Kristoff was exhausted.
It wasn't from being Arendelle's Chief Ice Supplier, or whatever the full title Elsa had given him was. While it was a lot of work to make sure all the ice was delivered to whoever needed it, he hadn't had much trouble with that after the first year. It didn't take a great deal of trouble to hire most of the ice cutters who had worked with him before – though some refused as a matter of pride – and soon he had a fairly efficient system set up, which he was quite proud of. The physical labor wasn't hard at all, or at least, it was no harder than it had been for most of his life. His sleigh carried the ice easily, and Sven was as strong as ever, though he was starting to show his age. Kristoff had taken to breaking in new reindeer, a pair of females he called Aina and Hedda. They were a sweet pair, but he was careful to only work with them when Sven wasn't around. Sometimes he thought the old reindeer might get jealous.
It wasn't from being Anna's betrothed, either. It could hardly be, since despite her eagerness and excitability, they had decided to take their time with the relationship. It had taken over a year for Anna to ask whether they might want to someday be married, and since she had told him to take his time with his response, he had spent a week up by a frozen lake, thinking it over. When he did return to say he would be thrilled to marry her, she had flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. Elsa had given them her blessing, but she had said the wedding might take some time to plan. She must have seen the look of surprise on his face, for she added that it wasn't anything to do with grandeur but simply that it was rather unprecedented for someone of common blood to marry a princess, even a princess who was second in line for the throne. It would take time to arrange everything, and since Elsa wasn't about to threaten unleashing her ice magic on anyone who disagreed, Kristoff decided it would be for the best to get everything done properly. It was nice to be in Arendelle and know that he wouldn't have a great many responsibilities laid on his shoulders.
What had him exhausted was the combination of being the Chief Ice Supplier and the betrothed to the princess. He was expected to appear at court functions, or as many as he could be available for, and the clothes he had to wear were the most uncomfortable things he had ever felt. Anna assured him he would get used to them, but since he arranged to be out handling the ice business whenever there was some kind of court function, he hadn't had much time to feel like the clothes belonged on him.
Still, he had to admit he looked good, especially in the dark greens that Anna chose especially for him. Her color was green, and the citizens of Arendelle seemed to agree. Many of them called her the Summer Princess, in contrast to her sister the Winter Queen. Kristoff supposed that would make him the Summer Prince, once they were married. There were whispers of who would become the Winter King, but many of those fell silent when the speakers remembered what had happened the last time someone of royal blood had tried to marry into the royal house of Arendelle. The citizens still hadn't forgiven Prince Hans, and there was still animosity against the Southern Isles as a whole, even though King Hjalmar insisted his brother had been properly punished.
That animosity was why Kristoff found himself dressed in a crisp set of dark green clothes. The Southern Isles still hadn't been able to send an ambassador who would meet Elsa's rigorous standards, and most of them fled after a week for fear they would bring on an eternal winter. A new hopeful had arrived just two days ago, and today was his official announcement to the court. There were already bets as to how long he would last. The most hopeful gave him twenty-five days; Kristoff thought he wouldn't last three.
Someone knocked at his door and he turned, halfway through figuring out all the tiny buttons on his shirt. He had dismissed his servant, saying he could dress himself, but now he thought he could use someone with tiny fingers to help him finish the buttons. "Come in," he called, secretly hoping it would be Anna. They had precious little time alone together, and he almost wished something would happen to send them out into the mountains together.
The door opened, and Kristoff's heart sank a little. It wasn't Anna, nor was it a servant with nimble fingers. It was Olaf, and while he was fond of the little snowman, he had been hoping for someone whose knowledge of buttons extended past the kind made of snow. "Hello!" the snowman said, and Kristoff couldn't help smiling, even though the snow cloud that followed Olaf everywhere would leave damp spots on the carpet. "Are you ready to meet the ambassador?"
"Nearly," he said, fumbling with the buttons again. He managed to fit another into the correct hole. "Why do they have to make these buttons so small?"
"Hey, those are pretty small," Olaf said, peering up. "Or maybe your fingers are just pretty big. Why didn't you have a servant help you with those? Anna has someone to lace up her corset."
"I thought I could dress myself on my own," Kristoff said. With a groan, he pulled on the coat. Perhaps if he closed that, no one would notice that he hadn't managed to handle his buttons. "I'll get a servant to help me next time."
"Are you ready now?" Olaf asked, turning and walking to the door. "Everyone's waiting for you."
"What?" Kristoff hastily buttoned the coat shut and sprinted for the door, not bothering to close it. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"
"It didn't seem important. Oh, how long do you think this one will last? I think… almost three weeks. He seems nice."
