"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"
Elsa walked up the small stage and faced the smiling audience, nodding her head in recognition. She let her eyes wander the ballroom for a moment, before catching herself and focusing her attention back to the announcer.
"Princess Anna of Arendelle!"
There was a moment of silence, then Anna came running to the front. She stopped in front of the stage and waved awkwardly at the people. Kai cleared his throat and started pushing her onto the stage next to Elsa.
"Oh, are you sure? Because I don't think I'm-Oh, okay."
Anna shifted away from Elsa, glancing at her self-consciously. The audience applauded and went back to dancing. Elsa looked over at her younger sister, who seemed to be struggling for words.
"Hi." She said quietly, startling Anna.
"Hi, hi me?" Elsa nodded, taking in how grown up she looked. "Oh, um… hi?"
"You look beautiful," Elsa said to Anna after a brief, awkward pause. It was true. Anna's green dress matched her complexion perfectly and brought out her blue eyes.
"Thank you," Anna replied, obviously pleased to get a compliment from her older sister, "You look beautifuller! I mean, not fuller. You don't look fuller, but more-more beautiful."
Elsa chuckled as Anna started to blush. "Thank you," she said as she looked out into the ballroom, "So, this is what a party looks like."
It had been years since she last attended a party. Her mind started to go back to her last one with him, but Anna interrupted.
"It's warmer than I thought."
Elsa nodded in agreement. If Anna was warm, that meant her powers were still under control, and that she was fine.
"And what is that amazing smell?" Elsa wondered aloud, sniffing the air around her.
"Chocolate!" She and Anna exclaimed at the same time, causing them to fall into a fit of giggles. Elsa sighed, missing this time with Anna. If only she…
"Your Majesty," Kai interrupted, "The Duke of Weaseltown."
"Wesselton!" the rather short man snapped at him. The Duke was much older than Elsa, and had mouse-like features. Something about him made Elsa wary of his actions. "The Duke of Wesselton, Your Majesty," he corrected again as he stepped up to the stage, "As your closest partner in trade, it seems only fitting that I offer you your first dance as Queen."
Elsa's face screwed up for a moment, until the Duke started bouncing around and dipping his head forward, his toupee nearly falling off. The sisters start giggling uncontrollably, quickly covering their mouths. Elsa recovered first and straightened as the Duke stood up, his toupee falling back into place.
"Thank you," she said politely, "Only I don't dance." She saw Anna out of the corner of her eye, still trying to gain control of her laughter, and a wicked thought entered her head.
"But my sister does," she offered, gesturing towards her.
Anna laughed, then her face turned to confusion. "Wait, what?"
The Duke immediately grabbed her arm, just as Elsa suspected he would. "Oh, lucky you."
Anna turned to Elsa desperately. "Oh, I don't think-" she started to say before he dragged her onto the dance floor, saying "If you swoon, let me know. I'll catch you!"
"Sorry," Elsa apologized, not even trying to hide her smile. She looked out over the crowd again. She saw many people dancing, drinking, and enjoying themselves. Several people came up to congratulate her.
She looked for Anna, and found her still dancing with the Duke. Suddenly, he dipped her so abruptly that she was nearly bent in half. She found Elsa's eyes and shook her head at her. Elsa laughed quietly, as Kai turned her attention to a few more guests. After a short while, Anna came back to stand next to Elsa, limping slightly and out of breath.
"Let me know when you're ready for another round, milady!" she heard the Duke call out, almost causing her to start laughing again.
"Well, he was spritely," Elsa remarked as Anna started to rub her feet.
Anna groaned and added, "Especially for a guy in heels."
Elsa smiled. "Are you okay?"
Anna turned to look at her, her face flushed with happiness. "I've never been better. This is so nice." Anna sighed, still keeping her eyes on Elsa. "I wish it could be like this all the time."
"Me too," Elsa admitted, wishing more than anything that it could be so.
Then she spotted the strip of white in Anna's hair. The memories came back in an instant, the beam of magic shooting towards her head, the troll's warning, the endless days focusing on concealing, not feeling. Elsa looked away, her heart growing heavy.
