Chapter 3

On to Arendelle

The staff of Chateau de Mointeuin were known for their industrious nature, but on that particular morning, they were abuzz with frenetic energy as they rushed about the estate to help the Count and his family prepare for their trip, a holiday to Arendelle that had been given as a birthday gift for Hans' tenth birthday nearly six months earlier.

When he had first heard the news, the young Viscount could not believe his ears. His father had always told him that he was too young to accompany on his sea voyages, but now…

Hans grinned proudly to himself as he packed the last of his clothes and other necessities into his travelling trunk. He could barely contain his excitement as this would be the first time he would seeing what lay beyond Corona's borders. For so long he had heard many stories of foreign lands being regaled by his father, and now he would have the opportunity to visit one himself.

"Looks like you're pretty eager," Galen remarked, watching his grandson lug his trunk onto the waiting carriage.

"How could I not be?" Hans replied, "I've been waiting for this moment all my life. When Papa sees my sea legs, maybe he'll let me join in his other expeditions too!"

The old man chuckled and ruffled the boy's auburn locks. "Spoken like a true man of the sea. You know, we de Mointeuinswere born to sail! Why, when I was your age I–"

"Don't mind him, he didn't enter the naval academy until he was sixteen," Méline interjected, cutting her husband off with a quick slap to the head. She cast him a glare of utmost exasperation. "Honestly Galen, stop filling his head all these exaggerations! You're only giving him unrealistic expectations."

"What's unrealistic is that pipe dream of yours about him marrying royalty!" Galen retorted. "A lot of good all that primping did when our own princess has been missing for the last eight years!"

"While she was my first choice, I never said it had to be her!" Méline shot back. "And you do know that Arendelle has two princesses close to his age, right?"

The de Mointeuin patriarch groaned and palmed his face. "Good grief, you're hopeless…"

Hans merely sighed to himself as he watched his grandparents bicker. Despite them constantly squabbling, it was all playful banter. The elder de Mointeuin couple actually held mutual respect for each other and their bickering was simply their own special yet strange way of affirming their love for each other.

"Ah, so there you are!"

He turned to see his mother walking up the path, accompanied by a servant carrying her bags. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Am I ever!" he beamed, nodding vigorously.

"Have a safe trip," said Méline as she hugged them all. "Hans, you'll remember to always mind your manners and be on your best behavior, won't you?"

"I will," he promised.

"That's my darling Hansel," she smiled, planting a tender kiss on the middle of his forehead.

"And do be mindful of your surroundings," Galen advised,"You'll never know what lies ahead during your trip, so keep both eyes and ears open."

"Yes, Grandpapa."

"And don't get lost! Stick close to your parents and listen to them!"

"Yes, of course!"

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" offered Alexander as he hefted his own trunk onto the roof of the coach. "There's more than enough room for all five of us."

"Thank you, but I'll pass," Galen replied, shaking his head. "At my age, I've already seen what I wanted to see."

"Not to mention that these old bones would only slow you down," Méline added. "Go enjoy your trip. Us old fogeys will watch the fort while you're away."

"Alright… If you say so." Without warning, he enveloped them in a hug. "Father, Mother, do take care not to overexert yourselves. And don't worry, we'll try to make it back before Christmas so we can celebrate together."

"And I'll remind Papa to bring back some souvenirs for you both," Hans piped up, poking his head from the carriage window.

"Hans, don't lean like that!" Amelia fretted, pulling him in."You might fall and hurt yourself."

"Sorry!"

Once the younger de Mointeuins were properly seated, the coachman snapped his reins and the carriage began to move. "Goodbye, goodbye!" called Galen and Méline as they their farewells, "Godspeed, and have a safe trip!"

Once the carriage was out of sight, they walked back to the estate and proceeded to make the best of their free time for the next three weeks.


Arendelle

After two weeks out on the open sea, the Cygnus finally made it to Arendelle. Peering out from the upper deck, Hans could see Christiana's waterfront growing ever closer as the ship neared the harbor. And further out, on an islet to the west, the green-shingled spires of Arendelle Castle rose over the horizon, much like a gatekeeper at attention.

