Seeds of Suspicion

April 1836

"What's it like being a princess?"

That was a question Anna did not expect to hear while building a snowman with Elsa. Anna was in the middle of another visit with Elsa and they decided to play with her magic in the ice palace foyer.

"Why do you want to know?" Anna asked.

"I've always read about them in books. They're often seen as beautiful girls that break spells or needed to be saved. Since you're a princess, I want to know the real thing. If want to."

"Well, for one thing, I never broke any spells before. And second, I never once needed saving."

"I saved you from freezing to death," Elsa pointed out.

"Okay, besides that. What else do you want to know?"

"What exactly is a princess?"

"A princess, or prince for boys, are members of royalty. Meaning they are related to the ruling monarchs."

"I think you mentioned that they were their children?"

"Usually, yes. Sometimes they could be a niece or nephew, or maybe even a sibling of theirs. In my case, I'm their daughter. Though, there's more to being a princess than just being related."

"What is it?"

"A princess, or prince, is also the next ones to rule when the current monarch can't anymore."

"What if there's more than one prince or princess?"

"Then it would go to the eldest. But since I'm Arendelle's only princess…"

"You'll be queen one day?"

"Most likely. Or if my parents rule long enough, it could go to my first child instead and I become a regent of sorts."

"That can happen?"

"It has to some royals. Others aren't so lucky."

"Why?"

"There are two ways that I could become a queen. One is that my parents become too old to rule so they abdicate their crown and whoever's next in line takes their role."

"Abdicate?"

"A royal's version of retirement."

"What's the other way you could become queen?"

"They die." Anna put it bluntly.

"Oh…" Elsa did not expect that kind of answer.

"Yeah, those are royals who aren't as lucky…" An uneasy awkwardness was heard in Anna's voice as she rubbed her neck nervously, wanting to change the topic. "Next question."

"What are your parents like?"

"As the king & queen?"

"I want to know what they're like as your mom & dad." Elsa paused her sentence. "I know it sounds like a stupid question, but I never had parents so I don't know what's it like having them."

"It's not a stupid question at all. I think its understandable." Anna sat more comfortably while Elsa had her full attention. "I guess for starters, they're good parents. I mean obviously, they are. I wouldn't call them that if they weren't, but anyway. Despite their roles, they always managed to have time for me whenever they could. Mama & papa did everything to make sure I was well taken care of and I'm grateful for that."

"They sound like good people."

"They really are. We're not always a perfect family and it isn't always easy. We've made some mistakes and been through some hardships."

"What hardships?" Elsa asked.

"My parents lost someone close to them many years ago."

"Who?"

"My sister…"

"You lost your sister? That must've been terrible."

"It was years ago. I wasn't even born when it happened so I can't exactly understand what they went through. From what they told me, I can make a pretty good guess it was pretty awful. My papa took the loss very hard and became very overprotective of me for a while afterward."

"I'm sorry your family went through that."

"Thanks, but they're doing better now and I'm helping them in whatever way I can. That's all part of being in a family. We love, protect, and help each other no matter what. My parents sometimes made bad choices, but I know they always had the best intentions for me."

"You and your parents really seem to care for each other."

"Family is important. We may be flawed sometimes, but I still love them and they love me. In the end, that's what matters. There's no such thing as a perfect person."

Perfect...that was a word that Elsa had heard several times during her childhood years, and not in the best way. Many times her master had told her that both she and him will make a perfect world one day. Just another one of his lies that she foolishly believed.

"Elsa?" Anna's voice was heard.

"Oh sorry." Elsa snapped out of it. "I never knew that parents can be so caring…"

Judging by the tone of Elsa's voice, it did make Anna wonder about Elsa's parents (Assuming they weren't dead). Did Elsa's own parents care for her the same way Anna's did? Did they even care for her at all? Or have they never cared? Before she could ask any questions, the somber look Elsa's face made her stop that and decided to lighten her mood.

"Hey, you know what turn that frown upside down?" Anna asked.

