A/N: This is not an update. I just did a little refurbishing of the previous chapters while I wait for chaos of control to finish beta reading the next chapter. It doesn't have any important changes (other than perhaps the time gap) so you don't have to reread it again. I don't know if your reviews will be gone if I reupload the chapters but nevertheless I'm including all the replies I've written thus far.

Elsa rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her hand was busy shifting through the insurmountable number of papers that lay on her desk. She sighed; probably for the fifth time in the amount of time she was doing her duty as Queen of Arendelle. Even when her parents had already prepared her, she had expected 'ruling' would be less tedious and tiring.

Right now, she was looking at the apology letter from the Duke of Weselton. He had been ceaselessly sending one every week for the past three months since Elsa decided to cut off all trades with Weselton. He had begged and begged for forgiveness, excused his action as an act of defense and he held nothing but the safety of the people of Arendelle in his highest priority. Just like so many letters she had received from the Duke, this one too she crumpled into a ball and tossed behind her back.

A pair of hands touched her shoulders, making Elsa jumped a bit. The said pair of hands preceded to massager her shoulders, making her moaned in delight. "I'm guessing there's another letter from that Duke?" asked the voice behind her.

"Mmhmm," Elsa was too busy enjoying the treat to consider another appropriate respond. "More to the nape, that's it. Ohh…"

"You're enjoying this too much!" The massager stopped working on her shoulders and went to massage Elsa's right arm.

"Have I ever told you that you're really good at this, Anna?"

Anna smiled at her sister. "I've been practicing on Kristoff. Who knew I have quite the talent?"

"Pardon me, suddenly I have the urge to punish a certain ice harvester."

Her retort made Anna chuckled. "Don't do that. I do it willingly anyway, but I kind of want to see you beat up Kristoff, so… No, wait, Kristoff won't stand a chance against you so don't do that. I'm mumbling. Do you want a cup of tea?"

"Sure."

Elsa watched Anna went to the corner table and started brewing a pot of tea. Unconsciously, she smiled. Since Elsa resumed her post as the Queen, Anna had been more than eager to help. She knew Elsa would be busy with her duties and if she didn't help out, she wouldn't get the chance to meet her sister at all. So, she was officially made assistant and Elsa couldn't be gladder that she was there for her. Her presence made her duties less boring and since she tended to lost track of time, Anna always reminded her when to take a break.

Anna brought the tray to Elsa's desk and poured two cups of tea. She handed one to Elsa, which she took gratefully. Elsa took a sip and let out a soft sigh as the hot liquid trailed down her throat.

"Better finish that up quick," said Anna. "We have that trial we have to do this afternoon and it's about ten minutes from now."

"What!? How long have I sit in this office?"

Anna pretended to open a scroll and read her schedule. "Checking from my itinerary, madam, I say from seven in the morning to twelve fifty in the afternoon. Your bottom must be feeling sore right now. Shall I massage it too?"

Elsa chuckled, "Oh Anna, what would I do without you?"

"You'd be in isolation in the North Mountain and Arendelle would be frozen," Anna spoke while trying to maintain nonchalant expression that made Elsa laughed.

After three months, the incident that the locals had endearingly referred as 'The Frozen Kingdom' had turned from tragedy to humor. Anna would often tease her about it with remarks like 'Hey, do you remember when you freaked out and froze the entire kingdom?', and looking back Elsa found it funny too. She was so scared out of her wits that she would hurt someone and thought nothing but to run away, but she ended up freezing her whole kingdom. What a feat!

Elsa had issued an official apology to her people thereafter and they received it with warm welcome. She didn't know what she had done to deserve their forgiveness, but she vowed to return her people's kindness by being the best queen a kingdom could ever have. She was glad that she was born in Arendelle.

The sound of Anna tapping her feet impatiently made Elsa snapped back from her daydream. She finished her tea in one gulp and sorted out the mess on her desk, separating the finished one with unfinished. "Right, shall we go then?"

