Please note: the story, from now on, takes place after the events of Frozen. But maybe just before Kristoff and Anna's wedding ;-)

"Are you OK, sis?" Anna asks.

I nod. It's almost winter (actual winter, not my winter) and he's still on my mind. Why hasn't he come back? Have I scared him off? What did I do wrong?

"Come and help me."

I turn round and see Anna struggle to do the zip on the back of a prospective wedding dress. I rush over and do it for her. We stand, together, in front of the mirror. Despite my heartache, I cannot help but smile. Anna just looks so beautiful. It was Mother's. I think she'd rather I wear it- and I might, if that Guardian turns up again- but I can almost feel her approval as it hangs off Anna's rather gangly frame.

"We'd have to alter it a touch." I remark, slightly alarmed at the amount of material under her arms. "But, Anna, it looks so beautiful."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Oh, Elsa." she turns to face me. "You're the best big sister ever!" She flings her arms around me and traps me in a rather awkward hug which I can't possibly return in case I dislocate my elbow or break my arm.

I hear his laugh.

Taking a deep breath, I tell myself to ignore him until I'm ready to talk to him and get Anna out of the room in the meantime.

"Would you like to show everyone downstairs?" I hopefully ask.

"I don't know."

"I think she should." Jack's arm rests on my shoulder.

"What?" I turn to look at him.

"Elsa, what's wrong?"

I then remember that Anna can't see him. "Nothing. I thought I heard something."

"You did." Jack protests.

"Excuse me." I dash to the loo. Jack follows me and shuts the door.

"Jack." I whisper. "You came back for me?"

"I couldn't stand not being with you."

"Listen, that's really sweet of you, but this is an awkward-"

"I know, I know. I like to make you awkward. It's cute."

"Please. I really need to do this for Anna."

"That was Anna?"

"What did you expect?"

"A bit... fuller."

I sharply slap him. "Say what you want about me but don't you dare criticise my sister!"

"OK, OK, I'm sorry. Jeez, that hurt." he rubs his cheek, which has reddened and left marks to show the gaps between my fingers.

"Why don't you wait in my room?" I unlock the door. "We can talk properly there."

"What do you mean?"

"I talk to myself in my room all the time. No-one will suspect anything."

"Fine." his eyes gleam with boyish mischief as he leaves the toilet. "You'll pay for this."

Oh great. A ransack of my side of the bedroom. Just what I don't need.

I rush back to the dressing room. Anna folds her arms and frowns at me.

"Sorry." I sheepishly grin. "The urge came rather unexpectedly... can we move on?"

"Hi." I hear heavy footsteps on the stairs and immediately know it's Kristoff.

"Hello." he bows to me.

"Kristoff, really, not necessary." I shuffle with embarrassment. "Anna's in the end room. She should've finished trying on dresses. Be careful how far you open the door."

"What are you even doing?" Jack moans.

I quietly growl at him. It's hard having a boyfriend that no-one else can see.

Not a boyfriend. Just a friend, who's a boy.

Why do I bother?

"OK, thanks." Kristoff smiles. "I've heard something about the sleeping arrangement."

"About that. You're moving here. No ifs, no buts. She may be married, but I want my sister where I can see her. Sven can go in the paddock with all the other horses."

"Reindeers are better than horses. He deserves a paddock of his own."

I study Kristoff's puppy eyes and roll my eyes at the soft part of me that takes pity on his reindeer.

"Fine, I'll try and sort a separate paddock out."

"Thank you!"

I follow Jack's beckoning and enter my room (well, mine and Anna's) and am pleasantly surprised to find the room, and everything in it, all intact.

"My sister is getting married. I have to help her choose the dress."

"Why?"

"It's the rules."

"THE RULES?"

"You never heard of them before?" I coldly reply.

"Elsa, I thought you weren't quite so dull." his disappointment is evident.

"It's the rules and I want to. She is my sister."

"And?"

I sigh. I don't expect him to understand.

"Come. Sit."

I do, actually quite glad to take the weight off my feet. He gently places his right hand on the back of my neck.

"What are you doing?"

"I think you know." he smiles and pulls me forward. My hands rest on his shoulders. I can't believe we're doing this.

Our lips are about to meet when Frieda yells up: "Your Majesty!"

I stop and answer. "What is it?"

"A visitor."

I groan and get up.

"Els, surely not."

"I'm sorry. It's one of the problems I have as queen. Very little time to myself."

I hurriedly leave before he can protest and run down the stairs to the Entrance Hall where I find myself face-to-face with an unwanted guest.

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.

"Your Majesty." he bows to me.

"Hans." I coldly respond. "What brings you here?"

"A message from the King and Queen of the Southern Isles."

I take the envelope, avoiding his fingers on it, and open it. It's an RSVP to Anna and Kristoff's wedding.