Hans was brimming with excitement now. As luck would have had it, the de Mointeuins had just arrived in time for the Arendelle Winter Festival. Even from afar, he could see the tiny silhouettes of the locals bustling back and forth around the market plaza as they prepared the venue for the upcoming festivities. He could not wait to disembark so that he could explore the city and enjoy the sights and sounds it had to offer.

He carefully padded back to his parents' cabin to see if they were up and ready, but much to his dismay, they were still fast asleep.

"Papa, Mama, wake up!" he called, gently nudging them both.

No response.

"Come ooonnn! Please wake up! We're here!" he begged, tugging them by the arms in an attempt to rouse them.

Still, his parents slept on.

Hans puffed out his cheeks with an annoyed huff. As wonderful as they were, there was one downside to his parents, that being that they were such heavy sleepers. He sighed, glancing wistfully at the bustling, snow-dusted plaza that was now but a stone's throw away.

'Stick close to your parents!' his grandfather had said, but as he looked on, he felt the temptation to leave on his own grow.

Unable to wait any longer, he grabbed his satchel and coin pouch and quietly tiptoed out of the room. 'As long as I come back before they wake up, I suppose a quick little stroll shouldn't be too bad,' he said to himself.


Meanwhile

"Dad, we're here!" announced eight-year-old Kristoff Bjorgman, excitedly bouncing in the seat of his family's reindeer-drawn cart. His awestruck gaze darted to and fro, taking in the sight of the market plaza bedecked with ribbons and streamers of blue, white, and silver, and the wooden booths where itinerant peddlers had set up their wares like souvenirs and food.

He patted his pockets, heavy with his saved-up allowance from doing odds-and-ends for his parents and neighbors. For boys around Kristoff's age, the highlight of these public festivals were not the activities, but the food that were sold there. His mouth watered at the thought of krumkakes filled with cream and jam, spicy pebernødders (1), sticky currant buns, and all sorts of other goodies.

"Hurray!" he cheered as the cart halted with a creak. He leapt down and whistled for his pet, a reindeer calf he had recently adopted. "Come on, Sven! Let's get some grub!" He dashed off to the food stalls, only to be yanked back by his father, Magnus.

"Whoops! Not so fast!" said the senior Bjorgman, gesturing to the cart that was loaded with huge blocks of ice. "Before we eat, we have to work, and I can't do that without my Number One Assistant now, can I?"

"No sir!" Kristoff replied, and he promptly clambered back into the cart to fetch Magnus' toolbox. "By the way," he added, glancing worriedly at his father's cargo, "Will we even be able to sell all this ice? I mean, it's winter after all…"

"But of course!" Magnus declared confidently, "These beautieswere a special order for the first-ever Arendelle Ice Sculpting Contest, so you can imagine that these will fetch a pretty pfenning (2). Still, we're not the only ones who'll make good money today; whoever wins first place will be awarded a cash prize and have his entry displayed at the palace courtyard."

Kristoff gasped with sheer elation. "How exciting! And to think that's ice from our neighborhood!"

"Ah Bjorgman, just the man I wanted to see!"

"Good to see you too, Mr. Petersen," Magnus replied, shaking the man's hand. "I see that you were elected to head the festival committee this year."

"Yes I was," Petersen replied. "It's quite a lot of work, but seeing those happy faces after yet another successful celebration should be worth all the trouble." He hemmed and hawed as he inspected each and every one of the ice blocks for defects.

"So far so good!" he said appraisingly. "Not a single work as always, Bjorgman! You can unload them now."

"Can I help, Dad?" Kristoff asked.

"Not until you're more experienced," Magnus told him as he worked. "Now don't be like that, Son" he added, noticing the boy's downcast expression. "Unloading ice blocks of this size can be very dangerous. One wrong move and you could be maimed or worse."

