Alaia Skyhawk: Hehe, yes here's the next chapter. I'm going to see about finishing this fic for NaNo this year :)
For those who guessed Elsa, you are correct (as if the planet name wasn't a clue. Yensidia is (ai)disney backwards hehe. For those hoping that Brave and Tangled will also get cameos in this story... sorry, but no. Including Rapunzel and Merida brings this too close to a "Big Four" fic, which there are SO MANY of on FFnet already, so neither will be getting an outing in this story. I've only included the Frozen crew because it allows me to cover something with Jack that I've not touched on for a long while, and because I will get to show him interacting with a certain snowman (cue hilarity, I also have an awesome but cute gag stuck in my head that I REALLY want to use).
And lastly, no matter how much many of you may beg for it, there will be NO JackxElsa pairing. Considering both of them are to be Spirits of Winter for different worlds, that kind of "long distance" (very long distance) relationship would be cruel :P
However do expect sibling bonding, angst, and the aforementioned certain snowman :D
(As one final note, remember that in this "Universe" any film I reference characters from, doesn't exist so there can't be any reaction of "Oh my gosh, there's a planet with Disney characters on it!" hehehehe)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.
~(-)~
Chapter 127: A Frozen Introduction
The news of the Tsarina's ship arriving in orbit caused a flurry of activity, a burst of excitement that grew steadily once it was confirmed the shuttle would be bringing her down to the city within the hour. They had been waiting for this ever since their beloved Snow Queen had been asked to become Yensidia's Spirit of Winter, and she had agreed. The knowledge that their wonderful and kind Lady would live on to watch over them forever more sparking anticipation of the upcoming event.
The Queen in question gazed out of one of the upper windows of her castle, looking over the fjord towards the open sea beyond. Glancing at the mountains to either side that were showing the first dusting of impending winter's snow. A memory rose from the depths of her past, of the same fjord frozen over and the city covered with three feet of snow... in the middle of summer.
She shook herself from the memory and quietly berated herself.
"That was twenty years ago, Elsa. You've never lost control like that since then. 'Love will thaw', so you'll never trap anyone in eternal winter."
She turned her pale blue eyes back to the view, this time taking note of the additions that were new since this world had joined the Allegiance fifteen years previously. Arendelle looked mostly the same as it had back then, but the lamps were no longer lit with gas, and log fires were only for atmosphere in homes than actual need for heat. Heat and light were now provided by the technology given to them by the Allegiance, along with the graceful tower at the city's edge which held the Etheric Turbines that powered that technology.
Only a few nations on this world had taken up the use of the flying carriages also offered, but she didn't doubt that it wouldn't be long before everyone used them. Much as the new and very safe sailing ships had replaced those of wood and canvas. They were changes, good ones, but still changes...
...And now she was to become the next big change for her world. Yensidia had a Father Nature and a Spirit of Spring, and soon she would join them.
"Aunt Elsa! Aunt Elsa!"
The yelling of a child reached her ears, the moment a young girl of twelve barrelled into the room followed at a more sedate pace by her fifteen-year-old brother. Both had their father's blonde hair, although the girl's had a hint of copper cast from their mother. Much as she'd inherited her mother's lively nature.
Elsa placed her hands on her hips in mock disapproval.
"Christina, what have you been told about doors into other people's rooms?"
Princess Christina paused in her tracks, deep blue eyes glancing floorwards.
"Um... Knock before entering?"
Elsa shook her head and sighed, before chuckling and heading to her niece.
"What was the message?"
The girl's expression immediately switched back to excitement, but before she could speak her brother did it first.
"The Tsarina's shuttle is on its way down. She'll be here in fifteen minutes."
Christina turned at glared at him.
"Nicholas! It was my turn to give the message to Aunt Elsa!"
Her brother Prince Nicholas, shrugged, unrepentant.
"But you were taking so long, the shuttle would have landed before you delivered it."
Elsa gave both of them a long look.
"Now you two, behave. I want you both to be on your best manners when we greet the Tsarina. Because if I don't scold you, your mother will."
Both children winced, before they straightened up and put on expressions of perfect innocence and decorum. Elsa then led them out of the door and down to the main castle entrance. The shuttle would be landing at the castle's ship-dock, as such it had been agreed the welcoming committee would wait in the courtyard... No one wanted to risk the prince and princess falling off the dock into the water in their exuberance. As had happened the first time the Tsarina had visited.
