"It looks like you've invited the entire town," I grumble to Joseph, as he leads me down the stairs, my arm looped through his. All evening people had been coming to the castle, and the maids and helpers have been going crazy trying to prepare for this last minute event. Naturally, the towns people cancelled any plans they had to go to this, and of course, I began to grow nervous.
Anna absolutely refused to tell me why we're hosting this. Joseph is the same, which absolutely infuriates me. I haven't seen Jack all evening, as he's been with Anna getting ready. Honestly, does it really take boys so long to get ready? Joseph was ready under an hour. I'm actually excited to see Jack, though. I can't imagine him in anything other than that blue jumper and tattered brown pants.
Why does he even have to get dressed up? It's not like anyone can see him.
"I did invite the whole town," he says to me, guiding me to the main doors to the ballroom. Of course, I was clearly incapable of opening the doors myself, so two butlers opened them up for us. The whole crowd turned to get a glimpse of myself and Joseph as another butler announced us.
I forced a smile and waved to the crowd. They parted so that Joseph and I could make our way up to the thrones on the platform. I strain to see Anna, wondering where on earth she can be.
Already music was playing loudly, and couples danced to the music. Bright colours swam before me in an endless sea of people– ladies got out their best dresses, and men got out their best suits for this occasion. The room smelt of perfume, wine, and sweat from the tired dancers. The people swirled before us, and laughter and chatter rang through the room above the music.
I don't catch a glimpse of Anna until she runs into the ballroom, dragging a flustered looking Jack behind her.
When I see him, my heart skips a beat in my chest. He no longer looks like a carefree, rebellious teen. He looks older, and much more noble in a white suit that I recognise to be one of my fathers. Naturally, his hair is still messy. He crosses his arms across his chest looking awkwardly to the ground. He keeps fidgeting with the ends of his sleeves, and occasionally bites his lip as he stands in the crowd of people.
He catches my eye and I stand a little straighter, my hands in front of me, and I smile to him. His finger tugs at his collar and he makes a face at me.
The both of us frown when a dancing couple rushes through him. He shakes his head and walks up towards the platform, when Anna finally lets go of his wrist to join Kristoff who is standing at the side of the room.
"Ah, good," Jospeh says when Jack reaches us. "Glad you came, Jack."
"My pleasure," Jack replies. "Though, I would have preferred staying in my own clothes. Man, this stupid collar is sticking into my neck." He lets out a sigh of frustration, dropping his hands to his side.
"Here, you have it done wrong," I tell him. I look around to be sure no one is looking, and then I fix Jack's collar. I feel his gaze on me, but I keep my focus as I fix it. My cheek begin to burn, and finally I look up to his eyes. "You look great," I add on quietly. "My fathers suit really suits you."
"I feel awkward in it," he whispers. He smiles at me. "You look bea- um, you look beautiful." I drop my gaze and smile warmly to myself. I take a step back, to join Joseph's side.
Joseph goes over to Jack, and places a hand on Jack's shoulder. He says something to him that I don't quite catch, and Jack nods, but he looks suddenly nervous. I frown at them both as they continue to converse— what on earth could they be speaking about?
I'm cut off from my thoughts when Anna joins me with Kristoff. I raise an eyebrow when Olaf follows them. "Balls are so cool," Olaf says. He looks up at me. "Sven wasn't allowed in, so don't expect to find any carrots around the castle for awhile."
"He's eating carrots as revenge?"
Kristoff chuckles. "Sven really likes carrots," he reminds me with a grin plastered on his face.
There's a high ringing, and I look over to Jospeh, who has a glass raised and is tapping it to get the towns attention. The whole room falls silent and looks to Joseph. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," he announces to the crowd. "It is an honour to have you all here this evening. As you know, Elsa and I are to be wed in a few weeks." I raise an eyebrow. What's he doing? The crowd smiles adoringly up to him, but I frown at him.
"But I'm standing here before you tell you this: the wedding is off. I hereby refuse to marry Elsa, as much as it would be an honour to wed her. Elsa does not need me or any man to rule Arendelle–"
"She cannot rule without a man," one of the older men from the council shouts up angrily to Jospeh. "It's just unheard of, and is absolutely absurd!"
