An Uzumaki in Arendelle

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Disney's Frozen.

Key:

"Speaking Japanese"

"Speaking UP"

-Start Chapter-

The entrance hall to Arendelle Castle was in mid-turmoil, as the decorations for the holidays were changed to ones more befitting the new year's celebration. An act with little meaning, given that no foreign dignitaries dared travel to the region during the frozen winters, but it did lift the spirits of the towns people so no one complained.

Least of all Anna, who was attempting to slide down a garland covered banister. She was able to make it a fourth of the way down the railing before the garlands hanging on the side forced her to stop, and jump onto the stairs. A new record for her.

"Now it's my turn Anna," Olaf called as he climbed on to the railing, and was soon hurtled downwards. His body easily passing through all of the ornaments, leaving a light dusting of snow behind him. Reaching the bottom, he launched himself with a stylish twirel, and landed in just as dramatic a fashion.

"Very good Olaf," Anna said as she moved down the stairs to join him.

"We should totally go sledding this afternoon," the snowman cheered. "That way Sven could come with us."

"If we do we'll have to make sure that Elsa and Naruto come as well," the princess amended.

"That's easy. All we have to do is get Naruto to come with us, and then Elsa will follow him. She and Naruto are almost never apart."

"Well, when Naruto first arrived in Arendelle, Elsa spent the most time with him. So she probably missed him the most when he left for the ice palace," Anna sheepishly admitted. Having noticed the amount of time her sister spent with the whiskered blond.

"Yeah," the snowman exclaimed. "I'm just glad that Elsa found someone to keep her company, while you and I aren't around."

"All of us have our own duties, so we can't be around each other all the time," the red head said, thinking about all the times that she had been pulled away from her sister, or the other way around.

"Hey, do I have any duties to perform?" Olaf innocently asked.

"I don't know, but we could probably find some for you," Anna said as she began running towards the kitchen. As the snow man let out a yell of joy before chasing after her.

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Elsa was filling out paperwork at her desk. A nearby window giving her a glimpse at the frozen world outside. Specifically the whiskered man who currently had several kids clinging to him while he ran laps around the courtyard.

She knew that for the next two days all the children would try to spend as much of their time with the blond as they could. Before he had to return to his isolation in the ice palace. Where, hopefully, he would continue to drop his fever, and then return to the village permanently.

While the queen felt lonely as she sat at her desk, she couldn't find it in herself to pull Naruto away from the children. Leaving them to have their fun. And although the warm blond had quickly become one of her closest friends, she always felt a sense of loss when he had to leave. It was the same feeling from all those years ago, when she and her sister had been separated.

But those were thoughts for another time. Naruto would have chastised her for being so down. Telling her to, instead, be glad for the here and now. It was probably selfish of her, wanting to keep the whiskered youth to herself. Even though he had already touched the lives of so many people in the village. Especially the children.

But it was rapidly approaching nighttime, and everybody would be heading back to the warmth of their houses. At which point Naruto would still be outside, working his body as hard as he could. All so he would spend less time at the ice palace, and come back to the castle sooner.

The queen straightened in her chair, returning her attention to her desk. While the winter months had given her less paperwork, there was still plenty to do. And with just the thought of Naruto distracting her, maybe it was better that she was alone in her office. Who knew how distracting it would be if she was alone with Naruto.

*break*

It was shortly after dinner when Elsa and Naruto entered the parlor. In an hour or so Anna and Kristoff would be joining them for a night of games, but the couple were off doing their own thing for the moment. Thus leaving the two blondes alone.

With the ninja having been absent for so long, the queen thought it would be a good idea to go over the Japanese dictionary again. Much like they used to do when Naruto first came to Arendelle, and to make sure that his language skills hadn't deteriorated during his stay at the palace.

Time quickley passed as the two kept each other company. Elsa would read out a word, and Naruto would, to the best of his abilities, answer. Until they reached a certain section.

For all the previous times the two had read through the book, the queen had made certain to leave out several words. This hadn't been done with malicious intent, but due to their embarrassing nature. Along with her uncertainty that her friend would ever need to know them. Yet for every day that passed, it looked more likely that the mysterious blond would continue to stay in the village. Near all of his new friends, and her.

With a deep breath the queen contemplated her options. On the page before her was the word 'lovers,' and while she didn't mind the word at all, Elsa struggled to read it out loud. Feeling sure that Naruto would have never heard the word, and she would have to explain to him what was involved.

