FROST
Chapter 6: The Wedding
Later that weekend, the castle servants were talking amongst each other. It was early morning, and women donned in dark green gowns opened the windows and dusted the walls of the corridor. "Good news, Gretchen! I have something to tell you!" Gerda said aloud, carrying a pile of neatly folded clothes. "What is it?" a tall, lanky woman asked. "It's Elsa!" Gerda said happily, "She's going to get married! Jacques proposed to her, and she said yes!" "Oh my!" the other woman replied, "That's very big news!" "Can you believe it?" Gerda asked with a cheerful smile, "Oh goodness, she grew up so fast. I still remember the time when she was a girl." She knocked on the door to Anna's bed chamber. There was no response. "Perhaps you should come back another time so you don't disturb the princess," Gretchen scolded her. "Oh, come now, you know she won't really be bothered," Gerda said, waving her hand in the air, "Besides, I'll just quietly slip in, and be out in no time!" She looked over her shoulder and asked, "Oh, um, do you mind helping me put away the dresses?" "Well, I suppose I could pitch in," Gretchen said, agreeing to lend a hand. They soundlessly opened Anna's bedroom door, yet they began chattering away in a not so quiet manner.
"Let's see… the pink dress goes over here, the blue gown can go over there, Gretchen. See where I'm pointing at?" Gerda asked, and then nodded when Gretchen moved the dress over to the correct place, "Yes, right there!" "About this proposal," Gretchen spoke, changing back to the original subject, "I'm surprised that Elsa even agreed to getting married. Honestly, I thought it would never happen." "Well, you never quite know what's going to happen in the future," Gerda said, "We haven't had anything this interesting to talk about in such a long time. I'm glad we found out about it. Not to mention, I simply can't wait until the wedding day… Elsa is going to look so beautiful!" Anna shifted suddenly in her bed, sitting upright and let out a big yawn, "Wait… what? What about Elsa?" "Oh, look! The princess is awake!" Gretchen chided Gerda, "All because you don't know how to keep your mouth shut!" "Oh, stop it," Gerda brushed off the complaint, and then turned to Anna excitedly, "Did you hear, dearie? Elsa is getting married!" Anna popped open her eyes with surprise, and raised her voice, "She's what?" "Jacques proposed to her, and she accepted!" Gerda said happily. "Oh my gosh!" Anna gasped aloud, and then exclaimed, "Elsa's getting married!" Immediately, she sprung out of the bed, "I'd better go and talk to her!" She stopped for a moment, "Bathroom first!" She hurried in and slammed the door, and poked her hand out to grab a dress and shut it again. Gretchen stared blankly at the bathroom door, "Well, someone's excited."
The rising sun shone down upon the castle courtyard, with Jacques and Elsa standing beside the coach carriage. "Goodbye, Elsa," Jacques said, "I wish to see you sometime soon. Sooner than eight weeks." Elsa laughed slightly. "Yes, well, don't you think eight weeks is a bit long to go without seeing each other?" he asked, "I know I live a long distance away, but let's meet sometime next month. How does that sound?" "Alright," Elsa nodded, agreeing to it, "Maybe I can visit you next time." "By all means, please do," he smiled, "Well, farewell for now." He gently lifted her hand, and stooped over to plant a kiss on it. Elsa blushed a little and smiled, "Goodbye, Jacques." He stepped into the carriage with the coachman closing the door, and gave her a wave before the horse began trotting off. She returned the wave of her hand, and then was suddenly surprised by Anna rushing towards her, screaming, "Elsa! Elsa, Elsa, Elsa, Elsa!" "Anna, calm down, what is it?" she asked. "Elsa, I heard the news! I know all about it!" Anna exclaimed, and then added, "Is it really true?" "Yes," Elsa nodded.
