"So, what should I do with this clown, Princess?" Kristoff scowled as he threw the man in front of Anna's horse.
"Wha?" Anna rubbed her eyes as she looked down, squinting. "I'm awake! Who said I wasn't? What's happening?"
"This guy robbed you while you were asleep," Kristoff glared daggers at the man, holding a bag of gold up and handing it to Anna. "He didn't get very far though."
The thief grunted as he hit the ground, and picked himself up before dusting off his brown pants. "I have a name, alright? It's Rider. Flynn Rider." He bowed and smiled up at Anna, who was sitting on her horse, unimpressed. "Hi. How's it going?"
"Flynn Rider, my knight here says he caught you stealing from me. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Anna crossed her arms, a frown on her face.
"Not really," Flynn grinned, his white teeth glinting in the afternoon sun. "I wasn't expecting to get caught, to be totally honest. You were pretty knocked out."
"Okay, I guess you're going to thief jail. I mean regular jail." Anna sighed, "We're in the Enchanted Forest, so we'd turn him over to Snow White, or Aurora, right?" Anna turned to Kristoff, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"That's fine with me," Flynn said happily as he winked at Anna, "I can handle princesses. I've got the smolder."
"I… don't know what you're referencing. Please stop winking at me." Anna stuck her tongue out at Flynn as Kristoff put a hand to his forehead.
"Actually, the current Queen of the Forest is Maleficent, so we'd be giving him over to her guardsmen," Kristoff explained patiently.
"O-oh yeah, of course! I knew that! Okay, Flynn Rider, how does that sound?" Anna asked as she looked down at the thief, who had gone white as soon as he heard Maleficent's name.
"That is… less fine with me," Flynn said, his voice quavering a bit. "Isn't she known for forcing people she doesn't like to eat poison apples?"
"I think you're confusing her with someone else," Kristoff said, hoisting the thief up by his collar, "But she's still pretty nasty. She'll probably set you on fire or something."
"Aw, what? I don't want that to happen!" Anna said quickly, concern in her voice.
"Yeah, listen to the lady! She doesn't want that to happen!" Flynn pleaded to Kristoff, who only frowned.
"Well, we can't take him with us all the way to Atlantis," Kristoff reasoned, "And I don't think we should let him walk off scot-free. He did rob you, after all. I could always punch him in the face a bit." He glared at Flynn.
"Not the face!" Flynn exclaimed, looking up at Anna.
Anna crinkled her nose as she pondered the dilemma. What would Elsa do? Probably something really smart and fair.
"Hmm… isn't Corona east of here?" Anna asked, looking at Kristoff, who nodded.
"Okay, here's the deal," Anna explained as she hopped off her horse and met Flynn's gaze. "My cousin Rapunzel is the Princess of Corona, which is, like, a day's journey east of the Forest. So I want you to go to her castle, introduce yourself, and tell her what you did. She'll come up with a fair punishment for you."
"What?" Kristoff and Flynn both asked incredulously, looking at Anna.
"Do you think you can do that, Flynn Rider?" Anna asked, as Flynn nodded his head enthusiastically.
"Oh yeah, definitely," Flynn flashed a winning smile. "I'll head over there as fast as my feet can carry me. Quick question, does this Rapunzel have any treasure in her castle, by any chance?"
"Tons," Anna smiled, "And she's almost as trusting as I am."
Flynn's eyes lit up and he looked at Kristoff, who sighed and let him go. Flynn quickly bowed to Anna as she clumsily clambered back onto her horse, and he stepped out of her horse's way, letting them pass. "Safe travels, Princess! Thanks again for not sending me to my death!"
"No problem! Try to stay out of trouble, okay?" Anna gave a little wave as Flynn darted out of sight, leaving her and Kristoff alone on the main forest path.
"Anna- I mean, Princess-"
"Queen Elsa's not here, Kristoff. You can just call me Anna." Anna whistled as they rode along.
"Do you really think it was smart to just let that guy go? Even if he does go to Corona, which he probably won't, he's just going to try to rob your cousin."
"Do you know something? I'm not so sure," Anna said thoughtfully. "He didn't really seem like such a bad guy. Have a little faith, Kristoff. Sometimes, people surprise you. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Rapunzel is a tough cookie. If Flynn Rider couldn't rob us, he definitely won't be able to rob HER."
"I hope you're right," Kristoff muttered as he rode ahead.
"I'm always right," Anna puffed out her chest confidently, "Now, how long is it until we get to Atlantis? Do you think I could take a quick nap?"
Back in the throne room of Arendelle, blue eyes flitted nervously back and forth over a large map.
