Author's Note: I got the date for Elsa's birthday from concealdontfeel-dontletthemknow's tumblr post/72253179014/thoughts-on-elsas-birthday. I wanted to give the most reasonable date and make the story as accurate as possible with the limited amount of information Disney gave us in Frozen. Everything I've seen about her age being 21 comes from the Disney Wikia page, which I don't like to use as a source for ages and stuff like that since in the end, it's a fan site where people can put what they want. No offense to those who are members on the page, that's just my opinion. I used 18 since none of Disney's princesses are older than 20 (I think the oldest is 19), and Anna acted more like a 15-year-old than an 18-year-old anyway. I figure Elsa would've been 15 when her parents died, and then the kingdom would've wanted and needed a ruler as soon as possible, so they wouldn't have waited until she turned 21. Regent or not, it just doesn't make sense. And as for the day I chose as her coronation date, it was exactly a week after the date I already chose for her birthday and if you look up the name, the saint I used is the patron saint of Norway, where Arendelle is supposed to be set, more or less. With the Norse god references, that was the area that once believed in those gods, and may still.

Also, I posted a new story called Refreeze a Melted Heart. If any of you have read A Snow King for a Snow Queen and Black Snow by kramer53, she recently posted the last chapter in Black Snow and left a challenge asking if anyone wanted to write the third book, so I accepted. It's up and waiting to be read, so if you want to find out how Jack and Elsa's story ends, check it out!

Chapter 3: Sending Invitations

Elsa turned eighteen on July 22nd, and her coronation would be a week later on July 29th, the feast day of Saint Olaf. She was to succeed her parents as queen of Arendelle. The gates would open for the first time in ten years in a matter of days, and Elsa was terrified. She still saw the grey skinned man every waking moment, and then saw him again in her dreams, which were progressively getting worse. She still didn't know who he was, or why he was around her, and she hadn't gotten over her fear of him. She didn't know why she only saw him in her bedroom, and never at Jack's home, but she felt safe and happy with Jack and didn't care that the grey skinned man wasn't around to ruin that.

Since she remained alone for her birthday—something Gerda agreed to as an eighteenth birthday present—Elsa left the palace and went to visit Jack and Emma. As she drew closer, she heard a young girl badgering her older brother to stop pranking her, and Elsa felt a smile creep onto her face. She sped up, wanting to get to their home sooner, and felt something Elsa was now accustomed to, something she assumed was warmth, spread through her. She always felt it when she visited her friends, and it always reminded her of the fire in her parents' room. That fire gave off heat, but was never able to warm Elsa's frozen body.

She burst through the trees with an almost inhuman, regal elegance that must have come from her mother's set of genes, and Jack turned to her with a grin he saved just for her. It was the same smile he gave her when they first met. At times, it surprised Elsa that he always looked at her the same way he did when they first met, but she actually liked the thrill it gave her. She could never explain it, but she enjoyed watching him see her as if for the first time, even when they had seen each other the day before, and the day before, and the day before, for ten years. She was caught off guard, however, when his now thirteen-year-old sister Emma ran over and hugged her.

"Happy birthday Elsa!" the girl cried happily, and Elsa couldn't help but smile and hug her back. In the castle, the only person who ever hugged her was Gerda, and that was rare. Elsa knew her skin was ice-cold to the touch, and she knew Gerda felt the cold every time she hugged her, but Jack and Emma never seemed to mind her frozen body. The siblings never shivered or flinched or even acknowledged that her body temperature was lower than that of normal people, let alone that her temperature was colder than the point at which water freezes.

"Thank you Emma. My gods you're growing up," the soon-to-be queen stated in wonder, pulling back to get a good look at the girl she's watched grow up since she was a bouncing three-year-old, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness at the fact that she couldn't watch Anna grow up. She's been at the Overland family home almost every day for the past ten years trying to gain control of her powers so she can see Anna again, and she's watched Emma grow up as if she was Emma's older sister and not Anna's, and it breaks Elsa's icy heart at times. She felt Jack's hand on her shoulder and smiled up at him.

"Dear Odin, don't remind me. She's not the little munchkin I used to prank with ease anymore. She's a more mature munchkin who makes my life difficult because she's harder to trick," he teased his sister, and smirked when she stuck her tongue out at him before continuing. "Now is that any way to act around the future queen, and the birthday girl? Em, go get the surprise you have for her." Emma smiled and ran into the house, leaving the two eighteen-year-olds alone by the lake. Jack led her over to a flat-topped rock at the edge of the water, and she took her shoes and socks off and dipped her toes in the water. Jack, already barefoot, pulled one knee up to his chest to and dipped the other foot in the water next to Elsa's. She watched their feet in the water, wondering why it hadn't turned to ice, and smiled, thinking she had finally gained control. Jack saw her smile and nudged her shoulder.

"What are you thinking about, Snowflake?" he asked her. She blushed faintly at the nickname. He started calling her snowflake when they were really little, even before the castle gates closed, and he had never stopped, but he only used it when they were alone. In response to the nickname, she created a small snowflake in the air above her open palm, and watched as his eyes lit up in the same childish wonder he used to create her nickname.