"Oh, yes! You're finally getting married! I am so happy for you! You'll live happily together, and maybe even have kids! They would be super cute! Oh, and of course, you'll have to take care of Arendelle. I bet Jacques will love being in a new place!" Anna breathed for a moment, "How exciting will that be?" Elsa looked surprised, and then cast her eyes down. "Wait… what's wrong?" Anna asked, looking confused. Elsa faltered for a moment before looking back at her, "Anna, there's something I need to tell you." "What is it?" Anna asked, "Elsa, you can tell me anything!" "I can't stay," Elsa said, appearing to be apprehensive, with Anna staring back with a dumbfounded look on her face, "Wait, what?" She paused momentarily, "I'm confused. Elsa, what do you mean?" "It means what it means," Elsa told her, "I can't stay here in Arendelle." Anna widened her eyes, "Wait... you can't stay here in Arendelle? What are you saying? I mean, why are you saying that?" She had a small laugh, "Elsa, seriously! Don't scare me like that, I mean you're kidding, right?" She looked at Elsa, but she only stared back quietly. "Right?" Anna asked, beginning to grow worried, "Funny… that's some joke, you had me fooled!" "Anna, I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth! Now if you would please just try to understand!" Elsa said, but Anna cut her off, "Wait, why are you leaving? You can't just leave! Arendelle is your home, where you belong!" "Please let me explain!" Elsa said, sounding slightly annoyed with her, "Jacques is the only one who can rule his kingdom. If I marry him, then I can't stay here."
"But, Elsa! What about your promise that you would never leave my side? What about everything we've ever done together? Everything we've ever talked about?" Anna ranted angrily, "What about all our talks on books, music, and shows? The times we've gone into town to do things and laughed and talked for hours? And now, you're just going to throw all of it away by leaving me!" "Anna, please, just calm down!" Elsa pleaded. "No! Not after you shut me out for all those years! I've spent only the last seven years of my life getting to know my one and only sister, after hardly being able to talk to you before that! Then you tell me that you're leaving Arendelle to go and live somewhere else!" "Anna, I'm sorry, but that's how it has to be!" Elsa said. "No, it doesn't have to be that way! You don't have to marry him!" Anna shouted, "We used to say 'sisters before misters', remember?" "Anna, don't make me choose between you or him, that's not fair!" Elsa raised her voice, and Anna protested in response, "What's not fair is that you're leaving me!" "Anna, you have to let me go!" Elsa said, then faltered for a moment, "You want to marry Kristoff, don't you? Don't you want to start a new life with him somewhere, too?" Anna calmed down a bit, "Well, yes. I suppose Kristoff would want to find a place somewhere in the woods or the mountains." "Anna," Elsa stared at her, "If I leave, I need you to stay in this castle. As my sister, you are next in line to rule Arendelle and become its new queen." "No, Elsa, don't do this!" Anna protested, "I don't even know how to rule a kingdom!" "Then I suppose you will have to learn," Elsa told her, "I'm not going to have a conversation with you if all you're going to do is argue with me. Now, if you'll excuse me." She walked away, leaving Anna staring in disbelief at her. "Ugh!" she stamped her foot, "How could she do this me? Doesn't she care about what I think?"
Anna sat alone in a large room before a chess table, silently staring at the neat rows the pieces were aligned in. With a scowl, she poked at the white queen, and twirled it around under her finger. Then, she flicked it onto the ground, and muttered under her breath, "I do so much for her, and this is what she does to me?" The cool autumn breeze blew in through the open window, its chill reminding her of Elsa. Angrily, she marched over to slam it shut. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her ring glowing with fire. "Hmm… maybe I need to find a way to calm myself down," Anna said, and then sighed, "I just wish that someone would magically appear out of thin air to brighten my day. That would make it all better." Suddenly, a knock came to the door. Anna lifted up her head, and heard the knock come again. "It had better not be Elsa," she said, going over to open it. There she saw Olaf, and he made a dramatic entrance, gesturing with his arms, "Hello!" "Olaf!" Anna's face brightened with surprise, "I forgot you were coming over today." "Yeah, well, it's Sunday and I've got nothing better to do than to waltz on over here," Olaf said, "So… how has life been treating you? Splendid? Good? So-So?" "Not so good," Anna confessed. "Oh really? What's wrong?" Olaf asked with a tone of concern in his voice.
"Well, did you hear the news that Elsa is getting married to Jacques?" Anna asked. "Yeah, yeah! I heard the news! Isn't that just wonderful? I heard some people talking about it and wanted to get the latest scoop. Sorry if I'm a bit nosy," Olaf said, and then chuckled, "Nosy… no pun intended. Anyways, you were saying?" "Well, while the whole thing sounds great, it's not so great for me," Anna told him. "What? Why's that?" Olaf asked her. "Elsa is leaving Arendelle, and going to live in another kingdom," Anna explained. "What? Elsa's leaving Arendelle?" Olaf blinked with surprise, "Why would she do that? Is it because of this Jacques guy?"
