Chapter five: The queen and the princesses
One year later
It was a normal snowy day. Jack and Elsa were training in the garden.
The princess got a lot better these past few days. She could easily defeat a beginner. If he would train her a bit more than maybe she could take one of the knights down soon.
After swinging around for a bit Elsa put her sword down. She let out a small sigh and looked at Jack.
"What do you think?" Asked Elsa.
Jack took the sword from her and put it back into it's holster. "You're getting better. But you still have a lot to learn, princess."
Elsa nodded. She looked down with a frown. Jack noticed her worried look and took a step closer.
"Princess Elsa..." Said Jack in a low voice. "Are you alright?"
Elsa looked up at him. "Yeah...just...Hans is coming today...we need to discuss our wedding which is happening..."
"I see..."
"And my birthday is coming up too..." Elsa held her gloves hand up and a small snowflake appeared in her hand. She clenched her hand and the snowflake dissolved. "I'm looking forward to it."
"You don't seem like you're excited."
"I just wielded a heavy sword around, be silent." Said Elsa.
Jack chuckled. "Sorry, sorry...now, what do you want for your birthday?"
Elsa put her finger against her chin. "Well...I think...I...uhm...how...oh! There is a book that I want!"
"A book? Wait, what?" Asked Jack.
"Yes, it's called the snow queen! It's the most popular book in the kingdom and I've heard it's about the snow queen! You know, the books written by mr Anderson! He was a very good writer who died a year ago. Now the book is the bestseller of our century!" Elsa clapped in her hands. "And if only I could get my hands on one..."
"Fine, fine, I got it, princess Elsa." Jack put his hand onto her shoulder. "I'll see if I can buy one for you."
"No! It has to be a surprise!" Elsa pouted a little.
Jack laughed. "Okay, then we'll act like this conversation never took place. And I'll surprise you with my present...I still need to buy a present for Hannah too."
"Oh right, Hannah...how is she?" Asked Elsa. It had been a year since she saw the girl after her father forbade her to leave the castle without his permission.
"Fine. Hannah has a new friend called Christopher. He is rude sometimes, but really nice." Said Jack. "You should meet him."
"Maybe one day I will..."
"ELSA!"
They both turned around and saw Hans walking towards them with a smile.
"Prince Hans!" Elsa and Jack both simultaneously bowed down in front of him. Hans chuckled when he stopped in front of them.
"Elsa, you don't need to bow in front of me. How many times have I tried to tell you?" Asked Hans.
Elsa and Jack both straightened their backs.
"Sorry..." Said Elsa.
"I didn't say that your servant doesn't need to show respect." Said Hans with narrowed eyes.
Jack frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when Elsa held her hand up to silence him.
She looked at Hans with a smile. "I understand. The next time I will make sure that Jack is showing respect...but how was your journey?"
"Oh, it went well, Elsa. But let's not talk about that..." He nervously chuckled. "I came here to talk about the wedding and your birthday...how about we go inside and discuss everything?"
"Yes, we should." Said Elsa. She looked at Jack. "Jack, come on, follow."
"I'm not your dog , you know."
Elsa smiled a little and they walked after Hans.
Hannah was sitting on a bench in the city. She was enjoying some bread from the bakery when Kristoff sat down next to her.
"Hey..." He sat down next to her with a sigh. Sven, his reindeer was eating some grass from the ground.
"Hello..." Hannah looked down at her piece of bread and then looked back at him. She nervously gulped. Should she give him something? But what if he only came here to steal her bread?
Kristoff's stomach suddenly grumbled.
Okay, maybe she should give him a piece. He did work hard for them.
"Here." Hannah held her piece of bread out to him.
"No thanks."
Hannah looked at him as if he were crazy and then yelled: "Wait, what?!"
"Gerda, she..." Kristoff pulled a piece of bread from his pocket. "Gave me some."
"Hey! You could've said so!"
"And passing of the change to have you give my your lunch? No way..."
"Kristoff!" Yelled Hannah with a blush.
Kristoff chuckled a little. Hannah stared at him angrily while he stared to gnaw on his bread.
"Stupid..." Muttered Hannah under her breath.
Gerda was watching the two from a window in the whore house with a smile.
Elsa was sitting inside the big living room with her parents and Hans. Jack was standing behind with his hands behind his back.
"I assume that the wedding will be held in Arendelle?" Said Hans.
"Of course it will." Said Agdar. "We have already prepared a dress and are already planning the whole reception..."
Idun nodded. "And you both know what will happen after the wedding?"
"Yes." Hans grabbed Elsa's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "And I shall take full responsibility."
Elsa blushed and looked away. She knew that they would do it after the ceremony. But what if her ice powers came out? What if she hurt him? What if...
"But first we should talk about your birthday!" Said Idun all excited.
