A/N: -sigh- I know this is a really weird time to be starting a fic like this, but the idea was niggling away at my brain and I had to get it out. So, enjoy, please review and let me know what you think. Cheers!

City of Bones

Chapter 1: The Rose

Elsa would never have described her life as interesting. The entire continuum of her existence had been defined by preparation for an immaculate resume. In her wake were stunning report cards and vacant seats at the family dinner table, her absence satiated by the gossip of her assumed success. If it hadn't been for Anna forcefully tethering her to the Winter family, she might have drifted away completely.

Anna was always what their father called 'the good egg.' It wasn't that Elsa did anything bad. In fact, her behavior was always appropriate, unlike Anna who frequently failed at impulse control. He never meant to dismiss his eldest daughter, but while Anna was bringing home a fiancee and cutting her first deal with a recording studio, Elsa was downing Five Hour Energy shots in the dim on-call room at the back of the emergency ward in the hospital, praying silently that she would pass her exams.

Anna's success was tangible and near, while Elsa's estranged her from the ones she loved most.

Elsa always promised it would be better next year. And then the year after that. But as the pages of the calender were ripped away, her medical residency only demanded more and more time, slowly creating a rift that only Anna dared to traverse.

Perhaps, if she had held on more tightly to the ones she loved, she wouldn't be keeping the company of bones in a mausoleum, breathing the dust and ash of corpses.

It was perfect day for witchcraft. The sun was high in the noon sky and the color of golden luck. Although the clouds were no where to be seen, the air was nippy with the reminder that October was here. Red and yellow leaves as crisp as popped rice were beginning to flutter off of the branches with the slight of a hearty gust and pumpkins were appearing on stoops and porches across the city.

"Come on!" Anna called as she dragged her sister down the street, their hands locked together. "We're almost there!"

"Anna," Elsa smiled wryly, still trying to decide if she was flattered or embarrassed by her sister's enthusiasm. "You can slow down, we have all day."

Anna shook her head in disagreement. "Yes, I have all day with you, we have a full day planned and I'm not going to miss a minute! You got that?"

"Okay, okay, I hear you, but can we—oomph!" While pushing through the crowd on the street, Anna had dragged her sister smack into a pedestrian.

"Oh—I'm so sorry!" Elsa mumbled as she untangled herself from the man.

"No, no," he said as he offered Elsa his hand. "I'm the one who should be apologizing." When he caught her eye, she noticed that his were the color of cobalt and his smile beckoned trouble.

Elsa felt heat rising to her cheeks. It wasn't often that she was this close to someone of the opposite sex unless they were lying on a stretcher, her arms in their intimate business in the most nonsexual way possible.

"I ran into you though." She said softly.

"Technically," Anna grabbed her sister's arm and hoisted her to her feet. "I dragged you into him, so I'm the one that should be apologizing."

"Oh," the man put his arms on his hips and grinned. "In that case, you definitely should be sorry." He said sarcastically.

Anna laughed, waving her left hand playfully to show the band around her ring finger. She was about to say something else smart and quippy when an Asian kid that couldn't have been older than fourteen ran up to them. The navy hoodie he wore was much too big for his skinny body and the left knee of his jeans was ripped open. The classic chucks he wore were scuffed and the laces were shoved into the ankles instead of securely tied. He looked every bit a pauper, especially next to the man Elsa had run into.

"Are you—" The boy took a moment to take a few puffs of breath, his chest heaving from the run. "O—Okay?"

"Are you kidding?" The man smiled and gently knocked the boy in the shoulder. "I just ran into two pretty girls, couldn't be better."

Anna blushed and put her hands to her cheeks, but Elsa squinted. The boy's pauperish appearance wasn't the only thing that was odd about the pair. Next to his older companion, he looked completely out of place. Not just out of place, but out of era. While the boy look as though he had at least gone shopping in the last century, the man looked dated in a way that was too authentic to be a typical Hallow's Eve costume.

Underneath a heavy hooded cloak the color of his eyes he wore dark shirt that looked as though it had been made of torn cloth. On his hands he wore fingerless gloves made thickly to grip a weapon, presumably the one whose hilt was clipped to his leather belt. Whereas the kid at his side looked like his origin was the bottom of a dumpster, this man looked as though he had just escaped the cliché plot of a fairytale.

What Elsa couldn't decide was—if he were to be a prince—if he would be the charming prince or the antithesis of one.

But it didn't matter because it was weird that he was walking around in a costume in borad daylight two weeks before Halloween. Something was off.

Elsa took Anna's hand with her own. "Anna, I think it's time to leave." She flashed a dry smile at the stranger and his young friend. "Sorry we bumped into you. Have a good day."

"Elsa—" Anna nudged at her older sister but Elsa was insistent on continuing their walk.

