The next morning was a crystal-clear start to a new day. The fjord and blanketed lands of snow surrounding it all gleamed white under a cloudless sky. Anna sat with Hans at the breakfast table in silence. Two cups of black coffee flanked the pair of documents between them.
As per their verbal agreement, Anna had risen early again to prepare breakfast by 7:00AM. She was startled to find Hans already up and in the kitchen with a pot of coffee ready. After pouring his own cup, he let her help herself before inviting her to start their conversation.
Anna looked down and tentatively flipped the corners of the document in front of her. She counted fourteen pages and let out a long whistle.
"Is this a contract? You must have worked on this all night," she commented.
"Don't be silly. My lawyer drew it up."
Anna grimaced to think of her own lawyer, with whom she had left most communications up to Rapunzel after Elsa's passing. She would have to revoke power of attorney to prevent any more unpleasant surprises.
"I'll… let you read through so we can negotiate any reasonable adjustments you think of. I think you'll find it pretty fair though. There are plenty of benefits to you for the duration."
"Duration?" Anna asked distractedly, already perusing her copy.
"Well, this won't exactly be till death do us part," Hans said.
Anna's cheeks flushed faintly, but she ignored him and began scanning paragraph by paragraph. The agreement read like a standard prenuptial contract with extra clauses regarding the engagement period, confidentiality of their arrangement, compliance of how their relationship and history were to be disclosed, a written section of the arrangement they already had in place for her to clean, cook, etc. in exchange for room and board, and mutual conduct for public appearances, the media, their friends and family during the engagement, the marriage and after. Part of said conduct included the dress code for various events, for which she would receive a generous stipend. It seemed like Hans and his lawyer had thought of everything.
Her gaze stopped over the section about the house, which she was annoyed to find would be left to Hans after the expiration of the contract.
"Section H," she stated matter-of-factly.
Hans raised one eyebrow. "What about it?"
"Pen," she said, glancing around the kitchen.
Hans pointed toward a container of writing utensils and memo pad next to the sole landline on the counter next to the patio door. He appeared bewildered as Anna leapt up from her chair. Anna came back with a red ink pen. She looked determined as she crossed out one sentence, replacing it with a new line under Section H. Hans started to object, but she interrupted.
"After we separate, you're to give me sole right to purchase when you sell the house."
Hans paused. "You assume I'll move?"
Anna laid the pen down and smirked a bit as she sat back in her chair. "Our eventual divorce will cause a huge stir in the news. You'll probably want to relocate right away."
She braced herself for Hans to be difficult, but instead he looked convinced.
"Pending proof of funds for first six months," he added, stroking his chin.
"What?" She scrunched her face in annoyance.
Now Hans was the one who smirked. "Weren't you swindled out of all your money on top of the house? That means you'll have to find a job and save to buy the house from me. If you had enough money to purchase, we wouldn't be sitting here. Which means you'll likely have to rent to purchase."
He wasn't wrong.
"Tch. Fine," she snapped. She added his condition to her revised Section H and grabbed his copy to write out the same modifications. After they each initialed the edited section, Anna read through the rest of the document.
Hans patiently sipped his drink while waiting for her. No doubt he already scrutinized the contract or dictated each section himself the night beforehand.
She lingered on the last page. "T…two years?" she asked, looking up at Hans.
His face grew solemn as he nodded. "There will be an engagement period, then approximately two years of marriage. It's long enough not to raise any suspicions. But not so long that it's too unbearable for either of us. We can publicly separate for several months leading up to the divorce announcement."
She nodded, already thinking about the house. Two years was long enough for her to save up for a down payment if she wanted to get a loan for the house. It just seemed silly to do that when her parents' mortgage had already been paid off. But it was either that or pay rent to Hans.
Anna pursed her lips. She'd have time to think about all that.
"I think if just one year, it could hurt my image," Hans went on.
"It's okay, I understand. Two years is fine…" she murmured as she read the rest of the section. Expiration of the contract and marriage was to be three years from the date of their signatures unless there was a breach of contract, in which case either party could terminate the agreement and marriage after sixty days' notice. It was good to know she had an out, but she would have to be careful too.
Is this really what I want?
She ran her forefinger over the signature line and frowned. Until she received the money Elsa left her, it was either was either this or go to Rapunzel and Eugene for help.
Suddenly, it seemed like an easier choice to sign the next few years away. She started to sign and hesitated one last time.
"One more thing," she said, already scribbling out a Section I—fitting, as the last clause would be for herself.
