Prologue

UPDATE 30/07/19: Everyone who read, followed, favorited this story is hereby invited to the rewrite on this link. The explanation for this rewrite is at the very end.

www fanfiction net / s / 13348924 / 1 / Of-Cold-Appeareances-and-Warm-Hearts-rewrite

DICLAIMER: I do now own under any circumstance the characters of Rise of the Guardias, Guardians of Childhood or Frozen in any way. This is done for entrateinment purposes only, and is (obviously) not for sale or rent. I expect the readers also to respect that this idea is of my original authorship, it has not been copied from anywhere. The bits I might borrow from other stories, if there are any [like the Winter Court, for example], will be declared in the author note. If I remeber who the real author is, I'll name it; if I don't, I'll just write is not mine.

The queen sat in front of the chimney as silent tears rolled down her face; behind her, she felt her husband approach. She knew he wanted to help her, but she was ashamed, sad, worried, and, above all, terrified. When he tried to reach for her, to put a hand on her shoulder for comfort, she recoiled from his touch.

"I'm not worthy of being your queen," she mumbled, but he still heard her.

"Don't say that, please," he pleaded, again trying to reach for her before she again backed away.

"It's the second time I lose the baby before it can develop; maybe I'm just not suited to be a mother, after all," she said sadly with new tears overlapping the stains on her cheeks. In a subtle, yet fast dive, the king finally reaches her wife and envelopes her in a strong, comforting hug.

"Don't say that; we haven't tried hard enough, that's all. We can still ask them," he said, his hand drawing comforting circles in her back.

"You're not mad at me?" she asked with a shaky voice, barely above a whisper.

He snickered, quite unroyally, but he didn't care; there was no one but them to hear. "Of course not… it's not your fault," he replied and in a wave of feelings, the queen broke down again in the arms of his beloved. When she calmed down, and just before she fell asleep, he whispered in her ear something that eased her soul:

"Tomorrow at first light we ride to the trolls; they'll know what we can do."

Just as the king said, before the sun was fully out in the sky, the queen and king were riding together into the forest. She was riding in a formidable white mare, while his horse was a beautiful auburn color. Both of them were excellent kings and loved by the people, but that same people was starting to wonder when they were going to have a prince or princess to success the throne after their current monarchs. They took a while before they could find exactly the place where the trolls lived, but they were patient people. Soon enough, they were entering the clearing with overgrown grass, which was the place where the trolls liked to live.

As soon as their horses were tied to a tree, and they entered the clearing, many of the stones, if not all of them, turned into small, round little beings with funny faces; the one who appeared to be the eldest rose and stared at the king and queen, before approaching the worried couple. "Are you the trolls that inhabit this land?" the king asked in his most formal manner, the one used in diplomatic talks. After all, this was no longer part of Arandel and he needed to be respectful.

"Yes, we are. To what do we honor your presence in our humble home?" the elder asked in a soft, calm voice.

"We wish to seek council," the queen spoke up, feeling her heart beating fast in her chest.

"You may; now come this way," as he finished, he turned around and headed to the center of the circular shaped clearing where he sat down. The king and queen, feeling a bit awkward, did the same right in front of him. With a soft motion, the elder indicated that they could voice their concerns.

The king patted his wife's hand encouragingly and she took the word. "We wish to have a child, and yet it appears that I can't carry them to full term. We've tried for many years and I've lost two babies; we've tried consulting different physicians but their remedies haven't worked as we had hoped. We know that your land is ancient and so are your customs, therefore we come here today asking you if there is anything among your vast knowledge that will be able to grant our wish."

After her little speech, she suddenly felt exhausted and tears welled up in her eyes again, but she pushed them down. Her emotions were on a rampage and another disillusion could, and very well would, kill her. Her anxiousness was visible, and so her husband once again squeezed her hand in hopes it would bring some comfort. It did, even if just a little. Then the elder replied and their attention immediately shifted to the troll.

"We do not have the knowledge that you seek," he said and the monarchs felt their hopes die; that is, until the elder kept speaking, "but I know someone who is even more ancient than we are and she might have a solution. Of course, I hope you won't be telling her that I called her ancient, or she would be sure to leave us without rain for months," he joked with a light laugh, but the king and queen did not follow.

"Who is this you're speaking of?" the king asked, trying not to let his frustration show. The troll was helping them when he didn't have to, and he knew he couldn't afford to be rude.

