One Year of Love

A/N: I've hit writer's block on the other Frozen story I was working on called "Befriending Elsa." I'll return to it eventually, but in the meantime, I've decided to start another story. This story was inspired by the Queen song "One Year of Love" hence the title. I hope you enjoy.

It had been two years since the gates were reopened in Arendelle. For the first time in many years, the people had a relationship with the monarchy that they knew so little about. True to her word, Queen Elsa promised to bring love and prosperity to the kingdom. After thirteen years of living life behind a closed door, she knew that it was the right thing to do. In the years since they reunited, Elsa had formed a strong bond with her sister, Anna. The two were closer than ever, spending every day with each other. A life Elsa thought could never happen, finally did. And as for her powers, she was overjoyed that her people accepted them as a part of her. They didn't fear her as she once believed they would. They treated her with respect and admiration. The people of Arendelle took great pride in having Elsa as their queen. But as prosperous as the last few years had been, there was talk about Elsa possibly marrying someone. It was no secret that Arendelle needed an heir to the throne. But truth be told, Elsa had never considered marriage. Quite frankly, she was happy with the love of her sister and her people. That was all that she needed. Still, the idea persisted. Queen Elsa of Arendelle should marry at some point, the council often argued. Whenever the subject arose, Elsa politely turned the idea down. She couldn't see herself marrying someone anyway.

One afternoon, as Elsa looked over the letters she received, Anna paid her a visit.

"Hey, Elsa! How's it going?" Anna said, taking a seat across from Elsa's desk.

"Oh, the usual. I've got letters pouring in from all over the continent," Elsa said.

"What do they say?" Anna asked.

"It's a mixture of things. Trade negotiations, invitations to parties, suitors…"

"Suitors? Not that again," Anna groaned. "I thought you made it clear that you weren't interested in marriage."

"I did, but that doesn't stop some people. They think that they can convince me to change my mind," Elsa said.

"Sounds like your mind is made up," Anna pointed out. "You've turned down every man whose sought your hand in marriage."

"Yes, I don't think I'll ever consider the idea of marriage. Besides, even if I was interested, I don't think I'm meant to marry."

"What makes you say that?" Anna asked.

Elsa shrugged, opening another letter in the process. "I'm too shy of a person for starters. I spent most of my life behind a closed door, remember?"

"Yeah, but you're different now. You're much more open to people. I see the way you interact with everyone whenever we go into town together," Anna said.

"Yes, but those are our people, Anna. They're not some romantic interest," Elsa said.

"Well, you have to find someone who is made for you. Look at Kristoff and me. We're made for each other. We make each other laugh, we compliment each other, we get along great, those are the kinds of things that you look for in someone to love. I'm sure you can find someone like that."

Elsa sighed. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Anna, but it just wasn't meant to be. I've accepted long ago that I'm not worthy enough to be loved."

Anna was shocked at Elsa's words. "Elsa! You're more than worthy enough to be loved. How can you say that?"

Elsa realized the error of her words. She quickly changed her tune.

"You're right. I'm sorry. There I go again beating myself up. I still do that from time to time."

"That's OK. Your confidence is still building. But remember Elsa, one year of love is better than a lifetime alone," Anna said. "Anyway, I'll leave you to your work."

When Anna left, Elsa mulled over what she had been told. Maybe Anna had a point. Perhaps she was destined to find somebody to love. Elsa wondered if she was shutting out the opportunity for someone to love her again, but this time instead of Anna, it was a man. Elsa stood up and looked out the window. In the distance, she saw a ship approach. It was the King of Labraza, coming to negotiate a trading deal. This idea of marriage would have to wait. Right now, Elsa had regal matters to attend to.

On the outskirts of Arendelle, there was a small farming village situated near the kingdom. On the farm lived a young man and his father. The young man's name was Leon. He was the son of a farmer, but possessed a great desire to become a knight one day. In his spare time, he practiced with a wooden sword that he made when he was younger. The people in the village were impressed by his skill with a sword. At the age of 23, Leon could even give the older knights of Arendelle a run for their money. That afternoon, Leon was neglecting his daily chores to practice with his sword. A group of his friends gathered around to watch him perform impressive tricks with his wooden blade. His most impressive skill was throwing the sword up into the air and catching it as it came twirling down towards him. Leon wished he had a real sword, then he could truly feel like a knight. Alas, Leon knew that the odds of achieving that goal, were slim. He was the son of a farmer. There was no way that Queen Elsa would ever consider making him a knight.

As he showed off in front of his friends, Leon's father came out to witness the event. The idea of his son shirking his chores just to impress people, angered him. He quickly called Leon over to him.

"Leon!" he yelled.

Leon instantly turned toward the direction of his father, running to meet him.

"Hey, papa, what is it?"

"Quit playing with that toy sword of yours. I have a job for you. I want you to deliver a crate of oranges to Arendelle. A man by the name of Ruben Starkey ordered a shipment of them."

"Sure. No problem," Leon said. Leon had made many deliveries for his father before, but he had never made one to the kingdom of Arendelle. This would be an exciting journey.

"But before you go, I have something to give you. The road to Arendelle is a long one, and it's not safe. You'll need something to defend yourself with."

Leon's father reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. "This is the key to the chest upstairs. In it, is the sword I had when I was young. It is yours."

Leon's eyes lit up. "A sword! Like a real sword?"

"Yes, now be careful with it. It's not a toy," Leon's father warned.

"Sure! Of course! But where did you get a sword?" Leon asked.

"It was a gift from my father. He crafted the blade himself. Of course, it's nothing like the swords they make up in Arendelle, but it's a still the real deal."

"I'll go get it and deliver the oranges right away!" Leon said, heading for the house.

"That's my boy," Leon's father said.

When Leon opened the chest, he saw the sword that his father had talked about. True to word, it wasn't the most impressive looking blade ever made, but that didn't matter to Leon. It was a real sword with a sharp blade. Holding it in his hand, he felt like a true knight. But now was not the time to let his imagination run wild. Leon had a job to do. He promised his father he would deliver the oranges to Ruben. And like a true knight, he always kept his promises.