How To Be A Princess

Anna, American teenager, learns that she's actually the next in line for the throne of Arendelle when her long-lost sister abdicates.

Prologue: If you want to be a princess
Stepping into the warm office, lit with soft yellow lights and a small fire in the corner, King Agdar and Queen Idun held each other just a little closer. The oaken door shut behind them, leaving them alone whilst Kai, the chief advisor, remained outside, keying an eye out for any unsavoury guests. The young monarchs sat on the slightly worn leather chairs set out in front of the desk, hands clutched together. Waiting was always the worst part.

Neither spoke, because there was nothing left to say. The questions they had asked themselves were still a weight on their mind, but now, it was too late. They knew they wouldn't come to regret their choice, but it was still not one they had wanted to make.

Agdar placed a kiss on his wife's temple, and the fire crackled merrily in the fireplace.

Both turned around as the latch clicked from its place and the door swung open. Madam Gerda shuffled softly from the polished wooden floorboards of the hallway and onto the beige sisal carpets, a small figure clasped gently in her arms. Idun sucked in a short breath and squeezed her husband's hand as the Madam drew close. The high ceilings of the room seemed to expand even further as the seconds ticked on, marked by a grandfather clock in the corner.

"Your Majesties," Madam Gerda began, "This is Elsa."

The small girl with brilliant blonde hair peeked out from beneath swaths of blue cloth, bright blue eyes gazing up at the Royals. She gave a gummy smile, and Idun couldn't suppress the small sob as she took the baby from Madam Gerda.

"She's perfect..."

There was no paperwork; they couldn't afford to leave any trails. Mere minutes after the first introduction, Kai ushered the King and Queen back to Castle Arendelle, the precious bundle hidden from prying eyes.

She may not have been borne of them, but she was theirs. Their own little girl. A child for the childless.

Thus, little Elsa, ward of Arendelle, became Elsa Àrnadalr, Crown Princess.

The early morning fog rolled over the fjord, white and billowing, and blinding those preparing for the day as the weak sunlight bounced from the frozen port and onto icy roofs. Within the castle—centuries old, designed like a church and yet built like a fortress—servants and maids were beginning their day, relighting the fireplaces that had burnt low during the night and preparing the rooms as though there were going to be used.

They weren't, however. The royal family were standing in the grand foyer, a little Elsa being held by Kai in a vain attempt to get her to stop scratching the angry red marks that had erupted overnight.

"It itches, Mommy," she cried, and yet no reprieve came. Agdar moved forward to lift her up, and she buried her face in his neck.

"Mommy can't hug you right now, Elsa," he said softly, stroking her hair. "But as soon as we get back, you'll get more hugs than you know what to do with." He gave her a soft smile, and Elsa met it with a watery one of her own. "You'll have to share it with your new baby brother or sister."

Elsa's eyes moved away from Agdar's and aligned with Idun's protruding stomach. She smiled again and waved at it, a simple clenching and unclenching of her fists.

Agdar put her down, and she felt her hand grasped by Kai. "Bye-bye, Mommy," she said. Idun gave a sad smile and waved to her daughter.

"Bye-bye, Elsa. We'll be back before you know it."

Agdar and Idun adopting Elsa. Timeskip to Agdar's death and Elsa's

Lesson One: Know That You Are A Princess
"- a balmy 76 degrees. Watch out for a bit of rain later this week, but it should be fine and clear for those fisherman out there hoping for a weekend getaway."

The radio fizzled into a static-y rendition of some random song, which then faded into the background as Anna finished tying up her hair into two even braids. She'd spent the entire summer learning how to do it so that the pale blonde streak in her hair was in a complete section of its own. It looked so much cooler that way.

Staring at herself in the mirror, Anna's eyes roved over her figure, trying to find what was wrong as she pulled at one of her braids. As always, there was nothing. At least, nothing tangible. Still had her bright strawberry-blonde hair (she'd given up claiming it was 'brown' years ago, but dammit, she wasn't a ginger!). Still freckled. At least her braces had come off over the summer holiday, so no more awkward metallic smiling at the random people who actually did see her.

Tugging at her hair once more, she let out a sigh and turned around, presenting herself to her cat for a final inspection.

"So, Olaf, what do you think?" she asked the white lump watching her from her bed. "Is this my year?" He offered a small mewl and she smiled. "Yeah, I got this."

The first day of classes were always the worst. The only good part was that (most) teachers didn't actually expect to get any work done. Busy and confusing, students were bound to arrive late, or show up to the wrong class, at least once. Anna did it no less than three times before lunchtime. After homeroom, she was supposed to make her way to English. Instead, she took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in the graphics building. By the time she located a fire-evacuation plan and arrived at her class, she was ten minutes late.

"Late again, Ms Ackerman?" a familiar voice droned. Anna's entire body fell at the sight of her arch-nemesis, Mr Weselton, standing in front of the lectern. She couldn't quite conceal the grin that began to form when she realised the only reason he was doing that was because no one had provided a step; he wouldn't be seen over the podium if he stood behind it.

Of course, he noticed the expression, and with a rather loud cough that sounded more like he was choking on his own teeth, directed her towards her seat. There was only one free, and it was stuck between a boy with thick red sideburns (and a really fat chinI) and a girl with a pale blonde bob-cut beneath a pink cap. Actually, the amount of pink she was wearing was completely obscene (and naturally Anna was a little jealous because pink, and pink didn't go with red-heads).

Of course, they ignored Anna, and she ignored them. Or,