"My birthday?" Whispered Elsa.
Agdar frowned at her. "I can give you anything you want, except for a sword. You still need more lessons from the servant."
Elsa looked back at her parents. "I...uhm...I might like some new gloves...and I want to go out!"
"Go out?!" Said Agdar.
"Yes! I haven't seen Hannah in a while and..."
"Hannah?"
"Yes, the girl with red hair who is Jack's friend!" Elsa released Hans his hand and kneeled down in front of her parents. She clapped her hands together and bowed her head down. "Please, let me go outside! It will only be for my birthday! After that I will never leave the castle again! I promise!"
"Elsa, no." Said Agdar with a hard stare. "The last time you caused us a lot of trouble. You are not allowed to go outside."
She looked up with a sad look. "B-but..."
"No and that is final."
Elsa stood up with a sigh. She sat back down next to Hans and folded her arms in disappointment.
"What if I accompany Elsa?" Said Hans suddenly.
Elsa and her parents looked at him in confusion.
Hans grabbed her hand again and looked at her. "Or what if we all accompany you, sweetheart? It is your birthday after all..."
"We could." Said Agdar. "But then we need a few knights to come with us and keep a good eye on the princess, especially if she is going to meet a few peasants..."
Jack narrowed his eyes. Those 'peasants' were his friends...
"And we should be sure that she won't use her powers..." Said Idun.
"I will make sure of it, your majesty." Said Jack with a small bow. "I will protect her."
Agdar nodded. And stood up. He looked down at Elsa with a sigh.
"Good. That is your job."
A few weeks later it was her birthday.
The princess was walking through town together with Hans and her servant. A few knights were following after them.
Elsa sighed. Why did their mother and father have to send knights with her? She was already save with Jack and her fiancé by her side. She looked up at Jack. He was looking forward with a slight smile. Today they would visit his friends for her birthday.
"Elsa."
She looked to the other side. Hans was holding her hand and gave it a small squeeze.
"Are you sure that you want to meet up with them?" Asked Hans.
Elsa nodded. "Y-yeah...I think I'm sure..."
"Do you think you're sure or do you know you're sure?"
"I..."
"Elsaaaaa!"
Suddenly a certain red-head stormed towards them. She stopped in front of Elsa and made a curtesy.
"Good-day, princess Elsa!" Hannah straightened her back and looked at Elsa with a smile. "It's been too long! Why couldn't you come around town more often?"
Elsa tucked a hair behind her ear. Gerda appeared next to Hannah and made a bow as well.
"Princess Elsa, prince Hans..." Said Gerda.
"Prince?!" Hannah looked at Hans with a loud gasp. "Sorry, I didn't see you there!"
Hans smiled gently at her. "That is completely my fault, my lady. I was the one who should have introduced myself."
Hannah and Gerda both exchanged a glance before looking back at him.
Hans put his hand against his chest and made a small bow. "My name is Hans Westerguard. The prince of the Southern Isles and princess Elsa's fiancé."
He straightened his back and put his hand on Elsa's shoulder and pulled her closer. Elsa tensed a bit up and held her hands by her chest. Hans just kept smiling at the two citizens.
"Well, we've got Elsa a present!" Hannah pulled something out of her pocket. It was a small package quickly wrapped in some old paper. She held it out with a big smile. "Here you go!"
"For me?" Elsa took a step away from Hans and pointed at herself. She carefully took it over and looked at it.
Hannah nodded. "Yeah, yeah, just open it up!"
Elsa carefully opened it up. She gasped in surprise.
It was a small silver necklace with a very small snowflake on it.
"And, what do you think?" Asked Gerda. "We know that it's small and not very..."
"It's beautiful..." Said Elsa. She held it in her hands. "It really is..."
Jack suddenly took the necklace from her. In one swoop he was behind her and her put it around her neck. Elsa blushed a little when he put it around her neck, but the others took no notice of this. Except for Hannah, who looked a bit jealous.
"And?" Asked Elsa when Jack stepped away from her.
Gerda whistled. "It looks very cute!"
"Really? Thank you!" Said Elsa happily.
"You like it! Oh, thank goodness!" Hannah clapped into her hands. She then walked over to Jack and pulled him by his ear. "And you said that she wouldn't like it..."
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Hannah released his ear and sighed. "Oh well...I'm glad that you like it! And..."
"H-Hannah!" Said Elsa suddenly with a big blush.
"Hm?" The girl looked confused at her. "Is something the matter?"
"I..." Elsa looked at Jack who gave her a reassuring look. She looked back at Hannah. "I...I was wondering...if you would like to come to my wedding!"
"Huh?"
"I know that it's your birthday, but I wasn't sure what you would like and I was scared to give you a wrong present...so, I thought that you would surely love to come to my wedding. You can even be in the ballroom with all the royalty! At least...that...that is my present for you!"
