Traitor.
The word used to belong to him, once, though not by his choice. But that was a long time ago.
The people of Arendelle have bigger problems to deal with, than a former foe. The word holds a much more dangerous meaning now. There is a traitor in the castle, and much as Anna wishes otherwise, the aforementioned traitor is not him.
It is someone else. Someone they trust. Someone they should not be trusting.
With a mole in the kingdom, revealing theor diplomatic secrets and plans, and thereby ruining them, and a war on the horizon, Arendelle cracks.
He does not particularly care about the fact that the castle is in a constant state of superficial calm that hides the terrified chaos underneath. What he does care about is that inspite of all the people pretending to be pacified, she is not.
He has never seen her like this. Never anything but composed and regal. But now, she lashes out. Her frustration is evident to anyone that knows her at all. Which, was a shorter list than one might expect, he found.
But this does mean he now knows why she has brought him along. She thinks he can save them, find the spy, and perhaps, just perhaps, save her. She is wrong. He betrayed them once, yes. But his plan was never so well-woven and intricate.
He doesn't tell her, of course. Just another white lie, to save himself some trouble.
"You suspect him," he tells her one day, having followed her gaze. It isn't a question. It never is. But she shakes her head anyway.
"Not him," she responds. They both know precisely who she is speaking of. "His...friends."
He inhales sharply. He has heard the tale of the night that ruined her life. He knows she struggles to not blame them, but does so anyway, and he agrees. Unlike him, however, she never shows her distaste for the creatures.
Her suspicion, he reflects, would not entirely be invalid. Nonetheless, it is not a good idea to declare them aloud. Certainly not in public. People of Arendelle still revere them, or at least tales of them. Not many know of their existence, of course.
But one of the few that do, lives in the castle, and is loyal to a fault. A perfect way to bring down a kingdom. He has no doubt they are clever enough to pull it off, even. There will be little that anyone can do, to save the kingdom.
He wonders which side he should pick.
Notes: A shorter chapter, but hopefully one that leads up to the more interesting later ones. The bit about who the spy or traitor might be is purposefully left vague, but feel free to make any guesses in the comments!