Elsa eyed Jack, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. Jack was most definitely not acting like his usual carefree, laid back, and sometimes really sweet, self. In fact, he was acting almost . . . nervous.

"Jack, are you okay?"

Jack jolted in his seat, eyes wide. "Huh?"

Elsa leaned closer to him, snagging one of his wringing hands. "Are you not feeling well? Is something wrong?"

Jack gave a small smile and turned his hand over to gasp her smaller one in his own. "No, Elsa," he said. "Everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked, her eyes probing him for information. "You're acting kind of strange."

"I'm certain." Jack's smile grew a little larger, and a little more natural. He stood up from the chair that he had been sitting in, tugging on Elsa's hand. "Come on, let's go for a walk."

Elsa frowned. "But I have to finish my-"

"Not right now you don't." He pulled on her arm, and with a small huff, Elsa pushed herself out from behind the big wooden desk that used to be her father's. Elsa inherited a lot from her parents once she became queen – not all of them things that she wanted.

With a rustle of her skirts, and a quick explanation of where she was going, and that no, she didn't need any guards, they were off to stroll the perimeter of the castle.

They hurried through the palace gardens side by side, their feet leaving imprints in the snow that shrouded the ground. Jack was tugging her along behind him, eyes set on a destination that Elsa wasn't aware of yet.

"What's the rush?" she asked, and Jack turned his head to shoot her a quick smirk.

"You'll see when we get there."

Elsa's breath misted in front of her as she huffed in faux irritation, and she resisted the urge to start whining at him. "Can I at least get a hint?"

Jack's snort shot through the night. "You're so impatient," he said with amusement. "It's a secret. So calm down, Elsie, and wait until we get there to find out."

"I'm only impatient when I'm around you."

"Because I'm so irresistible that you can't wait?"

Elsa scowled and leaned forward to hit him over the head. "Because you're so irritating that you wear my patience thin."

Jack boomed out a laugh as he stopped walking. Elsa, in turn, paused and stared around them curiously.

"Woah . . ."

The space around them was breathtaking. It reminded her of the time that Jack had taken her out for her birthday, which was, coincidentally, also the first time that they told the other that they loved them. Everything was covered in snow, and ice hung off of the stone walls of the castle and gate. Flurries blew around them, and the blanket of snow on the ground glistened in the torchlight.

"It's beautiful," breathed Elsa.

"I was hoping that you would say that," Jack said smugly. "I went off of the response that you had for your birthday last year, and based this off of that."

"But it's not my birthday yet," Elsa said, the confusion clear in her voice. Elsa's birthday was in July, and it was only February.

"I know."

Elsa frowned. "So what are we celebrating?"

"Oh, Elsa," Jack said, slightly distressed. "You really have been busy! Today's February 14th."

"Okay . . .?"

Jack groaned in exasperation. "It's Valentine's Day!"

Elsa was still confused, but decided not to argue with Jack on it. Instead, she pecked him on the cheek and dusted off a bench to sit down on. When she looked up and saw that Jack was still standing, she patted the spot next to her as an invitation for him to join her.

Jack moved closer to her, but didn't sit down next to her.

Instead, he hovered in front of her, gave a shaky smile, and then got down on a single knee.

"Elsa, I think we both know what's about to happen."

Elsa blinked at him, her mind moving sluggishly slow. Half of her was aware of what Jack was doing, whilst the other half was still working out what was going on.

"I love you. You know this, and I know this, and so does the entire kingdom. I love you so much that it takes my breath away sometimes. I love your smile; I love your laugh. I love that you don't take anyone's crap - except for mine, of course."

The part of her brain that trudged behind finally caught on to what was happening, and Elsa's breath caught in her throat.

"Jack . . ."

He shook his head, and she stopped talking. "Let me finish this, because I've been working on getting my nerves up all day, and if you start talking, I'm going to wimp out."

Elsa let out an uneven chuckle, but let him continue his speech.

"Elsa, I want to live the rest of my life, however long it may be, with you. I want us to get into stupid fights, and I want to help you calm down when things get too stressful; I want to be the one that you look forward to seeing the entire day, the one that makes you smile no matter what. I want us to have kids, because I know that you would be an amazing mother to them. And if they happen to have ice powers, like I know you've been worrying about, then we will deal with that, because we both know how to handle the situation better than your parents ever did."

"Elsa, I want to be yours, and you to be mine. Forever. Will you please do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Somewhere in the middle of Jack's speech, tears had started streaming down Elsa's face. Without thinking, she fell down onto her knees in front of him and cupped his face.

"Of course," she whispered, and then she leaned forward to kiss him.

A queen is not supposed to kneel in front of anybody, but in that moment, as their smiles pressed against each other's, Elsa couldn't find it within her to care.