"Yes," Anna nodded. "Oh… oh, I see," Olaf looked sad for a moment, "So you're not really looking forward to them getting married then, are you?" "Well, it's not that," Anna said, "I mean I want her to live happily ever after, only I thought that meant that I could live that 'happily ever after' with her! I mean, since when did she decide that she's going to leave after everything that's happened between us?" "Oh, Anna, I'm so sorry to hear that," Olaf said, trying to comfort her.
"All of this is my fault," Anna said sadly, "I was the one who pushed her into meeting someone." "What? No, no! I'm sure you did the right thing!" Olaf said, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "I think that Elsa is happy that you did that for her! Just think, now she has someone who understands her and can start a new life with her!" "That's just the problem," Anna said, "She's starting a new life with someone else. I should have known that she was going to leave, but I thought that if she got married she would stay here in Arendelle. I shouldn't have had her meet a prince, especially not a crown prince. This whole thing would have never happened had I set her up with a different guy. Maybe it would have been best if I didn't set her up with anyone!" "You know, Anna, sometimes we all have to make our own choices," Olaf said, "I think Elsa is doing what feels right for her, even if that's not what you like. We just have to let go of those we love sometimes, and sure enough, they'll come back." Anna pondered what he said for a moment, "I suppose you're right." "Just think, it's not the end of the world if she leaves," Olaf said cheerfully, "It's only the beginning!" Anna stared expressionlessly at him. "Alright, I guess that doesn't help much," he said, "But sure enough, you'll get plenty of chances to see her! It's not like she's afraid of hurting you anymore." "Yeah, at least there's that," she nodded, "Thank you, Olaf." "I'll stay!" he smiled, "I'll probably have to stay… I don't know if Elsa will want me in another kingdom." "Oh, right, it's because you're a snowman," Anna said. "Boy, I'm gonna miss her," Olaf said, "We all had such good times together, didn't we?" "Yeah," Anna said with a smile, and then looked out the window, "I'm going to miss her, too."
The sound of church bells tolling were over the white castle of Ethereal, and the birds that were gathered around the edges of the bell tower flew away into the sky. People from all around walked through the castle gate, and were directed by guards, servants, on where to go. A young lady with a lavender and silver bridesmaid dress entered the castle, walking beside her husband who wore a gray suit. It was Rapunzel and Flynn. "Okay, Eugene, I need you to help me find the room where Anna and Elsa are, can you do that for me?" she asked, looking around the room full of people. "Sure thing," Flynn nodded absentmindedly, "Whatever you say." He looked the other way, and saw the castle servants carry a tall, white wedding cake and place it on the table nearest to them. "Let's just leave it here for now," one of them said to the other, and then walked away. Flynn widened his eyes, gazing desirously at the wedding cake mounted perfectly on top of the table. He licked his lips, feeling his mouth water. "Um, Rapunzel?" he looked at her to get her attention. "Yes Eugene?" she asked. "I think we should maybe split up… I'm going to go and look over there, while you can go look down over here!" he said, pointing his finger in two different directions. "Do you really think we're going to find the room that way?" Rapunzel scolded him. "Sure… I'll go figure out if it's down that way, and if not I'll come back. You know you can count on me to do it," he said convincingly. "Alright, meet me back here when you're done looking," she told him. "Yes!" Flynn muttered to himself. He slipped away into the crowd, moseying on towards the cake. Slowly, he crept nearer to it, and peered over his shoulder. Then, he leaned over, and inched his finger near the frosting and dared to stick it in. "Just this small corner…" he said, sliding the icing off and popped his finger into his mouth, "Hopefully no one will notice that."