"You wanted to show me that cafe with the chocolate croissants, remember?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Wait," The man took a few quick steps to catch up with them. "Miss, I think you dropped something." He addressed Elsa directly, who immediately checked for her purse around her body and then her phone in her pocket. Both were in their rightful places.

"No," She said. "I think I have everything."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Because I think this belongs to you." From beneath his cloak he produced a pristine white rose on the cusp of blooming. Curled around the stem was a strip of paper with an inscription.

"Oh, that's not mine." Elsa said quickly, trying once more to drag Anna away with her.

"Tsk, tsk, I think you're mistaken." He held it out to her again. "I think this rose could never belong to another."

Elsa held her breath for a moment. She could hear Anna giggle beside her at the spontaneous flattery her sister was receiving. It made her a little angry because this was the last thing she wanted to experience on her day off. But if it would make him go away...

"Fine." Elsa took the rose from the man. "Thank you, now have a good day."

With a smile, the man put his hood up and turned the corner with his friend. Elsa power walked with Anna in tow as fast she could down the block.

"Wow!" Anna had to almost skip to keep pace. "That was crazy."

"Yeah," Elsa agreed. "And not in the good way."

"Oh, Elsa, come on, he was totally flirting with you! How often does that happen at the hospital?"

Elsa scoffed. "More than you know, Anna!" Lies to shut her sister's mouth.

Anna shrugged. "Okay, well what do I know. But hey, what did he write on the rose?"

"Ugh," Elsa groaned. "Does it really matter?"

"Yes! Give it here?"

"Calm down, I'll read it." Holding up the Rose, Elsa unfurled the paper wrapped around the stem. Now that it was in her hands she could see the calligraphic words were written on aged parchment.

Anna was rocking up and down on her heels."What does it say, Elsa?"

"It says, for the most beautiful woman in the world."

"Aww!" Anna squeeled. "And he said it couldn't belong to any other woman! That's so romantic! It means he thinks you're the—"

"I know what it means, Anna." Elsa said irritably, interrupting her sister. "Let's just go to the cafe and forget about this, okay?"

"Okay, whatever you want, Grumpus."

As they started walking again, Elsa cast a wary glance over her shoulder for the man and his companion. As far as she could tell, no one was following them. Sighing, Elsa tucked the rose into her purse and then put her hands in her pockets, slowing her pace a little.

"Y'know," Anna said. "I did think his white hair was pretty cute." Elsa groaned loudly.

Elsa's heart was like a rabbit in brambles. Every beat hurt as she gulped in stale air saturated with dust that smelled of calcium and ammonia. Her fingers raked across the cement barrier inches above her face, searching for a weak point. When she lifted her elbows, they pressed against the sides of whatever box she was stuck inside,

"Hello!?" Elsa called. "Hello!? Can anyone hear me?" The only answer was silence as loud as fear. Elsa squeezed her eyes shut tightly. A hot tear rolled from each eye and fell into her tangled hair.

"Please," she whispered. Wrapping her arms around herself she squeezed, using her nails to pinch at the skin under her clothes. Maybe this was a dream and if she tried hard enough she would wake up shivering under the thin covers of her bed.

Just as she was about to let out another wail, the heavy lid to her containment began to grind open. Dim light spilled into the dark box and Elsa reached for it, feeling the semi-fresh air fill her lungs.

Grabbing the rim and sitting up, Elsa sputtered and coughed away the fresh dust the opening of the door had caused. When Elsa caught her wind, standing before her was a woman dressed in a shimmering ombre gown of turquoise and emerald silk. Falling from her shoulders was a glorious train of cool blue and green feathers that were at least a foot long each. Her brown hair was pulled tight and twisted in an ornate updo woven with sapphire-colored feathers. Floating in the air beside her were several wispy globes that emitted a soft golden light.

"So glad you're awake." She said.

"A-Awake?" Elsa was trying to remember where she had last been. She couldn't recall ever going to sleep, much less in a stone box. Dare she say coffin? Elsa looked past the woman at her surroundings. The vast windowless room was built of the same stone as the box she lay.. The light from the orbs illuminated the floor and the inch of dust that covered it. Spiders had cobbled their homes in the corners and she could hear water dripping somewhere.

Her heart began to pick up again. "Where am I?" Elsa said, her voice cracking like thin ice. Her eyes moved to the woman who smiled tenderly. "And who are you?"

"My name is Thiana. I'm your handmaid."

"My what?" Elsa said.

"You handmaid, princess."

"Oh, I'm not—I'm not a princess."

The woman frowned, touching her chin in speculation. "They... didn't tell you?"

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Tell me what, exactly?"

Thiana sighed. "Here, take my hand." She helped Elsa to step out of the box, which did look eerily like a coffin.

