It was during the address from the queen that someone offered Hans the whispered invitation.
He left the castle after dark, making his way to a pub on the outskirts of town.
"Prince Hans," the Duke of Weselton bowed. "I'm glad that you've come. I have with me a few men from my kingdom, as well as a few citizens of Arendelle."
Hans acknowledged all of them with a bow. "What brings you all here tonight?"
"It is a...sensitive matter," the duke offered. "But as we appreciated your leadership during the eternal winter, we wanted you to be in the know."
A few others nodded, but they still looked hesitant.
"I see that you have taken to courting Princess Anna."
"Yes, I have."
"Good. Weselton and Arendelle both approve of the union. And after all, a kingdom does better with a king and queen."
Hans's eyes narrowed. "But I'm courting…"
"The princess, yes," Weselton explained. "But we believe...that Princess Anna may be more fit to rule than her sister."
"What are you saying?"
"Nothing dubious! We, of course, wish no harm to come to the queen. After all, that would be treason!" He laughed for a moment too long. "No; we simply wish to...explore all opportunities, and hope that the kingdom sees reason. I believe that you could be of assistance in this quest, to the princess, her kingdom, and the allies of Arendelle."
Hans nodded solemnly. "So there is no concrete plan?"
"As of yet, no. But to have someone on the inside...it would help our planning greatly."
"How many in Arendelle believe the queen to be unfit?"
"As of now we are few in number, but we believe there are many, dissuaded from speech by the power displayed by the queen."
"And you swear that you intend no violence?"
"Of course, Your Highness. There is no treason afoot here."
"Very well. You will have to allow me time to gather information before I make a decision, but I am open to working with you."
"Good decision, Prince Hans. I knew you had wisdom in you."
….
When Anna awoke and rushed to get ready, hoping she might catch Elsa to learn of her sister's plans for the day, she found that Elsa was already in a trade-related meeting with the council. Disappointed, she instead made her way to Hans's chamber and knocked on the door.
"Princess Anna! What a lovely surprise!" He seemed tired, as if he, too, had woken only shortly before.
"Lovely to see you, too! Come on, let's go get some breakfast."
Anna was still sharing factoids about each part of the castle, including memories from her childhood, every time they walked through together. Hans found it endearing; it made the castle feel more and more like home.
When they reached the table, however, she grew quiet.
"Is something wrong, love?" Hans asked gently.
Anna sighed. "I just don't know exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, you know? I want to help Elsa as much as I can, but no one tells me anything unless I ask directly...and even then, they make it seem like there's no reason for me to be a part of it."
Hans hummed thoughtfully. "I can relate to that...it took ages for me to get any sort of responsibility in my kingdom, and even then-well. It was nothing...glamorous," he sipped his coffee.
"I don't even care if it is glamorous! I'll do anything! I just want to help. Maybe we can spend more time in town and see if there's anything we can do for anyone?"
Hans nodded enthusiastically. "I like that idea!"
….
For the first time since the coronation, which felt like a lifetime ago, Kristoff had some sense of normalcy and he and Sven climbed steadily into the mountains.
The air was just as refreshing as always, and the summer landscape just as inviting. Once he climbed further and further up and the plant life decreased to a near halt, he found the rocky, icy terrain just as familiar and comforting.
He took in a deep breath. This was what he was meant to be doing.
Now, though, it was different. He had to admit that there was a pit in his stomach at the thought of addressing the ice harvesters. They had never been cruel to him, exactly-they simply viewed him as an oddity, someone on the outskirts who could help out in a pinch but normally kept to himself.
He figured that some of the others would not take kindly to the news of his new, made-up status as Ice Advisor to the Queen.
He knew it was likely out of pity that Elsa had given him the position anyway, knowing the kind of life he would continue to lead after they all parted ways.
When he finally reached the camp where they were currently set up to harvest, one of Kristoff's mentors, Vir, waved him over.
"Kristoff! It's been a while. I thought maybe you'd gotten used to transporting royalty and decided you liked that better than ice," the large man teased.
Kristoff frowned. Clearly, they had found out about everything. So that was a great start.
"No, not at all. So I guess you heard about…"
"You galavanting around with the princess and queen and somehow helping with the eternal winter? Yeah, word spreads!"
"So tell us," another harvester named Ivan asked as he approached the two, "Are we all about to be out of a job thanks to this new ice queen?"
"Actually, glad you asked. No, E-the queen wants to visit the mountains and learn more about the trade of ice harvesting. She has no desire to put anyone out of a job, but is willing to provide assistance if there is anything she can do to increase the safety of harvesting."
He suddenly felt like Elsa's way of speaking had rubbed off on him.
The small crowd now gathered around him exchanged glances.