Hannah giggled. "My present...well, I would love to attend your ball, Elsie!"
"Elsie?" Asked Elsa.
"Yeah, my new nickname for you!"
Suddenly Hans looked at her in annoyance. "You should address the princess and future-queen by her proper title."
"Oh...sorry...princess Elsa."
Elsa sighed. "It is fine, you should not..."
"She should." Said Hans. He put his hand onto Elsa's shoulder and looked at her with a smile. "You are going to be a queen someday when your father retires. And then people need to address you by your proper title...or they will have a problem."
Elsa nodded. "You're right..."
"We are just happy to see her again." Said Gerda. "Hannah has no one...except Kristoff..."
"Kristoff?" Asked Elsa. "Who is that?"
"Oh, Kristoff is my new..." Hannah suddenly turned around and waved at a blond man in the distance. The man first sighed before he walked over and stopped next to her.
"Hannah, what do you want?" The man's voice was a bit lower. He wore a thick brown vest over his blue blouse. He looked at Hannah with annoyance.
Hannah patted him on the back. "I just wanted to introduce you to my friend, princess Elsa and her husband prince Hans! Guys, this here is Kristoff!"
Kristoff looked at Elsa. "Princess Elsa..." He held his hand out and laughed. "Nice to meet ya! My name is Kristoff!"
Elsa looked confused at his hand. What was he doing? Was he going to grab her or something? She didn't understand...
Kristoff suddenly grabbed her hand and shook it up and down. "It's nice to meet someone who doesn't has a job as low as Hannah's!"
"Hey!"
Hans suddenly pushed him back. Kristoff fell back down onto his butt. Hans pulled Elsa close and drew his sword. He pointed it towards Kristoff.
"What do you think you're doing, low-life?!"
"Low life?" Kristoff stood up. "Geez, have some manners, pretty boy. I was just shaking her hand. Nothing to be scared off."
"Shaking her hand?" Asked Hans.
Jack stepped forward. "Princess Elsa, shaking your hand is something normal citizens do when they first meet a person. Kristoff isn't from this kingdom, so he might not understand that you are a princess."
"Ah, I see." Said Elsa.
Hans retracted his sword and sighed. Elsa took a step forward and held her hand out towards Kristoff.
"I'm sorry for my behavior."
Kristoff chuckled and accepted her hand. She helped him up, but didn't release his hand. Instead she slowly shook it up and down.
"So...like this?" Said Elsa. "This is what you normal people do...?"
"We do..." Kristoff laughed. "Cute. So you are the princess of this kingdom?"
"Yes. And my father and mother are the king and queen."
"Okay. But then you are the next in line. Unless you have any sisters or bro..."
"No, I don't." Said Elsa coldly. Everyone was quiet and stared at her with big eyes. They knew all too well that Elsa used to have a sister. But why was she lying?
"Elsa..." Whispered Jack.
Elsa pulled her hand back. She made a small curtesy and took a step back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied."
"You lied?" Asked Kristoff.
Elsa looked at Jack. "Jack, which shop do you recommend we go first?"
"I..."
"Oh I do know one!" Hannah suddenly grabbed Elsa's hand with a smile on her face. "Come on, princess, let's go!"
"Eh..."
Without waiting for an answer Hannah dragged Elsa towards the busy stores.
Later they were all standing in a small bookstore. Elsa was looking at the books. She wanted to take one, but it was a bit too high for her. Hans chuckled and grabbed the book for her.
"Do you want this one?" He asked.
"Yes, thank you..." Elsa took the book from him and smiled. "It's called the snow queen. I've wanted this for a long time...Jack would buy it for me!"
"Oh, he would? I didn't knew...does he have enough money?"
"Yes, I do." Jack appeared next to Elsa and made a small bow towards Hans. He straightened his back again and looked at Elsa. "Give it here, I shall buy it for you, princess Elsa."
Elsa blushed. "You will buy it for me?"
"Yes..." Jack pried to book from her arms and smiled. He pointed at the counter. "I will pay and then I will return back to you."
Elsa nodded. "Right."
Jack patted her quickly on her shoulder before he turned around and walked towards the counter. Elsa stared at him in daze before Hannah suddenly popped up next to her.
"Elsa, it was a good idea to come here!" Said Hannah. "Next we should go to a cafe! I'm getting a bit hungry!"
"R-right..." Elsa looked at Hannah with a smile. But she stopped smiling when Hannah stared back. For a second an image her younger diseased sister with a smile on her face flashed through her mind.
"Elsa?" Asked Hannah a bit worried.
Elsa quickly shook her head and looked at Jack who was paying for the book. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. You are correct, we should go to a small cafe to eat."
Hans put his hand onto her shoulder. "Wouldn't you rather go to the castle garden?"
