A/N: *yawn!* Morning... *gasp!* It's morning everyone! And it's Tuesday! And that means it's time for, what?... Yeeeesss, the next chapter! :-D And a lot happens in this chapter, so pay attention!

Disclaimer: I may be a spoiled only child, but I'm not spoiled enough that I can say I own the rights to Frozen.

Two days later, the snow had been cleared enough that the royals could go into town and put Anna's plan into action. It didn't take much to convince Julie to come with them. Noah made it a little harder, but once Johan bribed another guard to take his shift, he reluctantly agreed.

The plan was to leave Noah and Julie alone in the town square, where there were always musicians playing and people dancing. Johan had figured that this would be the perfect way to get them to bond. As for how the rest of them were going to get away, well, they decided to play that by ear.

As the six of them walked through town, Johan and Julie received numerous bows and greetings. Julie loved the attention, and she would respond by showing her love for all of them, and she even would bend down to hug a few children. This would noticeably bring a smile to Noah's face.

"It's nice to be able to get out of the castle," Julie said at one point.

"I agree," Anna said. "Especially when you get to spend time with the people you care about."

As Anna leaned her head on Kristoff, Julie glanced around at the others in the group, for a moment locking her eyes on Noah. Anna had talked to her a lot in the last few days, trying to get her to show him how she felt. What Julie didn't know was that Kristoff, who had quickly been able to relate to Noah, had been talking to him, too.

"You know, Anna," Kristoff said, "I know this is probably a bad time to ask, but I've really wanted to spend some time alone with you."

Anna smiled at him, recognizing his attempt to get them away.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Well," he said, "to start, I've heard there's a really good chocolate shop around here."

"Really?" Anna said, her face lighting up with excitement. "That sounds great!" She glanced at the rest of the group, pretending to be unsure. "Do you guys mind if we go off on our own?"

The other four shook their heads. Elsa and Johan exchanged a knowing glance.

"Do you know how to get there from here?" Johan asked. Kristoff shook his head. "Turn down this street and go two blocks down. You can't miss it."

"Thanks," Kristoff replied.

"We'll catch up with you guys later," Anna said before they turned the corner and disappeared down the street.

Elsa and Johan kept conversation going for the next few minutes. As they approached the square, Johan looked around and sighed.

"Winter is so beautiful," he said, gazing at the snow that covered the buildings.

"Yeah," Elsa agreed. "Especially this place. The snow really does make the village look quite charming."

"Well, you know," he said, "the most beautiful place around here after it snows is the park."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The snow covered pine trees; the frozen lake; it really is a sight to see."

"Could it be a sight I could see?"

"Sure. Come on; I'll show you," Johan said, taking her hand and starting to lead her in the direction of the park.

"Wait!" Julie called after them. "I thought we were going to the square."

Johan could tell by the look on her face that she was disappointed at the thought of not going to the square. Noah's identical expression showed that he felt the same way. Perfect.

"You guys can go," Johan replied. "Go have fun. We'll catch up with you guys later."

Before Julie could protest any more, Johan and Elsa had made their way through the crowded street, leaving the princess and the guard to glance at each other, confused.

Walking forward, they heard music ringing through the air. As they entered the town square, they saw people clapping and dancing to the festive music coming from the band in the gazebo. This made both of them smile.

After a moment's hesitation, Noah held out his hand to the princess. "Shall we dance?"

Julie beamed at him as she placed her hand in his. "We shall."

.:.^*^.:.

"So do you think we should check on our two pairs of lovebirds?" Anna said as they exited the chocolate shop.

"Why don't we just leave them alone?" Kristoff said. "If you want them in romantic situations, you could give them some privacy."

"But I want to make sure this is working!"

"You'll find out when we get back to the castle tonight."

"But-"

"Anna!" Kristoff cut her off. He brushed a stray piece of hair off her face as he stared into her big, blue eyes. "You know I really meant it when I said I wanted to spend some time alone with you."

A smile crept onto her face. "Really?"

"Really."

Anna's felt her face turn red. "I guess you're right; we don't have to worry about them right now," she gave in. She hugged him tightly, and he kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

Kristoff felt his heart explode with happiness as her words rang through his head like a bell. "I love you, too," he replied. Now, hearing his own words, he simply couldn't wait any longer. He pulled away from her embrace and pulled out a small red box from his pocket. He had planned to do this later, but why wait? He got down on one knee and opened the box to reveal a sparkling ring, with a beautiful diamond in the center. "Will you marry me?"

Anna gasped at the suddenness of his proposal, and for a moment she simply stood there, awestruck. People walking by stopped when they saw Kristoff on his knee, and some said "Aww!" Just as Kristoff began to feel nervous, Anna's face broke out in a smile and tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Yes!" she squealed as she tackled him into the snow and kissed him passionately. The people watching clapped for the happy couple as Kristoff slipped the ring on her finger. It fit her perfectly.

.:.^*^.:.