He was surprised to see someone approach his side to put a glass under a wine fountain. He wore a dark blue jacket with gold shoulder pieces and medallions, a purple sash, black pants, and white gloves. Flynn stood upright again, and the other man threw him a suspicious look, "What are you standing around here for?" "Uh…" Flynn's mouth hung open, "I'm just… looking at this gorgeous cake that we're all going to eat tonight. Tonight… as in a few hours from now." He shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat, "So, are you the bridegroom?" "Um, yes I am, as a matter of fact," the young man outstretched his hand to shake Flynn's, "The name's Jacques." "Flynn, Flynn Rider," he smiled. "Flynn did you say?" Jacques asked, repeating his name, "Pleasure to meet you, Flynn." Suddenly Rapunzel's voice came in the distance, "Eugene!" "Oh… I hope she doesn't see me over here," he said to himself in a low voice. "Eugene!" she called again, "Eugene? Where are you?" "Who's Eugene?" Jacques asked with a confused look on his face. "Eugene? Oh, Eugene!" Flynn exclaimed, acting surprised, "He's a friend of mine. Good guy, nice hair, perfectly straight teeth. He showed up here with Rapunzel. I guess he's around here somewhere…" His eyes darted around the room, and he whistled while thinking for a moment. "I'd better go find him!" he said, beginning to walk off, and then zipped past everyone down the hall, "Bye!" Jacques looked puzzled after watching him leave, and noticed Kristoff come to the table to munch on some baby carrots. "That guy Flynn… he's pretty weird," Jacques said. "In case you didn't know, his real name is Eugene," Kristoff said, "He just calls himself Flynn because he's too embarrassed to tell people what it really is."
"Eugene?" Rapunzel called irritably. "Yes?" he asked, wearing a fake, awkward smile. Rapunzel looked at him suspiciously, "Are you up to something?" "Me? No! No way! No sir! I mean ma'am…" he stared with wide eyes, "I didn't see anything in that direction." Rapunzel stared at him uncertainly, and then sighed, "Well, I didn't find anything where I looked. Maybe we should ask someone where it is." Rapunzel's eyes glanced around the room in search of something, and then she noticed a large sign pointing down towards a hallway. "Look, there's a sign, it says 'The Bride is this way, bridesmaids and groomsmen permitted only'," Rapunzel read aloud, and then rebuked him, "Eugene, did you really look? You must have walked right past it!" "Ah, silly me. It's too bad I don't notice things as much as you do," Flynn said with a small laugh, and followed her down the corridor.
In a private changing room, Anna finished up with fitting the dress, "There. You're all ready to go now." Elsa turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a strapless, mermaid style wedding gown made of duchesse satin with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice hugged her figure and was etched with silvery thread, and the bottom was made of lacy ruffles overlapped with sheer, white chiffon. On top of her head was a gossamer veil with snowflakes, and her thick blonde hair fell down in soft, layered waves. She wore brown eyeshadow, a glimmering, frosty pink sheen of lipstick, and her nails were painted with a glittering, pearly white coat. "Wow, Elsa… you look beautiful," Anna said with a smile. Elsa studied herself closely, and then said, "Oh, one last thing." With a wave of her hand, she formed a delicate necklace made of diamond snowflakes from the magical ice crystals, and they sparkled luminously in the sun that was shining through the window.
Elsa's smile began to fade into a troubled look on her face. She averted her gaze from the mirror to the ground, hoping Anna wouldn't notice. Anna beamed at her, and then saw a trace of sadness in her eyes, "Elsa, is something wrong?" "No, I'm fine," Elsa replied plainly. "Are you being honest?" Anna placed a hand on her shoulder, "Talk to me." Elsa looked at her, and took a deep breath, "I'm just nervous about this." "Why are you nervous? This is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life," Anna said cheerfully. "There are a lot of people out there," she said quietly, "I don't want this to be anything like the night at my coronation." "Oh no, Elsa, it won't be," Anna replied, "You don't have to worry, I'm here for you." Elsa smiled at her. She was quiet for a moment, and then asked, "Is it just me, or is it really hot in here?" "It's a little stuffy in here," Anna said, agreeing with her. "A little stuffy? I'm burning up already…" she said, taking a deep breath. "You sure it's that hot? Maybe it is just you," Anna chuckled a little. "I think it's the dress," Elsa said. "And you're nervous," Anna pointed out, "Don't be. You'll be great out there, I know it."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Anna said, raising her voice slightly. Rapunzel opened the door, and approached her, "Anna!" "Rapunzel!" Anna went in to hug her, "I haven't seen you in forever!" "I know! It's been such a long time!" Rapunzel said, and then looked over at Elsa, "Hi, Elsa!" "Hello," she smiled back. "Wow, Elsa, you look drop dead gorgeous in that," Rapunzel complimented her, and then turned to Anna, "Sorry if I'm a bit late. I was the last bridesmaid to show up." "Oh no, it's fine," Anna said, "But we're beginning shortly after this, so I'm glad you could make it." Anna looked at Elsa, "Are you ready?" Elsa smiled at her, "Ready."