"I am going to spend the rest of my life in the castle garden eating lunch. For once I would like to enjoy it with a few friends."
"I see..." Hans chuckled. "Then we must find a fine restaurant for my woman!"
Elsa blushed. "Y-yes..."
"Princess Elsa." Jack appeared by her side and made a bow. He held the book in a small bag. "I bought it. We should go if you are hungry."
"You're right." Said Elsa. "We should go."
They all said goodbye to the store owner and then walked out on the street. Hannah ran forward while the others walked a bit behind.
"Elsa." Said Hans. He was walking next to her. "Hannah...seems to be very close."
Elsa giggled and waved with her hand. "We're not that close...Hannah is just an enthusiastic person. She is a close friend of Jack, but not of me. We just know each other a year or so."
"Good, because when you are a queen you can't stay friends. You know that."
Elsa nodded. She knew. Her father told her so. She looked back forward. Hannah was running onto the road. She turned around and waved at them.
But Hannah didn't see a horse with a broken carriage rushing towards her. The owner apparently lost control of the horse and jumped off. But the animal was still in peril and running towards her.
"HANNAH!" Screamed Elsa.
Within a second she reached out with her hand. Hannah looked to her side and saw the horse. She held her hands in front of her face in fear. The horse was just a few meters away from her when an ice wall rose out of the ground. The horse turned towards the side. The carriage slammed into the small wall and crumbled. The horse fell down with a loud neigh.
For a few seconds it was quiet. But then people in the street ran towards Hannah and the horse. A few helped the horse up and others asked Hannah if she was alright.
Elsa stared at Hannah with big eyes. But then she retracted her hand and started to tremble.
"Elsa!" Jack grabbed her by her shoulders. "Calm down, calm down!"
"I-I...I'm sorry...please, don't tell father." Said Elsa. She buried her head into his chest. "Please, please..."
Hannah stared at Elsa. What just happened? She remembered that the princess called out for her...and then the horse almost hit her, but...an ice wall shot out of the ground? How...
"This must be the work of the ice witch!" Yelled a man. "Up on the mountain! We need to find her and kill her!"
"Yeah!" Yelled a few people.
Jack could feel Elsa tense up in his arms. He glared at the strange man who was still yelling nonsense.
But suddenly the man stopped yelling. The queen of Arendelle stepped through the crowd towards Hannah. She stopped in front of her. Hannah blinked a few times and looked confused at her. She knew that this was Elsa's mother, but why was the woman looking at her?
"Are you alright?" Asked Idun in a calm voice.
Hannah nodded. "Y-yeah, just a bit startled...nothing more."
"Your face is a bit dirty."
"Oh! Oh, sorry!" Hannah rubbed her nose. "Maybe some mud spilled onto me when the ice wall shot out of the ground..."
"The ice wall..." Idun looked at the thing sticking out of the ground. She then sighed and walked over to Elsa. Elsa quickly parted away from Jack and looked at her mother with pleading eyes.
"Mother, I..."
Idun put her finger against her daughter's lips.
"Hush now, I will handle this." Said Idun. She turned back to the townspeople. "There is a witch!" She said. "But this time she didn't want any revenge...she wanted to save one of us. See, I have made an agreement so that she won't attack us anymore. From now on she is no threat to us anymore and so we do not need to sacrifice anything."
"I see..." Said a few people. "But how do we know that the witch will keep her promise?"
"Because...if she doesn't then she will be obliterated out of existence."
"Ah...that makes sense." said the man. Hannah walked back to the others. She looked at Kristoff with a frown.
"What?!" Said Kristoff.
"Nothing..." Hannah folded her arms. "But maybe next time you can push me away from the carriage instead of it almost hitting me!"
"But then I would be crushed instead of you!" Yelled Kristoff. "Be happy that the ice witch saved you!"
Idun looked back at Elsa. "My daughter...you have some wonderful friends here."
"I know." Said Elsa. "But...they are Jack's friends."
Hannah and Kristoff stopped arguing and looked at Elsa. Elsa looked away from them.
"I...I...thought...that we were..." Hannah could feel her face becoming red. Did Elsa really think that way? Did she really think that they weren't friends?
Jack put his hand onto Elsa's shoulder. "Geez, Elsa, don't be so weird! Of course they are your friends! You even invited Hannah to your wedding!"
"Yeah!" Said Gerda. "And we would love to come!"
"Elsa!" Said Idun. She waved with her finger. "You can't just invite people to your wedding! What would your father say?"
"I...but it is Hannah's birthday too and I didn't have a present for her!" Said Elsa.
"Hannah's birthday?" Asked Idun. She looked at Hannah.
"Y-yes..." Hannah put a hair behind her ear. "Today is my birthday, your majesty..."
"Oh, then I should give you a present..."