"A visit from the queen?" another harvester asked. "That would be a first…"
"When is this happening?"
"What does she expect us to do?"
"Are you sure it's not a trap meant to destroy us all for harming the ice?"
"All right, all right, calm down," Kristoff called, holding out his hands toward the approaching mob. "No conspiracy theories necessary. If you have questions, I can just ask her when I get back."
Now, someone burst out laughing. "You can just...go up and ask the queen? Just like that? Over tea, maybe?"
A few others joined in.
Kristoff groaned. This was going about as well as he expected.
"Look. We met by chance, and the queen wanted me to talk to all of you and report back. As a sort of...advisor, or something. So you can sit here and make fun of me, or you can try to actually change things. Totally up to you."
He left it at that, and went to start unloading his supplies. He could tell that the others were still talking in hushed tones behind him.
He had cut a few blocks of ice before Vir approached.
"I think they're coming around to the idea," he explained. "The kingdom hasn't always taken kindly to the mountain communities, so there's a fair bit of mistrust...but if we can work through it, I think this could be good for everyone."
Kristoff paused and nodded. "I agree."
….
"The council agrees that the terms offered by Weselton would not benefit Arendelle, and are, in fact, rather absurd. We have prepared a counter offer as advice to Your Majesty about how to negotiate further."
"Thank you, sir. We are in agreement on this matter, and I will bring your proposal to the Duke of Weselton. This meeting is adjourned, and I thank you for your service to Arendelle."
…..
"Bjorgman!"
Kristoff looked up from his work as Ivan approached.
"We are open to a visit from the queen. A couple of men are heading down to the nearest village tomorrow to ask their families if they'd be comfortable with her staying there when she's not at the harvesting camp, because of the long journey from the castle. If so, my son and his wife will stay with us, and the queen can stay in their cabin."
"Thank you. That's very generous."
"There's just one condition, and I don't think she'll like it."
"What's that?"
"Many of us who've been around a long time associate the palace guards with trouble. We're not comfortable unless she comes alone."
Kristoff hesitated. He knew that relations had been strained, but he also knew that King Agnarr and Queen Iduna had worked to diffuse tensions.
He also knew that, once they shut everyone out of the castle, suspicions had been rekindled.
"Once the men return from the village, I will return to Arendelle and relay the message to the queen."
"Very well."
…
Anna had an amazing gift for putting her people at ease. She flitted through the bustling town square, expressing her awe at everything in her sight.
She asked a multitude of questions; most commonly, "What can we do to make life in Arendelle even better?"
Elsa had mentioned setting up a time to meet with the people to have their concerns brought to her attention, but they had yet to set up a standing appointment. It seemed to Hans that Elsa had other pressing matters at the moment, including repairing trade relations with allies and communicating with the kingdoms who had sent delegates to the coronation.
So, instead, Anna was taking it upon herself to act as a liaison.
Unlike their last visit to town, Hans had another mission in mind. He kept an eye out for anyone who looked familiar from the meeting in the pub, or who seemed to react differently when Anna brought up her sister.
He only saw one familiar face, a man who briefly locked eyes with him and then looked away.
Not many looked suspicious, but he figured that not everyone's faces were as expressive as Anna's.
…..
"Your Majesty."
Elsa looked up.
"Kristoff Bjorgman has returned from the mountains and would like to set up an appointment at your earliest convenience."
Elsa nodded. "Tomorrow will be fine. If there's time…?"
Kai nodded. "Not much we can do but wait and see if Weselton accepts the terms…"
"Very well. Thank you, Kai."
He bowed and left, and as soon as he was gone, Elsa put her head into her hands, rubbing her temples.
The revision to the trade agreement with Weselton had not gone smoothly, to say the least. Elsa was doing her best to push back against the Duke's absurd proposals, but also trying to keep the peace. She was trying to show her strength as a leader while also showing her flexibility: being firm in her decisions, but deferring to the council for expert opinions, and keeping track of as many variables and other tasks as she could.
She had not been out of the castle as much as she had hoped, but there was simply a constant stream of official responsibilities. At least she had set up time to meet with citizens who had particularly pressing concerns. When she wasn't in meetings, she was stuck at her desk, reading and writing and signing and sealing.
And trying not to look out the window for a reindeer pulling a wagon back to Arendelle.
It had been...four days? Not long, and yet she had to keep herself from worrying that something had gone wrong.
After all, it was important to establish a strong relationship with the mountain communities. She knew her father had struggled to do so during his lifetime.
And...then there was Kristoff.
She sighed. She had been hopeful that "out of sight, out of mind" would ring true, and yet she was filled with equal parts dread and some sort of fluttery hope about the next day's meeting.