Inside the church, everyone was gathering around to sit in the long pews that faced the altar. A short, stout man with gray hair and a thick, bushy moustache marched to and fro outside in the hallway, looking down the aisle and seeing that the groom was not waiting on the other end. "Where is he? The wedding is about to start!" he hissed angrily, furrowing his heavy brow. "What seems to be the trouble, Sir Henry?" a male servant asked. "My nephew, he's not here! Where could he possibly be at a time like this?" the man asked in a furious tone of voice, "And if you don't mind, I prefer to be addressed by my proper title, that is 'The Duke of Westbranch'." "My apologies, sir," the servant replied, cringing with fear, "I'll remember that next time." "Go and fetch me a glass of water while you're at it!" he snapped at him. "Yes, my lord," the servant bowed, and left immediately. The duke pursed his lips into a thin line, getting angrier by the second.
Suddenly, Jacques made his appearance, peering down the aisle anxiously. "Jacques!" his uncle's voice thundered at him, "How dare you come at the last possible minute!" "Sorry, I needed to use the bathroom," Jacques interjected, almost sounding like a child. "That's no excuse! You should have thought to use the bathroom long before the ceremony was about to start! Do you have to make an embarrassment out of me? I may not be your father, but I am your uncle and I am the last family that you have!" he ranted at him. "I can't help it!" Jacques said, "I mean do you expect me to hold it the entire time we're exchanging vows?"
In a straight line, the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked beside one another in uniform, and their plain expressions looked bewildered the moment they saw the king. Lastly, Anna walked out with Elsa, and then stopped in their tracks when seeing the groom standing right before him. "Jacques!" Elsa blinked with surprise, and had a baffled look on her face, "What are you doing here?" "Now you've done it!" his uncle jumped right under his nose, pointing a finger at him, "You're not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony! Now you've ruined the whole thing! Not to mention, you'll forever be cursed from this point on!" "Oh, well, I'm not one who really believes in superstitions," Jacques said, brushing off his comment, "Besides, that's old school. It's my day, not yours, so why worry about it?" He walked over to Elsa, "Really you're the one who deserves an apology. I'm sorry if I lost track of the time." "It's alright," she said. "Don't mind him," Jacques said softly, leaning into her, "He's a real stickler for tradition. Can't say we've ever seen eye to eye all that much." "You'd better walk yourself down there this instant!" he yelled at him, "And don't humiliate me any further!" "For goodness sake's, I'm a grown man. I can do whatever I want," Jacques rolled his eyes at him. He turned and winked at Elsa, "I'll meet you down there." She smiled and gave him a small wave, and watched him stride down the walkway.
Outside of the castle, Olaf was mounted on top of Sven, trying to peer in through the church window without being seen. Kristoff's family of trolls crowded behind them, shushing one another to be silent. Olaf wore a black suit and a bow tie, and tried to balance on Sven's head, clinging to his crown of antlers. "Oh if I could just see, just a little bit higher Sven," Olaf said, tilting his head up and reaching up off his feet, "Just a little teensy bit higher…" Sven groaned irritably, tired of stretching his neck. "Stop it, Sven! I'm trying to see Elsa," Olaf rebuked him, and then sighed, "Is there a rock or something Sven could maybe climb onto?" "A rock… oh! I know! Maybe Sven could climb on top of us!" Bulda grinned widely, making a suggestion. "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Great idea! Yeah, good thinking there!" Olaf smiled, agreeing to the idea. Sven, on the other hand, grunted with an uneasy look in his eyes at the thought. "I'll need two volunteers," Olaf declared aloud, and the trolls all exchanged looks. Bulda stared at Cliff who was right beside her. "What are you looking at me for?" he asked, and then he smiled uneasily, "Oh… you want me to hold up Sven?" Bulda grabbed him by the arm and well as another troll, "Come on you two."