"Mother Earth," was his simple reply and then he stood up. "I'll go summon her, because if you try to look for her yourselves you won't be able to find her." With that, he marched into the foliage and the clearing was left in silence.

Somewhere in the conversation, the rest of the trolls had cleared out of the place; not even their rock forms were in the clearing and the couple felt thankful for their moment of privacy.

"Do you think we can still have a child?" the queen voiced her concerns.

The king, in return, thought about his answer. "I don't know," when he saw the sadness in his wife's eyes he was quick to add something else. "But I do know we are going to do everything in our power to find out."

That somewhat calmed the anxious queen, but before she could say anything else, from the bushes came the troll trailed by a tall, slim and pale woman, with golden eyes and flowing black her that cascaded down her back in swift waves. Her eyes were distant, but they held some sort of understanding that the king and queen did not understand themselves. They rose swiftly and bowed, because even if they were royalty, Mother Earth had a lot more authority than they had. But before they could speak, she raised her hand to stop them from uttering a word.

"Before we initiate a conversation, you must vow that you won't speak of this meeting to no one," she said in a soft, yet firm voice. Both of them nodded solemnly and then all three proceeded to sit down on the floor. The eldest troll was with them too to help as a mediator. "I understand you want to have a child, and yet you are not able to carry the baby to full term," she stated but it sounded like a question in another way, which left the royal couple puzzled.

"Yes ma'am," was the reply of the king. Mother Earth smiled softly.

"I can help you grant your wish. Using elemental magic I'll create a potion that, once drinking it, will strengthen your body to carry the baby to full term, is that all right with you?" she then said, barely leaving them space to talk or to feel anything but relief.

"Yes, absolutely," was the eager reply of the queen, now hopeful.

"You must also know that the prince or princess you will have might be a bit… different."

"How different?" the queen asked.

"He or she might develop magic, or might not, it all depends, and that magic in itself will depend on the element with which I make the potion," she explained, leaving the king and queen more confused than before. "It won't be dangerous or substantially different; the baby just might show some talents no other human have."

The royals exchanged a glance and, after a silent agreement, nodded to Mother Earth. "What do you ask in return?" the king asked.

"When I come to collect, you will know," Mother Earth enigmatically said before she stood up, followed by the royals.

"As soon as you conceive, you'll find the vial with the potion near. Take it immediately, and remember, not because is magic it is unbeatable. If anything happens to the mother while the baby isn't developed, it will be lost. Magic doesn't go against the natural laws," after that came a strong wind that lifted many leaves around the royals; when it diminished, they were no longer in the clearing and any sign of Mother Earth or the trolls had vanished.

With a sigh of relief and teary smiled, the queen and king hugged each other tight before returning to their home… and it wasn't even midday yet.

As promised by Mother Earth, when the queen conceived she found a small vial with a clear bluish liquid that she immediately drank. The potion had immediate effects, making her feel stronger and with more energy. The king was as thrilled as his wife; finally, they were going to have an heir… but more than that, and leaving royalty behind, they were going to have a baby and become parents. With that new responsibility, came new fears and worries that both of them managed to turn into hopes and dreams for their seemingly bright future.

Arandel rejoiced and there were huge celebrations all throughout the kingdom that lasted over a month. Everyone was excited and it could be felt in the air for the new prince or princess. And so, time moved on, and when the first snowfall arrived in Arandell, midways through November, a beautiful baby girl with pale hair and fair skin was born. She was loved immediately by her parents, the staff of the castle, and the rest of the kingdom.

For the first months of her life, the princess didn't develop the magic Mother Earth and warned them about, a worry that had caused them sleepless nights, and so it was forgotten. But when the princess, named Elsa, had her first anniversary of life, they finally showed.

The queen had gone to wake the princess up while the king did his rounds and court sessions, and what a surprise when she found the crib full of white, oh so fluffy snow! At first she panicked, she thought someone had been reckless enough to leave the windows open in the blizzard the night before, but then she repaired in the fact that it was only on the crib. With Elsa in her arms, she rushed to the king and told him all about it, privately, and the following days she was kept under constant watch.

Three days after the incident, Elsa had been playing with an old doll that seemed to please her, watched by her parents as always, when a thin layer of ice started to creep out from the baby's hands into the fabric and the doll. When the princess was done playing, the doll was encased in beautiful white ice.

The king and queen or Arandell were alarmed, yet they knew it was bound to happen when they accepted the deal of Mother Earth… and that's the moment our story begins.