"But it can't."
"Why not? I mean-"
"It just can't!" Elsa snapped at her, turning her back. Her hands were starting to grow cold, and she took a deep breath to remind herself.
Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel.
"Excuse me for a moment," Anna said, her voice soft. Elsa could hear her voice crack, and her heart grew even heavier. She didn't want to hurt Anna, but this was the only way she could keep her safe. If only she could understand. She watched Anna walk into the crowd, wishing things were different. Wishing she was different.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing herself to smile once again and pretend that everything was okay. Elsa turned back and opened her eyes to find them staring at familiar brown ones.
"Good evening, Your Majesty," Jack said, bowing as she stared in shock, "I just wanted to come by and congratulate you on your coronation and to compliment the wonderful party."
She stayed silent for a brief moment, thousands of thoughts running through her head. Did he forget their last conversation? Why was he acting so formal? Why was he here? Jack straightened up, and Elsa saw the twinkle of mischief in his eyes. She smiled at him, her shoulders relaxing.
"Thank you, sir," she replied, developing a slight accent, "Although, it does seem quite boring after a while."
"Perhaps Her Majesty would like to sit down and rest her pretty little feet for a moment and catch up with an old friend?" Jack inquired, holding his hand out. She thought for a moment, looking around the ballroom, then took his hand.
"That would be quite lovely, thank you."
He led her through the crowd, holding onto her hand tightly. Elsa was extremely aware of the stares, but she kept her head high, even though her cheeks were growing hotter by the second.
Finally, Jack sat them down on a small bench near one of the open windows, which gave them a slight breeze. Elsa closed her eyes and sighed as she sat down.
"It was getting a little hot up there," she admitted, enjoying the breeze. She opened her eyes to find Jack staring at her, causing her face to heat up again.
"So, um…" she said, looking away for a moment, "How are you?"
Stupid question, her brain told her, That's the worst question you could ask a friend you haven't seen in three years.
"I've been fine," he said, "Done some traveling, made a few friends, all that good stuff."
He turned to look out into the crowd, his eyes lazily scanning the room. Elsa studied his profile, picking out all the little things that changed since she last saw him. His normally wild hair was combed to one side, but little tuffs still stuck up in the air. His skin was a bit tanner, with new freckles she had never seen before. There was a small scar on his ear, and she wondered where it came from. Jack suddenly turned towards her, his brown eyes locking onto hers instantly.
"How is your sister?" he asked politely.
Elsa was frozen for a moment, trapped in his stare, then she composed herself and replied, "Anna is doing well. I'm sure she's somewhere stuffing her face with chocolate."
Jack smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes; in fact, he looked sad for a brief instant.
"That's good." He said, "It's been awhile in I last saw her, so it's good to know she's still the same."
Elsa nodded, opening her mouth to inquire about his own sister (she must be fifteen, sixteen now?) when Jack changed the subject, asking about the state of the kingdom. They made small talk for a while, Elsa doing most of the talking. The most she managed to get out of him was that he had been traveling with a small group and decided to come to Arendelle for the coronation after he received word through a traveling acquaintance.
"They're not here, if you're wondering," he added when she started to look around, "This really isn't their scene, with the fancy clothes and expensive stuff."
Elsa then noticed his outfit, which seemed very familiar.
"Is that the same suit from before?" she asked, taking note of the shimmering coat.
He looked down with a smile, his cheeks turning red. "I never really got around to getting a new one," he explained, "And I knew it would come in handy someday."
Elsa wanted to talk more, but then Kai came up to them suddenly.
"I'm sorry, your Majesty," he said, bowing his head, "But the delegates from southern Europe would like to discuss Arendelle's trade agreement."
"Of course," she said, standing up and brushing off her dress.
"It was wonderful catching up with you." Jack said as he stood up with her, "Perhaps, if I stay in town for a bit longer, we should meet again sometime." He posed it as a question, but she knew it was a promise.
