I'm back! After a good few years I think :L It's been a pretty hectic few years, I think last time I posted I was in year 9, maybe year 10, and I'm now about to go through my year 12 half-yearlies. I've been writing this one for almost four months now and I'm up to chapter 19 and still going, so expect reasonably regular posting until we catch up to where I'm at.

I mentioned in the summary that I have changed a lot of things, like Elsa was taught from a young age to control her magic so, even though her parents worried, the gates were never closed and she had freedom to make friends, leading to her relationship with Jackson. Just note that Jackson is the only name that Frost is known as while he's human (yes that's a spoiler I'm sorry). If you have any issues or ideas for me to change things then just let me know through PM and I'll see what I can do about it, if anything.

I hope you like it :)

Chapter 1

Elsa POV

"C'mon that was a foul hit!" Jackson called from his shelter behind a tree. I laughed and hurled another snowball at him from his own pile, staying safely in my ice shelter. "Elsa!" He screeched. "What are you, five?" I stuck my head out of the shelter to see better.

"Close." He smiled, still mostly crouched by the tree. "Do you surrender?" His smile turned up further, into a smirk.

"Never." I shrugged. Ducking back behind my shelter I flung another of his snowballs at him.

"Damn it!" He yelled. I laughed again, but was interrupted by the ice around me shattering. I stepped back, holding most of it off of me with my magic. Jackson stood tall, a pile of snowballs at his feet, right where my shelter was. "The tables have turned." He laughed and, before I had the chance to hold him off, he started pelting snowballs at me, one after one, until his pile was gone and we were both rolling about on the white grass; laughing at each other.

"You win." I breathed when my laughter slowed. We lay in the snow a while, just looking at the graying sky, in silence. It was never really silent though; especially not out here. The soft, tinkling rustle of small animals in the ground and trees and the occasional flutter of bird's wings kept the world alive. Even without the sounds of the animals around the glade, when it was Jackson and I there could never be silence. We had this way of talking without saying a word, without sharing a look or a touch. I could just tell what he wanted to say, most of the time, and he could tell what my response would be. You can't get that kind of connection with someone without spending your whole life with them.

"What are the lovebirds doing today?" Jackson and I tilted our heads back to see who entered the clearing and found Anna's red mop starkly contrasting with the white of the winter air.

"Snowball war." She smiled, dropping down by my head. I rolled over onto my stomach to see her. "Jackson won?" I rolled my eyes,

"When does Jackson not win?" His musical laughter echoed around the glade. We looked over to him and he flipped over.

"From memory, I've won every game since we were 8 years old." He sighed, reminiscing, "Fourteen years of victory." I flicked a baby snowball at him, leaving powder on his nose.

"Fourteen years of being pelted for twenty minutes while you formulate a plan." I threw a fistful of snow at me, exploding all over my face and leaving powder stuck in my hair. I laughed again and sat up properly, coming eye-to-eye with my sister.

"Lovely as this scene is, I came out to tell you that Kai is still waiting on your decision on the… request." I closed my eyes for a second, pressing my lips together.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jackson." I stood up with a sigh, brushing off my dress. Anna stood with me and gave Jackson a sad smile. He never asked about anything to do with the castle life or my duties; he knew I either wouldn't tell him or he wouldn't want to know. He dragged himself to his feet and, with a half-hearted wave, trudged towards the village. The second he was out of earshot, Anna whacked my arm.

"You haven't told him yet?" I rubbed my arm,

"How am I supposed to tell him that I've received a marriage proposal from the third prince of the Southern Isles? We all know if I had it my way I would be with Jackson." Anna took my hand and started leading me back to the castle.

"Then there's the slight problem of the Isles withholding trade until there is a union of power. They're trying to expand their nation into ours, and they'll keep marrying off the Princes until the King is happy with what he has." I sighed, the Isles provided a lot of food for us, including livestock that we couldn't go without for long. Without the union, they are refusing to resume their trade with Arendelle "You can still decline the proposal and still have a union." I whipped my eyes to her; she couldn't be seriously suggesting what I think she is.

"You would accept the proposal?" She shrugged,

"You have Jackson, it's not like I have anyone waiting in the wings on one knee." I sighed. It was depressing how much more invested in the Kingdom's political life Anna, the princess, was than me, the almost-Queen.

"You should." I awkwardly hugged her shoulders as we walked. "I'll read over the proposal again, see if there is a way out of the marriage and still getting the trade back. I'm not going to force you into a marriage you don't want." She gave me a small smile. When we made it back to the castle, Kai was waiting for us by the gate.

"Your Majesty, we need to have a final decision soon, before the Southern Isles decide we aren't worth one of their sons or their trade." He hurried me into the castle, leaving Anna by the gate.