"What?" Elsa looks at her.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Anna threw a snowball at Elsa, causing her to laugh. Pretty soon they were engaged in a snowball war, with Elsa's creations soon joining in on the fun.


Several hours later...

A yawn had escaped from Anna's mouth as she stretched her arms. Looking around, she realized she was in a corner of the ice palace foyer. Not too far her was Elsa, who was sleeping against a sleeping Marshmallow, while Olaf and The Snowgies slept on the ground. They must've played so much that they dozed off.

As Anna rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed that the palace looked a bit brighter. There was still some darkness but there was light. It was odd to Anna since it should still be nighttime. Unless…

Pulling out the pocket watch hastily, Anna quickly looked over the time. Her heart stopped once she realized the time. It was almost seven in the morning!

"OH SHIT!"

The tone of her voice was just loud enough for everyone else to suddenly wake up.

"WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY IS SHE YELLING?" Olaf shouted.

"Calm down Olaf." Elsa looked over at Anna. "What's wrong, Anna?"

"I have to leave now! If I'm not back at the castle in an hour, my parents will freak!"

Elsa understood what she had meant, so did Marshmallow because soon, Anna was in his grasp as he was running.

"I'll see you later!" Anna shouted back towards Elsa as Marshmallow ran.


Not many would be in the outskirts of Arendelle when it was almost eight in the morning. Not unless one would be an early riser, like an iceman and his reindeer companion. Kristoff was walking alongside Sven. Behind the reindeer was a sleigh that had several large ice blocks. With Spring finally had arrived, it had become warmer. And when it got warmer, people wanted to get cooler. This marked the beginning of the ice harvesting season.

Kristoff was on his way back to Arendelle after several days of ice harvesting. He had had his first batch of the season and wanted to return as quickly as possible. As much as he loves his profession, he was eager to return back to the kingdom, mostly to see Anna again. As he kept walking, Kristoff heard Sven slowly stopped. He turned around to see Sven moving his head around and his ears were twitching a bit.

"What's the matter, Sven? Did you hear something?"

As they quieted down, soft footsteps were heard. Although the steps sounded like they were going the pair's opposite direction, Kristoff got out his pickaxe just to be safe. This had brought some concern greatly in Kristoff. What would someone be doing out here at this time? After some inner debate, Kristoff decided to take a closer look.

Gesturing Sven to keep quiet, Kristoff slowly walked into the woods, pickaxe still in his hand. As he kept getting closer he could make out the footsteps. They sounded rapid as if they were running, and getting closer. A loud rustle of a bush was heard, causing Kristoff to gasp a bit as he took cover behind a tree.

Peeking over enough to stay hidden but not be seen, Kristoff got a look at his mysterious companion. A lone figure was seen, looking around in every direction. The figure had a dark colored cloak on, which had a hood that covered their face so Kristoff couldn't figure out who it was. He could guess that the figure was a female since she was wearing a dress. The dress had a blue skirt with rose printing. Something about the dress look familiar to Kristoff but the figure started running again before he could get a better look.

"Did you see something?" Sven asked.

"Yeah," Kristoff answered. "Wait here."

The ice harvester went in the direction the figure had went. No longer he can hear her footsteps or anything for the matter. Instead, he was greeted by the end of the Arendelle wall. The person was nowhere to be seen, however, there were footprints leading towards the end of the wall. They were muddy since it had rained sometime during the night, and they were defiantly fresh.

"That was...weird," Kristoff muttered. "Where did she go?"

After looking around, he concluded that the woman was no longer around. So he went back to Sven.

"Did you find someone?"

"Yeah, but she vanished on me. What were they doing out here?"

"Maybe it was just someone taking a stroll?" Sven suggested.

"Maybe…" As likely as it sounds, Kristoff didn't believe it. "Whatever they were doing, they're gone now. Let's get going."

The pair resumed their stroll back to Arendelle. The events that had transpired in those woods had never stopped itching Kristoff. What was the person doing out in those woods? Where did she vanish too? What did those footprints lead too? Who was she?


