"Anna, dear! Prince Hans is here!"
Anna perked at the mention of Hans. He's here! Getting off the chair she was standing on, Anna rushed out of her bedroom and towards the front door where Hans was waiting.
"Your Highness," he bowed as Anna made her way down the steps.
"Please, Prince Hans. Just call me Anna."
"Then you may drop the 'Prince', Anna."
"Of course, Hans," Anna chuckled as she stopped right in front of the man. As usual, her mother already left, mostly to give her daughter some...privacy.
"Um...if I may ask, why are you dressed like...that?"
Anna turned to look at Hans, then looked back down at her own clothes. She was wearing her breeches.
"Oh...I just...I thought it'd be nice if we could go riding today. It's been a while since I last rode a horse and I could use the exercise," she said, putting on the best smile she could. "Would you care to join me?"
"It would be my pleasure," Hans said, curling his arm for Anna to take as he led them towards the stables.
Despite the smile he puts on, Anna could tell that he didn't really like horses. Or to be more exact, Hans seemed to be the kind of man who only saw horses as dull creatures rather than the majestic beasts they truly are.
I'm sure I can still manage to like him...
Anna got on a brown thoroughbred, which, while not the largest horse in the stables, was definitely one of the fastest.
Without giving Hans much of a heads up, Anna sped past him, shouting "Race ya!" as she led her horse through the field behind her estate. Hans, naturally, followed behind but Anna could see his horse had trouble catching up. What Anna didn't see, was a certain platinum blonde standing by the estate, with full view of Anna's race with Hans. What Anna most certainly didn't see, was the twitch in Elsa's fingers as Hans desperately tried to catch up with the redhead. What Anna did see, or rather, heard was Hans screaming for dear life.
Bringing her horse to a sudden stop, Anna quickly turned the creature around to see what happened. If Hans had fallen off his horse, he'd be in better condition than he is now. While the man was definitely no longer on the horse's back, he was certainly not entirely on the ground either. One foot was stuck in the stirrup, while the other pointed upwards into the air. Hans was dangling dangerously off the side of his horse; he curled into himself, in an attempt to climb up his own leg to return to his saddle. Every attempt to get up was failing miserably, and to top it off, his horse seemed unaware of his master's danger. Instead, the creature continued to run in a frenzy, dragging Hans across the ground, with highly unpleasant effects judging by the man's screams for help and his mother.
Anna quickly pulled herself above her shock and sped towards the the other horse, making a large loop around so she was riding side by side with the frenzied creature. Leaning over, Anna took hold of the horse's reins and with all her might, pulled on the reins of both horses, effectively bringing them to a complete stop. Anna dismounted and inspected the prince's horse, hoping to find whatever it is that sent the creature into its crazed madness. She noticed several scars on the horse, either from battle or from harsh treatment. Hopefully it was the former. The right stirrup was missing; the leather above the missing stirrup was torn. Slowly, she walked to the other side to see if Hans was okay. His head, along with his shoulders, were on the ground and there were several cuts on his face. Somehow, she couldn't feel sorry for him, as much as she wanted to.
"My apologies, Anna. I don't know what got into the damned creature, running like that..."
"It's okay," she replied, tempted to simply burst out laughing at the sight of the man, but managed to hide her amusement behind her hands and a small giggle. "Let's head back to the stables so Kristoff can get you a proper saddle, and hopefully figure out what happened to your horse."
"Kristoff?"
"A stable boy...at least that's what he's hired to be. He has a way with animals though and he's really good at taking care of them," Anna chirped before finally helping Hans out of the stirrup his foot was still in.
"Thank you," he said as he scrambled to his feet, eyes on the ground and face red with embarrassment. With a swipe of her hands, she handed him the reins to his horse before taking her own in her hands, leading them back towards the stables.
"So...I guess this makes one of the most embarrassing moments for you, huh?" Anna asked, still trying not to laugh. Han's face made it hard, with all the dirt that was now plastered over his face. The grass that stuck out of his hair made him look a bit like Kristoff; no one would've guessed he was a prince if they saw him now.