There is a tick in the 'Yes' box but it has been scribbled out. Instead, there is a tick in the 'No' box and the written addition: 'Unfortunately, we cannot attend due to other commitments, however we will send our youngest son in our place'.

Their youngest son is Hans. I look up at him, hoping he doesn't see that I'm smelling a big, fat rat and nod.

"OK." I find a scrap piece of paper and scribble on it: Dear King Georges and Queen Leena of the Southern Isles, we here in Arendelle regret your forthcoming absence. However, for reasons that you must understand, your youngest son will not be allowed to come to the wedding. If you are to send one of your sons, let it be the elders, who are not disgraced and are welcome at Arendelle despite their brother's sins. From, Queen Elsa of Arendelle. I seal it very tightly in an envelope with near indestructable ice crystals that will have melted by the time he gets home, having observed how easily he slit the original envelope to change his parents' response. "Take this back to your parents. It will tell them all they need to know about the wedding."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Oh, and another thing, before you go."

"What?" he hopefully turns round.

"Never set foot in this palace again." I angrily shoot a small icicle at him. "I will remove you personally if I have to."

Taken aback, he nods and leaves. I leave the Hall and sit on the bottom of the stairs.

"Who was that?" Kristoff lingers at the top.

"Hans." I darkly reply. "With any luck, we'll never have to see him again."

Jack appears next to him, worried.

"Are you OK, Elsa?" they both ask.

I nod. Jack takes the stairs two at a time, crook clanging against the banister, and whispers in my ear: "Meet me in the garden."

Kristoff also comes down but at a much slower pace. He sits next to me. "I don't know, Your Majes-"

"Elsa, please. We're going to be family fairly soon." I smile.

"If you so insist. What if we can't stop him? What if he does turn up?"

"We'll deport him back to the Southern Isles. It's really rather simple."

"Could it spark a war?"

My stomach turns. "Nothing more than a war of words, I should think. We're two relatively peaceful kingdoms, I see no reason why it should become a war of weapons."

"Correction. Arendelle is a relatively peaceful kingdom, the Southern Isles is a militarist kingdom. Elsa, you need to start preparing. The king and queen could take the rejection of Hans personally."

"They must understand why. I don't want to share my sister's wedding with a man who tried to kill the both of us."

"Supposing they don't?"

I tremble and some ice leaks out. "I'm going for a walk."

"Where?"

"The garden."

"May I-?"

"No, you may not." I remember saying that to Hans on the night that I ran away from my coronation. The night that I met Jack. "Anna is waiting upstairs for you."

I don't think of Kristoff as a gossiper, but he seemed so intent on Arendelle going to war. Why?

Anna must be able to tell me. She is his fiancée, after all.

Where in the garden could Jack possibly be?

A silver trail shimmers in the autumn sunlight. I bend down and touch it. Ice! I follow the trail throughout the maze, admiring the snowy decorations that are laced on the towering green hedges.

He's leaning over the fountain which isn't spraying water, but very fine ice crystals.

"Jack, this is beautiful."

He rolls off and picks himself up off the floor. "I'm glad you think so. You didn't tell me about that visitor. That guy."

"I don't want to talk about it. Nothing personal, but he tried to kill me."

His hands grasp mine. "Then I must know."

We sit down and I tell him. "Hans wanted the throne of Arendelle. When I ran off, the only person standing in his way was Anna. He pretended to be in love with her and she actually was with him. You were right, Jack. She came looking for me and left Arendelle with him in front of the whole kingdom. All he needed to do was marry Anna and kill me."

"What happened?"

"Anna and I had a... conversation in my palace-"

"She found you, then?"

"Not for long. I struck her, by accident, and I froze her heart. Kristoff brought her back down, for she believed that Hans was her true love and an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart, like a true love's kiss. Hans abandoned her and left her to die in the cold. Meanwhile, I was captured and imprisoned in one of the castle's dungeons. I blasted myself out of it and ran along the fjord until Hans tracked me down and told me that Anna was dead, and it was my fault. As I sobbed, he brought his sword down to kill me, except Anna stood between us. She turned to ice and the sword was repelled. She then thawed and we reunited and I brought back summer."

"What's the snowman doing, then?"

"What?"

"I WANT SUMMER!"

"Oh, Olaf!" I grin, recognising the voice. "He's a live snowman that I created and he's always wanted to see summer, so I've kept him frozen."

"Bless the little guy. But, back to Hans."

I sigh. "Jack, how long do we have to talk about this? I have very little spare time as it is, I don't want to spend it with the guy I love talking about a guy I hate."

"What did you just say?"

"Did you hear that?" I get up, trying not to let my sudden fluster show. "One of the maids. They're- they're calling me, I've got to go. See you, see you later." I then get up and run off, ignoring his calls.