However, she had found the perfect replacement word. And it was all thanks to her sister.

"Boyfriend?" a word that the golden blond was sure to to need while out in the village, but without the implications that came with lovers.

Naruto took a couple of seconds to think of a response. Not that Elsa minded, taking her own time to enjoy how cute his whiskered cheeks looked when he puffed them out in thought.

"A friend, who is a man?" the ninja sounded out from his knowledge.

"Yes, but it has a specific meaning that I want you to know," the platinum blonde answered. "It usually goes with the word 'girlfriend' if that helps you."

"So, it refers to a man and a woman who are together?" Naruto replied back, a hint of questioning to his voice.

"Dating," the queen said, putting emphasis on the end of the word. "If two people want to see how well they get along before they get married, they will go on a date."

The ninja repeated the words under his breath. Making sure that he understood everything that was being said. "And 'married' is when two people move in with each other, and have children?"

Elsa's whole face turned an impressive shade of pink, as she nodded her head in confirmation. She was glad that her, sometimes, naive friend seemed to know what being married could entail, without her having to explain anything, but this was still a topic she had been hoping to avoid. Luckily she had an example to use as a distraction.

"Yes, children are part of getting married, but we've gotten side tracked," Elsa made a show of shifting in her seat in the hope that Naruto would leave the topic of children behind them. "Now, Kristoff and Anna are not yet married, so that means they are…"

"Dating," the blond answered with his usual enthusiasm, causing the woman to clap in joy. Glad that her distraction had worked. At least until Naruto's bluntness came back in full force with an innocent question. "Are you dating anyone Elsa?"

It took the queen almost a minute to compose herself, before she gave out a quick "No." Although she was unsure why she was so reluctant to answer his question. While she was tired of fending off suitors, she didn't feel that she should be embarrassed about her lack of a relationship. Yet she felt her heart soar and clech at the same time, when her friend began to open his mouth to ask another question.

Whatever it might have been would have to go unanswered for the moment, as the door to the room was hurriedly opened. Allowing the aforementioned couple of Anna and Kristoff to enter. With the princess carrying a stack of boxes in her arms.

"It's game night," the redhead hollered out in joy, as she moved towards a table. Her boyfriend following close behind.

The two other blondes looked at each other, knowing their practice time alone was at an end. With a smile Elsa closed the dictionary, as Naruto stood up from his seat on the fireplace brickwork. Throughout the rest of the night, the queen insisted on sitting beside her friend. Making sure that he understood everything that was going on in the game.

*break*

The early noon sun was high in the air as Elsa and Naruto made their way higher into the mountains. With the queen's horse easily following behind the overheated ninja through the snow. Moving at a quick pace to the ice palace where she would repair the icy steps.

The journey went by quickly as Elsa nimbly guided her mount forward. Her body feeling warm and loose from the shoulder massage Naruto had given her the previous night. A service she would surely miss while her friend was away.

Of course she would miss her friend more, but the quiet moments the two shared together always brought a smile to her lips. Sometimes it felt like she was keeping a thrilling secret from the rest of the kingdom, as she confided in her fellow blond.

Which scared her as much as she enjoyed it. A stranger becoming so close to a queen in only six months, would be frightening most of the time. But Naruto was able to do it seamlessly, thanks to his kindness towards everyone. Herself included.

It was this thought that she became lost in, mindlessly letting her horse follow behind the man who stole her thoughts. When she was young, Elsa was treated as a princess, and now that she was queen, that is how she was treated. With respect and admiration. Yet Naruto didn't.

The displaced man was just as ready to help someone carry a heavy load, as he was giving the queen a shoulder massage. He never treated anyone different from anyone else. Instead choosing to put equal importance on spending time with her as he did with the orphaned children.

Elsa, found it refreshing. The only other people who regularly treated her the same as everyone else were her sister and Olaf. And while she always enjoyed spending time with those two, there was just something about Naruto that drew her to him. An unfamiliar freshness that pulled her towards the unknown.

Which led to her spending as much of her time as she could, and more, with the blond. His optimistic outlook and sunny personality always brought her a smile. Just being around him seemed to brighten her day, and not because of his higher body temperature. In all honesty, her desire to spend more time with Naruto often left her confused.

The sudden sting of a frozen wind broke the queen from her thoughts. Startling not only her, but her horse, at the sudden dip in temperature. Thankfully, she was accompanied by someone whose body heat was very useful for staying warm. And with his unique fashion sense that was easy to follow in the brewing blizzard, it only took a few minutes before they arrived at the palace.