"I think I can control it now, at least enough to survive my coronation next week. Speaking of which, I want you, Emma, and your mom to come," she told him, and as he opened his mouth to protest, she held up her free hand to stop him. "I'll arrange for a seamstress to come and make each of you something to wear, and for an escort to come pick you up with a stylist to get you ready. But you will have to wear shoes, Jack," the princess of winter told her barefooted best friend, looking him up and down with a smirk.

"Not shoes!" he cried dramatically, faking his death and telling her theatrically how cold she was for forcing him to wear shoes to the first royal event since her parents died three years earlier, and the first happy royal event quite possibly since Anna was born. Elsa just laughed at him, then used her best puppy face against him, something Jack called her princess face since she always got what she wanted when she used it. He saw it and tried with all his might to not look, but she grabbed his hand and forced him to look at her.

"Pretty please, Jack? It's all I want for my birthday! I need a friendly face, and I know Anna will be excited to see you and Emma again!" she pleaded. She didn't beg, because there was an unwritten rule that princesses do not beg, and she knew he would give in anyway. He sighed melodramatically and relented, causing her to smile happily at him just as Emma came back from inside the house with a small object wrapped in a handkerchief.

"Happy birthday Elsa. I know it's not exactly queen-worthy, but Emma saw it and we all agreed that you would like it," Jack told her as she took the parcel from Emma gingerly. She unwrapped the gift carefully, unsure of what she would find inside, and her eyes widened as she pulled out a small, round, silver locket with a simple, silver snowflake in the center and intricate designs around the edges. There were two small crystal beads hanging on the chain next to the locket. One was an icy blue and the other was snow-white. The inside of the locket was empty, waiting for her to put something important inside. It was absolutely perfect, and she felt her eyes begin to sting with the threat of tears as she looked up at her two friends.

"Thank you, so much. I love it," she told them, causing Jack to grin stupidly at her, and initiating happy cheers from Emma. Without warning, Jack scooped her up and spun her around, drawing a shriek of laughter from the frozen princess.

"I'm really glad you like it. I'm sorry there's no box, though. We couldn't find one that suited your personality," Jack told her sheepishly, but Elsa waved it off and got an idea. She set the locket on the rock she had been sitting on with Jack delicately, then held her hands out in front of her and focused. She created a box out of ice, with her snowflake imbedded in the sides, and then created a lid with half of her snowflake sticking out. She put a layer of soft snow in the bottom of her new box to mimic a jewelry box her mother had when Elsa was young that had velvet inside. She set the locket in the layer of snow, then put the lid over it and held the box up to examine her work. Jack watched her in admiration, and Emma almost exploded out of astonishment since Elsa had never built anything around them before.

"Wow!" the young teen exclaimed. She came to get a closer look, but didn't touch it out of fear that it would break if she did. Elsa smiled and, remembering what she had talked to Jack about before receiving her gift, set the box down on the rock before turning to the girl.

"Emma, I have something I need to ask you. Do you want to come to the palace next week for my coronation? Your brother already agreed, and is even going to wear shoes. I'm going to send a seamstress out to make you a dress if you agree too," Elsa told her, and Emma squealed before hugging her tighter than she ever has before.

"Yes, yes, yes! I would love to go! I'll get to see Anna!" the girl cheered, and Elsa felt her heart swell and ache at the same time when Emma said she wanted to see Anna. Jack smiled at Elsa sympathetically over his sister's head, and she could only shrug. Jack understood what Elsa was dealing with, because he knew he would never be able to survive any extended amount of time away from his baby sister. He definitely wouldn't survive ten years away from her. They had lost their father at a young age, leaving Jack to protect his mother and sister and drawing the siblings so close together that they were now almost inseparable. He preferred to stay home with her rather than go into the village and hang out with kids his age. Elsa smiled at him then leaned back to look at Emma.

"Do you want to go skating?" she asked the girl, knowing Emma loved skating more than anything else. The girl's eyes lit up, and she nodded quickly before running to get her skates. Elsa smiled and froze the lake over, making sure it was completely solid. When she was done she felt Jack's hand on the small of her back.

"If I'm going to be wearing shoes for your ball, I have a request. Will you save your first dance as queen for me?" he asked her. For a brief moment, Elsa was in a state of shock, since Jack had never asked her to dance with him before, but that moment only lasted a second before she agreed, smiling happily. Jack responded by flashing her the grin he reserves for her before running barefoot onto the ice. Elsa laughed before putting her shoes back on, using ice to create blades so she could skate and followed Jack into the center of the lake. Emma ran onto the ice to join them minutes later, and the three of them skated for hours. Elsa had to be back at the castle by sunset before Gerda would begin to worry, so as the sun was going down she bid goodbye to Jack and Emma, took her ice-crafted box with the locket inside and went home. When she returned to her room, she was greeted silently by the presence of the grey skinned man, and began to fear for her coronation day. The only thing that kept the fear at bay was the locket, because it reminded her that she would see Anna again and dance with Jack once she was crowned queen.

Yay lifetime friends will be at the coronation! The locket and the ice box are actually real things. I found the locket on Google and I own the glass box that was the model for her ice one. And yes, I know Jack's sister is a little old considering she was only supposed to be like four when Jack died, but I took some creative liberties here and adjusted her age to make it work better. I love seeing that someone knew has seen my story, and I get really happy when I get review, follow, and favorite emails! You all are amazing! Love and snowflakes to everyone!