Anna nodded. After tidying up the tea set, they walked out of Elsa's office together. Outside, they saw Kristoff leaning against the wall, apparently waiting for them. His face brightened when he saw Anna and she rushed to his side. "Kristoff!" Anna squealed, "I thought you have some ice delivery to make?"

"Finished early and I can't wait to meet my favorite princess." Kristoff leaned down and gave Anna a light kiss, making her giggle.

Elsa rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. After the whole ordeal with Hans, Kristoff was the next best thing that happened to Anna, after mending the sisterly relationship with Elsa of course. They had been seeing each other ever since and fortunately, hadn't asked for Elsa's blessing in marriage. Anna, learning from her past mistake, chose to take it slow this time, and Kristoff, not a power-craving psychotic prince he was, was more than happy to go with the flow. It seemed he too wasn't quite ready for marriage yet.

Elsa had hoped Anna would marry a royalty for the kingdom's sake, but she wouldn't impose it on her sister. If anyone should marry without love, let it be herself. She wanted Anna to marry whomever she loved and if it was Kristoff, she would give her blessing, in due time.

Anna linked her arms around Kristoff's and they walked together. Elsa followed behind, giving them, the space they needed. Suddenly, they stopped and Anna turned to Elsa. "Come on," Anna offered a hand to her sister. "You're lagging behind."

Elsa chuckled and took the offered hand. It seemed Anna didn't notice that Elsa was doing it on purpose. With linked arms, they walked together. Only when they reached the door to the throne room they detangled themselves. Elsa stood in front, followed by Anna as per customary. The guards opened the door and Elsa walked in regally.

Olaf was there. Elsa had appointed him as the Herald. His booming voice served well for the position and having a snowman as a herald gave a comic relief to an otherwise dull court. Olaf waved at Elsa, which she replied with a slight nod and smile. He then announced her. "Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

Everyone bowed. Elsa walked inside and stood before the throne. She scanned the room. The audience was people from the lower class: common folks and the likes. There were some children among them, standing closely beside their parents. The defendant was kneeling in front of the dais. She couldn't see his features but presumed he was a male. A cloak covered his stature, with the hood of the cloak drawn to cover his head. He was looking down. Judging by the position of his arms, a chain bound around the wrists sealed his movements. Beside him, two guards stood to ensure the defendant didn't try to escape. Despite the mysteriousness, the man didn't strike Elsa as a criminal sort.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle." Olaf announced her sister and she walked in to stand beside Elsa. She could tell that Anna was nervous. She was fidgeting and often glanced at Elsa for direction.

From the corner of her eyes, Elsa saw Kristoff tried to sneak in and blended with the crowd. However, his effort didn't go unnoticed by Olaf and he started to announce him "His Royal Ice Delive… Mmph!" Kristoff clamped Olaf's mouth before he could finish his sentence. Luckily, the audience still had their heads bowed and didn't see the event that transpired. Elsa stifled a laugh and made a mental note to talk to Olaf about whom to and not to announce.

Elsa motioned for the audience to rise and they did, except the defendant who remained kneeling on one knee. A member of Elsa's court approached her and gave her a small scroll. Elsa received it and muttered her gratitude. She opened the scroll and read aloud, "Today, we stand trial of the accused Jackson Overland Frost under the charge of abduction of several children. How do you plead?"

The defendant, Jack, didn't say a word, even after he was given several moments to speak. "Very well," Elsa sat down on the throne and Anna followed suit, "the witness may take the stand,"

A man in his late forties sauntered somberly toward the dais. He was a tall man. His hair was raven black and neatly combed back. He dressed better than the rest of the crowd, which Elsa assumed was because he had some sort of power above the rest. He gave a bow and spoke, "Your Majesty, I am the father of one of the victims of this man abduction. I wish to give you the full details of what transpired.

