Princess Anna of Arendelle, the second heir to the throne, shifted from one foot to another, her fingers nervously playing with the clasp of her cloak while she watched the closed gates from a distance.

Years of careful instruction on how to conduct herself according to her rank could not fully temper her energetic nature.

Even now, she was breaking the rules by sneaking along the walls half-hidden in the shadows of the courtyard instead of waiting inside the castle like she was supposed to.

But how could she remain inside where she had been all her life when a whole world awaited her beyond the gates?

Books and paintings had told her marvellous stories of life outside the castle walls - life outside their small kingdom even! Countless times had she admired the beautiful landscape surrounding their castle. She had always sought an opportunity to climb the towers where nobody would think of searching for her. Looking out to the village, she would try to picture the everyday life of its inhabitants. Gazing upon the dense forest and the wilderness of the mountains, she would imagine all sorts of fantastical creatures roaming about. And when she observed the vastness of the sea, her thoughts would run ahead of her, the possibilities of what lay beyond making her head spin.

She dared not dream of going that far.

After all, the gates would only be open for one day. There was only so much that she could do.

Just a glimpse, she told herself.

She would wander around a bit in the village, get right to the edge of it - to see the forest up close - and then come right back for Elsa's coronation.

That was already more than she had ever had the chance to do before.

The gates had remained closed for almost the entirety of her life. She had nearly given up hope of ever seeing them open again.

Until talks about Elsa's coronation started to fill the halls. When the debate on whether or not to invite guests from overseas arose, she had given her best to push for an open ceremony instead of one with few attendees. Despite the adamant opposition she faced - mostly from her sister - she had refused to back down. Not when her dreams and wishes were suddenly so close to come true.

That had been the most she had ever spoken to Elsa, their back and forth lasting for several days.

In the end, they reached a compromise: guests from other countries could attend but only for the duration of one day and one night. Nothing more, nothing less.

Anna had been over the moon with this turn of events.

Elsa, on the other hand, had been very dissatisfied.

As a result, helping with the preparations had been a tedious affair, especially when she had to ask for Elsa's advice. But Anna did not let her sister's black mood affect her high spirits.

Her hard work would bear fruits, this she swore to herself.

And if she managed to pull off the most unforgettable ceremony in history, then maybe there was a chance to persuade Elsa to keep the gates open even beyond the festivities!

Just as she had finished that thought, a voice rang clear through the courtyard, the following announcement making her rapid heartbeat accelerate even more.

"Open the gates!"

Suddenly, all thoughts fled her mind, leaving it empty of any plans she had carefully devised. She had no idea what to do. Frozen to the spot, she watched the guards step forward, their hands reaching to push the heavy doors open. One set opened, and another followed and then-

There was light.

There was laughter and conversation.

There were people stepping through clothed in the most beautiful attires she had ever seen before.

For a moment, all she could do was stand there and stare, basking in the lively scene before her. How surreal it was to see this usually silent and empty place turn hospitable and pleasant by the mere presence of others.

Finally, life could enter through the gate and inside their castle.

And finally, she could greet it with open arms, just like she had always wanted.

But before she would play the role of the gracious host, there was something else she wanted to do.

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she hurried across the courtyard and slipped through the crowd, hoping to evade the guard's notice. Her blood was thrumming in her ears all the while, half-expecting herself to be caught any moment now.

But to her relief, nobody attempted to stop her, and before she knew it, she had set foot outside the gate.

It took all her will not to get rooted to the spot in the middle of the road.

Overwhelmed by all the sights and sensations around her, she barely had a mind to keep to the side to avoid colliding with other people. No matter how hard she tried to act unassuming, she could not help but turn in all directions to take in as much as possible.

To her right, she caught a glimpse of the sea.

And then she saw the ships. There were so many of them! One after another, they arrived at the harbour - one more majestic than the other.

Before she knew what she was doing, she picked up her pace, excitement leaving her light and weightless. The farther she left the castle walls behind, the bolder her gait until she nearly flew towards the docks to get as close as possible to the ships there.

So distracted was she by this beautiful view that she forgot to pay attention to the rest of her surroundings.

When she collided with someone, she hardly could make any sense of this abrupt change of events. Suddenly, she was stumbling forward, desperately trying to find purchase anywhere she could. There were hands like vices on her upper arms, keeping her from falling to the ground, and someone struggling along with her to find balance.

It took moments to come to a standstill, but when they did, she immediately looked up at the unfortunate stranger, agitated. "Oh God, I apologise for being so careless, I-"

Words faded to nothingness once she saw the face of her unexpected companion.