"You know, this is a new age, sir," Jospeh replies calmly to him.
"We will not have it," another man from the council says. A whisper erupts from the crowd. "For hundreds of years, any queen of Arendelle was married so that a man may rule this kingdom. It will not end simply because you believe she's a good leader."
"Believe? No. I know she's a good leader." Joseph looks out the crowd, and then looks back to Anna who steps forward.
"Then I will take her place," Anna says confidently.
"What? Anna," I begin, but she raises a hand to stop me.
"You keep saying you want me to remain happy," she says to me, and I'm aware of the crowd looking up at us. "I am happy, Elsa. Before.. Well, before you met Jack, you weren't happy. All you could think about was your duties. Now it's your turn to be happy." She places her hands on my arms. "I can do this, Elsa. You've got to have some trust in me."
"Anna, no. It's too much," I tell her.
"Well, tough. Seeing as you can't rule without a husband at your side, according to the stupid council–" she looks pointedly out at the men of the council "– and Joseph refuses to marry you, I am next in line, therefore I will take your place, with Kristoff at my side."
I look to Kristoff who looks apologetically at me. "You're going to marry each other?" I ask him.
"We've... We've been talking about it for awhile... You know, just because we want to, that is." Kristoff looks awkwardly to the crowd, probably wishing they'd disappear. "Then Anna came to me and told me about this, and I agreed to it. We love each other, so why not?"
I shake my head. "You can't get married just because you think it will help me," I snap, trying to stay calm.
"It's not just because of you," Anna promises. "We really have been discussing marriage for awhile. This just gave us a push. Please, Elsa, let me do this for you. It's your turn to be happy, so let me do this."
I hesitate, my mind racing. I rub the back of my neck, feeling tormented inside. "Being queen is such a huge responsibility," I warn her. "You might not like it."
Her smile widens. "It's a risk I'm willing to take," she answers.
"So... We have a new queen?" asks the older council man. The crowd looks to one another, confused at the suddenness.
I stare at Anna for a few more seconds, and I begin to realise: she's not a little girl any more. She's a young woman, ready to take on this responsibility. I look back to the crowd and step forward. "I, Elsa of Arendelle, hereby resign as your queen. From now on, Anna, princess of Arendelle will be known as your queen, as she is next in line. By her side, Kristoff will rule as your king."
I look back to Anna. Her eyes sparkle, and they widen when I take my crown off and walk towards her. The whole room is in complete silence. She bows before me, and gently, I place the crown on her head. She straightens, and finally the crowd cheers, making me feel relieved. "You'll make a wonderful queen," I whisper to her as I take her hand in mine. I give it a gentle squeeze and she smiles warmly at me.
A council man walks up to us, and we hold our breaths as he looks angrily between us. Finally, his smile breaks the tension. He faces the crowd. "Behold, Anna, the new queen of Arendelle." I finally let go of Anna's hand.
She looks around the crowd, her eyes still sparkling. "As queen, I would like to speak to you all right now." The whole crowd hushes again to listen to Anna. "For awhile, we've been hiding something from you. Something that you will not believe. You've just got to trust me. Lately, a lot has been happening around Arendelle: a darkness has spread. My own room was smashed to pieces. People have been suffering with nightmares. They all have an explanation.
A man named Pitch Black has been causing these. He hides in the shadows, waiting for his victims." The whole crowd begins to talk at once of this news. Anna looks at me worriedly. Some people look so scared and helpless, while others stare up at us in confusion. "No. Don't be afraid of him– that's exactly what he wants. You have to trust me."
Anna takes in a deep breath. "Another person is here with us today," she roars above the crowd, getting their attention. "His name is Jack Frost. He saved Elsa and myself's lives from Pitch Black."
Some people began to talk again, while others looked to us in disbelief. "The reason you can't see him is because you don't believe in him," Joseph says to the people.
No one looks really sure as they look up at us. To be fair, I think I'd be the same if I were them. Some people look as though they're ready to believe the queen, but part of them doubts her. I bite my lip, and step forward. All eyes are drawn to me, and as usual, I don't feel very confident.