"Now, take that," she pointed to the white rose with the inscription, which had somehow woujd up at the bottom of the box. "And follow me."

Swallowing thickly, Elsa picked up the rose and followed Thiana when she gestured to do so. They walked out the only exit of the room, which lead them up several flights of steps. When they finally reached a corridor, it was as dank and deserted as her resting place had been. The walls were lined with stately portraits of men and women she had never heard of in a history book.

"Excuse me, Thiana, right?"

Thiana smiled and nodded. "Yes, princess?"

Elsa shook her head, choosing to ignore the title for now. "Where are we? And why are these people here?" She gestured to the pictures.

"Oh, them. We can talk about them later. As for where we are, this is The Gate."

"The Gate?"

Thiana nodded. "It's the entrance to the city."

Elsa's mood immediately picked up. If they were in a city that meant there were people and that meant she could get help, possibly the medical attention she seemed to need. "Which city?"

"Valhalla, of course."

"Valhalla?" Elsa shook her head. "That sounds... not like English. Where is—"

"There she is!" A voice with a Scottish accent as thick and rich as butter cut their conversation short. Storming around the corner was a woman with a massive head of unruly red curls and a determined pout on her face. Tailing her were two men in identical navy blue uniforms. "Come on you," she said as she grabbed Elsa's wrist and began dragging her down a different hall.

"Wait!" Elsa tried to free herself but the woman had a firm hold on her wrist. "I need to use a phone! I need to call my sister! We were going to get chocolate croissants—"

"There are more important matters, lass."

"I think you have the wrong person—"

"Merida," Thiana said as she loped down the hall after them, skirts in her hands. "Wait! Maybe explain to her what's—"

"Thiana, shush!" Merida snatched the white rose that Elsa had in her hand and held it up for her to observe. "See this one, dear girl? This one right here means you are the right and proper one. Now, come along."

Merida hurried Elsa up another staircase and into a room that was thankfully brighter than the halls. The stone floor was covered in an ornate robin blue rug that depicted white unicorns in the snow decorated with holly berries. A canopy bed on the far wall was dressed in silks of the same color. Collected against the walls of the room were a wardrobe, a standing mirror, and a vanity. An eight year old with a princes obsession might wish for this décor.

"Come, come," Merida was snapping her fingers. "We haven't all day. Sit, sit, sit." She pulled the chair from the vanity and eased Elsa into it. Immediately, she pulled the tie from Elsa's hair and began ripping her fingers through the braid.

"Hey!" Elsa swatted her hands away. "What are you doing?"

Thiana was suddenly beside them, a flowing dress the color of the sea in her hands. "We have to get you dressed, dear."

"Dressed? For what?"

"The public announcement of your engagement to the king, now hold—"

"My what!?" Elsa sat up so quickly the chair toppled over. "I'm not engaged to anyone! This is ridiculous!"

"Elsa, please—" Thiana put a hand on Elsa's shoulder but she slapped away.

"Don't you dare touch me!"

Thiana tried again to reach out to Elsa, but the latter bolted for the door. Leaping out of reach of the guards at the threshold, Elsa ran as quickly as she could down the stairs. She reached the end of the staircase, heart hammering. She had to find an exit and get out of this place. But where was the exit? Thiana hadn't shown her or even hinted. The only path she knew was back to the crypt. Elsa shuddered, not favoring returning there.

Why had she been there in the first place? The last thing Elsa remembered, she was walking down the street with Anna, and then—

"Elsa! Wait!"

They were coming. Choosing a hall at random, she ran for it. Elsa turned to look over her shoulder for a moment and barreled hard into someone, her arms and legs locking with his as they sprawled to the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Elsa pulled herself halfway up to see the person beneath her. Hair as white as snow and eyes a serious cobalt blue with a half-smirk on his face. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. "You."

Sliding nimbly out from underneath her, he grabbed Elsa by the elbow and pulled her to her feet. "Yeah, me." He said.

"It's your fault I'm here!" She spat.

One of the guards beside the man wrapped the butt of his spear against the stone floor. "Don't speak to your king that way!"

"King?" Elsa's eyes darted from the guard back to the supposed royalty, who was still holding her elbow. "You're the king?"

He nodded slowly, slipping his finger under her chin and tilting it upwards. "Yes, my bride, it's me, Jack Frost, King of Valhalla."

A/N: 'Thiana' is the Tooth Fairy that we all know and love from RotG. I've noticed many people calling her Toothiana and I decided to just use the last half of that because not only is it pretty, but I like it and it seems to fit better with this particular fic. That aside, given the nature of the other story I am working on (The Wings) this is a lot more on the dark 'n shady side. Good fun to be had. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! :3 -Kay