Kristoff didn't answer but raced through the halls, stopping only once he had reached the hall Elsa used to hear petitions and greet dignitaries. Fortunately for him, there was a side door, and he was able to slip in largely unnoticed and work his way through the back of the crowd to Anna's side. At least, he thought he was unnoticed. With each step, he grew more and more certain that every eye was on him and that people had been muttering about how late their Summer Prince was.
Anna had certainly noticed he was late. As he drew closer to her, she whispered, "What took you so long?"
"I had trouble with the buttons," he whispered back.
"Just get a servant to deal with it," she hissed. "And be glad Elsa's been working on being patient. You wouldn't have wanted to be late before… well, you know." She grimaced, and Kristoff glanced up at Elsa. She looked as regal and imperturbable as ever, but he didn't want to anger her. Though she had been cheerful, there were also days when she would lock herself away and see no one.
"Right," he muttered before glancing out at the hall. There were the usual guards, and standing right in the center was a beady-eyed man with black hair and very dark skin. He was tall and broad-chested, and his face was open and peaceful. Olaf had been right; he did seem nice. "He doesn't look like he's from the Southern Isles," he murmured to Anna.
"Not all of them are pale and red-haired," Anna whispered. "How long do you think he'll last? I give him two weeks, if he's lucky."
Kristoff sighed and fidgeted. The sooner this man had finished being announced, the sooner he could change into comfortable clothes, and maybe there would be time for him to slip out into the gardens with Anna. His ice business was at its busiest for the year, and he rarely had even an hour for himself.
The dark-skinned man went down on one knee. "Your Grace," he said, "my name is Anders Robertsen, ambassador to Arendelle from the Southern Isles. It is an honor to be presented before your court."
"It is an honor to have you here," Elsa said. "Why were you, among your people, chosen to be the ambassador to Arendelle?"
"Because I have given your people no reason to be angry with me," he said. "I come from a small family, one that is unconnected with the Westerguards, and they thought I would give no offense. I am a student at the university in the Southern Isles, and since I know a great deal about Arendelle, Mathias Hansen thought I would be perfect for the task."
Kristoff glanced at Anna, confused, and she murmured, "He's the head of the ambassadors from the Southern Isles."
If Elsa was pleased or displeased with this news, she gave no hint. "Do you know how long your predecessor lasted, Mr. Robertsen?"
"Five days, Your Grace," Anders said, and he faltered a little. His voice had been steady up until now, but he looked as though he was about to start trembling.
"Do you know why he only lasted five days?" Elsa asked.
"Because he was afraid, Your Grace," Anders said. He looked as though he had managed to recover, but Kristoff saw the fear in his eyes and knew. This man wouldn't be their ambassador. Even if he did last longer than the twenty-five days someone had suggested, he would eventually break. "He was afraid you would be angry and send a winter to the Southern Isles."
Elsa took a few steps down from her throne, so she stood on the floor of the hall. "Are you afraid of me, Mr. Robertsen?"
"I… I…" Anders faltered, and if Kristoff hadn't known it before, he did now. The man would never be their ambassador. He would go back to the Southern Isles and be sent somewhere more pleasant, somewhere the queen wasn't willing to terrify people from his country. "Yes, Your Grace."
Elsa didn't show whether she was pleased or displeased by this. She merely turned to one of the guards and said, "Please show Mr. Robertsen to his rooms. I will speak to him tomorrow to learn what has happened in the Southern Isles during the time when we didn't have an ambassador." As the guards escorted Anders away, she turned and walked back to her throne. "If there is nothing else needed from me, you are all dismissed."
Murmuring, the guards and others dispersed, until Anna and Kristoff were the only ones left. "He seems nice," Anna said after a moment. "It's too bad he's afraid of you."
"I'm afraid it can't be helped," Elsa said with a sigh. "Sometimes it seems that everyone is. I suppose there are worse things than to be feared." She shook her head and got to her feet, though she had only sat down a few minutes before. "Someday, we'll have an ambassador who isn't afraid to look me in the eye."
"That will be nice," Anna said. "I know you've been looking forward to actually talking to someone from the Southern Isles."
Elsa smiled a little. "Don't let me hold you two back from enjoying yourselves. It's a beautiful day. Kristoff, you ought to take Anna out on the lake. The water looks beautiful today. In the meantime, I'll handle a few more things around here." She looked in the direction Anders had been taken. "You know, I think he'll last about four weeks. Longer would be nice, but he doesn't seem strong enough to last a full month. What do you two think?"