"Anna and Joseph are not lying to you," I tell them. "Jack Frost is real. He's here, right now, standing beside me. All you have to do is trust us."
Some people are whispering to each other, while others listen to my words and begin to nod their heads. A few gaps echo through the room, and I look for the sources. One lady is looking wide eyed up at Jack and then begins to point frantically in his direction while shouting: "he's there" to the man next to her. Then, he stares up with wide eyes, and the cycle continues. A few people refuse to listen, but the majority of the crowd are all staring up at Jack.
Everyone has taken a few steps back, looking wearily at Jack. They look a little frightened, and I frown. They're not supposed to be scared of Jack- he's the good guy. If they're to be afraid of anyone, it should be Pitch Black.
"Ma'am, if he's real," a man says up to me, "then what you say about that guy- Pitch Black- must be real. This just doesn't make any sense. How... How have our eyes played tricks on us? This is madness."
"There's many things we will never know about this world," I reply to him. "As long as I've known Jack, I've discovered things that I thought to be a myth."
I look to Jack and I see that he's lost all of his usual confidence. He stands awkwardly, staring back at the crowd. No one has moved a muscle since they saw him, all of them in too much school to do so.
"Are you able to make it snow like Elsa?" someone asks finally breaking the ice.
Jack holds his staff in his hand, tightening his grip on it. "I'm the reason it snows in winter," Jack answers her, and then snow begins to fall to the ground. I look up, surprised. People begin to smile, and then the snow stops. Jack looks to me with a grin on his face. He flies up, causing the whole room to gasp, and perches himself on his staff. "Next question!" His eyes dart around the room, until another person asks a question.
"What myths are real?"
"The Guardians of childhood," he tells them. "The Easter Bunny, The Sandman, the Tooth Fairy-"
"And Santa Claus?" someone calls up excitedly.
"Everyone loves North." Jack laughs at all of their amazed expressions. "This is unbelievable."
"You've said it, mr Frost," a man at the front of the crowd says to him.
This causes everyone to laugh as the tension dies away. Jack pushes his hand through his hair, his smile never fading as he answers questions from the towns people. The spark in his eyes seems to never fade as the night goes on.
Some people go back to dancing, and the music starts up again. I stand beside Anna, feeling warm inside. She nudges me and points to a crowd of ladies who stare up at Jack in complete awe. "I think some girls are going to be a little jealous of you," she giggles. I smirk to myself, feeling happier than ever. One of the girls steps forward as slowly the crowd begins to disappear around Jack. He's still receiving looks from people occasionally, as everyone is still in shock. I'm just glad no one freaked out about it. Well, not publicly anyway. I did see a few people exit the ball after this news looking scared and demented.
"Would you like to dance with me, Jack?" the girl asks him. Her friends giggle behind her, and I roll my eyes.
Jack freezes and looks surprised down at her. He lands himself on the ground, his cheeks going pink as she looks flirtatiously to him– oh, honestly. Not even an hour ago she didn't believe in him, and now they're flirting with him? How mad. I guess you'll always have girls like that, no matter where you go. Jack looks to me helplessly.
Anna nudges me forward, and I narrow my eyes at her. She ignores this and smiles at me, but pushes me a little further on. I slap her hands away, and begin to walk to Jack myself. The girls eye me as I stand beside Jack, who looks relieved that I arrived.
"Sorry, ladies," I say to them, "but Jack has promised me a dance."
The girls face falls a little, but she bows her head to me. "Sorry, your maj– I mean, sorry, ma'am."
I smile at her, then grab Jack by the hand, and take him over the crowd of dancing people. He looks relieved as people actually bump off of him instead of going through him. "This is all crazy," he says as I place my hands on his shoulders. Unlike before, when I had taught Jack to dance, he doesn't hesitate to place his hands on my waist. "Everyone keeps looking at me! I can't believe this is happening."
"You've already got admirers," I note, glancing at the girls who are still looking at Jack. I avert my gaze. "I knew that would happen."
"Aw, are you jealous?" he asks, pulling me closer to him. My heart races, and I look around the room. Bar a few people glancing to Jack, no one really pays us any attention... Except for that one girl who now looks slightly jealous of me.