Anna smiled when she saw her sister and children approaching, and gave a nudge to her husband who was presently distracted by petting his now ageing but still quirky friend reindeer.
"Kristoff, time for your best manners." She then reached into his pocket, pulled out the pair of carrots hidden there, and threw them to one of the nearby servants. "And no sharing carrots with Sven in front of the Tsarina."
Kristoff, former ice-master, deliverer, and now awkward Prince-by-marriage, directed a pleading look at his wife. One that Sven mirrored.
"But how is that fair?"
Anna took hold of him by the ear.
"It's fair because no one else eats when not at the table for mealtimes when guests are here, so why should you and he get to eat in front of the guests? Besides, sharing a carrot covered in reindeer slobber is disgusting, and I won't have you doing that in front of the Tsarina. No matter if I put up with it the rest of time."
There was an edge to her voice, once of false sweetness and genuine warning, and both man and reindeer slumped in defeat.
"Yes dear."
Elsa watched the exchange, feeling again a pang of uncertainty about her choice. She'd decided never to marry, so as not to chance passing on her powers of ice and snow to another generation, and as such had no children of her own. That wasn't the issue. The issue was the fear that she'd be 'leaving her sister behind'.
They'd been separated for ten years despite living in the same castle, and she didn't want to be separated from her again.
The sound of the shuttle interrupted those thoughts, as the excited squeals of Princess Christina echoed out across the courtyard. It took a firm hand from the girl's father to prevent her charging off towards the gate to the dock, especially once the craft was down so that its prestigious passenger and her luggage could be unloaded.
Tsarina Anser emerged through the gate a few minutes later followed by attendants and two floating gurneys. One carried what was obviously her luggage, but the other supported an apparently empty oval capsule. Apparent, because through the clear top of its lid, the inside held nothing.
Elsa pushed down her puzzlement as she walked over, accepting the Tsarina's hug of greeting.
"Welcome back to Arendelle, Tsarina. How was your visit to Planet Earth?"
It was common knowledge in the castle that Earth was to join the Allegiance, hence the Tsarina's visit there. That being the reason for the delay in the proceedings here.
Tsarina Anser released her grip and took a step back, smiling in a most satisfied way.
"It was wonderful. Such a vibrant and inspiring world, watched over by the finest of immortals you could ever hope to meet." She glanced towards the second gurney. "Speaking of which, you're going to meet one of their very best."
Everyone in the welcoming committee blinked, silent in their confusion, until a moment later Elsa frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Tsarina Anser gestured towards the capsule.
"Planet Earth's Spirit of Winter has graciously agreed to mentor you for two weeks or so. Being an immortal, naturally he had to sleep through the journey or be left feeling horrendously ill. Jack has first-hand experience of it, and was adamant he not be woken up until we'd arrived." She smiled mischievously. "Although I would guess he expected to be woken while we were in orbit, and not after we'd already landed."
Behind her sister, Anna exclaimed, stunned.
"You shipped Earth's Spirit of Winter here in a box?"
Her two children rushed past her to the capsule, the Prince and Princess having no trouble seeing the sleeping immortal once he'd been 'introduced' to them. Indeed, now that they were all aware, everyone present could see him.
Nicholas and Christina stood either side of it, peering in through the lid as they began to clamour questions. Smiling in amusement, and judging there to be a sufficient head-start on believers, Tsarina Anser also came over and eased the prince aside. All so that she could access the controls on the side of the capsule.
There was an audible hiss as air rushed into the interior, before she then rapped smartly on the lid to wake him up.
More of the welcoming committee now gathered around, in time to see the white-haired man's face crease with a small frown, before he opened his eyes and squinted at the bright sunlight glaring down into the capsule.
He grimaced, covering his eyes with one hand while fumbling for the release handle with the other. As soon as he had the lid unlocked, he pushed it open and sat up.
To be immediately barraged by questions from Christina and Nicholas.
Elsa tried to hush them, Anna stood there looking quietly horrified by their lack of manners, and Kristoff remained steadfast in his obvious resignation to what his children were doing.
Jack wasn't as annoyed as they clearly thought he'd be, what with being all too used to dealing with energetic and noisy children. Instead he took a moment to compensate for his current lack of believers by tapping into a few non-strictly Seasonal natural forces to bolster his power. That done, he then directed a smile at the pair and spoke with a hint of mischief. He had to guess at where he was, but actual questions about that would come after deflecting these two.