"What is it?" Hans asked calmly.
"I need an hour to write every day."
Hans paused, somewhat taken aback. "Of course, that should be no issue," he said.
"You're to badger me into writing even if I don't feel up to it," she cautioned him.
That made him laugh. "That's…kind of a weird condition. Why would you need me to do that?"
She took a deep breath as she wrote out this final clause, initialing, dating and signing the contract as soon as she had finished.
"Publishing novels is my dream. But sometimes I get in my own way. I think this is something very minimal you could do that would be a tremendous help."
Hans studied her quietly for a moment. Without another word, Anna took his copy of the marriage contract and copied Section I at the bottom. Then, she turned it around for him to review.
He leaned in slightly, nodding as he took the pen from her to add his own initial and signature.
"All right. So… the only thing left to fill in is the wedding date."
Anna blushed and looked down at her hands as she laid them on the table. Then, she changed her mind and picked up her coffee. She fidgeted in her chair as the silence grew longer with Hans just looking at her.
"Well?" he prompted. "We obviously need some time to prepare, but… I figured I would leave the date up to you."
"… I always wanted to be a June bride, actually," Anna admitted. "Preferably before my birthday."
Hans didn't scoff or roll his eyes as she expected. Instead, he acknowledged her request with a nod. His gaze drifted back down to the two signed contracts. His lips parted as he began to say something, but an abrupt tune interrupted him. He fished his phone out of his jacket and grew considerably pale when he looked at the screen as the device buzzed and chimed at him.
"Everything okay?" Anna asked, her own discomfort momentarily forgotten.
Hans nodded and stood up as he took the call. "…hi. It's been a while." He walked past Anna as the person on the other end of the line spoke to him. Anna thought she detected the faint, sharp intonation of an agitated woman. Although it was tempting to twist around in her chair and check Hans's expressions, she held back the impulse. But she did hear him pace around the kitchen the longer his caller went on.
"Of course, I was going to tell you," he finally interjected with a raised voice. "No, it's not like that. Yeah…"
Anna tensed up. Could it possibly be Ariel on the phone with him?
"…yeah."
She gave in and glanced over her shoulder, jolting in surprise to find Hans staring at her as he listened. Anna coughed and looked back toward the fjord outside.
"I don't know if Anna's up for that today. I-"
The caller clearly talked over him as Hans trailed off. More and more curiosity swept over Anna. She started to wonder if she should leave the room. But he could have gone upstairs if he didn't want her to overhear. Anyway, he'd just said her name. Surely, she could listen in on something that pertained to her.
"Fine. But Father better not be home."
Anna's mouth dropped open. She…had not even considered his parents. How stupid of her! Of course, she'd have to meet them. That was part of the document she just signed.
Anna's heart sank. Deceiving the public was one thing. But Hans's family?
"All right. We'll see you soon."
His footsteps drew up from behind her. Anna gulped, waiting to be called out for eavesdropping. Instead, she yelped as Hans tapped her on the shoulder.
"Jumpy much?" he asked. He walked around the table to face her, tapping his mobile against his side in agitation. "Anyway, that was my mother. You should probably get dressed. We're going to my family's house."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
She wanted to ask for more time, but if his mother had demanded the meeting… Anna sipped her coffee as she slid out of her chair. She was still in her snowmen flannel pajamas. Quickly, she poured the last of her morning brew into the sink and rinsed out the mug, trying to think if she had anything decent to wear. She had planned to do the laundry after her meeting with Hans.
"Oh, and Anna?" Hans called from the stairs.
She turned the faucet off and glanced back at him. "Yeah?"
"Don't forget to wear the engagement ring…"
Noon light pooled in through the blinds of the neutral toned, one bedroom apartment. Ariel paused at the center of the living area as her phone chimed for the dozenth time that day. She cast one irritated glance at the black purse dangling from her arm, inside which her mobile continued to distract her despite being out on important errands.
"What's the square footage?"
She thought she may have already asked, but this was the fifth apartment she had viewed in Glowerhaven in one day.
"Seven hundred forty-two!" came the cheery response from her realtor, who was currently admiring the quartz countertops in the adjacent kitchen. Her name was Penny. Ariel's realtor friend in Arendelle had referred her to one of Glowerhaven's top-producers.
So, this was one of the smaller places Ariel had looked at. But that didn't matter too much as it would just be herself for the time being.
She thought of the nearby municipal hospital. Annoyingly, Hans's face came to mind at the same time.
