Oh… well, neither do I, at least I'm not that great of a dancer," Elsa said. Jacques raised an eyebrow, "So you are saying that you are a terrible dancer?" "Excuse me?" Elsa felt slighted by his comment. "I asked you a question and I would like you to answer it," Jacques said, staring nonchalantly at her. "Well, I am not terrible at dancing, but I am not the greatest of dancers either," Elsa answered in response. Jacques looked away from her towards the crowd, "I will only believe you if I see it." "I beg your pardon?" Elsa asked, and then looked angrily at him, "Do you know who I am?" "No," Jacques said, "Nor do I care." He walked away suddenly, his dark eyes brooding deep within his face.
As Elsa stared at him with a stunned expression, Anna eyed her from across the face and waved at her. She waved back and faked a smile, then stared blankly at the floor. She surveyed the room, watching people talk to one another while drinking, eating, dancing, or merely standing nearby the dance floor in the background. She made her way quietly through the crowd, trying to find Anna as she had discovered that she disappeared from her view. She then bumped into someone, "Oh, I'm sorry!" She turned to look, seeing that it was Jacques, which left her with mixed emotions where she felt ill at ease with displeasure and yet attracted to his prepossessing aura. "Oh, hello again," Elsa smiled slightly, "I'm sorry, perhaps we got off to a bad start on our last conversation. I suppose we could talk about something else that may interest you, whatever that may be. What is it that you like to talk about?" "My lady, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I am not one for small talk," Jacques replied brusquely, "I only feel the need to talk to people if I have to." "I… didn't realize that," Elsa said, casting her eyes downward.
"You're in my way," Jacques said with sternness in his voice. "Excuse me?" Elsa asked, taken aback. "You heard me, or were you not listening?" Jacques glowered at her. Elsa was left speechless, and then turned when hearing Anna rush towards her, "Elsa! You've actually decided to start talking to this handsome guy! How are things going for you two?" Jacques suddenly looked baffled, "Sorry, what is this about?" Elsa shot Anna a look of disapproval, and then lowered her voice when speaking to her, "Anna, please, not now. Sorry to ask, but could you leave?" "Oh! I understand! You two need some alone time together!" Anna beamed at her. Elsa flushed red and gritted her teeth. "Don't mind me saying this, but I would like to be completely alone. In other words, with no one else around," Jacques looked at Elsa irritably. Elsa was growing more astounded by every word he said, but then looked him back straight in the eye, "And so would I." Jacques blinked in response, as did Anna. "I hope your day is as pleasant as you are," she said, raising her eyebrows. She faked a smile, and then walked past him down the long corridor in a huff. "Ooh, that's a burn!" Anna said widening her eyes with surprise, then immediately came to a realization, "Wait, what just happened?" "Um… I wasn't expecting that," Jacques said with a look of embarrassment, and then Anna chased after her, "Elsa!"
"Wait! Elsa, what happened?" Anna asked, catching up to her and walking alongside of her, "Weren't you going to dance the night away with him and talk about all sorts of things together? Spend some quality time on a romantic evening?" "Anna," Elsa spun around angrily, "If you noticed how he treated me, I haven't exactly been having the best time here. To answer your question, it's nothing like that!" She turned to storm off angrily down the hall. "Elsa, wait!" Anna called after her, "I'm sure this is a misunderstanding, maybe I could talk to him for you! Maybe there's a reason why he's acting the way he is!" "Reason or no reason, there's no excuse for his behavior," Elsa responded defensively. "Elsa, don't judge the book by its cover! You've only known him for a day!" Anna told her. "I don't need him, Anna," Elsa snapped back at her, and continued to walk away, "And I don't need anyone!" She disappeared out of view by opening the door and going outside with Anna following her on her heels, "Elsa! Please, don't walk away! I need to talk to you!" Elsa glimpsed back over her shoulder, but then looked away and continued maneuvering through the crowd. All of a sudden, Anna spotted Jacques come out from another door. She noticed that the same woman she had talked to earlier was with him. Anna shouted, "Wait, Elsa! There's Jacques!"