It surprised many people to hear that Elsa had never left the castle. As the heir to Arendelle, her parents had made sure to keep her safely in the castle for most of her life. They were right to do so, Elsa thought to herself. The world can be a scary place.
And she had sent Anna out there, almost completely alone. Why had she done that? Her finger traced nervously from Arendelle at the bottom of the map north to the Enchanted Forest. To travel almost anywhere, passage through the Forest was necessary. It was just too big a kingdom to go around. But Maleficent wouldn't bother a couple of travelers from Arendelle, right? And if Triton had something to tell Anna about the shipwreck-
"Queen Elsa, could I have a word with you?"
Elsa almost let out an annoyed groan as she turned to face the Duke of Weselton, but she stopped herself. "Is it very important? I was hoping to rest a bit before the council meetings later, and-"
"Ah, well, it's about the council meetings," the Duke explained, "You see, I've talked to some of the other noblemen, and it seems you are going to be presented with a difficult choice today."
"Am I?" Elsa ran a hand impatiently through her wavy blond hair. "There have been too many of those lately. What is this regarding?"
"Marriage, Queen Elsa."
"Marriage!" Elsa exclaimed, her eyes widening.
"You see, with Maleficent threatening to invade the other kingdoms, they believe that Arendelle could do with an alliance or two. And since Anna is no longer available-"
"Careful, Duke," Elsa's eyes narrowed. "I may not agree with Anna's hasty betrothal-
"And hastier marriage-" the Duke chimed in.
"…but she is my sister and I fully support her."
"I'm only saying Princess Anna could have had any prince in any kingdom," the Duke explained delicately, "But she chose a lord of an island that Arendelle already controls. Now we need other allies, and you are the only sister left eligible to marry the king."
"Excuse me?" Elsa asked, "Which king?"
"The council will suggest you travel to the Pride Lands and meet King Simba, my Queen."
"I have no interest in King Simba," Elsa said quickly. "Or any other king, for that matter."
"The council knows about your preferences, my Queen," the Duke said, "And while you know Arendelle has no law against you marrying any princess or queen you desire, many of the Old Kingdoms are a bit more traditional. The council will urge you to consider Simba. I just wanted to warn you so they wouldn't take you by surprise."
Elsa raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why are you telling me this? What do you stand to gain?"
"The trust of the Queen?" The Duke asked hopefully.
"I don't trust anyone." Elsa looked out the window. Except for Anna, she thought with a pang of regret.
"A wise policy," the Duke admitted with a laugh. "If you want me to be honest with you, I will. I was always very fond of your parents, but they always kept me at arm's length. Watch out for the Weasel, their advisors told them. He can't be trusted, they said."
Elsa was taken aback by the openness of the Duke, and she gave him a small smile. "And were their advisors right about you?"
The Duke shrugged. "Ah, well… I guess time will tell." He bowed and walked out, leaving the young queen alone with her thoughts once again. She couldn't help but look at the map, a worried look on her face. Where was Anna now? Had she made it to Atlantis? Was she safe? Please, Elsa thought to herself, be safe, Anna, you clumsy, beautiful princess…
"Anna, wake up," Kristoff gently nudged the sleeping rider.
"Mmm, what?" Anna's eyes flickered open, as she looked around. Night had fallen, and the horses were trotting leisurely up a hill. "What is it? Are we being robbed again?"
"No, princess," Kristoff laughed, "We're here."
As he spoke, the horses made it to the top of the hill, and Anna gasped. In the distance, the bright lights of tall spires shone through the darkness. The large ocean behind the city stretched out across the horizon. "Atlantis," Anna murmured as she and Kristoff rode, "It's so beautiful." She took a deep breath and tasted the salty air. "I've never traveled this far before."
"Really?" Kristoff couldn't hide the surprise in his expression. "I thought you loved adventure."
"I do!" Anna exclaimed happily, "But Elsa was never allowed out of the castle. And I didn't want Elsa to feel jealous of me or something. So even though I traveled around Arendelle, I never actually left the kingdom. I don't mind, though, really. I was happy to stay close to her." Anna's smile fell a bit. "Even though she sent me away the first chance she got… but it's okay, because this might be really important!" Anna looked at Kristoff. "Triton wouldn't have asked for us to come if it wasn't, right?"
Kristoff nodded. "I guess we'll find out tonight."
Anna and Kristoff were surprised to see the gates opening as they approached, and a white horse galloped into view. The girl atop the horse was definitely younger than Anna, probably somewhere in her teenage years, if Anna had to guess. The girl's bright red hair bounced on her shoulders as she rode in front of Kristoff and Anna.
"Welcome, Princess Anna of Arendelle," the girl said happily, "My father the King asked me to come meet you. I'm Ariel, the Seventh Princess of Atlantis."