As much as he appreciated Kristoff's enthusiasm for ice, Magnus knew that the industry itself had many risks. One day, he might let Kristoff join him on the field, but for now, he would only let the boy watch and occasionally carry smaller blocks of ice under strict supervision.

'He'll make a fine ice harvester when he's older.'

As soon as Magnus had finished his task and collected his payment, he walked over to where Kristoff and Sven were waiting. "Now we can have some fun at the festival," he declared, holding up his now-full coin pouch.

Kristoff flashed him a smile that could rival the brightness of the sun. "Yahoo!" he cheered, pumping his fist. "Let's gooo!" And hand in hand, both father and son were off, free to enjoy the rest of their day.


Arendelle castle

However, despite the general excitement and cheery atmosphere that accompanied the Winter Festival, not everyone was happy. Eight-year-old Crown Princess Elsa stared wistfully out the window, her sad, blue eyes trained towards the merry making taking place at Arendelle Plaza. If she had to be honest with herself, she wanted nothing more that to join the festivities, but a recent accident involving her sister and her ice magic had left her crippled with fear.

'Fear is the enemy…' she had been told; but how could she not be afraid? Everywhere she looked, all she could see was the prone form of her younger sister Anna, unconscious after having been struck by a blast of ice.

Fortunately, Anna had recovered to full health after the accident, but at the cost of her memories. She had no recollection of Elsa's abilities whatsoever, and Elsa herself, not wanting a repetition of the incident, had cloistered herself away to protect Anna from her powers, thus locking the younger princess out of the loop.

Just then Elsa's gloomy thoughts were disrupted by a gentle rapon the door. She turned to see it slowly creak open as her mother Iduna entered the room. In Elsa's eyes, there was nobody more beautiful than her mother. Not only was radiant and refined, but she also had a gentle heart and a strong will. She was the kind of woman Elsa wanted to be when she grew up.

"Good morning, my darling Snowdrop," she greeted, reaching out for her eldest daughter. Her cheerful demeanor fell upon seeing Elsa flinch back from her touch. 'To endure such pain at such a tender age…'

"Elsa," she began slowly, soothingly, "I know you'd never hurt me, won't you let me hug you?"

"I'm sorry Mama, but I can't," Elsa whispered, "I don't want to hurt you too."

Iduna put a warm hand on the child princess' shoulder and gently drew her into a hug. "You won't, I promise. Now, I was thinking that we could to the Winter Festival as a family. It'll be fun! And I know Papa and Anna will be very happy to see you."

Elsa tensed up at the mention of her sister and pulled away from her mother's embrace. "I don't want to go," she mumbled, her voice a plaintive whimper. "Just enjoy your day without me."

"Darling, you can't mean that!" Iduna gasped, "You can't just stay inside and mope forever, you need to go out, have some fun! It's good for you."

Elsa wanted to tell her mother that she longed to join them, butin her anxiety, she merely held her tongue and shook her head. No matter how hard she tried to rein in her powers, they just seemed to flare up even more. It was only a matter of time before her powers could hurt someone again.

"I mean it, Mama," she insisted. "You go and have fun with Papa and Anna. I'll stay here. I don't want my powers to act up and ruin everyone's day."

Seeing that her daughter was adamant about staying behind, Iduna relented and left, but she was very much displeased with the entire situation. She pitied Elsa and wanted to do something to alleviate her plight, but despite all her coaxing and encouragement, the Crown Princess only seemed to sink deeper in depression.

'And it's all his fault,' she thought bitterly, glowering at her husband who was waiting in the parlor with their younger daughter.

"Is Elsa coming?" asked Agnarr.

"No, she wanted to stay," was the Queen's clipped reply.

"Why?" Anna asked. At five, she was brimming with innocent curiosity.

"Because some people don't encourage her or give her time,"Iduna answered, shooting a pointed glare at Agnarr. Seeing that he neither admitted nor denied the accusation, blackened her mood even further. "You really are incorrigible, AgnarrSolberg," she hissed, pointing an angry finger at him. How you're able to sleep at night, I'll never know." With a furious huff, she turned on her heel and left.

