Though he was by no means royalty, he sat on his sled as if though it were the highest throne. When Hans had seen him in the castle, he had stood relaxed, the end of a carrot sticking out of his mouth like a cigar. In his hands had been a stack of paper, which he had absently scanned over.
Kristoff patted the space next to him. "I got it cleaned last week, so there's nothing to worry about."
Hans merely sat down and placed his gloved hands in his laps. "When will you be expecting your payment?" He placed a hand in his pocket, feeling the large bundle of paper bills that he had been given. His father had demanded that he make sure nothing happen to the money, and it got to the ice man safely.
Hans closed his eyes, feeling snowflakes land on his eyelids, cheeks, and nose. Back home in the Southern Isles, the land was having the biggest heat wave in history. Many were struggling to grow crops, and everyone, the palace included, was struggling to get water. His father had given him his instructions while sweat covered near every inch of his face, neck, and arms. His shirt had been all but soaked through.
In a way, he was lucky for being chosen to pick up the ice. Not only did he get to leave the heat wave behind, but he got to get his own share of the ice. That was his payment, besides a future stack of large bills for himself only.
"Oh, I can wait until we are done," Kristoff said. "We don't have banks up in the mountain, do we, Sven?"
His reindeer grunted.
"I hope you don't mind," Kristoff said, "but I haven't cut the ice yet. We'll be up there for a couple hours, maybe even a few days depending on how much ice that you need. Is that fine with you?" He gave a weak smile, though his eyes left the prince.
"Oh, don't worry, it will be just fine." Hans could see his breath. "I'm sure that my father and brothers can wait a little longer."
"Good," Kristoff said. "Okay, Sven, let's get moving."
The reindeer took off, and from the corner of his eye, Hans watched the kingdom of Arrandell vanish.
His eyes wondered over to the ice man. He was certainly easy on the eyes, with his hard muscles and bright eyes. Though he wore a knit grey hat, bits of blond hair could still be seen peeking out.
The Southern Isles could endure the heat for just a little while longer.