Children of the Winter

Chapter 1: This is What a Party Looks Like

Six-year-old Princess Elsa peeked out from behind the skirt of her mother, Queen Greta of Arendelle. There were so many people in the throne room, too many for the little girl's liking. The king, Gustav II, carried his three-year-old daughter, Anna, who wriggled in his arms, looking like a prim little flower in her pale mint frock, which matched Elsa's ice blue one.

Visiting nobles and other important people swarmed to catch a glimpse of the royal family on the dais. It was the tenth anniversary of Gustav's coronation, the day he took the throne after his father, Gustav I, died. he handed Anna to a nursemaid as he prepared to address the people.

This was Elsa's favorite part, watching Papa talk. She admired him greatly. The king, dressed in deep, navy blue, was draped in a purple cloak with fur trim. He was so handsome, the little princess thought, hearing him speak of diplomacy, dignity, upholding the monarchy, and the divine right that he had been given by God as king. Elsa didn't understand what all of that meant, but she liked the speech anyway.

When Gustav ended the proclamation, the royal couple processed to the ballroom, followed by Elsa and the maid that carried Anna, with crisply uniformed soldiers following behind. The girl with the white blond hair proudly followed her parents, holding her chin up as the people watched, clapping. These were Arendelle's subjects, and they loved her.

A few minutes after the family entered the ballroom, the doors flooded with the other guests. Papa and Mama stood at the end, welcoming the visitors, which Elsa found incredibly dull. "Go see if there are any other children, my angel," Queen Greta told Elsa after the girl said she was bored. So, the princess left her parents to look for anyone her age, and maybe less boring.

She bumped into legs of a dancing couple, muttering "sorry" as she crept past the hustle and bustle. All of the people were bigger than her, she noticed. Then, something caught her eye. A few boys in their early teens were gathered in a circle, laughing. What's so funny? Elsa was still pretty nervous to go up to the boys, until she heard a small voice.

"Anton, Karl, Leopold, stop it."

One of the teenage boys laughed. "Just because we're in Arendelle doesn't mean you're any different than you are in the Southern Isles. You're still a nobody."

"I'm going to tell Mama." Elsa saw who the voice was coming from. It was a boy in a cream-colored suit similar to the one the soldiers wore. He was no bigger than Elsa herself.

"Mama doesn't like you," another boy said. "She didn't want you. She wanted a girl. You're no more useful than a girl. A stupid girl."

The young princess had had enough. She tugged on the shirt of the teenager who had said those words. "Um," she mumbled, "girls aren't stupid. And who are you? Please stop being mean to the boy."

The arrogant-looking young man said, "I'm Prince Leopold of the Southern Isles. Don't tell me what to do. He's my little brother, I can say what I want to him. And who are you?"

"Papa says that true royals are courteous. You are not behaving like a true prince," Elsa admonished. She was scared of the tall boys, but she didn't want to leave the young boy on his own. "I am Princess Elsa. I am going to be queen one day."

The older boys still snubbed Elsa, so she walked away, and she heard footsteps behind her. The youngest prince was following her. She turned around and met him face to face.

"Thanks," he said. He had chestnut hair and hazel eyes. The same color as Elsa's Papa's eyes. "Thanks for talking to my brothers."

"I'm sorry you have mean brothers. I just have a sister, Anna, and she is good," Elsa told him.

"You are Princess Elsa, right?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

The boy smiled. "Hans."

~~ Hello! I don't know if any of you will actually read this, but I wanted to try some Frozen fanfiction because the fanfics I've read on here are simply gorgeous and I wanted to write about Hans and Elsa. Thanks for reading! Please share your thoughts. ~~