They rolled towards Sven, and he stood on top of them with his hooves. "Oh, awesome! Now I can see!" Olaf said, looking in through the window. "Tell us what you see!" Bulda exclaimed, her voice filled with curiosity. "There she is! Wow… she looks beautiful!" Olaf gazed in wonder. Elsa carried herself with poise as she paced down the aisle, the end of her dress far-flung and trailing behind her with every light step she took towards the altar. "Wow… if only you guys could see this," Olaf said, "I mean it's a shame you can't, you're really missing out on it." He noticed the trolls were glaring at him. "Oh… well, as I was saying, she looks beautiful. I'll tell you when she reaches the altar," Olaf said, turning back to the window, "Alright, now she's there." "Did you really have to talk us into this?" Cliff asked irritably, looking at Bulda. "Oh, shush!" she scolded him, "I'm trying to listen!" Sven's feet began to wobble, and his knees started shaking. "Stay balanced, Sven," Olaf told him. "What's happening?" Bulda asked. "They're exchanging vows," Olaf said, "Oh, and I can see Anna and Kristoff! And some mean-looking guy is right behind them… he looks a little scary if you ask me." Just then, the duke turned his head, looking suspiciously towards the windows with a sour look on his face. He widened his eyes in bewilderment when seeing the snowman. He blinked, thinking himself bored and imagining things that weren't really there.
"Sven is really heavy," Cliff groaned from underneath his weight, and he shifted slightly, sending Sven off balance. His front legs collapsed and his head hit the ground, and Olaf let out a scream falling off of him. Again, the duke looked out the window, and then believed he was hearing things, too. "Oh, Olaf, are you alright?" Bulda asked. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Olaf said, wiping the dust off his suit, "But something tells me we shouldn't do that again. I have a bad feeling about it." "Who was that man you were talking about?" a troll asked. "I don't know," Olaf replied, "But from the looks of it, he seems to have a stick up his butt or something. Not someone I'd want to meet. Yeesh."
The Reverend at the front of the altar was holding a book in his hands, and looked up at the groom and bride. "Place the ring on Elsa's hand and repeat after me," the Reverend ordered him, "I, King Jacques of Ethereal." "'I, King Jacques of Ethereal'," Jacques repeated his words. "Do take Queen Elsa of Arendelle," the Reverend said aloud. "'Do take Queen Elsa of Arendelle'," Jacques said, looking into her eyes. "To be my lawfully wedded wife," he said in a plain voice. "To be my awfully wedded wife," Jacques finished after him. Everyone eyes' widened, including Elsa's. "To be… to be my waffly wedded wife… no, that's not what I meant," Jacques tried to correct himself. Flynn looked up in surprise, "Did he just say waffly?" The people in the pews gawked at him, and then burst out laughing. Jacques flushed red in the face, but when looking over at Elsa he saw that she began to laugh as well. "I think I might end up saying the same thing after hearing that," Kristoff said with a smirk. Anna slapped him on the wrist, scolding him, "Don't you dare!" Amongst the giggling mass, his uncle grimaced and lines creased even deeper into his face. "This is outrageous! The embarrassment! All of my friends are here to see this!" he said to himself, "Oh, I don't think I can take it much longer!" He stood himself up from the pew, and angrily marched down the aisle out of the church.
Later in the evening, everyone met in the grand ballroom for the reception. After dinner had been served, one of the servants began cutting the cake with a large knife. Children came running up to it, begging for a slice. "Can I please have some?" the flower girl asked, while the ring bearer beside her cut in, "I want some, too!" "Now, children, you will all have to just wait your turn," the servant replied, "There are a lot of other people waiting for it, too. Do you see the line over there?" He pointed, and the children scowled at him before walking off. "Who's next?" she asked, and then Flynn appeared in front of him. "Here you are," she said, placing a slice onto a plate. "That's funny… that's the same piece I licked," Flynn muttered to himself. "I beg your pardon?" she asked, widening her eyes. "Nothing!" Flynn forced a smile, and began walking off, "Thank you, ma'am!" He whistled while waltzing away amongst the crowd.