Hannah became red and wailed her arms up and down. "P-present? Queen, your majesty, highness, please, no, I have enough and I-I'm not worthy of..."
Idun put her necklace around Hannah's neck. She took a step back and looked at Hannah with a smile.
"Well, it does suit you." Said Idun. "In a certain way..."
"Mother!" Said Elsa.
Idun looked confused at her. "Yes?"
"Why...why are you giving her your favorite necklace?"
"Because this girl is..." Idun stopped speaking and smiled sadly. She looked back at Hannah.
Hannah looked down at the necklace. It was a golden necklace with a pendant in the form of a bird attached to it.
"It looks beautiful..." Whispered Hannah. She didn't notice Idun staring at her. "Really, thank you..."
"It is my pleasure." Said Idun, now with a straight face.
Hannah looked back at her with a blush. The queen was so kind! And beautiful! She looked at Elsa. She saw the similarities between them. But why would the queen give such a present to her? She was just a civilian...
"Queen?"
Idun turned around to face Kristoff. He looked at her with a smile. Idun was surprised that this man was a friend of Gerda and Hannah. He looked very rough and didn't seem to be from Arendelle.
"So you are the queen, and Elsa is the princess...so, Jack is the servant...then who is the king?" Asked Kristoff.
"Agdar, my husband." Said Idun.
"Aha..." Kristoff scratched his head. "Sorry, I'm no good with politics."
Idun giggled. "I see...well, then, now you have all the information you need. If you would have anymore questions related to royalty, please, visit our library. Maybe my daughter could advice you on a book?"
Kristoff looked at Elsa. Elsa put her hand against her chest.
"Of course...I know a few books...maybe I can make a list and let Jack deliver it to you. But for now it's lunch-time. Where do you-"
"Elsa!" Hannah grabbed her hand. "I know a very good restaurant which has all the local delicacies! Let's go!"
Without waiting for answer she pulled Elsa along with her.
They all ate in a small nearby family restaurant. It was small and crowded at first, but everyone made room when the royals walked into the room.
Jack sat down between Gerda and Hannah. Hannah sat next to Elsa while Kristoff sat next to Gerda. Hans was sitting next to the queen who ordered a few sandwiches with some lettuce.
"So..." When they got their order Hannah took one bite and swallowed it down. "How old have you've become?"
"Eighteen." Said Elsa. She calmly took a fork and knife and started to cut her sandwich.
Jack noticed some of the staff staring at the princess. But Idun and Elsa both didn't even care to notice them. They both ate in very calm matter.
Hannah stared at them. She could see that they were royal! She took her knife and fork as well, sat straight up and tried to mimic their moves. Jack saw it and chuckled. But after a few seconds Hannah gave it up and sighed.
She put her fork down and leaned on her elbow. "I have become eighteen too...by the way, I heard that the hot springs are going to open again! And I just happen to know the guy very well and I was wondering if you would like too..."
Idun stopped eating. She looked at Hannah with a soft smile. "It is very of you to ask us to accompany you a certain event. Unfortunately, we cannot attend. My daughter has her lessons and during this time of year my husband and I are also busy."
"Oh..." Hannah looked down for a second. But then she looked back at the queen. "How is your husband? I mean...what is he like?"
"You mean his personality? King Agdar is a good man." Said Idun. "And he is a good fighter. Sometimes he can be very strict, but he can also be very kindhearted...that is why I married him. And he is like my best friend..."
Hannah smiled. "Oh...okay..." She clapped in her hands and looked at Elsa. "So, why do you like your husband, princess?"
"I..." Elsa looked at Hans with a sight blush. She looked back down at her plate again. "I.."
Hans took her hands and looked at her with a smile. "Well, I love her because the princess is beautiful and kindhearted. She has also known me for years, so I do know that I can trust this beautiful woman. And she trusts me too with her secret."
"Secret?" Asked Hannah.
Hans gave Elsa a wink and planted a kiss onto her fingers. "Yes...but that secret is only known by us and the servants."
"Servant..." Hannah, Gerda and Kristoff all stared at Jack.
Jack nervously looked down at his plate and ate his sandwich. He should never tell anyone about her powers. If they would know...then people would be able to hurt her like her father and the thought of that...
"Jack!" Elsa released Hans his hands. She glared at him and folded her arms. A small piece of lettuce fell out of his mouth. He quickly dried his mouth with his hand and straightened his back.
"Yes, princess Elsa?" Asked Jack.
"You haven't told anyone, have you?" Asked Elsa.
Jack shook his head. "No, princess Elsa. I am your servant. Therefore I will keep your secrets and will I never lie to you."
Elsa nodded. "I know. But it is truly saddening that I will never be able to accompany you to the hot springs, Hannah."
Hannah put a hair behind her ear. "Y-yeah...I know...wait!"
She jumped up and put her hands down onto the table. Everyone looked up at her in confusion.
