Once Upon a December

Chapter 32

Hey, guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter and happy reading!

"Ah! Traveling in style!" North said jubilantly. "How I've missed this!"

After the whole pug incident, the group had taken to finding a rental car. After a series of meetings with different car rental shops, they had successfully managed to find a grand open car that was within their budget and were now on their way to Primrose's summer house.

"North! Slow down!" Jack yelled over the groaning of the car. "You're going too fast! Keep driving recklessly like this and we'll all get killed!"

North laughed ecstatically. "Oh, don't be such a bore, Jack! Have some fun and enjoy the ride!"

Up front, Olaf transitioned between flapping his tongue in the wind and covering his eyes when North was having a bit too much fun with his driving.

In the back, Jack and Elsa were enjoying the view of the beautiful Corona countryside. But despite the lovely scenes flying by them, Jack noted the way Elsa would wring her hands nervously and bite her lip.

"Nervous?" Jack asked.

Elsa turned and found him smiling gently at her. She blushed sheepishly. "Is it that obvious?"

He grinned. "A bit."

Elsa gave a weak smile then sighed. "It's just that... What if this doesn't work? If I can't convince Annalise, who is supposedly my sister, then I'll never be able to see Primrose."

"You'll convince her," Jack said with a conviction that Elsa had never heard from him before. "You have all the qualities of a princess. You're poised and strong, and to not to mention beautiful..." his face went a bit red at this. "...even if you forget a couple of dates and family names, which, I highly doubt you will because you're scarily good at memorizing - she'll know. She could pick you out from a million other girls with the same features. I'm sure of it."

Elsa smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Jack. Because of you and North, I have all of the confidence I need. These past few weeks have been a joy to learn from you both, and..." she took his hand softly and looked down. "I hope we can continue to see each other after all of this."

Jack squeezed her hand and gave her a smile that was full of warmth, compassion, understanding, and something else Elsa couldn't quite place. "I'll make sure we do," he said.

"We are here!"

North parked their car directly in front of the beautiful white house. Elsa couldn't help but gape at the property. The grass was a bright green, the epitome of spring, blood red roses trailed up and down near the windows, a willow tree with a swing was planted just so so that a person could take read a book and take an afternoon nap in comfort.

Jack gently bumped her shoulder with his, shaking her out of her wonder. "Come on," he grinned. "They're waiting for you." He helped her down the car as North strode up to the front door. Elsa could feel her heart pounding and her hands shaking as North knocked and they waited.

Immediately, the door opened, revealing a young, slender girl who looked to be about fifteen. Her rosy cheeks complemented her strawberry-blonde hair, which was currently styled into two braids. The dusting of freckles on her face gave her more of an innocent, child-like look.

The girl's turquoise blue eyes brightened at the sight of them. "North!" she squealed, jumping up and down in place before giving the older man a huge bear hug. "Oh, it's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Far too long, Annalise," North chuckled, patting her gently on the back. Elsa was taken by surprise.

So this is Princess Annalise? she thought, looking more closely at the girl. This is my sister?

"You've grown so big that I hardly even recognized you when you opened the door!" North laughed, gesturing to her as a whole.

"Well? What can I say?" Annalise grinned, shrugging. "Ten years is a long time for a girl like me to change."

North smiled lovingly at her. "It seems like only yesterday that I was playing Teacher and Student with you.

"Now," he cleared his throat, "about why we're here... May I present to you, her Royal Highness, Princess Elisabeth!" He gestured grandly to Elsa, who was standing modestly to the side.

She smiled shyly at the younger girl and bowed her head in respect. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Higness."

Annalise squealed again, apparently all formality going out the window. She rushed to Elsa and gave her a hug just like she gave to North. "Oh my gosh!" she said. "You look exactly like my sister! Well, that's probably why you're here in the first place, to see if you're really my sister. Also, wow! You even have the hair down to a heartbeat! Most of the girls had a hard time getting this hair color. They tried, but, you know. Is this your natural hair color or did you get it done? And those freckles! Man, it's been so long since we've seen an Elisabeth around here!"

With that, Annalise ran into the house, waving wildly for them to come in. Elsa looked at Jack, a confused look on her face. "What exactly did she mean by that last comment?" she asked.

Jack shrugged and made a little "she's slightly crazy" signal. "Princess Annalise has a reputation for being a bit... Oh, how should I say this nicely... Ditzy."

"Come on! Come on!" Annalise called. "Let's get this interview started!"

Elsa laughed softly at the princess' enthusiasm. She had to admit, her energy was quite infectious.

If she's the sister who's been waiting for me for the past ten years, Elsa thought to herself, smiling at Annalise, then I can't wait to get to know her better.