Midday was around and that's when the town was very busy. It was the perfect time for Kristoff. He managed to sell all of his ice blocks within a short time frame, which earned him a good enough of money for him to last a good while. In his book, it was a good start of the season.

"Kristoff!"

A cheery voice had interrupted him as he was cleaning it up for the day. Turning around, a small smile grew as he saw a familiar face. "Anna, hey!" The princess got off her horse and ran straight towards Kristoff and hugged him tightly. She almost knocked him down in the process. "A little too excited aren't ya, feisty pants?"

"Sorry. I just missed you."

"I've only been gone for a few days."

"And things get boring around here when you're gone."

Kristoff gave a laugh as he pulled away from the hug. Looking behind her, he saw that she had Kjekk with her.

"I'm guessing your dad lifted your horse-riding ban?"

"Yes! He's even allowed me to ride beyond the hill. Just as long I pay attention to my surroundings, and be back by curfew."

"You have a curfew now?"

"Yeah. Lame, I know, but it's a reasonable time. I'm just happy he's finally lightened up and trusting me to handle myself. Maybe you and I can go for a ride together sometime."

"I would like that."

"But I'm tired right now so I'm heading back to the castle. You wanna hang out? Lunch will be soon."

"I don't see why not."

"Sweet!"

The friends got on their respective steeds and rode back to the castle. They soon had arrived and put Kjekk & Sven in the stables. After making sure their animal companions were taken care of, they headed inside. No sooner did they walk in the Grand Hall, Kai had approached them.

"Hello, Princess Anna. And hello to you too, Kristoff," Kai greeted.

"Hi Kai. You need something?" Anna asked.

"Your father requires your presence in his study. He said it will only take several moments."

"Alright, I'll head over now. Could you take Kristoff to my room, please?"

"Of course, your highness."

"Thanks. See ya in a bit Kristoff."

Anna parted away and went one direction of the staircase. Kai and Kristoff had gone to the opposite. Not too long later they arrived at Anna's bedroom. After assuring Kai that he didn't need anything else, the servant left the ice harvester alone in Anna's room.

Even though Kristoff was a frequent visitor to the castle throughout the past several years due to his friendship with Anna, he sometimes felt a bit out of place here. Sometimes he had reminded himself that Anna was royalty and could one day become queen of the kingdom and he was just a simple ice harvester.

Despite his insecurities about his friendship, Anna and her family never did let that bother them. They may be royals, but they were human. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that. Kristoff has often heard people in the streets praising the royal family, making them out as grand deities of sorts. What Kristoff sees is the opposite. The royal family was just...a family. A family that loved each other very much and support each other, just like any normal family. They don't let their titles interfere with doing things just as any normal person would.

As Kristoff was sitting on Anna's bed waiting for her, he looked around her room. It was a bit messy, but Kristoff knew it was in Anna's nature. Something out of the ordinary did catch his attention. In the corner of the room, he noticed a section of the wall looked to be slightly sticking out. Now Kristoff knew it was wrong to go snooping around his friend's bedroom. Yet...he couldn't help but be a little curious. Making sure Anna, or anyone was not nearby in the hallway, Kristoff decided to look it over.

The part of the wall definitely looked out of place. It was sticking out much like a door. After feeling around it, he opened a wall, revealing a secret passage. This didn't surprise Kristoff. Anna had shown him the various secret passages throughout the castle, even explored some with her. They would even use them for their own mischief, like scaring the servants and guards into thinking the castle was haunted or stealing food from the kitchens.

Those fond memories pulled out as Kristoff realized Anna never told him about this passage. He thought that she probably only recently discovered it. That was the most logical explanation he could think of. Then he noticed the map on the inner door. Kristoff looked at the map that showed the passage through the castle and into the wall. The same wall where his mysterious companion from this morning disappeared nearby.

That had defiantly gotten Kristoff's attention. Was Anna the one who was in those woods this morning? He remembered the way the figure acted in those woods. They were acting secretive as if they were making sure they weren't followed.

