It had taken a lot longer than Lars had anticipated to secure a room for the night and retrieve his luggage from the pier. By the time he finally made it to the castle, the wedding ceremony was already well underway. Not that the ceremony itself mattered much to Lars; he hadn't been invited anyway. He would have liked to have had more time to plan his next step, however.
Lars had purchased an inexpensive second-hand overcoat from a shop near his boarding house so that he would blend in among the throng of Arendelle commoners who had gathered in the courtyard of the palace to catch a glimpse of the bride and groom. It seemed to work as the palace guards stationed at the gates barely noticed him when he walked by. He almost couldn't believe it was so easy to get through the castle gates that had so intrigued him when he was younger. The spires of the palace towered overhead. They seemed even taller than ever now that he was so close to them. The courtyard was filled with spectators waiting for the ceremony to end and for the newly married couple to emerge. Lars struggled to work his way through the tightly-packed crowd, but eventually he managed to get close enough to the front to have a view.
A broad burgundy carpet had been laid out from the steps of the chapel to the main entrance to the palace. A palace guard stood at attention on each side of the chapel steps, facing forward. More palace guards lined each side of the route to the castle, though they were spread somewhat thin with large gaps between them. The large crowd seemed well behaved, however, and Lars had heard that the royals had forged a close relationship with their small population, so he wasn't overly surprised at the relative lack of security. The people were content to stay on one side of the carpet. The side closest to the palace was lined only by the guards. More guards were stationed at the front doors of the palace, which, unlike the main gates, remained closed. Lars realized the situation was about as advantageous as he could have realistically hoped, and he began to formulate a plan in his mind.
The bells of the chapel rang out, signaling the end of the wedding ceremony. The crowd stirred with anticipation as people began jostling to get a better view. The doors of the chapel opened, and Anna and Kristoff stepped out and were met with a roar of applause, which only grew louder as they happily waved to the people. They did make a lovely couple, Lars thought, finding himself swept up in the excitement of the moment. As the newlyweds continued down the steps, Lars thought for a moment that he saw a living snowman run out of the chapel after them. Whatever he thought he saw almost immediately disappeared from his view, which was obstructed by the people in front of him, and he promptly dismissed the vision as a figment of his imagination.
Lars knew that Queen Elsa would be the next person in the line, but he was still caught off guard when she emerged from the chapel. The queen was strikingly beautiful. Lars had not anticipated that. He found himself transfixed watching her walk down the carpeted path. As she scanned the crowd, her eyes met his and for a split second Lars feared that she could tell he was an interloper. But her gaze immediately shifted as she continued on her way without even pausing. Lars continued to watch her after she passed by until his view was interrupted by the wedding guests following her and he shook himself from his reverie.
The crowd subtly moved in an attempt to follow the newlyweds as they continued toward the palace. Lars allowed the others to move around him as he went in the other direction, back toward the chapel. Eventually he broke away from the throng. The guards at the front of the chapel were focused on the people lining the pathway and didn't notice Lars at all as he walked by and followed the outer wall toward the back of the chapel. Lars circled around the back wall to the other side of the chapel. He was actually a little surprised that there were no guards or obstructions of any kind to stop him. He silently crept forward along the wall in the shadow of the chapel. He could see the back of the guard at the foot of the stairs as he approached. If the guard had turned around, he would have clearly seen Lars, but the guard had no reason to turn.
Lars steadily made his way to the front of the chapel and crouched against the front wall next to the steps just a few feet behind the guard. He could look up and see the line of wedding guests leaving the chapel. If any of the guests had looked down over the side of the stairs, they could have seen him, but none of them did. He waited in the shadows, his dull Arendelle overcoat helping to disguise him as he watched for the end of the line of guests.
From where he sat, Lars could see the front of the line. The newlyweds had paused at the entrance to the palace for the enjoyment of the people. The crowd was focused on them, and the guards were watching the crowd. No one was looking back.
Lars saw the last group of wedding guests leaving the chapel. He pulled from his pocket a large gold coin, an Arendelle crown. Lars tossed the coin ahead of him, in a low arc between the chapel steps and the guard standing in front of him. The shiny coin landed a few steps in front of the guard. Lars watched the guard intently. He could tell the guard had seen the valuable coin. The guard didn't turn around, simply assuming the coin had fallen from the pocket of one of the passing wedding guests, though he had no idea which one. He stared at the coin for a moment, weighing the risk of being seen stepping away from his post against the value of the coin.
After a moment that had seemed to Lars like an eternity, the guard stepped forward to retrieve the gold coin. Lars quickly shed the Arendelle overcoat to reveal his formal royal blue tailcoat and trousers and polished black boots. Leaving the overcoat behind, Lars slipped unnoticed behind the guard as he knelt to pick up the coin. Lars looked just like another wedding guest as he joined the back of the line. The guard on the other side of the steps didn't notice that Lars hadn't actually come down the stairs with the others. Lars was certain he hadn't been spotted but he didn't dare look back at the guards. Instead he started talking to a young woman who was also at the back of the line.
"Wasn't that a beautiful ceremony?" Lars said.
"Oh, yes, I loved it. It was so romantic," she replied, unaware that Lars had not actually seen the ceremony.
Lars continued making small talk, and as the line moved forward, he brought other guests into the conversation. Lars knew that everyone at the ceremony would have had their invitations checked when they arrived. It would have annoyed them if the guards checked their invitations again when they entered the palace. As long as he blended in with the legitimate guests, Lars knew he would be let into the palace with them without being questioned. By the time they reached the entrance to the palace, Lars was engaged in a lively conversation with a large group of guests. He had even managed to inch his way forward so that he was no longer the last person in line. He passed through the doors of the palace without a second glance from the guards.
Once he was inside the palace, Lars let out a sigh of relief that went unnoticed by his new companions and took in his surroundings. It suddenly sank in that he was actually inside the castle that had always captivated him. He couldn't help but smile as he followed the other guests to the ballroom. He had managed the trickiest part of his plan. Now, all he had to do was keep a low profile while he waited for the right moment.