"Kai, you know why I'm hesitating to accept this proposal." I could see the frustration in my advisor,

"I understand your situation Elsa, You and Jackson have been best friends and then some since your early childhood; but this isn't about your heart. This is about your country's longevity and health. The people are already growing worried about supplies." I sat down in my desk chair. The proposal sat menacingly on the shining wooden desk.

"I'll read over it again." Kai nodded solemnly and harshly before leaving the room. As soon as the doors were pulled closed, I put my head in my hands and sighed. Picking up the heavy parchment on the desk, I ran a thumb over the intricate gold patterning bordering the page.

Queen Elsa of Arendelle,

The third prince of the Southern Isles, Nikolai, is putting this proposal of a union of marriage between the kingdoms of Arendelle and the Southern Isles to you for your hasty consideration.

Please make it known that my father has made move to withdraw all trades to Arendelle unless there is a union of these two kingdoms via our marriage.

Let it also be known that it is no secret that the thirteen Princes of the Southern Isles are all marrying out to the rulers of the kingdoms of the world with the purpose to strengthen the power and influence of the Isles.

The terms are clear, as mentioned. Without an acceptance of this proposal the trade between Arendelle and the Southern Isles, which we understand is important to your kingdom, will remain out of operation. Should you choose to accept and join with the Southern Isles trade will resume, but can be withdrawn again at a moments notice should Arendelle fail to serve the Southern Isles' requests from the commencement of the engagement.

I will await your reply,

Prince Nikolai of the Southern Isles

I put the proposal back on the desk, noticing the frost forming around the edges; stemming from my fingertips. I clasped my hands together and blew into them, opening them up to release a small cloud of tiny snowflakes that poured into my hands. The snowflakes leapt from my fingers of their own accord and flew around my head. I need to take my own feelings out of the equation. Whether I follow it all the time or not, my head and my duty is what comes first here. This is one of those moments I would really love to be able to talk to Jackson.

"Your Majesty?" Gerda came through the study door, curtsying as she did.

"Yes, Gerda, what is it?" She smoothed her dress skirt,

"I understand you have been keeping the news of the proposal from Jackson, but…" She trailed off, "He's standing down the hall requesting an audience." My eyes grew wider,

"He's what?" She opened the door further to reveal Jackson standing ten feet down the hall, held in place by guards. I hurried from my desk to the hall. "It's fine, thank you Kal, Herald." I dismissed the guards back to their posts.

"Proposal? You received a proposal and you didn't tell me?" I closed my eyes and breathed slowly.

"How did you find out?" I sighed.

"My best friend works here as a stable boy. You should know your workmen like to gossip and you should know that word of a proposal would spread." I put a hand on his arm and he flinched away from me. "How could you not tell me?" I moved to touch his arm again but stopped myself.

"Jackson just come in my office and read it before you do something you regret." He was about to refuse and walk away when his judgment finally came through. He nodded sharply and his posture turning rigid. I sighed inwardly and turned around, back to the study. He followed behind me and I saw him give a nod to Kal and Herald as he passed them. "Here." I held the paper out to him and he took a seat in my chair to read it.

"They can't do that! They're going to be the cause of Arendelle going into poverty." He burst before he even finished reading the letter.

"They can and they have. I've been looking with Anna for alternate trade options to avoid giving the Isles more power than they already have but it's not going too well." He dropped the proposal on the desk and turned to square his shoulders towards me.

"What about Weselton?" I shrugged, shaking my head.

"I've sent a boat but there has been no reply so far. I would prefer not to increase our trade with them anyway; I don't trust the Duke with the trade we already have." He leaned his elbow on the desk and chewed absently on his fingers.

"Corona?" I stiffened. My cousin and I came to an agreement long ago we couldn't do much for each other. We're two small nations easily invaded. If we tried to form a strong alliance we would both be in the crossfire of the other's problems.

"I sent word, but they've never replied to my requests in the past." He leaned his head into his hands, pulling on the strands of hair that fell into his face.

"You can't marry him." I stood beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, relieved when he didn't shove me off again.

"I don't want to, you know that, but if it's the only way to keep Arendelle afloat then I have no choice." He sighed and thumped his fist on the table.

"What does it even matter; your council will never approve our engagement anyway." I tapped his arm,

"Don't say that. They could still approve it." He scoffed, stepping out of the chair and moving to the window to look over the castle yards.

"I'm of no royal blood and you're their queen. We can't be together in public until we're engaged and hence, we can't be together at all so you may as well marry the Southern Isles Prince and get the Kingdom's trade back without angering one of the most powerful nations in the world." He stormed out of the study, slamming the door behind him and making me flinch at the sound. I sighed, letting my hands drop to my sides in defeat. I slumped down into my chair and put a hand to my forehead.

A/N

So, if you could let me know what you thought then I would be fantastic, any ideas, comments, criticism. Everything is welcome.