Something then caught him from the corner of his eye. It was partially sticking out from underneath Anna's bed. Curiosity once again too over him again and he went to investigate. Lifting up the cover on the side of the bed he saw the contents. He recognized them as Anna's winter gear that looked to be recently worn.

Why would Anna have her winter clothes out in the middle of April? Then it hit him. On her boots looked to be dried mud on them, the dress had the same colored skirt with the rose printing as the figure, along with a dark colored cloak.

Now Kristoff was sure that Anna was the one in those woods. If so, why? Why was she secretive about it? And why did she had winter clothes? Remembering something, Kristoff let go of the cover and went back the passage and looked at the map. Near to what was supposed to be the wall was the mountain range. The only part in Arendelle where it snowed all year round.

He then also remembered something else from almost two months ago. Not too long Anna was brought back from the woods, she asked him questions about the mountain range. Questions such as trails, what areas to avoid, and other stuff. At first, he thought she was asking him that in the event she found herself lost again. Now he was sure that there was something there that she kept going back to. But what?

"Kristoff?" Anna's voice came from the hall.

Quickly, Kristoff shut the passage door and sat back on the bed, just before she walked in.

"Hey Anna," Kristoff greeted, acting like nothing happened. "What did your dad need you for?"

"Just some boring stuff. Nothing drastic. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?"

The way he had sounded had earned him an odd look from Anna. He gave a simple smile and hoped she wasn't on to him. Thankfully, her face had softened back up after a bit.

"Alright…Anyways, tell about your ice harvesting."

From there on, things went on as usual as it can get for Kristoff at that moment.


"Slow down buddy! What's the hurry?"

Kristoff had quickly guided Sven out of the castle and out into town, looking for a place of privacy. After that moment in Anna's room, things went on as normal and not once did Anna regain her suspicion. They hung out as normal and they both had lunch with her parents. As soon as he had finished, he told Anna that he had to leave because of some business he had to attend too. The moment he got back to Sven, Kristoff practically dragged the reindeer the whole way.

Not too long after leaving, they both found an alleyway that wasn't crawling with people. Kristoff took that moment to catch his breath.

"Care to tell why you dragged me from the castle and halfway across town?"

"I think Anna was the one in those woods this morning," Kristoff blurted out.

Sven could only stare at his friend as he spoken that sentence. "Are you sure?"

To get him to understand, Kristoff explained everything. He told Sven about the discovery of the secret passage in her bedroom, the dried mud on her boots, and how her winter clothes matched the ones he saw the figure in the woods wore. Along those lines, Kristoff told Sven on his theory on how Anna might've been going to the mountain range

"You think Anna has been going to the mountains?"

"I'm positive," Kristoff responded.

"But, why?"

That was a good question. Lots of scenarios ran through Kristoff's head. None of which sound very pleasant to him. Nonetheless, he couldn't find his answer.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to tell someone?" Sven asked.

"No. Not until I'm certain." Kristoff knew the most foolish thing he could do is tell someone based on assumptions, rather than actual facts. For all he knew, Anna could've just been going up there to enjoy the scenery or something. He most certainly doesn't want to send her parents into unnecessary panic, especially after what happened two months ago. "And there's only one way to be certain."

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking..."

"I just want to make sure she isn't going to get herself killed."

The ice harvester looked upon the mountain range just north of the town. Questions ran through his head. What kind of secret was Anna hiding up in those mountains? What was in those mountains that Anna didn't want anyone to know? Could she be in any sort of danger? He didn't know, and there was one way to know.


I forgot to mention this in the last chapter but I have put dates on all the previous chapters. Expect more of that from this point on.

Anyways not much happens here. Elsa gets a lesson about royalty and family from Anna. And it looks as if our favorite ice harvester is getting suspicious on our dear princess's activities (I think we can agree he's such a caring & concerned friend). What is he going do, though?

Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews. Happy Reading