Elsa nodded, containing the smile that threatened to burst out of her.
"Yes, that would be lovely, Jack."
She was about to leave when she felt Jack grab her hand. She whirled around, thinking he might pull the glove off. She started to warn him, then he kissed the top of her hand, keeping his eyes on her the entire time. He straightened up and said, "Till we meet again, Elsa," then wandered into the crowd.
She stayed there for a good five seconds in shock, holding her hand up to her chest.
"Your Majesty. Your Majesty!"
She blinked and turned to face Kai again, who was staring at her worriedly.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, forcing herself to calm down. She was a Queen, and she had to be dignified. But as she conversed with the two delegates, she couldn't stop herself from replaying the moment in her mind, over and over and over.
"Elsa!"
She turned to see Anna coming towards her with a handsome, red-haired man in tow. Elsa excused herself and turned to face the pair, whose arms were linked. She narrowed her eyes a bit as Anna introduced her to the man, Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.
"Your Majesty." He said politely, bowing his head. Elsa copied his motion, wondering why Anna looked slightly nervous. Suddenly, Anna and Hans were speaking over each other.
"We would like… your blessing… of our marriage!"
Elsa was stunned. There was no possible way Anna knew this man before tonight, and she wanted to marry him?!
"M-Marriage?" she finally spat out.
"Yes!" Anna squealed, her joy oozing all over the place.
"I'm sorry, I'm confused." Elsa admitted, hoping that someone would explain what was happening. Anna was suddenly talking too fast for Elsa to hear, something about ice cream and a ceremony, when she said, "Wait, will we live here?"
"Here?" Elsa repeated, her hands growing cold.
"Absolutely!" Hans exclaimed.
Elsa started to feel dizzy. "Anna-" she started to say, when Anna suddenly cried out, "Oh, and we can invite all twelve of your brothers!"
Elsa nearly had a heart attack then. How was she supposed to keep her powers hidden if over a dozen strangers were staying at the castle?
"Anna!" she said forcefully, "No one's brothers are staying here. No one's getting married!"
Anna's face went from pure joy to confusion and distraught in a second. "Wait, what?"
"May I talk to you please?" she asked, trying to warm her hands, "Alone?"
"N-no," Anna said determinedly. "Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us." Anna looked up at Hans with total admiration in her eyes.
Elsa took a deep breath, praying she could knock some sense into her younger sister. "Fine. You can't marry a man you just met."
"You can if it's true love!" Anna retorted.
True love?
"Anna, what do you know about true love?"
"More than you! All you know is how to shut people out!"
Elsa took a step back, shocked by her sister's words. 'It's true, you know,' her thoughts said, 'You shut out Anna, your parents, even Jack. What do you know about love, Elsa?'
The air around her seemed to drop a few degrees. Elsa had to get out of here before she did something she would regret.
"You ask for my blessing, but my answer is no."
'Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel.'
"Now, if you'll excuse me." She said, her hands growing increasingly cold.
"Your Majesty, if I may ease your-" Hans started to say before Elsa interrupted him, "No, you may not. I think you should go."
She started towards the door, trying to keep her hands from getting colder.
"The party is over," she told a nearby guard, "Close the gates."
The guard ran off to obey. She could sense everyone's confusion, but she had no choice. Her hands were growing slightly colder every passing minute. She kept her head high, like the Queen she was, as she walked out of the room.
'Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal-'
All of a sudden, she felt her hand being grabbed. She whirled around as her glove came off, hanging limply in her sister's hand.
"Anna, give me my glove!" she cried out, the temperature around her dropping rapidly.
Anna held onto it tightly, her eyes near tears.
"Elsa, please!" she yelled, bringing the attention of everyone in the ballroom, "Please, I can't live like this anymore!"
Elsa saw Anna's heart at that moment. It was big and warm and need to be around other people to thrive. Thirteen years was enough. She wanted the gates to be open for good.
But Elsa was the Queen, not Anna. And she had a duty to keep her kingdom safe, even from herself. Holding her ungloved hand to her chest, she said the harshest words she could think of at the moment.