Jacques walked briskly towards a beautiful, stone fountain spuming with water. "Jacques, please just take a moment to listen," Elaine said as she pursued him, tugging at his arm. He turned around to face her, "If you are going to speak, then get straight to the heart of the matter. I don't have the patience to listen to any squabbling from you." "Oh, Jacques, why so serious?" she asked in a mocking tone. "Don't you have anything better to do with your life than to come here on my coronation day?" he asked bitterly, glaring at her intently. "It's a special occasion," she replied nonchalantly, "Why wouldn't I come?" "You were not invited," he crossed his arms. "That didn't stop me from finding out," she raised an eyebrow, "Invited or not, I was curious to see who the new king was going to be." Jacques gritted his teeth, while Elaine smirked knowingly at his agitation, "Oh, right. That's not really why I'm here, is it?" "I am asking you to leave, get out!" he pointed towards the gate of the castle. "Fine," she said the word with a look of disgust, "I only came back because I thought you might want to marry me." "You left me once," Jacques said, reminding her, "I don't trust that you'll stay the second time should we ever get back together. It's done! I'm not going back, and that is final!" She pursed her lips, and her face twisted with a scornful expression, "Hmm… well, I enjoyed my time here. But don't even think about embarrassing me by sending your guards to throw me out, there's no need to create a scene after all. I'll just slip out quietly with my girls into the night. It'll be as if I was never here."
"Elsa," Anna said as she caught up to her, and then pulled her over to the fountain surrounded by people, "Look, he's right over here! If you want, I can talk to him for you." "Anna, let go of my hand," Elsa warned her in a whisper. "Fine, then you can go and talk to him yourself!" Anna shouted in frustration and shoved her into Jacques. It had been a harder push than she had expected, and Jacques keeled backwards with Elsa falling over top of him into the rippling water with a splash. An awkward silence filled the air as everyone turned to stare and gape in utter surprise at what had just happened. Elsa sat rigidly, staring at her hands, hoping that she would not freeze the water. She clenched her teeth, watched her hands tremble, but then took a deep breath to try to calm herself. Guilt was written all over Anna's face, "Oh… Elsa, I'm so sorry." Jacques lifted himself up to his feet, and then extended his hand towards Elsa, "Would you like me to help you?" "Don't touch me!" Elsa spat angrily at him, and Jacques flinched back looking startled, "Oh… alright." Elsa stood herself up, and then glared at Anna.
"Oh dear, you don't look as good as you used to," Elaine said derisively, looking amused. "Elaine, stay out of this," Jacques said softly with a tone of anger. "Oh well, perhaps I should have said it better. I meant it as a compliment, because you looked so nicely put together and flawless before you had your little mishap," Elaine continued on, giving Elsa a plastic smile. "Someone's getting saucy," a stranger amongst the crowd whispered to another. "Alright, let's get you inside," Jacques said to Elsa. "Oh, I see how this is," Elaine scowled contemptuously, and then lowered her voice when staring her down, "In case you didn't know, I've been watching you." "Leave my sister alone!" Anna stepped in to warn her, but then Elsa waved disapprovingly, "Anna, enough." Anna backed off, realizing she had caused enough trouble as it was. "It's time for everyone to go home," Jacques announced, then turned to one of his servants, "Find Hugo and have him escort all the guests out of the castle." "Yes, your Majesty," the servant bowed humbly before the king, and turned to head inside of the palace.
She watched her walk away with Jacques, and just then Kristoff appeared. "Oh, Anna! I was wondering where you went," Kristoff said, looking around and then noticing Elsa, "Wait, what just happened?" "She fell into the fountain," Anna replied in a murmur. "Oh, so she wasn't looking?" he chuckled lightly, "Maybe she's starting to become as clumsy as you." "I pushed her," Anna confessed, looking less than cheerful. "You pushed her?" Kristoff repeated, "Why did you do that?" "It's a long story. I'd rather not talk about it right now," Anna turned and walked off. Kristoff followed her amongst the crowd, calling, "Anna, wait for me!"
Later that evening, Elsa heard a knock at the door of the private guest bedchamber she was in. "Are you dressed yet?" came Jacques's muffled voice behind the door. Elsa opened it, and then stared back at Jacques, "Yes?" "Sorry to disturb you, I wasn't sure if you were planning on going to sleep. I stoked a fire for you in case you felt cold," he said meekly. Elsa could see that his face was no longer pinched with contempt, and his voice had an edge of sympathy in it. "I'm fine, really," she said. He stared back looking slightly concerned, "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure," she said, "I don't need a fire." "Oh, well… I suppose I'll just go and watch it myself," he said, looking a bit surprised. He walked off, and then plopped himself upon the loveseat adjacent to the blazing furnace.