"I don't mind embarrassing, so long as I get to share it with you," Hans replied, giving Anna one of his oh-so-charming smiles before looking forward, leaving Anna to look down at the ground again with her face glowing with a blush.
"Anna!"
The redhead looked up to see Kristoff, waving at her from the stables with a massive reindeer behind him.
"Reindeer?" Hans asked, one brow raised at the sight.
"Yeah. Kristoff's best friend, Sven. Wouldn't leave Kristoff's side when they first came here. Seeing as Kristoff's really good with the horses, we figured it wouldn't hurt to let him keep Sven around," Anna replied, laughing as she remembered the nights when she'd sneak to the stables to listen to Kristoff talk to the reindeer, inserting dialogue for the creature.
"Hey Kristoff," Anna greeted as they came closer to the stables. "Hello, Sven."
Kristoff took the reins from Anna's hands and led her horse inside while Anna scratched the top of Sven's head, earning a delightful sound from the reindeer. She never did figure out how Sven did it. Despite being a reindeer, he was faster than the horses and could run for much longer. She had wanted to enter Sven into some of the smaller horse races in the capital but every time her parents managed to stop her, claiming horse races are for horses, not reindeer.
Eventually, the blonde stableboy came back and took Hans' reins as well. "Kristoff."
"Yes, your highness?"
"Can you get Hans another saddle? His broke while riding. Also give the horse a checkup please. He went a little cray cray earlier."
"Yeah, I saw that. Wasn't hard to miss, with the screams for help and mom."
"Kristoff, be nice." Anna slapped the blonde across his forearm, just before he pulled her aside and whispered.
"Anna, I don't like him. He's not a good guy."
"And you'd know because?"
"Gut feelings." Kristoff stood tall at his own statement, chest puffed out in pride.
"Pft. Then I believe your gut feelings are wrong. Hans is a great guy," Anna retorted, folding her arms and defense.
"Anna you hardly know him."
"Yes I do!"
"Oh yeah? What's his last name?"
Anna shook her head at the question. What could be more obvious?
"Of-the-Southern-Isles?"
"Favorite food?"
"Sandwiches."
"Best friend's name?"
"Probably John."
"Eye color?"
"Dreamy."
"Foot size?"
"Foot size doesn't matter."
"Have you-"
"Ahem!"
Kristoff and Anna turned to look at Hans.
"Excuse me, but, I'd really like to go inside and change out of these...clothes," Hans said, shooting Anna another one of his charming smiles, leaving Anna to swoon inside.
"Of course! Kristoff, go do your job."
"As you command, your highness."
Anna led Hans back inside the estate as Kristoff went to fetch a new saddle for Hans's horse.
Once inside, Anna called for a servant nearby to direct Hans to one of the guest chambers, and fetch him some clean clothes. While the prince went with the servant, Anna wandered through the building to see if her mother was still around. She wanted to ask if Hans could stay for dinner. Luckily, her mother's voice ringing through the halls leading to the courtyard told her exactly where to go.
"Hey, mother, can Hans-" Anna's voice died as platinum blonde hair came into view. Instead of the usual bun or braid they're in, those beautiful locks were flowing freely down across slender shoulders. Slowly, the woman before her turned to look her in the eye; teal met blue and Anna could only stare idiotically at the beauty before her known as Elsa.
"Hello, Anna."
The redhead could never get enough of that voice. It was angelic. Slowly, she let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"H-hi Elsa..."
"Do you need something?"
Anna turned her attention back to her mother, trying to remember what she had came for. "Oh, yeah! Can Hans stay for dinner? He kind of fell off his horse while riding. One of the servants is getting him fresh clothes and it's getting late, so I figured it'd be a good idea if he stayed for dinner before he went home."
"Of course he can stay, dear. In fact, why don't you invite him to stay for the night?"
Anna and Elsa both turned and stared at the queen in surprise. "M-Mother! That's hardly appropriate! I mean...we just met!"