"How about you two show me around here later. I'm sure you've all sorts of secret places right?" He leaned in close, pretending as if the adults around them wouldn't be able to hear. "And I can probably show you a few tricks of my own. Deal? Until then, here."
He placed a hand down on the outside of the capsule, frosting it over in a series of animal shapes that then peeled away and took on a three-dimensional form. What then bounded away was a half a dozen frost bunnies and a couple of small dragons. The children darted off after them, laughing in delight, leaving the adults with space for a more decorous introduction.
Jack laughed at the children's reaction, then sighed as staff-in-hand he floated up out of the capsule and then drifted down again to stand firmly on the courtyard paving.
"They'll last about half an hour before they puff into snowflakes and melt. By then those two should be worn out and ready for a quiet rest somewhere."
Anna hastened past her sister, apology written in every line of her posture.
"I'm so sorry for their behaviour. If there's anyth-"
"No need, I'm used to it." Jack grinned when his interruption got a startled stare in response. "I'm a Guardian of Childhood as well as a Spirit of the Seasons. I deal with children on a regular basis, many of which are far more excitable and noisy than those two seem to be."
Tsarina Anser stepped forward now, to 'rescue' the welcoming committee.
"Allow me to introduce him formally. This is Jack Frost, Spirit of Winter and Guardian of Fun for Planet Earth."
Jack nodded in greeting, before the Tsarina continued.
She gestured to the queen first.
"Jack, this is Queen Elsa Arrend, the Snow Queen as she has become known. She's the one who is to be Yensidia's Spirit of Winter."
Jack held out his hand to her, noting as she shook it that her skin was already quite cool to the touch for a mortal.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Tsarina Anser now indicated the woman and man beside Elsa.
"And this is Elsa's younger sister, Princess Anna Arrend, and Anna's husband, Prince Kristoff."
Jack, who had been partway in offering his hand to Anna, went utterly still for a moment as soon as he heard the words 'younger sister'. It was only for a brief instant, quickly covered over by a smile to the couple as he shook their hands, but one person noticed it.
Elsa could only wonder as to why he'd frozen like that. Unable to ask about it in the maelstrom of activity that followed. Everything had long been prepared and planned, the small number of selected guests waiting patiently in the castle and town. After all, it had long been decided that the day Tsarina Anser arrived, the ceremony she had come for would take place immediately.
Anna and Kristoff were quickly whisked away by a adamant seamstress and her assistant, to be bustled into their coronation finery. She too was hastened away by castle servants, in the company of the Tsarina, to be dressed 'appropriately' and given a final brief talk before that which she'd looked forward to and dreaded with equal measure. Yensidia's Father Nature, Garold, was also already at the castle and waiting. Which meant no escape or quiet moment between now and the minute she found herself in front of the doors of the castle chapel.
Elsa, now wearing a gown of palest blue and silver, glanced over her shoulder at Anna and Kristoff. They looked as nervous as she did, although for different reasons. After all, she was about to become an immortal, and that meant she had to abdicate her throne... They would be taking her place.
From his seat at the front of the chapel, which had been cleared for him after some frantic reshuffling of the seating plan, Jack watched as the three of them entered and walked up the aisle. He might have been concerned at the speed this was being done, were it not for the fact everything had clearly been planned some time in advance. Certainly Elsa had received far more advance notice of what she was being asked to take on than he had ever received. But still he couldn't help the carefully hidden inward frown he wore, as he listened to Elsa's formal abdication of her throne and the coronation of her sister as Queen.
Because he couldn't help but notice he was watching what was almost a parallel of his own past unfold before him. That despite the differences of situation, in that moment Father Nature Garold and Tsarina Anser had transformed Elsa into a Spirit of Winter...
Jack hid his sudden maelstrom of emotions behind a wall of false cheer as he joined the celebratory applause that concluded the ceremony. While he'd never forgotten his sister, and had long since gotten over her passing, the mental doubts and agonies of his early years as an immortal had faded into obscurity in the face of his later adjustments.
Yet seeing two siblings, the elder now a Spirit of Winter and the younger a mortal sister. The knowledge of what Elsa faced brought his own memories raw and painfully back from the depths they'd vanished into for so long. And so at the end of the evening's celebrations that followed, he retreated outside to the castle gardens.
Elsa the only one who noticed him go.
~(-)~
Alaia Skyhawk: If you can't guess the angle I'm using this cameo for now, well you'll see it in the next one. Prepare for angst :P