Anna stared after Iduna's retreating form, confused by her oddbehavior. "Why is Mama angry?"

"It's nothing," the King replied, his expression impassive, but deep down he was troubled. Ever since the accident a few months past, he and his wife had begun to argue more and more, putting a strain in their once-blissful marriage. Still, he hoped that everything would blow over once Elsa regained control of her otherworldly abilities.

Without another word, he took Anna by the hand and followed after his wife.

With a heavy heart, Elsa watched her family leave for the festival. She wanted to accompany them, she really did; but should her powers manifest themselves and the public discover that the crown princess had magic, things could get ugly in an instant.

'But what if it wasn't me?'

Now that was an idea… She could disguise herself as a commoner and use a secret passage to sneak out of the one aside from her parents knew of her powers, and as long as she did not stay out too long, there was little chance that her she would ever lose control. Even if she did manage to lose control, the winter weather and her disguise should be enough to cover her tracks.

Taking great care to stay unseen, she crept towards the servants' quarters and began to rummage in their trunks. A few of the staff had children and they sometimes kept their clothes as mementos to prevent homesickness. After a bit of scrounging, she managed to procure the perfect outfit – a plain, long-sleeved dress of thick, dark blue homespun, an off-white apron, a winter cloak of heavy wool, and worsted stockings.

Putting them on, she then rearranged her hair into pigtail braids and covered it with a olive-green knitted shawl. As she looked into the mirror, no trace of the Crown Princess could be seen. In her place was a modest little girl eager to set out for a winter stroll.

'Perfect.'


Town of Arendelle

Anna whimpered as she covered her ears in an attempt to drown out the sound of her parents fighting. Ever since Elsa had locked herself away, their arguments were beginning to increase in severity, and it frightened her very much. The worst part was, she had an inkling that both she and Elsa were the cause of this conflict, but for what reason, she did not know.

"…it's for her own protection!" Agnarr shouted, "I'm just doing what I think is best for our daughters."

"Well, what you think is best is hurting them!" Iduna fired back. "Can't you see that there is another way?"

"Please stop," Anna begged tearfully. But in the heat of their anger, neither her father nor her mother heard her and her wishes went unanswered as the argument continued to escalate.

Overwhelmed by the hostile atmosphere, the young princess rose from her seat and flung open the carriage door. Then, to the great horror of her parents, she jumped out of the still-moving vehicle. Normally, one would have been grievously injured by doing such a reckless feat, but fortunately for Anna, her fall was cushioned by bank of powder snow.

Immediately, Agnarr ordered the coachman to stop, and he ran after his younger daughter, calling for her to return.

But Anna paid him no heed. Not even bothering to dust herself, she sprinted off, ducking into the bustling crowd of festival-goers. She ran as fast could, tripping several times in her blind haste, but she no longer cared. She just wanted to be somewhere, anywhere where there was no fighting, ill will, or animosity. At the same time, she was crying so hard, she could not even see where she was going.

"Oof!" she grunted as she bumped into something large and furry. "What the–?" she groaned only to choke back a scream upon seeing a reindeer rear at her.

"Watch out!" Just then, she felt someone grab her by the arm and pull her back.

"Th-thanks," she began. "You–"

"You don't ever, ever startle a reindeer!" her savior rebuked, pointing a fierce finger at her face. "Were you raised in a cave or what?"

"N-no…" she whimpered, fresh tears springing up at his sharp tone. "I c-came f-from the castle…" She sniffled a couple of times. "My p-parents were fighting, so I got s-scared and ran away. A-and now, I'm lost!"

"Oh, I see…" said the boy. He awkwardly shuffled his feet, looking rather contrite and rightly. Here was a lost child, one who probably had never seen a reindeer until today, and he had just yelled at her. 'Great job, Kristoff. Way to be a heel.'