"During the event of 'the Frozen Kingdom', some of us noticed that our children went missing. We were afraid that they would die in the cold, being they were dressed for the summer and all. We search high and low and we couldn't find them. After 'the Thaw', we ran to the outskirt of the town, and found them. They were in this man's house, huddled together like lost lambs. He was nowhere in the premise, perhaps striking a deal with a slaver or the likes. We brought our kids home and searched for him but lo! He slipped away from us and only two days ago, we managed to capture him. We hope, for the sake of our children, Your Majesty would pass the right judgment."

"And your name is?"

"Kozmotis Pitchiner, at your service, Your Majesty." The man bowed.

"Thank you, Mr. Pitchiner." It was a subtle command for Kozmotis to return to where he was and he complied. "Anyone else wish to speak against the defendant or add the testament?"

There were some shuffling among the audience and some muttering but none appeared to be eager to take the stand. Either they had nothing to add or they were too shy to stand before the queen. Elsa then decided to change the question, "Is there anyone in defense of the defendant?"

The muttering stopped and the audience just eyed one another. Elsa figured that this was a sign that everyone agreed with Kozmotis Pitchiner. She was about to pass her judgment when a boy scurried to the dais. "I do… I mean I wish to speak for Jack." The crowd gasped. The boy was one of the so-called 'victims', yet he chose to speak in defense of his abductor.

Elsa couldn't help but to commend the boy's bravery. "What is your name?"

"Jamie, Jamie Bennett… if it pleases Your Majesty." Only belatedly, Jamie remembered to bow and he did so awkwardly. Elsa let it pass as not to discourage him.

"Go on."

"During the Coronation Party, me and my friends got bored. So, we decided to slip away to see Jack who wasn't attending the party. Jack is a good friend of us. We often play together. Then, when you froze the kingdom," Elsa noticed the crowd cringed as the boy said it, especially his parents but again Elsa let it pass, "we can't go home. We were so cold and Jack let us stay in his house. He gave us blanket and warm food. He also set the fireplace going so we could warm ourselves. When summer returned, Jack went to the kingdom to search for his mother and sister who went to the party, as well as our parents, but our parents found us first and took us away. Jack is not a criminal, Your Majesty. Please don't punish him."

"Thank you, Jamie." Elsa gave the boy an encouraging smile as he was quivering when he spoke. "Anyone wish to speak in accordance to Jamie's statement?"

A girl about the same age as Jamie wrenched free from Kozmotis grasp. In the silenced room, she could hear the man hissed for the girl to return but she wasn't listening. She stood beside Jamie and curtsied before Elsa. "My name is Emily Jane Pitchiner, Your Majesty. I was one of the children in Jack's house. Jamie was telling the truth. Jack saved us. Everyone didn't want to say anything because they're afraid of Da. Da threatened to double their rent if they speak against him today."

The girl's father went red with rage and embarrassment. Following the girl, five other children, all the 'victims', also about the same age as Jamie, presented themselves and spoke in turn. They too defended Jack. After listening to the excited and nervous children, Elsa thanked them and they return to where they were. "Jackson Overland Frost, your 'victims' have defended you, do you have anything to say?"

Only then, Jack Frost lifted his head. His hood fell from his head and he revealed his face. Elsa was awe-stricken by the white hair the man possessed. It was even whiter than her platinum blonde hair. His eyes were a deeper shade of blue than hers were. He had slightly squared jaws and he had a face that could make every woman swoon for him. He wasn't as young as Elsa thought he would be, considering that he played with children. He was probably around her age or perhaps older.

"I don't know if this will help Your Majesty to pass your judgment, but let me tell you a story," Jack gave a crooked grin that somehow made Elsa thought suited him well, despite she not knowing anything about the man. "Once upon a time, there was a man, feared by many since he's the landlord of most of the lower district of Arendelle. He frequented this particular tavern where a young woman, a village beauty, worked. He harbored feelings for this young woman and he would pester her to no end. One day, he crossed the line. Sadly, the brother of the young woman was there and he kicked his sorry ass – pardon my language. Since that day, he swore to make the life of her family miserable for embarrassing him in public and rejecting his advances. After this particular event took place, he found it as the perfect way to frame the brother and threw him out of the picture. Now, I don't want to name any names but I think you can draw your own conclusion, Your Majesty."