"Then leave."
Anna was crushed. Elsa turned around and started walking away from her, her chest growing tighter with guilt.
'Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel.'
"What did I ever do to you?"
Nothing. You did nothing wrong, Anna, I promise you.
"Enough, Anna."
'Conceal, don't feel.'
"No, why? Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the world out?"
Please, Anna. Stop talking, please.
"What are you so afraid of?"
"I said, ENOUGH!"
Elsa turned around, putting everything she had into that single word. Every thought and emotion since her parent's deaths came out in a powerful burst. The storm inside of her calmed a little, and she felt more at peace at that moment than she had in years.
Then she opened her eyes and looked at the crowd. Their eyes were wide with fear. She looked around and saw the wall of ice she had formed, with dangerously sharp icicles pointing at the guests. She drew her outstretched hand close with a terrified gasp.
What had she done?
She looked at Anna, at Kai, at Hans, who all stared back with horror in their eyes. She found Jack and saw his face go from fear to concern.
Her hand found the doorknob and she started to run down the hall, away from the ballroom, away from the crowd.
She started running and didn't stop until she reached a pair of large double doors she thought led to her bedroom. She came out and was startled to hear applause. She looked up and saw that she had entered the courtyard, which was full of townspeople celebrating.
She stared into the crowd, wanting to scream at them to stop clapping, I could hurt you, please stop, but she couldn't move, couldn't speak.
"Elsa!" She looked back at the hall and started running again, into the crowd of people, keeping her hand covered as much as possible. She ran into several people who stood in her way and bowed to her. Her fear rising, she tried to push her way through, her throat tightening and blocking her speech. She ran into a mother who carried a baby and looked concerned.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" the mother asked as the child reached for her.
Elsa took a step back, looking over the crowd, trying to find a way out. They were getting too close, she couldn't breathe, she needed to get away, she needed to get out.
Elsa took another step backwards, and almost fell into the fountain, but catching herself just in time.
With her non-gloved hand.
She felt the ice travel to the water and spun around to see the whole fountain freeze in a beautiful ice sculpture.
She felt more than heard the gasps of fear and astonishment as she spun back around.
The crowd was backing away from her, staring at her like she was…
"There she is! Stop her!"
Elsa held her hands out in front of her protectively as she faced the Duke of Wesselton and his bulky bodyguards.
"Please, just away from me!" she cried out as snow started to fall around her, "Stay away-NO!"
A sudden flash of blue light came out of her hands and burst into ice at the Duke's feet, causing him to slip and fall.
"Monster!" he shouted, pointing at her as he struggled to stand up, "Monster!"
She stared at her shaking hand. Why couldn't she control it?
"Elsa!" She looked at the crowd again and started running towards the fjord. The crowd parted for her, leaving a clear path for her to go.
"Elsa!" She reached the fjord as the snowfall became harsher, turning to see if anyone was watching her. Why were Anna and Jack following her? They should be running away from her.
The crackle of ice at her feet drew her attention, and she saw the frost touch the edge of the fjord and freeze. She carefully took a step forward, and found that her steps caused the water under her to freeze hard enough to walk on.
"Wait, please!"
Elsa made a break for it, running across the fjord as if her life depended on it. She didn't look back, not even once, needing to get as far away as possible.
Hey guys! I'm back with a double whammy of a chapter! Whew, this shouldn't have taken this long to get up, but I've been incredibly busy over the past months, and I am so so so sorry. I actually meant for the second part of this chapter-the part where Elsa runs away-to be a separate chapter altogether, but I figured that a long chapter with some story progression would be better in the long haul.
Next chapter should be the infamous 'Let It Go' sequence, and I actually need some help from you guys. Would you prefer it to be written as if Elsa is singing, or not? I'm fine with either, but I would really like to get you guys somewhat involved in this story. So let me know in a review or in a PM, and I will have it up soon! Again, thank you guys so much for reading, and I will see y'all in the next chapter. Bye-bye!