Trigger Warnings: Military violence

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1 year later

"Presenting Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, thirteenth in line to the throne," the Herald announced.

"Queen Anna," Hans gave a short bow, "It is nice to finally meet you. Our ambassador to Arendelle speaks very highly of you. A gift for the lovely ruler of a lovely country." Hans pulls out an immaculate red rose and hands it to Anna with a charming smile.

"Just a single rose? And here I thought you were trying to court me," Anna replies amusingly.

"I, ah, find that too much of a good thing spoils its specialness. This flower for you was specially picked from our royal gardens. To put it with other, more mediocre flowers would be an insult to it's beauty, and I never am one to insult beauty in any form."

"Oh, how romantic, let's get married right away," said a giddy excited Anna.

"Really?"

"No," Anna said returning to a bored almost monotone voice, "I'll tell you what I've told my other suitors. I am not looking for love currently. And thirteenth in line? Is the Southern Isles trying to insult me?"

"My father is unaware I am here. The ambassador I spoke of earlier is a childhood friend. Supposedly I am here to visit him, although I'm sure my father wishes me to pay you a visit. I am sorry for having wasted your time, Queen Anna. I hope relations between our countries can continue to thrive."

"I'm sure they will. I do hope you find what you are looking for, Prince Hans. But a word of advice, stop laying it on so thick. Only a naïve little girl would fall for that. Anyone else would want to meet the real you."

"Of course, Queen Anna. Thank you for your time and counsel." With that Prince Hans left the royal throne room.

"What a schmuck," Anna muttered to herself.

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The giant snow creature took one step forward and then crumbled. Elsa cried out in frustration. Making a snowman was easy. She could even make it turn its head. But making a snow creature twelve feet tall that could walk? That was hard.

Snow wasn't solid enough. When she tried making the thing out of snow, it would fall apart as soon as it shifted any of it's weight. Ice was too solid. It wasn't able to move at all.

Elsa recalled her training with her father. "You're thinking too hard," she could almost hear him say, "Your body knows what to do, but your mind won't let it."

She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. In and out. In and out. "Golem," she whispered.

In front of her snow piled on top of itself in the shape of a very muscular humanoid. Across it's surface an ice lattice formed keeping the snow in its shape.

"Go!" she commanded her creation. The golem lifted its leg, the ice lattice breaking its bonds. As it brought its leg down, the lattice formed new bonds. Elsa smiled. Now she just needed to see how many golems she could reliably control. Anna commanded an army, now soon Elsa would too.

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"Good morning, Duke Hammund." The man Anna addressed was at least fifty. He was well passed his prime, but still looked to be built of muscle. He had more than a few scars, though most were covered up by his formal uniform.

"My Queen! I did not expect you today. What can I do for you?"

"I had some free time on my hands. I decided to inspect the troops. Where are they?"

"Those not on duty are either sleeping or training. In addition to the usual posts, there is a small group in Highwater-"

"I thought the problems in Highwater had been resolved."

"We did too. After we caught their leader, the group of bandits seemed to dissolve. But they have regrouped, presumably under a new leader."

"Why wasn't I informed?"

"I didn't think it was worth your time, Your Majesty. We will have the bandits taken care of in a short time. Local thugs are no match for a trained army."

"Keep me informed, Duke. Is there anything else that 'isn't worth my time'?" Anna asked using air quotes.

"Just one thing. We've gotten some reports from some northern territories. They claim sightings of living snowmen. I sent a squad to investigate, but I highly doubt there is any truth to it. The more isolated territories come up with all kinds of wild stories to explain why someone went missing or why their animals were killed."

"But living snowmen? It's not even winter yet!"

"I've heard much stranger, My Queen."

"You were right not to waste my time with that nonsense."

"Yes, My Queen."

"I'll let you get back to your men Duke. They must prepare to fight these snowmen," Anna gave a cold mocking laugh. It was a type of laugh that even a year ago had never passed her lips.

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"I think you're just about ready for war," Elsa addressed her prototype snow golem. She had spent the last few months perfecting the design of new pets. Some locals had gotten a glimpse of them, but Elsa figured it was only natural. Even in an area as remote as this, you couldn't expect to make twelve-foot tall monsters and not expect at least a few people notice.

Suddenly she felt a disturbance in the snow a few miles away. It felt like a group of people headed this way. She created a tiny ice golem near them and peered through it's eyes. A group of Arendelle soldiers. Perfect. Her new pets needed some testing.

"Hey Olaf, do you want to play with some of my sister's men?" she asked the Golem. The golem grinned. "Thought so. Take some of your friends with you. I'm sure they want to have some fun too." Two more golems appeared behind the first. They started walking towards the soldiers.

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"Snow at this time of the year?" a soldier asked.

"It is a bit strange," his friend agreed.

"Maybe there is some truth to the living snowmen then?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Just because it's snowing a little early doesn't mean snowmen can suddenly come to life. Probably just a bear or somethin'."

"Don't bears go to sleep when it gets cold?"

"I don't know. Do I look like a biologist to you?"

"You ain't got the brains to be a biologist," one of the other men replied.

"Hey, I'll have you know I could be the best biologist in all of Arendelle."

"Yeah, maybe if-" the man was suddenly cut silent as their commander raised his fist. They felt the ground shake. Then they saw them.

"What the fuck is that?" one of the men asked.

"Oh my God," the not-a-biologist said, "It's living snowmen!"

"Fire at will!" The commander cried.