"You really weren't kidding when you said that this place was beautiful in winter," Elsa said, staring out at the clearing in front of her. The lake was frozen solid, and people were happily ice skating on it. The surrounding trees were covered in a thick layer of white snow.

"Isn't it?" Johan said. "This is everyone's favorite lake to skate on."

"Can you skate?" Elsa asked.

Johan shrugged. "Sort of," he replied. "I usually end up lying on the ice before long."

Elsa smirked. "You know, I think I'd like to see that," she said. She used her magic to make pairs of skates appear on their feet.

Johan's expression showed that he was not prepared to skate. "You know, I'd say no because I hate how embarrassing it is to fall on the ice, but I have this feeling that you won't take 'no' for an answer."

Elsa chuckled. "Nope."

"Didn't think so."

Holding on to his hands, Elsa led him onto the ice and tried to help him stay on his feet until he started to get his bearings. When she let go, he almost lost his balance, but he didn't fall.

"See!" Elsa said. "You can do it!"

"No, don't say that! You'll jinx it!" Johan replied.

Despite his lack of confidence, Johan eventually got to a point where he wasn't stumbling anymore, and he glided smoothly across the ice with Elsa beside him.

As they skated along, Elsa noticed a group of three girls looking at them. The one that seemed to be the ringleader of the group seemed to be giving Elsa the evil eye.

"Hey, who's that girl over there that keeps glaring at us?" the queen asked.

Johan followed her gaze and quickly looked away when he made eye contact with the girl. He sighed, annoyed.

"That's Linnea," he replied, "the most popular girl in town our age. She's been trying to get me to go out with her since I met her at the ball my father held for me when I turned eighteen. Try not to make eye contact; maybe she'll leave us alone."

Glancing over at Linnea again, Elsa saw her beckon her two friends to follow her, and they began skating in their direction.

"Aw, man," Johan said. "Alright, let's just keep going; I'll handle this."

Johan took Elsa's hand and kept his eyes on where he was going, pretending not to notice as Linnea skated up next to him.

"Hi, Johan," she said in a singsong voice.

"Hello, Linnea," he replied, not looking at her.

"We were just going to get some pastries," Linnea said. "You want to come?"

"Thanks, but I have other plans," the prince replied.

"Other plans, huh?" She turned her gaze to Elsa. "I see. You finally got a date, huh?"

Johan didn't say anything. Elsa opened her mouth to reply.

"We're just friends," she said, clearly unsure if that was the right thing to say.

"I see," Linnea said. Falling behind the two royals for a moment, she skated around so she was next to Elsa. "What's your name?" she asked the queen.

"Elsa."

"How long have you known Johan?"

"A few days."

"I see," Linnea said, clearly unimpressed by her at this point. "Do you think, Elsa, that after these few days that you've known Johan, you'd like to become more than 'just friends' with him?"

"Leave her alone, Linnea," Johan said, looking at the girl for the first time.

"I'm just asking a question," Linnea said, not faltering under his gaze, "and I was hoping for an answer."

"I don't really know," Elsa said, trying to keep her cool.

"Hmm," Linnea said, unconvinced. "Hypothetically speaking," she said, "if you did want to be more than just friends with him, do you at all think, that after only knowing him a few days, he would want you when he's known me for four years?"

"I would absolutely want her, because I've never wanted you!" Johan yelled. "I didn't want you four years ago, and I don't want you now! Get over it!"

"Well, she's not exactly much of a conversationalist, wouldn't you agree girls?" Linnea said, looking back at her two friends, who smirked and nodded in agreement. "Tell me, Elsa, are you royalty?"

Elsa was beginning to lose her patience with this girl. "Yes," she said, glaring at her.

Linnea remained unimpressed. "Of what poor, pitiful, deprived country are you the ruler?"

Suddenly, the ice under Linnea's feet was no longer there, and she plunged into the freezing water. She yelled for help as her two friends came to her aid. Johan stopped and watched with a look of amazement and amusement on his face. He glanced at Elsa, who had an evil smirk on her face. When the girls had gotten the shivering Linnea out of the water, the three of them watched in amazement as the ice once again froze over the spot that Linnea had just fallen in. They looked up at Elsa, who smirked at them as she answered Linnea's question.

"Arendelle."

Johan laughed as he and Elsa turned around and left the frightened girls as they sat staring at them agape. Elsa joined in his laughing as they skated across the pond.

"I've never seen Linnea with that look on her face!" Johan said.

"Yeah, I tend to get that look a lot," Elsa joked.

"That was kinda mean, though," he said.

"Hey, at least I didn't freeze the ice over top of her!" Elsa replied.

Johan laughed hard, and he stopped looking where he was going. He didn't have time to notice that Elsa had moved away from him before he fell into a snow bank at the side of the lake.

Elsa gritted her teeth as she skated back to him.

"I'm sorry; are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Johan said, catching his breath.

Elsa held out her hand to him. "Here, let me help you."