"I just realized...we left the oven on inside the whorehouse!"
"Eh?!" Gerda and Kristoff both jumped up. Hannah grinned and rubbed her neck.
"Hannah, you idiot!" Said Kristoff. "Now we need to hurry before the oven explodes!"
Idun finished her sandwich. She then cleaned her mouth and calmly stood up. "We should be going as well, Elsa, Hans."
"Yes." Said Hans. He took Elsa's hand and helped her up. He looked at Jack for a second. "Should the servant be coming as well?"
"Jack is coming." Said Elsa. "A servant is supposed to stay by his master's side."
"Yes, princess Elsa." Said Jack. He stood up too. "By the way, who should pay for this?"
"Oh, that is right..." Idun was ready to grab a few coins from her pocket, but the manager suddenly appeared next to her.
"Ah, queen Idun!" Said the man. "There is no need for you to pay! You are our queen!"
"I know. But I would still like to pay..." Idun took the coins and planted them into his hand. "Here, this should cover it."
The man looked at her with widened eyes. Idun turned around and nodded towards the others.
"Let us go."
"Yes, you majesty..." Replied everyone.
Idun smiled as they all left.
Later that evening, after dinner, Elsa was sitting on her bed. Jack was kneeled down in front of her and was buttoning up the last buttons of her nightgown.
"Today was fun..." Elsa sighed. "It is too bad that it was only for once."
"Ah, don't be so gloomy, princess. You will have a lot of parties later when you're older and make even more friends."
When he was done with the buttons he stood up again. Elsa sighed again and fell down onto her bed. She held her hand up towards the ceiling. A small snowflake emerged from it. She lowered her hand again and put it against her forehead.
"Still...why would mother give Hannah her necklace? Her favorite one..."
"Are you jealous?" Asked Jack.
"What?! No, I am just confused..." Elsa sat up again. She looked at Jack. "Say...I have a request."
"Yes?"
"It might be weird, but since you're already teaching me on how to use a sword...I...I...I need to learn on how to do it!"
"Hm?" Jack sat down next to her. Elsa was blushing heavily. "Do what?"
"Well...the thing after the wedding...when Hans and I..."
Jack realized what she meant and jumped up. Did she seriously ask him to teach her on how to make love?!
"Elsa, what are you saying?! I can't teach you, it's up to Hans! He is going to be your husband!"
"I know! But Jack, I am afraid that my ice powers will hurt him! And I'm not asking of you to actually make love to me...I'm just asking you to touch me."
"W-what?! B-but Hans is your husband...I can't...I..."
"I know. You're right, forget that I requested it..." Elsa felt how her hand started to shake. She quickly grabbed it with her other hand to calm it down.
Jack frowned. He would not be able to protect her on that night. And she was so scared about it. And he couldn't do a thing about it...
"Jack?" Elsa saw his worried look. "Are you..."
Suddenly Jack dashed forward and tackled her down onto the bed. Elsa shrieked when they landed down. But when she closed her mouth complete silence filled the room. She suddenly realized their position and blushed heavily.
Jack his head was buried into her neck. Elsa could feel his warm breath onto her neck. She could hear his heartbeat, smell his scent...
"I'm sorry." Whispered Jack in a low husky voice into her ear.
Elsa swallowed. "Ah...uh...I..."
"I can't protect you onto that night."
Elsa moved her hand up. She set it down onto his head and petted him.
"I don't need protection...but thank you for worrying about me. But I'll be fine."
Jack leaned up on his hands and looked at Elsa with a smile. "Liar."
"I am not lying! It will be fine! It might hurt, but I've already experienced enough pain. I think that I'll be fine."
Jack touched her cheek with his hand. Elsa blushed even more. His hand felt warm and trusting.
"J-Jack...c...can...you hug me again?" She asked quietly.
Jack became quiet and stared at her. Elsa looked away and swallowed nervously. When he stayed quiet for a few more minutes she looked back up at him.
"Y-you d-d-don't have too." Said Elsa. "I just..."
Suddenly he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up into a hug. They sat up with him burying his head again into the crook of her neck.
Elsa grasped his blouse and let out a small gasp.
"Elsa..." Jack grazed with his lips against her neck. "Relax, it's me."
"Okay, okay..." Elsa shakily lowered her shoulders and softened her grip, but her heart would not stop beating.
Jack moved his hand up to her shoulders. He pulled back and stared at her with a soft gaze.
"Your ice powers didn't came out." Said Jack.
"Huh? Oh, right, yes, my ice powers..." Elsa looked down at her hands. She looked back at Jack. "Say, why did you decide to touch me? At first you wanted to leave everything to Hans, but now..."
"Because you ordered me to, remember?"
Elsa bit her lip. "I..."
"And because I wanted to hug my cute little princess!" Jack laughed and petted her onto her head.