"Sorry if I was being so harsh earlier," he apologized. "I thought you were just bothering the animals, if I had known, I wouldn't have–"

Anna held up a hand, cutting his apology short. "It's okay… It was my fault, too. I wasn't looking where I was going and if it wasn't for you, I could have been badly hurt or worse, so thanks."

"No problem," said the boy, " So anyway, what's your name?"

She stared up at him with watery, blue eyes. "Why are you asking?"

"You're lost, aren't you?" he said, "I need to know your name so we can help you find your parents."

"Oh. In that case, I'm Anna," she told him.

His lips curved into a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, Anna. I'm Kristoff. Kristoff Bjorgman." Just then, the reindeer calf beside him bellowed. "And this is my pet reindeer Sven," he added rather sheepishly, gesturing to the animal beside him."So…?" he prompted, holding out his hand for her to take.

"What are you doing?" she asked, staring at his outstretched hand.

"Making a handshake, what does it look like?" he replied. "Don't tell me you've never seen one before either." He laughed at his own joke, only to stop when he noticed that Anna wasn't laughing along with him. "Oh Dear God, you were serious!? Just what kind of upbringing did you have?"

"I told you," Anna told him, "I grew up in the castle. Papa is the king and Mama is the queen."

"They're the what now?" Kristoff felt the blood drain from his face. Oh, he was in for it now. It wasn't just any ordinary girl he had yelled at earlier. And by accusing her of being raised in a cave, he had just practically insulted a member of the royal family and the second princess no less!

"Are you okay?" Anna asked, peering up at him. "You look a little green."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he lied, but inside, he was panicking like there was no tomorrow. "I'll tell you what, let's get my dad. If anyone can help you find your folks, it's him."

The princess' face lit up into a bright smile. "Really? Then what are we waiting for?" She tugged at his hand. "Come on! Let's go find him!"

"H-hey! Not so fast, Feistypants!" he protested as she dragged him away with Sven following them closely behind.

'Just what did I get myself into?'


Meanwhile

"Here you go!"

Elsa smiled sweetly at the kindly peddler as he handed her a marzipan pig (3). So far, she had been enjoying her time at the festival. It was definitely a step up from being cloistered in her room all day, and the best part was that her powers had remained very much dormant since she left the castle.

So far, no one had recognized her as the Crown Princess, making it easy for her to look around. And everywhere she went, she could see the townsfolk's happy, smiling faces as they took part in the merriment that abounded.

However, there was one certain event that was particularly anticipated, and that was the Winter Dance that was held at the center of the town square. Here, the participants would pair up and dance, as they competed for the titles of the Winter King and Queen. In addition, a monetary prize would be awarded to the winning pair as well.

From the sidelines, Elsa could see the local orchestra play as the participating couples gathered to the main plaza and danced with all their grace and vigor, hoping to impress the judges. While the lure of money was more than motivation enough to compete, the main reason why this event had so many participants was because of the belief that whoever was crowned the Winter King and Queen were destined to become each other's soulmates. Because of this, the greater propensity of participants were young couples in their teens and early twenties.

Just then, out of nowhere, Elsa felt someone bump into her from behind, inadvertently knocking her into a boy in front of her. The force of the blow was strong enough to send them both staggering into the center of the plaza.

"I'm sorry!" she squeaked, praying that the person she bumped into would be more of the understanding type. Having someone raise his voice at her never really bode that well for the person in question as the stress it brought would trigger her powers.

"It's quite alright," he said kindly, and as he helped her up, they inadvertently made eye contact and that was when viridian met azure…

To be continued...


A/N: And thus they have met! I wonder what kind of hijinks will our heroes encounter next. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, so please leave a review if you can. Constructive criticism is very much welcomed.

Cultural notes:

(1) Pebernødder. Pepper nuts, a spicy ginger cookie popular in Scandinavian countries.

(2) Pfenning. A monetary subdivision of the Kroner. Its English equivalent is the penny.

(3) Marzipan pig. As its name indicates, it is a pig molded out of marzipan (a sweet, doughy mixture of almond paste and sugar). It is a popular Scandinavian treat during the Yuletide season.