It didn't take long for Elsa to connect the dots. The man must be this Kozmotis, who by the statement of his own daughter, threatened her people to collaborate with the ruse and the village beauty was probably the sister of Jack. Elsa glanced at Kozmotis Pitchiner and he was beet red. It was proof enough to Elsa, but such wouldn't satisfy the people.

"Jamie, Emily, Pippa, Claude, Caleb, Monty and Cupcake if you would step forward please," Elsa called the children and they obliged. "Are you all the only 'victims' or are there more?"

"We aren't 'victims', but Sophie was with us too." The boy Jamie pointed at his sister and she stepped forward, clutching the shirt of her brother. She was the youngest in the group, perhaps a five year old. She looked at Elsa nervously with one eye; her mane of straw blonde hair hid the other one.

"Does this man make you say all this stuff? You can be honest. We will protect you. This man will do you no harm." Elsa expected the children's eyes to waver and glanced between her and Jack, but no. They were resolute and all of them gathered protectively around Jack.

"No! Jack is good!" Jamie said.

Sophie looked up to Jamie and whispered to her brother. "Brother, why is the queen being mean to Jack?"

"Not now, Sophie," Jamie scolded her.

Sophie went to Jack who was still kneeling. Jack smiled at her and she clung to him. "Jack is a good boy. Queen is being mean!"

Jack rubbed his nose against the little girl's. "I am, aren't I? You tell her, Soph."

Sophie nodded excitedly and turned to face Elsa. "Queen can't punish Jack! Jack doesn't do anything wrong!" She spread her arms in front of Jack. Her mother, embarrassed from the scene, went to pick up her child and bowed apologetically for her daughter's antics. Sophie wailed in her mother's arms, thinking that if she didn't protect Jack, Jack would be taken away.

Elsa smiled. No one who witnessed the scene could deny that Jack was falsely accused, not when their own children protected the very man they accused. Elsa motioned for Jack to rise and he did. The children around him helped him to support his weight. He thanked them appreciatively. He had knelt for so long that his leg had went numb. Elsa could now see his stature. He was lean but quite well built. He was rather tall too, perhaps a head taller than her. He wore a plain white shirt that smeared with dirt and a pair of brown trousers.

"Jackson Overland Frost, I declare that you are not guilty. You may walk out as a free man." Elsa proclaimed. A guard went to release Jack from his bind. The kids cheered and hugged Jack, whoc let himself chortled freely. "As for Mr. Kozmotis Pitchiner, I would like you to stand trial for threatening my people. We will held the trial on the morrow at the same time. That is all. You may be dismissed."

She watched the man gaped in shock as the guards dragged him to the dungeon. She knew she had to do it, lest he did make the lives of her people difficult. If he dared frame an innocent man, he would surely follow through with whatever plan he had for the people who owed him, even if it wasn't their fault that his plan to frame Jack fell apart.

The parents of the children went to retrieve their kids, while muttering their apology to Jack as they passed him. Jack just nodded his forgiveness and waved at the kids and they waved back in turn. The last one of the audience had left and Elsa and Anna stood to go but they noticed that Jack didn't move from his place. "I said you may go, Mr. Frost," Elsa said.

What he did next was beyond her imagination. He knelt on one knee and spoke, "I wish to pledge my service to Queen Elsa of Arendelle, if you would take me as your knight."

Surprise! I'm back (If anyone knew where this quote came from, you will earn a special appearance in this story. PM me your answer)

This is a the new Jelsa fic that I promised to write. I hope you enjoy the prologue. As I have said before, I might not be able to update every week like my last fic but I'll try to do it as soon as I can.

Anyway, I dedicate this prologue to IceCrystal and Nightshade Lily. This fic won't happen without your ceaseless urging.

Thank you for reading, see ya in the next chapter.