Kristoff/Christopher paced the cabin furiously, his Westerguard blood kept him moving, thinking.
It had all seemed so simple at first...
The Westerguards were not technically Southern Isles royalty. They were just royalty in general. Centuries ago, coincidentally around the time that the Black Spot pirates arrived in the isles, a large family had emmigrated to the country as well. Since there were so many of them, and they kept growing as a family, it didn't take very long for their family ties to strengthen their political standings.
Their lord at the time had been worried, and forcefully drafted about half the men, leaving their female counterparts at home during the constant wars.
This plan had backfired in a most spectacular way. Instead of killing off the men, the Westerguards used their family connection to start their family motto, "If Westerguard blood should be shed in foreign waters, then by the strength of my arms and the arms of my brothers, this ocean will be filled with the blood of our enemies."
Obviously, the person who coined the phrase died off quickly thereafter. Ironically, their commanders became too afraid to send Westerguards to their death, else they may incur the wrath of the rest of the clan. Soon, by surviving and, honestly, ripping people apart, members of the family rose in rank. His ancestor, Johan, had coined the phrase about plans. He was in a particularly tricky situation, and gave words to the spirit which had possessed his predecessors.
Once their millitary careers were solidified, the Westerguards moved into the castle, bringing their families with them. Johan himself was the first royal of the group in the Southern Isles, and his son the first Westerguard king.
They'd learned something along the way. Something about identity. A man could topple a kingdom just by moving up the political ranks.
From the first pioneer to Johan's own son, Kristophe, the Westerguards learned how to impose themselves into societies, and slowly take them over. It was not a lesson they would soon forget. Westerguards all over Europe were military leaders, dukes, and merchants. Although sometimes the extended family drifted, one piece of knowledge remained; that power could be grasped by anyone willing to take it.
Which is how Kristoff found himself in quite the dilemma. He's been sent to Arrendelle to implant himself in their culture, learn their ways, then return to the Southern Isles. Instead, he'd fallen in love with the place, and her.
Anna.
He could remember the first time he had seen her; wrapped up in her father's arms, so cold, so frail... he'd wanted to protect her. It was a turning point to him. When he first arrived in the kingdom, he'd fallen in love with the simple beauty it possessed, the culture of harvesting ice, and the mountains. He had found a baby reindeer who had bonded onto him. Finally, he had someone that loved him. Now, he fell in love all over again.
He'd watched her from afar, so to speak. Whenever he was in town, he'd take a moment or two out of his day to look into the castle. He learned her routine, from morning until midnight. He could watch her for hours, days. Even with the curtains closed, he knew which shadowy silhouette was hers.
Kristoff... Kristophe, could not stay long. He had been sent to live with Westerguards in Arrendelle. to live with the trolls, and to keep from being discovered, he could not spend too much time in town. Eventually they tracked him down, but had no choice but to respect his decision to stay in the mountains. They could not, after all, call the police because their 'son' refused to spy for them.
He still had to make progress reports; paths through the mountains, current and future storage of arms, tracking the ascension of the queen. None of it seemed too dangerous at first, but the older he got, the closer he came to realizing how dangerous the reports were.
Especially the last one he sent;
"The queen has magic powers."
That would stop any invasion plans they had. It should have. But instead, they sent Hans.
Kristoff had felt mixed emotions about this. He felt the desire to watch his brother's ship come in, but no desire whatsoever to watch him weasel his way into someone else's heart. Especially when the heart in question was already an object of great desire.
"And what do you want, brother?" Kristoff muttered to himself. That same question had been asked him by only two people; Hans and Baragor. The blond knew Baragor had lived with the pirates, was more than aware of their reputation even a continent away. And Baragor knew Kristoff loved the princess. And so he made a deal.
Kristoff felt little regret in betraying Hans. No Westerguard was truly trust-worthy.
Even now, the ice-master-spy was feeding his contacts information about the status of the queen and council. He ought to be put to death.
His 'parents' handed him an envelope, a large 'B' on the outside.
"It's for you." They said.
He opened it, eyes filling with shock and sorrow as he read the contents. One line.
"He must die."