He smirked as he took her hand. "No, let me help you!"

She gasped as he pulled her down into the snow with him. He laughed as she playfully punched his arm. Elsa made the skates disappear from their feet, and they got up and went to a different part of the park. Sitting on a bench, they spent the rest of their time talking and laughing until the hands of the clock tower told them it was time to return to the castle for dinner.

.:.^*^.:.

Elsa and Johan were the first to get back to the castle, closely followed by Anna and Kristoff. Anna excitedly showed Elsa her ring and asked for Elsa's blessing on their marriage. Elsa simply revealed that Kristoff had already asked her for her blessing the day before, and she had said yes.

Finally, Julie entered the hall and joined them at their table. Noah had to go back to his post.

"So Julie, how was your day with Noah?" Anna asked, after showing her the ring, of course.

"Oh, it was great!" Julie replied. "We danced in the town square for a while and then had lunch together. I had so much fun."

The others at the table smiled at each other and started talking about their own days. Anna eyed Kristoff and smiled when Elsa and Johan told their story from the park.

As soon as she was done eating, Julie stood up.

"Excuse me, everyone," she said, pushing her chair in.

"Where are you going?" Johan asked curiously.

"Noah asked me to meet him for a walk in the gardens after I was done dinner," she replied.

The others looked at each other in shock.

"Oh," Johan replied. "...okay. Have fun."

"Thanks," Julie said as she walked out, not noticing their stunned expressions as she walked out.

As soon as she was gone, Anna looked at Johan.

"You didn't set this up, did you?" she asked.

"No. You?"

"No."

As they all glanced at each other for answers, they came to a silent conclusion as to how to find out. Leaving the Great Hall, they made their way to the gardens, where they split into their respective pairs to watch Julie and Noah from where they wouldn't be seen. Elsa and Johan hid behind a column on one side of the gardens, and Anna and Kristoff hid behind a bush on the other side of the gardens.

From each of their vantage points, they could see Julie sitting on the bench by the fountain with Noah.

"I had such a great time today," the princess said, holding his hand.

"Me too," Noah replied.

"I wish we could spend more time together like this."

"Me too."

Julie looked up at him to see him smiling and gazing at her. She blushed under his gaze.

"What?"

"You're staring at me."

"I know," he said. "I wouldn't want to stare at anything else." She looked up into his eyes as he continued. "I just keep thinking about how much you've grown since I met you. You were so little then, but now you've grown into a brilliant young woman."

She let out a small laugh as she stared down into her lap.

"And you're so beautiful," he said.

That really caught her attention. Her brown eyes met his hazel ones, and then suddenly they were really close. He leaned in, their lips only inches apart, until his met hers in a passionate kiss that she quickly returned.

In their respective corners of the garden, the others were celebrating. Anna was jumping up and down, and Kristoff had to calm her down to keep her quiet. Elsa and Johan hugged each other tightly, before they pulled away blushing furiously.

Noah and Julie pulled apart, smiling as they let their foreheads rest on each other.

"I love you," Noah said.

"I love you, too," Julie replied. Then she chuckled. "My brother's gonna kill you, though."

Noah laughed. "Nah, only if I do something wrong. And I'm not gonna let that happen."

"Good," Julie said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "And besides, Johan would only be trying to protect me. It's just what brothers do."

Noah chuckled, but looking up at his face, Julie noticed he looked sad.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "I'm just thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"My brother," he said.

Julie stared at him, surprised. "You never mentioned you had a brother."

"Yeah," he said. "I had several brothers, actually, but I was the oldest. And my brother Daniel was the second oldest. He was two years younger than me, and we were really close when we were little. But as we started to get old enough where we could understand our father's cruelty toward the world, he started to embrace it, while I tried to stay away from it and get closer with our mother. My father clearly liked him better and wished that I, as the heir of the family, were more like him, but I still held on to the hope that my innocent young brother was somewhere behind the boy that my father had created.

"When I ran away, I woke him up to try to convince him to come with me, but instead, he raised the alarm to our father. I barely made it out of there."

Noah sighed as Julie listened sadly to his story.

"I just can't help but feel that I let him down. I could have protected him from our father's wicked ways. But I was too late. The loving brother I once knew had become my father's soldier."

Julie stared at him silently as she took it all in. The others watching also felt the story tug at their heartstrings.

"Wow," Julie said after a moment. "You never told me that before."

Noah shrugged. "I don't like to think about it. I loved my brother but I couldn't protect him." He looked up at her and took her hand in his own. "But I promise you," he said, "I'm not gonna fail again. I love you, Julie, and I'm never gonna let anything happen to you."

Julie felt a tear form in her eye. "I love you, too," she said before leaning up to capture his lips once again.

From the sidelines, Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, and Johan, smiled triumphantly at each other and at the happy couple.

What none of them knew was that there was another pair of eyes watching the scene.

Read on, write on, dream on. -bandgeek63