Soft, classical music played on a spinning, vinyl record. The duke stood beside it, thumbing through some more records, and then switched the large, black discs. Jacques sat a long table beside Elsa, growing bored after listening to the piece of music. "The music is slow, isn't it?" Jacques asked Elsa, waiting for an opinion. "Yes," Elsa nodded. "Too slow. It's boring," he said, "I don't like it, that or I'm not really feeling it." "Oh, stop complaining," she scolded him. "What? It's our wedding day; don't you want to have something to dance to?" he asked, "It's just not a memorable song, in fact I don't even know what it's called or who composed it." He signaled towards on one of the servants to come near him. "Yes, your Majesty?" he asked. "Put on an Elvis record, will ya? I'd like to spice things up," Jacques said. "Certainly, my lord," the servant bowed his head. "Jacques, can't you ask politely?" Elsa scolded him. "Oh, right," he said, "Well, I suppose I'll have to keep that in mind for next time." "Elvis Presley?" she asked with a look of surprise. "Yeah, why not?" he shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't know you liked him," she said. "Of course," he replied, "I have all of his records." People suddenly gathered on the dance floor, all except the duke and his small circle of friends. "What happened to the music that I was playing?" the duke asked, "Playing the devil's music is what he's doing." Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Jacques held Elsa's hand in his, and had his other hand placed at the small of her back. "Oh, you can dance," Jacques raised an eyebrow, "I guess you left me a surprise." "I guess I did," Elsa replied back with a smile. "In fact, you dance beautifully," he said, "I just didn't know it because this is our first time doing it." Elsa pursed her lips. "That's a compliment," Jacques said, noticing her displeasure, "Really."
"Kristoff, do you want to dance?" Anna asked him. He looked up at her, tossing his flaps of straw hair with a throw of his head to the side. "Well, I suppose after I'm done with my drink," he said. "Oh, Kristoff, come on! You can finish that later!" Anna said, and she grabbed his hand to pull him up, "Please dance with me." Kristoff sighed, "Anna, I don't really dance." "So what! It's fun!" she said, "Just come with me!" "Fine," he finally agreed, and stood up beside her. He removed his dress coat, which was a woolen, gray suit, as well as the black tie that he was wearing. He pushed up his white sleeves to reveal bare forearms. "I figured I might get hot in that," he said, "Well, I'm ready when you are." Anna squealed and grabbed by the arm, dragging him onto the dance floor. She turned and they faced one another. He clasped one of Anna's hands in his, and his other hand rested at the small of her back. He danced slowly with her in tight circles across the wooden floor. Anna's eyes locked with his, and his warm brown eyes seemed to melt like chocolate right before her. A new song came on, slow and romantic. "Oh, I love this song," Anna smiled brightly. "I'll sing it for you," Kristoff grinned back at her, and he began serenading her.
"Can't Help Falling in Love" – Elvis Presley
(Solo)
Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?
If I can't help falling in love with you
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
(Duet, Kristoff & Anna)
Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be
Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you
For I can't help falling in love with you
Late in the evening, Jacques and Elsa were alone together standing on a balcony protruding from the castle. Jacques wrapped his arms around her from behind, and they gazed at the night sky that was sprinkled with glittering stars. The pale moon gleamed like a pearl in the celestial shadows of the summer night. The air seemed magical, spellbinding, and enchanting. "You look like an angel," he told her, smiling, "Or should I say, a snow angel." She smiled back, "Oh, Jacques, that's sweet." "It's true, darling," he lifted her chin gently with a finger. A surge of attraction came over her when he gazed into her eyes. "May I kiss you?" he asked shakily, his eyes flickering tensely. "Yes," she replied softly. He hesitated, his eyes dancing, and he leaned in slowly. As his face drew nearer and slightly dipped down, she tilted her head up and closed her eyes. Time was slowing to the point where it seemed to be freezing in place. She wished that, amongst all the things she could freeze, that time would be one of those things. She felt an intense rising stir inside of her as he brushed her lips gently, his lips soft to the touch, caressing slowly and smoothly. She swept his dark locks slightly above his brow with a fluid motion of her hands, ran her fingers through them and then brought her hands down and clasped them at the nape of his neck. He stroked her, fondling her flaxen tresses of hair. His lips grazed hers once more, and he lingered when pulling away to look deep into her eyes which shone like blue sea glass. She stared lovingly back into his, seeing that the burnished bronze of his eyes gleamed like molten copper. He embraced her with his arms, wrapping them around her. She nestled her head delicately under his jaw, resting it against his chest, feeling his heartbeat pulse rapidly in a cadence. "I love you," she said. "And I love you," he whispered, and planted a light kiss on her forehead, "I'll love you, forever and always."