Acting quickly, Elsa raised an icy stable to house her horse. Yet before she could congratulate herself on a job well done, she was scooped up into Naruto's arms. Instead of being carried over the, slightly, damaged stairs, the shinobi simply jumped to the other side. Gracefully landing into a sprint, as he barged into the protective cover of the building.

Once they had both caught their breath, having run from the unexpected snow storm, the two turned to each other. Only to find a lack of space between them, as Naruto still held the queen in his arms. Having held her close to his warm body as he carried her over the threshold.

Red faced, the two separated, with the golden blond gently placing the platinum blonde back on her feet. And despite Elsa's desire to move farther away from her friend, at least until her blush cooled down, she found herself sticking by his warm side.

While the unnatural heat from Naruto had kept any snow from sticking to him, Elsa was not as fortunate. Even though she was the queen of ice and snow, she wasn't able to completely protect herself from a blizzard. Leaving small patches of snow sticking to her cloak and hair.

After a silent minute, the two of them regained their composure. "With that blizzard outside, I don't think we'll be fixing the steps for awhile," Elsa said as she moved farther into the ice palace. Which Naruto readily agreed with. He was probably the only person who could go out in that storm safely, and that had just as much to do with his ninja training, as his higher body temperature.

With an elegant shake the queen was able to dislodged all the snow that had been clinging to her. After which she began to undo the clasp on her cloak, intent on hanging it up to dry for the ride back down the mountain.

Unfortunately, she found that, once inside, more snow had found its way onto her. Mainly the snowgies, many of whom were now riding around on the train of her cape. The rest of the small snowmen queing up patiently for their turn, each one with a gleeful smile.

Elsa found herself unable to leave the little ones disappointed, so she spent the remainder of the night enjoying the rare opportunity to play with them. From carrying them around on her dress, to creating mounds of ice for them to slide down. The queen made sure that everyone was given attention, and as soon as she was done with one group, they would skip over to a waiting Naruto and Marshmallow. Both of whom had taken to juggling the small creatures. Which was met with much joy, especially when the two would begin passing them between each other.

This lasted until the night, when Elsa and Naruto eventually broke off for a simple dinner made from the food that Kristoff had previously brought up. Shortly there after the queen tried to stifle a yawn before being ushered off to bed by her friend. Falling asleep minutes after laying her head down on the pillow of snow.

*break*

Elsa would swear she had never felt so comfortable. Her entire body surrounded by a delicate softness, and although she would have enjoyed a bit more warmth around her, she felt safe as she rested. Then she was awoken.

Something had just called to her. Perhaps she had imagined it. For just as quickly as she heard it, it was gone. As though it was just a song whistled by the wind. Whatever it had been was real enough to bring her to full consciousness. Ending the peaceful sleep she had been enjoying, and with little hope of going back to sleep, she sat up.

While the room was dimly lit, she was still able to make out the familiar emptiness of the suite. The only furniture being the elegant bed she had made for herself on that first night she had run away. Leaving behind everything that she had known and loved, in exchange for release.

What she had first thought was freedom had been beautiful and liberating. Yet, much like the room she had made for herself, was empty and lonely with no one to share it with. Something Anna had shown her.

Elsa shook her head to dispel the thoughts, having long ago accepted that being with her sister, and the village as a whole, was for the best. Not only for her health and sanity, but for her happiness as well. Yet, in this empty room, the queen found herself blaming the silence for reintroducing the memories of when she was alone.

In fact, she had become so lost in her own thoughts, that she was surprised by just how quiet it was. The previous howl of the blizzard had vanished during her short rest. Leaving behind a fragile peace that was only broken when she stood up.

After adjusting her dress that she had worn to bed, the queen began walking towards the stairs. Wishing that she could rush back to the castle for her usual nightgown, before returning to the chilled comfort of the bed she was leaving. Of course she couldn't stay in the ice palace any longer than she had to. As long as her people needed her, she would always return to her throne as quickly as possible. Once the stairs were fixed in the morning, she would bid Naruto farewell, and return to the village.

Having left her frozen bedroom, and with no other goal in mind, Elsa set out looking for her fellow blond. Thinking that the energetic youth was probably still awake somewhere in the palace. Thankfully she found him as soon as she reached the grand staircase in the entrance hall. Finding the front door left open, with her target sitting outside in the clear winter night. A minute later and she was sitting next to him, secretly enjoying the warmth her friend radiated, that made watching the beautiful sky more comfortable.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" the queen stated more than asked.