I push myself away from Jack, my face going hot. "Not even the slightest," I admit.
He quirks a brow upwards. "Oh. So you wouldn't mind if I asked her to dance?" He wriggles his eyebrows at me, and I scowl at him. I hate that he's grinning, knowing that I wouldn't like that at all. "She's hot," he says.
I feel a pang of jealousy and I narrow my eyes at him. I pull my hands down from his shoulders, and cross them over my chest. He raises his hands up. "I'm kidding," he says with a grin. He takes my hands in his, and I let out a sigh, knowing I wouldn't be able to stay mad at him. "I don't want to dance with anyone else."
"But you think she's hot," I say, mimicking him at the word 'hot'.
"I was kidding," he says.
"No you weren't."
"Yes. I was kidding," he repeats more stubbornly.
I quirk a brow up. "No you weren't."
"God, you're persistent and stubborn," he mumbles. He then flashes me a smile. "I really was joking," he tells me. "I mean, she's attractive, but El... I love you."
I smile to myself, and I blink in surprise when he leans down and kisses my nose. It leaves a cold nip at the end of my nose, and I raise my hand to it, rubbing it. I look around to see if anyone saw that. Again, no one's paying particular attention to us, much to my relief. The girl, however, has both eyebrows raised at us, and my cheeks grow warmer.
"Don't do that here," I warn him.
"Why?" he moans, pouting at me.
"Because people have just started to believe in you," I tell him. "I was their queen, and they look up to me. I was supposed to be engaged to Joseph until just there." I shake my head.
He looks down to the ground. "Uh, I've also been meaning to say... That, well, last night..." My heart picks up again, and I feel a little lightheaded. We haven't seen each other since this morning, and we didn't exactly get to talk... I don't think here's the best place to talk, though. "It... Was, um... It was the best night of my life," he finishes quickly.
I suppress a smile, and I have to resist the urge to kiss him. He's so flustered, it's adorable. "Same here," I tell him.
He still won't look up at me. "But... What if, you know–"
"May I?" someone cuts in, interrupting Jack. I look up to see a young, noble man. He's staring at me with a smile on his face.
"Oh." Jack takes a step away from me. "Yeah, sure." The man takes my hand and I look apologetically back at Jack. He runs his hands through his hair, and ruffles it, looking awkwardly around the room. The girl sees her opportunity, and stalks over to him with a grin on her face.
She begins to talk to Jack, and he looks nervously back at me. I just nod my head, and he begins to talk back to the girl. Finally, he begins to dance with her.
As I dance with the man, I keep glancing over at Jack, and he looks back to me. He gives me a wink and I smile.
I think the ball has been a great success. Everyone looks happy, and even I'm enjoying myself. I don't normally dance with anyone at balls, and although I'd rather dance with Jack, I feel happy myself. It feels like a great weight has been shifted off of my shoulders, and I feel light on my feet.
I wonder what Jack was about to say: "what if-" he had begun before being cut off. I shrug my shoulders– we have plenty of time to continue our conversation another time. Surely it wasn't very important.
Hey, guys!
Sorry about this, but another day of not replying to comments. A lot of people have been asking me what happened, so here:
On Friday morning I received news of a boy I know. He died. He's only 17, and his 18th is on Wednesday. I've known him my whole life, though in the last few years we haven't talked much due to going to separate schools. He's always out, though, playing sports with the lads, and it's just strange never going to see him again. Today was his burial mass, which over 1000 people attended. It was the most awful day in my village, ever. He had so much potential! It's not fair that he was taken from us.
Sorry, today has been an emotional day. I was supposed to start very important exams today, but obviously I didn't do them. It's just too awful what happened– half of my year missed school today to attend the mass.
he was a good lad, and he'll be missed by many.
...
' anyway, sorry.
As for the story: I have the next chapter written also, but I also want to ask you a question!
What do you think of Elsa having a child?
I mean.. A lot of you said it would be cute, but I'm not sure. I mean, I'm not going to change what I have done/planned for the story for the winning opinion, but I'm genuinely curious. So, please tell me!