Elsa watched from afar, seeing his face slip into a state of lonesomeness. She had then wondered if she had quite possibly troubled him, and mulled over whether she should go off to bed or not. Suddenly, she began walking over to him, and Jacques noticed her out of the corner of his eye, "I thought you were going to bed." "I thought I was, too," Elsa said, and then looked at him and asked, "Is something bothering you?" Jacques blinked, "Who me? No, I'm fine." "Are you sure?" she looked at him disbelievingly. Jacques caught her glance, seeing that her eyes were warm and gentle. "Uh…" he was lost for words. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" she looked patiently at him, "I'll wait all night if I have to." "Fine, if you insist," Jacques replied, and he leaned back into the sofa with his arms crossed, "If you so desperately want to know, my ex-fiancée came uninvited to my coronation. Unsurprisingly, she was asking for me to get back together with her." "Oh," Elsa replied quietly, "I see." "Does that answer your question?" he asked. "I was just wondering why you were mad, that's all," Elsa said, "Not that this is any of my business, but is there a reason why she upset you?"
"Yes, there's a reason for everything, isn't there?" Jacques said with a hint of sarcasm, but then added, "I'll tell you why, though. Long story short, we had met when we were young, and my parents were close to her father because he owned a province of the land. We hadn't talked much throughout the years, but one day we decided to get to know each other and it was plain and obvious that she wanted to marry me someday. Only, I had fallen sick and the illness lasted for some time. Gradually I was getting worse, and the doctor didn't think that I was going to live. Instead of staying beside me, she left me for someone else. It turns out that she didn't really want me; she was just looking to marry someone who was rich. And since that day, I have sworn that I would never go back to being in a relationship, especially not with her!"
Elsa blinked, "Not everyone is like that." "I suppose not," Jacques said, "But I can't be too sure who to trust." They were both quiet for a moment, until Jacques broke the silence, "I should apologize to you about this evening. I know I've been rude, and none of the things that have happened are your fault. I must have spoiled everyone's mood, even yours. You're not still mad, are you?" "No," Elsa said, "It's okay." "I'm not usually like this, really," he said, "I don't mean to bring my past fiancée into this, but everything had been perfectly fine until she walked up and said, 'Oh, Jacques, it's good to see that you're still alive.' She had this catty look about her. Of all nights to enjoy myself, she has to come unexpectedly on this one." He took a moment to look at her, "Say, what's your name? I don't even think we were properly introduced to one another." "Queen Elsa," she outstretched her hand, "Of Arendelle." "What? You're a queen?" Jacques stared with a bewildered look on his face, "Oh! My lady, I'm… so sorry. My apologies, I thought you blended in with all of the other guests."
"Elsa… that's a lovely name," he said admiringly. "Thank you," Elsa responded with a smile. "Not like some other girls I've met, some of their names are terrible," Jacques said, "I wonder what kind of parents thought to give their daughters troll names like Gertrude and Olga… or Roberta. If they had any common sense, they would have chosen better names than that." Elsa giggled suddenly. "You're laughing," Jacques smiled at her. "You're honest," Elsa replied. "Was that a compliment?" he asked. "No," she laughed again, "It wasn't supposed to be." "Oh, alright, I see how it is," he said sarcastically, "You'd rather have me be a smooth-talker that tells you whatever you want to hear?" "No," she said, "That's not what I meant." "Then what did you mean exactly?" he asked. "You're brutally honest," she replied plainly. "Brutally honest?" he repeated, "Well, I can assure you that I'm not brutal in any other way." "Well good," Elsa replied, "I'm glad to hear that." They both laughed together. "Yes, I suppose that is a good thing," Jacques said. He stared at her for some time, "Elsa." "Yes?" she looked up. "Thanks for coming to talk to me;" he said softly, "I really appreciate it." She smiled back at him. "In fact, I wouldn't mind talking a bit more before we head off to bed," he told her, "That's if you want to." "I don't mind," she said, "I would be more than happy to." "Alright," he beamed up at her, "So, where should we start?"