"I like it," Naruto answered simply.

"Sometimes it's nice to just lean back and look at the stars," Elsa continued, finding familiar comfort in talking with her friend. "Just forget everything else for a little bit, and act like a normal girl."

"It is nice to be treated the same as everyone else," the warm blond confirmed, before asking, "Do you like being treated like a normal girl, Elsa?"

"Yes, very much," she replied with a bit more force than she had meant to. Composing herself, she continued, "most people see me as the queen, so it's always nice when I can relax a little."

Naruto nodded, understanding her situation. So, with little hesitation he reached out and held her hand, "Elsa! Will you be my girlfriend?"

Elsa was speechless.

While she had been shocked and confused when he had grabbed her hand, all of that was forgotten once he had voiced his question. She didn't know how to respond, or what to think of the proposal. Her body and mind were now frozen, not knowing what to do.

"When we talked about dating earlier, you looked sad about not having a boyfriend. So I want to take you on a date to make you feel better," the blond man said, with all the simplicity that made up his being.

Elsa, while still shocked, suddenly felt like laughing. Only Naruto would be able to create a moment in her life that she would never forget, with the sole intent of making her happy.

"Naruto, it's more complicated than that," the queen pushed herself to answer. Not wanting her friend to get the wrong idea if she took too long. Although in her heart she couldn't think of anything to say. For almost a year she had been fending off suitors, her position as Queen making her very appealing to certain groups.

Naruto gave her hand a light squeeze, wanting to convey his intent to her with his actions, just as much as with the words she had taught him. "When I first arrived here, you took care of me even when you were busy. You even made sure to teach me the language, so I could make friends in this new place."

His speech was slow, but Elsa was captivated by his every word. Unable to do more than listen.

"You became my first friend here," the blond took a breath before he continued. "And as your friend I want to learn more about you, and make you happy."

Elsa put her entire focus into processing the confession she had just heard. Naruto specifically letting her have all the power in this decision. While still making his own hopes known, as everything about the man in front of her was resolute.

Except for his hands. The queen could feel her own soft hand being cupped by the rough palm of her friend. Holding her close, yet giving her enough room to pull back if she wanted. Letting her feel all of the hard work he had put into making his hands so callused, and knowing he would put just as much work into making her happy.

"Yes," she breathes out. "I want to be your girlfriend."

A shock of thrill wound through her body, at the smile on her friend's face. A smile that she had given to her boyfriend. And the grip of his hand tightened, telling her he would hold onto her forever.

"But," Elsa interrupted before he could respond, a playful smile on her lips. "You can't take me on a date until your temperature is back to normal."

"Then, I will be healed before spring," Naruto declared with his usual finality.

Elsa chuckled, and shifted herself so she was sitting against the man she hoped to be seeing more of. "I know you will," she said. "Just remember that it's bad manners to keep a girl waiting." He nodded and flashed her that large grin of his that she found so endearing.

And so, long into the night, the daughter of a king and the son of a kage, sat beside each other. Their hands clasped together, silently watching the night sky. Neither able to deafen their smiles from showing just how happy they were.

-End Chapter-

First thing to say is, Finally. Even I was getting a bit impatient with getting those two together. But I wanted the moment to be special for both of them, and I hope I managed to do it well.

In a post I made (we'll talk about that shortly) I stated that I was intentionally taking this chapter slowly so that I could make it as good as possible. So I hope that the wait was worth it.

Now then, I would like to thank everyone who has been enjoying the Thursday Update. On my profile for this website, every Thursday I have been posting an update to how my stories are going.

There is a new post on my profile right now that gives a better explanation. And this is a weekly thing.

Next up for this story, Naruto and Elsa get to have their date. And then we are NOT jumping into Frozen 2. I want to let Naruto and Elsa's relationship grow before we get to that point. I do plan to use some of the story beats from the Frozen Comics (they exist, and are meant for children so they are very simple). But that is for later.

Now, for Frozen 2 I have a solid plan for the main story, and several offshoots for how it could end. I'm leaving as many options open, until we get to that point. Hopefully letting me choose the most interesting, and fulfilling, of the choices.

With all that said, I've gone on long enough. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please feel free to leave any questions you might have in a review. Thank you for reading.