"This one has the largest balcony!" Penny added. She crossed the living room to open the balcony doors. Ariel followed, albeit distracted by yet another chime from her phone.
Glowerhaven was a bit colder than Arendelle, being farther north with breezes blown directly off from the ocean. She hugged her green puffer jacket more tightly about herself and tried to listen as Penny pointed out various landmarks in view from the fourteenth-floor balcony. The buildings of the city were not as tall as she was used to. Glowerhaven certainly felt… smaller.
"What's that building with the spires by the bay?" she asked out of politeness. She knew she probably seemed preoccupied.
"Oh! That's Our Lady of Help's Cathedral. They had to rebuild about half of it after a fire a few decades back… gorgeous building, though. I highly recommend going during the week if you want to book a tour there. If you go on the weekend, you'll deal with a lot more tourists."
Ariel nodded along. She had already known what the building was from previous trips to Glowerhaven. Again, her phone went off.
"Do you need to answer those? We can take a quick break if you like!" Penny offered, brimming with consideration for her client.
Ariel nodded. "Ah, sure… thanks… I'll just be a minute."
Penny waved to her as she stepped back into the apartment to give Ariel some privacy. The singer finally fished her cellphone out from her purse and sighed as she unlocked her screen to find several texts and news notifications.
She scowled to see several of the messages were from her sister, Arista. All of her sisters knew of her relationship history, but Arista was the only one tactless enough to text her about Hans in the news. She did see a missed call from her father and another from her friend Kevin Flounders.
For once, the sheer number of people in her life was more of a weight than a comfort. She closed all of the contact notifications to view yet another tweet about Hans Westergaard's unexpected proposal from New Year's Eve.
Scrolling past the photo of that firework-lit kiss from the party, Ariel ignored the growing tightness in her chest as she scanned the article for more information about…what was her name?
"Anna…Frost," she read aloud when she stumbled upon the name. Her brow furrowed. She could have been remembering incorrectly, but she was sure Hans hadn't mentioned Anna's surname when they all met for dinner at Pompilios. Ariel would have recognized the name immediately.
The article under her thumb did confirm her suspicion, however, that Hans's fiancée was sister of the late Elsa Frost. But as for Anna herself… Ariel scrolled back up, unable to find more information. There was one other photo taken immediately after Hans announced Anna's acceptance of his proposal. The woman whose hand he clasped in the photograph looked like a deer in headlights, Ariel thought.
He's in love with you. Didn't you see it at the dinner?
Kristoff's stern lecturing haunted her now. If she were to be honest, she had always been certain of Hans's affection. But she also knew that he understood how she felt about Eric…
"Are you okay, Ms. Waters?" Penny asked from the balcony threshold.
Ariel looked up from her phone, jerking with some surprise. How long had Penny been watching her? She quickly raised one hand up to her eyes and dabbed at her eyelid as if something were caught there. Had her eyes really watered just now?
"I'm just exhausted, heh. Should I meet you at your office tomorrow for the last few showings?"
Penny was silent for a moment, smiling after a while. "Of course! Let's wrap up here then?"
Ariel nodded and trailed behind Penny, grateful that her realtor did not press her with intrusive questions. The woman was a true professional.
They rode the elevator down in silence after Penny locked up, starting to bid their farewells on their way through the lobby. It wasn't until they stepped outside that Ariel noticed the crowd and flashing cameras waiting for them in front of the apartment building.
"Ariel! Would you care to comment on the recent announcement of Hans Westergaard's engagement?"
"You were seen at Wintra, LTD's New Year's party! Did you know Hans was going to propose?"
"The two of you have been rumored to be a secret item for ages! Was there any truth to these rumors or have you been just friends this whole time?"
"Are you moving here to Glowerhaven, Miss Waters?"
"Do you know anything about this Anna Frost? Is there any relation to the famous Elsa Frost who died last summer?"
Ariel stood rooted to the concrete, both stunned and annoyed that she had not been more careful about drawing attention. What was more annoying was that she honestly had not expected the media to bother her about Hans's announcement.
"No comment," she muttered, following a beckoning Penny through an opening to the right. Microphones were thrust before her as she tried to remain stoic while she exited. But their relentless questioning did not bother her nearly as much as the growing discomfort in her stomach.
"Ariel, are you heartbroken by the news about Hans Westergaard?"
What an odd question, she thought. She ignored it along with the others.
A/N: Again, posting at my leisure. Might break chapters down a bit more than originally intended just to get them out faster. Thank you to anyone still following this. 😊 I certainly miss writing, life is just very hectic right now.