The men fired their rifles at the giant snow creature, but the bullets just flew right through their snow bodies, not even slowing them down. Olaf brought down his foot on the commander, crushing him to death, while punching another soldier. The punched soldier went flying backwards right into a nearby tree. The soldiers were running away as fast as they could, but it wasn't nearly fast enough. Elsa smirked as she watched through her golems.

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"Queen Anna," Duke Hammund bowed, "I am honored you agreed to meet with me."

"Why did you call this meeting, Duke? Do you have an update on the Highwater bandits for me?"

"No. We've caught several of them of course, but they refuse to give us any information on their leader. It's actually quite concerning. But I came about the other matter I spoke with you about."

"Oh," Anna raised an eyebrow, "The living snowmen?"

"Yes. I still think the snowmen are a fabrication of overactive imaginations, but there is something going on up north. None of the squad I sent up there have come back."

"The north is quite dangerous. Could they have been attacked by animals?"

"My Queen, these are highly trained soldiers. They would not be killed by some stray wolves. If it were anyone else, I would be insulted."

"So then, what do you suspect?"

"Maybe the locals have gone crazy. It would explain the snowmen reports. Hallucinations are often an early sign of water contamination. As trained as my soldiers are, if they were outnumbered, they could have been taken down. Though I suspect they killed their fair share of their attackers."

"What do you suggest?"

"Send a company of soldiers in. They may have been able to get a few of my men, but there is no way they could take out a whole company."

"My Queen," said Grand Duke Geirrod, "If I may interject."

"Yes, Grand Duke?"

"Might I suggest instead of wiping out the people of the north, instead quarantining them? Send a company just south of the northern territories and have them not let anyone in or out. If they have gone crazy, our first step should be to protect our subjects from them. Then we can systematically search the northern territories. Identify which ones, if any, have gone mad before we start killing them."

"I am inclined to agree with the Grand Duke. If I were to authorize a massacre of my own people, how could I look my subjects in the eyes ever again?"

"Of course, My Queen." The Grand Duke did not seem satisfied. He was sure something had killed his men, and he wanted revenge. Instead he had just been ordered to post a glorified guard duty.

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The men had set up camp a few days earlier. The black powder was stored under tents and the horses were drinking from a makeshift trough. Though it was just quarantine duty, they had brought several cannons along. The Duke had insisted on it. "Just in case," he had said.

They were just starting to eat when the first few snowflakes fell.

"It sure starts snowing early here in the north," one of the men remarked.

"No," another replied, "I come from a territory near here, and I've never seen snow this early."

The snow kept on getting heavier until it was a full blizzard. The horses were freaking out and the men could only see a few feet in front of them.

"This isn't natural," one of the men said.

"You think?" asked another, sarcastically.

Suddenly dark shadow casted over the camp. The men could barely make out a dozen giant humanoid figures making their way towards the camp.

"MAN THE CANNONS!" a voice cried out.

Soon the smell of gun smoke filled the air. The guns appeared to be ineffective. But as the first cannon ball sailed through the air, it hit its target, breaking the ice lattice that held the golem together. The golem collapsed as the cannon ball bounced off the ground, hitting another, to similar effect.

The men cheered, but it quickly died down as two more golems rose from the snow piles of their fallen brothers. The commander of the company turned to his fastest man.

"Go. Tell the Duke what is happening. We'll hold them off if we can, but these monsters are headed south. Arendelle must prepare a defense."

A feminine laugh suddenly broke out in the storm as the golems stopped attacking. A blonde woman emerged from the blizzard. She was wearing a dress, but the cold that had his men shivering didn't seem to be affecting her at all. His men raised their guns at her. "Hold your fire!" he called, "Miss, it's dangerous here. I suggest you turn and run far away."

"Why would I do that? My pets and I were having so much fun!" Elsa turned to the messenger, "But yes do go to Arendelle. And while your there, deliver Queen Anna a message for me. Winter is coming, so she best be prepared." Elsa's laughing rang out in everyone's ears as the blizzard once again hid her from everyone's eyes. The golems resumed their attack, the camp was utterly destroyed. But they payed no attention to the lone retreating messenger.

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A/N: Yes, I'm aware Arendelle seems more like a city-state with no military beyond the city guard in the movie. But you expect me to believe a kingdom that prosperous would have no additional lands and no military to defend itself? That is preposterous. I believe all we saw in the movie was a bit of the capital and a very small area of land outside its walls.

Hans is through. His plan failed. I loved Hans as a villain, and his conniving would fit in well with this world, but unfortunately since his entire plan was revealed in the movie, it would be boring to see it played out here too. Plus, it gave me a chance to illustrate the difference between movie Anna and my Anna.

Anna's been forced to grow up in the year since she took the throne. She is no longer the happy-go-lucky girl she once was. It was my goal to make her into a strong, competent ruler. The Grand Duke still occasionally gives her advice, but she isn't dependent on him. Meanwhile Elsa has been driven crazy by her thirst for revenge.

I took some liberties with Elsa's powers, but I believe they are well within the realm of possibility. Her golem and Olaf in the movie appear to have some sentience and independence, but I believe Elsa is still controlling them on a subconscious level. Otherwise I have a major problem with Elsa's powers being able to create a fully sentient being.

And speaking of Olaf, he will not appear in this story as a tiny malformed snowman. He is a golem. You're just going to have to live with it :-P. In all seriousness though, Olaf's comedy relief role would not work well with this story.