The first thing she noticed was his pale complexion, which stood in stark contrast to his dark uniform and his combed-back, inky black hair. His sharp aristocratic features made the shadows over his face even more striking than they would've been otherwise. It was strange, but the longer she looked, the more it seemed like all the vibrant colours around them faded away in his presence. But no matter how unsettling the notion, she couldn't turn her gaze away, the darkness in his eyes holding her captive.

His eyebrows dipped in concern, making his expression look even more grave than it had before. "Are you alright?" he asked, the smooth tone of his voice sounding oddly far away.

Absentmindedly, she noted how he gentled his hold on her arms, shifting so she was more steady on her feet.

"Are you hurt?" he asked more urgently now, stepping away to take her in, looking for any sign of injury she might have sustained.

"I am alright, " she breathed, finally breaking out of her trance. "But what about you? Are you hurt?"

He blinked at her. "Me?"

She nodded. "I did barrel into you full force after all. Again, I apologise for that."

Frowning, he looked down upon his body, shifting around and slightly moving his limbs from side to side, up and down. Finally, he raised his head and found her eyes again, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "Everything seems to be in order as far as I can see, so there is no need for apologies."

That startled a laugh out of her. "Well, that is certainly reassuring!"

He nodded in agreement, his smile widening ever so slightly.

His dark eyes gave her another once over before they settled over her face, openly studying each of her features.

Flushing, she self-consciously raised her hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She hoped she did not look too much of a mess after their little incident.

Something about her gesture made him still, his gaze now fixed upon where she had touched her hair. Suddenly, he stepped forward, his hand reaching towards her head but halting halfway in the air.

"This strand of hair..." he muttered quietly.

And then she understood what had him so stunned.

"Oh, this?" She brushed over where she supposed the unusual-coloured portion of her hair was. "I was born with it. Although I used to have the strangest dreams about its origin."

He captured her hand in his own, slowly drawing it towards himself. There was an unexpected solemnity about him.

"Have we met before?"

This time, she was the one to blink at him. "No, I am sure we have not. I do not know your name even."

His fingers twitched, and he straightened himself up. "Oh, I beg your forgiveness for my lack of manners. I am Duke Pitchiner of Eluosi."

He raised her hand to his mouth, his lips brushing her skin only slightly, his eyes never leaving her face. Tingles moved up her arm, and her breath caught in her throat.

This gesture was like a scene from the romantic paintings she had admired so often - something she admitted to have daydreamed about on occasion.

Unbidden, her own words from earlier this day echoed within her mind.

What if I meet the one?

His voice brought her back to the present.

"And what may I call you?"

She reached with her free hand for the fabric of her dress, giving a delicate, little curtsy as she introduced herself. "I am Princess Anna of Arendelle."

He inclined his head, her hand still resting in his. "Very charmed to make your acquaintance, Princess Anna."

"Likewise, Duke Pitchiner, " she answered.

For an endless moment, silence descended upon them, neither looking away from the other. Something was holding them there, unwilling to let them go.

She wondered if he, too, felt this strange pull towards herself as she did towards him.

Unfortunately, their shared reprieve did not last for long.

In the distance, the bells started to ring, the sound making her little reverie dissolve into thin air and reminding her urgently of today's significant ceremony.

Her heart sank.

Just as she had the fortune to meet someone new, she had to leave.

She had not managed to view even half the village, much less the trees at the very edge of the forest.

"The coronation, " she whispered, her head slightly tilting towards the castle.

"You have to leave?"

She smiled when she detected a hint of reluctance in his voice. At least she was not the only one unwilling to part yet.

"For now, yes." Looking back up to him, she carefully slipped her hand from his grasp, already feeling the absence of his warmth. "But we may see each other again. You are going to attend the coronation, are you not?"

He nodded. Giving a little bow with his hand - the same which had held hers before - over his heart, he said: "I shall then hope to find you very soon."

Her breath hitched. "I hope so, too."

Lifting her dress, she turned around and hurriedly rushed back to the castle where her sister's coronation awaited her.

Though she did not glance back even once, the feeling that his eyes followed her all the way until she had left his sight would never leave her.

So I recently re-watched "Death takes a Holiday" and got dragged back to this AU!

I swear, I love this movie even more than I did the first time around.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Do let me know what you think of it because I love reading your comments~

Also I'm sorry it took me much longer to write this chapter. Life is a lot (as it always is) so unfortunately I cannot guarantee a more consistent schedule...