"H-hey, I'm not cute and little!" Yelled Elsa.
Jack pulled his hand back and looked at her. "Then...you are my strong and beautiful future-queen."
"Oh, be quiet..." Elsa yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"You must be tired after today."
"I'm not..." Elsa yawned again and glared when saw Jack grinning at her. She stopped yawning and pointed at the door. "Will you please leave?"
"Since you are asking so nicely, princess, I would love too."
Elsa rolled with her eyes. Jack stood up and left the room. When he was gone Elsa fell back into her cushions. She took her pillow and held it close to her chest.
"Why..." She whispered. Why was she feeling like this with him, but not with Hans? Was there something wrong with her?
She looked up at the ceiling. Of course there was something wrong with, she had ice powers for goodness sake...but...this feeling...when she thought about his stupid grin she wanted to punch him on his head. But when she thought about how he held her in his arms...it felt so good...
Elsa shook her head. She threw the pillow away.
No, she had to focus. Focus on her wedding, leading the kingdom...tomorrow she would accompany her father again to one of his meetings.
Great.
The next day Elsa was at the meeting, so Jack didn't had much to do. He decided to watch the knights training.
Ron, a man with brown hair, walked towards him. He was sweating a bit and holding a wooden sword into his hands. He didn't wear much armor, since he wasn't on duty.
"Hey, Jack!" Said Ron.
"Ron!" Said Jack. "How is it going?"
Ron grinned. He threw the wooden sword over his shoulder. "Good. We are training a bit. Since the big wedding is coming up, we need to be prepared for anything...say, why don't you train with us?"
"Because I am afraid that I might hurt you..." Jack grinned teasingly.
Ron rolled with his eyes and threw the wooden sword towards Jack. Jack caught it easily. One of the knights then handed Ron one of the swords.
"Oh, I am more than worried for your health, Jacky-boy."
Jack frowned. The only one who called him that...He shook his head and made himself ready. Now was not the time to think about that stupid bounty-hunter.
He had to focus.
"Ready when you are!" Yelled Jack.
"I'm always ready!"
Ron dashed towards him. Jack held his sword up and the two clashed. Ron pushed with his sword harder against Jack and Jack slid a little bit back.
He gritted his teeth and pushed back. Ron pulled his sword up and Jack pulled his sword down. Ron then move forward, but Jack dodged his attack. He saw how Ron jumped towards him. Jack dodge it again. He backed up and held his sword close to his chest.
"Scared?" Said Ron.
Jack bit his lip. Ron was better than he thought. He narrowed his eyes. What should he do? What if he couldn't defeat him?
"Maybe I should protect princess Elsa." Said Ron with a laugh
Jack his eyes widened.
No one should protect the princess other than him.
Elsa...
She was...she is...
He gripped his sword tighter and launched forward. Ron tried to fight back, but Jack was too fast. He struck the man against his side.
Everyone gasped. Ron his sword fell a few meters back. The man grunted and fell to his knees holding his side.
Jack pointed his sword down at him with a small smile.
"Sorry, but I am her servant for now."
A few of the knights watching all stayed silent for a few seconds. But then they suddenly cheered. Jack lowered his sword and threw it to the ground. He put his hand out towards Ron. Ron grabbed his hand and Jack helped him up.
"Sorry about that..." Jack grinned. "I got a bit too pumped up..."
"No, I understand. You care about her."
"Ha, he got you!" Yelled one of the knights.
Ron ignored them. He put his hand onto Jack's shoulder. "Just...ask yourself, how much do you care about the future-queen?"
"What do you mean?" Asked Jack.
"Jack. That woman is going to rule Arendelle one day. And when that days comes...look, rulers are harsh and merciless. Just don't get too close to her."
"Sorry. That might be too late."
Jack turned around and walked away. Ron shouted his name, but he didn't turn back. What did Ron knew anyway? Everyone just always assumed that Elsa was an evil and cold person. They didn't her like he did. They didn't knew what she went through everyday...
He stopped when he was in the hallway. He looked out of the window. How much did he care about her?
Yesterday evening he hugged her and touched her. Jack chuckled. She was adorable when she was embarrassed. He also loved her smile and...wait, love?
He shook his head. He didn't love her. He never fell in love with anyone. Falling in love was for people who could achieve happiness.
It wasn't for him.
"Now, we have covered the problem with the wine orders, am I correct?"
Elsa was in the council room. Her father was standing in front of a big table. A few of the council members were standing there too. They were talking about the wine trade with another kingdom. Elsa sighed. She knew that he father wouldn't listen so easily to the poor member.
"No." Agdar folded his arms.
"May I ask why not?"
"You still didn't explain why a big part of the wine orders were missing and why-"
"I said that some of the wine was stolen by an unknown vigilant. And that..."