"But from what I hear, you've already claimed to know him quite well," the queen replied, not looking at her daughter but rather at the roses in the bush nearby.
Anna's face grew hotter by the second. Was she eavesdropping on me and Kristoff? Then again, I wouldn't put it past her...
"Your majesty, your highness," a charming voice called from behind. Hans.
Anna turned around immediately, a smile beaming on her face but unfortunately it did nothing to hide her blush.
"Hey, um...do you...may you...would you like to stay for dinner?" Anna asked, trying to look away from the charming face in front of her.
"I'd love to, your highness," Hans replied, giving her another smile that sent her swooning once again.
"Prince Hans," the queen called. "It will be pretty late by the end of dinner and I believe you are in no condition to ride back to your estate. From what I've heard, you've had quite the fall from your horse. Please, stay the night. I insist."
Anna turned to glare at her mother, who remained unfazed. Is that...a smirk?
Anna swallowed, then turned to Elsa, only to regret looking at the blonde. Ice cold eyes glared at the prince, and despite the neutral face she put on, Anna could tell the blonde is pissed. Beyond pissed, actually. Anna had never seen her look so coldly at anyone. Sure, she's given the cold shoulder to a lot of people, but never had her eyes gone so cold to the point they seemed to burn, like they did now.
"Elsa!" The blonde turned to look at the redhead, her eyes softening almost immediately.
"Yes?"
"Um...would you like to stay for dinner as well? Like mother said, it's getting pretty late and we still have a lot to catch up on. I mean, only if you want to, I don't want to force you to stay for dinner or anything. Of course, I'd love it if you did, and even more if you'd stay the night. Are you staying the night? It's getting dark and I don't want you to go back when it's so dark out. Again, I don't want to force you or anything but I'd love it if you'd stay-"
"Anna."
The redhead turned to face her mother.
"You're rambling," the queen said, her face clearly not amused.
"I didn't know you ramble," Hans remarked, one eyebrow raised.
"I...I don't...it's an old habit...thought it was gone by now, but then again, old habits die hard, you know. I thought I was doing such a good job too, I mean I haven't rambled in a long, long while now and I honestly didn't expect myself to ramble now of all times and-" Anna brought a hand to her mouth, sealing it shut. "I'm rambling again, aren't I?" she muttered, trying not to look at her mother. Her parents had spent so much time trying to groom her into the perfect lady. Sure, it took years but they did succeed...or at least Anna thought they did. Until now.
"I'd love to stay for dinner and the night, Anna," Elsa said, her eyes now so soft and beautiful Anna felt like she could get lost in them for good.
"Well, if that's the case, then let's get Prince Hans and Princess Elsa settled into the guest rooms. Anna, you should change as well into something more...appropriate for dinner," the queen said as she got up, leaving the three royals in the courtyard in an awkward silence.
"So...let's go?" Anna was the first to speak, trying to ignore the glares Elsa was throwing at Hans, who spent the entire time ignoring the other princess and smiling at Anna.
Silently, Anna led them to their respective guest rooms before going to her own room to change out of her breeches.
A/N: Okay so I'm sorry if this came out a bit too late for your liking, but I'll make it up to you, promise. Also, a bit late to ask, maybe, but should I change the rating from T to M? I want to keep it light and fluffy but I kind of want to heat it up (romance wise) for you wonderful readers.
Also, S/O to Jahaira for giving me the idea of throwing Hans off the horse. Is it because of Elsa, or is it because we all dislike him so much? I wonder. At least he didn't fall into horse dung as Jahaira suggested. I don't want to ruin him that much just yet.
Also, I'm getting a brand new computer next week so my next update might be a bit slow as well, cuz I'd be...well, busy ogling my new computer lol~ Whoever says computers aren't sexy clearly haven't seen the one I bought.
Anyways, keep the reviews coming cuz I'm loving each and every one of them. I think Anna is rubbing off on me, lol. I'm beginning to ramble. Happy reading, my dear lovelies and I will (hopefully) update soon.