Agdar slammed with his hands onto the desk. Everyone in the room jumped. Elsa held her gloved hands to her chest. Her father looked darkly at the smaller man.
"Did you just interrupt your king?"
"I-I..."
Agdar narrowed his eyes. "I will ask again; why were the orders missing?"
The man trembled out of fear. "I...t-the w-w-wine orders were used by some of the staff."
"Excuse me?"
"Someone had a birthday...and they celebrated it last month with some wine...they got drunk. I did punish them and was thinking about telling you...but I myself am just one man...so..."
"You decided to be a coward."
The man swallowed and lowered his head.
"Was that so hard?" Agdar stood up straight again and folded his arms. "But now we have a problem. Unless...we could blame the problem on the ice witch."
"It's no use. Queen Idun made a truce with the witch."
Agdar his eyebrows shot up. "When?"
"Yesterday. An ice spike shot a carriage to shreds, but it saved some girl. The queen told everyone that the witch won't harm us anymore. Which is good news, right, your majesty?"
Agdar sighed. "Really now...well then, the servants who were responsible should work double shifts. We will have less wine, which will be unfortunate, but it is as it is."
"B-but..."
"Yes?!" Agdar looked irritated at one of the members. They all swallowed nervously.
"Nothing, your majesty.
"Good. You are all dismissed."
The members all walked out of the room as quickly as possible. Elsa sighed. She was happy that this was over. Now she could go on about the rest of her day...
"Not you."
Just when she walked towards the door her father called her back. She bit her lip and turned around.
"Tell me exactly what happened yesterday." said Agdar.
He walked towards her. Elsa backed away, but felt her back against the wall. Agdar was now right in front of her.
"I..uh.."
"Yes? And don't stutter."
"H...Hannah, a friend of Jack's, was almost run over by a carriage! So I used my ice powers, but I didn't mean to, to save her...I just stretched my hand out and everything went in a reflex. Hannah was saved and no one was heavily injured. Mama arrived and she tricked everyone into believing that the witch on the mountain was now in peace with them..."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"B...because mother handled the situation and I thought that this wouldn't be a huge problem?"
Agdar slammed his hand against wall next to her head, cornering her. Elsa held her hand to her chest. She felt very small and fragile whenever he scolded her. The king looked down at her with a frown.
"You...when are you going to get those powers under control?"
"They are under control! I can make beautiful ice flowers..."
"No one cares about that!" Agdar clenched his fists. "Your powers are growing. Soon you will be able to make ice monsters...an army of that and you can conquer anything! But you are wasting them on flowers and saving people's lives!"
"But Hannah-"
"Who cares about that girl?!"
Elsa swallowed nervously. She felt how her heart started to thump loudly out of fear.
"One day you will be a queen and then...you cannot be connected to one of the citizens. Some will try to use you or kill you. Believe me, I have witnessed it first hand, Elsa."
"B-but...I just wanted to have friends."
"You can never have any friends. The closest person in your life wil be Hans, your family...friends will just betray you. And with your powers...they will manipulate you, hurt you...Elsa, you can only trust us."
Elsa looked down. Hannah would betray her? But Hannah was always so kind to her. Was that just an act? Was yesterday just an act? Was Hannah...
She looked up when Agdar touched her cheek.
"You are my daughter. And you will rule just like me. It is in your blood."
"I know." Said Elsa. "But I don't want people to fear me..."
"They will. To be honest, sweetheart, they always have. Just ask one of your so-called 'friends'." Said Agdar with a menacing smile.
Elsa her eyes widened. "My so-called friends...they aren't..."
Agdar grinned. He had her right where he wanted her. He saw how her eyes became watery.
"They don't care about me..."
Her voice sounded cold and emotionless. She looked way from him. If that what he wanted to hear, then so be it.
"Good girl. Now..." Agdar took a step back. "I know that it must be hard for you, but-"
"But...I do care about them!" Elsa looked back at him with anger. Surely her father was able to manipulate others, but she wasn't like others.
"What?!" Agdar narrowed his eyes.
"And I know that Hannah cares about me! She is a pure girl who..."
"Pure?!" Agdar laughed. "Oh, you should know what kind of work she does. I would tell you, but...you need to find out for yourself."
"Hm?"
Agdar gave her a pet on her head and then left the room. When he was gone Elsa slid down to the floor. She let out a deep sigh. The room got a bit colder.
She should have known that her father would try to manipulate and use her. He really hated her ice powers...and her...A tear fell down her cheek. Maybe it would be better if her sister was still alive. Then maybe he would love her more...
Wait, who was she kidding? Her father hated her from birth. She would never be able to earn his love or trust.
Elsa wrapped her arms around herself and started to quietly sob.
Little did she know that Thiana looked at her from a small opening in the door.
TO BE CONTINUED